Global Essential Questions
g lo b a l co n n ect i o n s
II
v i f r e s o u rc e s
Global Essential Questions
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CURRICULUM
Global Essential Questions
Global Essential Questions This set of Global Essential Questions is a wonderful resource for any teacher interested in global teaching and learning. Essential questions point to the big ideas within a global lesson or unit of study. They engage students through inquiry-based learning. Students use critical thinking and problemsolving skills to research, discuss, synthesize, evaluate and create a product that answers each question. Essential questions also play an important role in the assessment of student’s understanding of the main concepts of a lesson or unit. In order to promote inquiry-based learning, essential questions should: • • • •
be open-ended and thought-provoking: they should not be answerable with “yes” or “no”, and should not start with “who” or “when”, as such questions yield narrow answers. prompt answers that build on prior knowledge. open up the possibility of many interdisciplinary connections. lead to more questions.
In the context of global learning, essential questions should invite students to explore the complex relationship between world’s cultures, environments, educational structures, and eco-political systems.
Global Society Unit 1- Oral and Written Languages 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What are the defining characteristics of a language? Is globalization contributing to the endangerment or preservation of world languages? What is the relationship between language and culture? How do the written languages of different world regions compare? How are the world’s oral and written languages related to one another?
Unit 2- Sports and Leisure 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
In which world regions do our most popular modern sports originate? How are the leisure activities of a world region an inseparable part of its culture? How do the geographic features of world regions lend themselves to certain leisure activities? How have the sports and leisure activities of world regions influenced one another? How do the sports and leisure activities of a world region make it distinctive from other world regions?
Unit 3- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Society 1. 2. 3. 4.
Why is there a need for microfinance lending? What is microfinance? Who are the beneficiaries of microfinance? How do I get involved in microfinance?
Global Essential Questions
5. What has been the impact, to date, upon the providers and recipients of microfinance loans?
Global Geography Unit 4- Transportation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
How do people move differently depending on where they live? How do the things people produce move from one world region to another? How has transportation helped people emigrate and immigrate? What are the impacts of transportation on our environment? How has transportation evolved over time?
Unit 5- Traders and Travelers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What roles have historic trade routes had in society? Which landforms and water forms have impacted trade patterns? How have worldwide trade and the distribution of natural resources impacted society? How have free trade agreements positively and negatively impacted societies? Why is constant travel a way of life for nomads?
Unit 6- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Geography 1. What products and natural resources does your entrepreneurship region of study export to other world regions? 2. What products and natural resources does your entrepreneurship region of study import from other world regions? 3. What means of transport are used to move products and natural resources in and out of your entrepreneurship region of study? 4. What means of transportation are most prevalent in your entrepreneurship region of study? 5. What landforms and water forms impact the movement of people, goods and services in your entrepreneurship region of study?
Global Environment Unit 7- Agriculture 1. 2. 3. 4.
What are the impacts of global food shortages? How are different agricultural practices used throughout world regions? What agricultural products are produced in different world regions? How are farmers impacted by annual weather variations such as flooding, drought, intense heat or intense cold? 5. How might global warming impact agricultural production in the future? Unit 8- Water and Sanitation 1. How do water and sanitation impact the health of people in different world regions? 2. What solutions are available for providing communities with sanitized water? 3. What are the relationships between water and agriculture?
Global Essential Questions
4. How does access to clean water differ for people depending on the world region in which they live? 5. How does access to water impact wildlife differently than humans? Unit 9- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Environment 1. How does agriculture in your entrepreneurship region of study compare to agriculture in the United States? 2. How does the geography of your entrepreneurship region of study determine the agricultural methods used for farming? 3. What percentage of your entrepreneurship region of study experiences water stress and how does it impact the quality of life for people in that region? 4. How do water and sanitation issues impact your entrepreneurship region of study? 5. What is the process for treating waste water in your entrepreneurship region of study?
Global Education Unit 10- Education Funding 1. 2. 3. 4.
How is education funded in the United States? How is education funded in other countries? What are the differences in educational funding among different countries? What organizations help fund global education?
Unit 11- The Internet 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What is the Internet? Who created the Internet and why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet in educational settings? How has the Internet influenced education? What is the digital divide?
