Why Asking "What Is the Central Idea or Theme?" Is a Bad Question

What is the worst question we can ask our students but the one we reading and English language arts teachers often use and even rely upon as evidence that we are challenging and engaging our students to think critically and deeply about the texts and topics we are reading and reviewing?

What is the central idea or theme of a story or text?

What's ironic is that this very question is considered to be a good question  -- or even the best -- that we can ask our students to stimulate their deeper thinking and deepen their knowledge, understanding, and awareness about the meaning and message presented in the texts and topics being read and reviewing in class.  When ask students what is the central idea or theme, our intent and purpose is for students to think critically about the meaning or message presented in the text either concretely or abstractly.   We also believe we are challenging students to demonstrate higher order thinking -- specifically, the ability to analyze and evaluate.  

The question what is the central idea or theme should be an open-ended inquiry that should challenge and engage students to think critically and creatively about the meaning and messages presented in texts.  It is an interpretive inquiry that should prompt and encourage students to express and share their own impressions and perceptions of the central idea and theme of a text.  However, students' responses to this question should not be based on emotion or opinion alone.  They should justify their interpretation or perception of the central idea or theme by citing specific evidence from the text or explain the logical inferences made by the author.

Unfortunately, the real problem with asking what is the central idea and theme is it's posed as a closed-ended question that students can only answer correctly or incorrectly.   What's also interesting is how we pose or present the question does not resemble or reflect how the question is asked on formative and summative assessments.  Usually, we want students to provide a short answer or write an essay that describes and explains what is the central idea and theme.  Questions about the central idea or theme of a text or passage generally looks like this:

Consider what students are expected to demonstrate and communicate here.  Its intent and purpose is to assess whether the student understands what is the central idea or theme.   While the question asks students to think deeper, in regards to depth of knowledge, asking what is the central idea or theme could be categorized as a D.O.K-1  because it is asking them to recall and reproduce what the central idea or theme is as accurately and explicitly as it was taught or told to them by the text or the teacher. Also, if you think about it, multiple choice questions such as these provide the students the correct answer.  They just have to read the text and figure out which is the correct answer from the other three distractors.  Questions such as these also give students the impression that there can only be one central idea or theme expressed in a text.

Questions such as these also control or directs their thinking.  It also forces students to accept or agree with what one source states is the theme.  It could also damper or even dissuade students from thinking critically and creatively when they are reading and reviewing text - especially if they can't or don't recognize and agree with what is presented or portrayed to be the central idea or theme.

That's why this is a bad question - or even the worst question we could ask students. 

Literary texts are highly complex and dynamic - especially literary fiction that can address and allude to numerous ideas and themes.  Just look up any text explained by supplemental references such as CliffsNotes, Spark Notes, or Shmoop that are meant to help students understand the complex ideas, motifs, symbols, and themes addressed and expressed in texts.    Literary analysts and critics also have their own unique impressions and interpretations of different texts and the meaning and messages they express.  However, who is to say they are accurate or even right?

So how can we ask good questions -- or at least better ones -- that not only reflect the type of questions about central idea and theme on standardized assessments but also challenge and engage students to demonstrate and communicate the following:

• Determine the central idea or theme of a text.
• Analyze how the central idea or theme of a text develops.
• Summarize how key details and ideas strengthen and support the central idea or theme of a text.

These are the performance objectives that mark and measure cognitive rigor as well as college and career readiness.  However, when we ask , we're only addressing that first performance objective.  Just look when we state these performance objectives as cognitive rigor learning goals that challenge and engage students to show and tell higher order thinking and depth of knowledge:

• Show and tell what is the central idea or theme of a text.
• Show and tell how does the central idea or theme of a text develop.
• Show and tell how do the key  details and ideas strengthen and support the central idea or theme of a text.

Take away and you have these questions:

• What is the central idea or theme of a text?
• How does the central idea or theme of a text develop?
• How do the key details and ideas strengthen and support the central idea or theme of a text?

When asked together, these good questions scaffold the level of thinking and extend the depth of knowledge students should demonstrate and communicate - or show and tell.  That's how we can make what is the central idea or theme of a text a good -- or better -- question.

