Can Pre-K Use C3? Exploring the Usefulness of the C3 Framework with Prekindergarten Students and Their Teacher in an Inquiry on Landmarks

Deep social studies-based engagement is critical in early childhood to provide a foundation for later learning and increasingly mature understandings. Skills and attitudes necessary for active citizenship should be fostered in prekindergarten "in a way which is appealing and pleasurable (Casey, DiCarlo, & Sheldon, 2019, p. 1)". The National Council for the Social Studies College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework is written for kindergarten through 12th grade, but could it a guide for successful inquiries with children in prekindergarten? If so, could the framework also provide a helpful tool for early childhood educators unsure of how to create inquiry experiences? This study's purpose was to examine the experiences and outcomes of eleven prekindergarten students and their teacher as they explored landmarks over a five-week inquiry using the C3 Framework. Qualitative analyses of data sources suggest the C3 Framework guided inquiry on landmarks led to the formation of foundational geographical schemas in the children and supportive inquiry pedagogy schemas for the teacher.