Studies Weekly is a K-6 educational publisher that delivers social studies, science, and health curriculum through weekly print periodicals paired with an online learning platform. Founded in 1984 by fourth-grade teacher Paul Thompson, the company grew out of a simple classroom problem: he could not find an engaging state history textbook, so he wrote his own in a magazine-style weekly format. That original idea became a national curriculum provider used in classrooms across the United States, now led by CEO John McCurdy and headquartered in Orem, Utah.
What Is Studies Weekly Used For?
Studies Weekly is used as a core or supplemental curriculum for elementary and early middle school classrooms, primarily grades K-6. Teachers use it to teach standards-based lessons in social studies, science, and health or social-emotional learning, replacing or supplementing traditional textbooks with a periodical-based approach.
Each subject area is organized into weekly units that align with state academic standards. Districts often adopt Studies Weekly at the state or school-board level, and some states, including South Dakota, have provided it free to K-5 classrooms through state education department programs.
How Does Studies Weekly Work in the Classroom?
Studies Weekly works by giving each student a colorful, newspaper-style periodical every week, built around a single topic or theme tied to grade-level standards. A teacher assigns the week’s issue, students read articles and primary sources, then complete assessments or discussion activities that check comprehension before moving to the next week’s topic.
The printed periodicals pair with Studies Weekly Online, a digital platform that mirrors the print content and adds interactive features. Students can listen to articles through a variable-speed audio reader, highlight and annotate text, play educational games, and take digital assessments, while teachers get lesson plans, answer keys, and progress tracking in one place.
What Subjects Does Studies Weekly Cover?
Studies Weekly covers three main subject areas: social studies, science, and health or wellness, including social-emotional learning content. Social studies units span history, civics, government, geography, and economics, often woven together with English language arts skills like reading comprehension and vocabulary building.
Science units follow a phenomenon-based approach, opening each unit with something students can observe or relate to before guiding them through inquiry-based investigation. Health and wellness units use age-appropriate questions to build emotional connections around topics like safety, nutrition, and mental well-being.
How Is Studies Weekly Different From a Textbook?
Studies Weekly differs from a traditional textbook by breaking content into short, weekly periodicals instead of one large bound volume covering a full year. This format lets teachers move through material in manageable, standards-aligned chunks rather than assigning long chapters at once.
The periodical model also emphasizes primary sources, current-events-style writing, and visual storytelling, which is designed to keep young readers engaged in a way dense textbook chapters often do not. Because the content updates and adapts over time, schools also avoid being locked into a single edition for many years the way they might with a printed textbook.
Who Uses Studies Weekly?
Public and private elementary schools, homeschool families, and some middle schools use Studies Weekly as part of their instructional materials. Classroom teachers use the printed periodicals and teacher guides directly, while curriculum coordinators and school boards typically manage state or district-level adoption decisions.
Homeschool parents can also purchase Studies Weekly materials directly through the company’s store to use as a standalone curriculum or supplement. The company reports that its materials are used by state boards of education across the country, reflecting broad adoption at the institutional level rather than only individual classroom purchases.
Is Studies Weekly Effective for Learning?
Studies Weekly is built around research-based instructional practices such as inquiry-based learning, primary source analysis, and consistent weekly pacing, all intended to support long-term retention rather than short-term memorization. Its publications have won recognition from organizations like the Textbook & Academic Authors Association, including a K-12 Textbook Excellence Award for one of its state history titles.
Effectiveness ultimately depends on how a school implements the curriculum, including how consistently teachers use the weekly periodicals and digital platform together. Studies Weekly provides professional learning resources and customer support to help schools implement the program as intended, which the company positions as key to getting consistent results.
For more detail on specific grade-level content, see our [internal guide to Studies Weekly by grade level] for a breakdown of what each grade covers.
Conclusion
Studies Weekly turns core K-6 subjects into weekly, standards-aligned periodicals backed by a digital platform, giving teachers a structured but flexible way to teach social studies, science, and health. Whether a school uses it as its main curriculum or a homeschool family adds it as a supplement, the model centers on short, engaging units that build knowledge week by week rather than chapter by chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What grade levels does Studies Weekly serve?
Studies Weekly primarily serves kindergarten through sixth grade, with its core social studies, science, and health curriculum built around K-6 standards. Some materials extend into early middle school. Districts choose grade-specific periodicals aligned to their state’s academic standards for each subject.
Is Studies Weekly free for schools?
Studies Weekly is not automatically free; schools or districts typically purchase it directly or through state programs. Some states, such as South Dakota, have funded free access to printed periodicals and the online platform for K-5 classrooms through state education department initiatives.
Can Studies Weekly be used for homeschooling?
Yes, Studies Weekly can be used for homeschooling. Families can purchase K-6 social studies, science, and wellness materials directly through the Studies Weekly store, using the same periodicals and online platform designed for classroom use.
Who founded Studies Weekly?
Paul Thompson founded Studies Weekly in 1984 while working as a fourth-grade teacher. He created a weekly magazine-style state history textbook because he could not find an engaging option for his classroom, and that format became the basis for the company.
What is Studies Weekly Online?
Studies Weekly Online is the company’s digital learning platform that pairs with its printed periodicals. It includes audio-read articles, annotation tools, interactive games, and assessments, giving teachers a way to track student progress alongside the print curriculum.
