This document discusses essential questions and how to write them. It defines essential questions as open-ended questions that require critical thinking to answer and have no single predetermined answer. It provides examples of different types of essential questions, including "how", "what if", "should", and "why" questions. The document also contrasts essential questions with traditional fact-based questions and provides guidance on writing effective essential questions for different subject areas.

1. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO YOU WRITE ONE?

2. WHAT IS AN ESSENTIAL QUESTION?
• STUDENTS HAVE TO THINK CRITICALLY TO ANSWER AN ESSENTIAL QUESTION.
INSTEAD OF SIMPLY LOOKING UP ANSWERS, THEY CONDUCT RESEARCH AND CREATE
AN ORIGINAL ANSWER. AN ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
• PROVOKES DEEP THOUGHT
• SOLICITS INFORMATION
• GATHERING AND EVALUATION OF DATA.
• RESULTS IN AN ORIGINAL ANSWER
• HELPS STUDENTS CONDUCT PROBLEM-RELATED RESEARCH
• MAKES STUDENTS PRODUCE ORIGINAL IDEAS RATHER THAN PREDETERMINED
ANSWERS.
• MAY NOT HAVE AN ANSWER
• ENCOURAGES CRITICAL THINKING NOT JUST MEMORIZATION OF FACTS.

3. TYPES OF ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
• WHICH ONE?
• HOW?
• WHAT IF?
• SHOULD?
• WHY?

4. “ESSENTIAL VS. TRADITIONAL QUESTIONS"
• NOT ESSENTIAL: – “WHAT IS IT LIKE TO LIVE IN HONG KONG?“
• ESSENTIAL – WHICH CITY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA IS THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE?
• NOT ESSENTIAL: “WHAT IS AIDS?"
• ESSENTIAL: – WHICH SERIOUS DISEASE MOST DESERVES RESEARCH FUNDING?

5. “HOW QUESTIONS"
• EXAMPLES:
– WHAT ARE SOME SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL
PROBLEMS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AND HOW COULD THEY BE
IMPLEMENTED?

6. "WHAT IF QUESTIONS"
• WHAT IF QUESTIONS ARE HYPOTHETICAL, QUESTIONS WHICH ASK YOU TO USE
THE KNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE TO POSE A HYPOTHESIS AND CONSIDER OPTIONS.
• EXAMPLES:
• "WHAT IF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION HAD NEVER HAPPENED?"
• "WHAT IF STUDENTS DIDN’T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL?”

7. "SHOULD QUESTIONS"
• SHOULD QUESTIONS MAKE A MORAL OR PRACTICAL DECISION BASED ON
EVIDENCE.
• EXAMPLES:
• "SHOULD WE CLONE HUMANS?“
• "SHOULD WE DISCONTINUE TRADE WITH COUNTRIES THAT ABUSE HUMAN
RIGHTS?"

8. "WHY QUESTIONS"
• WHY QUESTIONS ASK YOU TO UNDERSTAND CAUSE AND EFFECT. "WHY" HELPS
US UNDERSTAND RELATIONSHIPS; IT HELPS US GET TO THE ESSENCE OF AN
ISSUE.
• EXAMPLES:
• "WHY DO PEOPLE ABUSE DRUGS?"
• "WHY IS THE DEATH RATE HIGHER IN ONE THIRD WORLD COUNTRY THAN
ANOTHER?"

9. SKINNY VS. “FAT” QUESTIONS
• WHAT ARE FAT QUESTION?
• OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS, WHICH CAN BE ARGUED AND SUPPORTED BY
EVIDENCE.
• EXAMPLES:
• SKINNY QUESTION: "WHEN WAS THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE SIGNED?"
• FAT QUESTION: "WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD WE NOT SIGNED IT?”

10. HOW DO YOU WRITE AN ESSENTIAL
QUESTION?
CONSIDER THE FOCUS OF YOUR NOVEL:
*SUBSTANCE ABUSE, DRUG ADDICTION, LEGAL & ILLEGAL DRUGS (USE YOUR INSPIRATION MIND
MAP)
IDEAS FOR A GOOD ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
1. MAY STEM FROM YOUR PARTICULAR INTERESTS IN A TOPIC (E.G. WHAT MAKES A DRUG
“GOOD”?, COMMUNITY RESOURCES (HOW IS CHINA DEALING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE?)
2. BEGIN WITH THE 6 TYPICAL QUERIES THAT NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ADDRESS: WHO? WHAT?
WHERE? WHEN? WHY? AND HOW?
3. FROM THESE QUESTIONS FORMULATE YOUR ESSENTIAL QUESTION.
4. USE: WHICH ONE? HOW? WHAT IF? SHOULD? WHY?

12. EXAMPLES OF OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
• HOW WOULD YOU…?
• WHAT WOULD RESULT IF…?
• HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE…?
• HOW DOES…COMPARE WITH…?
• WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN…?
• WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF…?
• HOW COULD YOU CHANGE…?
• HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE…?
• HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT…?

13. EXAMPLES OF OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
CONTINUED
• WHY DO YOU BELIEVE…?
• WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF…?
• WHAT CHOICE WOULD YOU HAVE MADE…?
• WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
• WHY DO YOU FEEL…?
• HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT SOLVING THE PROBLEM…?
• IF YOU WERE IN THIS POSITION WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
• WHY DO YOU/DON’T YOU SUPPORT…? •
• WHAT COULD IMPROVE…?

14. CULTURE: VALUES, BELIEFS & RITUALS
• HOW DO INDIVIDUALS DEVELOP VALUES AND BELIEFS?
• WHAT FACTORS SHAPE OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS?
• HOW DO VALUES AND BELIEFS CHANGE OVER TIME?
• HOW DOES FAMILY PLAY A ROLE IN SHAPING OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS?
• WHY DO WE NEED BELIEFS AND VALUES?
• WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BELIEF SYSTEMS OF SOCIETIES AND INDIVIDUALS COME INTO CONFLICT?
• WHEN SHOULD AN INDIVIDUAL TAKE A STAND IN OPPOSITION TO AN INDIVIDUAL OR LARGER
GROUP?
• WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE TO CHALLENGE THE BELIEFS OR VALUES OF SOCIETY?
• ARE THERE UNIVERSAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BELIEF SYSTEMS THAT ARE COMMON ACROSS PEOPLE
AND TIME?

15. CREATED BY M. RIDDELL BASED ON RESOURCES FROM:
HTTPS://WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET/MARYALICEOSBORNE/ESSENTIAL-QUESTIONS-
FOR-STUDENTS?QID=33C76A3E-27EB-40C3-BBBB-
25AA24C443ED&V=&B=&FROM_SEARCH=1