Big Question Workshop
The Big Question Builder
A Big Question is the central inquiry that anchors your entire AP Government course. It is not a fact to look up - it is a lens. It should be genuinely debatable, relevant to democracy, and meaningful enough to revisit all year long.
A great Big Question is like a great dog - it keeps coming back to you all year! It should connect your Foundations unit all the way through Political Participation. Think big. Think bold. Think like a citizen.
"Our nation fought a war of independence to be free of tyranny. Our Constitution was built to protect individual rights and guard against tyranny. But that was a long time ago. Today, is America a land of freedom or tyranny?"
- It is debatable - reasonable people disagree
- It spans all five AP Gov units
- It connects civic concepts to real life
- It feels urgent and unresolved
- Students can return to it again and again
Now it is your turn. Think about your students, your community, and the themes you find most vital in AP Gov. Your Big Question will serve as a thread woven through all five units - from the Founding era to modern Political Participation.
These are real threads AP Gov teachers have used. Click one to copy it to your brainstorm area - then make it your own.
- What tensions in American democracy do your students live every day?
- What would make a student say "wait, that actually matters to me"?
- What unresolved question has haunted democracy since 1787?
- What do you want your students to still be thinking about 10 years from now?
- What would James Madison ask if he sat in your classroom today?
A Big Question only works if it weaves through each unit. Below are the five AP Gov units. For each one, write a Unit Question - a medium-sized inquiry that connects that unit back to your Big Question.
Below is a fully worked example using the Big Question "How Democratic is the U.S.?" - notice how every unit gets its own medium question and supporting evidence.
| Unit | I - Foundations | II - Branches | III - Civil Rights + Liberties | IV - Ideology | V - Political Participation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topics | Ideals of Democracy Types of Democracy |
Congress, POTUS Judicial Branch Bureaucracy |
The Bill of Rights Balancing Minority and Majority Rights |
American Attitudes toward Government Making Policy |
Voting Political Parties Interest Groups Elections, The Media |
| Related Docs + Cases | Declaration of Independence Constitution and Bill of Rights Gettysburg Address |
Marbury v. Madison Federalist No. 10 |
Brown v. Board Schenck v. U.S. Tinker v. Des Moines Letter from Birmingham Jail |
||
| Medium Questions | What is Democracy? Is our system democratic? Is federalism democratic? Is a constitution compatible with democracy? | How democratic are the branches and how do we select them? Is a filibuster democratic? Is an unelected bureaucracy democratic? | Do civil liberties increase democracy? Are minority rights compatible with democracy? Are civil liberties essential to democracy? | What are American attitudes toward democracy? Is the way we make policy democratic? | Does the American political process increase democracy? Does our electoral system increase democracy? How does money in politics impact democracy? |
Use this table as a model - now fill in yours below for your own Big Question.
Here is everything you have built. Read it through. Does your Big Question feel alive? Does each unit question genuinely connect back to it? Make any final adjustments below before sharing.
If Roger heard your Big Question, would he tilt his head in curiosity? Great Big Questions make even a beagle stop and think. If it feels flat, push it one step further - make it bolder, more urgent, or more personal to your students.
Add your Big Question to the Class Wall below so everyone in the workshop can see and discuss each others thinking. Then scroll down to read what your colleagues created.
