Bring American history to life with Early American History—a literature-rich, hands-on curriculum designed for students in 3rd–5th grade.
Beginning with the Native Peoples of North America and continuing through European exploration, Colonial America, the American Revolution, the formation of the United States, westward expansion, and the Civil War and Reconstruction, students will explore America's story from approximately 1400–1877.
Through engaging stories, meaningful discussions, interactive activities, and creative projects, students will do more than memorize names and dates—they'll build connections and develop a deeper understanding of the people, events, and ideas that shaped early America.
🌟 What Makes This Curriculum Special?
At Stories in History, we believe students understand history best through stories and hands-on experiences. This course blends both to create a learning experience that is:
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Literature-rich with carefully selected picture books, chapter books, biographies, and historical fiction
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Hands-on & interactive with maps, crafts, games, journaling, and creative projects
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Open-and-go with minimal prep and simple supplies
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Flexible for homeschool, co-ops, or classroom use
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Family-style friendly for learning together across ages
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Suggested Pacing Guide for open-and-go lessons
📚 What Your Child Will Learn
Students will journey chronologically through early American history while learning about:
- Native Peoples and cultures across North America
- European exploration and the Age of Exploration
- The founding and development of the American colonies
- The events and ideas that led to the American Revolution
- The Revolutionary War and America's fight for independence
- The Constitution and formation of the new United States government
- Life in the early republic and westward expansion
- The Civil War, its causes and consequences, and Reconstruction
Along the way, students will strengthen their understanding of geography, civics, government, economics, cause and effect, chronology, and historical perspectives.
🧩 Units Included
This full-year course is organized into 8 chronological units:
- Native Peoples of North America
- Age of Exploration
- Colonial America
- Road to Revolution
- The American Revolution
- Forming a New Nation
- The New Republic & Westward Expansion
- Civil War & Reconstruction
✂️ What’s Inside
- 170+ pages of full-color lessons and activities
- Student-friendly Unit Introduction Pages
- Maps, crafts, games, journaling, and creative projects
- Comprehension and critical-thinking questions
- Unit quizzes to reinforce learning
- Picture book, chapter book, biography, and historical fiction recommendations
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Engaging activities such as Race to the New World!
- Book and video recommendations to bring history to life
Lessons are designed for approximately 30–40 minutes, with about 2 lessons per week. Follow the Suggested Pacing Guide to complete the curriculum in one school year, or adjust the schedule to fit your family's needs.
🎯 Standards Alignment
✔ Designed for 3rd–5th grade students
✔ Aligned with the C3 Framework for Social Studies
✔ Covers major early American history topics
✔ Covers ALL 3rd and 5th grade California social studies standards
📚 Recommended Books
Looking for books to pair with this course? Visit my Amazon Storefront to browse the recommended titles.
Please note: These books are optional and meant to be pick-and-choose. You do not need to purchase or read every book listed to complete the course. Choose the titles that work best for your family, or look for them at your local library or as read-alouds online.
This is the PRINTED version and includes the digital download. Your printed curriculum includes 170+ full-color pages in a wire-bound workbook, plus immediate access to the complete digital edition. Get ONLY the digital version here.
