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Social Studies Alive!

My Community

Every California community has a story that started before it did. Students meet the region's first people, follow the immigrants who came later, and explore the geography, civics, and economics of the place they call home.

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What Students Will Explore

Unit 1

Geography and Mapping Skills: People, Places, and Environments

Communities and maps open the program. Students learn what makes a place a community, compare life in cities, suburbs, and the country, and practice reading a map, then turn to the landforms and bodies of water found on Earth.

Unit 2

Economics: People Who Supply Our Goods and Services

Economics starts with the environment, including how people use it and sometimes harm it. Students follow how goods are made and brought to stores, learn what service jobs are, and find out why they cannot have everything they want.

Unit 3

Families Today and in the Past

Communities in the past and present anchor this unit, as students see how a city can change and how people can make their city a better place to live. One lesson follows San Francisco's growth from a small town into a big city.

Unit 4

Biographies: People Make a Difference

Biographies center on the idea that one person can make a difference. Students read about four people from the past and discover how each of them helped their own communities.

Unit 5

Government Institutions and Practices

Government and citizenship close the program. Students learn how communities choose leaders and what leaders do, what it takes to be a good citizen, and why communities share things and help each other.

Explore the Program

  • 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.

    Review the Correlations
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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

  • Smiling girl holding lemonade cup at a stand, with children and LEMONADE sign in the background.

    Student Edition

    The Student Edition delivers standards-based content, rich primary sources, and stories that bring in multiple perspectives in a colorful, clean format that helps students build a deep understanding of the content. Also available in Spanish.

  • Smiling girl holding a glass of lemonade and a pitcher at a stand, with children in the background.

    Interactive Student Notebook

    The consumable Interactive Student Notebooks allow students to engage with their learning by expressing their ideas, completing graphically organized notes, and developing personalized responses. Also available in Spanish.

Teacher Materials

  • Smiling girl pours lemonade from a pitcher at a stand; Social Studies Alive! My Community Teachers Guide cover.

    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.

  • Purple cover for Social Studies Alive! My Community Picture Cards with words: Art, Photographs, Primary Sources.

    Picture Cards

    The Picture Cards are laminated, reusable handouts for lesson activities that engage students in analyzing powerful images, graphs, maps, and primary sources. 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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