This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the ways in which people gain and exercise power. Power is a social phenomenon that comes in many forms. However, it is often the case that the ways that people achieve power helps to determine how that power is used. Although this compelling question is broad, the inquiry focuses on Latinx history. This strategic use of sources is particularly useful in showing the ways that some minority groups in the United States have experienced and pursued power in many different ways.
US History
The Heart of Social Studies
Inquiries
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the ways in which people gain and exercise power. Power is a social phenomenon that comes in many forms. However, it is often the case that the ways that people achieve power helps to determine how that power is used. Although this compelling question is broad, the…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the education system in the United States, focusing on the extent to which systemic racism continues to plague modern schooling. Students investigate schooling before and after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case in order to evaluate the impact and effectiveness, or “success,” of school…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the use of reparations to make amends for the enslavement, exploitation, and generational racism Black people have endured. The compelling question﹣Why are reparations controversial?﹣asks students to evaluate the controversy surrounding reparations payments, engage with narratives of Black people, and compare precedents set by organizations and governments. This…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of Black women writers and the literary devices they employ to communicate with audiences and “be heard.” The compelling question—What gets Black women heard?—asks students to evaluate the writing of three prominent Black women writers and contemporary Black writers in order to deconstruct the relevance and meaning behind…
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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…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Hunter-Dunbar expedition, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson after the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. By investigating the compelling question “Is the Hunter-Dunbar Expedition Worth Remembering?” students evaluate the contributions Dr. George Hunter and William Dunbar made in the discovery and cataloguing of natural resources,…
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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…
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In this unique inquiry, students explore the Korean War Legacy Project Memory Bank and watch veteran interview video clips on a common topic or event. Students then explore the archives in order to find documents that corroborate or contradict ideas and events shared in the oral history clip.
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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…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of maps, the common characteristics of maps, and the stories maps can tell about a place. By investigating the compelling question, “What is the most important information a map can tell us?,” students evaluate a set of maps with a focus on the Korean Peninsula as a case…