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Essential Questions What Are They Why Use Them How Do You Write Them By Linda Foote and Mary Alice Osborne

Jay Mc Tighe and Grant Wiggins Wiggins and Mc Tighe define essential questions as questions that are not answerable with finality in a brief sentence Their aim is to stimulate thought to provoke inquiry and to spark more questions including thoughtful student questions not just pat answers Essential Questions Opening Doors to Student Understanding By Grant Wiggins and Jay Mc Tighe

An Essential Question Is intellectually engaging and provokes deep thought

An Essential Question Causes students to think critically and produce original ideas rather than predetermined answers

An Essential Question Solicits informationgathering and evaluation of data

An Essential Question May not have one single answer and will often raise additional questions

An Essential Question Requires students to justify and support their responses

An Essential Question Helps students conduct problem related research They will often need to develop a plan or course of action The NatureMapping Foundation provides real world collaboration opportunities http www edutopia org naturemapping data collection

Think Bloom s Taxonomy and Webb s Depth of Knowledge

Consider Who s Doing the Learning

Some Examples NOT Essential What were four causes of the Civil War Essential Was slavery the most important cause of the Civil War NOT Essential What is AIDS Essential Which serious disease most deserves research funding NOT Essential When was the Declaration of Independence signed Essential What ideas in the Declaration of Independence have become American traditions

What If Questions What if the Cultural Revolution had never happened

Should Questions A Moral or Practical Decision based on Evidence Should we clone humans Should we discontinue trade with countries that abuse human rights Should Wilbur run for freedom

Why Questions Understand Cause and Effect Why do people abuse drugs Why is the death rate higher in one Third World country than another Why do residents of one village have a high death rate due to a parasite that is found in the neighboring village as well

Examples of Open Ended Starter Questions How would you What would result if How would you describe How does compare with What is the relationship between What would happen if How could you change How would you improve How do you feel about Why do you believe What is your opinion of What choice would you have made What would you do differently Why do you feel How would you go about solving the problem If you were in this position what would you do Why do you don t you support What could improve

Where Can We Find Them SAS Curriculum Pathways Many of the Teacher Guides in Discovery Education Texts and websites by Jay Mc Tighe and Grant Wiggins Links on The Essential Questions Resources page in this presentation

Using Essential Questions Make them explicit to students and refer to them often during units Connect them to students lives and past present or future experiences Use them to design curriculum Activities and materials should be selected based on how they help students explore the essential questions of the unit

Presentation Tools Can Help Frame Essential Questions Board Builder Are there any critical issues in our world today waiting for someone or a group of people to step up and solve them

Presentation Tools Can Help Frame Essential Questions Non Linear Presentations

Real World Problems The Paradigm Challenge invites youth aged 7 to 18 to use STEM skills plus kindness creativity and collaboration to generate new ideas to prevent injuries and fatalities from home fires http www prweb com releases 2016 01 prweb13182482 htm

Essential Question Resources Essential Questions Opening Doors to Student Understanding by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe http www essentialquestions org Sample Questions http goo gl zxA828 Themes and Essential Questions Framing Inquiry and Critical Thinking http www greececsd org search cfm rand 0 879278356604 Facing History and Ourselves https www facinghistory org All About Writing Essential Questions http goo gl 7pkYBT

Credits By Mary Alice Osborne Location West Topsham Vermont United States Work Teacher Librarian at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology http www kslibrary info http www slideshare net maryaliceosborne essential questions forstudents Additions and Adaptations and New Material by Linda Foote CC Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike License