Good Social Studies Textbook for Primary Years

[wannateach]

Can anyone recommend a social studies textbook specifically geared towards primary students (grade 3 specifically) at an international school? My school is asking for suggestions to change the curriculum (meaning change our books) for next year.

We've used two books this year. First semester was an American 3rd grade textbook. Most of my students are from other countries and have spent minimal time in the States, so it was quite difficult for them to grasp some of the cultural elements that the book just assumes an American student would know (like little league teams and state fairs). And it didn't seem very relevant to their lives. Now we're using a book called "Passport to World Communities." It covers 6 countries in depth, looking at their geography, history, government and economy. It's a little more relevant, but really difficult. Some of the students are ESL and they can barely understand the book. Plus, they have no real foundation before beginning this book. Most don't know what a continent is or the names of the oceans. They have no idea what "economy" is, but they're required to memorize the imports and exports of Zambia listed in the book!

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[figure8]

The PYP schools I've worked at have always been rather anti textbook..as the program is meant to be inquiry based, textbooks at these schools have always been thought of as rather old fashioned and/or out of touch for international kids.
The majority of teachers I've seen in pyp action collect a variety of school library resources and online sites for use during a unit of inquiry, rather than base work on a textbook resource. Guessing this response is not
much help, but if it's any help I've found that a good PYP school/program does not rely on textbooks, but rather teacher resourcefulness and a good collection of resources and library books that relate to the units of inquiry.