The Transcontinental Railroad was built to provide a safer, faster route between the eastern and western areas of the United States. Learn how the Transcontinental Railroad helped shape the state of California and its people with this Interactiv-e Book! The use of primary sources like maps, letters, images, and photographs will engage students and help them look at the world and current issues with a historical lens. This nonfiction title builds literacy and social studies content knowledge with an emphasis on California history. Essential text features include a glossary, index, captions, sidebars, and table of contents to increase understanding and build academic vocabulary. Journal It! immerses students in the content through diverse, engaging activities related to the content. Your Turn! challenges students to connect to a primary source through a writing activity. This leveled text offers instructional opportunities to guide students to increased fluency and comprehension of nonfiction text and is aligned to the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and other national and state standards. Learn about the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad with this Interactiv-e Book!