This article examines three examples of inquiry-based curricular loops, each of which focuses on a particular social studies concept. The article begins with a civics teacher (Andrew Danner) who uses a series of structured inquiries highlighting the concept of power as it relates to the three branches of government and the role of citizens in a representative democracy. The article features a teacher (Christy Cartner) who uses a critical lens to examine U.S. history and racial injustice. Finally, the authors profile an economics teacher (Grant Stringer) who asks students to practice cost-benefit analysis at various economic scales. The article article ends with a discussion of curricular coherence and how concepts like power, injustice, and cost and benefits can serve as a meaningful focus for inquiry specifically, and social studies more broadly.