diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 74bff6b73..be3bdf381 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ name = "lighthouse"
 [workspace]
 members = [
 	"beacon_chain/attestation_validation",
-	"beacon_chain/chain",
 	"beacon_chain/genesis",
 	"beacon_chain/naive_fork_choice",
 	"beacon_chain/spec",
@@ -43,11 +42,12 @@ members = [
 	"beacon_chain/utils/boolean-bitfield",
 	"beacon_chain/utils/hashing",
 	"beacon_chain/utils/honey-badger-split",
-	"beacon_chain/utils/slot-clock",
+	"beacon_chain/utils/slot_clock",
 	"beacon_chain/utils/ssz",
 	"beacon_chain/utils/vec_shuffle",
 	"beacon_chain/validator_change",
 	"beacon_chain/validator_induction",
 	"beacon_chain/validator_shuffling",
+	"lighthouse/beacon_chain",
 	"lighthouse/db",
 ]
diff --git a/beacon_chain/genesis/src/beacon_block.rs b/beacon_chain/genesis/src/beacon_block.rs
index 120903564..65adc1cf7 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/genesis/src/beacon_block.rs
+++ b/beacon_chain/genesis/src/beacon_block.rs
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 use bls::{Signature, BLS_AGG_SIG_BYTE_SIZE};
 use spec::ChainSpec;
 use ssz::{encode::encode_length, Decodable, LENGTH_BYTES};
-use types::{BeaconBlock, BeaconBlockBody};
+use types::{BeaconBlock, BeaconBlockBody, Hash256};
 
 /// Generate a genesis BeaconBlock.
-pub fn genesis_beacon_block(spec: &ChainSpec) -> BeaconBlock {
+pub fn genesis_beacon_block(state_root: Hash256, spec: &ChainSpec) -> BeaconBlock {
     BeaconBlock {
         slot: spec.initial_slot_number,
         parent_root: spec.zero_hash,
-        state_root: spec.zero_hash,
+        state_root: state_root,
         randao_reveal: spec.zero_hash,
         candidate_pow_receipt_root: spec.zero_hash,
         signature: genesis_signature(),
@@ -42,8 +42,9 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn test_genesis() {
         let spec = ChainSpec::foundation();
+        let state_root = Hash256::from("cats".as_bytes());
 
         // This only checks that the function runs without panic.
-        genesis_beacon_block(&spec);
+        genesis_beacon_block(state_root, &spec);
     }
 }
diff --git a/beacon_chain/naive_fork_choice/src/lib.rs b/beacon_chain/naive_fork_choice/src/lib.rs
index 5270fb1f9..385c9c50d 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/naive_fork_choice/src/lib.rs
+++ b/beacon_chain/naive_fork_choice/src/lib.rs
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ where
      */
     for (index, block_hash) in head_block_hashes.iter().enumerate() {
         let ssz = block_store
-            .get_serialized_block(&block_hash.to_vec()[..])?
+            .get(&block_hash.to_vec()[..])?
             .ok_or(ForkChoiceError::MissingBlock)?;
         let (block, _) = BeaconBlock::ssz_decode(&ssz, 0)?;
         head_blocks.push((index, block));
diff --git a/beacon_chain/types/Cargo.toml b/beacon_chain/types/Cargo.toml
index f49702280..af53fa597 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/types/Cargo.toml
+++ b/beacon_chain/types/Cargo.toml
@@ -8,5 +8,6 @@ edition = "2018"
 bls = { path = "../utils/bls" }
 boolean-bitfield = { path = "../utils/boolean-bitfield" }
 ethereum-types = "0.4.0"
+hashing = { path = "../utils/hashing" }
 rand = "0.5.5"
 ssz = { path = "../utils/ssz" }
diff --git a/beacon_chain/types/src/beacon_block.rs b/beacon_chain/types/src/beacon_block.rs
index a0c426233..826667d5e 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/types/src/beacon_block.rs
+++ b/beacon_chain/types/src/beacon_block.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-use super::ssz::{Decodable, DecodeError, Encodable, SszStream};
+use super::ssz::{ssz_encode, Decodable, DecodeError, Encodable, SszStream};
 use super::{BeaconBlockBody, Hash256};
 use crate::test_utils::TestRandom;
 use bls::Signature;
+use hashing::canonical_hash;
 use rand::RngCore;
 
