Grades 6–12 / 978-0-325-02157-7 / 2010 / 224pp + CD / $22.50Prices subject to change.
Special Book Study Group Discount: 15 books for $286.88 • Save $50.63! 978-0-325-03077-7✽Visit www.heinemann.com to read Sample Chapters of our books and order online.
Join the online Extra Credit Club and save! • To order by phone call 800.225.5800.Dedicated to Teachers
“ Many people have written about how theory (or research) relates to practice; Jim is one of those rare
professionals who live the relationship. His book is rich with insights from other scholars and teachers,
woven together in a convincing web of argument and insight. But the book is just as rich in classroom
experience, using the wisdom of the expert practitioner to focus his arguments on the lives of his
students—in all their richness and complexity. ” —Arthur ApplebeeNAEP advisor
Validation Committee member for Common CoreAuthor of Curriculum as Conversation
Are you ready to change your
students’ learning and lives?
“�This�book�demonstrates�the�ways�in�which�questions�can�
address�your�concerns�and�develop�in�our�students�the�
mental�acuity�and�fluency�necessary�to�succeed�in�
school�and�at�work,”�Jim�Burke�writes,�“as�well�as�to�
achieve�a�sense�of�purpose�in�
their�personal�lives.”�
The�only�question�now�is:��
Visit www.heinemann.com to read Sample Chapters of our books and order online.
Join the online Extra Credit Club and save! • To order by phone call 800.225.5800.Dedicated to Teachers
The question Jim Burke has always tried to
answer is How can we teach our students better?
He began this search at Burlingame High School
in California, where he still teaches. He shared his
experiences in bestselling
Heinemann professional
titles such as The English
Teacher’s Companion;
Reading Reminders; and
Writing Reminders as well
as through Heinemann
Professional Development Services. Later, he
founded the English Companion Ning, described
by Education Week as “the world’s largest English
department.” Jim continues to find and support best
practices by serving on national commissions, such
as the Advanced Placement English Literature and
Language Course and Exam Review Commission,
and as a senior author on the Holt McDougal
Harcourt Literature series.
Why�a�book�about�questions?�
“Because when students’ instruction is organized around
meaningful, clear questions,” writes Jim Burke in What’s the
Big Idea? “they understand better, remember longer, and
engage much more deeply and for greater periods of time.”
“Questions can address your concerns
and help students succeed in school and
at work, as well as to achieve a sense of
purpose in their personal lives.”
Jim shows how making essential questions the center of
your teaching can ease the tension between good teaching
and teaching to the test while giving students dependable,
transferable tools for reading, writing, thinking, and
participating in the real world. Going in depth on his own
units for frequently taught books, Jim shows how to plan
lessons, units, and even entire courses around big ideas to
help students:
• grapple with content and deepen comprehension through
reading, writing, and discussion
• make learning stick by connecting it to texts, to students’
experiences, and to the world
• clarify and extend their thinking by learning which
questions to ask and when
• improve school and test performance by honing academic
language and skills.