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Sunshine and Inquiry. The Florida C3 Hub provides social studies teachers with a reliable source of rigorous inquiry plans that are aligned to Florida state standards. The inquiry lessons you’ll find on the Florida Hub are built by teachers for teachers. We’re working hard to add more to the collection so check back often.
The Florida C3 Hub provides social studies teachers with a reliable source of rigorous inquiry plans that are aligned to Florida state standards. The lessons are built by teachers for teachers, and we encourage continued contribution from teachers in the future.
The Florida C3 Hub was developed through a collaborative effort between Florida State University (FSU), Florida Joint Center for Citizenship (FJCC), with funding provided from Title IV-Part A.
To find out more about each collaborator, visit FSU, FJCC, and Florida Title IV-Part A.
These lesson plans cover multiple social studies subject areas and were developed by Florida social studies teachers with support from FJCC.
In spring 2019, Florida teachers started building inquiries, gathering their ideas in draft form as a starting place for working in the 2019-2020 school year to develop a robust inquiry curriculum. See these working ideas below.
By Kimberly Garton
The compelling question for this inquiry will require students to examine the functions and structure of all three levels of government and determine the degree to which each level impacts their lives. Initially, students may have more knowledge of the federal level of government from previous social studies courses or even mainstream media, which will lead them to assume that this is the most important level of government. However, before coming to that conclusion, students need to ask questions related to the role of state and local levels of government and investigate ways to monitor and influence those levels. Government truly is all around us, but there is a complexity to that statement worth an inquiry. The supporting questions will lead students to consider the impact that local, state, and federal levels of government have on their everyday lives and allow them to decide where their level of civic participation should ultimately be at its highest point.
By: Stacy Thompson
This question explores the positive and negative aspects of Jackson’s presidency. It looks at his actions and asks students if we should celebrate him or to rid his image from American currency. This specifically looks at his personality, actions taken by Jackson during his presidency, and anything the occurred during his presidency that he may or may not directly have initiated. By students evaluating his presidency in this context, they are using higher level thinking skills that they then could apply to modern political leaders.
By: Ana Vidal
This inquiry is designed for students to examine multiple perspectives in order to go beyond the simple answer of “taxes are bad” or “taxes of good”. Students will have to analyze the purpose of taxes and decide which (if any) taxes should be eliminated. The debate on taxes has existed since the formation of America and it is often connected to the debate on whether a larger or smaller federal government is best. In modern times the tax question has split America into two political parties. On one side of the argument taxes help the government ensure the welfare all citizens but on the other hand many American feel that taxes hinder personal freedom and economic growth. However, before coming to a conclusion, students will ponder over the positive and negative effects of taxation. This inquiry begins by exploring the history behind taxes in our country. Students will explore taxation during America’s formative years. Other underlying questions include the different types of taxes, the levels of taxation and the role taxes play in people’s everyday life. The supporting questions lead students to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of various kinds of taxes. The sources are intentionally chosen to provide students with multiple perspectives on the topic. This inquiry is intended to be broken up into three class periods. In preparation for this inquiry, students should know what taxes are and be able to provide examples. Teachers should help students understand the concepts “big government” versus “small government”. This inquiry does not include specific opportunities to examine the modern ideological differences between the Democratic and Republicans regarding taxes. However, teachers can use the “Taking Information Action” activity to bring real-life political issues into the classroom by analyzing analyze political candidates views on taxes.
By: Jamie Colver
Students will examine the daily life, responsibilities, rights and roles of women in the ancient Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta. Students will determine which city-state they would prefer to live in if they were a woman in ancient Greece. The formative tasks allow for students to examine life in these two city-states. Depending on the grade level, this inquiry will take approximately 2-3 class periods. Students will need to compare and contrast the two Greek city-states to argue which offered a better way of life for women.
By: Carol LaVallee
Students will discover how Britain’s society was impacted by the desire of wealth. While striving for a better life is appealing to most, sometimes these actions lead to unintended consequences. Students need to be aware of the fact that wealth, while it brings improvements, may not be the best objective in society. Using their prior knowledge and past experiences, students will try to understand the legacy of industry on Europe by using historical thinking. Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to predict how new opportunities were born through industry. They will also discover how children’s lives changed during this era. Having student write a piece about their findings will help them showcase their discovery of the obstacle and/or opportunities this industrial boom had on Europe. Most sources for this inquiry were gathered from historical museums in Europe. These sources not only include documents, but artwork and journals of the era. Having a variety of sources lead the students to investigate using historical thinking. Teachers will need 3-5 days to implement this inquiry for students to be able to grasp the concept of the industrial impact in Europe.
C3Teachers.org facilitates open collaborative conversations among teachers as they tinker with their own instructional practice as it relates to the C3 Framework.
If you are interested in offering more professional development opportunities, rethinking or redesigning your social studies curriculum, we’d love to talk.
