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Exploring Social Studies: Colorado

Grades K–5

Inspire authentic learning with Exploring Social Studies Colorado, a curriculum aligned to Colorado Academic Standards. Students gain social studies knowledge and literacy skills through resources that explore civics, geography, history, and economics.

exploring-social-studies-colorado-series-highlights

Series Highlights

  • High-interest nonfiction books featuring primary sources
  • Creative, easy-to-use lessons that meet state ELA and social studies standards
  • Inquiry-based activities with discussion prompts and assessments
  • Embedded differentiation tips for supporting English learners
  • Flexible use for whole- or small-group instructionIntegrated technology with audio and interactive eBooks
 

Products

Explore the Series

  • Student Materials

    Content-Area Texts

    Inspire authentic learning with an integrated approach to social studies and literacy as students develop critical-thinking skills through discussion and written assignments.

    • Build literacy skills and content-area knowledge.

    • Embed primary sources, high-interest content, and visually appealing layouts to cultivate student's curiosity about history.

    • Integrate with small-group instruction during social studies or within literacy blocks.

    ess-co-content-area-text

    Primary Sources

    Primary sources breathe life into history and capture students' curiosity about past events.

    • Provide students with a deeper and more comprehensive view of historical events through maps, letters, photographs, political cartoons, and more! Strengthens inquiry-based learning and critical thinking through analysis of primary sources to make real-life connections to the past.

    • Help students build their own understanding of historical events by evaluating multiple perspectives to foster awareness, tolerance, compassion, and employ decision-making skills.

    • Support and encourage authentic discourse in the classroom which challenges students to be attentive listeners and courteous responders.

    primary-sources-essc

    Develops critical-thinking and problem solving skills

    Encourages inquiry-based learning through discussion questions, document-based assessments, and primary source analysis activities to make history come alive.

    • Extension activities and ideas to develop citizenship and inspire students to be civic-minded beyond the classroom.

    • Develop social studies content knowledge and build literacy skills with resources that cultivate curiosity about civics, geography, history, and economics, helping students understand the world around them and their connection to it.

    student-engagement-essc
  • Teacher Materials

    Lesson Plans

    Equip teachers with the tools they need to become social studies experts with easy-to-use lesson plans. Use an integrated ELA approach to specifically address state content standards for history-social science, English language arts, and English language development.

    • Save teachers time with fact-checked, historically accurate content that meets Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Social Studies

    • Feature ideas to extend to citizenship, encourage active public service among students, and develop civic and democratic values as students become well-rounded citizens.

    • Embedded differentiation tips to support English language learners. Integrate seamlessly social studies instruction into the ELA block with everything needed to support instruction and the flexibility of multiple instructional strategies.

    lesson-plans-essc

    Professional Resources

    Saves time and facilitates implementation with a research base, scope and sequence, document-based assessments, and targeted instructional support.

    professional-resources-essc
  • Digital Resources

    Digital Resources

    Support small- and whole- group instruction with an emphasis on interactive student engagement and integrated technology.

    • Enhance and support instruction with audio files of each book to model fluent reading.

    • Dive deeper into content and support blended learning with interactiv-eBooks, student activities, and additional digital resources for easy use in distanced-, hybrid-, or in-person learning.

    digital-resources-essc

Content-Area Texts

Inspire authentic learning with an integrated approach to social studies and literacy as students develop critical-thinking skills through discussion and written assignments.

  • Build literacy skills and content-area knowledge.

  • Embed primary sources, high-interest content, and visually appealing layouts to cultivate student's curiosity about history.

  • Integrate with small-group instruction during social studies or within literacy blocks.

ess-co-content-area-text

Primary Sources

Primary sources breathe life into history and capture students' curiosity about past events.

  • Provide students with a deeper and more comprehensive view of historical events through maps, letters, photographs, political cartoons, and more! Strengthens inquiry-based learning and critical thinking through analysis of primary sources to make real-life connections to the past.

  • Help students build their own understanding of historical events by evaluating multiple perspectives to foster awareness, tolerance, compassion, and employ decision-making skills.

  • Support and encourage authentic discourse in the classroom which challenges students to be attentive listeners and courteous responders.

primary-sources-essc

Develops critical-thinking and problem solving skills

Encourages inquiry-based learning through discussion questions, document-based assessments, and primary source analysis activities to make history come alive.

  • Extension activities and ideas to develop citizenship and inspire students to be civic-minded beyond the classroom.

  • Develop social studies content knowledge and build literacy skills with resources that cultivate curiosity about civics, geography, history, and economics, helping students understand the world around them and their connection to it.

student-engagement-essc

Lesson Plans

Equip teachers with the tools they need to become social studies experts with easy-to-use lesson plans. Use an integrated ELA approach to specifically address state content standards for history-social science, English language arts, and English language development.

  • Save teachers time with fact-checked, historically accurate content that meets Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Social Studies

  • Feature ideas to extend to citizenship, encourage active public service among students, and develop civic and democratic values as students become well-rounded citizens.

  • Embedded differentiation tips to support English language learners. Integrate seamlessly social studies instruction into the ELA block with everything needed to support instruction and the flexibility of multiple instructional strategies.

lesson-plans-essc

Professional Resources

Saves time and facilitates implementation with a research base, scope and sequence, document-based assessments, and targeted instructional support.

professional-resources-essc

Digital Resources

Support small- and whole- group instruction with an emphasis on interactive student engagement and integrated technology.

  • Enhance and support instruction with audio files of each book to model fluent reading.

  • Dive deeper into content and support blended learning with interactiv-eBooks, student activities, and additional digital resources for easy use in distanced-, hybrid-, or in-person learning.

digital-resources-essc

Supporting Resources

  • Correlations

    Search for product alignments or standards correlations

    Quickly and easily find how our products correlate to key Standards.

Search for product alignments or standards correlations

Quickly and easily find how our products correlate to key Standards.