Most public school students in Tennessee have no Tennessee history or civics textbook, even though students in about half of the grades are required to learn parts of the subject every school year, according to Tennessee History for Kids.
The nonprofit organization, created in November 2004, was designed to improve this situation. One avenue is the publication of inexpensive history booklets that teachers can use, along with many other resources at tnhistoryforkids.org.
For this school year, the organization has created six new booklets that are colorful, age appropriate and designed to meet the new social studies standards. Each is just $2.
The new 2019-2020 editions include:
- “Critters and Maps” for first grade
- “Your Land, My Land” for second grade
- “Around the World,” which covers the geography standards for third grade
- “Across the Ocean,” which covers the rest of the new third-grade standards
- “Upon a Pivot,” which is the first of two fourth grade booklets. The second will be out in October.
- “Long March to Tennessee,” which is one of three new fifth-grade booklets, and the one that should be used at the beginning of the spring semester. The other two fifth grade booklets will be out soon.
Tennessee History for Kids notes that some school systems have advised that they are now shifting to the new social studies standards for grades K through 5. Other systems say they will not start the new standards until 2019-2020, which is when they become official.
