Students often ask, "Why do we have to study history?" and teachers struggle with how to answer. If a history teacher's purpose is to simply teach students about historical events, then Dimension Four of the "College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework," "Communicating conclusions and taking informed action," seems unapproachable. However, if the purpose for teaching social studies is to give students the skills to connect the past to the present and thereby be more effective citizens, then Dimension Four is highly relevant and crucial. Drawing conclusions and taking informed action gives purpose to studying history. Students are naturally curious and come to middle school asking questions, and teaching them how to take informed action helps them become engaged citizens. Social studies teachers need to help students understand how choices people made in the past have relevance today. By teaching students how to analyze past events and apply them to current events, teachers give students the meaning behind social studies. In this article, Tracy Middleton, an 8th grade U.S. history teacher at Hidden Valley Middle School in Escondido, California, shares how she meaningfully applied Dimension Four in her U.S. history classes.