This link has been bookmarked by 128 people . It was first bookmarked on 30 Mar 2008, by Diane Peters.
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22 Mar 17
Becky Seymour"Essential Questions . . .
These are questions that touch our hearts and souls.
They are central to our lives. They help to define what it means to be human.
Most of the important thought we will conduct during our lives will center on such essential questions." -
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Kevin BoozerEssential question info from The Question Mark
pedagogy essential Education essentialquestions essential_questions Inquiry
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- The question probes a matter of considerable importance.
- The question requires movement beyond understanding and studying - some kind of action or resolve - pointing toward the settlement of a challenge, the making of a choice or the forming of a decision.
- The question cannot be answered by a quick and simple “yes” or “no” answer.
- The question probably endures, shifts and evolves with time and changing conditions - offering a moving target in some respects.
- The question may be unanswerable in the ultimate sense.
- The question may frustrate the researcher, may prove arid rather than fertile and may evade the quest for clarity and understanding.
What are the traits of an essential question?
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04 Apr 15
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09 Dec 14
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03 Oct 14
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Examples of Essential Questions -
Primary Grades
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Intermediate Grades
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Middle School
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05 Sep 14
Debra HoneggerWhat are the traits of an essential question?
The question probes a matter of considerable importance.
The question requires movement beyond understanding and studying - some kind of action or resolve - pointing toward the settlement of a challenge, the making of a choice or the forming of a decision.
The question cannot be answered by a quick and simple “yes” or “no” answer.
The question probably endures, shifts and evolves with time and changing conditions - offering a moving target in some respects.
The question may be unanswerable in the ultimate sense.
The question may frustrate the researcher, may prove arid rather than fertile and may evade the quest for clarity and understanding.
Unfortunately, the term is often bandied about with little rigor, definition or clarity so that many pedestrian and insignificant questions slip in under the term simply because they are large, sweeping and grand in some respects.
Essential questions are not simply BIG questions covering lots of ground.
To trace the decline and fall of the Roman Empire is a grand task, an enormous task, but it hardly makes for an essential question because it lacks focus and fails to move past description to analysis, synthesis or evaluation. If we were to ask instead how our modern state, be it Australia, the United States or Canada, might avoid a decline like the one experienced by the Roman Empire, we would convert mere collecting and description into a much more important and intriguing task. -
Holly EsterlineGood examples of essential questions by age level/difficulty
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02 Sep 14
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10 Jul 14
Sarah FeldmanHelpful definition of "essential" questions, with examples from different age levels. Written by Jamie McKenzie, chapter 10 from McKenzie's book, "Learning to Question to Wonder to Learn.
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What is the best way to balance the need for resource development with protection of the environment?
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17 Nov 12
valerie taylorAnalysis questions are critically important as students will be called upon to figure things out and demonstrate inferential reasoning on increasingly difficult tests. Instead of finding answers, students must make answers, putting clues together to solve a mystery or build a case.
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03 Nov 12
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10 Oct 12
Karen GrayShared with the Lower School faculty.
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09 Oct 12
lisacetroniInteresting thoughts toward the end... Not so sure about the EQ's in the article. What do you think?
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07 Jul 12
Karen VitekThis article is Chapter Ten of Jamie McKenzie's new book, Learning to Question to Wonder to Learn..
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Debra Roethkegood chapter on writing
essential questionscriticalthinking questions questioning es Digital Curriculum
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These are questions that touch our hearts and souls.
They are central to our lives. They help to define what it means to be human.
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Most of the important thought we will conduct during our lives will center on such essential questions.
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of curriculum and lessons. Most essential questions are interdisciplinary in natur
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Essential questions usually probe the deep and often confounding issues confronting us - complex and baffling matters that elude simple answers: Life - Death - Marriage - Identity - Purpose - Betrayal - Honor Integrity - Courage - Temptation - Faith - Leadership - Addiction Invention - Inspiration
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They pass the test of “So what?” They focus on matters of import.
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Many of us believe that schools should devote more time to essential questions and less time to Trivial Pursuit.
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- The question probes a matter of considerable importance.
- The question requires movement beyond understanding and studying - some kind of action or resolve - pointing toward the settlement of a challenge, the making of a choice or the forming of a decision.
- The question cannot be answered by a quick and simple “yes” or “no” answer.
- The question probably endures, shifts and evolves with time and changing conditions - offering a moving target in some respects.
- The question may be unanswerable in the ultimate sense.
- The question may frustrate the researcher, may prove arid rather than fertile and may evade the quest for clarity and understanding.
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They are worthy of our time and are likely to spark interest and awaken curiosity.
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They require new thought rather than the mere collection of facts, second hand opinions or cut-and-paste thinking.
