Maryland Early American History Lessons for Grades 1–4
Maryland Early American History Lessons for Grades 1–4
Maryland elementary teachers looking for early American history lessons can use the Early American History Bundle: eight units on Native Americans, explorers, the Pilgrims, pioneers, timelines, sources, and school and family life then and now, for $99.99. It gives Grade 4 a national foundation before Maryland's own figures and events come in. The Maryland part you add yourself.
Look inside the 8 unitsThe Early American History Bundle ($99.99) is a practical choice for Maryland teachers in Grades 1–4 who teach early America. Its eight units cover Native Americans, explorers, the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, pioneers on the frontier, timelines, historical sources, and school and family life then and now. Each has an overview and three sub-units with plans, worksheets, activities, answer keys and slides. It has no Maryland content and is not built on Maryland's standards.
The resources
Early American History Bundle, Grades 1–4
8 resources in one download: $99.99 instead of $199.92 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Early American History Bundle | Native Americans, Explorers, Pilgrims & Pioneers | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Elementary History Curriculum | All 20 History Units | Grades 1–4
Ancient Civilizations Bundle | Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Vikings & Stone Age | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Civics & Civil Rights Bundle | Martin Luther King Jr., Voting, Direct Democracy & Freedom of the Press | 4 Resources | Grades 5–9
The real problem
How early America fits Maryland's elementary sequence
Maryland's elementary social studies is organized around six Maryland State Social Studies Standards. From PreK through Grade 3, MSDE describes units of study that introduce and reinforce those standards, without a separate named theme for each grade. That gives primary teachers room, but also leaves them choosing topics and finding materials on their own. In Grades 4 and 5 the picture changes. MSDE describes those years as an overview of U.S. history that uses Maryland's key figures and events as a lens on the national story, and there is no separate state history year; Maryland content is woven into that overview. For a Grade 4 teacher this creates a two-part job. Students need the national story of early America, told accurately and respectfully, and they need the Maryland people and places that make it local. Most ready-made materials offer only one of the two. Primary teachers face a smaller version of the same question: which early American topics should come before Grade 4, and how do young students learn to use timelines and sources well enough to handle that overview later? Your district's curriculum answers much of that, so start there.
Why it fits
Where the eight units help a Maryland teacher
The bundle supplies the national early American story and the skills to study it. The Maryland lens stays with you.
- Native Americans: First Peoples of North America presents Indigenous history factually and respectfully.
- Explorers and the voyage to the Americas sets up the period your Grade 4 overview builds on.
- Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving gives a careful, factual November unit for primary grades.
- Pioneers and frontier life extends the story westward before the later units of your course.
- Timelines and historical sources units build the skills Grades 4–5 need for the U.S. overview.
- School and family then-and-now units suit PreK–3 units of study about past and present.
Getting started
Pairing the units with Maryland content in Grade 4
One way to combine the bundle with your own Maryland materials. Your district pacing guide decides the order.
- Open with evidence and timeTeach the timelines and historical sources units first. Students learn how historians date events and read sources before they meet any specific period in your course.
- First peoples before arrivalsTeach the Native Americans unit before explorers, so students understand that people lived across North America long before European voyages. Add Maryland examples from your district.
- Explorers and the coloniesUse the explorers unit, then the Pilgrims unit, as the national frame. Follow each with your own lesson on the related Maryland people and places your curriculum names.
- Moving westTeach pioneers and frontier life as the national thread continues. Students compare daily life across regions and see how the frontier changed over time and what pioneer families needed.
- Close with then and nowFinish with the school and family then-and-now units, which work well as a reflection at year's end or as a lighter block in the busy last weeks of spring.
What to buy
Choosing the right history bundle
Buy the Early American History Bundle at $99.99 if your focus is early America in Grades 1–4; the eight units cost $199.92 separately. If you also teach ancient civilizations or medieval topics, the Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99, parts $499.80) includes all 20 elementary history units, these eight among them. The Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92) covers Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, the Stone Age and the Vikings. For Grade 5, the Civics & Civil Rights Bundle ($54.99, parts $79.96, Grades 5–9) adds Martin Luther King Jr., the I Have a Dream speech, voting and press freedom.
Honest limits
What this bundle does not include
There is no Maryland history in these units: no Maryland figures, places or events, and no links to the six Maryland State Social Studies Standards or MSDE frameworks. You supply the Maryland lens that Grades 4 and 5 call for, and you check each unit against your district curriculum. The units are written for any state and are not approved by MSDE or any county. The licence covers your own teaching; message Teach Lessons before sharing with your grade team. A buyer who finds it unsuitable can trade it within 7 days for store credit of the same value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned with the Maryland State Social Studies Standards?
No. The bundle is not aligned to, approved by or reviewed by MSDE, and it carries no standards references. The topics are common in early American history, but compare each unit with the six standards, the MSDE elementary framework and your county curriculum yourself before using it as part of your course.
Does it include Maryland history?
No. All eight units tell the national early American story without state-specific content. MSDE describes Grades 4 and 5 as using Maryland's key figures and events as a lens, so plan your own Maryland lessons alongside each unit, using materials your district provides. The timelines unit is a useful place to add Maryland dates.
How are Native Americans and the Pilgrims presented?
Factually and with respect. One unit introduces the first peoples of North America as the continent's original inhabitants; the other treats the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving in the same measured tone. Read each passage ahead of class, so you can bring in Maryland context and prepare for the questions young students tend to ask.
Can I use it in Grades 1–3?
Yes. The bundle is labeled Grades 1–4, and the differentiated worksheets allow for younger readers. Since Maryland PreK–3 social studies is built from units of study rather than named grade themes, choose the units that fit your district's plan, such as the then-and-now units. Younger classes can spend longer on each sub-unit and lean on the slides and word banks.
What does a single unit contain?
Each unit has an overview and three ready-to-teach sub-units. Every sub-unit includes a step-by-step lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with a reading passage and word bank, a project or primary-source activity, a complete answer key, and slides for the lesson. You can teach a whole unit or pick single sub-units.
How are the files delivered?
Digitally, right after purchase. A download link comes by email and the files remain in your customer account under Orders. You can print worksheets and show slides on your classroom screen, and nothing ships by mail, so you can start planning the same day you buy.
Bring early America into your Maryland classroom
See all eight unit titles and sample pages on the product page.
Look inside the 8 units