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Essential Questions:

Opening Doors toStudent Understanding

Jay McTighe

Author and Educational Consultant

e-mail: [email protected]

website: jaymctighe.com



templateresourcesStage 3 Stage 2 Stage 1 Understanding by Design Intro

©2004 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe page 2

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Stage 1 – Desired Results

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

What “real-world” taskswill reveal students’ under-standing and prociency?What transfer performan-ces should students be ableto do well if they have metthis Standard?

What should studentscome to understand if theyreally learn this contentwell?

What should students eventually beable to do on their own if they canmeet the Standard?

What important ques-tions are raised by this

content?What essential ques-tions will guide inquiryinto it?

What instruction is needed to equip students to meetthis Standard?What learning experiences will help learners acquire the knowldge and skills, make meaning of the importantideas and equip them to transfer their learning?

What evidence of

learning is called forby the Standard (andits indicators)?What assessmentsare needed?

Working with Standards using UbD

What big ideas and transfergoals are embedded in thisStandard?

What factual knowledgemust students acquire tomeet the Standard?

What specic skillsare stated or impliedin the Standard?What procienciesmust students attainto meet the Standard?

What Standard(s) will the unit focus on?Given your reasons for teaching the unit,which Standard(s) are most relevant?



templateresourcesStage 3 Stage 2 Stage 1 Understanding by Design Intro

©2004 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe page 3

:•What are the “big ideas”?

• What learning experiences and instruction will enable students to achieve

the desired results? How will the design –

• How will students reect upon

and self-assess their learning?

• What relevant goals (e.g., Content Standards, Course or Program Objectives, Learning

Outcomes etc.) will this design address?

W = help the students know where the unit is going and what is expected? Help the teacher

know where the students are coming from (prior knowledge, interests)?

H = hook all students and hold their interest?

E = equip students, help them experience the key ideas, and explore the issues?

R = provide opportunities to rethink and revise their understandings and work?

E = allow students to evaluate their work and its implications?

T = be tailored (personalized) to the different needs, interests, abilities of learners

O = be organized to maximize initial and sustained engagement as well as effective learning?

• What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?

• What should they eventually be able to do as a result of such knowledge and skill?

• What provocative questions will

foster inquiry, understanding, and

transfer of learning?

Understanding(s):

Students will know... Students will be able to...

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:


Essential Question(s):

U Q

G

T OE

LLearning Activities:

•What specic understandings about

them are desired?

•What misunderstandings are

predictable?

• Through what other evidence (e.g.

quizzes, tests, academic prompts,

observations, homework, journals,

etc.) will students demonstrate

achievement of the desired results?

• Through what authentic performance

task(s) will students demonstrate the

desired understandings?

• By what criteria will “performances

of understanding” be judged?


SK

Established Goal(s):


G



Essential Questions

©2013 Jay McTighe & Grant Wiggins page 4

•What are the “big ideas”?

• What learning experiences and instruction will enable students to achieve

the desired results? How will the design –

• How will students reect upon

and self-assess their learning?

• What relevant goals (e.g., Content Standards, Course or Program Objectives, Learning

Outcomes etc.) will this design address?

W = help the students know where the unit is going and what is expected? Help the teacher

know where the students are coming from (prior knowledge, interests)?

H = hook all students and hold their interest?

E = equip students, help them experience the key ideas, and explore the issues?

R = provide opportunities to rethink and revise their understandings and work?

E = allow students to evaluate their work and its implications?

T = be tailored (personalized) to the different needs, interests, abilities of learners

O = be organized to maximize initial and sustained engagement as well as effective learning?

• What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?

• What should they eventually be able to do as a result of such knowledge and skill?

• What provocative questions will

foster inquiry, understanding, and

transfer of learning?

Understanding(s):


Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:


Essential Question(s):U Q

G

T OE

LLearning Activities:

•What specic understandings about

them are desired?

•What misunderstandings are

predictable?

• Through what other evidence (e.g.

quizzes, tests, academic prompts, ob-

servations, homework, journals, etc.)

will students demonstrate achieve-

ment of the desired results?

