Essential Questions

“Know and understand are not synonyms.”

Wiggins and McTighe, Understanding by Design

“Understanding is always fluid, transformable into a new

theory.”

What we want students to be able to do is to take information and skills and apply them in new situations rather than “spewing back the particular fact, concepts, or problem sets that were taught.”

Wiggins and McTigheUnderstanding by Desigh

“How does one go about determining what is worth understanding amid a range of content standards and topics?” Wiggins and McTighe, 1989 p.10

BEFORE you do your lesson plans, ask yourself, “What do I really want these student to know? What is the core nugget of knowledge that, when they are 32 years old and have forgotten most of what they have learned, will allow them to function in real life situations?”

An essential question:

is a provocative question designed to engage student interest and guide inquiry into the important ideas in a field of study.

does not have one “right” answer is intended to stimulate discussion and rethinking

over time raises other important questions When using more than one, essential questions can

be differentiated to meet student needs.

An essential question

“is an intellectual linchpin. A linchpin is the pin that keeps the wheel in place on an axle. Thus, a linchpin idea is one that is essential for understanding – without it a student cannot go anywhere” (71).

Example:

Topic – Martin Luther King– What events and people influenced MLK to

become a leader in Civil Rights? – How did MLK change the world today?– What techniques did MLK use to persuade the

world that his ideas were important?– How did MLK’s leadership and philosophies

influence the US position?

Two Types of essential questions:

Topical – can be answered by uncovering a unit’s content. They stay within the bounds of the topic. They can be answered as a result of in-depth inquiry. Ex: After reading Merchant of Venice, answer the question: Is Shakespeare prejudice?

Over-Arching – Point beyond a unit to a larger, transferable idea. May link a topic to other topics and subjects. Ex: What in Shakespeare’s plays make them “classic” literature?

What makes a human/country civilized?

Unit – Renaissance

How did the music and art of the time influence the politics?

Unit – Middle Ages

Truth vs Fantasy: the feudalism, knights, castles, religion. What was the Middle Ages really like?

Unit – Holocaust

What factors contributed to this society that still exist today?

Three types of knowledge

Good to know; knowledge worth being familiar with; covered in class

Essential, important to know; uncovered in class

Enduring knowledge; has understanding beyond the classroom; student come to the realization

How has electricity changed the world?

How is electricity an energy source in

my world?

How is electricity helpful and harmful

A circuit is a continuous loop of energy and motion.

Static electricity is caused byfriction/transfer of electrons

There are different energy sources and they all produce electricity

3 types of circuits:simple;series;parallel

Vocabulary: protons, electrons, friction, volts, etc.

Lightning facts

Make up of a molecule

Schematics

Parts of a circuit

Grade 4Unit:Electricity;Reports

Enduring knowledge:These have value beyond the classroom.Student come to the realization.

Knowledge worth being familiar with; facts covered in class

Knowledge and skills important to know. These are uncovered in class.

Knowledge worth being familiar with;

facts covered in

class

Whose job is it to solve America’s

problems?

Choose a national park – Whose

job is it to preservethis park?

Grade 8Unit: Role ofGovernmentReports/Persuasive

Vocabulary: self-interest, government, democracy, law, etc.

Federal/state/local

How a lawIs made

length ofterms ofoffice

Background – growth of industrialism

Names and locations of national parks

Why national parks were created

What is the difference between government and committed group?

The enduringknowledgequestion mayembed the facts learned in the otherparts of the circle.

Enduring knowledge:These have value beyond the classroom.Student come to the realization.

Knowledge and skills important to know. These are uncovered in class.

How do individuals, groups, towns,

and countries make a difference? How can

we make a difference?

Knowledge and skills important to know. These are uncovered in class.

Knowledge and skills important to know. These are uncovered in class.

Enduring knowledge:These have value beyond the classroom.Student come to the realization.

High SchoolUnit: Holocaust:Reports/Persuasive/Project

The enduringknowledgequestion mayembed the facts learned in the otherparts of the circle.

Courage to Care: Warsaw Ghetto; Denmark; Avenue of the Just

Difference between bias, prejudice, discrimination

Preparing for obedience: propaganda, role of education, indoctrination of people

Nazi philosophy; fascism; totalitarian government; racism; anti-Semitism

Leaders

Progression of laws

Events

Only a person who has questions can have knowledge.” Gadamker, 1994