Engaging Inquiry Strategies for
C3 Framework Success with
American History
Vivian Bernstein
Author: Core Learning: American History
www.core-learning.com
www.corelearningonline.com
[email protected]
NCSS, December 2, 2016
Current Research Supports Teaching with
Inquiry Strategies
1. Only 18% of eighth graders performed at the proficient or
advanced levels on the 2014 NAEP United States History test.
((www.nationsreportcard.gov)
2. 2. Based on the ACT exam, 75% of high school students are not
prepared for college work. (Burgess, 2012)
3. Teachers spend 35-50% of instructional time asking questions,
but they spend more time lecturing. (Cotton, K. 1984)
4. Historical thinking requires sourcing and contextualization.
(Wineburg, Martin and Monte-Sano, 2013)
5. Based on the ACT exam, 75% of high school students are not
prepared for college work. (Burgess, 2012)
6. Teachers spend 35-50% of instructional time asking questions,
but they spend more time lecturing. (Cotton, K. 1984)
7. Historical thinking requires sourcing and contextualization.
(Wineburg, Martin and Monte-Sano, 2013)
C3 Framework
Goal: The pursuit of knowledge through questioning.
College
and
Career Skills
Literary skills
Decision
making
Civic Life
*Communication
*Protect the environment
Critical thinking
Collaborative skills
*Vote
*Jury duty
Problem solving
Communication
*Volunteer work
Evidence supported writing
*Pay taxes
*Understand current events
Dimension 1
Develop questions and plan inquiries
• Generate compelling questions:
Why did the North and South disagree
about slavery?
• Scaffold: Create supporting questions:
• Why did southern states need slaves?
• Why did Congress pass fugitive slave laws?
Dimension 2
Apply Disciplinary Concepts and Tools
Use information from the four
social studies disciplines:
• economics
• geography
• history
• civics
Dimension 3
Evaluate sources and use evidence
Recognize different points of view
Douglass Autobiography
https://loc.gov/resource/mfd.34001/?sp=2
Sources: Primary and secondary
• maps
• letters and diaries
• famous documents
• charts and graphs
• objects and artifacts
• speeches
Dimension 4
Communicate conclusions and take
informed action:
•
•
•
•
•
•
essays
group project
written assessments
discussions
video production
apply information to the real world
Students must produce evidence based arguments.
Strategy 1. Generate Compelling and Supporting Questions
Dimension 1. Develop questions and plan inquiries
Compelling and Essential Questions
 Focus on big ideas
 Set a purpose for learning
 Open ended
 Apply background knowledge
 Promote deep understanding
 Encourage critical thinking
 Clearly stated questions
 Higher cognitive level questions
 Promote independent writing and discussion
Examples of Compelling and
Supporting Questions
Compelling Question:
• Could the battle at
Fort Sumter have been
avoided?
Supporting Questions:
• When did the battle take place?
• What were the results of the battle?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Sumter
Strategy 2. Use Questions to Expand Vocabulary
Focus: Ten Civil War Vocabulary Words
1. abolitionist
2. antebellum
3. arsenal
4. blockade
5. border states
6. Confederacy
7. popular sovereignty
8. secession
9. sectional differences
10. tariff
Answer Vocabulary Questions
Would You Rather?
1. Would you rather pay a tariff or do without
imported goods?
2. Would you rather live in a western territory or
in a border state?
Tell Why?
1. Why did the Union start a blockade against the
South in 1861?
2. Why does a region need an arsenal?
Writing with Vocabulary
for the C3 Framework
Dimension 4: Communicating Conclusions
Use the unit vocabulary words to write a
paragraph.
1. Argument: Disagreements about slavery
increased sectional differences.
2. Explanation: Explain three reasons why the
North and South disagreed about tariffs.
Strategy 3. Use Questioning Techniques to Teach
Summarizing and Inferencing
Dimension 2. Apply Disciplinary Concepts and Tools
Why Is Summarizing Important?
 Promotes long term recall
 Promotes comprehension
 Helps students focus on main ideas and important
details
 Helps students distinguish relevant and irrelevant
information
Remember!
Students cannot summarize if they cannot identify main
ideas.
Complete the Summary
Graphic Organizer
Find the main idea, supporting facts and irrelevant facts.
What is the Main Idea? Dred Scott lost his case to be free
when Chief Justice Roger B. Taney said he was not a citizen
and could not be free.
Supporting Facts
Irrelevant Information
1. Scott and his wife had
lived in free territory.
2. Scott tried to buy his
freedom.
3. From 1846 to 1857 Scott
sued in state and federal
courts.
1. Scott offered $300 for his
freedom.
2. Justice Taney was 80 years
old.
Self Questioning to Form Inferences
What did I already know about the Dred Scott Case?
1. Scott tried to buy his freedom for $300.
2. Scott had been born into slavery but wanted to be free.
What did I learn about the Dred Scott Case?
1. Scott lived on free soil from 1834 to 1838.
2. Anti-slavery friends helped Dred Scott sue for his freedom in state and
federal courts for eleven years.