• Through what authentic performance

task(s) will students demonstrate the

desired understandings?

• By what criteria will “performances

of understanding” be judged?


SK

Established Goal(s):


G



Essential Questions


Established Goal(s)

Understanding(s)

Students will understand that...


Performance Task(s) Summary in G.R.A.S.P.S. form

Other Evidence


Essential Question(s):U Q

G

S

T


OE

Key Criteria:

Title: ___________________________ Subject/Course: ____________________________

Topic: __________________ Grade(s): _______ Designer(s): _______________________

K

Standard 6 - Students will understand essential concepts about nutrition and diet. 6, a - Students will use an understanding of nutrition to plan appropriate diets forthemselves and others.

• A balanced diet enhances health andappearance, while poor nutrition leads to avariety of health problems.• Just because food tastes good, doesn’tmean it is good for you.

• Dietary requirements vary for individualsbased on age, activity level,weight, and overall health.• Healthful living requires an individual toact on available information about diet evenif it means breaking comfortable habits.

• What should we eat?•To what extent are you a healthyeater?• How could a healthy diet for one

person be unhealthy for another?• Why are there so many healthproblems in the modern world causedby poor nutrition despite all of theavailable information?

• key terms - protein, fat, calorie,carbohydrate, cholesterol, etc.

• types of foods in each food group• government nutritional guidelines• variables inuencing nutritional needs

• read and interpret nutrition informationon food labels

• analyze diets for nutritional value

• plan balanced diets for themselves andothers

Quizzes - on vocabulary, food groups, USDA Food PyramidPrompt - Describe two health problems that could arise as a result of poornutrition and explain how these could be avoided.

You Are What You Eat – Students create an illustrated brochure to teach younger children about a balanced diet and the importance of good nutrition forhealthful living.Camp Menu – Students develop a 3-day menu for meals and snacks for an upcomingOutdoor Education camp experience. They write a letter to the camp director toexplain why their menu should be selected (by showing that it meets governmentguidelines, yet tasty enough for the students).

• accurate application of nutritional concepts • clear and thorough expla-

nutrition 5-7 Bob James “You Are What You Eat” Health



Essential Questions


Arithmetic (numeration)

• What is a number? Why do we have numbers? What if we didn’t have numbers?• Can everything be quantied?

Arts (visual and performing)

• Where do artists get their ideas?• How does art reect, as well as shape, culture?

Culinary Arts

• When is it o.k. to deviate from the recipe?• What makes a “safe” kitchen?

Dance

• How and what can we communicate through the “language” of dance?• In what ways can motion evoke emotion?

Economics

• What determines value?• Can macro-economics inform micro-economics (and vice-versa)?

Foreign Language

• What distinguishes a uent foreigner from a native speaker?• How can I express myself when I don’t know all the words (of a target language)?

Geography

• What makes places unique and different?• How does where we live inuence how we live?

Government• Who should decide?• How should we balance the rights of individuals with the common good?

Health

• What is “healthful” living?• How can a diet be healthy for one person and not another?

Essential Questions(examples)



Essential Questions


History• Whose “story” is it? Is history the story told by the “winners?”• What can we learn from the past?

Literature• What makes a “great” book?• Can ction reveal “truth”? Should a story teach you something?

Mathematics• When is the “correct” answer not the best solution?• What are the limits of mathematical representation/modeling?

Music• How are sounds and silence organized in various musical forms?• If practice makes perfect, what makes “perfect” practice?

Physical Education/Athletics• Who is a “winner?”• Is pain necessary for progress in athletics? (“No pain, no gain” – agree?)

Reading/Language Arts• What makes a great story?• How do you read “between the lines?”• Why do we punctuate? What if we didn’t have punctuation marks?

Science• To what extent are science and common sense related?• How are “form” and “function” related in biology?

Technology

• In what ways can technology enhance expression/communication?In what ways might technology hinder it?

• What are the pros and cons of technological progress?

Writing• Why write?• How do effective writers hook and hold their readers?• How do purpose and audience inuence a writer’s style?

