Big Idea

Big Idea

Common Core Unit

Big Idea Guidelines

Some ExamplesSubject Big IdeaEnglish / Foreign Language • Everyone has a story to share/tell.

• Relationships are never black and white.

Social Studies • What people have done in the past is the foundation of what we do today.

• Power can have positive and negative effects.

Science • Different processes affect the world.• Life exists in a delicate balance.• Principles of chemistry underlie the

functioning of all living things.

Math • Relationships come in many forms.• Rules are essential in a structured

system.

Physical Education • Structure is dependent on rules.• What goes up, must come down.

VAPA • Power is the ability to influence others

Essential Questions

Common Core Unit

Essential Questions• Essential questions are– concepts in the form of questions. – organizers that set the focus for the lesson

or unit.– initiators of creative and critical thinking.–not clear-cut. – interesting to students - sparking their

curiosity and sense of wonder.–engage students in real life problem-

solving.

Essential Question Examples

Subject Big Idea Essential Questions

English/

ForeignLanguage

Everyone has a story to share/tell.

i. How does conflict impact relationships?ii. How do an author’s experiences affect plot?iii. How does structure impact “everyone’s” story?iv. How does perspective affect meaning?

Social Studies

What people have done in the past is the foundation of what we do today.

i. What types of issues cause great empires (nations, governments…) to fall?ii. How did external forces contribute to early revolutions?iii. Why have some revolutions resulted in lasting democracies and others not?

Science Different processes affect the world.

i. How do organisms affect the Earth’s surface?ii. How is topography affected by weathering?iii. Why are there different types of soils?

Subject Big Idea Essential Questions

Math Relationships come in many forms.

i. What is the relationship between plotted points and the slope of a line?ii. How are x and y related?iii. How do functions show a relation between two quantities?

PhysicalEducation

Structure is dependent on rules.

i. What social skills are needed to work cooperatively?ii. Why are rules needed to play an organized sport?iii. What motor skills are needed to play basketball successfully and why are these important?

Visual AndPerformingArts

Power is the ability to influence others.

i. How is music used to convey power?ii. How is music used to influence emotional

responses?

Essential Questions Checklist

EQ’s Usage Tips• Organize units around EQ’s• Design assessment tasks that link the unit’s EQ’s• 2-5 EQ’s per unit• Frame questions in “kid language”, but provocative and

engaging for the age group• Link lesson activities to the EQ’s.• Logically sequence the questions to assure a natural

flow of thought• Post the EQ’s clearly in class• Help students make personal connections to the EQ’s

via personal stories and outside evidence like news clippings.

• Unpack the questions using sub-questions and Thinking Maps

EQ Litmus Test

A question is essential when it: • Causes genuine INQUIRY into the big ideas and core content

• ARGUABLE: provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions

• Requires students to CONSIDER alternatives and viewpoints, WEIGH evidence, SUPPORT their ideas, and JUSTIFY their answers

• Stimulates vital, on-going RE-THINKING of big ideas and assumptions

• Sparks meaningful CONNECTIONS with prior learning and personal experiences.

A question is essential when it: • Causes genuine INQUIRY into the big ideas and core content

• ARGUABLE: provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions

• Requires students to CONSIDER alternatives and viewpoints, WEIGH evidence, SUPPORT their ideas, and JUSTIFY their answers

• Stimulates vital, on-going RE-THINKING of big ideas and assumptions

• Sparks meaningful CONNECTIONS with prior learning and personal experiences.

“An essential question is – well, essential: important, vital, at the heart of the matter – the essence of the issue.” - Grant Wiggins

“An essential question is – well, essential: important, vital, at the heart of the matter – the essence of the issue.” - Grant Wiggins

Two Types of EQ’s

What’s the Connection to Big Ideas and Essential Questions?

• Big ideas and essential questions:– assist students in gaining deeper

understanding of content and skills.

–assist teachers in focusing their teaching at helping the students gain deeper understanding.

Big Idea/Essential Question Task

Using your content standards: • Partner with someone within your content.• Choose a specific content standard.• Generate a “big idea”• Create 3-5 “essential questions”• Write your big idea and essential questions on a

piece of paper, indicating your subject and names.

• Leave your paper with me. I will type it up and distribute it to all MacArthur staff.