The revised social studies curriculum of 2007 emphasizes history education in particular. Thus the contents of the history section previously scattered through 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades are now integrated into the first and second semesters of the 5th grade in elementary social studies. The aim of this study was to examine the revised curriculum, structure and contents of the social studies textbook as a basic material for teaching-learning in the actual school environment. Consequently it was to suggest application methods based on the study results. The social studies textbook of the 5th grade in elementary school emphasizes time variant of the Korean history and mainly focuses on the easily accessible contents of everyday living, cultural history and historical figures. The chapter system was simplified from 3 chapters into 2 and an attempt was made to connect various study materials with the experience of students. Moreover the format was changed into a worksheet collection called ``Exploring Social Studies.`` The volume of a new textbook became larger so that more contents were discussed in a greater detail than the previous textbook. More contents on Goryo Dynasty in particular were added. The contents structure, inquiry materials and consideration on learners were improved enormously. However errors on facts and minor problems on the expression accuracy, coherence and appropriateness exist in the new textbook. Thus a more elaborate care should be applied on the textbook description. Problematic descriptions notwithstanding, the new textbook has various positive changes. In sum, an appropriate application on the actual school environment will enhance the learning efficiency. In this regard, application methods were suggested as follows: a teaching method of history by restructuring the entire chapter; and an application method of the narrative materials frequently presented in the textbook. The former is a comprehensive application, whereas the latter a partial one. Both are based on the contents of the textbook and restructured by a teacher in charge of the actual class according to the interest of students, distribution of time and use of materials. This study provided a new method of restructuring a textbook. It can be used as a reference or standard in revising the textbook in 2009.