http://padlet.com/wall/effectivequestions
The Thinking Classroom:
How to use Questions to Support Inquiry
in Social Studies
Online Professional
Development
• 2013-2014 Webinar Series
– College, Career, and Civic Life C3
Framework For Social Studies State
Standards
– Inquiry in the social studies
• 2012-2013 Webinars
http://padlet.com/wall/effectivequestions
NCDPI K-12 Social Studies Team
Section Chief
Fay Gore
fay.gore@dpi.nc.gov
K-12 Consultants:
Ann Carlock
Ann.Carlock@dpi.nc.gov
Justyn Knox
Justyn.Knox@dpi.nc.gov
Dr. Steve Masyada
Stephen.Masyada@dpi.nc.gov
Michelle McLaughlin
Michelle.Mclaughlin@dpi.nc.gov
Program Assistant
Bernadette Cole
bernadette.cole@dpi.nc.gov
QUESTIONS
How can I use questions effectively to
support inquiry in Social Studies?
KNOW
NEED TO KNOW
• What is an effective question for
inquiry?
• What’s the purpose of an effective
question for inquiry?
• How do I write an effective question for
inquiry?
Objectives
• Understand how to use the Inquiry Arc of the
C3 Framework in order to develop questions
that support inquiry
• Understand the process of creating and refining
questions that support inquiry
• Develop questions that support inquiry in Social
Studies
Connecting Inquiry to The K-12 Social
Studies Concept-Based Framework
• Questioning is the heart of
inquiry learning.
• Students must ask relevant
questions and develop ways
to search for answers and
generate explanations.
• Emphasis is placed upon the
process of thinking as this
applies to student interaction
with concepts, big ideas,
data, topics, issues, and
problems.
The
C3
Framework
Set of interlocking and mutually
reinforcing ideas featuring four
dimensions of informed inquiry in
social studies:
• Developing questions and
planning inquiries
• Applying disciplinary tools and
concepts
• Evaluating sources and using
evidence
• Communicating conclusions
and taking informed action
For more detail review the October K-12 Social Studies Webinar October
series located at http://ssnces.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Fall+2013+Webinar+One
Effective Questions
• Captures the
issues, problem, or
challenge
• Can arise from
real-dilemmas
that students
find interesting
• Consistent with
curricular
standards and
frameworks
• Goes to the
heart of a
discipline or
topic
• Open-ended and
provocative
• Organizes
Inquiry
Adapted from The Buck Institute
Different Types of Questions
• Philosophical: When is war justified?
• Products: How can we plan an event that
creates or celebrates the history of our community?
• Problem Solving:
Why do civilizations fail?
• Real World/Scenario - What responsibilities, if
any, does the government have in maintaining a
middle class?
Adapted from The Buck Institute
Abstract
What is justice? When is war justified? What is a hero?
Concrete
Are amusement park rides safe? Is our water at our school safe to drink? Can DNA evidence
be trusted?
How can we improve traffic flow at our school?
Problem
Solving
Design
Challenge
How could we create a school mural to express our diversity within our school?
History
What is the price of “progress”? Was the American Revolution justified? What effect does the
Civil War still have on us today? How can we bring peace to the Middle East?
Social
Studies
What is the American Dream and who has it? How do immigrants meet the challenges of
coming to a new country? Do victors really benefits from winning wars? How should we
respond to terrorism?
Why are books banned? How do we persuade others? How does literature reflect the time in
which it was written?
English
Art
How does art reflect its time? Is art worth its price? Should art be censored?
Geography How does the place we live in affect how we live? How can we use geography to interpret the
past? How do human actions modify the physical environment?
Government Do we have too much freedom? What is the best form of government? How should criminals
be treated? Should the Bill of Rights be revised?
Science
How will the land we live on change over time? Can we predict the weather? How can we stop
the spread of infectious diseases? Should we produce genetically engineered foods?
Math
Is it better to buy or lease a car? How can we use probability to assess the state lottery system?
Can we predict the growth of a websites use?
Refining Questions
Google-able
Teacher Language
Too Content Specific
General
Open Ended
Engaging for Students
Relevant
Charge for Action
“Google-able”
• What are the major industries in our state?
• What were the causes of the American
Revolution?
• What were the major forms of modern art?
Open Ended
• Why does our state produce
the things it does?
• Could England have avoided
the revolt of the American
colonies?
• Does modern art reflect or
inspire society?
Sounds Too Much Like a
Teacher
• What did the ancient Greeks contribute to
the development of Western Civilization?
• What kind of development has occurred in
North Carolina?
• What were the causes of the Great
Depression?
Engaging for Students
• Did the ancient Greeks help make us who
we are today? OR How Greek are we?
• Should a new shopping center be built on
the land by the river near our town?
• Could the Great Depression happen again?
Avoid Repeating the Standards
STANDARDS
QUESTIONS
8.C&G.2.1
Evaluate the effectiveness of various
approaches used to effect change in
North Carolina and the United States
(e.g. picketing, boycotts, sit-ins, voting,
marches, holding elected office and
lobbying).
How effective were various
approaches such as
boycotting, picketing, and sitins used to impact NC laws?
7.G.1.1
Explain how environmental conditions
and human response to those
conditions influence modern societies
and regions (e.g. natural barriers,
scarcity of resources and factors that
influence settlement).
How has China been impacted
by the development of it’s
natural resources?
Aligned to Standards without
restating them
STANDARDS
QUESTIONS
Is breaking the law ever
justifiable?
7.G.1.1
Explain how environmental conditions
and human response to those
conditions influence modern societies
and regions (e.g. natural barriers,
scarcity of resources and factors that
influence settlement).
Will the environment be
China’s downfall one day?
Are we like China or not?
Too General
• What is a leader?
• Which advertising techniques are most
effective?
• Why did the explorers journey to the Americas?
• Who are the leaders in our
community and how can we
tell their stories?
• How can we create a guide
for other kids so they will
know how advertisers try to
get us to buy stuff?
• How can we, as explorers,
create a planning guide for
leading an expedition?
Go LOCAL!!!!
• How can we help a small local business
improve its advertising?
• Should the city of Raleigh allow street
artists to help gentrify the downtown
area?
• How do we design an exhibit on the
Iroquois nation for the NC Museum of
Natural History
How can I use
Questions
effectively to
support inquiry in
Social Studies?
Need more Practice?
• Crafting the Driving Question
• STEM MI Champions: Developing the Driving Question
• Buck Institute: Wing Project "Crafting the Driving Question"
Resources for Inquiry
• The Buck Institute
• NAF Project Based Learning Guide
• The C3 Framework
• History Lab!
Research on Inquiry Based
Learning
• The Evidence Base for Social Studies: InquiryBased Learning
• Educational Leadership: What Research Says
About Project Based Learning
• Edutopia's Project Based Learning Research
Review
K-12 Social
Studies Updates
Social Studies Updates
NC Council for the Social Studies
Conference (February 21-22)
Thank You!