History Pockets

Name: History Pockets
Brand: Evan-Moor Educational Publishers

by Evan-Moor Educational Publishers

Social_studiesGrades 1–6

History Pockets: Hands-On History Supplements with Arts and Crafts

History Pockets is a series of reproducible activity books from Evan-Moor that covers ancient civilizations and U.S. history through hands-on projects, crafts, and pocket folders. The curriculum emphasizes experiential learning over comprehensive content coverage and is designed primarily as a supplement to more complete history programs.

Best for

Elementary teachers seeking engaging hands-on history activities to supplement a core textbook or spine book, particularly for visual and kinesthetic learners in grades 1-6

Evaluation Criteria

3 concerns · 4 neutral

Primary SourcesConcern

Limited engagement with authentic primary sources, focusing more on informational text and activities.

Activities include 'About' pages with expanded information and creative writing assignments, but no mention of historical documents, letters, or authentic primary source materials

Direct InstructionConcern

The curriculum emphasizes hands-on activities over explicit instruction of historical content.

Described as offering 'a more experiential, hands-on way of learning rather than one that covers a lot of historical information' with 'few direct, comprehension questions'

Retrieval PracticeConcern

Minimal evidence of systematic retrieval practice or spaced review of historical content.

Activities focus on creative projects and crafts with 'Fast Facts Bookmarks' but no indication of cumulative review or retrieval practice across topics

Teacher TrainingNeutral

Basic instructional support provided but limited professional development materials.

Books include 'detailed instructions for each topic' and evaluation pages for both student and teacher, but no mention of extensive teacher training or background knowledge support

Vocabulary BuildingNeutral

Vocabulary instruction appears inconsistent across the series.

Review notes that 'some books include vocabulary words and associated activities' but this is not a systematic feature across all books

Geographic KnowledgeNeutral

Some geographic elements are included through map activities and location-based learning.

Activities include 'map work' and projects like 'a folder map of the Jamestown settlement,' indicating some geographic components integrated into historical topics

Chronological KnowledgeNeutral

The curriculum covers historical periods but lacks systematic chronological development within individual books.

Books address specific eras (Ancient Egypt, Colonial America, etc.) and include timelines for introductory pockets, but each book covers '7 to eleven topics' without clear indication of chronological progression

Sources: cathyduffyreviews.com