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A young girl with curly hair and a colorful necklace smiles while looking at a globe in a classroom.
Social Studies Alive!

Me and My World

Every learner starts with what they know best: themselves. From there, they observe the people and places around them, making sense of community, belonging, and their world through hands-on discovery.

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What Students Will Explore

Unit 1

History

Explore why you are special. Discover families and their traditions. Compare how life today has changed from the past. Conduct an inquiry to find out how your life might have been different long ago.

Unit 2

Civics

Play the Sunshine Telephone game. Use puppets to learn how to make friends. Follow the “Let’s Talk It Out!” method to solve problems. Go to good helper stations. Create a sash with holiday badges. Conduct an inquiry to help a new student at our school.

Unit 3

Geography

Learn how to use maps, globes, and words to describe where things are located. Describe where you live using your address, phone number, and weather. Then learn about different land and water features on Earth.

Unit 4

Economics

Identify the things we buy as things we need or want. Learn about different types of jobs you could have to earn money and pay for things.

Explore the Program

What Do People Need and Want?

Two girls in a classroom look at a book together, one pointing while the other smiles. Other students read nearby. LESSON

In this lesson, students go on a "shopping trip" using a limited set of tokens to explore economic decision-making.

Experience the Lesson

  • View the Scope and Sequence

    See every unit and lesson at a glance — compelling questions, objectives, and how content builds across History, Geography, Civics, and Economics.

    View the Scope and Sequence

  • Review Correlations

    See exactly how the program aligns to your state standards, with direct links to the text, activities, and assessments tied to each one.

    Review the Correlations
See TCI in action

Request Sample

Request access to digital samples of the student and teacher materials.

One Program. Every Resource You Need.

From an interactive digital platform to hands-on print materials and teacher tools, see everything included to help you teach and your students learn.
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Student Materials

  • Student Journal

    Student Journal

    The colorful, easy-to-use, print consumable Student Journal combines standards-based content and rich activities to support student learning. Students will make personal connections that allow them to develop a deep understanding of key social studies content while building critical social studies and ELA skills. Also available in Spanish.

  • Social Studies Stories

    Social Studies Stories

    The Social Studies Stories collection contains short, high-interest readings from four different disciplines — Geography, History, Economics, and Civics — to further engage and deepen students' understanding of content. Also available in Spanish.

Teacher Materials

  • Smiling child in yellow shirt looks at globe. Social Studies Alive! Me and My World Teachers Guide text on the right.

    Teacher's Guide

    Teacher's Guide supports everything from lesson planning to grading — step-by-step procedures, time estimates, differentiation strategies, and answer keys, ready to use offline or as a quick reference while teaching. Also available in Spanish.

  • Cover of Social Studies Alive! Me and My World Activity Cards features a smiling child in the upper right corner.

    Activity Cards

    The Activity Cards are laminated, reusable cards that contain vibrant, interactive content for students. The cards include large maps, game boards, and manipulatives that can be cut out and be reused year after year. Also available in Spanish.

Reviews & Recognition

At TCI, we don't just say our programs work — we invite independent reviewers to put them to the test. Our social studies and science programs are reviewed by respected third-party organizations that analyze our resources for quality, effectiveness, and alignment with standards.

In addition to national recognition, our programs are reviewed and approved by individual states to ensure they meet specific requirements and standards. We also participate in landscape analyses that compare our offerings with those of other leading programs, so educators and districts can make informed choices.

Explore Reviews
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