Crafting Essential Questions Traci Blanchard North Cobb High School Source: Understanding by Design by Jay McTighe & Grant Wiggins, © 2004

Goals ßWhat is an essential question? ßHow do I write effective ones?

An Essential Question is ßOne that lies at the heart of a subject or a curriculum & promotes inquiry & uncoverage of a subject.

Essential Questions ßHave no simple “right” answer ßProvoke & sustain inquiry ßAddress conceptual or philosophical foundations ßRaise other important questions ßNaturally & appropriately recur ßStimulate vital, ongoing rethinking

Examples ßWhat is a true friend? ßTo what extent does art reflect culture or shape it? ßIs everything quantifiable? ßTo what extent is DNA destiny? ßIn what ways is algebra real and in what ways is it unreal? ßTo what extent is US history a history of progress?

Examples ßMust heroes be flawless? ßWho is entitled to own what? ßIs the subjunctive necessary? ßWhat makes writing worth reading? ßDoes practice makes perfect? ßWhat is healthy eating? Healthy living?

What makes a question “essential”? ßRecurs throughout all our lives ßRefers to core ideas & inquiries within a discipline ßHelps students effectively inquire and make sense of important but complex ideas, knowledge, know-how ßEngages a specific & diverse set of learners

Intent, not language, is the key: ßWhy we pose the question ßHow students are to tackle it ßWhat learning activities & assessments we expect

Types of Essential Questions ßOverarching: Frame courses and programs of study around truly big ideas ßTopical: Are unit specific but still promote inquiry GOOD TEACHING USES BOTH!

Overarching Essential Questions ßMore general, broader ßPoint beyond specific topics or skills ßPromote transfer of understanding ßOne will be used as your pre & post SIP writing prompt

Examples of Overarching EQ ßCan a fictional story be “true”? ßHow do a region’s geography, climate, and natural resources affect the way people live and work? ßHow does technological change influence people’s lives? Society? ßHow does what we measure influence how we measure?

Examples of Overarching EQ ßHow do we classify the things around us? ßDo artists have a responsibility to their audience? To society? ßHow does language shape culture? ßIs pain necessary for progress in athletics?

Topical Essential Questions ßUnit specific - used to guide individual units ßPromote inquiry ßResist simple answers ßRequire explanation & justification ßOne per month will be your SIP writing prompt

Examples of Topical EQ ßHow might Congress have better protected minority rights in the 1950s & 1960s? ßShould we require DNA samples from every convicted criminal? ßIs Holden Caulfield a “phony”?

Examples of Topical EQ ßWhat is the value of place value? ßWhat is electricity? ßHow do we hit with greatest power without losing control?

Leading Questions ßMeant to culminate in a fact or completely settled conclusion ßNo sustained inquiry or argument intended or necessary ßUnderscores an important point we want students to note We need these, too, BUT... THEY CANNOT BE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR CURRICULAR DESIGN.

Where to start? ßDetermine the “big ideas” ßGeorgia Performance Standards ßCourse texts

What are Big Ideas? ßCore concepts, principles, theories, & processes that should serve as the focal point of curricula, instruction & assessment.

Big Ideas ßAre important and enduring ßAre not obvious ßMay be prone to misunderstanding ßPrioritize content ßAre transferable ßAre the building material of understandings ßManifest in various ways within disciplines ßAct as “conceptual velcro”

Finding Big Ideas ßClarify Content Priorities ßWorth being familiar with ßImportant to know and do ßBig ideas & Enduring Understandings

Finding Big Ideas ßUnpack the GPS ßCircle key nouns, adjectives, & verbs ßDraft implied or stated big ideas based on those key words. ßCritically analyze the course text ßWork “backward” to determine what big ideas and/or EQ the text addresses

Big Ideas can be ßConcepts ßThemes ßIssues/Debates ßProblems/Challenges ßProcesses ßTheories ßParadoxes ßAssumptions/Perspectives

From Big Idea to EQ ßUse p. 83, Identifying EQ & Understandings ßStart with Big Idea ßAnswer ?s related to Big Idea ßGenerate EQ & desired understandings

Making the Connection Big Idea UnderstandingEssential Question Topic or Content Standard

Your task ßCollaboratively draft ONE overarching EQ for your course ß(Sept., Dec.) ßCollaboratively draft TWO topical (unit) EQs for your course ß(Oct., Nov.)

Example ßGPS: The learner will be able to read, respond to, and critique historically and culturally significant works of literature in order to understand their importance and relationship to past and present cultures. ßOverarching EQ: Does literature primarily reflect culture or shape it? ßTopical EQ: What does Romeo & Juliet teach us about Shakespeare’s view of destiny? How does it compare to yours?

Where to get more information ßOther training sessions--may be department, planning period in- service, and/or Early Release or Cluster Days ßUnderstanding by Design by Jay McTighe & Grant Wiggins