Primary Source Designs for Learning Handbook
Example Understanding Goals 
and Investigative Questions 
Understanding Goals are central ideas of a discipline. These ideas are re-visited throughout education and life experiences. Understanding learned in one subject can often apply to many disciplines. Investigative Questions focuses the exploration of a topic on key concepts related to the broad Understanding Goal.
Examples
Arts - Model Activity: Moving Art Gallery
- Understanding Goal
- Art is a means of communicating in a multicultural society.
- Investigative Question:
- What message do you see in this work of art?
Language Arts - Model Activity: Women's Writing
- Understanding Goal
- Effective readers use analysis strategies.
- Investigative Question:
- How does primary source analysis make students better readers?
Social Studies - Model Activity: Gettysburg
- Understanding Goal
- History is the stories we remember.
- Investigative Question:
- Why do we remember the Gettysburg address?
Math - Model Activity: Eye Spy
- Understanding Goal
- We see Math ideas all around us.
- Investigative Question:
- What helps us see shapes in our world?
Social Studies - Model Activity: Presidents as Expert Leaders
- Understanding Goal
- Primary Sources provide evidence of Expert Leadership.
- Investigative Question:
- How can we recognize expert leadership?
Science - Model Activity: Zoom In Inquiry 3
- Understanding Goal
- Science helps us understand the world.
- Investigative Question:
- What might primary source evidence tell us about nature and humans?
P.E./Health - Experience: Healthy Choices - FitSmart Club
- Understanding Goal
- Media affects our perception of ourselves.
- Investigative Question:
- What message might this primary source communicate? Is the message from this source relevant today?