Essential Questions

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Essential Questions

• How can I motivate students?
• Can students have fun, find meaning, and still do
  well on standardized tests?
• How can I rekindle my passion for teaching?
• Does what I teach matter? Will it equip students
  with necessary real world skills?

CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS TO PROVIDE 750,000 FREE
COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN 2011 Inquiry Project by 13
year old as part of inquiry projectone that has
been adopted by cell phone companies now!
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SHIFT your teaching?
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The 3 Ss and 6 Ms of Inquiry
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GO TOP DOWN!!

• No one gets excited about a letter, a sentence, a
  molecule, practicing stance, or a verb, a date in
  history all by itself.
• Start with the BIG issues, questions, and
  problems that drive your content area. Than they
  will want to find out how those little things
  impact the bigger thing they really care about.

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Discussion Points

• To what extent do your students understand what
  they need to learn in your class?
• How do you know?
• How do you share learning goals with your
  students?

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Stepping Stone Question Samples
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Stepping-Stone Question Samples
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Essential Questions The Paradigm Shift
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Working Definition of EQ

• Two minutes
• Define Essential Question
• Is there anything you want to add to your
  definition after viewing the video?

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Essential Questions
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Each student brings
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Kid-Friendly Edit
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EQs

• Which President of the United States has had the
  most disappointing legacy?
• To what extent are science and common sense
  related?
• What do you suppose would happen if we took away
  all television?
• How can our nation best handle the influx of
  immigrants?

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Revised EQs

• Who were the real winners and losers of the Civil
  War?
• Are Toad and Frog really friends?
• Why should you evaluate web sites?
• Why was the Declaration of Independence
  important?
• How do insects survive so well?
• Why do you suppose the character in the story
  decided to abandon his friend?
• What are communities?
• Why are rules important?
• Why are there patterns in numbers?

• Who are the real winners and losers in war?
• Who is a true friend? How will you know?
• How can you create a tool to teach kids to
  evaluate web sites?
• What qualities guarantee that a political
  document endures over time?
• In nature, do only the strong survive? What is
  survival strength?
• Why do some friendships end?
• What makes kids break rules?
• How do patterns make life easier?
• How does nature use patterns?

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Essential Question Samples
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Essential Question Samples
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Presentation to Students

• Important that EQs are posted for students to
  access, ponder and begin formulating responses.

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Writing Essential Questions