1. Essential Questions Webquests Powerquests By Kathy Beck
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By Kathy Beck

2. What Are Essential Questions
Requires the student to make a decision or plan a course of action
Fosters higher order thinking skills
Promotes critical thinking skills and problem solving
Promotes multi-disciplinary investigations

3. Blooms Taxonomy

4. Blooms Taxonomy
Evaluation: (Give Opinion, Criticize, Discriminate, Summarize)
What is the significance of this photo for the time period of their dress?
Compare this photo with working women of today. How do they differ?
Synthesis: (Create, Construct, Plan, Role Play)
What might these women say about their skills in an interview?
Analysis: (Analyze, Separate, Compare, Contrast)
Why are these women here?
What can you tell about them by the way they are dressed?
Application: (Modify, Solve, Change, Explain)
How would you describe this photo to others?
What caption would you write for this photo?
Comprehension: (Describe, Name, Identify, Discuss)
What is happening in this picture?
Why are they dressed like this?
Knowledge: (List, Define, Tell, Label)
When was this picture taken?
Where was this picture taken?

5. What makes a good Essential Question?
Essential Questions
reside at the top of
Blooms Taxonomy
Answers to Essential Questions can not be found – they must be invented
Essential Questions usually lend themselves well to multi-disciplinary investigations

6. What are the most important concepts my students should learn from this?
Essential questions are concepts in the form of questions. Questions suggest inquiry.
Essential questions are organizers and set the focus for the lesson or unit.
Essential questions are initiators of creative and critical thinking.
Essential questions are conceptual commitments focusing on key concepts in the area of study.

7. Essential Questions engage students in real life applied kinds of problem solving.

8. An Essential question is the heart of the curriculum
An Essential question is the heart of the curriculum. It is the essence of what you believe students should examine and know in the short time they have with you.
Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs.

9. Teachers can use questions before a learning experience to establish a mental set with which students process the learning experience.
Marzano, Pickering, Pollock

10. Questions designed to help students obtain a deeper understanding of content will eventually increase their interest in the topic.
Marzano, Pickering, Pollock

11. Essential questions are designed with deeper understanding in mind.
Marzano, Pickering, Pollock

12. Essential Questions: What specific questions will guide this unit and focus teaching and learning?

13. How to Write Essential Questions
Require students to use thinking skills
Analysis: Categorize, Sequence, Assume, Conclude
Synthesis: Compose, Invent, Solve, Prove
Evaluation: Defend, Justify, Prioritize, Prove
Begin with a strong verb
High level vs lower level questions
Open ended vs close-ended questions

15. Literature Examples of Essential Questions
Number the Stars
No more Dead Dogs
That was Then, This is Now
The Giver
Two Suns in the Sky
The Devil’s Arithmetic
Animal Farm
Skip examples

16. Essential Question Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
What part does religion play in war?
What causes war?
What are the results of war?
How do children respond to and resolve the conflict around them?
How does courage, resourcefulness and discrimination play a role in times of war?

17. Essential Question No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman
Is honesty always the best policy?
When is it alright to tell a lie?
Rick-isms? Meanings behind the words
What is a hero?
Hero worship
Injustice

18. Essential Question That was Then - This is Now by SE Hinton
What is considered (what events mark) coming of age in today's culture?
Accepting responsibilities for one's actions whether good or bad
Anger Management
Interpersonal Conflict
Gang Rivalries
Motivations
Changing Relationships

19. Essential Question The Giver by Lois Lowry
What comparisons can be made with the Ceremony in the book with our lives?
How does Jonas’s assignment differ from his peers?
Are there any situations in our lives that we are given assignments?
What are the advantages of Jonas's society? Disadvantages?  
      
What are some similarities of Jonas’s community to ours? What are some differences?
What types of behaviors or activities show sameness in Jonas’s world?
What are some examples of sameness in our world?
Questions about diversity and conformity

20. Essential Questions Two Suns in the Sky by Miriam Bat-Ami
Bubble vs. walnut - what is the difference between these conceptions of the world?
What do stars signify in different cultures?
Questions about tolerance and its absence
Being different

21. Essential Questions The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Names play a significant role in various cultures...why?
How does one's heritage define who they are?
What roles do prophets play in religion? Significance
Questions about the importance of remembering
Questions about the importance of exploring and studying history

22. Essential Questions Animal Farm by George Orwell
What causes people to rise up and rebel?
What prevailing conditions cause revolt?
What is the nature of power and how do people get it, take and use or abuse it?
What are the stages of a revolution and how does Animal Farm follow this formula?
What are the qualities of a good leader?
How does revolution affect individuals both rich and poor, leaders and followers?

23. Essential Questions Big 6 Powerquests
What product can you use to follow Big 6 research skills to assist students in their assignment?
Webquest
Powerquest

24. What is a Webquest? and what is a Powerquest?

25. Inquiry Based Learning
Student Centered
Combines instructional strategies
Uses and processes information
Can be short term or long term
Organized in a specific way that is universal

26. Webquest / Powerquest Format
Introduction
Task
Resources
Process
Evaluation
Conclusion
Teachers guide - optional
See Template
See Designing a Webquest

27. Inquiry Based Learning
Focus students’ inquiry on questions that are challenging and have to be solved
Teach students specific procedures and strategies in the process of solving the quest
Include opportunities for students to access information that is essential to the inquiry
Give students opportunities to work with peers (cooperative learning)
Help students develop competencies while completing a sequence of activities
Provides the opportunity for performance/presentation
Involve students in the process of deriving the standards for performance
Rely on authentic assessment for learning

28. Student Centered Students play a role Not text book driven
Teacher as a facilitator
Choosing themes that have meaning to students
Have a stake in the presentation and set up their own criteria

29. Cross curricular
Meaningful learning
Comprehension and transferable knowledge
Greater retention of information

30. Cooperative Learning Working in a team Social skills
Learn how to deal with constructive feedback
Learn how to reach a consensus
Awareness of their contribution
Learn about different jobs and roles
Listening skills
Verbal skills
Appreciate diversity

31. Affective Learning Enthusiasm Motivation Expressing opinions
Talking about frustrations
Reflection

32. Learning Styles Speaks to all types of learners
Tactile
Auditory
Visual
Working on students strengths and weaknesses

33. Webquest - - Powerquest
Turn your webquest into a powerpoint and you have a powerquest.
Use the webquest/powerquest template.
This product can be embellished with appropriate coordinated backgrounds and images and posted to the web to share with other staff.

34. PowerQuest
A webquest built within a PowerPoint. A WebQuest is a learning activity used by educators. During this activity learners read, analyze and synthesize information using the World Wide Web. Learners typically complete Webquests as cooperative groups. Each learner within a group can be given a role or specific area to research. WebQuests may take the form of role-playing scenarios, where students take on the personas of professional researchers or historical figures.
Template for Powerquest – on webpage

35. Where to Begin
Get together with other teachers – combine strengths and expertise
Explore webquests that are already available – don’t duplicate if you don’t have to. There are many sources..
– 30 day free trial, $20.00 to subscribe
Assess your students needs – multiple intelligences
Start slow

36. In Preparation for Collaboration on Webquests or PowerQuests
Read the book,
Or choose your topic
Or theme
Basic knowledge of PowerPoint
Prepare Essential Questions – becomes the topic of your PowerQuest or Webquest
Identify SCOS objectives

37. Bring or email to yourself:
to yourself ( or save on flash drive and bring):
Links to sites that can be used to obtain information (Kathy will provide some)
Appropriate clip art to enhance their PowerQuest (Kathy will provide some)
Bibliography of Resources

38. Created by Kathy Beck
Iredell Statesville Schools