Unit 12- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Education 1. How is the educational system in your entrepreneurship region of study organized? 2. How is the educational system in your entrepreneurship region of study funded? 3. What are the educational cost requirements for each student in your entrepreneurship region of study? 4. What is the Internet availability in your entrepreneurship region of study? 5. What is the Internet availability of the education system in your entrepreneurship region of study?
Global Economy Unit 13- Trade Balance / Fair Trade 1. What is fair trade? 2. What is the impact of fair trade on the economy? 3. How can a single person contribute to fair trade?
Global Essential Questions
4. What is balance of trade? Unit 14- Natural Resources 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
What are natural resources? Where are some of the world’s natural resources located? Why do certain regions of the world have better access to natural resources than others? How do world regions use natural resources differently? What are the ways in which a country’s natural resources impact its economy? What are the political ramifications of certain world regions having a majority of the world’s fossil fuel resources?
Unit 15- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Economy What products are imported to and exported from your entrepreneurship region of study? 1. What natural resources are in your entrepreneurship region of study? 2. In what ways are the products/resources in your entrepreneurship region of study traded? 3. How would fair trade impact your entrepreneurship region of study? 4. How does your social entrepreneurial project use natural resources and how does it impact free trade within the region of study?
Global Politics Unit 16- Human Rights 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What are human rights? What is the history of human rights? How did/does America define human rights? How are human rights protected? What are the different human rights experiences of people around the world?
Unit 17- Refugees 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What is the definition of a refugee? What is a refugee camp and what are the living conditions within camps? What factors contribute to a person becoming a refugee? From what areas of the world do most refugees come and why? What countries welcome refugees and how are refugees treated once they arrive?
Unit 18- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Politics 1. 2. 3. 4.
How are human rights protected in your entrepreneurship region of study? How are different groups of people treated within your entrepreneurship region of study? What is the status of refugees in your entrepreneurship region of study? Are there refugee camps within your entrepreneurship region of study and what are the conditions within the camps? 5. How has your social entrepreneurship project impacted the citizens of your region of study?
viflearn.com facebook.com/VIFLearn @ viflearn
© 2014 The Center for International Education, Inc.
II
v i f r e s o u rc e s
Global Essential Questions
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CURRICULUM
Global Essential Questions
Global Essential Questions This set of Global Essential Questions is a wonderful resource for any teacher interested in global teaching and learning. Essential questions point to the big ideas within a global lesson or unit of study. They engage students through inquiry-based learning. Students use critical thinking and problemsolving skills to research, discuss, synthesize, evaluate and create a product that answers each question. Essential questions also play an important role in the assessment of student’s understanding of the main concepts of a lesson or unit. In order to promote inquiry-based learning, essential questions should: • • • •
be open-ended and thought-provoking: they should not be answerable with “yes” or “no”, and should not start with “who” or “when”, as such questions yield narrow answers. prompt answers that build on prior knowledge. open up the possibility of many interdisciplinary connections. lead to more questions.
In the context of global learning, essential questions should invite students to explore the complex relationship between world’s cultures, environments, educational structures, and eco-political systems.
Global Society Unit 1- Oral and Written Languages 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What are the defining characteristics of a language? Is globalization contributing to the endangerment or preservation of world languages? What is the relationship between language and culture? How do the written languages of different world regions compare? How are the world’s oral and written languages related to one another?
Unit 2- Sports and Leisure 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
In which world regions do our most popular modern sports originate? How are the leisure activities of a world region an inseparable part of its culture? How do the geographic features of world regions lend themselves to certain leisure activities? How have the sports and leisure activities of world regions influenced one another? How do the sports and leisure activities of a world region make it distinctive from other world regions?
Unit 3- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Society 1. 2. 3. 4.
Why is there a need for microfinance lending? What is microfinance? Who are the beneficiaries of microfinance? How do I get involved in microfinance?
Global Essential Questions
5. What has been the impact, to date, upon the providers and recipients of microfinance loans?
Global Geography Unit 4- Transportation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
How do people move differently depending on where they live? How do the things people produce move from one world region to another? How has transportation helped people emigrate and immigrate? What are the impacts of transportation on our environment? How has transportation evolved over time?
