Traditional instruction in the social studies has been content rather than process oriented, concentrating on the lower level thinking skills. With coverage of the culture and history of the fifty United States, "Reading the Fifty States" offers librarians and teachers the tools to encourage higher order thinking skills. Students read novels set in each of the states and participate in targeted reader-response activities that are process oriented, develop higher cognitive skills, and spark creativity. Helpful tools include 200 booktalks (4 for each state), lists of other recommended titles for each state, a fact sheet, a listing of the national standards covered, and a plethora of reproducible, reader-response activities directly linked to national standards in language arts and social studies. Grades 3-6