What inferences can I make?
1. Freedom was very important to Dred Scott.
2. Scott could not have sued for freedom without help from friends.
3. Abolitionists were angered by the decision.
Strategy 4. Use Questions to Analyze Sources and
Form Arguments
Dimension 3. Evaluate sources and use evidence
Primary Source Work Sheet
1. Who created the source?
2. What kind of source is it?
3. What historical factors are important?
4. What was the purpose of the source?
5. What are the main ideas?
6. Do you agree or disagree with the point of view? Tell why.
Diary of Mary Chesnut
April 15, 1861
www.civilwar.org
“ I did not know that one could live
such days of excitement.
Fort Sumter had surrendered!...The very liveliest
crowd I think I ever saw…”
D3—Gather Information from sources.
1. What was the mood in Charleston? Cite
evidence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Boyki
n_Chesnut#/media/File:Fw-refugeeschestnut-full.jpg
Editorial: The Issue Must be Met
Milledgeville, Georgia, Federal Union [Democratic]
(31 March 1857)
“The late decision of the Supreme Court of the United
States, in the Dred Scott case, will bring the enemies of
the south face to face with the Constitution of their
country….”
(Source: http://unveilinghistory.org/wpcontent/lessons/2013/markowitz/published-editorials.pdf)
Question:
What was the Georgia editor’s opinion about the Dred
Scott decision?
New York Tribune Editorial about the
Dred Scott Decision
March 12, 1857
“We do not believe that this Dred Scott decision could have
been wrenched from magistrates who were not under the
undue influence of Slavery…We hear much of the dangers
of agitation. We know of another danger far greater, and
that is the danger that our liberties may be subverted…”
Source:
http://www.pbs.org.wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/sources_document8.html
Question:
How did the New York Tribune editor feel about the Dred
Scott Decision? Cite evidence.
Write an Argument
The Dred Scott decision increased
sectional differences.
Write a report. Explain the Dred Scott case and
the Supreme Court’s decision. Then write an
argument that explains why you think the
decision was correct or incorrect. Use two or
more sources to support your argument.
Working with Challenging Documents
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on
this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
In 1776, which was eighty seven years ago, the leaders of our
country created a new nation in North America. This nation
was based on the ideas of liberty. It was based on the belief that
all men are created equal which was written in our Declaration
of Independence. (Core-Learning Inc., American History, Course II)
Word Bank
score – the number 20
continent – one of the Earth’s seven large land masses.
proposition – a statement that must be proved.
Strategy 5. Teach Students to Work with Lower and
Higher Level Cognitive Questions
Dimensions 1 and Dimensions 4
Successful Questioning Techniques
1. Phrase questions for comprehension.
2. Use a combination of lower and higher cognitive
questions.
3. Encourage responses from all students.
4. Encourage students to clarify and expand on
answers.
5. Wait time—3-5 seconds
6. Require students to generate questions.
Self Questioning: What Do I Know?
Metacognition of Background Knowledge
Topic: Events Leading to the Civil War
Topics
Missouri Compromise
Compromise of 1850
Dred Scott Decision
Election of 1860
I know this topic.
I can speak and
write about it.
I know something
about the topic.
I cannot
communicate
about it.
I have no
knowledge about
the topic.
Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy
Events Leading to the Civil War
1.
2.
3.
Knowledge: What are the four facts about the
Compromise of 1850?
Comprehension: Explain what Abe Lincoln
meant when he said “A house divided against
itself cannot stand.”
Application: Sequence five events from 1820 to
1860 which increased sectional differences.
Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy, continued
Events Leading to the Civil War
4. Analysis: Compare and contrast the differences
between the North and South in 1860.
5. Synthesis: Write a newspaper editorial that
defends or criticizes the Dred Scott decision. Cite
evidence to support your argument.
6. Evaluation: How did Lincoln’s First Inaugural
Address try to prevent war. Why do you think it
failed in its goals?
Bibliography and Primary Sources
Allen, J. (1999) Words, Words, Words. Maine. Stenhouse Publishers.
Bingham, J. T. (2015) The Common Core Standards. New York: Alpha Books.
Buehl, D. (2004) Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning. 2nd Edition. Newark, DE:
IRA
Foner, E. and Garraty, J. A. (1991) The Reader’s Companion to American History. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin.
Irish, J. (2015) Historical Thinking Skills. NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
Kulthau, C. C., and L. K. Maniotes and A. K. Caspari. (2007) Guided Inquiry: Learning in
the 21st Century. CT: Libraries Unlimited.
McTighe, J. and Wiggins, G. (2013) Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student
Understanding. VA: ASCD
Wineburg, S. and Martin D. and Monte-Sano, c. (2013) Reading Like a Historian. New
York: Teachers College Press.
Primary Sources:
www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/
http://teachinghistory.org/best-practices/using-primary-sources/19079
https://www.archives.gov/education/research/primary-sources
www.sheq.standford.edu
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/landmark_dred.html