Are you looking for a new way to actively engage students in examining important historical questions and controversial issues? On this page are abstracts and links to lesson plans following the "Inquiry" and “Structured Academic Controversy (SAC)” models.
An Inquiry lesson asks students to generate hypotheses addressing an important, but debatable, historical question, and then presents students with relevant data to support or undermine potential hypotheses.) Ultimately, students ferret through the evidence and generate a well-supported conclusion or answer to the historical question. The inquiry lessons identified below ask students to analyze and interpret the primary and secondary sources, including sources obtained from the Library of Congress' Digital Collections.
The Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) model is a well-established cooperative group discussion procedure designed to help students explore the major arguments for and against the controversial public issue being addressed. Through this process, students have the opportunity to work in small groups to examine and present both sides of an argument, allowing for the thorough exploration of the issue. By engaging in a SAC lesson, students learn to thoughtfully analyze and respectfully discuss both sides of an issue. They also practice listening and talking with their peers to generate consensus on something on which they can all can agree. Students grappling with important controversial public issues and practicing collaborative citizenship skills prepares them to be thoughtful individuals who work for the common good. David Johnson and Roger Johnson, Creative Controversy: Intellectual Conflict in the Classroom (3rd ed.) (Edina, MN: Interaction, 1995).