K-5 Social Science for a Better World

K-5 Social Science

for a Better World

A Resource Site for Teacher Fellows and Changemakers

👉 Note to K-5 teachers & fellows before browsing!

🗂️ A lot! This site has a lot of resources. Consider the tips below and the clickable table of contents.
💡 Starting points for lessons: There are lightbulbs 💡 next to highlighted, more complete resources/lessons/units that may be a good starting point.
📵 View on a full computer screen, not a phone or iPad! It will be much better.
🌱 Ongoing: This curated list of resources is inevitably incomplete and is ongoing! Email Brad Parker with any feedback and/or new resources to add.
🔗 Grades 6-12: Here is the 6-12 Ethnic Studies Resource site, if you're interested.

Integrated Ethnic Studies

Working definition, themes, and essential questions

Oregon House Bill 2845 defined ethnic studies as:

Histories, Contributions, and Perspectives of traditionally underrepresented individuals and groups, including individuals who are American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian, Americans of African, Asian, Pacific Island, Chicano, Latino, Middle Eastern, or Jewish descent, immigrants, refugees, of various religious identities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other traditionally underrepresented groups.
1. Expanding the narrative, and/or a more inclusive, complete, fuller history.
2. Ethnic Studies concepts are integrated* into the new K-12 standards.

Teaching tip: When thinking of intersections within and across different ethnic and social groups and histories, consider using the Ethnic Studies Themes and these Essential Questions.

Standards: Check out the 2024 Standards here, especially the teaching ideas and examples, as you plan.

Table of Contents & K-5 Teaching Resources

Black Histories: Oregon & U.S.

Japanese American Histories: Oregon

Latine Histories: Oregon

Arab American Histories: U.S.

Asian American & Pacific Islander Histories: PNW & U.S.

Chinese American Histories: Oregon

Disability Histories: U.S.

Jewish Histories: Oregon

LGBTQ Histories: Oregon & U.S.

South Asian Histories: Oregon

Women's Histories: Oregon & U.S.

Centering Picture Books in K-5 Social Science

Oregon's Tribally-Specific and Place-Based Histories

💡New K-5 Inclusive Social Science Lessons (English & Spanish)

SS4BW Session 1 Presenter Slides & Resources

October 9, 2024 (click to expand)

Black Histories: Oregon & U.S.

Black History: Oregon & U.S.

Japanese American Histories: Oregon

Japanese American History: Oregon

Latine Histories: Oregon

Latine History: Oregon

Arab American Histories: U.S.

Arab American History: U.S.

Asian American & Pacific Islander Histories: PNW & U.S.

Asian American & Pacific Islander History: Oregon & U.S.

Chinese American Histories: Oregon

Chinese American History: Oregon

Disability Histories: U.S.

Disability History and Studies: U.S.

Jewish Histories: Oregon

Jewish History: Oregon

LGBTQ Histories: Oregon & U.S.

LGBTQ History: Oregon & U.S.

South Asian Histories: Oregon

Women's Histories: Oregon & U.S.

Women's History: Oregon & U.S.

Centering Picture Books in K-5 Social Science

Inclusive picture books and authentic local resources can be engines towards powerful, integrated Social Science education in elementary school. The below resources are offered as examples, from Beaverton School District.

📚📚 K-5 Social Science Book lists: English & Spanish. More on BSD's approach here.

Oregon's Tribally-Specific and Place-Based Histories

If you are a Grade K4, Grade 8, or High School U.S. History, Civics, or Government teacher, please see your Tribal History Shared History Lessons (per Senate Bill 13) here. Reach out to Brad Parker for help with integrating Tribal History lessons and/or questions.

ALL teachers, please also consider Tribally-Specific Lessons directly from the Tribes themselves!

Additional resources:

Fall Newsletter (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, 2025)
Essential Understandings of Native Americans in Oregon (Oregon Department of Education in collaboration with the nine federally recognized Tribes of Oregon, 2020)
Critical Orientations for Indigenous Studies Curriculum (Sabzalian, 2019)

💡New K-5 Inclusive Social Science Lessons (English & Spanish)

💡 UPDATE: These lessons - in English and Spanish - were created in partnership with ODE and PPS (December 2024). There are English and Spanish lessons available. Access the lessons on the OER site here.