Themes and Big Ideas

The themes and big ideas below will allow you to think with depth and
complexity. It is not good enough to just memorize a bunch of facts so you can
do well on a test. We need to go deeper into the curriculum so real learning can
take place. The ideas below will be combined in many ways, allowing you to "dig"
into what you are learning.

Change
* Change generates additional change
* Change can be either positive or negative
* Change is inevitable
* Change is necessary for growth
* Change can be evolutionary or revolutionary

Conflict
* Conflict is composed of opposing forces
* Conflict may be natural or human-made
* Conflict may be intentional or unintentional
* Conflict may allow for synthesis and change

Power
* Power is the ability to influence
* Power may be used or abused
* Power is always present in some form
* Power may take many forms (chemical, electrical, political, mechanical,
personal)

Key Concepts – I.N.S.P.E.C.T.

I = Ideas - (all men are created equal, manifest destiny...)

N = Natural/Geographic - (mountains, rivers, climate...)

S = Social Structures – (families, schools, jobs, clubs, organizations...)

P = Political – (laws, political parties, voting, elections, Declaration of

Independence, the Constitution...)

E = Economic – (money, banks, jobs, taxes...)

C = Cultural - (churches, art, literature, music, philosophy...)

T = Technology – (cotton gin, printing press, canals, railroads, telegraph, light
bulb, telephone...)

Key Questions
Rules
• What are the rules?
• What is the purpose of the rules?

Ethics
• What dilemmas or controversies are involved?
• What elements can be identified that reflect bias, prejudice, or
discrimination?

Point of View
• What are the opposing viewpoints?
• How do different people see this event or situation?

Language of the Discipline

• What vocabulary terms are specific to the content or discipline?

Details
• What are the defining features or characteristics?
• Find examples and evidence to support opinions and ideas.

Content Imperatives
Origins
- The beginning, root, or source of an idea or event.
- Where did this begin?
- When did it begin?
- How did it begin?
- What caused it to begin?
- Think about the origins of people, religion, government and technology.
Contributions
- The significant part or result of an idea or event.
- How long did this build?
- What things came together to make this happen?
- What is the value?
- Think about the contributions or effects of people, ideas, events, problems
and location.

Paradox
- An idea that seems to say two opposite things.
- What are the opposite ideas?
- What are the inconsistencies?
- What is the dilemma?
- Think about paradox's in events, ideas, outcomes, problems and solutions.

Parallel
- Ideas or events that are similar and can be compared to each other
- What is similar?
- What is comparable?
- What seems to be the same?
- Think about parallel behaviors, points of view, patterns, events, ideas,
problems and outcomes.

Convergence
- How or where things intersect or come together.
- How did things come together?
- How did they mix?
- What were the meeting points?
- What converged and caused something significant to happen?
- Think about the convergence of events, ideas, people and natural elements.

Think Like A Historian

• I study records of historical events and prepare written accounts based on my
research.

• I attempt to explain the causes and effects of events and offer

interpretations of them.

• I use primary sources and secondary sources to learn basic information.

• I am skillful in understanding and interpreting documents and objects.

Discipline
Vocabulary Tools Skills
– Historian
Studies the Artifacts Records of the Research
past and Chronology past: Documentation
present Primary Resource Books Asks questions
events of Secondary Diaries/Journals
people Resource News articles