Making the Case with Primary Sources   

Aligning Case Maker

Case Maker aligns to the Stripling Model of Inquiry as well as The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

There are four dimensions featured in the Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework including:

• Dimension 1: Developing questions and planning inquiries
• Dimension 2: Applying disciplinary concepts and tools
• Dimension 3: Evaluating sources and using evidence
• Dimension 4: Communicating conclusions and taking informed action

As students work in the Case Maker, they practice skills connected to each dimension of the Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework as well as engage in each phase of the inquiry process. Click on each dimension of the C3 Framework in the following activity to explore how it aligns with the Case Maker and the Stripling Model of Inquiry.

> Text version for interactive

Let’s explore the Case Maker and C3 Framework alignment in more detail. To begin, the challenge scenario poses an essential question that encourages students to gain interest in the topic and initiate inquiry (Dimension 1). From there, the story frames an historical event already studied in the student’s classroom, and makes a connection to a modern-day civics topic (Dimension 2). Next, the student is prompted to review and investigate related primary sources (Dimension 3), and finally, is called to action to make an evidence-based claim about the issue (Dimension 4).

Throughout the Case Maker, students are invited to participate in the same process that historians engage in: considering a question, analyzing evidence, and developing and defending an interpretation.