However, these are overarching essential questions that challenge and engage students to show and tell their conceptual and procedural knowledge of the central idea and theme of texts and how can both be determined.  In English language arts, good questions must focus on the specific text being read and reviewed and the central ideas and themes they express and infer.

So what if instead of asking students what is the central idea or theme we ask students the following good question?

How does the text address the following central idea or themes?

Then, instead of having students identify the central ideas or themes, we list what the themes are and encourage students to think strategically (D.O.K.-3) how the text addresses these ideas and themes by citing specific details or making logical inferences.  Asking questions about central idea and theme would look like these:

• How does Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss address the following ideas? Change can be scary but good.  Try new things.  Keep an open mind. Don’t judge appearances.  Don't take life too seriously.
• How does Charlotte's Web by E.B. White address the following themes? admiration, friendship, home, perseverance, time, life and death
• How does Charlie and the Chocolate Factory address the following themes?  family, wealth vs. poverty, greed, reward and punishment, appearances, parenting, vice, good things come in small packages, what comes around goes around
• How does Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank address the following ideas? isolation, youth and coming-of-age, identity, religion, virtue, friendship and loyalty, adolescence, the horrors of war, generosity and greed during wartime
• How does The Odyssey by Homer address the following themes?  heroism, hospitality, family, loyalty, perseverance, justice, vengeance, piety, pride, temptation, fate vs. free will, appearances vs. reality, spiritual growth, cunning vs. strength, suffering, rules, tradition, customs
• How does Romeo and Juliet address the following themes? love, fate vs. free will, hate, youth and maturity, foolishness and folly, gender and masculinity, marriage, mortality, transience, exile, feuds and grudges, sex 
• How does the Declaration of Independence address the following ideas? all men are created equal, all men have basic human rights given to them by God, autocracy, government must be by the consent of the governed,  unalienable rights, governments are built for the sole purpose of protecting these basic rights, the abuse of leadership and power and its consequences, sovereignty and justice, people have the right to rebel against and overthrow their government
Notice the difference between how these questions are posed.  Yes, the answer of what is the central idea or theme is provided in the question.  However, these good questions can be used to set the instructional focus and serve as summative assessments for the texts being read and reviewed.  They can also inform students what is the intent or purpose for reading and responding to the particular text being reviewed in class.
Also, consider how broad and global these ideas and themes are.  These are dynamic issues and topics that not only address the meaning of life but are interpreted and perceived by different perspectives, philosophies, and points view.  Just look at the ideas and themes of love, life and death, greed vs. generosity, wealth vs, poverty, or family.  What is the formal definition of each as defined in a dictionary?  What is the scientific explanation, the religious perspective, the social connotation, or even the students' own personal philosophy?  All of these are good universal essential questions we can ask students to deepen and extend students knowledge, understanding, and awareness.  They can also prompt deeper conversations and discussions amongst their classmates and with you.  However, be sure to facilitate the discussion rather than direct or lead it.  Remember - we want our students to think and come up with their own impressions and interpretations based upon the definitions they acquire and discussions they have.  
Also, consider how broad and global these ideas and themes are.  These are dynamic issues and topics that not only address the meaning of life but are interpreted and perceived by different perspectives, philosophies, and points view.  Just look at the ideas and themes of love, life and death, greed vs. generosity, wealth vs, poverty, or family.  What is the formal definition of each as defined in a dictionary?  What is the scientific explanation, the religious perspective, the social connotation, or even the students' own personal philosophy?  All of these are good universal essential questions we can ask students to deepen and extend students knowledge, understanding, and awareness.  They can also prompt deeper conversations and discussions amongst their classmates and with you.  However, be sure to facilitate the discussion rather than direct or lead it.  Remember - we want our students to think and come up with their own impressions and interpretations based upon the definitions they acquire and discussions they have.  
Once a clear definition or explanation of these broad and grand ideas and themes are established within the classroom, we can then ask students how does the text as a whole or a part of the text address this idea or theme.  For example, we could ask students to explain how does Chapter Two of Charlotte's Web address the theme of friendship - specifically, the friendship of Wilbur and Fern or how does Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet  address the theme of gender and masculinity.  Good questions such as these could serve as the instructional focus as well as formative assessments for individual lessons taught as part of a literary analysis or genre study.
Asking good questions about central ideas and themes in this format also emulates how these questions are phrased on standardized assessments.  They also educate students how to recognize the specific details and realize the logical inferences made within a text that strengthen and support the central idea and theme - which is the essential skill students must develop and demonstrate.
To develop and deliver instruction using these good questions, take the following steps:
1. Identify what is the central idea or theme of the text being read and reviewed in class.  Look at what supplemental study guides such as CliffsNotes, Spark Notes, or Shmoop identify as the central ideas and themes.  (Trust me - if you don't look at and use these resources, your students will.)  Challenge yourself to come up with your own impression or interpretation of what you think the central idea or theme is.
2. Phrase your good question to ask How does [the text being read and reviewed in class] address the following themes? and list the themes.  You can have this question serve as the instructional focus and serve as the summative assessment for a literary analysis or genre study or a text.
3. For each part of the text such as a passage or a chapter, choose one of the themes that part addresses one of the ideas or themes listed.  Engage the students in a whole class or small group conversation about the broad or global idea or theme.  Have them research the formal definition, investigate how the idea or theme is interpreted  in different aspects of life, and to consider their own perception or philosophy on the issue or topic.  Then, once the class has a clear and comprehensive understanding of the broad and global issue, ask the students to examine and explain how does [the part of the text] address [the idea or theme being defined and discussed]?
4. Provide students the opportunity to develop, demonstrate, and differentiate their talent and thinking by asking them a good affective question that asks what do you think is the central idea or primary theme of [the text being read and reviewed]?  You could have them choose from one or more of the ideas and themes provided or come up with their own impression and interpretation they must defend, explain, justify, and support by citing specific evidence and making logical inferences from the text.  You could also further challenge students by prompting them to argue which central idea or theme do you believe is not addressed clearly in [the text being read and reviewed].

