Included below are:
  1) an overview
  2) courses by grade
  3) course materials listed by grade level
  4) criteria for selecting curriculum
  5) sample pages from the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade worktexts
  6) sample pages from the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade support materials

OVERVIEW
Words cannot do justice in comparing our social studies courses to anything else on the market! Rather than provide one text with an answer key our programs are enriched and carefully balanced. The latest full color worktexts (3rd grade advanced two color) serve as the core of the program. These are accompanied by enrichment worksheets, test books, special maps binders, full page bulletin board schedules and teacher's manuals. Curriculum Services designed these teacher's manuals for you, the parent educator or tutor, in order to provide just the kind of help you need. After carefully reviewing other social studies programs we found various extremes. Three will be discussed here: 
 1)      The first extreme  concerns the presence of biased views by publishers who use textbooks as a forum to expound the way 
     they want others to view history and the world. We see this in many non secular text books. (Non secular textbooks are those 
     published for church affiliated schools.)     
 2)      The second extreme concerns the volume of work. Most textbooks purchased for the public or classroom schools cannot  
     be used the way they are designed because there is far too much material to cover in a 36 week school year. The way many 
     educators handle this problem is to skip much of the text. Feedback from parents, students, teachers, and school administrators 
     report that typically only 1/5 to, in the best of circumstances, 1/2 of the average hardbound textbook gets covered in a 
     school year. This, of course, creates gaps which many believe are the number one cause of student underachievement. 
          Another recourse for educators when too much material is covered is to have students "cram". Cramming is not a very 
     practical solution due to the lack of retention. Students often remember the material just long enough to pass the test. For well 
     meaning teachers who have no recourse but to use what the school board provides them there is no simple solution. 
          In home schools we typically find two opposite extremes. One is caused when homeschoolers model the only example 
     they have: the "accredited" school classroom. This lures them into accepting the same large hard bound text books used in 
     classroom schools creating, unbeknownst to them, the same problems faced by teachers in the classroom. 
          Sometimes we see the opposite. In an effort not to duplicate the classroom problems mentioned above, homeschoolers 
     gather up various supplies that, sadly, do not provide enough material or the right material to make a comprehensive course. 
 3)      The third extreme concerns the amount of time required. This is even a greater concern for homeschoolers as the average 
     home schooled student in 5th grade and above spends five hours a day or more in academic studies. We know that with the right 
     student materials, support materials, and teaching methods your student can learn and retain more in half the time. The best 
     news however, is for you the teacher who is rewarded with an even greater cut in time.   
          While we found it a challenge to provide truly comprehensive, consumable, balanced, unbiased, and enjoyable social studies 
     courses we are happy to report that the feedback from parents and students tell us we did. 

COURSES BY GRADE
Below are the courses or "themes" most student are studying per level around the country, these are the ones we offer. If you must have a different course, such as World Geography in 6th and World History not until 7th, we can accommodate you. If you cannot get what you need from this site call Curriculum Services at 1-702-1419. Most people adopt the courses that are most commonly taken at that level even if it is not what is taken in their area. Your choice should be balanced between what you must have and what is available. We will accommodate you if possible, however we cannot promise you a particular course in all cases.
  3rd grade theme: Communities (Two courses offered: Standard and Advanced)
  4th grade theme: US Geography (See Note below.)
  5th grade theme: American History
  6th grade theme: World History 
  7th grade theme: World Geography

  Note: We are currently working on California Social Studies for 4th grade. Two packages will be offered. They are:
     The first package:
     1) Oh California! a full color hard bound student text, latest edition
     2) complete teacher's guide with bound in schedule for the teacher's convenience 
     3) enrichment worksheet in a workbook format
     4) answer notebook for the student textbook questions
     5) vocabulary notebook
     6) vocabulary test book
     7) Oh California! test book
     8) a full page bulletin board schedule
     9) complementary maps binder
    
     The second package contains everything except the hard bound textbook. 
     We would like to hear if you are are interested. The amount of interest shown may speed up availability. A surcharge will be 
     added to the first package as the cost of components exceeds our budget for this course. We promise this surcharge will be as 
     modest as possible.

