This inquiry was developed by Wesley Wei, a student at Boyle County High School. The inquiry leads students through an investigation of the LGBTQ+ movement, primarily driven by the history of the movement through various accounts and perspectives. The compelling question—What makes a movement successful?—does not address whether or not the movement was successful, but instead assesses the components of a movement and whether the movement is in a period of growth or has already peaked. Although the focus of this inquiry is on the LGBTQ+ movement, parallels can be drawn to other social movements in history with respect to organization, activism, and overall execution, including the Civil Rights Movement or the women’s suffrage and rights movements. Specifically, this inquiry looks at four different aspects that can potentially shape a movement in its foundation as well as its rise, namely public reaction, government leaders and policies, Supreme Court cases, and personal experiences. Throughout the inquiry, students will examine each individual aspect independently, evaluating the merits, strengths, and significance of each provided source in the “Movement Analysis Organization Chart,” but the summative task will require a compilation and synthesis of the sources in this investigation in order to form an argument to address the compelling question.
9-12
The Heart of Social Studies
Inquiries
Filed Under:
This inquiry was developed by Wesley Wei, a student at Boyle County High School. The inquiry leads students through an investigation of the LGBTQ+ movement, primarily driven by the history of the movement through various accounts and perspectives. The compelling question—What makes a movement successful?—does not address whether or not the movement was successful, but…
Filed Under:
The compelling question for this inquiry calls on students to consider whether conglomerates are good for the economy. Specifically, this focused inquiry is a case study of South Korean conglomerations, known as chaebols. After the Korean War, large sums of money were given to a handful of corporations (Samsung, Lotte, Hyundai, Daewoo, etc.) in order…
Filed Under:
This inquiry leads students through an investigation of how the Korean War came to be known as the “forgotten war.” By investigating the compelling question, “Why was the Korean War ‘forgotten’?,” students investigate how a major global event could seem to have been forgotten by the American public and, subsequently, in history. The inquiry has…
Filed Under:
This inquiry leads students through an investigation into the relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea. By investigating the compelling question about the what Korea means to the United States, students will have to consider the ways in which government documents and oral histories provide a unique way to understand this strategic…
Filed Under:
The compelling questions for this inquiry call on students is to research the history of diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea. How to talk with North Korea has been an important diplomatic question for US presidents from Truman to Trump. At times that question has been answered with the use of direct…
Filed Under:
This inquiry provides students with an opportunity to examine the role that the telegraph played in the Civil War. The telegraph system used in the Civil War emerged over two decades in the 1830s and 1840s as inventors and businessmen worked to find a way to send electronic messages over wires. Samuel Morse cracked the…
Filed Under:
Students will examine eighteen telegrams to learn more about troop movements, battles, victories, and defeats, as well as other information communicated in telegrams in order to respond to the compelling question, “What do telegrams tell us about the Battle of Gettysburg?” The range of telegrams in this inquiry allows students to examine different perspectives on…
Filed Under:
In this inquiry, students examine the question of whether the Civil War had to end the way it did. On February 3, 1865, leaders from the Union and the Confederacy met in Hampton Roads, Virginia, to discuss a negotiated end to the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William H. Seward represented…
Filed Under:
This inquiry examines the experiences of African Americans during the Civil War, those who served in the Union army and enslaved, formerly enslaved, and freed blacks in the south and north. The contributions of African Americans to the war effort were considerable. About 179,000 black soldiers (10% of the Union Army) served in the U.S….
Filed Under:
This inquiry focuses on the relationship between President Abraham Lincoln and his commanding General George McClellan and the impact of their relationship on the Civil War. President Lincoln and General McClellan knew each other long before the Civil War having worked together on the Illinois Central Railroad in the late 1850s, where McClellan was the…