ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How Do I
Write
Them?
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT
CONCEPTS MY STUDENTS SHOULD LEARN
FROM THIS LESSON/CHAPTER/UNIT?
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
implicit in the curriculum
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS VS. LEADING
QUESTIONS
Essential
Asked to be argued
Designed to
“uncover” new ideas,
views, lines of
argument
Set up inquiry,
heading to new
understandings.
Leading
Asked as a
reminder, to prompt
recall
Designed to “cover”
knowledge
Point to a single,
straightforward fact a rhetorical question
ESSENTIAL QUESTION FORMAT
 Essential questions often begin with . .
 Why?
 Which?
 How?
 What if?
 Why do things happen the way they do?
 Which do I select?
 How could things be made better?
 Which is best?
 What if this happened?
CRITERIA FOR ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Each student should be able to
understand the essential question(s).
The language of the questions should be
in broad terms.
There should be a logical sequence to a
set of essential questions.
Essential questions should be posted in
the classroom.
WRITING ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What is your teaching objective?
Write the objective as a question.
Do you need smaller key questions?
Rewrite if necessary to make sure
learners understand the question
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS?
SCIENCE
How do chemicals benefit society?
Are animals essential for man’s survival?
Explain.
Does North Carolina have reason to fear
a natural disaster? Which ones or Why
not?
What must a scientist do in order to
research something?
EXAMPLES
MATH
When should I multiply? When can’t I
multiply? When is multiplication most
useful? Can multiplication make things
smaller?
How is geometry used in the real world?
What is the role of geometry in advertising,
architecture, or fabric design?
How would you explain, demonstrate, or
draw the ________ process?
EXAMPLES
SOCIAL STUDIES
How have ancient Greeks affected our
society?
Why would the Europeans want to come to
the colonies?
Why did your textbook include _____ in this
chapter?
How does the economy of a society depend
on the geography of the region?
EXAMPLES
LANGUAGE ARTS
Why read?
What is the connection between reading
and writing?
Do stories need a beginning, middle, and
end? Why?
What does the “Bernstein Bears” teach
us about life?
EXAMPLES
TECHNOLOGY
How can the computer be used as a tool?
How would our culture be different
without computers?
What process would you use to write a
letter using Microsoft Word?
What are your top ten priorities when
producing a news video?
EXAMPLES
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Why should you spend time stretching before and
after an athletic event?
What are the top three rules in basketball? Why?
How can advertising affect a teen’s choices?
ART
Why is art necessary?
How do people express themselves through art
today?
How has art changed through time?
What choices must a painter make before
EXAMPLES
Foreign Language
How is Spanish/French like and
unlike English?
In what ways would learning a
foreign language be beneficial?
I HAVE MY ESSENTIAL QUESTION, NOW WHAT?
Now you need to ask some basic
questions in order to possibly revise it.
These will also assist in generating
lessons to lead students toward the
answer.
BASIC QUESTIONS
What should the student have learned prior
to the lesson?
What will the student need to know in order
to answer the question?
What strategies will actively engage the
student as they work toward the answer?
How will you know that the students are
learning the information?
How will the students demonstrate their
final answer to the question?
WRITING EFFECTIVE LEARNING
TARGETS
“I Can” Statements
WHAT ARE “I CAN…” OBJECTIVES
 These are Essential Understandings that are
written in a declarative form, in studentappropriate language.
 They are designed to break big concepts or
processes into smaller component steps.
 Having them allows students to identify where
they ‘got stuck’ in the process.
 Although “I Cans…” seem to be the easiest type
of EU to create, they may take more effort later
in terms of keeping the students engaged with
the Essential Understanding.
HOW TO MAKE AN “I CAN…” STATEMENT
First, select your standard:
Math 3.6.3:
Select, model, and apply formulas to find
the perimeter, circumference, and area
of plane figures.
HOW TO MAKE AN “I CAN…” STATEMENT
Step #1 - Write “I can…” in front of the
standard:
I can select, model, and apply
formulas to find the perimeter,
circumference, and area of plane
figures.
Step #2 – Simplify into student-friendly
language.
I can find the area and perimeter of
2-D
figures using more than
one method.
Your Big “I Can…”: I can find the area &
perimeter of 2-D figures using more than one
method.
 Step #3: Now…formulate smaller “I can…”
statements that will serve as the steps for knowing
how to do your BIG “I can…” statement.
 I can explain the difference between area and
perimeter of polygons.
 I can find the area & perimeter of regular 2-D figures
in at least 2 different ways.
 I can locate the appropriate formula to use.
 I can explain how the formula relates to the figure.
 I can make number substitutions in a formula and
accurately compute the answer.
 I can make a good estimate of a reasonable answer
for this type of problem.
TODAY’S ACTIVIT Y
Break out into groups with others teaching the
same curriculum.
In these groups and using our sequence of
instruction, create a future lesson plan on the
template given using the Essential Question
and “I Can” notes from today’s presentation.
Then transfer this lesson plan onto poster
board.
Be prepared for someone from your group to
present your final “poster” lesson plan in
Focus meetings next week.