At Jesse Boyd Elementary, teaching and learning is conceptual.  Key Concepts define the types of questions that can be used to thoroughly explore any topic or inquiry. Students and teachers use the key concepts to create questions, expand understanding and comprehension, and to delve deeper into the curriculum. Imagine a subject or area that you might like to learn more about. Concepts create building blocks for learning. 

Key concepts drive transdisciplinary learning. They are timeless, significant, universal and allow students to engage in higher order thinking in a meaningful way.

Try this at-home challenge: Look for ways to guide your student's many questions using these concepts.

These support higher-order thinking and provide lenses for considering knowledge related to the central idea in a range of ways

• Form

  • What is it like?

• Function

  • How does it work?

• Causation

  • Why is it as it is?

• Change

  • How is it transforming

• Connection

  • How is it linked to other things?

• Perspective

  • What are the points of view?

• Responsibility

  • What are our obligations?