Welcome Cohort 2 Teachers

Teachers will distinguish between effective and ineffective Essential Questions. Teachers will create Essential Questions that align with their targeted standards. Teachers will make observations about and revise Essential Questions. Teachers will draw conclusions about connections between Essential Questions and potential assessments for their unit.

Why??? If they can put a man on the moon, why can’t they make a decent foot? What can a question do? What business are we in now— and is there still a job for me? Are questions becoming more valuable than answers? Is “knowing” obsolete? Why does everything begin with Why? How do you move from asking to action?

Consider how this story relates to why teachers need to use essential question.

Study after study has shown that the majority of teachers' questions are leading and low-level, focused on factual knowledge. Here is a brief summary of such findings (Pagliaro, 2011, p. 13): Ever since the first reported study on questioning was conducted in 1912, it has been noted that a vast majority of questions asked by teachers are low level (Wragg, 1993; Wilen, 2001; Wragg & Brown, 2001). Moreover, these low-level questions are predominantly asked from the elementary school through university levels (Albergaria-Almeida, 2010)…. One recent study indicated that teachers ask as many as 300 to 400 questions a day (Levin & Long, 1981). They also tend to ask them in rapid-fire fashion. Teachers in third grade reading groups asked a question every 43 seconds (Gambrel, 1983) and teachers in junior high English classes averaged as many as five questions a minute. (Wiggin and Tyhge-Essential Questions)

MIT’s Joi Ito says that as we try to come to terms with a new reality that requires us to be lifelong learners (instead of just early-life learners), we must try to maintain or rekindle the curiosity, sense of wonder, inclination to try new things, and ability to adapt and absorb that served us so well in childhood. We must become, in a word, neotenous (neoteny being a biological term that describes the retention of childlike attributes in adulthood). To do so, we must rediscover the tool that kids use so well in those early years: the question. Ito puts it quite simply: “You don’t learn unless you question.” Berger, Warren ( ). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas (Kindle Locations ). BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING. Kindle Edition.

What are they and how do you write one?

Which one is an essential question? Why? “Where is Hong Kong?" Which city in Southeast Asia is the best place to live? Which serious disease most deserves research funding? “What is AIDS?"

“Many studies in cognition highlight the reason it’s so important for students to realize why we ask them to do what we ask them to do. The purpose of an activity drives our motivation and engagement in the activity.” (Smith & Wilhelm, 2010) “Without purpose, significant learning is difficult if not impossible to achieve” (Wilhelm, 2007).

Characteristics of Essential Questions Engaging. Enduring. At the heart of the matter (or discipline). In need of uncoverage.

Students have to think critically to answer an essential question. Instead of simply looking up answers, they conduct research and create an original answer. An essential question: provokes deep thought. solicits information-gathering and evaluation of data. results in an original answer. helps students conduct problem-related research. makes students produce original ideas rather than predetermined answers. may not have an answer. encourages critical thinking not just memorization of facts.

Essential Questions are found at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy (Bloom, 1954). They require readers to: EVALUATE (make a thoughtful choice between options, with the choice based upon clearly stated criteria) SYNTHESIZE (invent a new or different version) ANALYZE (develop a thorough and complex understanding through skillful questioning).

1. Is open-ended; that is, it typically will not have a single, final, and correct answer 2. Is thought-provoking and intellectually engaging, often sparking discussion and debate 3. Calls for higher-order thinking, such as analysis, inference, evaluation, prediction. It cannot be effectively answered by recall alone. 4. Points toward important, transferable ideas within (and sometimes across disciplines) 5. Raises additional questions and sparks further inquiry 6. Requires support and justification, not just an answer 7. Recurs over time; that is, the question can and should be revisited again and again. You can have over-arching and topical type questions!

Essential Questions Are Not Answerable through information retrieval Understood in one day or even one week Easily agreed upon

Which one? How? What if? Should? Why?

Skinny vs. “Fat” Questions What are Fat Question? Open-ended questions, which can be argued and supported by evidence. Examples: Skinny Question: "When was the Declaration of Independence signed?" Fat Question: "What would have happened had we not signed it?”

