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.