Essential Questions(more examples)



Essential Questions


7. How many legs does a spider have?How does an elephant use its trunk?

8. What is “foreshadowing”? Can yound an example of “foreshadowing’”in the story?

9. What is the original meaning of theterm, technology (from its Greekroot, “techne”)?

10. By what axioms are we able to provethe Pythagorean theorem?

11. What are some French colloquialisms?

12. How many minutes are in an hour?How many hours are in a day?

13. What is the relationship between popularity and greatness in literature?

14. When was the Magna Carta signed?

15. Crustaceans – what’s up with that?

16. Which president of the U. S. has the most disappointing legacy?

17. To what extent are common sense and science related?

18. What’s the pattern?

Part 2 - Use your list of characteristics as criteria to determine which of the following are Essential

Questions. Check “yes” or “no” after each example.

Rene your list of key characteristics of Essential Questions:

Concept Attainment – Essential QuestionsPart 1 - Examine the following examples and non-examples to determine the common characteristics

of Essential Questions. List these in the box below.

List common characteristics of the Essential Questions:

Not Essential QuestionsEssential Questions

YES NO ___ ___

___ ___

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

___ ___

1. How are “form” and “function”related in biology?

2. How do effective writers hook andhold their readers?

3. Who “wins” and who “loses” whentechnologies change?

4. Should it be an axiom if it is not

obvious?5. What distinguishes uent foreign-

ers from native speakers?

6. How would life be different if wecouldn’t measure time?



Essential Questions


Essential Questions...

can be overarching or topical, convergent or divergent.

Essential questions yield inquiry and argument -- a variety of plausible (and arguable) responses,

not straightforward facts that end the matter. They serve as doorways into focused yet lively inquiry

and research. They should uncover rather than cover (up) the subject’s controversies, puzzles, and

perspectives. They are intended to result in conclusions drawn by the learner, not recited facts. Does

art reect culture or help shape it? Can we look but not see? Why do “seers” see what the rest of us

don’t? Does the artist see more clearly or look elsewhere?

have no simple “right” answer - they are meant to be argued.

Essential Questions work best when they are designed and edited to be thought-provoking to

students, engaging them in sustained, focused inquiries which culminate in important performance.

Such questions often involve the counter-intuitive, the visceral, the whimsical, the controversial,

the provocative. Is the Internet dangerous for kids? Are censorship and democracy compatible?

Does food that is good for you have to taste bad? Why write? Students develop and deepen their

understanding of important ideas as they explore these questions.

are designed to provoke and sustain student inquiry, while also focusing

learning and nal performance(s).

Thought-provoking essential questions are naturally generative. They lead to other important ques-

tions within, and sometimes across, subject boundaries. For example: In nature, do only the strong

survive? leads to other questions and inquiries into human biology and the physics of physiology.

What do we mean by “strong?”, Are insects strong (since they are survivors)?, What does it mean

to be psychologically strong?

raise other important questions.

The same important questions get asked and re-asked throughout one’s learning and in the history of

the eld. For example: What makes a great book great? Are the Harry Potter novels great books?

can be productively examined and re-examined by rst graders as well as college students.

Over time, student responses become more sophisticated, nuanced, well-reasoned and supported as

their understandings deepen.

naturally and appropriately recur.

Essential questions reect the most historically important issues, problems and debates in a eld of

study. Is history inevitably biased? What is a proof? Nature or nurture? By examining such ques-

tions, students are engaged in thinking like an expert (i.e., “doing” the subject).

often address the conceptual or philosophical foundations of a discipline.



Essential Questions


Four Types of Essential Questions

Philosophical and TimelessOne meaning of “essential” is “important” and “timeless.” Essential questions in this sense arise

naturally and recur throughout one’s life. Such questions are broad in scope and universal by nature.

What is justice? Is art a matter of taste or principles? How far should we tamper with our own

biology and chemistry? Is science compatible with religion? Essential questions of this type are

common and perpetually arguable. A good education is grounded in such life-long questions, even if

we sometimes lose sight of them while focusing on content mastery. Such big-idea questions signal

that education is not just about learning “the answer” but about learning how to think, question, and

continually learn.

