Book excerpt: Bring the pages of history to life with primary source documents! Primary sources help students achieve literacy in social studies by teaching them how to investigate and reflect on various social, economic, cultural, and geographical topics. The Mexican Rule of California 6-Pack will engage students in reading about Alta California as they examine the maps, letters, images, photographs, and art that emerged then. These high-interest texts integrate social studies content and literacy, and will engage students while enriching content-area instruction. Important text features include a glossary, index, captions, sidebars, and table of contents to increase understanding and build academic vocabulary. This title offers instructional opportunities to guide students to increased fluency and comprehension of nonfiction text, and aligns to the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and other national and state standards. The Your Turn! activity challenges students to connect to a primary source through a writing activity. Map It! extends learning outside of the classroom with an activity that students can respond to at school or home. This 6-Pack includes six copies of this title and a lesson plan.