Guiding or Essential Questions Guides student thinking through the factual material to inductively arrive at the generalization Can be factual, conceptual, or provocative/(debatable) Each generalization should have 3-5 questions A unit may have 2-3 provocative questions for the entire unit.

An Example – 6th Grade Unit Topic: Historical Foundations of Contemporary Societies Conceptual Lens: Patterns and Influence Unit Overview: A variety of factors influence the way that people lived and interacted in the past. Events and ideas from the past continue to shape contemporary societies. Those events and ideas often form patterns that help us understand not only the past, but the present as well. In this unit we will examine the historical foundations of contemporary societies. Generaizations: Exploration, innovations, and inventions often bring regions into contact with one another and result in the movement of people, goods, and ideas. What innovations and ideas enabled European nations to engage in trans-Atlantic exploration? (C) In what ways can economic goals affect government actions and individual rights? (C) What is the economic impact of emigration on a society? (C) In what ways does demand for natural resources fuel exploration? (C) Why was gold such a desirable resource for nations of Europe during the Age of Exploration? (F) How is the need for oil affecting the way that nations in the Middle East and Asia participate in the global economy? (F)

An Example – USH Unit Topic: Conceptual Lens: Power & Conflict Everybody Wants To Rule The World *Note: The content of this unit is the Cold War and Its Effects. Conceptual Lens: Power & Conflict Unit Overview: This unit will focus on the elements of the foreign policy known as containment and the major conflicts that shaped the Cold War. Students will begin to look at how containment affected domestic policy and American life as well as the U.S. position as a power in the global world. Generalization: Democratic governments seek public support and use propaganda to influence issues of national security and domestic policy issues and debates. In what ways did the U.S. use emotional response to generate public support for the search for communists and anarchists in American government? (F) How might fear affect political or government action? (C) Is the restriction of civil liberties ever justified? (P) How have both the Red Scare and the Patriot Act impacted the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens? (F)