The National Council of Teachers of English (2008) defines "literacy" as a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. Classrooms are cultures in which the development of these practices not only reflects the social studies, but also expands knowledge of the social studies while fostering civic competence among students. Planning literacy events (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) around content-related literature is a natural way to bring together literacy and social studies. In this article, the authors share literacy strategies that engage young learners in actively and socially constructing knowledge of history, self, and others. That knowledge then becomes the foundation for a democratic classroom where students "develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world" (National Council for the Social Studies 1994, 3).