In this article, the authors argue that despite the variable of language proficiency of young, immigrant children and educational programs designed for their language development (for example, ESL, Transitional Bilingual, Dual Language Bilingual, Sheltered Content Instruction), the strategy of historical thinking can help immigrant children acquire English, social studies content, and the skills necessary for participatory citizenry. To illustrate their claims, the authors use several examples from elementary social studies classrooms, and review the basic tenets of historical inquiry and language acquisition. First, they describe how tapping into English language learner (ELL) student's prior knowledge can effectively develop the notion of historical positionality. Second, they discuss how to create a classroom context that will shift students' thoughts about history and promote the development of their metacognitive skills. Finally, they conclude by emphasizing how content and language objectives can provide ELL students with access to historical thinking.