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I like the idea that there is no definitive answer to a well crafted essential question. That depending on where/when/whom it is asked, the answer will always be different.

I see there is a lot of confusion or disagreement about what a good essential question is.

The EQ reminds me how a curious learner might approach a topic or subject. As they learn more they can still ask the same question. It's not about mastery but about the joy of research, inquiry, thinking, deducing or inferring and all driven by the EQ.

As I read this article, I found that it connected project-based learning and EQ's together. It emphasized the importance of general questions that require inquiry, thought, and group discussions. It makes me want to look at my unit and come up with one-two over arching questions, and put them up in the classroom. Throughout the unit, I would reference the question and as we learned/discovered more about our topic of study, the students would be able to dig deeper and deeper into the EQ. (Just like project-based learning, where students are given problems and work to find a solution over time). By the way, I am pretty sure that I own the book that was referenced in this article. If anyone wants to borrow it, please let me know.

I find Wiggins and McTighe's views thought provoking. I've read some of their book...Understanding by Design. The framework they use is backwards. They recommend beginning with the essential questions which link to the understanding, then determine the assessment, and lastly develop your activities. I like this idea...it forces the designer to focus on the understandings and essential questions throughout the entire design process. I would like to keep my focus on my essential questions and what I want my students to truly understand.

I think this article reflects the importance of learning through inquiry and exploration that many of us value, especially as teachers of younger learners. The idea of an essential question being something pointed but allowing for a lifetime of thought or study is one that I'm sure many of us would hope our essential questions might capture. However, I struggle to visualize how this would look in a first grade classroom. When would we share these questions with our students, or would we not? Are these questions for us to build our lessons around or are they something we would like our students to attempt to answer in a concrete way at some point during a unit? Must they be subject specific or are there more general lines of inquiry that could be applied across the curriculum? I would be interested to read examples of effective essential questions that fall within this description that have been used with younger students, and what kind of learning this has led to.

This is a great resource! So many valuable questions that apply to what we teach. For example, a repetitive theme throughout second grade history is "whom do we believe?" and the kids begin to internalize this question. When it comes up in our Pocahontas at the end of the year, students often relate it to Greek myths at the beginning of the year.

My favorites were: "Whose story is it?" "What does it mean to make a living?" -Although this one is more specific to a unit discussion as opposed to an overarching question to keep asking... I also noticed one question was: " Can an individual make a difference?" I would encourage teachers to ask, " HOW does an individual make a difference."

I really like seeing these questions fleshed out like this. I have been struggling some with the foreign language essential questions when it comes to specific content. For culture and actual language learning parts of the curriculum, the essential questions are easier for me to formulate, but when it comes to "just plain translation" and learning content, I am not sure how to create relevant, thought provoking essential questions. This list helps give me some ideas.

Great questions! My favorites were: Can fiction reveal the truth? What would happen if people couldn't read? How can I make a positive difference? What is worth fighting for? How much should it cost? Who decides? Whose "story" is it?