You can “unpack” common core standards to write essential questions Standard: 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. What logical inferences can I draw, based upon what is in the text? What specific evidence in the text supports my ideas? Desired Understandings, Themes, Theories, Policies, Misconceptions, Skills Concept: Obesity What is an ideal weight? Theme: A balanced diet What should we eat? Policy: Government taxes or bans on sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages Should government have a say in what people eat and drink? Misconception: If it’s written in a (textbook, newspaper, or in Wikipedia) it must be true. How do we know what to believe in what we read? Skills: Writing five paragraph essay-match word choice with purpose and audience How can I best achieve my purpose with the audience? Essential Questions should be REVISED A LOT!

ESSENTIAL QUESTION EXAMPLES Charlotte's Web Why do we do what we do? Why do friends make a the world better? How does friendship change our lives? How do people change our lives?

Survival: Island of the Blue Dolphins First Attempts: What makes a strong person? How do you change a bad situation into good situation? What are bad situations? Why does someone survive? What basic needs must be met for people to survive? Why do some people try harder than others to survive? Finally with help from my team arrived at: How does a person overcome a bad situation? Why do some people try harder to overcome difficult situations than others? Kim's Process

Essential Questions for my Unit Essential Questions: (Students will choose which one they want to follow throughout the course of the play!) 1. Is passive acceptance of injustice the greatest evil of all? 2. Do false charges harm the accuser as much as the accused? 3. Are those who claim to speak for God furthering their own ambitions? 4. Are people willing to believe outrageous lies when those lies serve their interests? 5. Are the evils of jealousy, greed, and ambition more powerfully destructive than any supernatural evils? 6. Are those who are the most judgmental those with the most to hide? 7. Does resistance to injustice carry its own reward? 8. Are ordinary people when faced with extraordinary situations capable of great deeds? 9. Can things be untrue even if many people believe in it? 10. Do we leave ourselves vulnerable to enemies when we conceal our sins? 11. Are law and justice the same thing? 12. Is it better to sacrifice your life or your principles?

Step 1: Consider your content landscaping chart, your chosen Key Shift(s) and your focus standards Step 2: Brainstorm a list of Essential Questions. Write everything that comes to mind. Try to push the list to qs. Step 3: Go through your brainstormed list and bold or underline the 3-5 most promising ones – the ones that intrigue you or prompt you to answer them yourself. Step 4: Choose two that you want to focus on and re- read Essential Qs: Tips for Writing and Revising. Refine, revise and refocus your two questions.

Quadrant #1 Your 2 Essential Questions (Pass paper to your left) Quadrant #2 Read the 2 EQs and add comments or suggestions for revision. (Pass paper to your left) Quadrant #3 Read quadrant #1 & #2. Respond in quadrant #3 with additional thoughts, reactions, or shared feelings. (Pass papers to original owner) Quadrant #4 Read quadrants #2 & #3. Revise EQs based on feedback. Reflect: 1.How are you feeling about these drafts of EQs? 2.What was it like to draft EQs collaboratively rather than on your own? Revisit, Reflect, Retell by Linda Hoyt

The short answer is that essential questions make our unit plans more likely to yield focused and thoughtful learning and learners. The best EQs, handled well, make crystal-clear to students that passive learning is a no-no in the classroom; that thinking is required, not optional. Some other reasons: 1.They signal inquiry is a key goal of education (low level questions) 2.They make it more likely that the unit will be intellectually engaging (sports) 3.Help to clarify and prioritize standards for teachers. (wade through endless amounts of stuff) 4.Provide transparency for students (help students know what to focus on) 5.Encourage and model metacognition (shows them how to learn to ask the right questions) 6.Provide opportunities for intra-and interdisciplinary connections. (can connect units) 7.Support meaningful differentiation (can hit all levels of learners)

Response Strategies Wait Time:Give students time to respond Think-Pair-Share Random Calling-Stick Picks on IPAD Class Survey-Cell Phones-texting More than One Answer Probe Prompts Devil’s Advocate-Another Favorite Inviting Student Questions Anticipation Guides-My favorite!!! *** Journal Responses Writing Notebooks-students create their own Socratic Seminar Today’s Meet (Thanks Vicki!)

