KAS Connections and Other Educator Resources
Learn about Kentucky’s history in the classroom.
Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies Connections
The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) created Kentucky Social Studies Resource Guides to help K-12 teachers address current Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies (adopted in July 2019). These guides connect each Kentucky-centric standard to transcribed and digitized primary sources from the KHS collection. While the individual primary sources may not be appropriate for analysis when given to students independently, they do support and complement larger instructional concepts covered in the classroom.
After the guides debuted in 2019, KHS conducted extensive teacher surveys to make this resource more effective and efficient. In 2021, KHS posted updated and expanded versions of the guides on the website; resource guides will continue to be honed as teachers provide feedback. All files open as PDFs.
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
High School: Civics
High School: Economics
High School: Geography
High School: United States History
High School: World History
For questions about the new KAS for Social Studies, please email Claire E. Gwaltney or call 502-782-8059.
Educator Packets
Object Observation & Analysis: A Surveyor’s Essentials, 1700s
Analyzing a Photograph: The Assassination of Gov. William Goebel, 1900
Analyzing a Photograph: The Last Legislative Session at the Old State Capitol, 1908
Analyzing a Portrait: The Story of Julius Richner, Franklin County, KY Bugler, 1916
Primary Sources and More
Need resources, content knowledge, or video tours for the classroom? KHS has it all!
- Access our digital collections to find primary source artifacts, documents, and images.
- Utilize our Pinterest page to access thematic boards containing both primary and secondary sources along with discussion prompts. Designed for K-12 teachers, it features boards related to coal, early Kentucky, the State Capitol, suffrage, and more.
- For more in-depth information, search in The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, our academic research journal (accessible via JSTOR).
- Watch a recorded virtual tour of staff as they explore exhibits, go behind the scenes, and share stories from Kentucky’s history on the Great Depression, Mexican American War, Kentucky’s Native Peoples, and more.
Explore KY History
Use the Explore KY History website and app to explore historic places throughout the state. This resource features short articles based on Kentucky’s historical markers along with modern and historic images and artifacts. Perfect for people looking for a quick introduction to local Kentucky history!
Civil War Governors of Kentucky
Many people interacted with the Kentucky governor’s office during the Civil War – this database holds their stories. Access thousands of primary sources that help illuminate the lives of everyday Kentuckians during these tumultuous times.
Made by Us
Made By Us brings history to younger generations in innovative and meaningful ways, so they have more fuel to power the future. How? A broad coalition of history and civics institutions have joined forces to develop new tools and experiences that better meet the needs of our audience in timely and relevant ways.