Essential+Questions

Part 1: Evaluation http://www.galileo.org/tips/essential_questions.html || This reading really summarized essential questions for me quickly. The essential question is meant to make real connections to what the student is learning and the world around them. Having a foundational understanding of the concepts are where these questions come from. They are very vague and cannot be answered easily. To be an essential question, many key concepts need to be met. Essential questions link the student's conceptual learning to their real world. || I did not know that there were key components that every essential question must have in order to be an essential question. ||  to Essential Questions  and Standards-Based  Learning http://www.fno.org/feb01/pl.html || Essential questions are noteworthy questions that are worth attention. They do not have simple answers. They are meant to hook the students into a lesson and make them think. They are also meant to keep the students on track during a unit while learning the curriculum. They are meant to be interdisciplinary and surround big issues and topics that are very hard to answer. They are very far away from the curriculum that you teach as a whole but one can narrow them a bit to really relate to the curriculum you are teaching. These are the questions you want on student's minds when they are undergoing an investigation, experiment, etc. || I did not know that the most essential questions are interdisciplinary in nature. I agree that it is important to tie in all of the disciplines when asking these questions. || http://www.fno.org/sept96/questions.html || This reading discussed how to frame and construct the essential question. Being that the essential question is atop the Bloom's taxonomy, these questions spark student thinking. They force students to think outside the box and relate the curriculum and what they are learning in school to the real world. They deal with issues and topics that affect them in their lives and make the curriculum seem real to them. It also promotes higher-level thinking since the students are not being asked to regurgitate information, but to analyze and synthesize leanings, both recent and prior, to forming a possible answer to the ambiguous question. These are not easy questions to answer and they may take a lifetime of thought, research, and explanation to answer. || I did not know that essential questions were at the top of bloom's taxonomy, being the highest level of learning/understanding || http://www.fno.org/toolbox.html || The toolbox article really helped put the essential question in the classroom in perspective for me. In the beginning when creating a new unit, it is important for the students to have a big question that by the end of the unit, they will be able to answer (or attempt to answer). This is the essential question. Then, supporting questions follow that support all elements and levels of Bloom's taxonomy from fact questions to why questions, gain, trying to reach and spark all learners. From this, activities and made and so are assessments. || This article really walked me through how to begin a unit. It seems to be planning backwards in a way. You start with the big goals and overarching essential questions. Then go into lessons, assessments, etc. || http://www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html || The questioning tookit article discusses essential questions as a part of questioning in general. Essential questions are "essential" to questioning. They cover overarching concepts, again bridging the gap between old and new knowledge, disciplines, experiences, etc. "Essential question are at the heart of the search for truth." Without essential questions, we would not have a good understanding of how the world works and why. It can also cover the social-emotional aspects of life as well. This starts with such a broad meaning of essential questions and puts them into context for the educator. Subsidiary questions are much more focused questions that are learning target/topic specifics, again not easily answered. || I learned that subsidiary questions can be helpful in guiding the students to answering, or attempting to answer the essential questions of a course. The subsidiary questions help the students relate the topic to the large essential over-arching question relating everything to their lives in this world. || http://www.fno.org/parenting/outline.html || The why questions were what I focused on here in this article. Why questions are so important. They really promote students talking about the questions they have. It also shows the parent to educator where there are holes in their knowledge or many misconceptions that they many have. || This was a good guide for me overall as a new parent. I will make sure to have my child always ask my why questions and make sure that he has a ful life with many experiences. I want his life to be a happy and full one. || http://web001.greece.k12.ny.us/academics.cfm?subpage=923 || These essential questions do not have one right answer. They take a while to answer and explain. These questions can change. The teacher and/or the students can revise them and change them as they move throughout the curriculum one question is building on another further promoting interdisciplinary learning and linking of knowledge. These questions are also meant to promote exploration of topics and problems within the curriculum. || I never thought to use essential questions not just as a guide but to also promote learning, inquiry, and exploration in the classroom. As a science teacher, this is a great way to use them. || http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/league/esques.html || I LOVE THIS WEBSITE! It summarizes essential questions into a very short and sweet webpage and touches on examples from many disciplines. Essential questions should be written in language students can understand. They should not be too long an involved. Essential questions should be posted in the classroom to keep the students and the teacher on track. They always need to know what questions they will attempt to answer at the end of the course! || I think that science is very easy to write essential questions for after reading this website. These are questions surrounding why we are learning what we are learning in the classroom. || http://questioning.org/mar05/essential.html || These essential questions, as mentioned before, really touch on human life as a whole. They help define who we are and why things are the way that they are. They do not have a one word answer and may take a while to find the answer, if you ever do. These questions are really stretching our minds to get a handle of and grasp. In order to answer essential questions, one must demonstrate deep understanding of many disciplines and leanings. One must be a very learned person to be able to answer an essential question. || I learned from this site that the essential questions are really important They touch on human life, emotion, and really touch on what it means to be a human. I never know that these questions really can be that deep. || ***Blue indicates my additional sources*******
 * Site Information || Summary of Readings || Something New I Learned ||
 * Creating Essential Questions
 * From Trivial Pursuit
 * Framing Essential Questions
 * Filling the Toolbox
 * The Questioning Toolkit
 * Parenting for an Age of Information: Preparing you Daughter or Son for the Next Century
 * Themes and Essential Questions: Framing Inquiry & Promoting Critical Thinking
 * Essential Questions
 * The Question Mark: Essential Questions

Part 2: Lesson I think I forgot 2 more essential questions: What is the nature of matter? How does matter change?