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.

The Essential Question Adventure Pack: To what extent do trauma, tragedy, and adversity build resilience?

Course
19 Lessons

Trauma, tragedy and adversity: students, adults, and real people and fictional characters alike experience each of these types of life events. Using this EQ, students will be able to distinguish the differences between each and examine the not so simple way s that resilience functions on the back end of these events. This EQ broadly includes many opportunities for titles, making it perfect for choice novel units.

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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.

Book List: Recommended Texts for the EQ

Preview

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 - To what extent do trauma, tragedy, and adversity build resilience?

Supplemental #1: "Perhaps the World Ends Here" {A Poem by Joy Harjo}

Supplemental #2: "We Are Virginia Tech" by Nikki Giovanni

Supplemental #3: "Why Domestic Violence Victims Don't Leave" by Leslie Morgan Steiner

Supplemental #4: The Pursuit of Happyness {A Film Study Notes Page}

Supplemental #5: A Garden of Resilience {a nonfiction reading and metaphor "craft-tivity"}

Templates for Activities

Sectioned Venn Diagram

Fishbowl Discussion

EQ Exit Tickets

Jigsaw Text Lesson

Assessment

Assessment Template

BONUSES!

A few extras that could be interesting additions...

Student Engagement at an ALL TIME High

Whether you have mandated curriculum or total free reign, centering student thinking on a question is an engagement game-changer. All of the evidence gained in the unit points back at an evolving answer to the EQ, giving each day new purpose.

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.

The Essential Question Adventure Pack: To what extent do trauma, tragedy, and adversity build resilience?

Course
19 Lessons

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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!

BROWSE THE LIST