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24 Aug 11
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14 Mar 11
Lisette Casey"Go find out about Robert or Elizabeth Browning (or any other poet, general, prime minister, hero, character, celebrity, scoundrel or seer. What did he or she do?
Upgraded Version
What were the five most distinguishing characteristics of Browning and how did they contribute to her success of failure? What made her great or not so great? What are the two or three most important things you learned about her that might serve you well? " -
24 Feb 11
Amy SpencerHow to write essential questions
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18 Dec 10
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29 Sep 10
Colleen Worrell"Essential Questions"
Resource to help better understand and craft essential questions. -
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04 Sep 10
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15 Aug 10
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- The question probes a matter of considerable importance.
- The question requires movement beyond understanding and studying - some kind of action or resolve - pointing toward the settlement of a challenge, the making of a choice or the forming of a decision.
- The question cannot be answered by a quick and simple “yes” or “no” answer.
- The question probably endures, shifts and evolves with time and changing conditions - offering a moving target in some respects.
- The question may be unanswerable in the ultimate sense.
- The question may frustrate the researcher, may prove arid rather than fertile and may evade the quest for clarity and understanding.
What are the traits of an essential question?
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Essential questions explore matters of import.
They are worthy of our time and are likely to spark interest and awaken curiosity.
They require new thought rather than the mere collection of facts, second hand opinions or cut-and-paste thinking.
We can convert traditional school questions into essential questions using a strategy fully outlined in Chapter 22 of this book.
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- Build or Invent
- Challenge or Destroy
- Decide
- Figure Out
- Persuade or Convince
- Wonder
- Acquaint
- Dismiss
- Predict
- Understand
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In schools, essential questions may offer the organizing focus for a single discussion, a month’s unit of study or a whole year’s exploration
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Traits remain a potent focus:
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Analysis questions are critically important as students will be called upon to figure things out and demonstrate inferential reasoning on increasingly difficult tests. Instead of finding answers, students must make answers, putting clues together to solve a mystery or build a case.
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invite them to speculate, predict, invent or imagine.
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Understanding why life turns out the way it does is another major focus for essential questions at this age.
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invention and problem-solving can also inspire questioning and thinking at this middle level.
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Essential questions provide the impetus for investigations and research.
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If properly stated, the essential question has a dramatic impact, evoking a passionate level of interest as well as a firm commitment to persevere until a satisfying level of understanding is reached.
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A good essential question provokes a dynamic tension that should persist throughout the phases of research.
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The essential question is a thing of wonder. It probes some aspect of life so profound that the human spirit is captivated and cannot rest until the dissonance is reduced or settled, until there is some degree of resonance and understanding.
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15 Dec 09
Adrienne Stanghelpful overview of essential questions with exemplars for all grade levels, session 3
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- What are the traits of a good ship captain?
- What are the traits of a good leader?
- What makes for a fair punishment?
- What makes one team better than another?
- What makes one writer more powerful than another?
- What makes one story more believable than another?
- What makes one country more just than another?
Intermediate Grades
The types of questions mentioned above work well for this age group, but the complexity and depth may change to match the growing reasoning capacity of the students.
Traits remain a potent focus:
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Middle School
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- How do we know if a law is just?
- How do we know if a poet, a playwright or a novelist is promising?
- How is a hero different from a celebrity?
- What kinds of harm can be done by fame and fortune?
Older students continue to work on understanding the characteristics or traits that set particular examples apart as distinguished and special.
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Older students can also handle complex choices which require the skill of evaluation on Bloom’s Taxonomy.
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Understanding why life turns out the way it does is another major focus for essential questions at this age.
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- What should be done to improve the effectiveness of the United Nations?
- How can our nation best handle the influx of immigrants?
- How can our nation best provide for security without undermining important civil liberties?
- How should the copyright laws be adjusted to take into account the impact of new technologies?
- What should be done about homelessness and poverty?
- What is the best way to balance the need for resource development with protection of the environment?
- How can the writing in this essay be improved?
As with the younger students, invention and problem-solving can also inspire questioning and thinking at this middle level.
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02 Jul 09
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28 Jun 09
Tony BaldasaroEssential Questions . . .
These are questions that touch our hearts and souls. They are central to our lives. They help to define what it means to be human.Most of the important thought we will conduct during our lives will center on such essential queseducation teaching k-12 pedagogy essential questions jamesmcKenzie
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22 Jun 09
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28 May 09
Christy TuckerSample chapter from a book by Jamie McKenzie on essential questions, explaining how they differ from traditional "school" questions. Examples for different age levels are provided.
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19 Mar 09
Karen MorrisonThe Question Mark is a leading provider of free information to guide school thinking about questions and questioning.
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Deborah IcardThe Question Mark is a leading provider of free information to guide school thinking about questions and questioning.
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