The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Inquiry in Social Studies State Standards were created to address the need to upgrade social studies standards across all states.
While the Common Core State Standards provide guidelines for ELA and Mathematics achievement, the Council of Chief State School Officers has developed the C3 Framework to focus on both social studies and interdisciplinary instruction and concepts.
A key component of the C3 Framework is the Inquiry Arc, a set of interlocking ideas that represent the four dimensions of social studies inquiry: developing questions and planning investigations; applying disciplinary concepts and tools; gathering, evaluating, and using evidence; and working collaboratively and communicating conclusions.
More information about the C3 Framework.