COURSE MATERIALS LISTED BY GRADE LEVEL

Our Criteria For Selecting Course Materials
The courses' components meets all our criteria. First and foremost on our list is the curriculum must be visually appealing but not too "busy". See the sample pages below. It must also have student appeal while being as self-instructing as possible. In addition it must be comprehensive and adaptable to different learning styles. Because we specialize in providing write-in texts for our text supported courses we focus first on consumable text books and then, in all fairness, compare them to their hard-bound counterparts. We were delighted to discover, once again, that these consumable texts came in first place in all categories.
     Course materials must offer a balanced amount of work. If, for example, there is not enough course material it cannot be comprehensive enough while too much creates another host of problems. These include not allowing enough time to cover all the concepts or to go over concepts not readily understood. There is also the problem of student and teacher burn-out in addition to not having enough time for recreation and other family activities. See articles SACC, One Subject a Day, and Testing.

SAMPLE PAGES

3rd Grade Social Studies Sample Page; A Communities Theme
Core Full Color Worktext; Standard Course
By itself the core worktext explains what a community is and covers kinds of communities past and present, economic concepts, local and national governments, history, Washington D.C., and U.S. Traditions. Special concept pages introduce special biographies, places around the world, technologies, plus other highly interesting social studies concepts. The teacher's guide offers suggestions for optional enrichment activities.
      We are told students especially enjoy the six hands-on unit projects featured! While the activities were originally created for a group of students they can be easily adapted for one. Because in some classrooms the reality often is that most of the work of a project falls to one or two hard working students it should not be difficult to adapt the projects to one student and one "helper" such as a parent.

From the 3rd Grade Social Studies Enrichment Workpages Binder (Standard Course)

From the 3rd Grade Maps Binder - A Color Study Guide
Pictured below is a colored page out of our maps binder. Crayons and ink markers were used in this sample. Because students will learn and retain more by coloring an illustration than by just looking at a color plate a  complementary grade appropriate maps binder, with one map for each week in the school year, is provided for every student. The principle behind the inclusion of coloring books for courses where much information is conveyed visually came from the college level. Among the first to show up were coloring books on anatomy and biology courses such as general biology, botany, marine biology, and geography. 
     The more time spent coloring provides greater learning and retention. The success of these binders, used as instructed, can be demonstrated. If one were to quiz two students, a second grader who diligently colors his maps and a high school student who does not the younger student, typically, will demonstrate surprisingly greater knowledge. The success of these binders stems from several factors. They include:

1) Brain Activity - this interactive activity involves more parts of the brain than looking. 
2) Time Factor - your student will spend a great deal more time coloring a map than he/she would looking at one. In fact, a student 
    can devote several hours to map work.
3) Creative Aspects - Students usually strive to make their maps as attractive as possible. Map work can be very enjoyable as 
    various mediums such as crayons, colored pencils, fine tipped markers, pen, and pencil can be utilized. If the student is 
    motivated he or she can embellish their maps by adding special features, such as hills, mountains, mountain ranges, forests, 
    rivers, bays,  canals, lakes, trails, and deserts or adding additional political features such as cities, labeling bodies of water, even 
    major highways and waterways used for travel. A map can even be made to show climate, industry, or agriculture. A 
    corresponding legend can be added if desired.


From the 3rd Grade Maps Worktext
This sample is reduced to show you a two page spread, therefore it is not to scale with the other pages. Page are a full 8½" x 11" each. Through lessons designed to teach the student how to read various kinds of maps, interpret graphs and understand globes, the student learns even more about the United States. Many land features such as mountain ranges, mountains, and valleys are introduced through relief maps. Also the five themes of geography are taught.

3rd Grade Social Studies Sample Page; A Communities Theme
Two Color Worktext; Advanced Course 
If you want a more global look at communities for your advanced student this course is it. It is set up a bit differently from the standard course above. Unit One takes a look at the United States beginning with Washington D.C. Following Unit One are nine more units each looking at another country beginning with its capital or major city. In each country you are introduced to a local family who provides a first hand look at life in their community through friendly and informative narratives. Each unit covers the country's geography, a look at community life, its people, history, and introduces a special feature unique only to that place. A special feature of this worktext is its attention to critical thinking skills. A Using Your own Words section provides opportunity to put thoughts down on paper. There are no right or wrong responses so the student can relax. Words to Learn provides opportunity for vocabulary development.
     This course provides more application of the writing process and asks students to create timelines, flow charts, comparison charts, and apply various reading comprehension strategies much like those in the reading course.
     The ten countries featured are the United States, England, Nigeria, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil, China, Japan, Israel, and Russia. We have had very positive feedback from parents of advanced students. Along with the complementary workbook, this worktext provides not only a good look at what community life is like around the globe but also a good amount of history for this level. The Teacher's Edition allows for much creative and customized teaching and includes additional background information and suggestions for enrichment activities. Included are all the auxiliaries listed above to provide a very comprehensive course appropriate for the
advanced student. 

