Michigan Elementary Social Studies: Early American History for Grades 1–4
Yes, there is a ready set of early American history lessons that fits around Michigan's Grade 1 to Grade 4 social studies themes: the Early American History Bundle, eight planned units on Native Americans, explorers, the Pilgrims, pioneers, timelines, historical sources, and school and family life then and now. It contains no Michigan history, so below you will see where it fits and where your own materials take over.
See the 8 early American unitsThe Early American History Bundle ($99.99) holds eight units for Grades 1–4: Native Americans, explorers, the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, pioneers, timelines, historical sources, and school and family life then and now. Each unit has an overview and three sub-units, every one with 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 aligned to the Michigan K-12 Social Studies 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
What makes Grades 1–4 social studies in Michigan tricky to plan
Michigan's social studies standards, approved by the State Board of Education in June 2019, give each elementary grade its own theme. Grade 1 is Families and Schools, Grade 2 is The Local Community, Grade 3 is Michigan Studies with state history through statehood, and Grade 4 is U.S. Studies, which also carries Michigan history beyond statehood. Grade 5 then starts Integrated U.S. History with Indigenous peoples before European arrival. The early U.S. story is spread thin across several years, and in many buildings it shrinks to a few November lessons on the Pilgrims. The harder part is the thinking underneath: young children need to learn that the past left traces, that events happen in order, and that people once lived differently. Those skills sit inside every grade's theme, yet few elementary teachers have time to build source activities and timeline work from scratch. And because Grades 3 and 4 lean so heavily on Michigan itself, anything bought from outside the state can only cover part of the year.
Why it fits
Where the eight units sit in Michigan's elementary sequence
Treat the bundle as material you slot into the grade themes, not a replacement for them.
- School Then and Now and Family & Daily Life Then and Now suit the Grade 1 Families and Schools theme.
- Timelines & Measuring Time gives Grade 1 and 2 children the idea of order before dates appear.
- Traces of the Past teaches what a historical source is, useful during Grade 2 local community work.
- Native Americans, Explorers and Pilgrims fit Grade 4 U.S. Studies and prepare students for Grade 5.
- Pioneers & Life on the Frontier gives Grade 4 a national picture to set beside Michigan settlement.
- Differentiated worksheets with word banks let one lesson work for early and stronger readers together.
Getting started
A suggested way to spread the bundle over Grades 1 to 4
One possible arrangement for a school or a homeschool family teaching several grades. Move pieces to match your district's pacing guide.
- Grade 1: then and nowTeach School Then and Now and Family & Daily Life Then and Now during Families and Schools. The three sub-units in each make a short block of a few weeks.
- Grade 2: time and evidenceUse Timelines & Measuring Time and Traces of the Past next to your study of your own town. Children can bring an old family photo to practice the source activity.
- Grade 3: keep your Michigan unitsMichigan Studies is state history, which this bundle does not contain. Teach it from district materials and reuse the timeline worksheets when students order Michigan events.
- Grade 4: first peoples and explorersTeach Native Americans: First Peoples of North America, then Explorers & the Voyage to the Americas and the Pilgrims unit as the national strand of U.S. Studies.
- Grade 4: the frontierClose with Pioneers & Life on the Frontier and set Michigan's own settlement story from your state resources beside it, so students compare the two.
What to buy
Which history set to buy for a Michigan classroom
For early U.S. history and history skills in Grades 1–4, the Early American History Bundle at $99.99 is the focused choice; the eight units cost $199.92 separately. If you also want ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and the Vikings for enrichment or a homeschool year, the Elementary History Curriculum at $169.99 holds all 20 elementary history units, these eight included, against $499.80 for the parts. The Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99) is the ancient strand alone. Teachers looking ahead to Grade 5 can check the Civics & Civil Rights Bundle ($54.99), written for Grades 5–9.
Honest limits
What this bundle does not do for a Michigan teacher
The units are written for general U.S. use, not for Michigan. There is no Michigan history and there are no standards codes in them, and they are not aligned to the Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards, so compare each lesson with your grade's expectations yourself. Grade 3 Michigan Studies needs your own state materials. Printing and any craft supplies for projects are on you. The licence covers your own teaching; if a grade-level team wants to share it, message Teach Lessons first. If it is not a fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is the bundle aligned to the Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards?
No. It is not aligned to, endorsed by or approved under Michigan's standards or any district curriculum. It was written for elementary history in general. Several topics overlap with Michigan's grade themes, but check each unit against your grade's expectations and your district's pacing guide before planning around it.
Does it include Michigan history for Grade 3?
No. None of the eight units are about Michigan, so use your district's materials for Michigan Studies in Grade 3. Timelines & Measuring Time and Traces of the Past can still help in Grade 3, because ordering events and reading sources are skills students can apply to Michigan topics.
How are the Native American and Pilgrim units written?
Factually and respectfully, with reading passages, word banks and source or project activities. The first peoples of North America get a full unit of their own rather than appearing only inside the explorers story. Read the passages first so you can add Michigan tribal history from local sources if your district asks for it.
Will it work with a Grade 1 class that cannot read alone yet?
Yes, with support. Worksheets are differentiated with word banks, and every sub-unit has slides you can project and read aloud. In Grade 1, lead the reading passage as a whole class and use the project activity as the main independent task. The then-and-now units are the easiest start.
How much prep does a lesson need?
Each sub-unit already includes a step-by-step lesson plan, the worksheet, the activity, an answer key and slides. What remains is printing, reading the plan once, and gathering simple materials for a project. Your time goes into pacing the lessons for your class and checking student work, not into writing lessons.
Can our whole elementary building share one copy?
The licence covers one teacher's classroom or one family. If several teachers in your Michigan school want it, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying and ask about team use. Please do not post the files on an open shared drive or a public site.
Ready to plan your early American history lessons?
Open the product page to see all eight units and sample pages, then decide which grades will use them.
See the 8 early American units