Elementary Social Studies
Elementary Social Studies
Welcome to the Social Studies Curriculum for Elementary Teachers!
This site is for Boise School District Social Studies Elementary teachers. Here you will find performance tasks, unit overviews, learning intentions, success criteria, recommended scope and sequence, and other resources to guide student learning.
Please click on the tabs to the right to access grade-level curriculum and other resources.
BSD Elementary Social Studies Scope and Sequence
Literacy Skills in Social Studies Classrooms
If you need any additional assistance, please reach out to Social Studies Supervisor, Dani Backer – dani.backer@boiseschools.org or 208-854-4100.
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Welcome to Kindergarten Social Studies
Kindergarten students are introduced to an integrative approach to Social Studies by exploring aspects of self, family, and school. As students become acquainted with diverse classmates, they develop awareness of the similarities and differences among individuals in the classroom as well as within the school and community. Comparing family traditions enables students to accept and appreciate their diverse school community and acquire a sense of purpose regarding their role and the role of other citizens within the community. Kindergarten students develop geographic awareness of their surroundings by using maps and globes that focus on their home and their school community. In history, students begin to develop the ability to think like a historian as they acquire enough knowledge of history to understand the past and present. Students begin to appreciate the influence history has on their daily lives as they identify family traditions and the connections to traditions throughout the United States. They examine why certain events and people are celebrated through national holidays. In economics, students develop and build upon basic economic concepts by relating them to their own wants and needs.
Curriculum Social Studies – Kindergarten
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First-grade students continue an integrative approach to Social Studies by further exploring aspects of self and family history. As students increase awareness of the similarities and differences among individuals in their school community, they begin to expand their understanding of the difference between the past and present. First-grade students develop geographic awareness of their surroundings by using maps and globes that focus on their school community and neighborhood. They learn that people not only use the environment, but also modify or adapt to it. In history, students continue to develop the ability to think like a historian as they acquire knowledge of history to understand the past and present.
Curriculum Social Studies – Grade 1
Grade 1 Unit Resources Folders
Grade 1 Social Studies Resource List
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Second-grade students further expand on an integrative approach for Social Studies by exploring aspects of self, neighborhood, and community. Comparing community traditions enables students to accept and appreciate their diverse community and acquire a sense of purpose regarding their role and the role of other citizens within the community and the world. Second-grade students develop geographic awareness of their surroundings by using maps and globes that focus on their neighborhood and community. They learn that people not only adjust their dress and homes based on their environment, but also depend on the environment to meet their needs. In history, students continue to develop the ability to think like a historian as they acquire knowledge of history to understand the past and present. Students begin using sources with increasing text and sophistication. In economics, students expand their understanding of what economic factors exist in a community.
Curriculum Social Studies – Grade 2
Grade 2 Unit Resources Folders
Grade 2 Social Studies Resource List
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In third grade, students develop a deeper understanding of communities through the study of Boise City. Through their study of various patterns of community living, the students begin to understand that people’s activities are influenced not only by their geographic location, but also by how they use the earth’s materials, the physical environment, and how they express their diversity through culture. Students will understand the importance of being a citizen and identify the contributions of selected individuals in the local community. By looking at communities from a geographic perspective, students become aware of some of the cultural, political, geographic, historic, environmental, and economic factors that help bind communities together through both time and space. Building upon experiences that demonstrate chronological thinking, students begin to expand their ability to think like a historian by asking questions that historians ask. Using both primary and secondary sources, students understand the significant role of the individual in shaping history and explore changes in communities and regions over time. Through the study of historical narratives, students are introduced to the concept of perspective by asking them to explain why people can describe the same event differently. This serves as a building block for more sophisticated analyses in subsequent grades.
Curriculum Social Studies – Grade 3
Grade 3 Unit Resources Folders
Grade 3 Social Studies Resource List
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Fourth Grade is the first formal introduction to the State of Idaho, its diversity, rich culture, economy, and geographic regions. Fourth Grade students explore the social disciplines of history, geography, civics and government, and economics through the context of Idaho. Building on early social studies knowledge, students will apply new concepts to the increasingly complex social environment of our state. During this grade, students will study Idaho geography, American Indians, Lewis and Clark explorations, fur trappers and traders, as well as the influence of missionaries, the discovery of gold, and the Oregon Trail in the settlement of Idaho. Students will also explore Idaho statehood, Idaho state symbols, government, and industry. Students will prepare for their role as responsible and informed citizens of Idaho as they examine state government and the concept of separation of powers in each branch of state government.
Curriculum Social Studies – Grade 4
Grade 4 Social Studies Resource List
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Fifth-grade students will address change and continuity in United States history. Students begin the study of United States history with the exploration and the arrival of European settlers and conclude with Westward Expansion and the Civil War. Teachers are encouraged to guide students in drawing parallels between contemporary issues and their historical origins throughout the course. Using primary and secondary sources, students will learn about the individuals who envisioned the path for our democratic republic, while also exploring the contributions of diverse groups to the building of our nation. Students expand their knowledge of human systems as they understand push/pull factors of migration and immigration and their influence on culture in the United States. Students deepen their understanding of human-environment interactions by assessing the positive and negative effects of human activities on the physical environment of the United States. Building on their knowledge of economic principles, students focus on economic growth in the United States and develop an understanding of production, specialization, and the division of labor.
Curriculum Social Studies – Grade 5
Grade 5 Social Studies Resource List
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The sixth-grade curriculum is the beginning of a three-course sequence of World Studies. In sixth grade, students are introduced to World Studies in the Western Hemisphere, excluding the United States. Throughout the course, students will concentrate on Canadian and Latin American history, geography, and culture. Each unit of study will focus on map skills, geography skills, and the world studies model. These standards include content knowledge and skills in the following areas: critical reading and writing, map skills, geography, adaptation to physical environments and systems, economics, technological advancements of various societies, migration and diffusion, the cultural and social development of Canada & Latin America, and the interdependence of diverse societies.
Curriculum Social Studies – Grade 6
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Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, Idaho students will be required to take the United States Citizenship Test as outlined in Idaho Code §33-1602.7. The civics test may be taken at any time after enrolling in grade 7, and it may be repeated as often as necessary for the student to pass the test.
In the Boise School District, we test students as part of the 12th-grade Government course. Please see the button below for study resources.
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Constitution Day - September 17th, 2025
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day are observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.”
"In 2004, the United States Congress enacted Public Law 108-447, Section 111(b), requiring that "each educational institution that receives federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution."
Idaho's legislators throughout the years have recognized the importance of understanding the United States Constitution as the foundation of our republic, and for the important role it still plays today by adopting Idaho Code §33-1602 so that instruction about the Constitution be given in all elementary and secondary schools. Additionally, Idaho Code §73-108B states that all local education agencies receiving federal funds must teach about the U.S. Constitution on September 17th of each year."
icivics Constitution Day Lesson
Library of Congress: Constitution Day Lessons
National Archives: Observing Constitution Day
Constitution Day: Scholastic
EDSITEment! Commemorating Constitution Day
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This page provides links to useful sites as well as instructional tools that support developing historical thinking skills.
- Library of Congress: Teaching with Primary Sources
- Stanford History Education Group: Reading Like a Historian
- Education Resources from the Library of Congress
- The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
- National Archives
- World History Matters
- DocsTeach: National Archives
- Teaching American History