This elementary curriculum handbook's basic premise is that the responsibility for curriculum determination is fundamentally the responsibility of the local school district. The contents are intended to assist local district personnel working on the social studies curriculum of the elementary school with suggestions, guidelines, resources, and recommendations for curriculum revisions. The main body of the handbook contains: 1) Suggested Guidelines for Curriculum Planning at the Local Level; 2) The Problem of Scope and Sequence in Social Studies; 3) Planning for Social Studies Instruction in the Classroom; 4) Experimental Programs and Projects; and, 5) Evaluation of a new Social Studies Curriculum. The appendix provides articles for elementary curriculum writers in the areas of sample curricula, social studies skills, classroom arrangement, instructional materials selection, and professional elementary social studies readings. (Author/AWW)