Louisiana Grades 1–4 Social Studies: Ready History Units for Grades 3 and 4
Louisiana Grades 1–4 Social Studies: Ready History Units for Grades 3 and 4
For Louisiana teachers in Grades 1–4, the Elementary History Curriculum gives you all 20 of our elementary history units in one download for $169.99. It fits best where the state sequence turns to history: The American Story in Grade 3 and The Ancient World in Grade 4. It has no Louisiana content, so your Grade 1 state study still needs its own materials.
See the 20 history unitsThe Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99) is a strong match for the history-heavy grades in Louisiana's elementary sequence, especially Grade 4's ancient world year and parts of Grade 3's American story. It holds 20 units, each with an overview and three sub-units containing a lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, a project or source activity, an answer key and slides. It is not written for the Louisiana Student Standards and contains no Louisiana history.
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
Four grades, four different social studies years
Louisiana's K-12 Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies, approved by BESE on March 9, 2022, give every elementary grade its own course title. Grade 1 is Life in the Great State of Louisiana. Grade 2 is Life in Our Great Country, the United States of America. Grade 3 is The American Story: People, Places, and Papers. Grade 4 is The Ancient World, and Grade 5 moves on to the medieval period. So one history product helps some grades far more than others. A Grade 4 teacher needs Egypt, Greece, Rome and China taught well, with enough reading support for mixed readers. A Grade 3 teacher needs people and documents from the American past, and needs students to practice working with sources. A Grade 1 teacher needs Louisiana itself, which no general resource supplies. Add the days lost when parishes close schools ahead of a storm, as NOLA Public Schools, Jefferson, East Baton Rouge, Terrebonne and Lafourche did before Hurricane Francine in September 2024, and many teachers end up compressing units. What helps is lessons that are already planned, broken into short sub-units, and easy to pick up again after an interruption.
Why it fits
Where the units land in Louisiana's grade sequence
A grade-by-grade planning guide, not an alignment claim.
- Grade 4 Ancient World: units on ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and the Stone Age.
- Grade 3 American Story: Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims and pioneers units, taught respectfully and factually.
- The Papers part of Grade 3: a historical sources unit and a timelines unit build document skills.
- Grade 2 national focus: school, family and daily life then-and-now units add history to civics lessons.
- Grade 5 preview: knights, castles and medieval town units suit a late Grade 4 bridge.
- Every sub-unit has its own plan and answer key, so storm-week gaps are easier to restart.
Getting started
A sample plan for a Grade 4 ancient world year
This is one way a Louisiana Grade 4 teacher could order the units. Adjust it to your district scope and sequence.
- Start with time and evidenceOpen with the timelines and historical sources units so students know how we date and study the past before the ancient units begin. Both make short openers.
- Stone Age to EgyptTeach the Stone Age, then ancient Egypt with the pyramids, mummies and hieroglyphs units. Three Egypt units give you room to go deep or pick one.
- Greece and RomeMove to the Olympics, myths and daily life in Greece, then legions and roads in Rome. The differentiated worksheets help when reading levels vary widely in one class.
- China and the wider worldAdd the ancient China unit on the Great Wall, silk and inventions, then decide whether the Vikings unit fits your district's scope before Grade 5.
- Keep closure-day backupsSet aside one sub-unit per topic as a fallback for unplanned days. Each has its own plan, worksheet and key, so a colleague or substitute can teach it.
What to buy
Which bundle a Louisiana teacher should buy
Buy the Elementary History Curriculum at $169.99 if you teach Grade 4 or move between Grades 3 and 4, or if a team wants one shared set of history units; bought one by one, the 20 units cost $499.80. If you teach only Grade 4, the Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92) holds the eight ancient world units and is the cheaper choice. A Grade 3 teacher focused on the American story can take the Early American History Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92). The Complete Learning Books Bundle ($99.90) is a cross-subject set for Grades 3–6, not a history program.
Honest limits
What these units will not do for you
These units are written for any state. There is no Louisiana history, no Grade 1 Louisiana unit, and no Louisiana standards codes on the pages, so check each lesson against the Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies and your district's curriculum yourself. You supply the state content, local examples and any required documents. The licence covers your own teaching; to share with your grade-level team, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If the curriculum is not a fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not a cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned to the Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies?
No. The curriculum is not aligned to, endorsed by or approved by BESE or the Louisiana Department of Education, and it carries no standards codes. Many topics overlap with the Grade 3 and Grade 4 course titles, but you need to compare each unit with the standards and your district guidance yourself before using it as part of your plan.
Does it help with Grade 1, Life in the Great State of Louisiana?
Only a little. Grade 1 is a Louisiana-focused year and these units contain no Louisiana content. The then-and-now units on school, family and old trades, plus the timelines unit, can support general skills like comparing past and present, but you will need separate Louisiana materials for the core of that year.
How are Native Americans and the Pilgrims handled?
The Native Americans unit presents the first peoples of North America factually and respectfully, and the Pilgrims unit covers the first Thanksgiving with the same care. Neither unit is about Louisiana's own tribes or history. Read the reading passages before teaching so you can add local context where your Grade 3 plan calls for it.
Can I use only some units?
Yes. Every unit stands on its own, and each sub-unit has its own lesson plan, worksheet, activity, answer key and slides. A Grade 4 teacher might use only the ancient units and a Grade 3 colleague only the early America units, but sharing one purchase between teachers needs a message to Teach Lessons first.
How do I get the files after paying?
Everything is a digital download, available right after purchase. You get a download link by email, and the files also stay in your customer account under Orders. The materials work for print and digital classrooms, and nothing ships by mail, so you can start the same day.
Can I use it on a closure day or with a substitute?
Yes, as far as the materials allow. Each sub-unit has a step-by-step lesson plan and an answer key, which makes it easy to hand to a substitute. For a closure day, you could send a worksheet home, though your district decides what counts as instruction.
Get Grades 3 and 4 history planned before the next unit
Open the product page to see all 20 unit titles.
See the 20 history units