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Clone)]
@@ -15,6 +16,14 @@ pub struct BeaconBlock {
     pub body: BeaconBlockBody,
 }
 
+impl BeaconBlock {
+    pub fn canonical_root(&self) -> Hash256 {
+        // TODO: implement tree hashing.
+        // https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse/issues/70
+        Hash256::from(&canonical_hash(&ssz_encode(self))[..])
+    }
+}
+
 impl Encodable for BeaconBlock {
     fn ssz_append(&self, s: &mut SszStream) {
         s.append(&self.slot);
diff --git a/beacon_chain/types/src/beacon_state.rs b/beacon_chain/types/src/beacon_state.rs
index 7c61d1d20..f2d8f6aeb 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/types/src/beacon_state.rs
+++ b/beacon_chain/types/src/beacon_state.rs
@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@ use super::shard_reassignment_record::ShardReassignmentRecord;
 use super::validator_record::ValidatorRecord;
 use super::Hash256;
 use crate::test_utils::TestRandom;
+use hashing::canonical_hash;
 use rand::RngCore;
-use ssz::{Decodable, DecodeError, Encodable, SszStream};
+use ssz::{ssz_encode, Decodable, DecodeError, Encodable, SszStream};
 
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Clone)]
 pub struct BeaconState {
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ impl BeaconState {
     pub fn canonical_root(&self) -> Hash256 {
         // TODO: implement tree hashing.
         // https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse/issues/70
-        Hash256::zero()
+        Hash256::from(&canonical_hash(&ssz_encode(self))[..])
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/beacon_chain/types/src/lib.rs b/beacon_chain/types/src/lib.rs
index 08b871c1c..7863944d7 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/types/src/lib.rs
+++ b/beacon_chain/types/src/lib.rs
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ pub mod slashable_vote_data;
 pub mod validator_record;
 pub mod validator_registration;
 
+pub mod readers;
+
+
 use self::ethereum_types::{H160, H256, U256};
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
diff --git a/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/block_reader.rs b/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/block_reader.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e1cba224d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/block_reader.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+use crate::{BeaconBlock, Hash256};
+
+pub trait BeaconBlockReader {
+    fn slot(&self) -> u64;
+    fn parent_root(&self) -> Hash256;
+    fn state_root(&self) -> Hash256;
+    fn canonical_root(&self) -> Hash256;
+    fn to_beacon_block(self) -> BeaconBlock;
+}
+
+impl BeaconBlockReader for BeaconBlock {
+    fn slot(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.slot
+    }
+
+    fn parent_root(&self) -> Hash256 {
+        self.parent_root
+    }
+
+    fn state_root(&self) -> Hash256 {
+        self.state_root
+    }
+
+    fn canonical_root(&self) -> Hash256 {
+        self.canonical_root()
+    }
+
+    fn to_beacon_block(self) -> BeaconBlock {
+        self
+    }
+}
diff --git a/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/mod.rs b/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ccb14a8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+mod block_reader;
+mod state_reader;
+
+pub use self::block_reader::BeaconBlockReader;
+pub use self::state_reader::BeaconStateReader;
diff --git a/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/state_reader.rs b/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/state_reader.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a43ef9930
--- /dev/null
+++ b/beacon_chain/types/src/readers/state_reader.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+use crate::{BeaconState, Hash256};
+
+pub trait BeaconStateReader {
+    fn slot(&self) -> u64;
+    fn canonical_root(&self) -> Hash256;
+    fn to_beacon_state(self) -> BeaconState;
+}
+
+impl BeaconStateReader for BeaconState {
+    fn slot(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.slot
+    }
+
+    fn canonical_root(&self) -> Hash256 {
+        self.canonical_root()
+    }
+
+    fn to_beacon_state(self) -> BeaconState {
+        self
+    }
+}