The building of historical thinking skills has historically been a lonely endeavor for AP U.S. history teachers. Many often generate their own pedagogy, perhaps modified from an AP workshop or generally gleaned from released exam essay questions. However, as currently scheduled, in 2014, the AP U.S. history exam will undergo a redesign that will make explicit the kinds of historical thinking skills students should exhibit. While these skills have always been foundational to any good history class, after the redesign, they will become an integral part of the everyday vocabulary and skill building in AP U.S. history. This will give teachers a common lexicon for sharing pedagogical tips and innovations. Broadly, the four historical thinking skills to be tested are: (1) Chronological Reasoning; (2) Comparison and Contextualization; (3) Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence; and (4) Historical Interpretation. and Synthesis. This article presents some examples that lluminate the College Board's four skills through the process of reading history itself.