Elementary social studies resources have faced criticism for well over 30 years. Text thatis too complex (Beck et al., 1989; Beck & McKeown, 1991), contains questionable content (Chu,2017; Wade, 2012), and is boring to students (Kelley, 2021; Schug, 1982) and teachers (Zhao & Hoge, 2010). More recent studies have found that teachers are turning to outside resources to supplement their lessons. Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) is a well-criticized (Rodríguez et al., 2020; Rodríguez & Swalwell, 2021; Swalwell et al., 2023) but popular online marketplace for teachers to buy and sell lesson plans. This quantitative study explores a group of 50 elementary 1st-grade social studies geography lesson plans available for purchase on the TPT website. The Checklist of Online Assessment of Lesson Plans in Social Studies (COALSS) was created to evaluate each lesson plan systematically. The CAOLSS evaluates the areas of Standards, General Instruction, Assessment, Geography Content/Process, Illustrations, and Justice and Equity on a scale from zero to with an option for not applicable (NA). The information from COALSS was used to organize the lesson plans into three categories: The Focused Top, The Mediocre Middle, and the bottom lessons titled Listen to Learn. Each area had defining characteristics that were repetitive throughout lesson plans. Beyond the COALSS rankings, the 50 1st-grade social studies geography lessons had other significant problems, including an absence of standards, inaccurate maps, and literacy-focused lessons disguised as social studies. This work’s implications allow teachers to glimpse the quality of content available on TPT, upholding the warnings of other researchers (Aguilar, 2022; Shelton & Archambault, 2019; Shelton et al., 2022; Swalwell et al., 2023). This study, however, looks specifically at early elementary social studies content and demonstrates how little connection exists between nationally developed standards, such as the C3 Framework, and available outside resources. 3 More work must be done to unite early elementary social studies teaching, including clearly articulated goals and clear expectations for lessons that are just and equitable to all learners.
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