1. DEVELOPING AN
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Research
6th & 7th Grade Language

2. What is an Essential Question?
 Doesn’t have an easy answer
 Doesn’t have a correct answer
 Answers are found by putting multiple ideas
together
 Thought-provoking
 Provide a common ground for discussion
 Lead to more questions

3. Examples of EQs
 Was slavery in the US necessary?
 How did slavery change the US?
 Did runaway slaves ever reach freedom?
 How did abolitionists change how Americans
thought about slavery?

4. Step 1: Read, Read, Read
 On Sunday, February 5th, the two teams you see here will face
each other in the biggest game of the NFL season, the Super Bowl.
The Giants’ home stadium isn’t in New York; it’s in New Jersey. The
Super Bowl is always given a Roman numeral instead of a number,
and this year it is Super Bowl XLVI.
 This year’s game will be played in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a
re-match of the 2008 Super Bowl, when these teams faced also
faced each other. The two teams have the same head coaches and
same starting quarterbacks now that they had then. New York’s
coach is Tom Coughlin and New England’s coach is Bill Belichick.
The Patriots have a much better regular season record than the
Giants this year. The Patriots won 13 games and lost 3, while the
Giants won 9 games and lost 7. But none of that matters —
whichever team wins will be the NFL’s champion. Almost as much
attention is paid to the half-time show and the commercials as to the
game itself.

5. Step 2: Take Notes, Ask
Questions
 Super bowl is the
biggest game of NFL
season.
 NY Giants play in New
Jersey
 Use roman numerals
 This year it’s in
Indianapolis
 Rematch of 2008
 Much attn paid to
commercial
 Why don’t Giants play
in NY?
 How do they decide
where it’s played?
 Wow! Why are
commercials so
popular?
 Why is SB so
popular?
 What does a team
need to get to SB?
Notes Thinking
How are sports important to American culture?

6. Step 3: List, Ponder, Discuss
Questions
 Why don’t Giants play in NY?
 How does NFL decide where the Super Bowl
played?
 Why are the commercials so popular?
 Why do so many people watch the Super
Bowl?
 What does a team need to get to the Super
Bowl?

7. Step 3: List, Ponder, Discuss
Questions
 Why don’t Giants play in NY?
 How does NFL decide where the Super Bowl
played?
 Why are the commercials so popular?
 Why do so many people watch the Super
Bowl?
 What does a team need to get to the Super
Bowl?

8. Turning Questions into EQs
 Why don’t Giants
play in NY?
 How do they decide
where it’s played?
 Should the NY
Giants play in NY?
 Should the NFL
change how they
decide where the
Super Bowl is
played?
Question Essential Question

9. A Few More Examples…
 How did the
Holocaust start?
 What kinds of planes
were used in WWI?
 How did the Roman
Empire fall?
 How did the Costa
Concordia run
aground?
 Could the Holocaust
have been
prevented?
 How did planes effect
WWI?
 How did the fall of the
Roman Empire
change history?
 How can we make
cruise ships safer?
Questions Essential Questions

10. Remember…
 EQs do not have an easy answer
 Pick something that’s interesting to you
 Your answer will require you to synthesize
(put together) an answer from others’
opinions and facts