Epistemological Queries

Essential questions in this sense reect the key inquiries within a discipline. Such questions point to

the big ideas of a subject and to the frontiers of technical knowledge. They are historically important,

and very much “alive” in the eld. Is history inevitably biased? What makes art enduring? Are

science and religion compatible? have been widely and heatedly debated among scholars for the

past one hundred years, and compels novices and experts alike to think deeply.

Meaning Making for Content Understanding

There is a third important connotation for the term “essential” that refers to what is vital or necessary – in this case, what students need for learning core content. In this sense, a question can be consid-

ered essential when it helps students make sense of seemingly isolated facts and skills or important

but abstract ideas and strategies – ndings that may be understood by experts, but not yet grasped or

seen as valuable by the learner. In what ways does light act wave-like? How do the best writers hook

and hold their readers? What models best describe a business cycle? By actively exploring such

questions, the learner is helped to connect disparate and confusing information and arrive at impor-

tant understandings as well as to more effective (transfer) applications of their knowledge and skill.

Metacognitive and Reective

General questions of this type are truly “essential” to effective learning and performance, within and

outside of school. What do I know and what do I need to know? Where should I start? When should

I change course? How will I know when I am done? What is working? What’s not? What adjust-

ments should I make? Is there a more efcient and effective way to do this? What have I learned?

What insights have I gained? What will I do differently next time to improve? Such questions have

proven particularly fruitful in subjects that focus on skill development and performance They can be

fruitfully posed and considered across the grades, as well as at home and throughout life!



Essential Questions


1. Can we prove a scientic hypothesis?

2. Is man condemned to create illusions about himself?

3. Is it our duty to seek out the truth?

4. Would we have more freedom without the state?

5. Can natural desires exist?

6. Is the only purpose of working to be useful?

7. What does one gain from working?

8. Is every belief contrary to reason?

9. Can desire be disinterested?

10. Are we prisoners of the past?11. Do artworks have to be pleasurable?

12. Do technological developments threaten our liberty?

13. Is it absurd to desire the impossible?

14. Are there questions that no science answers?

15. What does one gain by exchanging?

16. Does technical development transform humans?

17. Does language betray thought?

18. Does historical objectivity presuppose an impartial historian?

Philosophical Essential Questions on the

French Baccalaureate Exam



Essential Questions


Stated/implied performances in VERBS:Stated/implied “big ideas” in NOUNS:

Unpacking Standards - “Inside Out” Method

STANDARD

Understandings

Essential Questions

Transfer Goal(s)

Performance Task(s)

ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS:

Criteria

Source: Common Core – College and Career Readiness Standards – Writing

• arguments • claims

• topics or texts

• evidence • reasoning

• write • support (claims)

• analyze (topics/texts)

• reasoning

• valid

• relevant

• sufcient

• relevant evidence

• sufcient evidence

• valid reasoning

Based on your reading of informational

texts on a local or national issue, prepare

a (report, letter to editor, essay) for a

specic audience to convince them of yourposition. Your argument should follow a

logical sequence with supporting evidence

for your position (claim).

• What makes an argument convincing?

• What is the best evidence I can use

to support my argument?

• How do I best organize and present

my argument?

• The effectiveness of an argument

is dependent upon the quality of the

supporting evidence used (validity,

appropriateness) and how it is con-

veyed.

produce clear and coherent

writing to persuade a target

audience

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantivetopics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufcient

evidence.



Essential Questions


Stated/implied performances in VERBS:Stated/implied “big ideas” in NOUNS:

Unpacking Standards - “Inside Out” Method

STANDARD

Understandings

Essential Questions

Transfer Goal(s)

Performance Task(s)

ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS:

Criteria

• mathematical model(s)

• “real life” problems• disciplines and life

• How can I best model this phenomena

in this situation?

• Do these results make sense?

• What are the limits of this

mathematical model in this context?

• What do effective problem solvers do?

