When defining social studies, the best definition comes from the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). Although “the ‘official’ definition is somewhat misleading, as authorities in the field have long debated the dimensions of an appropriate definition of social studies” (Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall, 2013). The NCSS defines social studies as “the study of the political, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of societies” (NCSS, 1988). There may never be a unanimously accepted definition of social studies, but this one seems accurate. Social studies textbooks should support specific state standards. Although the author of this article resides in New York State, the textbook used is based in Georgia. This book is intended for second grade and is Houghton Mifflin Social Studies: Georgia Edition. After studying the Georgia State Standards, there is a direct correlation between the standards and the textbook. An example is the SS2H1 standard “The student will read and describe the lives of historical figures in Georgia history” (GaDOE, 2013) such as James Oglethorpe. In the second lesson of the textbook, students learned about James Oglethorpe and Mary Musgrove, two settlers who came to Georgia (Viola, 2008). Can a textbook really meet the needs of students, educators, and state standards? Topics Covered Knowing that the above definition of social studies is actually about politics, economics, cultures, and the environment companies, the next step is to see if the manual follows. Georgia State Standards SS2CG1 through SS2CG4 cover politics; SS2E1 to SS2E4 covers economics; and SS2G2 covers culture. National standards do not cover the environmental aspect of the company. This second...... middle of paper ......hentic evaluation. Educational Technology Research and Development, 52(3), 67-86. National Council for Social Studies (1988). Social studies for early childhood and elementary school children: preparing for the 21st century. Accessed February 21, 2014, from http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/elementary.Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall (2013). Social Studies Definitions | Education.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://www.education.com/reference/article/definitions-social-studies/.Short, DJ (1994). Expanding college horizons: integrating language, culture and social studies. TESOL Quarterly, 28(3), 581-608. Vincent, A. and Ross, D. (2001). Awareness of learning style. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33(5). Viola, H.J. and Houghton Mifflin Company (2008). Houghton Mifflin Social Studies. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co..