The hard-cover basal textbook continues to dominate teaching and learning in elementary social studies, particularly as a reaction to reduced budgets, the back to basics movement, state-wide testing, and criticism of less traditional teaching practices. Two problem areas encountered by children when using social studies textbooks include lack of experiential background and the inherent difficulty of social studies content. Technical concepts may have little or no meaning unless specific vocabulary or concept development lessons precede use of the text by students. In order to improve this situation, teachers should clarify their objectives and consider the teaching suggestions provided in the textbook. Teachers should also: (1) develop the required background, (2) accommodate varying reading levels, (3) provide direct instructional help, and (4) select learning activities to help students apply and extend the major concepts. The digest contains practical suggestions for developing each of these areas and for helping students extend the textbook concepts and apply them to their own life experiences; the suggestions include using textbook maps, wall maps, and globes; explaining the concept of time; devising a social studies glossary; and explaining why a textbook is used and what should be gained from it. (CBC)