U.S. history came alive when urban, high school students, in a general track, found emotional and personal connections to it. These connections were fostered by the multiple literacies in which they engaged during their class sessions. In addition to their emotional and personal connections, these students connected to their state test; they reviewed daily and all but 1 of the 28 students passed. This pass rate exceeded that of students across all history sections in their school. Based on field notes gathered twice a week for one year, the author bases this report on her study of a section of students whose teacher did not lecture. Instead, she engaged the students in multi-texts and experiences, always guided by her belief that "The most important thing is to connect to the kids." (Contains 3 figures.)