A truly critical inquiry should identify unequal power relationships in society and offer students counter-narratives to transform unjust social relations.

Teaching young people to track congressional representatives and public issues through Congress can engage students with their government and advance their civic participation.

A close look at the controversies surrounding recent student protests against campus speakers can launch an interesting classroom discussion on free speech.

The Library of Congress’s Slave Narratives Collection present students with an opportunity to expand their understanding of slavery in America while grappling with questions about interpretations of the past.

Studying local history stimulates student interest and can provide an entrée into studying larger national narratives.

This inquiry, which explores the current debate on what should be done with Confederate monuments, engages students in historical, geographic and civic skills.

Students can learn a great deal about the economic, social, or strategic importance of a place when they examine maps, such as the featured 1910 Sanborn map of South San Francisco.

The featured primary source in support of Native American tribes who were victims of the Indian Removal Act in 1830 can be used to spark a classroom lesson on this disturbing period in American history.

These key prompts can help social studies teachers and students gauge a compelling question’s rigor, relevance, and functionality.

The U.S. Constitution codifies a complex system of governmental checks and balances. But for all its innovation, our founding document fails to address the question of how to prosecute wrongdoing by personnel in the executive branch, including the president of the United States.