Montana Elementary Social Studies: 20 Ready History Units for Grades 1–4
Montana Elementary Social Studies: 20 Ready History Units for Grades 1–4
If you teach Grades 1–4 in Montana and need history lessons you can open and teach tomorrow, the Elementary History Curriculum gives you all 20 of our elementary history units in one download. Every unit is already planned, from the Stone Age to pioneers on the frontier. It is written for any U.S. classroom, so you match it to the Montana Content Standards for Social Studies yourself.
See all 20 history unitsMontana elementary teachers who want a ready history strand can use the Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99, Grades 1–4). It holds all 20 elementary history units. Each unit has an overview and three sub-units with a lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, a project or source activity, an answer key and slides. It contains no Montana history and is not aligned to Montana standards, so you check the fit against your district plan.
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 makes elementary history hard to plan in Montana
Montana's social studies standards were approved in November 2020 and have been in effect since July 1, 2021. In many districts the grade-by-grade topics for Grades 1–5 are decided locally, so the first thing to settle is what your own district expects in your grade, not what a neighboring district does. Then comes the time question. Some Montana districts run a four-day school week, which leaves fewer days for a subject that shares the afternoon with science and art. History is often what gets squeezed. Staffing adds to it. The Office of Public Instruction lists many schools as impacted, including schools on reservations and schools a long drive from the larger towns, and those schools lean on provisional certificates, emergency authorizations and retired teachers coming back. A teacher who arrives in October, or who covers two grades in one room, rarely has evenings free to write reading passages, design source activities and build answer keys from scratch. What helps is a set of units that are complete as they stand, short enough to fit a compressed week, and easy to hand to someone else.
Why it fits
How the 20 units fit a Montana classroom
Here is what you actually get and how it lines up with the realities above. The content is general U.S. and world history for young children, not Montana-specific.
- Every sub-unit comes with a step-by-step lesson plan, so a provisional or returning teacher can teach it as written.
- Differentiated worksheets with a reading passage and word bank help when one room holds two or three grade levels.
- Three sub-units per unit break into short blocks that suit a four-day week without rushing.
- Slides and complete answer keys mean a substitute can run the lesson with little handover.
- Native Americans: First Peoples of North America is framed respectfully and factually, as a general North American unit.
- Then-and-now units on school, family and trades give younger grades history that starts from their own lives.
Getting started
A practical way to use it this year
This is one way to spread the units across a Montana school year. Treat it as a suggestion and adjust it to your district's grade focus and calendar.
- Check your district's grade focusBefore printing anything, look at what your district lists for your grade under the Montana Content Standards for Social Studies. Mark the units that match and set aside the rest for later or another grade.
- Open with sources and timelinesStart the fall with Traces of the Past and Timelines & Measuring Time. They teach how we know about the past, which every later unit uses.
- Build a then-and-now blockUse School Then and Now and Family & Daily Life Then and Now with younger students. Add a local story or photo from your own community to connect it to Montana.
- Run ancient or early American unitsPick an ancient world strand or the early American units for winter. On a four-day schedule, one sub-unit per history day keeps a steady pace.
- Keep two units on file for subsPrint one complete sub-unit with its slides and answer key and leave it in your sub folder for snow days, trainings or a sudden absence.
What to buy
Which history option to buy
For a full year of elementary history from one source, the Elementary History Curriculum is the strongest choice at $169.99 for all 20 units, against $499.80 if you bought each unit on its own. If your district only asks for early American topics in your grade, the Early American History Bundle ($99.99, eight units) is smaller and cheaper. If your students study ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and the Vikings, the Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99, eight units) covers that strand. Teachers who also want help with planning time can add the Teach-Life-Balance course ($89.90).
Honest limits
What it will not do for you
These units were not written for Montana. There is no Montana history, no Montana tribal history and no state standards codes inside them. You need to check each unit against the Montana Content Standards for Social Studies and your district's grade plan, and add local and state material yourself. Paper, printing and any art supplies for projects are yours to supply. The licence covers your own teaching, so if your grade team or school wants to share the set, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it turns out not to fit within 7 days, you can exchange it for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned to the Montana Content Standards for Social Studies?
No. The Elementary History Curriculum is not aligned to, approved by or endorsed by Montana's Office of Public Instruction or the Board of Public Education. It is general elementary history written for any U.S. classroom. Compare the unit topics with the social studies standards and with your district's grade expectations, and use the units where they match.
Does it include Montana history or Montana tribal history?
No. There is no unit on Montana, its tribes or its communities. The Native Americans unit covers First Peoples of North America in general terms. If your district expects Montana-specific or tribal content in your grade, plan to bring that from state or district sources and use these units alongside it.
Our district runs a four-day week. Will the pacing still work?
The units are not tied to a fixed calendar. Each unit splits into three sub-units, and each sub-unit has its own lesson plan, worksheet, activity, answer key and slides. You decide how many history days you have and teach one piece per day. A suggested pace is one sub-unit per history lesson, adjusted to your schedule.
I teach a combined Grade 2 and 3 class. Can I use one unit for both?
Yes, that is a common use. The worksheets are differentiated and come with a reading passage and word bank, so younger readers get support while older ones work more independently. Choose units that sit inside your district's expectations for both grades and teach them to the whole group.
How do I get the files after I buy?
Everything is a digital download. The link arrives by email right after purchase, and the files also stay in your customer account under Orders, so you can download them again later. You get all 20 units at once, ready for print or digital use in class, including on a school device.
Can our whole school use one purchase?
One purchase covers your own teaching. Use across a grade team or a whole school is possible after a short message to Teach Lessons, so ask before you share the files with colleagues down the hall. Redistribution, resale or posting the materials publicly online is not allowed under the licence.
Get your Grades 1–4 history year in place
Open the product page to see the full list of 20 units and decide which ones match your Montana grade plan.
See all 20 history units