Focus Questions aren't just for science anymore??? or ever...

     I just had a great team meeting with my colleagues and we were discussing how we will  teach our social studies curriculum in the coming year.  Here in Virginia, everything centers around the History of Virginia from Native Americans until the present.  As we planned our first unit, we worked on improving the notebooks we had used in the past.  And how did we start??? With FOCUS QUESTIONS!  We decided that each lesson would have a focus question (sometimes called an Essential Question in our Curriculum) that we would base our instruction on. 
     We will also have a  notebook in which we will add data - drawings, vocabulary, reflections, charts and tables, and Venn Diagrams.  We will also supplement with videos, role playing, Tic-Tac-Toe differentiated menus and trade books....but the core will be the QUESTIONS. 

      I am super excited to transfer what I know works in science into my social studies curriculum as well.  Look out Virginia! Here we come!

Gotta run now...