4th Grade Social Studies Sample Page; US Geography
Core Full Color Worktext
The core worktext has seven units. The first discusses the country as a whole. The following six units each cover a region. Each unit includes a chapter which discusses the geography of the region and another which discusses the people. The chapter discussing the people covers people of long ago and today. Early settles and American Indians are often included. In addition are very interesting social studies topics such as the resources of a region, government, and features unique to an area. Special concept pages introduce special biographies, places around the world, state flags and birds plus interpretation of charts and graphs. The teacher's guide offers suggestions for optional enrichment activities.
      Like the standard 3rd grade course we have been told students especially enjoy the seven hands-on unit projects featured! While the activities were originally created for a group of students they can be easily adapted for one. Because in some classrooms the reality often is that most of the work of a project falls to one or two hard working students it should not be difficult to adapt to one student and one "helper" such as a parent.

From the 4th Grade Activity Book

From the 4th Grade Maps Worktext
Through lessons designed to teach the student how to read various kinds of maps, interpret graphs and understand globes, the student learns even more about United States geography. Many land features such as mountain ranges, mountains, and valleys are
introduced through relief maps.

From the 4th Grade Maps Binder - A Color Study Guide
Pictured below is a colored page out of our maps binder. Crayons and ink markers were used in this sample. Because students will learn and retain more by coloring an illustration than by just looking at a color plate a  complementary grade appropriate maps binder, with one map for each week in the school year, is provided for every student. The principle behind the inclusion of coloring books for courses where much information is conveyed visually came from the college level. Among the first to show up were coloring books on anatomy and biology courses such as general biology, botany, marine biology, and geography. 
     The more time spent coloring provides greater learning and retention. The success of these binders, used as instructed, can be demonstrated. If one were to quiz two students, a second grader who diligently colors his maps and a high school student who does not the younger student, typically, will demonstrate surprisingly greater knowledge. The success of these binders stems from several factors. They include:

1) Brain Activity - this interactive activity involves more parts of the brain than looking. 
2) Time Factor - your student will spend a great deal more time coloring a map than he/she would looking at one. In fact, a student 
    can devote several hours to map work.
3) Creative Aspects - Students usually strive to make their maps as attractive as possible. Map work can be very enjoyable as 
    various mediums such as crayons, colored pencils, fine tipped markers, pen, and pencil can be utilized. If the student is 
    motivated he or she can embellish their maps by adding special features, such as hills, mountains, mountain ranges, forests, 
    rivers, bays,  canals, lakes, trails, and deserts or adding additional political features such as cities, labeling bodies of water, even 
    major highways and waterways used for travel. A map can even be made to show climate, industry, or agriculture. A 
    corresponding legend can be added if desired.

5th Grade Social Studies Sample Page; US History
The set of two full color worktexts stand as the core of this program. 
Two 170 page worktexts cover US history from the cultural heritage of American Indians to modern American achievements in world leadership and technology. Colorful maps, photographs, and illustrations were carefully chosen to enhance content. As explained above this is a secular curriculum this program provides an unbiased presentation of events; not sugar coated or one sided, a serious consideration regarding history!
     Three kinds of concept pages provide comprehension strategies; understanding themes in geography; applying composition, interpreting maps, graphs, and charts; and using primary sources. Unit introductions provide continual practice in using timelines, and chapters open with new vocabulary words.  Included with the worktexts are all the components listed above. For a scope and sequence of the core worktexts used in this course see below.

From one of the 5th Grade Social Studies Activity Books
The two Activity Books extend and reinforce concepts taught in the core worktexts at times through the use of additional maps, timelines, charts and graphs pertaining to the lesson at hand, and at times with paragraph long stories.

5th Grade Bulletin Board Schedule Reduced (the original is ledger, 11" x 17")
The inclusion of course by course bulletin board schedules by our company began almost two decades ago. Today's schedules provides a wealth of information at a glance. By placing schedules and other vital information on a "Student Center" bulletin board you foster student independence and save yourself much valuable time. You no longer need to spend a lot of time creating lesson plans. 
 

