The answers to these five main questions formed the foundation for activity development.

1. Rich Performance Tasks provide an opportunity for teachers to assess and evaluate the level of understanding achieved, and the skill level demonstrated.
2. Making use of Experiential Learning Opportunities is the preferred method of instruction if we want students to identify, make meaningful use of, and reflect upon the Essential Skills as they relate to self, others and the community. Experiential learning in theory is reflective as well as kinesthetic. We construct our own meaning from what we experience and know. Experiential Learning can be accessed through many activities, case studies, reflective journals, role-playing, experimentation, discussions, games, and all forms of cooperative education. It is from these types of experiential learning activities that students are given the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Essential Skills. These activities are the “personal meaning makers” that allow students to both retain and apply knowledge.
3. Learners can deepen Essential Skills understanding further when it plays a minor or major role within an existing activity. Throughout this resource book, activities are designated either “minor” or “major”. This identification refers to the extent to which the activities focus on Essential Skills attainment. The terms “minor” and “major” do not refer to the complexity or length of an activity.
4. Partners are a key factor in helping students make meaning of the Essential Skills. Asking students to make meaning of Essential Skills solely within the context of their classroom is to exclude them from an important reality; Essential Skills are used by everyone, in varying degrees dependent on their roles in life. In addition, by including partners, it effectively addresses the common question students have and will continue to have which is “why are we doing this?” This reoccurring question can easily be answered when students make connections to life outside of school.
   
   
   • School Community as Partners: The school community includes all staff (teaching, non-teaching, administration, and student body). Involving the school community serves two purposes. Firstly, it provides students with easy access to experiential learning opportunities within the school itself. Secondly, it provides an opportunity to expose others in the school to the “World of Essential Skills” via these activities - an enriching experience for all.
   • Parents/Guardians and Mentors as Partners: As students move from elementary to secondary school, the role of the parent/mentor in education generally diminishes. Embedding the Essential Skills in curriculum delivery provides an opportunity for parents/guardians and mentors and their children to discuss an issue that both have knowledge of regardless of academic background. Parents/guardians and mentors have opportunities to provide real life examples as to how they have demonstrated these skills in their many roles, both past and present. By involving parents/guardians and mentors, students have opportunities to continue to make meaning of the Essential Skills and their relevance.
   • Community as Partners: Students’ education is greatly enriched when the community is involved. Embedding the Essential Skills in curriculum delivery provides educators with opportunities to engage community partners. These opportunities can be multifaceted, through fulfilling curriculum expectations and participating in the broader community, students are exposed to volunteerism and at the same time continue to construct meaning and deepen their understanding of the Essential Skills.
   • Employers as Partners: The role of employers in students’ lives does not have to be exclusive to cooperative education. Embedding the Essential Skills in curriculum delivery provides a natural opportunity to extend the role of employers and their careers in all courses. Employers are a valuable resource, further confirming to students the need to be aware of and further develop their Essential Skills.
5. With the exception of the introductory activities, all new activities were developed by enriching existing activities with a more deliberate and explicit focus on Essential Skills. These activities demonstrate that enriching existing activities skillfully can be easily accomplished within a short period of time and that it is not necessary to “reinvent the wheel” and shelve activities that have already been developed and used in the classroom.