+ Essential Questions: Are they essential? Slide 2 + Team
Learning Slide 3 + What is an essential question? Why is a question
format used rather than an objective? Why are essential questions
important? Why do you think teachers sometimes avoid the heart of
the curriculum and teach to the periphery? How are essential
questions like mental Velcro? Examples from your units??????
Creative application Slide 4 + How do I get started? What do I want
my students to remember about this topic 5/10 years from now? It
may be helpful to complete the sentence, Students will understand
that before beginning to write your essential question. Slide 5 +
Do I have to write the essential questions myself? Slide 6 +
Miscellaneous Helpful Hints Write your essential questions in
language that is easily understood by your students. Keep the
essential questions posted in your room during the unit. Sequence
your questions so they lead naturally from one to another. If a
question is very specific, or can be answered with a few words or a
sentence, it may not be an essential question. Slide 7 + More
Helpful Hints Lead a brainstorming session with students in which
you provide the topic of study and they provide questions they
would like to have answered during the unit. Pose the questions at
the beginning of the unit as a pre-assessment. Use the questions to
frame one, or a series, of activities. Create culminating
assessments around answering these questions. Slide 8 + Essential
Questions from the Students Perspective Help students see a
connection between their learning and their lives Help students
answer the question, So what? for their learning Translate the
standards and objectives in a user-friendly way, so that students
understand what the unit will entail Slide 9 + Not so essential
question What is cancer? A question like this asks students to move
information from one point (the resource) to another (their paper).
By asking students questions like these you may be encouraging them
to plagiarize. Slide 10 + Better What plan could you develop that
would reduce your likelihood of developing cancer? Slide 11 + Even
Better What plan could you develop that would reduce your
likelihood of developing cancer? Your plan can have only 2
strategies. Defend why you selected those two strategies. Slide 12
+ How is an essential question like a safari?
