Student Led Inquiry Projects: Why do People Join Cults?

Why Inquiry Based Learning?

With inquiry based learning, students take an active role in their learning by asking questions, analyzing data, synthesizing information, reflecting on their own thinking, communicating their ideas, collaborating with their peers, and using creative strategies to solve problems. Inquiry based learning helps students think critically and gain a deeper understanding of the subjects they are studying in a way that is aligned with their intrinsic wonderment and curiosity.

Two Popular Options for Classroom Use

Option 1:

The teacher can animate and guide the students through the slides using a SmartBoard/Projector or in a Zoom room (or equivalent online learning platform). The students can engage with the slides as the teacher actively supports the students with the associated historical thinking skills.

Option 2:

The students can work on the labs individually. The pages contain clear instructions and graphic organizers to scaffold their thinking as they progress through the various stages of the history lab.

What are the advantages of inquiry based learning?

1. Encourages Critical Thinking: Inquiry-based learning encourages students to think critically and ask questions. This helps them develop problem-solving skills and encourages them to think beyond the scope of the lesson.

2. Increases Engagement: Inquiry-based learning is interactive and engaging, so students are more likely to stay focused and interested in the lesson

3. Develops Problem Solving Skills: Through inquiry-based learning, students develop their problem-solving skills, as they learn to identify issues, analyze data, and come up with solutions

4. Enhances Creativity: Inquiry-based learning encourages students to come up with unique ideas and solutions, which helps them to develop their creativity

5. Builds Self-Confidence: Inquiry-based learning helps students to become more independent thinkers, which in turn, builds their self-confidence

6. Increases Retention: Inquiry-based learning helps students to retain information better, as they are actively involved in the learning process.

What are the thinking skills associated with inquiry based learning?

1. Questioning: Asking a variety of questions that challenge existing assumptions and explore different perspectives

2. Analysis: Examining ideas and data to identify patterns, relationships and underlying meaning

3. Synthesis: Combining ideas and information from different sources to create something new

4. Reflection: Evaluating and reflecting on one’s own thinking and learning

5. Communication: Explaining ideas and opinions clearly and effectively to others

6. Collaboration: Working together with others to produce a shared understanding

7. Creativity: Generating and exploring new ideas to solve problems and meet challenges.

Upcoming Topics for 2022-2024:

1. American Revolution

2. Constitutional Convention

3. Declaration of Independence

4. Founding Fathers

5. United States Constitution

6. Shays’ Rebellion

7. Industrial Revolution

8. Louisiana Purchase

9. War of 1812

10. Missouri Compromise.

11. Monroe Doctrine.

12. Trail of Tears.

13. Andrew Jackson.

14. Nullification Crisis.

15. Texas Revolution.

16. Mexican-American War.

17. Manifest Destiny

18. Gold Rush. 19. Abolitionism.

20. Underground Railroad.

21. Women’s Rights Movement.

22. Seneca Falls Convention.

23. Dred Scott Decision.

24. Civil War.

25. Emancipation Proclamation.

26. Thirteenth Amendment

27. Battle of Gettysburg.

28. Battle of Antietam.

29. Reconstruction.

31. Fourteenth Amendment.

32. Fifteenth Amendment

33. Industrialization

34. Gilded Age

35. Homestead Act.

36. Transcontinental Railroad.

37. Indian Wars.

38. Dawes Act.

39. Spanish-American War.

40. Panama Canal.

41. Progressivism.

42. Suffrage Movement.

43. Nineteenth Amendment.

44. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

45. World War I

46. Espionage Act.

47. Selective Service Act.

48. Great Migration

49. Harlem Renaissance.

50. Nineteenth Amendment.

51. Treaty of Versailles.

52. Red Scare. 53. Prohibition.

54. Scopes Trial.

55. Great Depression.

56. New Deal.

57. Social Security Act

58. Bonus Army

59. World War II

60. Pearl Harbor

61. Manhattan Project

62. Internment of Japanese-Americans

63. D-Day

64. Battle of Midway

65. Atomic Bomb

66. Holocaust

67. Nuremberg Trials

68. United Nations

69. GI Bill

70. Cold War

71. NATO

72. Korean War

73. McCarthyism

74. Civil Rights Movement 75. Brown v. Board of Education

76. Rosa Parks

77. Little Rock Nine

78. Freedom Riders

79. March on Washington

80. Voting Rights Act

81. Vietnam War

82. Tet Offensive

83. Watergate

84. End of the Cold War

85. Space Race

86. AIDS Crisis

87. Reganomics

88. War on Drugs

89. Gulf War

90. O.J. Simpson Trial

91. Clinton Impeachment

92. 9/11 Attacks

93. Iraq War

94. War in Afghanistan

95. Arab Spring

96. Occupy Wall Street

97. Affordable Care Act

98. DACA

99. Opioid Crisis 100. Black Lives Matter

101. Me Too Movement

102. Paris Climate Agreement

103. 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

104. Brexit

105. Trump Administration

106. Immigration Policies

107. Tax Reform

108. Supreme Court Decisions

109. Gun Control Debate

110. Net Neutrality

111. Technology Revolution

112. Social Media

113. Rise of Populism

114. Globalization

115. Trade Wars

116. Climate Change

117. Nationalism

118. Fake News

119. Media Bias

120. Rise of Artificial Intelligence

121. International Terrorism

122. Refugee Crisis

123. Religious Extremism

124. Nuclear Proliferation

125. Protectionism

126. North Korea

127. Iran Nuclear Deal

128. Immigration Reform

129. Trans-Pacific Partnership

130. Brexit Negotiations

131. Tariff War

132. Global Financial Crisis

133. Stock Market Crash

134. Trade Agreements

135. World Trade Organization

136. Digital Revolution

137. Automation

138. Social Networking

139. Data Privacy

140. Cybersecurity

141. Digital Currency

142. Internet of Things

143. Smart Homes

144. Drone Technology

145. Self-Driving Cars

146. Smartphones

147. Virtual Reality

148. Augmented Reality

149. 3D Printing

150. Genetics

151. Biotech

152. Nanotechnology

153. Renewable Energy 1

54. Environmental Protection

155. Space Exploration

156. Robotics

157. Autonomous Vehicles

158. Smart Cities

159. Block Chain

160. Internet Governance

161. Privacy Rights

162. Online Piracy

163. Intellectual Property

164. Human Rights

165. Global Health

166. Economic Inequality

167. Education Reform

168. Gender Equality

169. Labor Rights

170. Refugee Rights

171. Human Trafficking

172. Social Justice

173. Poverty

174. Hunger

175. Homelessness

176. Racism

177. Drug Abuse

178. Mental Health

179. Gun Violence

180. Animal Rights

181. Climate Change Adaptation

182. Natural Disasters

183. Ocean Pollution

184. Population Growth

185. Refugee Resettlement

186. Renewable Resources

187. Water Conservation

188. Sustainable Development

189. Nuclear Energy

190. Nuclear Waste Disposal

191. Genetic Engineering

192. Human Cloning

193. Global Warming

194. Renewable Fuel

195. Ocean Acidification

196. Renewable Energy Sources

197. Alternative Energy

198. Energy Efficiency

199. Renewable Energy Tax Incentives

200. Carbon Capture Technology

Popular History Education Websites:

1. Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/

2. Smithsonian Institute https://www.si.edu/

3. History.com https://www.history.com/

4. BBC History https://www.bbc.co.uk/history

5. US History.org https://www.ushistory.org/

6. National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/

7. The History Channel https://www.history.com/

8. History World http://www.historyworld.net/

9. The British Museum https://www.britishmuseum.org/

10. History of Science Society https://hssonline.org/

11. Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/

12. World History Encyclopedia https://www.worldhistory.org/

13. History Extra http://www.historyextra.com/

14. National History Day https://nhd.org/

15. National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/

16. The History Project https://www.thehistoryproject.org/

17. The Holocaust Encyclopedia https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/

18. Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/

19. American Memory https://memory.loc.gov/

20. The National Archives https://www.archives.gov/

21. Museum of Modern Art https://www.moma.org/

22. The White House Historical Association https://www.whitehousehistory.org/

23. The National WWII Museum https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

24. The World War II Database http://ww2db.com/

25. World History Connected http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/

26. The American Revolution https://www.americanrevolution.org/

27. The History Guide https://www.historyguide.org/

28. The National WWII Memorial https://www.nps.gov/nwwm/

29. National Museum of American History https://americanhistory.si.edu/

30. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History https://www.gilderlehrman.org/