QUESTION RESOURCES

For each of the six Great Questions, the Institute has developed a series of suggested learning outcomes and an extensive set of questions to encourage student interest and critical reading and thinking skills.

Setting the Stage

Students examine - either as a whole class or small groups - the introductory text and graphic for each question. The purpose of this activity is to generate interest in the topic and bring out prior knowledge. In some cases, students may know a lot about a Great Question. In other cases, they may know little or what they know may be inaccurate and/or based on confusion, misinformation or stereotype.

Specific questions to help 'Set the Stage' have been created for each of the Great Questions.

Reading for Understanding

Questions are provided for each essay that help students read for understanding.

Some of the pre-prepared questions ask for definitions or interpretations of important ideas while other questions assist in the process of developing critical reading skills.

Critical Comparisons

Another set of questions continues the critical reading and thinking process by asking students to compare and contrast positions taken on a Question, weigh evidence used by the authors and prepare arguments for the Creative Controversy exercise.