This research examines the preparation of middle grades social studies teachers by investigating opportunities for learning in 2 social studies methods courses in distinctive teacher education pathways: a specialized middle grades program and a secondary social studies program. The findings suggest that, although both methods course instructors described their central course goal as one of providing a "toolbox" of strategies for their preservice teachers to use in classrooms, the course curricula, assignments, class texts, and class activities in these 2 social studies methods courses provided quite different opportunities for teachers to acquire the tools for these toolboxes. The comparison we describe points to the importance of teacher education programs attending to how curricular emphases, instructional practices, program purposes, and program contexts come together to form a set of learning opportunities for preservice teachers. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.)