This inquiry uses the Industrial Age as a context for students to explore the compelling question "Is greed good?" In the Taking Informed Action sequence, students investigate the present-day issue of wealth inequality in the United States and whether or not government action on the issue would be worthwhile.

This inquiry engages students in expanding their understandings of our increasingly interconnected world. The inquiry allows students to uncover political, economic, and social connections across cultures and analyze the implications of those connections.

This inquiry engages students in exploring the meaning and purpose and function of government through the compelling question "Is the president the most important person in government?" Assuming that most students know who the president is, this inquiry is designed to help students explore the different levels of governmental leadership and the idea that other authority figures exist in addition to the president. In learning about the levels of government and the issues each deals with, students should consider their own ideas for desired change within their communities (e.g. more recreational space, better roads, more variety in school lunches) and develop a commitment to civic participation.

This kindergarten inquiry leads students through an investigation of maps and globes as tools that represent the physical world in different ways. In the inquiry, students consider how each tool represents locations, what purposes each tool serves, and what advantages and disadvantages each tool offers.

This annotated kindergarten inquiry focuses on the economics concept of scarcity by developing an understanding of needs and wants and goods and services through the compelling question, “Can we ever get everything we need and want?” The distinctions between these constructs serve as the necessary components of an examination of the choices people must make when faced with potential limitations.

The compelling question for this resource is, "Did the French Lose out in North America?" In this resource, students will explore what relationships developed between Native Americans and the French over the fur trade, review the benefits and costs of the North American fur trade, and make a claim about the French and Indian war. Students will be able to identify examples of French influence and heritage.

This inquiry engages kindergartners in exploring the various ways people interact with and act upon rules and laws in society. The compelling question “Are all rules good rules?” assumes that while students generally enter school with some concept of rules and what it means to follow or break them, they may not yet understand who makes rules and how they change.

This inquiry includes four related formative performance tasks that collectively enable students to build up their knowledge of the issues and events related to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the resulting lawsuit, Korematsu v. United States, which challenged the constitutionality of the internment policy. In this inquiry, students consider policies, opinions, and perspectives as they work with sources to investigate multiple sides of the internment issue.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the complex trade networks throughout Eurasia, collectively know as the "Silk Road." By investigating the compelling question, students evaluate the descriptor "Silk Road" by considering its accuracy and determining whether or not this label should continue to be used or if there is a more appropriate title that better reflects the network's historical, sociocultural, and economic role.

This inquiry is focused on the compelling question "Was American expansion abroad justified?" The inquiry calls into question motives and outcomes of imperialism by considering both the positive and negative results of United States expansion abroad, with specific focus on the United States' involvement in the Spanish-American War.

This inquiry prompts students to investigate the factors, conditions, and conflicts related to westward expansion in the United States before the Civil War. In the inquiry, students wrestle with various economic, geographic, and social ideas as they consider the value of the push westward.

Throughout this inquiry students investigate the complex interconnected roles of individuals and groups as well as the economic, social, and geographical forces that contributed to the American Revolution. Students consider issues concerning historical determinism as they move toward an evidence-based argument as to whether or not the war was avoidable.

This inquiry provides students with an opportunity to investigate the role of agriculture in the growth of complex societies. Students will examine sources related to the development of agriculture, the emergence of ancient writing in Mesopotamia, and the rise of social inequalities as they construct an argument in response to the compelling question "Was the development of agriculture good for humans?"

By investigating the question of the French Revolution's success, students will need to make decisions about what the problems of the Revolution were, how to give weight to the events of three different periods of the Revolution, and what distance, if any, was between intentions and effects.

This inquiry uses the New Deal and the expansion of federal government programs designed to stimulate the economy and support citizens in need as a context for considering the larger question about the proper role of government. Students examine a wide range of historical sources while focusing on questions concerning the extent to which government should take care of its people.

This inquiry deals with the period of rapid suburbanization immediately following World War II, from 1945 through the 1950s. The compelling question challenges the notion that all economic development is benefical and considers both the positive and negative outcomes of American suburban growth.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of ancient Hebrew history and Judaism by using various sources that consider the historical and theological foundations, as well as issues related to geography and place.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the women's suffrage movement in New York State as an example of how different groups of people have gained equal rights and freedoms over time. Through examining the role women played in society before the 20th century and the efforts made by women to gain the right to vote, students will be prepared to develop arguments supported by evidence that answer the compelling question "What did it take for women to be considered 'equal' to men in New York?" Subsequent inquiries could be developed around other groups who have struggled to gain rights and freedoms, including, but not limited to, Native Americans and African Americans.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of their families as a way to begin understanding the concepts of past and present. By answering the compelling question "What do family stories tell us about the past?" students learn about change over time. Through the use of family artifacts (e.g., photographs, marriage licenses, family trees, keepsakes), students learn that such items can reveal information about how life in the past differs from life in the present and how their families have changed over time.

This inquiry examines the emergence of the women's suffrage movement in the 19th century as an effort to expand women's political and economic rights, and it extends that investigation into the present.