Section 1 of unit planner

Central Ideas

Once topics have been identified, your team should collaboratively decide on important
concepts that are related to your topic. A sound Central Idea should be the enduring
understanding you want the student to take away from the Unit. Since concepts are built
into the Central Idea, the students will be stretched beyond the facts. They should then
be able to apply the concepts to different situations. This leads to much deeper levels of
understanding. Simply put, a Central Idea is a transferable statement of
generalization that shows a relationship between 2 or more concepts.

For example, the concept of cycle can be applied to seasons, frogs, butterflies,
photosynthesis, water cycle, etc. Over time, students make the connection between the
different applications of the cycle concept. The same can be said for the concept of
system (human body systems, government, transportation, economics, ecosystem, etc.)

Central Idea Criteria (See pg. 13 of Dev A Trans POI document)

One concise sentence

Connects to and is relevant to the Transdisciplinary Theme it is placed under
Written in such a way to invite student inquiry, so that a range of responses is
possible
Written in a neutral voice that does not convey a specific or particular value of an
individual
Written in such a manner as to develop conceptual understanding supported by the
identified PYP key concepts
Written in such a manner as to develop conceptual understanding supported by the
identified PYP key concepts
Globally transferable and supported by facts
Promotes enduring understanding via a relationship between at least 2 concepts
Challenging, relevant, engaging
Present tense verbs
No proper nouns
True statement (may need a qualifier such as often, may, or can if not true in all
situations)
Can be studied at any age

To scaffold a Central Idea, ask open-ended questions such as how

or why or so what. An example follows:

All cultures have celebrations.

WHY do all cultures have celebrations?

Celebrations express the traditions of a culture.