or theme of a text is half the battle.  Students must also be able to analyze and explain how the central idea and theme develops by citing specific details and making logical inferences.  Students must also develop deeper understanding and awareness of the broad and global issues and topics central ideas and themes of texts address.  By posing good questions about central idea and theme in this format, students will not only engaged to demonstrate and communicate deeper knowledge and thinking about the text and topics they are reading and reviewing but also develop extensive understanding and awareness about how these ideas and themes extend beyond the the text.

Erik M. Francis, M.Ed., M.S., is the lead professional education specialist and owner of Maverik Education LLC, providing professional development and consultation on teaching and learning for cognitive rigor. His book Now THAT'S a Good Question! How to Promote Cognitive Rigor Through Classroom Questioning will be published by ASCD in July 2016.  For more information, please visitwww.maverikeducation.com.

The Power of You: How to Personalize Standards-Based Learning

Why is it that we remember the foundational literacy and mathematics concepts and procedures we learned in grades K-3 so well?

Is it because these concepts and procedures are so easy and simple?  Perhaps they are now considering all the skills and stuff we have learned since our time in the primary grades.  However, when we were kindergarteners, first graders, second graders, and third graders, reading and writing text and performing the four operations of arithmetic were all difficult and complex.  

So why is it those lessons and teachings have resounded with us throughout our lives?  Could it possibly be that it's because our K-3 teachers did not focus on demonstrating and communicating the concept, the operation, or procedure they were teaching but instead prompted and encouraged us to show and tell you with what we were learning?

Do we expect them to demonstrate and communicate deeper knowledge, understanding, and awareness of specific details, elements, and terminology and how concepts and procedures can be used to answer questions, address problems, accomplish tasks, and analyze texts and topics in-depth and in detail?

Do we expect them to show and tell how they have processed the ideas and information they have acquired and gathered into extensive knowledge and thinking they can transfer and use in different academic and real world contexts insightfully and in their own unique way?

