In this article, the authors present eight strategies that integrate social studies and literacy by connecting assigned readings to students' contemporary knowledge and concerns. Each strategy begins with a reading assignment and is followed by an activity that connects students to the reading a second time by requiring them to go beyond comprehension as they process what they have derived from the text. The repetition serves as a reinforcement to increase retention and provides a structure for students to personalize the information and engage cooperatively in higher levels of thinking. The strategies prepare students for any culminating activity that the teacher may plan for a particular unit. In the eight strategies, the students can work individually, in a small group, with the whole class, or in a combination of the three.