Focus on the big ideas with an accessible print student text built around Essential Questions, enduring ideas, and NCSS Standards.Put your social studies students in the middle of the action with The Story Matters chapter openers, Biography features, maps, and timelines.Maximize comprehension with the Reading Help Desk in each lesson to assist students with reading strategies, note-taking activities, graphic organizers, and vocabulary support.Build critical thinking and historical analysis skills with features such as Thinking Like a Historian, It Matters Because, What Do You Think, and Connections to Today.