Source: Understanding by Design

by Jay McTighe & Grant Wiggins, © 2004

Crafting Essential Questions

Union Chapel Retreat November 16-18, 2012

A Voice from the FieldTeacher Talks About Essential Standards

Goals What is an essential question?How do I write effective ones?

An Essential Question isOne that lies at the heart of a subject or a

curriculum & promotes inquiry & uncoverage of a subject.

Essential QuestionsHave no simple “right” answerProvoke & sustain inquiryAddress conceptual or philosophical

foundationsRaise other important questionsNaturally & appropriately recurStimulate vital, ongoing rethinking

ExamplesWhat is a true friend?To what extent does art reflect culture or

shape it? Is everything quantifiable?To what extent is DNA destiny? In what ways is algebra real and in what

ways is it unreal?To what extent is US history a history of

progress?

ExamplesMust heroes be flawless?Who is entitled to own what? Is the subjunctive necessary?What makes writing worth reading?Does practice makes perfect?What is healthy eating? Healthy living?

What makes a question “essential”?Recurs throughout all our livesRefers to core ideas & inquiries within a

disciplineHelps students effectively inquire and

make sense of important but complex ideas, knowledge, know-how

Engages a specific & diverse set of learners

Intent, not language, is the key:Why we pose the questionHow students are to tackle itWhat learning activities & assessments we

expect

Types of Essential Questions Overarching: Frame courses and

programs of study around truly big ideasTopical: Are unit specific but still promote

inquiry

GOOD TEACHING USES BOTH!

Overarching Essential Questions More general, more broadPoint beyond specific topics or skillsPromote transfer of understanding

Examples of Overarching EQCan a fictional story be “true”?How do a region’s geography, climate,

and natural resources affect the way people live and work?

How does technological change influence people’s lives? Society?

How does what we measure influence how we measure?

Examples of Overarching EQHow do we classify the things around us?Do artists have a responsibility to their

audience? To society?How does language shape culture? Is pain necessary for progress in athletics?

Topical Essential QuestionsUnit specific - used to guide individual

unitsPromote inquiryResist simple answersRequire explanation & justification

Examples of Topical EQHow might Congress have better

protected minority rights in the 1950s & 1960s?

Should we require DNA samples from every convicted criminal?

Is Holden Caulfield a “phony”?

Examples of Topical EQWhat is the value of place value?What is electricity?How do we hit with greatest power without

losing control?

Leading QuestionsMeant to culminate in a fact or completely

settled conclusionNo sustained inquiry or argument

intended or necessaryUnderscores an important point we want

students to noteWe need these, too, BUT...

THEY CANNOT BE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR CURRICULAR DESIGN.

Where to start?Determine the “big ideas”

Common Core and Essential StandardsCourse texts/Resources

What are Big Ideas?Core concepts, principles, theories, &

processes that should serve as the focal point of curricula, instruction & assessment.

Big IdeasAre important and enduringAre not obviousMay be prone to misunderstandingPrioritize contentAre transferableAre the building material of

understandingsManifest in various ways within disciplinesAct as “conceptual velcro”

Finding Big IdeasClarify Content Priorities

Worth being familiar withImportant to know and doBig ideas & Enduring Understandings

Finding Big IdeasUnpack the NCSCS (CC/ES)

Circle key nouns, adjectives, & verbsDraft implied or stated big ideas based on

those key words.Critically analyze the course text

Work “backward” to determine what big ideas and/or EQ the text addresses

Big Ideas can beConceptsThemes Issues/DebatesProblems/ChallengesProcessesTheoriesParadoxesAssumptions/Perspectives

From Big Idea to EQ Identifying EQ & Understandings

Start with Big IdeaAnswer questions related to Big IdeaGenerate EQ & desired understandings

Making the Connection

Big Idea

Understanding

Essential Question

Topic or Content

Standard

ExampleStandard: The learner will be able to read, respond

to, and critique historically and culturally significant works of literature in order to understand their importance and relationship to past and present cultures.

Overarching EQ:Does literature primarily reflect culture or shape it?

Topical EQ:What does Romeo & Juliet teach us about Shakespeare’s view of destiny? How does it compare to yours?

Where to get more informationOther training sessions--may be

department, planning period in-service, Curriculum Depot

Understanding by Design by Jay McTighe & Grant Wiggins

Questions?