When we ask them questions that refer to students in the second person - what do you believe, feel, or think; how could or would you; or what can you design, develop, or do, we are asking students to think critically and creatively how they personally can express and share the metacognitive knowledge they have acquired and developed in-depth, in detail, insightfully, and in their own unique way.

That's the power of you in teaching and learning.  It personalizes educational experiences by focusing on how each individual student perceives, processes, and presents the ideas information they have acquired and developed into deeper self-knowledge, understanding, and awareness.   It fosters and promotes differentiation by permitting students to demonstrate and communicate the depth and extent of their learning in their own unique way.   It also supports talent development by having students show and tell what can they -- or you -- create, design, develop, do, invent, plan, produce, or write using their innate strengths and skills.

Interestingly, however, as children progress through their K-12 education, teaching and learning becomes more conceptual and procedural than personal.  It becomes more important and vital -- or essential -- for students to demonstrate and communicate their deeper knowledge and thinking about how and why concepts and procedures can be used to attain and explain answers, outcomes, results, and solutions.  At the same time, we want to challenge and engage our students to demonstrate and communicate their learning authentically through by differentiating instruction and through project-based learning.

So how can we accomplish this?  We can emulate what K-3 teachers do so well --ask our students what can you design, develop, and do with what they (or you) are learning.

We can create these good questions that personalize learning using the cognitive rigor question stems associated with the cognitive category to create that lies at the top of the cognitive process dimension of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.   To do this, replace the cognitive action of the performance objective of academic standards or tasks with one of stems.  Consider how the instructional focus of these academic standards shift from demonstrating and communicating conceptual and procedural knowledge to self-knowledge and metacognition.

You are teaching a unit on performing operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths.  Your students are expected to do the following:

• Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm. (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.5)
• Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models. (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.6)
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used. (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.7)

To challenge and engage students to demonstrate and communicate conceptual knowledge, students should be asked the following questions:

How can multiplication be used to find the product of multi-digit numbers?

How can division be used to find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors? 

 How can whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors be found using the following?

• strategies based on place value
• the properties of operations
• the relationship between multiplication and division

To challenge and engage students to demonstrate and communicate procedural knowledge, students should be asked the following questions:

How can the standard algorithm be used to multiply multi-digit numbers?

How can decimals to hundredths to be added / subtracted / multiplied / divided using the following:

• concrete models or drawings
• strategies based on place value
• properties of operations
• the relationship between addition and subtraction

To challenge and engage students to demonstrate and communicate metacognitive or self-knowledge and awareness, they should be asked the following questions:

How can you fluently multiply multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm?

How can you find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors using the following?

• strategies based on place value
• the properties of operations
• the relationship between multiplication and division

How can you add / subtract / multiply / divide  decimals using the following:

• concrete models or drawings
• strategies based on place value
• properties of operations
• the relationship between addition and subtraction

Notice how simply including the pronoun you completely shifts the instructional focus of the lesson or unit.  The emphasis is not demonstrating and communicating how and why mathematical concepts and procedures can be used to attain and explain answers, outcomes, results, and solutions.  It prompts and encourages students to show and tell their self-knowledge, understanding, and awareness how can you use mathematical concepts and procedures in a different academic and real world contexts.  The problems presented by the text or the teacher will serve as the evidence and examples students will need to strengthen and support their responses.

Also notice there are other performance objectives included in these standards that prompt and encourage students to illustrate, explain, and relate -- all cognitive actions that expect students to express and share the depth of their learning in their own unique way.  We can rephrase these performance objectives that will promote differentiation and individualization by asking the following good questions:

How can you illustrate explain calculations by using the following?

• equations
• rectangular arrays
• area models

How can you relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used?

Again, these good questions prompt and encourage students to think critically and creatively about youthe math being taught and learned.  They can also serve as driving questions that challenge and engage students to demonstrate and communicate the deeper and extensive knowledge they have acquired and developed through a project-based learning experience.  The graphic below includes good question stems that can be used to foster and promote project-based learning.