• Mathematical models simplify and

connect phenomena to assist in under-

standing and problem solving.

• Mathematical models must be viewed

critically so that they do not mislead.

•Effective problem solvers always check

for the reasonableness of solutions.

• Create a mathematical model for a

selected “real-world” situation (e.g.,

seasonal temperatures).

• Critically review and improve a

mathematical model for its appropri-

ateness to a given situation.

• model

• apply

• solve

Apply the mathematics they know

to develop mathematical models

for solving real world problems

• appropriate modeling

• accurate

• reasonableness of solution

Model with Mathematics

Mathematically procient students can apply the mathematics they know to solve problems

arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace....routinely interpret their mathemati-

cal results in the context of the situation and reect on whether the results make sense,

possibly improving the model if it has not served its purpose.Source: Common Core State Standards – Mathematics

• interpret

• reect on

• improve



Essential Questions


Essential Questions in Two Strands

Content (Concepts) ProcessesSocial Studies

• How should we balance individual

rights with the common good?

• Does capitalism insure economic in-

equality?

• How do we know what to believe about

historical claims?

• Whose “story” is this?

English/Language Arts –Reading

• What “truths” can we learn from

ction?

• Can anyone be a hero?

• How does what I read inuence how

I should read it?

• How do you read “between the lines”?

Mathematics

•What do numbers show?

• What are the limits of this mathematical

model (e.g., a linear equation)?

• What do good problem solvers do?

• What makes an answer reasonable?

Visual & Media Arts

• How do the arts reect and shape

culture?

• How and why do artists break with

tradition?

• How do tools and materials inuence

artistic expression?

• How can/should we “read” a work of

art?

Physical Education & Athletics• When and why should we change the

rules?

• Why and how do we “create space”

when on offense?

• No pain, no gain – agree?

• If practice makes perfect, what makes

“perfect” practice?



Essential Questions


unit on masks• What do masks and their use reveal

about the culture? What tools, tech-niques, and materials are used in cre-ating masks from different cultures?

unit on insects• How do the structure and behavior of

insects enable them to survive?• How do insects survive when their en-

vironment changes?

unit on mysteries• What is unique about the mystery genre?• How do great mystery writers hook and

hold their readers?

unit on the parallel postulate• Why is this an axiom if it’s so complex?• What no longer holds true if we deny it?

unit on the U.S. Constitution• In what ways does the Constitution

attempt to limit abuse of governmentpowers ?

• Does separation of powers (3 branchesof governement) create a deadlock?

are subject- and topic-specic. Topical questions

frame a unit of study. They guide the exploration

of “big ideas” and processes within particular

subjects. For example:What aspects of Stranger

in a Strange Land are plausible? guide inquiry

within a specic literature unit. This unit

question links to the overarching question, How

“true” is a ctional story? addressed within

other English/Language Arts units.

These questions point beyond the particulars of

a unit to the larger, transferable “big ideas” and

enduring understandings. Practically speaking,

the specic topics, events, or texts of the unit

are typically not mentioned in the framing of

overarching questions. For example: Is science

ction great literature? is an overarching

question for any unit on a specic text such as

Stranger in a Strange Land .

Types of Essential Questions

examples

Topical Questions -Overarching Questions -

Art• In what ways does art reect culture as

well as shape it?• How do artists choose tools, techniques,

and materials to express their ideas?

Literature• What makes a great story?• How do effective writers hook and hold

their readers?

Science• How does an organism’s structure

enable it to survive in its environment?• How do organisms survive in harsh or

changing environments?

Mathematics• If axioms are like the rules of the

game, when should we change therules?

History/Government• How do governments balance the rights

of individuals with the common good?• How and why do we provide checks and

balances on government power?



Essential Questions


Overarching Understandings

and Essential Questions for Writing

Enduring Understandings:1. Audience and purpose (e.g., to inform, persuade, entertain) inuence the use of lit-

erary techniques (e.g., style, tone, word choice).

2. Writers do not always say what they mean. Indirect forms of expression (e.g., satire,

irony) require readers to read between the lines to nd the intended meaning.

