Social Studies Teaching Resources
Take your students on a journey through world and US history with thousands of printable cross-curricular social studies worksheets, history teaching slides, anchor charts, Google Slide interactive activities, and thousands more teacher-created resources to turn every child into a tiny historian.
Are you teaching your primary grade students about community helpers and need engaging new materials? Or maybe you're teaching in the upper elementary grades where your students journey through the 13 colonies, the Revolutionary War, Civil War, or other historical events?
No matter the grade, this collection of teaching resources from Teach Starter's teacher team has curriculum-aligned options to help you cut down on the time-consuming task of lesson planning and help your elementary class meet both Common Core and state-level standards.
With editable options for many of the collection's digital and printable teaching resources, save yourself a ton of time with these ready-made social studies lesson plans.
Social Studies Lesson Plan Library
Our library contains thousands of resources designed by teachers for teachers to help you teach your primary level social studies topics, as well as upper elementary and middle school social studies curriculum. Find resources to teach a wide range of social studies topics, including
- Community helper teaching slides, printable community helper worksheets, and community helper crafts that make perfect additions to social studies for 1st grade
- Content-aligned task cards, games, printable maps, and teaching slide decks to teach American history for kids, along with printable Veterans Day Crafts, patriotic coloring sheets, World War II lesson plans PDF resources, and more
- Cross-curricular teaching resources including reading passages on Susan B. Anthony, Henry Ford worksheets, famous historical figure projects, and even anchor charts for social studies
- Printable blank maps of the 13 colonies, United States, continents of the world, and accompanying map skills worksheets
- Sorting activities, Google Interactives, active games, and worksheets covering wants and needs for primary grades
If you're looking for Social Studies games and resources specifically for higher grades, you'll find:
- Materials for teaching an entire Westward Expansion Unit — such as Westward Expansion worksheets, Lewis and Clark slide decks, vocabulary games, and even an Oregon Trail game to help you teach about early America
- Posters, anchor charts, interactive activities, and lesson plans for a unit on women's suffrage — discover female leaders of the time and their contributions to the passing of the 19th Amendment
- Government worksheets, mini books, and activities teaching the Bill of Rights for Kids
- Note taking-templates, worksheets, slide decks, and graphic organizers to uncover the causes of the American Revolution
Our Social Studies worksheet library spans a wide range of topics and social studies curriculum standards that are sure to save you a TON of time and cut back on the research and planning needed for engaging social studies lessons. Make sure you check out our 3rd-grade history, 4th-grade history, 5th-grade history, and 6th-grade history resources as well!
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Transportation Memory Game - Vehicles
Help your students identify different modes of transportation with a fun Transportation-themed memory game.
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Memorial Day Writing Center
Help your young students understand the meaning of Memorial Day with a vocabulary lesson and Memorial Day writing prompts.
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The American Flag Poster Project
Use this printable worksheet to make American flags with your students and learn about this important American symbol in social studies.
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Making a Timeline of My Life Project
Teach your students how to make a timeline with a Create a Timeline Project.
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Hanukkah Word Wall Vocabulary
Celebrate the festival of lights with 28 Hanukkah-related vocabulary cards for your word wall.
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Stephen F. Austin Mini Book
Make a book with your primary-grade students to learn about the contributions of Stephen F. Austin.
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Jose Antonio Navarro Mini Book
Make a book with your primary-grade students to learn about the contributions of Jose Antonio Navarro.
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A Map of Our School - Mapmaking Project
Develop primary grade map skills with a map-making project for first and second grade.
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Presidents' Day Finger Puppets
A set of finger puppets and writing templates that students can use around Presidents' Day.
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Christmas Gnome Craft Template - Sweden
Introduce your students to one of Sweden’s most popular Christmas figures with a printable “tomte” or gnome craft template.
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Funky Uncle Sam Craft Activity
A fun holiday craft to use for Presidents' Day and Independence Day.
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Valentine's Day Vocabulary Cards and Writing Center
Build a Valentine’s Day writing station with a printable word wall and writing prompt worksheets.
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Transportation Themed Preschool Poster Pack
Teach your preschoolers about the different types of transportation with a set of printable posters.
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American Symbols Mini-Book
Engage your students and inspire them to read and learn about American symbols and memorials with a printable book for 2nd grade.
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Veterans Day Google Interactive
Click, drag, and drop to learn about Veterans Day and the branches of the U.S. military with a Google Interactive activity.
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Who Is Clara Barton? – Shared Reading and Activity
Build reading fluency with a 15-slide teaching deck about Clara Barton to use as a shared reading activity this Women's History Month!
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Fire Prevention Week - Firefighter Hat Template
Craft a classroom full of firefighter hats with a printable community helper hats template.
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Day of the Dead Decor - Papel Picado Template
Promote cultural awareness and create your own Day of the Dead decorations with a printable Papel Picado template.
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Effects of Physical Location Sort
Help children learn how the environment affects those that live in a specific area with a sorting activity.
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Day of the Dead - Skeleton Craft Activity
Promote cultural awareness make a Dancing Calavera craft for Dia de Muertos.
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Long Ago, Now, or In the Future? Match-Up
Help your students develop a sense of history and how life, transportation, and communications have changed with a matching activity.
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Who's Who - Barack Obama
Get to know President Barack Obama with this primary-level cut and paste activity.
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Mapping Our Classroom - Mapmaking Project
Develop primary grade map skills with a classroom mapping project.
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Day of the Dead - Sugar Skull Mask Template
Promote cultural awareness and introduce Dia de Muertos to your students with a Sugar Skull mask craft.
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Dia De Muertos Vocabulary and Writing Prompts
Learn and use the language of Mexican tradition with a Dia de Los Muertos vocabulary word wall and writing activity.
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Memorial Day Word Search - Primary
Build vocabulary skills with this Memorial Day word search for primary grades.
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All About Firefighters - Fire Safety Writing and Craft Activity
Craft a firefighter-themed bulletin board this Fire Prevention Week with a writing and craft activity.
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Labor Day Mini Book
Learn about Labor Day with a primary-level printable book.
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Community Helpers: Police Officer – Comprehension Worksheet
Kick off a study of community helpers with a decodable police officer reading passage and comprehension worksheet.
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Election Day Mini Book
Learn about Election Day in the United States with a printable election book for early readers.
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Independence Day ABC Order Worksheet
Support your students in reviewing the vocabulary and concepts surrounding the Independence Day holiday with this fun ABC Order Worksheet.
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Community Helpers: Firefighter – Comprehension Worksheet
Kick off Fire Prevention Week this October with a decodable firefighter reading passage and comprehension worksheet.