1. Synthesis Inquiry Process
Essential Questions

3. Writing Essential Questions
What is an essential question?
What constitutes a good essential question?
A question that probe for deeper meaning and set the stage for further questioning foster the development of critical thinking skills and higher order capabilities such as problem solving and understanding complex systems.
are centered on major issues, problems, concerns, interests, or themes relevant to students' lives and to their communities.
are open-ended, non-judgmental, meaningful and purposeful with emotive force and intellectual bite, and invite an exploration of ideas.

4. Essential Questions: Are: Are not:
It IS a question that guides your research.
It IS a question that will give your research a frame and a focus.
It IS clear and concise—or short and sweet.
It IS a question that tells your audience what your project will address.
It IS a question that has no single “right” answer.
It is NOT a question that can be answered with a yes or no.
It is NOT a question that can be answered in one sentence.
It is NOT a blurry or large question that requires a five-pound book to answer.

5. Essential Question and Focus Questions:
All Essential Questions should raise a number of follow up questions.
Essential Questions should be broken up in to smaller focus questions.
The Focus Questions should be subordinate to the Essential Question.
Focus questions should also raise more questions.
Each level of subordination should be more specific than the question above it.
1. Essential Question 2. Focus Question 3. Sub Question

6. Essential Question Example:
1. Why do students have so much anxiety about school? 2. How do academics cause anxiety? 3. What subjects cause the most student anxiety? 3. How do expectations of students, teachers, parents, and society affect anxiety levels? 2. How does socialization amongst students cause anxiety? 3. What type of activities are students with the least anxiety participating in? 2. How are students dealing with this anxiety? 3. Why do students react to anxiety with unhealthy or negative behaviors? 3. How do students mindsets affect the levels of anxiety one feels? 2. How are administrators and teachers helping or hindering their students anxiety levels? 3. How are administrators focusing on this topic throughout the school?? 3. How are teachers dealing with this in their classrooms?