Video Transcript

Module 2_Category 1_Element 2

Finding a Content Angle
Facilitator: Dr. John Lee, North Carolina State University

Hello, I’m John Lee and in this Element we will get started with our design process for building an
inquiry that brings the Kentucky Academic Standards to life.

We begin the blueprinting process by Finding the Right Content Angle. That’s right, we start with
content. What students learn is ultimately what drives inquiry design. And, we think about the
process of deciding what to teach as a process of finding a Content Angle.

A content angle is a topic or idea derived from the overall body of content that we teach. It could
come from standards, a curriculum pacing guide, or your understanding of what is most
important for students to learn.

It’s a topic that is interesting and worth spending time on in an inquiry. We can’t teach
everything, so at some point we have to decide what we should teach. That thinking is at the
heart of finding the content angle – it’s a process of finding a topic that is important and
interesting, while also being relevant and worth the time.

When trying to find the right content angle for an inquiry, teachers are essentially whittling their
way into a slice of content that is reasonable. Think about a Curriculum Unit as being a pie. A
content angle tries to pull a slice out of that pie. It’s a slice that is just the right size. You might
also think about this as a goldilocks process where we are trying to get some body of content
that is “just right” for an inquiry.

Determining a content angle is important for several reasons. First, it helps us identify what
people agree is important for our students to learn and topics that are interesting and has some
tension. In other words, it’s something that students could argue or interpret differently. Second,
a sharp content angle helps us construct an inquiry that kids can connect with and is teachable
within the time constraints that every teacher faces.

So, let’s look at a topic, Slavery. That’s a topic that we can probably all agree is worth the time
that inquiry demands. But, how do we take on this topic? We need to know lots about slavery,
but where’s the angle?

We should start with the Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies. There are several
standards that focus on slavery.
In the 8th grade, 8.H.CO.4 says “Explain how sectionalism and slavery within the United States led
to conflicts between 1820-1877.”

If we begin with this standard, we could have students learn the facts
– how many humans were enslaved
– where did enslaved people come from
– how did the Constitution enable slavery

The topic has inquiry potential, and students need to learn about all of these facts, but is this
inquiry worthy? Does it have tension? Is it that, just right content angle? We think the topic and
details have potential—the number of people enslaved, the places from which they came, and
the systems that enabled slavery—but we also think something is missing. Is the topic relevant?
Does it connect to students?

A group of Kentucky teachers took on this challenge and thought there was something missing
from the way we were thinking about the topic of slavery. They wanted kids to see themselves in
the examination of slavery. So, they made a pretty simple move. They started thinking about the
experiences of enslaved people in Kentucky. They wanted an inquiry that focused how slavery is
(or isn’t) being remembered in Kentucky. The topic, already academically focused, became more
interesting and connected to the experiences of students and our collective memory. Now, we
were starting to get that tension in the topic.

When determining a content angle, we must navigate between too much and too little content.
We have to find that sweet spot between a unit and a lesson. The system of slavery in all its
complexity….is unit-sized, or more. A topic like Dred Scott is lesson-sized. So how do we design
an inquiry with a content angle that features a significant slice of content, but enables students
to make important connections to other ideas?

The teachers in Kentucky decided to focus on how slavery is remembered in their state. That
provided an opportunity to take on the big topic (slavery), while staying focused (slavery in
Kentucky and in our memory). This inquiry has great potential because it raises a central
tension. Remembering the past, knowing what happened without dwelling on the sins of our
ancestors, learning from the mistakes and evil actions of those who lived in a different time with
different norms and ways of thinking—How do we make sense out of all of that and remember
slavery without just being mad all the time? That’s a topic has an angle. It has some tension. It’s
edgy and interesting. It will likely result in students engaging and interpreting differently, and
building a range of legitimate evidence-based arguments. The “just right” quality of this content
angle helped these teachers and their students see why the topic is worth their time and energy.

In the sections below, you have an opportunity to Practice It by developing a content angle for
your inquiry. In the next element, Dr. S.G. Grant will help you shape that content angle into a
compelling question.