California is home to the largest school system in the country, and some of the best schools in the world. This primary source reader covers the history of California's school system, from the opening of its first school in Santa Clara in 1846 to the present day. Explore California's school system with this primary source reader that builds literacy and social studies content knowledge through the use of intriguing primary sources. Primary source documents prompt students to ask questions, and help them look at the world and current issues with a historical lens. Essential text features include a glossary, index, captions, sidebars, and table of contents to increase understanding and build academic vocabulary. The Blog it! culminating activity provides an opportunity for assessment that challenges students to apply what they have learned in an engaging and interactive way. The Your Turn! activity challenges students to connect to a primary source through a writing activity. Aligned to the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and other national and state standards, the book is leveled to support above-, below-, and on-level learners. Discover California with this engaging grade 4 book!