3. Punctuation marks and grammar rules are like highway signs and trafc signals.

They guide readers through the text to help avoid confusion.

4. A writer selects a form based on his purpose.

5. A writer’s point of view is inuenced by his experience.6. Conventions of language help readers understand what is being communicated.

7. The purposeful use and non-use of language conventions help readers understand.

8. A writer’s word choice and syntax are characteristics of voice which help to

personalize text.

Essential Questions: 1. Why write? What if writing didn’t exist? Why share personal experiences in

writing? 2. How is written language different from spoken language? What makes

writing worth reading?3. How do writers express their thoughts and feelings? Where do ideas for writing

come from? What makes writing ow?

4. How do effective writers hook and hold their readers? What makes writing easy to

follow? What is the best beginning? What is the best ending? What is the best order

(sequence)? What is a complete thought?

5. Why am I writing? For whom? What am I trying to achieve through my writing?

Who will read my writing? What will work best for my audience?

6. Why does a writer choose the form of writing he/she does?

7. What is the relationship between reader and writer?8. How do writers communicate clearly?

9. To what extent do conventions of language impact communication?

10. What makes writing worth reading?

11. Why do we need grammar?

12. To what extent is the pen mightier than the sword?

Source: Delaware Department of Education – ELA Design Team



Essential Questions


Overarching Essential Questions for

MATHEMATICS

I. How is mathematics used to quantify and compare situations, events and

phenomena?

II. What are the mathematical attributes of objects or processes and how are

they measured or calculated?

III. How are spatial relationships, including shape and dimension, used to

draw, construct, model and represent real situations or solve problems?

IV. How is mathematics used to measure, model and calculate change?

V. What are the patterns in the information we collect and how are they useful?

VI. How can mathematics be used to provide models that help us interpret data

and make predictions?

VII. What are the limits of mathematical modeling/representation?

VIII. In what ways can data be expressed so that its accurate meaning is con-

cisely presented to a specic audience?

IX. How do the graphs of mathematical models and data help us better under-

stand the world in which we live?

X. What does it mean to reason mathematically?

XI. How can mathematics support effective communication?

XII. What do effective problem solvers do? What do they do when they get

stuck?

– adapted from Pomperaug Region #15 Schools, CT



Essential Questions


Essential Questions in World Language

Motivation/Goals/Benets

• Why learn another language?• Where does this language live in my community?

• How will learning a language enhance my life?

• How might learning a language open “doors of opportunity”?

Learning Process

• What language learning skills do I already have?

• What are “language patterns” and how can they help me learn and use a new language?

• How can I use my existing communication skills to learn a new language?

• What are different language learning styles?

• How do I determine the most effective language learning style for me?• What strategies and resources will help me learn another language?

• How can I sound more like a native speaker?

• How can one express complex ideas using simple terms?

• How do I gure out meaning when words are not understood?

• What do I do when I am stuck?

• What can I do to help me improve my uency and accuracy?

Communication

• Why isn’t a dictionary enough?

• Why don’t you have to translate everything?• How do native speakers differ from uent foreigners?

• In what ways do languages convey meaning?

• How do people communicate without using language?

• What strategies can I use to communicate more effectively?

• How uent do I need to be in speaking and/or writing a new language in order to be able to

communicate effectively?

• How does language change in different situations?

Why don’t you use the same words, expressions, etc. with everyone? ... in every situation?

• What do I do when my ideas are more sophisticated than my ability to communicate them?

• What can I do when I do not have the words to say what I am thinking?

• How do I keep a conversation going?

• How can you “speak” without words?

• How does body language complement the words? How and when might it compete with them?

• What are the benets of taking a chance in language? …the risks?

• What mistakes are worth making?

• How is spoken language different from written language?

• How do good speakers express their thoughts and feelings?

• What makes a speaker easy to follow?



Essential Questions


Deriving Overarching Essential Questions

from VISUAL ARTS Standards

Standard 1. Understands that visual art communicates different ideas, experiences andstories to the viewer

- What is the purpose of art?

