When we have completed our maps, our curricula will be organized around a set of Big Ideas (Enduring Understandings) and Essential Questions.
Enduring Understanding: The important understandings that have lasting value beyond the classroom.
Essential Questions: Over-arching questions that focus based on a key concept, enduring understanding, and/or big idea to prompt inquiry.
Heidi Hayes Jacobs, who has been working directly with us in the development of our maps, identifies criteria for writing essential questions in her book, Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment (1997). You can find more detailed information on curriculum mapping on the following websites: curriculumdesigners.com and curriculum21.com.
Criteria for Good Essential Questions:
Each child should be able to understand the question. They should be "kid-friendly."
The questions should be written in broad organizational terms. They should reflect a heading for a set of activities. Narrower questions or questions that can be answered simply with facts are more appropriate for classroom discussions.
The question should reflect the conceptual outcome for students. What is it you want students to know and be able to do as a result of studying a given concept?
Each question should be distinct and substantial. In order to answer the question, students will need to engage in a number of instructional activities.
Questions should not be repetitious. Ms. Jacobs gives an example of questions that are repetitious that could be collapsed into one question or one question with subheads:
What is change? What causes change? How does change affect people? How has change affected our town over 300 years?
2 to 5 questions is the average for a unit of student that ranges from 3 to about 12 weeks. Avoid having too many questions for the time allotted.
There should be a logical sequence to a set of essential questions.
Enduring Understanding: The important understandings that have lasting value beyond the classroom.
Essential Questions: Over-arching questions that focus based on a key concept, enduring understanding, and/or big idea to prompt inquiry.
Heidi Hayes Jacobs, who has been working directly with us in the development of our maps, identifies criteria for writing essential questions in her book, Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment (1997). You can find more detailed information on curriculum mapping on the following websites: curriculumdesigners.com and curriculum21.com.
Criteria for Good Essential Questions: