Phill’s Driving Question How can I do what I love and get paid for it?

The Sturgeon Project•Using recapture and acoustic telemetry techniques to assess the abundance and distribution of Short-nosed and Atlantic Sturgeon in the Penobscot River and coastal waters off the coast of Maine.•To understand the structure and rules of social networks that have developed to enable researchers to share acoustic telemetry data.

Knowing what you love and setting a goalKnowing what you need to do to achieve that goalUnderstanding and anticipating the needs of the profession

Driving Questions

Driving Questions will:Drive the projectCapture a project theme or a "big idea"Point students toward mastering content and

skills that enable them to answer the questionNot be easily solved or answered

Tip: Creating Driving Questions takes time and careful thought. Often, brainstorming with colleagues produces the best Driving Questions.

InquiryGood projects are based on inquiry-

based learning that is guided by the teacher. The Driving Question is central to the inquiry process and must come before deciding on project activities. The natural outcome is a project that is driven by the question or problem statement.

ComplexityA good Driving Question makes a project

intriguing, complex, and problematic. Although standard classroom assignments, like story problems and essays, pose questions that students must answer, a Driving Question requires multiple activities and the synthesis of different types of information before it can be answered.

Coherence

A driving question brings coherence to disparate project activities and serves as a "lighthouse" that promotes student interests and directs students toward the project's goals and objectives

AuthenticityThe Driving Questions should

address authentic concerns. For example, when creating the Driving Question it is useful to ask yourself: "Where is the content I am trying to teach used in the real world?" Although it is usually easier to focus students' attention on a single question, some topics will require multiple Driving Questions.

Driving Questions:ProvocativeOpen endedGo to the heart of a discipline or topic

ChallengingArise from real world dilemmas that students find interesting

TEAM WorkYou will meet as Content Area Specialists

teams of 4-5

MATH/SCIENCE

ELA/HUMANITIES

SS/ART

At each site – you will findAssignment directions

Driving Questions

Chart Paper

Markers

Your team will have 15 minutes to complete all tasks

Prizes will be awarded

SCIENCE

What is the earth made of?Can we predict the weather?How good is our water?How should a bridge be designed on this

site?How can we stop the spread of infectious

disease?What are scientists doing when they are

“analyzing”?Why are women so much smarter than

men?

MATHWhat is the gold standard? Who is the greatest mathematician?

(Past/Present)Is it better to lease or buy a car?Is “money” real?How should a tax form be done?How can hikers determine the shortest

distance between two points?How does geometry influence architecture?When we ask people to “reason” – What do

we mean?Why is there so much month left after the

paycheck has been spent?

Social StudiesWhy do things cost so much?Should natural resources be used or protected?

How should international trade be conducted?

Why is there poverty?Why does history always repeat itself?

Who is Arnie Duncan and why should we care?

Art

Why do we make art?Is art worth its price?Should there be censorship?How does art reflect the times?What makes a good artist? A great one?How have artists driven/supported social

movements?Is Lady Ga-Ga an artist or an opportunist? Who are the great masters?What are the features of a masterpiece?

Humanities

What is the American Dream and who has it?

How do immigrants meet the challenges of coming to a new country?

How do we make peace?Can the use of nuclear weapons be

justified?Why do countries go to war?What were the causes of the Civil War?What makes the world go round?

Social StudiesDo we have too much freedom?What is the best form of

government?Why has the US Constitution lasted

so long?How should criminals be treated?What are our rights and duties as

citizens?Why do we allow politicians to run

the country? Aren’t there better options?

English

How do authors use critical thinking in the writing process?

Why is Shakespeare still so popular?What is good writing?What does it mean to “come of age”?How do writers persuade?What are the major conflicts in books?How does literature imitate life?Who killed Virginia Woolf?

Your Team Assignment

Read through each of the Driving QuestionsRank the questions from Best to Least

What distinguishes your Top 3 Driving Questions from the Bottom 3? Record the features of Top 3 on Chart Paper.

Revise your Bottom 3 Driving questions to become Top Notch Driving Questions. Record Revised Driving Questions on chart paper.ORWrite one Driving Question that addresses both content

disciplines. Record and be prepared to defend your driving question on aspects of inquiry, authenticity, complexity and coherence.

ELAHUMANITIES

MATHSCIENCE

ARTSSOCIAL STUDIES