Goal 1

No Poverty

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the consequences faced by children of war, including hunger, displacement, trauma, and the loss of family and stability. By investigating the compelling question “How does war affect children?” students attempt to contextualize the consequences of war on children. The formative performance tasks help students build knowledge and…

This 2016 Inquiry Challenge winner inquiry leads students through an investigation of water access in the Middle East using various sources that consider geographical, political and economic issues. By investigating the compelling question, students examine the geography of the region, including environmental and demographic relationships, the ecological impact of accessing water, and the subsequent political…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of human-environment interactions using the ahupua’a of Waimanalo and Kailua as a case study. By investigating the compelling question, students examine the environmental particulars of their region, the ways in which humans have historically interacted with the environment, and the current environmental characteristics. This inquiry embeds the Taking…

This inquiry explores how communities develop and sustain themselves by examining the positive and negative impacts of development on community environments. In considering the idea that communities grow and change over time, students develop an argument with evidence that answers the compelling question “How do we shape our environment?”

Goal 2

Zero Hunger

This 2016 Inquiry Challenge winner inquiry leads students through an investigation of water access in the Middle East using various sources that consider geographical, political and economic issues. By investigating the compelling question, students examine the geography of the region, including environmental and demographic relationships, the ecological impact of accessing water, and the subsequent political…

This inquiry explores how communities develop and sustain themselves by examining the positive and negative impacts of development on community environments. In considering the idea that communities grow and change over time, students develop an argument with evidence that answers the compelling question “How do we shape our environment?”

Goal 3

Good Health & Well-Being

This third-grade inquiry expands students’ understandings of how groups represent themselves through what they wear. The compelling question—“What do things I wear say about me?”—engages students in an examination of material culture by considering the factors impacting their own choices of what they wear such as geography, culture, and religion. Students will examine the similarities…

This inquiry engages third graders in expanding their understandings of our increasingly interconnected world. The compelling question “Is sharing and trading across cultures always a good thing?” is intellectually respectful of third graders who have personal experience with sharing and trading and typically have been told that sharing and trading are positive ways to interact….

This inquiry encourages kindergartners to expand their study of self and others by deepening their understanding of the role of traditions, holidays, and symbols in establishing cultural identity and unity. The compelling question “What makes holidays special?” reflects an enduring conversation about how and why people engage in ritual and tradition. It is respectful of…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of their communities as a way to deepen their understandings of the importance of place in general and the similarities and differences between different kinds of communities in particular. By investigating the compelling question “How would our lives be different if we lived in a different kind of…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of economic systems by focusing on the context of trade among world communities. Trading is one of the oldest forms of economic interaction among humans, yet it is also among the most complex. In examining the reasons for international trade and the exports of world communities, students should…

This inquiry engages students in expanding their understandings of families in general and the idea that families can be both similar and different. Although much of family life may be shared—language, religion, culture, and traditions—there are important differences across these elements. The compelling question “How can families be the same and different?” offers students opportunities…

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of their families as a way to begin understanding the concepts of past and present. By answering the compelling question “What do family stories tell us about the past?” students learn about change over time. Through the use of family artifacts (e.g., photographs, marriage licenses, family trees, keepsakes),…

This first grade annotated inquiry highlights the idea that even primary-age children can begin thinking about their civic roles in their communities and beyond. Those roles can be made real and vital to young children by exploring the traits or characteristics that represent responsible citizenship. Those traits—respecting others, behaving honestly, helping others, making and obeying…

This annotated kindergarten inquiry focuses on the economics concept of scarcity by developing an understanding of needs and wants and goods and services through the compelling question, “Can we get everything we need and want?” The distinctions between these constructs serve as the necessary components of an examination of the choices people must make when…

The third-grade annotated inquiry focuses on the concept of universal human rights and fair treatment of all people through the compelling question “Do people around the world care about children’s rights?” This question highlights the idea that human rights, including the right to have one’s basic needs met, are to be universally ensured and protected….