Starting 2016 off right.

• Author: Zack, Ian
• Position: Editorial

Dear Teachers,

Happy New Year! With a presidential election about to begin and hot-button issues like ISIS and immigration making headlines, 2016 promises to keep us on our toes. To kick things off, we're thrilled to offer you an issue packed with compelling articles, lesson plans, skills activities, videos, and more.

One of our missions this year is to help your class navigate Election 2016. Whether you're a social studies teacher trying to make civics come alive or an ELA teacher seeking complex informational texts, our in-depth coverage will help you engage your students. In this issue, you'll find a guide to the primaries and caucuses and a look at a typical day on the campaign trail. Don't miss these teachable moments:

* Follow the lesson plan and analyze the photo (Teacher's Guide, pp. 4 & 14) to discuss why local campaign stops are so important.

* Use the graph activity on...