From the 5th Grade Maps Binder - A Color Study Guide
Pictured below is a colored page out of our maps binder. Crayons and ink markers were used in this sample. Because students will learn and retain more by coloring an illustration than by just looking at a color plate a  complementary grade appropriate maps binder, with one map for each week in the school year, is provided for every student. The principle behind the inclusion of coloring books for courses where much information is conveyed visually came from the college level. Among the first to show up were coloring books on anatomy and biology courses such as general biology, botany, marine biology, and geography. 
     The more time spent coloring provides greater learning and retention. The success of these binders, used as instructed, can be demonstrated. If one were to quiz two students, a second grader who diligently colors his maps and a high school student who does not the younger student, typically, will demonstrate surprisingly greater knowledge. The success of these binders stems from several factors. They include:

1) Brain Activity - this interactive activity involves more parts of the brain than looking. 
2) Time Factor - your student will spend a great deal more time coloring a map than he/she would looking at one. In fact, a student 
    can devote several hours to map work.
3) Creative Aspects - Students usually strive to make their maps as attractive as possible. Map work can be very enjoyable as 
    various mediums such as crayons, colored pencils, fine tipped markers, pen, and pencil can be utilized. If the student is 
    motivated he or she can embellish their maps by adding special features, such as hills, mountains, mountain ranges, forests, 
    rivers, bays,  canals, lakes, trails, and deserts or adding additional political features such as cities, labeling bodies of water, even 
    major highways and waterways used for travel. A map can even be made to show climate, industry, or agriculture. A 
    corresponding legend can be added if desired.
 

6th Grade Social Studies Sample Page; World History
The set of two full color worktexts stand as the core of this program. 
The core of this world history course are two 170 page worktexts. Book one begins with the stone age and concludes with the American, French, and Latin American revolutions. Book two continues with the Industrial Revolution and concludes with events up to the present day. Colorful maps, photographs, and illustrations were carefully chosen to enhance the content. As explained above this is a secular curriculum. This program provides an unbiased presentation of events; not sugar coated or one sided, a serious consideration regarding history!
     Various concepts pages provide comprehension strategies; special biographies, applying composition, plus interpreting maps, graphs, and charts. Unit introductions provide continual practice in using timelines, and chapters open with new vocabulary words. Included with the worktexts are all the components listed above. For a scope and sequence of the core worktexts used in this course see below.  

From one of the 5th Grade Social Studies Activity Books
The two Activity Books extend and reinforce concepts taught in the core worktexts at times through the use of additional maps, timelines, charts and graphs pertaining to the lesson at hand and at times with paragraph long stories.

From the 6thrd Grade Maps Binder - A Color Study Guide
Pictured below is a colored page out of our maps binder. Crayons and ink markers were used in this sample. Because students will learn and retain more by coloring an illustration than by just looking at a color plate a  complementary grade appropriate maps binder, with one map for each week in the school year, is provided for every student. The principle behind the inclusion of coloring books for courses where much information is conveyed visually came from the college level. Among the first to show up were coloring books on anatomy and biology courses such as general biology, botany, marine biology, and geography. 
     The more time spent coloring provides greater learning and retention. The success of these binders, used as instructed, can be demonstrated. If one were to quiz two students, a second grader who diligently colors his maps and a high school student who does not the younger student, typically, will demonstrate surprisingly greater knowledge. The success of these binders stems from several factors. They include:

1) Brain Activity - this interactive activity involves more parts of the brain than looking. 
2) Time Factor - your student will spend a great deal more time coloring a map than he/she would looking at one. In fact, a student 
    can devote several hours to map work.
3) Creative Aspects - Students usually strive to make their maps as attractive as possible. Map work can be very enjoyable as 
    various mediums such as crayons, colored pencils, fine tipped markers, pen, and pencil can be utilized. If the student is 
    motivated he or she can embellish their maps by adding special features, such as hills, mountains, mountain ranges, forests, 
    rivers, bays,  canals, lakes, trails, and deserts or adding additional political features such as cities, labeling bodies of water, even 
    major highways and waterways used for travel. A map can even be made to show climate, industry, or agriculture. A 
    corresponding legend can be added if desired.