- How do we understand what is communicated visually?

- What is important about art?

- How does art tell us about a place or time?

- Why do we need special vocabulary to discuss art?

Standard 2. Understands that history, culture and the visual arts inuence each other

- Who is an artist?

- Why make art?

- How have artists in other times and places communicated?

- What is the connection between media and time period?

- Who is an artist responsible to? (themselves, the community, the world, etc.)

Standard 3. Understands that the visual arts can be evaluated based on various criteria

- What is art?

- What makes art “good”? What makes art “bad”?

- What is the difference between how a subject appears and how we think of it?

Standard 4. Understands that artists vary media, techniques and processes according to

their purpose

- What effect does working in different styles of Art have?

- How is art like other pieces that authors and musicians create?

- Is there a particular way a media should or should not be used?

- What is the connection between media and time period?

- How does the media inuence the message?

Standard 5. Identies, uses, and adjusts principles of design effectively and according

to purpose.- How can we make a work of art appear to be unied? Why does it matter?

Standard 6. Identies, uses, and adjusts elements of art effectively and according to

purpose.

- What is the connection between color and emotion?

- How can we arrange the elements of art to express our ideas and knowledge?





Essential Questions


strategy, tactics context

purpose, valueunderlying concepts

Essential Questions in Skill Areas

There is a common misunderstanding among many educators that teaching for understanding of “big

ideas” are not really central to the teaching of skill-focused areas, such as beginning literacy, physi-

cal education, and mathematics. On the contrary: everything we know about learning tells us that thatteaching for conceptual understanding is essential to more accurate and efcient skill performance.

Essential questions in skill areas may be considered in terms of the following categories:

• key concept(s) – What are the “big ideas” underlying effective skill performance?

• purpose, value – Why is the skill important?

• strategy, tactics – What strategies do skilled performers employ? How can skill performance

become more efcient and effective?

• context – When should you use the skill?

Use the space below to brainstorm possible essential questions for important skills.

• When and how should we sample?• What do good readers do when

they don’t understand the text?• How can you hit with greatest

power without losing control?

• When is sampling sometimes betterthan counting?

• When should you use the various“x-up” reading strategies?

• Why does follow-through matter?

• What makes an appropriate sample?• How do you know that you com-

prehend what you are reading?• How is torque applied in sports?

• Why would we want to sample in-stead of counting everything?

• Why should readers regularlymonitor their comprehension?

• How does torque affect power?

examples from:

- mathematics- reading

- physical education



Essential Questions


Subject Skill Strategy Essential Questions

Reading “Sound out” unfamiliar

words.

Use context clues to

figure out the word’smeaning.

• What’s the author

trying to say?

• How can I find outwhat these words might

mean?

Writing Follow the five-para-

graph essay structure.

Match your word

choices with your pur-

pose and audience.

• If that’s my purposeand audience, what fol-

lows for my writing?

Mathematics Dividing fractions:

Invert and multiply.

Problem solving:

• Simplify equivalent

expressions.

• Work backward fromend result.

• How can I turn

unknowns into knowns?

• What form must thisend up in?

Visual Arts/

Graphic Design

Use the color wheel to

select complementarycolors.

Use colors to reinforce

the mood you want toevoke in the viewer.

• What am I trying to

make the viewer feel?

• How can I best evoke

mood using color?

Carpentry Apply proper tech-niques when using a

band saw.

Measure twice, cutonce.

• How can I best savetime, money, and

energy?

Essential Questions in Skill Areasexamples



Essential Questions


Original Draft Commentary Revision Commentary

Are there any benets

from the deforestation

of the rain forests?

The question calls for

some information gather-

ing and analysis, but ends

in a list.

Do the benets

outweigh the costs

of deforestation?

The revised question

broadens the inquiry

and calls for a more

sophisticated analysis;

far more likely to spark

debate and deeper

inquiry into any list of

pros and cons.

How does this diet

match up with the

USDA Guidelines?

The question requires

some analysis and evalu-

ation, but there is a “cor-

rect” answer.

