Heads Up
good to know
under construction: rebuilding social studies in texas
October 1, 2026 at 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM CDT – Register now
think! conference GO WILD: where purpose meets possibility
December 2-3, 2026 at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa – Register now
updates to US History free resources and field guides
Civil Rights and 1970s-End of the Cold War TEKS clusters have been reorganized to reflect how the content is most effectively taught and tested.
Get Started
free tools,
immediately useful
TEKS snapshots
›
what students must know and do
academic vocabulary
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words and terms, grouped by topic
social studies concept alignment/ content connections
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how concepts develop and connect
teacher learning reports
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the standards grouped into topics to teach and assess
student learning reports
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students track their progress and set goals
IQ released items tool
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examine released items to inform your instruction
instructional strategies playlist
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low-prep, easy to use strategies that actively engage students in learning
quickchecks
think it up!
thinking stems
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check understanding and help kids frame their thinking
1-day workshops
skill-building
workshops
Bring in targeted workshops when you need them, customized for your grade bands.
STAARting strong for social studies
explore data, identify priorities, and develop a plan for the year
engaging learners in social studies
get students moving, talking, and thinking with low-prep, high-yield strategies
developing comprehension and writing responses in social studies
help students read strategically and show what they know in writing
review for social studies
plan a focused review to prepare students for STAAR
Year-long learning
go deep
all year
Combines HQIMs, the lead4ward field guide, and learning videos into a robust instructional resource for social studies PLCs.
socialstudies+ for grade 8
- combines HQIMs, the lead4ward field guide, and learning videos into one resource for your PLC
- two short (10-15 min) videos per subcluster that simplify the what and the how of quality instruction
- ready-to-implement resources with pacing, built on the Learn It, Comprehend It, Apply It model
- Google Slides for each lesson
- built-in differentiation plus vocabulary support for emergent bilinguals
socialstudies+ for US History
- combines HQIMs, the lead4ward field guide, and learning videos into one resource for your PLC
- two short (10-15 min) videos per subcluster that simplify the what and the how of quality instruction
- ready-to-implement resources with pacing, built on the Learn It, Comprehend It, Apply It model
- Google Slides for each lesson
- built-in differentiation plus vocabulary support for emergent bilinguals
Resources
instructional resources educators love
with students
thinkalong toolkits
quick, daily warm-ups that build critical thinking skills
Supporting every learner
the same social studies, made accessible
emergent bilingual
For emergent bilinguals, the barrier in social studies is often language, not thinking. We’ll help you scaffold instruction by proficiency level so students reach grade-level content while they build English fluency.
special education
All students deserve real, grade-level social studies. We’ll help you embed the scaffolds and supports into core instruction, so students access the same rigorous content, not a separate, lesser version of it.
Not sure where to start? Let’s talk!
Whether you’re building systems or fine-tuning a few things, let’s start with a conversation.
Meet Jodi Denton
Social Studies enthusiast, Jodi Denton, M.Ed., serves as lead4ward’s Executive Director of Content and Instruction. Leveraging on her experience leading Social Studies at lead4ward since its inception, Jodi leads the team and vision driving content and instruction for the organization.