ABSTRACT
Discerning educators should consider these different techniques, which include inquiry-based instruction, Advanced Placement courses and related methods, discussion techniques, acceleration strategies, and service learning, as potential curriculum design elements for their own settings. Although the AP social studies courses are not gifted education programs per se, the programs are, nevertheless, intended to offer rigorous, college-level curricula and assessment. In addition, a number of AP social studies courses, particularly in history, are undergoing revision for the purpose of allowing teachers more flexibility to focus on state and local priorities, especially as they relate to the College Board, n.d. The C3 Framework focuses on developing knowledge and skills via an inquiry arc that requires developing compelling questions, research, evidence-based claims, disciplined thinking, communication, and assessment. A critical view of the past also requires that students understand that history itself is a product of human thinking.
