Doesn’t it seem hard to find social studies worksheets for the topics and content you need to cover?

Social Studies is typically a subject that gets taught if there is extra time or 2-3 days in the week.

But what if there was an easy way to incorporate a variety of social studies skills EVERY day of the week (for just 5-10 minutes a day)? And – even better – you have a TON of social studies worksheets to use with your students?

 I want to share with you a few worksheets and activities that you can implement with your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students in a short amount of time.

Does Social Studies Really Even Matter?

Social studies at the elementary level is typically broken down into 5 major domains: geography, history, culture/society, civics/government, and economics. 

Studies have shown that increased instructional time in social studies is associated with improved reading ability.

Studies have also shown that the sequence of instruction ensures students accumulate knowledge and develop skills over time.

Effective social studies programs combine content and state aligned standards with academically rigorous tasks and assessments.

In other words, it does matter! It’s important for students to be well-versed in their community’s culture and rules, understand their country and state’s history, and be aware of where they are in the world.

Finding Time to Teach Social Studies

A roadblock many educators may experience is finding the time to teach social studies in the upper elementary classroom. 

It can be hard to find the time to teach important skills and concepts when reading comprehension, writing composition, and math are heavily emphasized, and in many cases, are not tested at the state level until middle or high school.

However, it can be integrated seamlessly in a daily schedule in ways such as through social studies worksheets, morning work or daily warmup, small groups, and for stations. It can also be directly taught and reviewed with students in a short span of time.

Using Daily Passages to Teach Social Studies

The Smart and Simple Social Studies Worksheets Bundle is a daily review activity for upper elementary teachers in Grades 3-5 who are looking for minimal-prep way to incorporate social studies instruction for students, with a special alignment to Texas Social Studies TEKS!

The social studies worksheets focus on the 5 major domains: geography, history, culture/society, civics/government, and economics.

Each topic spans throughout the course of a week:

• 4 days of informative and student-friendly passages
• a set of multiple-choice questions for each day
• a cumulative weekly multiple-choice quiz

These social studies worksheets and activities can be implemented in conjunction with state curriculum and are designed to be used in any order. 

What do the Social Studies Worksheets and Activities include? 

1. Pacing Guides

A TEKS Unit Pacing Guide is included for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. This best aligns with TEKS Social Studies standards (adopted 2018). However, any topic can be used in any order to best meet the needs of your students and state standards.

2. Weekly Topics

There are a variety of topics to choose from in each current and upcoming unit. Each topic consists of 4 daily informative and student-friendly passages with 3 multiple-choice questions for each day. Included for each topic is a cumulative multiple-choice quiz. A glossary of key vocabulary words are also included with each topic.

3. Daily Pacing

The daily social studies activities can be utilized as a warmup Monday-Thursday, with the cumulative quiz taken on Friday for a grade. These activities can also be used as morning work, small groups, homework, or stations. Any topics not utilized can be easily assigned as extra practice or review.

4. Answer Key

An answer key is included for the daily activities and quizzes for easy grading. This is perfect to help make the activities self-checking and easy for subs!

5. Digital Version

Each topic has a digital version – Google Slides for the daily activities and Google Forms for the weekly quiz. This is great for distance learning or to assign as make-up work for students.

 

Ready to give it a try? Click here to view the curriculum guide and try 1 free week of the Daily Review! 

Want even more social studies worksheets for your classroom beyond the daily passages? Check out the Smart and Simple Social Studies Membership!