Creating an Essential Question Inquiry Project

Theme Topics: Generate a list of single-word or single-phrase “thematic topics” for your movie…. Make as long a list as possible…

Generate Questions: For each single-word or single-phrase “topic,” create questions about them… as many as possible: Ex. If the movie was a comedy, and “humorous” was a topic: why do we find things funny? Why are some things funny for me but not for you? How do we define “humour”? How have people’s sense of humours changed over time? Do we still find things funny – that were considered funny in the past?

Producing Questions re: Movie In a group of 3 – 5: Ask as many questions as you can. Do not stop to answer, judge or to discuss the questions. Write down every question exactly as it is stated. Change any statement into a question.

Done? Categorize Questions: CLOSED-ENDED: Mark with a “C” -can be answered briefly with yes or no -have one or only a few answers -may not spark discussion/debate OPEN-ENDED: Mark with an “O” -cannot be answered quickly; require explanation -have numerous answers -can spark discussion or debate

Practice Choose an open-ended question and turn it into a closed-ended question. Choose a close-ended question and turn it into an open-ended question

In your groups… Choose three questions that… most interest each of you Identify them with a personal symbol, using a different symbol for each person each considers to be the most important – the questions that are most important for understanding the movie… the “seminal” questions

SHARE QUESTIONS! Name of movie? Which question interested you the most? For you, which question is the most important?

And now… Working individually, begin the same process to create Essential Inquiry Questions regarding your Inquiry Novel!

Steps to Generating an Essential Question: Make a list of key topics from your book (especially focusing on ones that interest you). Create as many questions relating to each of these topics as you can – do not stop to judge them yet. Change any statement into a question. Categorize questions: open or close-ended. Decide which ONE is most interesting to you, most important for you.