Social Studies: A How To Skills Resource integrates skills and content, which maximizes precious classroom time without interfering with your core curriculum. It utilizes social studies content to teach valuable cross-curricular skills in a step-by-step format. The skills and strategies the students learn to master include: map skills, reading and thinking skills, writing and research skills, chart and graph skills, and test-taking strategies. Each grade level contains skill lessons that are integrated with grade-specific social studies content. Students use social studies content as they develop and practice skills from across the curriculum (such as reading, writing, language arts, math and geography). Each book also contains specific Test-Taking Strategies designed to help students develop techniques for analyzing and answering test questions.