It's tough to teach social studies and history to students who have trouble reading and understanding textbooks and other resources. But you can overcome those obstacles and motivate students to excel in social studies classes by using the concepts and research-based techniques in this guide. Renowned reading expert Donna Ogle teams up with two experienced educators to equip you with can't-miss ideas and advice, including: (1) four strategies that help students learn new vocabulary terms; (2) eight hands-on lessons for teaching students to comprehend textbooks; (3) step-by-step approaches to helping students read and interpret primary sources, newspaper and magazine articles, and information from Internet sites; and (4) five easy ways to involve students more fully in thinking about history. All strategies feature step-by-step instructions for modeling and teaching the strategy. Graphic organizers are included to help teachers learn the strategies in teacher study teams and teach them to students in the classroom. Plus, the authors explain how to organize learning environments and student groups to reinforce literacy instruction and knowledge of democratic principles.