Pathways 2.0

Big Ideas & Essential Questions

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The essential question and big idea are articulated across the grade levels for each unit. Faith is the cornerstone of our Pathways 2.0 curriculum.

Big Ideas & Essential Questions identified by theme.

  • Essential questions engage the learners in making meaning and deepening their understanding of the unit.

    For example, in the Heroes unit the essential question is: What can we learn from heroes that will enable us to be heroes for God?

  • Big Ideas state what skilled learners need in order to effectively transfer their learning to new situations.

    For example, in the Heroes unit the big idea is: God uses heroes to reveal who He is.

Samples:

Recognition and respect for the diversity in our world is seen through the choice of anchor texts and instructional lessons throughout the program. By exploring big ideas and varying answers to essential questions, students are led to understand that the Bible is the standard for learning and living a life of faith.

Heroes — Essential question: What can we learn from heroes that will enable us to be heroes for God? Big idea: God uses heroes to reveal who He is.

My World and Others — Essential question: Why is it important for Christian witnesses to understand the people and cultures of the world? Big idea: God calls Christians to share the Gospel with the whole world.

Living Things — Essential question: How do living things reflect the character of our Creator? Big idea: Living things reflect the wonder of God’s creativity.

Walking with God — Essential question: How can understanding the spiritual journey of Christians influence my own walk with God? Big idea: God’s love for us is revealed by His presence throughout our Christian journey.

Friends and Family — Essential question: In what ways do our actions influence the well-being of others? Big idea: Jesus is our example as we learn to love and serve others.

Environment — Essential question: What role do we play in preserving God’s creation? Big idea: God has given us the responsibility of caring for His creation.

Personal Feelings and Growth — Essential question: How do our life experiences help us grow closer to God? Big idea: God expresses His love by helping us grow through life’s experiences.

Yesterday — Essential question: How does understanding the past build our trust in God? Big idea: Yesterday reminds us that God is in control and gives us hope for tomorrow.

Social Issues and Culture — Essential question: In what ways does God call us to respond to the needs of others? Big idea: God is worshipped when we react compassionately to the turmoil in our world.

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Faith Connections chart for the Heroes theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
Faith Connections chart for the My World and Others theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
Faith Connections chart for the Living Things theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
Faith Connections chart for the Walking with God theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
Faith Connections chart for the Friends and Family theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
Faith Connections chart for the Environment theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
Faith Connections chart for the Personal Feelings and Growth theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
Faith Connections chart for the Yesterday theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
Faith Connections chart for the Social Issues and Culture theme: Bible text, essential question, big idea, and the Creation, Fall, Redemption and Re-creation quadrants of the Adventist worldview.
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Essential questions are core questions about the theme that allow students to probe for deeper meaning. Big Ideas is a way of usefully seeing connections with Adventist Worldview that has been created for each theme.

Essential Questions and Big Ideas focus on creating a unit of study with deeper meaning and better understanding of the content. The Essential Questions and Big Ideas in each theme of Pathways 2.0 integrate seamlessly with the theme’s Adventist Worldview that provide context and deeper thinking as students explore the unit theme and anchor text.