Grades K-5 Social Studies

What's included in Social Studies?

Social studies covers several different areas: social studies skills, civics, economics, geography, and history. Washington State students also learn about tribal sovereignty.

Encourage your child to ask questions and consider different points of view. Select a resource that has everything planned out, or pick a topic of interest or cultural significance and gather resources to explore with your child. We would love to show you how!

Where to go for more information

Student's advisor - Questions about the student WSLP
EHK12 ALE Program Specialist - Questions about resources on the Curriculum Resource Center website and library copy availability, and for technical questions about the ALE system
EHK12 Librarian - Help with individualized unit studies, research projects, and EHK12's K-12 online resources

Social Studies & History Programs

Core Knowledge History and Geography/CKHG - Free!

Grades K-8. Free online. Print editions in the EHK12 Library. Every grade level includes several units, each with a colorful student book and a teacher guide. Guides include hands-on investigations, assessments, and activity sheets. US history units cover citizenship. Mix & match units grades 3-5. CRC CKHG flyer

Curiosity Chronicles

Grades 1-6. Targeted grade levels for each volume are in the Curiosity Chronicles FAQ. For every level the is a main text written as dialog between two young characters, as well as an instructor's activity guide and a student's activity guide. The program begins with ancient times and will eventually cover through modern times.

History Quest (Pandia Press)

Grades 1-6. Books are written at a 5th grade reading level and intended as read alouds for grades 1-4. Currently two volumes are available, one for ancient times and one for the middle ages, each with a companion study guide containing lessons and fun activities. The program requires supplemental books, including a history encyclopedia.

Oh, Freedom!: A Conscious US History Curriculum [Grades 3-7]

Grades 3-7. Digital only. US history from the perspective of Native American, African American, and immigrants. Requires A Young People's History of the United States (Zinn), An Indigenous People's History of the United States (Dunbar-Ortiz), and Heart & Soul (Nelson) and other reading material.

Studies Weekly: Social Studies [Homeschool]

Grades K-5. Print and/or online weekly periodical. See Studies Weekly interactive consumable features video and Studies Weekly interactive science notebooks. Includes vocabulary, lesson plans, writing activities, and graphic organizers. Comes with access to online videos and customizable auto-graded assessments.

Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State - Free!

Grades K-12. Lesson plans, primary resources, and other information to help students learn about the Native American experience in Washington state.

Hands-On Social Studies Games & Resources

Do an internet search for "gameschooling" for more play-based ideas.

Scrambled States of America - Grades 3 and up. A game for learning about our states. Do an internet search for "gameschooling" for more play-based ideas.
KiwiCo Atlas Crates - Grades 1-6. Explore the culture of different countries through hands-on activities related to science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Student allocations may be used to order individual boxes, but not a subscription.

Free Multimedia Social Studies Resources

In addition to the resources in this list, many digital resources are available to students for free through subscriptions provided by our program and our district. Please see our Edmonds Heights K-12 Library website or the Edmonds Heights K-12 Library Catalog for more information.

Digital Learning Programs

BrainPop (Grades 3-8)and BrainPop Jr. (Grades K-3) - BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. are supplemental online learning resources with animated videos, games, reading material, vocabulary, worksheets and more activities. They provides access to multiple subjects, not just social studies. Organized by social studies topic and not by grade level.
PebbleGo (grades K-3) and PebbleGo Next (grades 3-5) - A multi-subject digital resource with videos, articles, and activities. Organized by social studies topic and not by grade level. PebbleGo Training Video. Students access through their Clever account, or use a school email address to see

Videos & TV Shows

Common Sense Media: Social Studies Apps, Games, and Websites (some free)

Digital Resource Collections

Websites with resources such as virtual labs, simulations, online games, lesson plans, and science project ideas.

National Geographic Education Resources - See also: A Family Guide to Using Nat Geo Education Resources
PBS LearningMedia: Social Studies - Multimedia learning resources for K-12th grade, including thousands of videos, plus interactives, lessons, and more. Filter by social studies topic, grade level, media type.

Washington State History

In middle school, Washington State History is typically a one-semester 7th grade course. Please see the CRC webpage on Washington State History for more information.

History Topics by Grade

One of the the social studies areas students learn about is history. This chart can help you align learning to Washington State standards and the grade level progression in our school district.

Your advisor would be happy to help you if you have questions or would like to discuss flexible options.

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