Unit 5- Traders and Travelers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What roles have historic trade routes had in society? Which landforms and water forms have impacted trade patterns? How have worldwide trade and the distribution of natural resources impacted society? How have free trade agreements positively and negatively impacted societies? Why is constant travel a way of life for nomads?
Unit 6- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Geography 1. What products and natural resources does your entrepreneurship region of study export to other world regions? 2. What products and natural resources does your entrepreneurship region of study import from other world regions? 3. What means of transport are used to move products and natural resources in and out of your entrepreneurship region of study? 4. What means of transportation are most prevalent in your entrepreneurship region of study? 5. What landforms and water forms impact the movement of people, goods and services in your entrepreneurship region of study?
Global Environment Unit 7- Agriculture 1. 2. 3. 4.
What are the impacts of global food shortages? How are different agricultural practices used throughout world regions? What agricultural products are produced in different world regions? How are farmers impacted by annual weather variations such as flooding, drought, intense heat or intense cold? 5. How might global warming impact agricultural production in the future? Unit 8- Water and Sanitation 1. How do water and sanitation impact the health of people in different world regions? 2. What solutions are available for providing communities with sanitized water? 3. What are the relationships between water and agriculture?
Global Essential Questions
4. How does access to clean water differ for people depending on the world region in which they live? 5. How does access to water impact wildlife differently than humans? Unit 9- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Environment 1. How does agriculture in your entrepreneurship region of study compare to agriculture in the United States? 2. How does the geography of your entrepreneurship region of study determine the agricultural methods used for farming? 3. What percentage of your entrepreneurship region of study experiences water stress and how does it impact the quality of life for people in that region? 4. How do water and sanitation issues impact your entrepreneurship region of study? 5. What is the process for treating waste water in your entrepreneurship region of study?
Global Education Unit 10- Education Funding 1. 2. 3. 4.
How is education funded in the United States? How is education funded in other countries? What are the differences in educational funding among different countries? What organizations help fund global education?
Unit 11- The Internet 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What is the Internet? Who created the Internet and why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet in educational settings? How has the Internet influenced education? What is the digital divide?
Unit 12- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Education 1. How is the educational system in your entrepreneurship region of study organized? 2. How is the educational system in your entrepreneurship region of study funded? 3. What are the educational cost requirements for each student in your entrepreneurship region of study? 4. What is the Internet availability in your entrepreneurship region of study? 5. What is the Internet availability of the education system in your entrepreneurship region of study?
Global Economy Unit 13- Trade Balance / Fair Trade 1. What is fair trade? 2. What is the impact of fair trade on the economy? 3. How can a single person contribute to fair trade?
Global Essential Questions
4. What is balance of trade? Unit 14- Natural Resources 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
What are natural resources? Where are some of the world’s natural resources located? Why do certain regions of the world have better access to natural resources than others? How do world regions use natural resources differently? What are the ways in which a country’s natural resources impact its economy? What are the political ramifications of certain world regions having a majority of the world’s fossil fuel resources?
Unit 15- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Economy What products are imported to and exported from your entrepreneurship region of study? 1. What natural resources are in your entrepreneurship region of study? 2. In what ways are the products/resources in your entrepreneurship region of study traded? 3. How would fair trade impact your entrepreneurship region of study? 4. How does your social entrepreneurial project use natural resources and how does it impact free trade within the region of study?
Global Politics Unit 16- Human Rights 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What are human rights? What is the history of human rights? How did/does America define human rights? How are human rights protected? What are the different human rights experiences of people around the world?
Unit 17- Refugees 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What is the definition of a refugee? What is a refugee camp and what are the living conditions within camps? What factors contribute to a person becoming a refugee? From what areas of the world do most refugees come and why? What countries welcome refugees and how are refugees treated once they arrive?
Unit 18- Social Entrepreneurship: Global Politics 1. 2. 3. 4.
How are human rights protected in your entrepreneurship region of study? How are different groups of people treated within your entrepreneurship region of study? What is the status of refugees in your entrepreneurship region of study? Are there refugee camps within your entrepreneurship region of study and what are the conditions within the camps? 5. How has your social entrepreneurship project impacted the citizens of your region of study?
viflearn.com facebook.com/VIFLearn @ viflearn
© 2014 The Center for International Education, Inc.
