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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All About Firefighters - Teaching Slides
Introduce your students to firefighters, what they do, and what they use to do their jobs with an interactive teaching slide deck.
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Firefighters and Fire Trucks Worksheet Pack - Adjectives
Describe firefighters and fire trucks using descriptive adjectives with a set of printable Community Helper worksheets for Kindergarten.
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Climate Zones of the World – Poster Pack
Learn about different climate types with this set of 6 printable posters.
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Cinco De Mayo Mini Book
Help your kindergarten students learn and write about Cinco de Mayo with a printable mini-book.
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Three Branches of Government Mini Workbook
Learn about the branches of the U.S. government, each branch's responsibilities, and those involved in each branch using a printable government workbook for kids.
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Balancing a Budget – Worksheet
Practice how to balance a budget with this financial literacy worksheet.
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Powers of the Legislative Branch Comprehension Pack
Learn about the leaders and responsibilities of the Legislative Branch of the United States government with a reading passage and comprehension worksheets.
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Math in the Real World - Budgeting Planning Project
Introduce your students to the world of making a budget with an immersive “It’s My Life” budgeting for kids project.
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The Judicial Branch - Roles of Government Worksheet Pack
Learn about the roles and responsibilities of the Judicial Branch of the United States government with a printable reading passage and comprehension worksheets.
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Christopher Columbus Reading Passage - Lower Elementary
Learn about Christopher Columbus and his worldly explorations with a printable reading passage and comprehension questions for first and second grade.
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Branches of Government For Kids - Instructional Slides
Teach your students the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of the United States government with an instructional slide deck.
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Community Helpers - Pictures/Posters
Show your students different community helpers and where they work with this set of 38 half-size community helpers picture posters.
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5 Themes of Geography Poster Pack
Help your students visualize the 5 themes of geography with this poster set
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Human Histories: World Explorers – Comprehension Worksheet
A free comprehension worksheet paired with an informational text about world explorers.
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Labor Day Vocabulary Cards and Writing Center
Learn about Labor Day and write sentences using academic vocabulary with a Labor Day word wall and printable writing templates.
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Match It! Community Helpers Activity
Engage kindergarten and first-grade students in identifying community helpers and the tools they use with a matching activity.
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Printable Community Helpers Booklet
Use this Community Helpers Booklet to review or introduce community workers to your primary grade students.
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Needs and Wants Writing Center Activity
Combine Social studies and writing content with a set of Needs and Wants writing prompts for first grade.
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Lewis and Clark Worksheet - RACES Writing Strategy
Practice using the RACES writing strategy for text evidence with a Lewis and Clark Passage, graphic organizer, and worksheet.
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Community Helpers Discussion Cards
Spark conversations about the roles of different community helpers with a set of Community Helper Discussion Cards.
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Sorting Needs and Wants for Kindergarten - Worksheet and Google Interactive
Practice identifying basic needs and wants with a cut-and-paste sorting worksheet or Google Interactive Resource.
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Amelia Earhart Constructed Response Worksheet
Use this passage, second grade writing prompt, and worksheet to help students write a constructed response paragraph about Amelia Earhart.
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What Are Needs and Wants? Task Cards
Use these free Needs and Wants Task Cards to practice identifying things that are needs and things that are wants.
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Maps and Globes Writing Center
Blend your Geography and Writing instruction with Maps and Globe Writing prompts for third grade and up.
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Goods and Services Writing Center
Blend your Social studies and writing content with a Goods and Services writing center.
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U.S. Geographic Features - Bodies of Water Worksheet
With this worksheet, students will understand reflexive pronouns and how they are used in sentences.
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Rule or Law? SCOOT Activity
Differentiate between rules and laws with a free game of Rule or Law Scoot!
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Branches of Government Scoot
Learn about the branches of the U.S. government using an exciting game of Scoot!
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The Pony Express Worksheet- Comprehension Passage
Teach your students how to write a constructed response paragraph and integrate grade level Social studies concepts with a free Pony Express worksheet and ten-question comprehension assessment.
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Long Ago, Now, or In the Future Sort
Help your students develop a sense of history and how life, transportation, and communications have changed over time.
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My Research Project - Pennant Banner
Create a pennant banner for students to record and display their biography research.
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If I Were President ...
A Presidents' Day writing activity.
- Social Studies Worksheets
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