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Putting a HIPPO in Your Classroom: Teaching Source Analysis through Inquiry 

By Jason Allen

Inquiry-based learning has become a standard practice in social studies classrooms. Inquiry methodology empowers students to create questions, investigate content, and draw detailed conclusions from both primary and secondary sources. Stanford University has found that “students who use a curriculum built around historical documents outperform their peers in traditional, textbook-oriented history classes on measures such as reading comprehension, general reasoning and even the ability to recall historical facts” (Stanford Education Scholars to Create Resources to Help Young People Spot Fake Information Online, 2021). Specifically, Stanford University, through the creation of the Digital Inquiry Group, developed an inquiry-based curriculum focusing on the concept of “Reading Like a Historian” (History Lessons, 2025).  The technique of examining sources as a historian has grown in recent years with organizations, such as The Library of Congress, embedding an “Observing, Reflecting, and Questioning” procedure in their document-based lessons (Teacher’s Guides and Analysis Tools, 2025). The National Council for Social Studies strengthens the case for inquiry-based instruction with their C3 Framework (College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards, 2025). The C3 Framework stresses the practice of meeting national and state social studies standards via an inquiry arc focusing on the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. 

During my time as a middle school social studies teacher, an effective tool for inquiry-based source analysis was the HIPPO acronym. The HIPPO acronym is both a simple and direct approach for students to complete an inquiry-based lesson. While the origin of the HIPOP methodology is unclear, its straightforward manner of primary and secondary source analysis has been adopted by many K-12 educators (Soininen, 2022). Each letter within the HIPPO acronym is associated with an analytical theme and guiding question. Whether the source is a photo, political cartoon, speech, or written work, HIPPO allows students to examine a source like a historian. Utilizing the HIPPO approach will guide a student towards specific aspects about a source, thus allowing for a more in-depth examination and understanding of the work. Below is an outline of the HIPPO acronym and the guiding question connected to each letter of the acronym.

• Historical Context: “What events were occurring when the source was created?” Students decipher the “when” and “where” of a document’s creation and conclude how the document is a product of its time.  
• Intended Audience: “For whom is the source being written?” Documents are written with a particular audience in mind. Students will examine a source’s intended audience to understand the impact of these groups or individuals on the work.  
• Purpose: “Why was the source created?” Documents and sources are created for a reason. Students will connect how both the historical time period and audience led to a document's creation.  
• Point-of-View: “Who is the author?” Documents require an examination of a source’s author. Students research how topics such as gender, nationality, race, and social standing influence a source.  
• Outside Information: “Do outside sources make interpreting the examined document easier?” Students look at the influence of contemporary works on the examined document and any potential influence on those works (Walker Library, n.d.). 

My personal experience with the HIPPO approach is best highlighted with a 6th grade lesson using Clifford Berryman’s political cartoon “Of Course We May Have to Change Remedies if We Don’t Get Results” (n.d.). The allegorical nature of political cartoons provides a gateway into document analysis and Berryman’s artistic commentary of the New Deal naturally appealed to students. By “HIPPO”ing Berryman’s political cartoon, students analyzed a primary source and linked it to our 1930s content objectives. “Of Course We May Have to Change Remedies if We Don’t Get Results,” which depicts President Franklin Roosevelt treating Uncle Sam with medicines named for New Deal programs, was scrutinized by the students using each step in the HIPPO process. Using HIPPO to analyze  “Of Course We May Have to Change Remedies if We Don’t Get Results” expanded the discussion among students about the work and led them to investigate hidden commentaries on the New Deal. Students not only asked questions associated with the HIPPO process, but deeper questions about Berryman, the 1930s, and the document’s source. The following is a summary of the students’ analysis “Of Course We May Have to Change Remedies if We Don’t Get Results” within the HIPPO framework.

• Historical Context: The New Deal was a set of programs during the FDR Administration to assist citizens during the Great Depression. The New Deal’s primary goals to help the United States economy and society was summarized as relief, recovery, and reform. 
• Intended Audience: Clifford Berryman’s audience was the American public, especially those economically suffering because of the Great Depression.
• Purpose: The purpose of the cartoon was to show FDR’s attempt to help the United States’ economy through different New Deal policies. Aid programs depicted in the cartoon include the National Industrial Recovery Act, the Civil Works Administration, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act. 
• Point of View: Berryman appears to support FDR's New Deal programs by depicting the policies as “remedies” to help end the Great Depression. FDR is shown as a physician trying to cure a sick Uncle Sam. FDR is portrayed positively, suggesting optimism about ending the Great Depression.  
• Outside Information: The New Deal encompassed policies that helped to alleviate economic instability. Some government officials and citizens were critical of the New Deal for expanding the government. Others felt that the New Deal and its programs provided relief and support to those struggling during the Great Depression.  

Educators performing inquiries without a plan of analysis run the risk of having students misinterpret a source’s meaning. The HIPPO acronym works because it provides educators flexibility in both planning and instruction. The skill set a student needs to perform a thorough document inquiry can be integrated within each letter of HIPPO and be adapted into lessons via anchor charts, stations, or group work. By putting a HIPPO into your classroom, students will make complex historical connections and understand the past in a clearer fashion.   

References

“Walker Library: TPS Home: Analysis Worksheets & Graphic Organizers,” n.d., https://library.mtsu.edu/tps/tools/worksheets     

Dr. Allen has been working in the field of education for over 20 years in the area of social studies education. He completed his doctoral and master’s degrees from West Virginia University and a bachelor's degree from Shepherd University. Dr. Allen has presented inquiry-based strategies at numerous conferences on content such as “Slam Dunk! Using Sports Sources to Teach Political Topics,” “More Than Meets the Eye: The Cold War,” “Weaving a Historical Inquiry: Using the Bayeux Tapestry as a Classroom Inquiry,” and “A Classroom Renaissance: Integrating the Arts and Social Studies.” Dr. Allen has recently written about the HIPPO approach to inquiry instruction in the lesson plan series Hollywood or History. Currently, Dr. Allen is an Associate Professor of Education at Shepherd University serving as the Coordinator of Social Studies Education.