This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Aztec Empire through the study of its capital city. Students will learn about the geographic characteristics of Tenochtitlan, the cultural siginificance of artifacts excavated from the Templo Mayor (Great Temple), the economic factors involved in sustaining the Aztec Empire, and ultimately the reasons for the empire's demise.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the efforts made by individuals, organizations, and institutions that eventually resulted in the end of apartheid in 1994. In investigating the work of Nelson Mandela, South African organizations, and international institutions, students create an illustrated timeline that showcases the breadth of the struggle to end apartheid and begin to evaluate the reasons that apartheid officially ended.

This annotated inquiry leads students through an investigation of the civil rights movement using the lens of nonviolent direct-action protest. The compelling question “What made nonviolent protest effective during the civil rights movement?” asks students to grapple with the means of achieving the various ends of the civil rights movement—an end to segregation as well as the achievement of voting rights and true equality as citizens.

This inquiry encourages students to expand their study of self and others by deepening their understanding of the role of traditions, holidays, and symbols in establishing cultural identity and unity. The compelling question "What makes holidays special?" reflects an enduring conversation about how and why people engage in ritual and tradition.

This inquiry is an initial exploration into the concepts of interdependence through the lens of community economics and the idea of an economy as a diverse, mutually supportive web of needs and wants, workers and consumers, and problems and solutions. This inquiry challenges students to understand that through businesses, town organizations, and local governments, a community meets the needs and wants of its people, finding strength in collective efforts to address problems.

This inquiry provides students with an opportunity to evaluate a series of innovations by three complex civilizations - Maya, Aztec, and Inca. Students explore how complex societies and civilizations adapt to and modify their environment to meet the needs of their people.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of a hotly debated issue in the United States: the gender wage gap. Students are asked to consider the degree to which economic inequality reflects social, political, or economic injustices and the role that government should play in decreasing income inequality. The compelling question "What should we do about the gender wage gap?" asks students to grapple not only with how to quantify and interpret the gap but also to consider ways of addressing the problem.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of symbols and representation. By investigating the compelling question "What symbol best represents the United States?" students explore what each American symbol represents, how we use these symbols, and what we, as US citizens, value. Students work through a series of supporting questions, performance tasks, and sources in order to construct an argument using evidence from a variety of sources.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of water access in the Middle East using various sources that consider geographical, political and economic issues. By investigating the compelling question, students examine the geography of the region, including environmental and demographic relationships, the ecological impact of accessing water, and the subsequent political conflicts over control of natural resources.

This inquiry leads students to explore the cultural diversity of the Appalachia region by looking across artisan crafts and artifacts, music, and literature.

This inquiry engages students in exploring world geography through the compelling questions "Where are we?" This question sparks students' intellectually curiosity through the study of geographic location and the impact of humans on their environment. Working with evidence from sources, students should understand that, although we can be in different places, our impact on Earth is worth considering.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the perennial power struggle between federal and state governments to legislate. By investigating the compelling question "Who has the power?" students will consider the role of state government in initiating the best legislation for its citizens, even in cases where state law conflicts with federal law. In investigating evidence from historic and contemporary sources, students develop an interpretation of federalism and begin to evaluate historic and contemporary arguments and issues.

This inquiry focuses on the argument made in the United States Declaration of Independence. With a firm understanding of the American colonists’ argument for independence, the inquiry shifts to students conducting research on declarations of independence in other parts of the Western Hemisphere.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of economic systems by focusing on the context of trade among world communities. Trading is one of the oldest forms on economic interaction among humans, yet it is also among the most complex. In examining the reasons for international trade and the exports of world communities, students should be able to develop an argument supported by evidence to answer the compelling question "Why do countries need each other?"

This inquiry is an exploration into the concept of responsibility, beginning within the home and then expanding to school and the community. In examining the idea that we all have important responsibilities, students should consider the question of what could happen if they choose to act irresponsibly. Through interaction with the formative performance tasks and featured sources, students build their knowledge and understanding such that they should be able to develop an argument that answers the compelling question "Why do I have to be responsible?"

In their investigation of global citizenship, students begin by identifying and discussing a range of traits associated with the idea of responsible citizenship. Through the featured sources in this inquiry, students will build their understandings of these traits and see how, through a series of scenarios, those traits can play out in three contexts: classroom, community/state, and the world. In the end, students return to the compelling question and answer for themselves why they should (or should not) be global citizens.

This inquiry provides students with an introduction to a historical example of religious tolerance and cooperation as it evolved in Islamic Spain, also known as Al-Andalus. This inquiry examines the establishment of Al-Andalus as an emirate of the Imayyad Caliphate and later as a caliphate of its own in 926 CE. The inquiry provides students with an opportunity to examine the establishment of the calipahte of Cordoba as a center of knowledge, innovation, and religious tolerance.

The goal of this inquiry is to help students understand the various factors that caused the United States to be on the winning side in World War II. The compelling question “Why was the US on the winning side of World War II?” engages students with both the economic and military factors that contributed to a successful war effort. Students start with an examination of the home front before looking at military factors in the wars in Europe and the Pacific. Students should be able to articulate a variety of factors that caused the Allied victory.