In English language arts, the writing standards personalizes learning by prompting and encouraging students  to demonstrate and communicate what their have learned through oral, written, creative, or technical expression.  They also challenge and engage students to express and share the depth and extent of their knowledge and thinking through specific types of text.  To challenge and engage students to express and share their knowledge and thinking in a particular form of text, we can use the following question stems:

• What kind of original argument or claim can you write and defend or refute...?
• What kind of original informative / explanatory text can you write and present...?
• What kind of original narrative can you write and share...?
• What kind of research can you conduct and present...?

These are the question stems that will allow us to transform college and career ready writing standards into driving questions that encourage students to demonstrate and communicate their knowledge and thinking about texts and topics using oral, written, creative, or technical expression.  What follows these stems are the key details and ideas they are examining and exploring in the texts they are reading.  For example, in a novel study about a dystopian science fiction novel such as The Giver by Lois Lowry or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, we could pose the following good questions:

• What kind of argument could you write and present that defends or refutes whether the world is heading toward the future as described by Lois Lowry / Ray Bradbury?
• What kind of informational / explanatory text can you write and present that explains how dystopian science fiction serves as a lesson and warning about the past, present, and future?
• What kind of original narrative can you write and share that incorporates the motifs, styles, and themes of dystopian science fiction and also reflects your thoughts about the future of mankind?
• What kind of research can you conduct and present that explains the influence science fiction and science have on each other and the impact scientists and science fiction authors have on each other's works?

Notice how these good questions address a variety of academic skills and stuff (I define "stuff" as the content - which is exactly how A Nation at Risk defines the curriculum we are teaching students).  The students are expected to demonstrate and communicate conceptual knowledge what is the purpose of specific texts and how they are written.   They are also expected to think deeply and express and share deeper understanding of the meaning and reasoning of texts and topics.  Most importantly, they show and tell what they have personally learned by producing a work that reflects and represents the depth and extent of their knowledge and thinking - which is truly what we want students to demonstrate and communicate.

The question stems what can you design, develop, and do can also be utilized to engage students in S.T.E.M. learning experiences that promote scientific inquiry and engineering design.  Consider how the following good questions can serve as driving questions for S.T.E.M. educational experiences:

How can you develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death? (NGSS-3-LS1-1)

How could you construct and present an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive? (NGSS-3-LS2-1)

How could you apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another? (NGSS-4-PS3-4)

How could you develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen? (NGSS-4-PS4-2)

How could you develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen? (NGSS-5-PS1-1)

How could you use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun? (NGSS-5-PS3-1)

How could you develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact? (NGSS-5-ESS2-1)

Notice how these good questions are derived directly from the Next Generation Science Standards, which are written to foster and promote personalized learning through scientific inquiry and engineering design.  They turn students into innovators and inventors who demonstrate and communicate and how can you use the scientific concepts and principles being taught and learned to address or explain a phenomena.

Referring to you in good questions also challenges and engages us educators and our students to delve into the Affective Domain of Bloom's Taxonomy.  The Affective Domain deals with how people handle and perceive what they are learning emotionally rather than cognitively.  The categories within this taxonomy address individuals'  feelings, values appreciation, enthusiasms, motivations, and attitudes about learning.  While cognitive rigor and college and career ready standards generally do not delve into these areas, we educators can expand upon and extend students experiences by asking good questions that begin with the question stems listed below..  

Teaching and learning for cognitive rigor - especially at the higher levels - should not only be about demonstrating higher order thinking and communicating depth of knowledge about concepts, procedures, texts, and topics.  It should also extend learning by making it personal, prompting and encouraging students to think deeply and express and share the depth of their knowledge and thinking insightfully and in their own unique way.  To accomplish this, instead of asking just who, what, where, when, how or why, do what the K-3 teachers do so well - ask what can you design, develop, or do; what do you believe, feel, or think; or how could or would you.  Then watch and marvel not only how deeply students learn but how critically and creatively they show and tell what they have learned.

 Erik M. Francis, M.Ed., M.S., is the lead professional education specialist and owner of Maverik Education LLC, providing professional development and consultation on teaching and learning for cognitive rigor. His book Now THAT'S a Good Question! How to Promote Cognitive Rigor with Good Questions will be published by ASCD in 2016.  For more information, please visit www.maverikeducation.com.