Answering an essential question And, why should we bother?

What is an Essential Question? An Essential Question is the main focus or goal of any assignment or project. We answer Essential Questions so when we’re done with the assignment or project, we understand what we were supposed to have learned! Without a guiding question, we might just be “doing stuff” without a purpose. (And you won’t remember!) Here’s are some examples: Why are you here? What do you want to do in the future? Are friends important to have? Is having a police force necessary? How can violence be prevented? Notice some of these questions are opinion-based, but a few will require evidence to be answered. In history, we need EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWERS.

This is what Essential Questions might look like when you answer: I think I’m here to learn about history. In the future, I might want to travel to India. Friends are important to have because they help you feel important as a person. Having a police force is necessary or else criminals will ruin society. Violence can be prevented if people understood what caused it in the first place. (These require evidence to answer!) Steps to answering… 1. Read and understand the Essential Question 2. Restate the question in your answer 3. Answer the question with your opinion 4. Provide evidence that supports your opinion 5. Explain HOW the evidence supports your opinion. 6. Conclude with what you learned.

Answer with a thesis statement A Thesis Statement is the Essential Question with YOUR opinion inside. Samples: Democracy is important to society because, without it, we might be living under a dictatorship. If people don’t vote, then governments can’t really represent people properly. Because children should be protected, free healthcare should be offered in most communities. You try it… Make a T-Chart, based on the above Thesis Statements, write what you think was the original Essential Question on the left and what you think the author’s opinion was on the right.

Evidence is a FACT. You can find facts in many places: books, newspapers, magazine articles, but in other places like the internet, music, movies, plays, and poems. Samples: Clouds are found in the sky. Flowers come in many colors. Shakespeare wrote, “Love’s not Time’s fool”. Only 22% of register voters actually vote. The President of the United States earns a salary of $400 thousand a year. What evidence is not… An opinion: Going to college is a waste of time. An exaggerated statement: Everybody loves ice cream. Unprovable statements: Aliens exist somewhere in the universe. You try it… Write at least 5 facts that you know off the top of your head. Then, share with your reading partner.

Explain evidence Evidence, by itself, does NOT answer the question. Don’t think your audience can “put 2 and 2 together”. As the writer, making the bridge of HOW your evidence supports your opinion is YOUR responsibility. Sample: Evidence: Opinion: But WHY is this your opinion? Only 22% of register voters actually vote. 22% of voters cannot represent everyone. Explanation: 22% of registered voters cannot represent 100% of the people because it’s too small of a group of people with various opinions. Notice the explanation is NOT commentary! Ex. It’s a shame only 22% of voters actually vote. 22% of registered voters cannot represent 100% of the people because it would be bad. An explanation should actually EXPLAIN just not describe feelings

Explain evidence 64% of the people in jail are black and Hispanic. You try it… 1. Create an opinion/feeling on the following evidence 2. Then, explain WHY you think your opinion 3. Underline the explanation. Sample Evidence: 64% of the people in jail are black and Hispanic. Californians voted to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr. For every 10% price increase in cigarettes, usage goes down 3-5%.

Explain evidence Ask: HOW does evidence support your opinion? Samples are underlined: 1. The fact that 64% of the people in jail are black and Hispanic reveals that racism exists in the justice system. 2. Californians voted to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr. which proves that we care about providing everyone with a minimum standard of living. OR Because Californians voted to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr. ,there will be a great strain on businesses to pay for such an increase. 3. If usage of cigarettes goes down 3-5% due to a10% price increase in cigarettes, I support the increase because that’s fewer cigarettes harming people’s health.

Conclude answer In English class, you might be taught to conclude by restating the thesis Statement. In History class, this is NOT what we want. Your goal is to reveal what you learned after answering the question. This is when you CAN provide your commentary. Samples: Thinking about how the government works makes me realize that it’s my responsibility to be an active citizen. Although the minimum wage might go up soon, I hope it goes up before I start working. Many people might be scared of the police, but we need to respect the job that they do. It’s important to understand how the economy works, so I can make better decisions about money. You try it… Write 2 concluding statements based on any of the above topics.

What not to do… Really, don’t do these!

How will this help you in the future? Don’t! Provide evidence you don’t understand. Watch for unknown pronouns. Plagiarize, use quotation marks when necessary. Use commentary to support your answer. It’s not evidence. Not explain HOW the evidence supports your opinion. Use confusing logic. If you don’t get it, No one else will either! +You will be able to make better decisions for yourself if you don’t just rely on YOUR FEELINGS. +People won’t be able to manipulate you as easy. +You will force other people to be smarter! +Society will benefit from smarter, more knowledgeable people.

Ticket out the door… Write two benefits to you of creating arguments supported by evidence?