Your chapter openers welcome the reader by stating what is to come, and why. They are a key strategy for transparency in learning and teaching, which was introduced in the matrix in Unit 1. The required chapter openers introduce the content in a compelling way, state the learning objectives, and list key terms (for chapter opener examples, revisit figure Y1 4.2). Optional elements on this page may further invite student interest with first-person stories, epigraphs that are meaningful to the author, or self-assessments.

Analyzing the Chapter Overview

The purpose of the chapter overview is to get the reader excited about what’s to come. It does not have to be long – in fact, a one-paragraph overview can work if it’s written effectively. The one-sentence argument you wrote for your chapter is the starting point of your chapter overview.

Think about the hook you will use to spark student engagement. You might include culturally responsive teaching strategies, for example using stories, games, and social engagement to introduce the chapter’s theme.

If you look at the overviews we’ve written for the units in this curriculum, you’ll notice that each one has a look back/look forward structure. The first few sentences address the deliverable from the previous unit; we state what we’re doing in this unit; then we preview what comes next. We chose this approach because Year 1 follows a linear structure where each unit builds on the previous one.

By contrast, you should assume that your chapter may be assigned as standalone reading in future courses. This means that the chapter opener needs to make sense without knowing what comes before and after. In other words, your chapter overview should work both in the context of the rest of your textbook, and on its own.

Analyzing Your Learning Objectives

If you followed along in Unit 6, you likely already pasted in the learning objectives from your {Course #} About This Book document. If not, please do so now.

Before you move on, take a moment to review your learning objectives. Do they still match what your chapter actually does, now that it’s partially drafted? You may find that either the learning objectives, or your chapter content, needs to be adjusted so that they stay aligned.

Analyzing Your Key Terms

If you followed along in Unit 6, you likely also pasted in your list of key terms. If not, please do so now, because it’s time to find or write definitions for your key terms.

Before you jump in, take a moment to review your list of key terms. You should have a list of up to 10 essential terms that students need to know in order to fulfill the learning objectives for the chapter. Does this list still match your chapter draft? Make adjustments to your chapter or your key terms list before you proceed.

Key terms appear in four locations in your book, as shown in figure Y1 8.4:

You do not need to reinvent the wheel by writing all of your definitions yourself. If you adopt or adapt definitions from other sources, remember to include attribution statements (for open content) or citations (for paraphrased or quoted all-rights-reserved content) at the end of the section in which the definition appears. To search for openly licensed definitions, try a Google Scholar Advanced Search for the term and definition, limiting under Usage Rights to free to use or share, even commercially.

When writing original definitions, keep your student audience in mind. Use simple and familiar words that are not variations on the term that you are defining. Definitions are a critical place to avoid jargon. Students will use key terms to reinforce the most important chapter concepts that align with your chapter-level objectives, which is why this is one of our Accessibility criteria for success.

Add each key term to the {Course #} Key Terms spreadsheet so that we can automatically build your glossary in Pressbooks. Remember that if you revise your key term list or definitions, you will need to update the spreadsheet to stay in alignment with the content of your book. Enter information for each key term in the spreadsheet:

• Chapter number
• Key term
• Definition as you want it to appear in the glossary
• For Column D, Citation or Attribution (if not original content):

• If you wrote the definition of your key term, leave this column blank.
• If you adopted or adapted your definition from another source, click on the cell in column D and paste in your reference list entry or attribution statement, then double check that all the links in the cell still work.

Licenses and Attributions for Analyzing Chapter Openers

Open content, original

“Analyzing Chapter Openers” by Open Oregon Educational Resources is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Open content, shared previously

“Analyzing Your Key Terms” is adapted from “Targeted Pathways Guidelines for Key Terms and Definitions” by Stephanie Lenox for Chemeketa Press, licensed under CC BY NC SA 4.0.