What should we

eat?

A much more open

version with lots of

inquiry and debate

potential.

What is non-ction? A denitional question

with an unambiguous

answer.

How much license

does a writer of

non-ction have to

make a point?

This version of the

question explores an

interesting “grey” area

having both histori-

cal and contemporary

relevance.

Who speaks Spanish in

our community?

A straightforward ques-

tion asking for a list.

How well can you

thrive speaking

only English?

A more provocative

version calling for

greater analysis and ashift of perspective.

What is an axiom? A straight-forward

question calling for a

“denitional” answer.

Why should we

assume that?

A much more open

question that gets at

why some things are

“given” even if they do

not seem obvious or

necessary.

What distinguishes

Impressionist art?

A “leading” question with

an expected set of charac-

teristics.

Why and how do

artists break with

tradition?

These questions re-

quire an examination

of artistic trends andcall for a generaliza-

tion by learners.

What types of exercises

will improve tness?

This question involves

research but is leading-

toward expected answers.

“No pain, no gain”

– agree?

A more provoca-

tive question, likely

to spark discussion,

debate – and further

inquiry.

Revising Essential Questions





Essential Questions


Six Elements of Classroom Culture Within Our Control

Cultural

element

Conditions in support of a questioning

culture

Conditions that undercut a questioning

culture

1. Nature of the

learning goals

Students recognize the various kinds of

learning goals, especially that inquiry intoopen-ended questions is different from (but

as important as) the goal of content mastery.

Students believe (and teacher actions

reinforce) that the point of learning issolely mastery of content knowledge.

Students believe that teacher questions

are after THE answer, and that extended

inquiry and discussion, no matter how

intellectually engaging, are distractions

from or not related to the real goal.

2. Roles ofteacher and

students

Teacher and student roles are explicitlydefined to support of collective inquiry into

essential questions. Active intellectual

engagement and meaning making is

expected of the student. Essential questions

serve as touchstones and answers are to be

questioned.

The teacher assumes the role of expert,while the student is expected to be a

willing recipient of knowledge. Questions

are used to probe student grasp of

material, and answers are either correct

or incorrect.

3. Protocols andcodes of

conduct

There are explicit protocols and a code of

conduct for appropriate behavior related to

asking questions and responding to

questions and answers. All learners are

expected to participate and contribute, and

all contributions will be treated with

respect.

There is no explicit protocol or code of

conduct for how to engage in inquiry and

discussion, or how to respond to teacher

questions or student answers. The

teacher routinely calls only on students

who volunteer, so that student passivity

and dis-engagement are tacitly accepted.

4. Safety and

supportive-

ness of

classroom

climate

The teacher establishes and models a safe

and supportive climate for intellectual risk-

taking and challenges to ideas. Inappropriate

behaviors (e.g., “put downs”) are firmly but

tactfully addressed.

The teacher fails to model and reinforce

the climate necessary for helping

students feel safe and willing to take

intellectual risks. Students may be made

to feel stupid or inadequate.

5. Use of space

and physical

resources

Essential Questions are prominently posted

or otherwise visible and referred to

regularly. Classroom furniture and use of

space are deliberately organized to supportfree-flowing, engaged and respectful

conversation.

The arrangement of furniture prevents

everyone from seeing each other in the

class. Neither teacher nor students take

steps to re-arrange the setup to supportgroup inquiry; thus sustained discussion

is undercut.

6. Use of texts

and other

learning

resources

Texts and other support materials are

chosen to advance inquiry. The teacher

makes it clear that textbooks and related

resources are limited in their ability to drive

inquiry into essential questions.

The textbook is treated as the syllabus

rather than a supportive resource.

Teachers march through the text

sequentially, making it seem as if

coverage matters more than inquiry.



Essential Questions

Established Goal(s)

Understanding(s)

Students will understand that...

Essential Question(s)U Q

G


Title: ___________________________ Subject/Course: ____________________________

Topic: __________________ Grade(s): _______ Designer(s): _______________________

Documents

essential-questions-handout.pdf