Amanda Cardenas/The Essential Question Adventure Pack: What does it take to be a great leader?

Calling all English teachers...

Are you ready to take your unit planning to the next level?

Take a second and consider how many of these statements apply to you:
  • I'm a confident teacher that is ready to take my units from text-centered to inquiry-centered
  • I'm comfortable teaching my novels, but need something fresh and engaging for my students
  • I'm a curious teacher intrigued by Essential Questions looking for support and new ideas
  • I'm ready to de-center novels but not exactly sure where to start

If you answered YES to any of these questions, the Essential Question Adventure Pack was made for you.

Let's Plan a Unit Together

Here's how the Adventure Pack will support your unit planning journey:

STEP ONE

Select Your Texts

Choose a whole class novel, lit circle set of novels, or list of choice novels that you believe would pair well with the essential question:  Why do relationships matter?  Take a sneak peek at my list here if you need help.

STEP TWO

Open Your Adventure Pack

Inside the EQ Adventure Pack, you'll be given resources via Google Drive that are editable and ready for you to implement at your own pace and at the unique level of rigor needed for your students in grades 7-12.

STEP THREE

Design the Unit Calendar

Using items from the pack, I will help you create a pacing guide that works your unique unit.  We'll layer in an EQ evidence tracker, supplemental texts, and assessment check-ins on the development of understanding the EQ.

STEP FOUR

Watch Engagement Grow

Once your students see the shift from plot-related recall to critical thinking and real-world-driven questions, you'll see engagement soar and skills grow.

  • $19

The Essential Question Adventure Pack: What does it take to be a great leader?

  • Course
  • 19 Lessons

Leadership can take on many forms, and in both literature and history, examining leadership traits can help us uncover major themes and patterns to help us think critically about texts. In this EQ pack, we will explore the wide range of traits that powerful leaders have exhibited and analyze what's needed for truly great leadership to emerge.

Let's break down this EQ...

What are the ideas and skills this kind of a unit could hit?  In this video, Amanda provides an overview of the EQ and a few different ways that you might consider using it in your classroom.

VIDEO COMING SOON!


TAKE A LOOK INSIDE...

Course Outline

The Essential Question Adventure Pack: An Introduction

What is an Essential Question Unit Adventure Pack?

For as long as I’ve been a resource creator, I’ve felt the weight of the impossibility of fulfilling so many teacher requests for novel units. As much as I’d like to create a unit for every worthy and important novel or literature circle that teachers tackle, I could never serve you fast enough! So, I got to thinking -- how can I create materials that both help teachers focus on inquiry and can serve a variety of texts all at once?

And the EQ Adventure Pack was born.

These units are centered around Essential Questions. Juicy, powerful, curiosity-driving Essential Questions that students will truly and deeply care about.  

These Adventure Packs are not for the print-and-go teacher.

EQ Adventure Packs are designed for the invested, driven teacher who is thirsty for inspiration, direction, and a framework that will extend or reframe the units they already have. These units are perfect for teachers who feel confident in teaching their texts but want to take the learning in the direction of inquiry and stretch the unit to be something beyond the plot of the core text.

Diving Into the EQ: What does it take to be a great leader?
    Book List: Recommended Texts for the EQ
      Introducing the EQ - Gateway Activity
        Printable Anchor Charts

          Pacing Calendar Suggestions

          Option #1: Whole Class Novel Unit Calendar
            Option #2: Literature Circles Calendar

              Evidence Trackers

              How to Use Evidence Trackers
                Tracker #1 & Tracker #2

                  Supplemental Activities

                  Each of these supplemental activities is designed to bring a new layer of complexity toward answering the Essential Question. There is no set or specific order in which these can be used, but here are a few ideas:

                  • Use them in your pre-reading week to introduce the EQ
                  • Use them alongside a scene in the whole class novel to share a differing perspective
                  • Use them with the templates provided to layer the supplemental with the texts
                  • Use them as the core texts (all class) while students are reading different books in lit circles
                  Digital Choice Board - What does it take to be a great leader?
                    Supplement #1: Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability
                      Supplement #2: Coach Mickey
                        Supplement #3: “The Evolution of Malcolm X”
                          Supplement #4: Julius Caesar: The Man behind the Play
                            Supplemental #5: Going to Battle Rhetorical Analysis of two pre-battle hype speeches from the AppleTV series See

                              Templates for Activities

                              Sectioned Venn Diagram
                                Fishbowl Discussion
                                  EQ Exit Tickets
                                    Jigsaw Text Lesson

                                      Assessment

                                      EQ Synthesis: Assessment Template

                                        I'M SURE YOU'RE WONDERING...

                                        What's included in the EQ Adventure Pack?

                                        Here is a preview.

                                        Evidence Trackers

                                        Follow the thread of the EQ through the text tracking evidence on a student-friendly evidence tracker.

                                        Assessment & Gateway Suggestions

                                        Each EQ Pack contains suggested assessment ideas and templates that can be used to answer the EQ at the end of the unit.  We've also got the kickoff Gateway activity to start the unit all set!

                                        Digital Choice Board

                                        Each Pack contains a digital choice board full of supplemental poetry, podcasts, TED Talks and more all backed by the EQ.  Use this for bell work, writing practice, or sub plans!

                                        Supplemental Text Lessons

                                        Each pack comes with five ready-to-teach lessons built around supplemental texts that are in conversation with the EQ.  Lessons are uniquely selected to be inclusive and representative of a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds, voices, and media types.

                                        Maybe you're wondering...

                                        What novels would work with this EQ?

                                        I've started building a huge and ever-growing list over on Bookshop.org.  Come take a look and be inspired!

                                        • $19

                                        The Essential Question Adventure Pack: What does it take to be a great leader?

                                        • Course
                                        • 19 Lessons

                                        Leadership can take on many forms, and in both literature and history, examining leadership traits can help us uncover major themes and patterns to help us think critically about texts. In this EQ pack, we will explore the wide range of traits that powerful leaders have exhibited and analyze what's needed for truly great leadership to emerge.

                                        LET'S SPREAD THE LOVE...

                                        EVEN MORE EQ PACK OPTIONS AVAILABLE

                                        • $49

                                        EQ 3 Pack: Custom Bundle

                                        This listing will allow you to customize a bundle of EQ Adventure Packs at a discounted rate. Once you purchase this license, you'll be prompted to select any THREE EQ Adventure Packs of your choosing.

                                        • $99

                                        EQ 6 Pack: Custom Bundle

                                        This listing will allow you to customize a bundle of EQ Adventure Packs at a discounted rate. Once you purchase this license, you'll be prompted to select any SIX EQ Adventure Packs of your choosing.

                                        • $149

                                        EQ Adventure Packs: Department Wide License

                                        Want to use your EQ Adventure Pack with your entire department? Simply purchase the Department-wide License, complete the Google form, and I will register your entire department (for up to 12 teachers -- a $79 discount!) for the EQ Pack of your choice. For departments of 12+ please email me directly for large group pricing at mudandinktpt@gmail.com.

                                        • $79

                                        EQ Adventure Packs: Grade-Level Team License

                                        Want to use your EQ Adventure Pack with your entire grade-level team? Simply purchase the Grade-Level Team License, complete the Google form, and I will register your entire team (up to 5 teachers) for the EQ Pack of your choice. Licenses are not transferrable.