Homeschool History for Grades 1–4 in Hawaii: 20 Units, Planned for You
Homeschool History for Grades 1–4 in Hawaii: 20 Units, Planned for You
Yes, a Hawaii homeschool family can use one download to run elementary history for several years: the Elementary History Curriculum has 20 planned units for Grades 1–4. Its unit list also makes the materials section of the curriculum record easy to fill in. What it lacks is anything about Hawaiʻi itself, so island history needs a second source.
View all 20 unitsFor a Hawaii homeschool, the Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99) gives you all 20 Teach Lessons history units for Grades 1–4 as a single download. Each unit runs as three short sub-units with a step-by-step lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with a reading passage, a hands-on or source activity, an answer key and slides. It is not written for Hawaii law or HIDOE standards and has no Hawaiian history content.
The resources
Elementary History Curriculum, Grades 1–4
20 resources in one download: $169.99 instead of $499.80 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Elementary History Curriculum | All 20 History Units | Grades 1–4
Early American History Bundle | Native Americans, Explorers, Pilgrims & Pioneers | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Ancient Civilizations Bundle | Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Vikings & Stone Age | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Complete Learning Books Bundle | 10 Units: Grammar, Math, Science, History, ESL, Art & Music | Grades 3–6
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
What Hawaii asks of a homeschooling parent
Hawaii homeschooling rests on Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 302A-1132(a)(5). As of the 2026–27 school year, a family files a notice of intent, either Form 4140 or a letter, with the principal of the public school the child would otherwise attend, and tells that principal again when homeschooling ends. The paperwork that takes real time is the record of planned curriculum: dates, weekly hours, subjects, how you will judge mastery, and a list of materials. No subject is required, but the curriculum must be structured, cumulative and sequential, and social studies is on the suggested elementary list. Each year you send the principal a progress report. In Grade 3 that means a standardized test. In Grades 1, 2 and 4 you can choose a test, an evaluation by a Hawaii-certified teacher, or your own written evaluation with work samples. So the hard part is less the teaching than proving the teaching was planned and is building on itself. A pile of library books and craft ideas is hard to describe that way. This is a summary, not legal advice; check the current rules with the state or a homeschool legal resource.
Why it fits
Why the unit structure helps with Hawaii records
Most of what Hawaii asks for is evidence of a plan. These features make that evidence easier to produce.
- The 20 unit titles can go straight into your list of materials for the year.
- Lesson plans give you dates and weekly time blocks to copy into the planned curriculum record.
- Answer keys give you a stated way of judging mastery, which the record asks you to name.
- Finished worksheets and source activities become work samples for a parent's written evaluation.
- Timelines and Traces of the Past teach history skills that later units reuse, so the sequence builds.
- Differentiated worksheets let a first grader and a fourth grader work on the same unit at once.
Getting started
From notice of intent to year-end report
A suggested order for a family using the curriculum. Adapt it to your own calendar and children.
- File first, then planSend Form 4140 or your letter to the principal of your child's assigned school. Keep a copy. The curriculum plays no part in the notice itself, so do this before you buy anything.
- Pick six to eight units for the yearRead the 20 titles and choose a strand, such as early America or the ancient world. Write those titles, rough dates and weekly hours into your record of planned curriculum.
- Teach one sub-unit at a timeEach unit has three sub-units. One sub-unit per week or two gives a steady pace for young children and keeps the record easy to update.
- Save one sheet per sub-unitKeep a marked worksheet or a finished project from each sub-unit in a folder. These become the work samples if you write your own evaluation.
- Add Hawaiʻi alongsidePublic school Grade 4 in Hawaii studies early Hawaiian history and culture. If you want to follow that path, plan island sources next to these units and list them in your record too.
What to buy
Choosing the right history download for your family
Choose the Elementary History Curriculum at $169.99 if you have two or more children in Grades 1–4 or want history planned for several years; the 20 units add up to $499.80 bought singly. A family that wants one focused year can take the Early American History Bundle ($99.99, eight units) or the Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99, eight units), each listing at $199.92 as separate parts. If your child is in Grade 3 or older and you want grammar, math, science, history and art in one set, look at the Complete Learning Books Bundle ($99.90, Grades 3–6). The Teach-Life-Balance course ($89.90) is for teachers managing time and is optional.
Honest limits
Honest limits for Hawaii families
Nothing here is written for Hawaii or checked against Hawaii homeschool law. There are no units on Hawaiian history, language or culture, and no HIDOE standards codes. You decide whether the materials meet your own goals, and you remain responsible for the notice, the planned curriculum record and the annual report. The Grade 3 standardized test is separate; this curriculum is not test prep. Printing, books and craft supplies are yours. The licence is for your family's teaching; co-ops or groups should write to Teach Lessons before sharing. If it is not right, you have 7 days to exchange it for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this curriculum satisfy Hawaii homeschool requirements?
No product can do that for you, and this one is not approved by the Hawaii Department of Education or aligned with Hawaii standards. Hawaii does not require specific subjects, but your plan must be structured, cumulative and sequential and recorded by you. Check current law with the state or a homeschool legal resource, then decide whether these units fit your plan.
What should I write under list of materials?
Many families simply list the unit titles they plan to teach that year, for example Ancient Egypt: Pyramids, Pharaohs & the Nile or Pioneers & Life on the Frontier. Since each title is a defined unit with lesson plans and worksheets, it reads clearly as planned material.
Will it help with the Grade 3 standardized test?
Not directly. The units teach history content and skills like reading a timeline or examining a source, and the reading passages give some reading practice along the way. They are not test preparation. Ask the principal's office which standardized tests are accepted for Grade 3 and plan any test practice separately from history.
Can I teach two children in different grades together?
Yes, that is a common way to use it. The worksheets are differentiated, so a younger and an older child can follow the same lesson, look at the same slides and then work on tasks at their own level. Each child keeps their own work samples, which keeps the annual progress report for each child simple.
Is anything about Hawaiʻi included?
No. The topics are ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages, Vikings, early America and then-and-now life. If you want Polynesian migration or the story of Kamehameha I, which Hawaii public schools teach in Grade 4, you will need other sources. Many families add those as a parallel strand and list them in the same curriculum record.
Can I use an ESA or other public funds to buy it?
Teach Lessons does not claim to be an approved vendor of any ESA or scholarship program. If you take part in any program that pays for educational materials, check its rules and its vendor list before you buy, and keep your receipt from the order confirmation email in case the program asks for it.
Get the history plan written down
Look over the unit list on the product page and copy the titles you want into your Hawaii curriculum record.
View all 20 units