Our Framework
The CPS Social Science Culturally Responsive Inquiry Arc Framework aligns our core values and beliefs on what it should look, feel, and sound like in CPS classrooms.
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The CPS Social Science Culturally Responsive Inquiry Arc Framework
This framework is organized into four dimensions, which support robust social science curriculum and instruction rooted in national and state social science standards.
Dimension 1: Develop Questions & Plan Inquiries
Dimension 1: Develop Questions & Plan Inquiries
Students launch the inquiry by asking or engaging in an essential question, exploring context, and connecting to their lived experiences.
Students do:
Unpack and continue to unpack the Unit Essential Question(s) through various interactive discussions and writing.
Create their own questions to support their investigation of question(s), individually and in groups.
Use a metacognitive tool, individually or as a whole class, to track learning progression about question(s).
Identify varied sources that can help answer supporting and essential questions (in K-2, teachers select sources).
Teachers do:
Introduce and revisit Unit Essential Question(s), igniting students’ curiosities using various sources of relevant and authentic multimedia.
Ask questions that create opportunities for students to share about their lived experiences and personal connections.
Dimensions 2 & 3: Apply Disciplinary Tools & Concepts and Evaluate Sources & Use Evidence
Dimensions 2 & 3: Apply Disciplinary Tools & Concepts and Evaluate Sources & Use Evidence
Students deepen understanding and explore content through disciplinary lenses: Civics, Economics, Geography, History; while they gather, evaluate, and curate information. They analyze and develop claims using evidence from text, learning activities, and their lives.
Students do:
Gather and evaluate evidence, individually and in groups for collective sensemaking, from varied primary and secondary sources that illustrate multiple perspectives.
Develop claims using evidence from multiple sources in response to Unit question(s) individually and in groups for collective sensemaking.
Engage in frequent discussion protocols to share their own experiences, talk about content, or communicate their claims to respond to questions.
Use a metacognitive tool, individually and in groups, to track learning progression about questions.
Teachers do:
Integrate formative assessment to monitor progress and to check for student understandings and in answering questions.
Create opportunities for students to share about their lived experiences and personal connections to develop content.
Dimension 4: Communicate Conclusions & Take Informed Action
Dimension 4: Communicate Conclusions & Take Informed Action
Students authentically communicate and critique conclusions through a variety of mediums, and apply learning through informed action.
Students do:
Use a metacognitive tool, individually or as a whole class, to reflect on their learning progression about the Unit Essential Question(s) and their own questions.
Draw on evidence from multiple sources to synthesize learning, construct conclusions, and communicate their findings in an authentic way, which can include writing and presentation activities that demonstrate their understanding of the Unit Essential Question(s).
Engage in feedback for growth to extend thinking on the Unit Essential Question (conferencing, whole group, etc…).Identify a range of local, regional, state and global problems, and when possible, plan and take action.
Include personal connections and lived experiences to their communicated conclusions.
FOR EDUCATORS
Culturally Responsive Planning Reflection Questions
Explore how to construct and facilitate instruction that promotes student inquiry in culturally responsive ways. Our approach ensures that every student feels valued and engaged in their learning journey.
FOR ADMIN + EDUCATORS
K12 Social Science Look-Fors Tool
This tool empowers administrators and educators to enhance the district’s vision for social science and its instructional core. It is designed to gather trend data that will inform future professional learning and planning initiatives.
Curricular Supports
Pair the resources above with our curricular supports that align with state standards and mandates:
A flexible curriculum that includes a variety of engaging, interactive lessons reflecting best practices in civic education.
With support from community advocates and the Chicago Teachers Union, CPS developed two educational units for teachers and students, titled “Reparations Won: A Case Study in Police Torture, Racism, and the Movement for Justice in Chicago."
Leverage these fully-develed units and lessons to support inclusive, relevant, and responsive social science teaching and learning.
A curriculum that incorporates proven and powerful social science practices that support student engagement in inquiry-based instruction.
An overview of the Illinois Learning Standards that outlines what students in all public schools should know and be able to do in six core areas throughout their elementary and secondary education.
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