Essential Questions are Essential to Future Learning “ This is all well and good,” we hear, “but we have too much content to cover to take time to engage learners in inquiry, discussion, and debate. Plus, the tests for which we are accountable do not ask such questions; and, after all, we have to prep for those tests.” With all due respect, we beg to differ. In the first place, an educator's job is not to simply cover content. Our role is to cause learning, not merely mention things. Our task is to uncover the important ideas and processes of the content so that students are able to make helpful connections and are equipped to transfer their learning in meaningful ways. If we perceive our role as fundamentally a deliverer of content, then talking fast in class is the optimal instructional method! But if we wish to engage learners in making meaning of the learning so that they come to understand it, then essential questions will serve the cause of mastery of content. (A More Beautiful Question)

Asking Essential Questions The Key to Understanding Essential Questions 20high%20School.pdf 20high%20School.pdf Themes and Essential Questions: Framing Inquiry and Critical Thinking 12/Essential%20Questions/Index.htm 12/Essential%20Questions/Index.htm Asking Essential Questions Berger, Warren ( ). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas (Kindle Locations ). BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING. Kindle Edition. Paul, Richard ; Elder, Linda ( ). The Miniature Guide to The Art of Asking Essential Questions (Kindle Locations ). Foundation for Critical Thinking. Kindle Edition. Scholastic Essential Question Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student UnderstandingEssential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding by Jay McTighe and Grant WigginsJay McTighe

What skills, strategies or moves will students need to use or apply in order to successfully navigate this text? What learning should/could students to demonstrate after reading this text? Based on an understanding of reading ability, what aspects of the text will likely pose the most challenge for students? How is this text best presented to students and how can this text be used with other texts?

+ - Sequencing: learning process designed to promote deeper level of learning. - Scaffolding: the support given during the learning process. Sequencing and Scaffolding

Standards for Reading LiteratureStandards for Reading Informational Text RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot). RL.7.3 Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events). RL Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. RI Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text. From Common Core State Standards Washington State

-Does it allow students to explore the big ideas connected or relevant to the essential topic? -Does it allow students to practice techniques required for disciplinary expertise in a variety of ways? -Does it assist students to expand their conceptual and strategic repertoire? -Does it provide for multiple entrance levels? -Does it provide for multimodal learning? -Does it provide for differentiation? -Does it provide for student discovery and meaning making in a social setting?

Easy to Hard Model, Mentor, Monitor (I Do, We Do, You Do) Immediate to Imagined Close to Home to Far From Home Familiar to Unfamiliar Oral to Written Short to Long Scaffolded/Supported to Independent Collaborative and Socially Supported to Individual Concrete to Abstract Visually Supported to Purely Textual (Ideas for sequencing from Wilhelm, 2007; Smith and Wilhelm, 2003; Wilhelm, Baker and Hackett, 2001) BSWP, 2013

+ Transforming School Culture by Anthony Muhammad

+ Believers SurvivorsFundamentalists Tweeners

+ “Drop Your Tools” research study Firefighters’ reactions during Mann Gulch fire in 1949 Research Questions: Why is change so complex? Why would a person refuse to change at the risk of losing his or her own life? How to Overcome Staff Division by Anthony Muhammad

Engages students in a process for building knowledge about a topic Is engaging and authentic Requires close reading and discussion of primary sources and other informational texts Involves reading, writing, speaking & listening.

*based on a protocol created by Jess Westhoff and Katie Rotchford, BSWP Teacher Consultants

+ Phase One: Video and VisualsVideo Phase Two: first person accounts, interviews and newspaper articles

+ Phase Three: Summaries and interpretations Synthesis: Respond to synthesis question. Discuss in groups.

 What Idaho Core Standards did we target in the Document Based Inquiry?  How could you adapt this for use in your classroom?

Did we “Make reading texts closely, examining textual evidence, and discerning deep meaning a central focus of instruction?” Did we “Routinely expect that students draw evidence from texts to produce clear and coherent writing that informs, explains, or makes an argument in various written forms?” Photo by Mike Baird

+ 1. People persist when they are given no clear reason to change. 3. People may keep their familiar tools in an unfamiliar situation because an unfamiliar alternative...is even more frightening 4. People may refuse to change because change may mean admitting failure. 2. People persist when they don’t trust the person who tells them to change.

+ 1. What are the reasons for changing to meet the Idaho Core? Are your colleagues aware of those reasons? 3. Have your colleagues been provided the time and training they need to prepare for Idaho Core? If not, what can be done to change that? 4. Is there a system for holding your colleagues accountable once they have been provided the necessary training? If not, what are some non- threatening ways to do so? 2. Do your colleagues and administrators trust you? What can you do to foster that trust?

Ideas/Implications for P/D? Why is Change So Complex?