The documents discuss essential questions, which make students think more deeply about a topic rather than just looking up simple answers. Essential questions do not have yes or no answers and require research and thought to fully respond to. Developing essential questions engages students' curiosity and helps define what it means to be human. The documents recommend having students help generate essential questions for a topic as this makes them more invested in finding answers through additional research.

1. Site Information Restate information Something I learned
Creating Essential Questions The essential question comes This is not necessarily
Essential questions arise from people’s when people are trying to learn something that I
attempts to learn more about the world more about something. It makes learned, but something
we live in. They allow us to explore us think about things more in- that was reiterated to
what knowledge is, how it came to be, depth. It is not a simple yes or no me. “Imagination knows
and how it has changed through human question. There has to be a no bounds, no
history. It is always poised at the thought process used to find the restrictions; nor do the
boundary of the known and the answer. questions we pose when
unknown. The essential question we cultivate our powers
reaches beyond itself and is embedded of imagination.” This
in ideals of freedom, strength, and statement is so true and
possibility. It engages the imagination. so often forgotten.
http://www.galileo.org/tips/essential_ques
tions.html
From Trivial Pursuit to Essential Essential questions are at the I learned that I don’t
Questions and Standards-Based Learning root of all learning. They are know very much about
This site begins talking about the trivial what make us look deeper to gargoyles! Actually I
pursuits that some teachers make their have a greater understanding of hadn’t thought about
students complete. Essential questions a topic. They are the type of how much some
call upon our best thinking and touch questions that get inside us and teachers do require
upon that which defines what it means don’t let go. We have to find the students to complete
to be human. There is a big difference answer which also gives us trivial pursuits. Students
between knowledge and having an answers to the greater questions are just looking up
understanding of something. Essential in life. answers and not really
questions require students spend some understanding anything
time thinking about the meaning and new. The information
importance of the information. isn’t sinking in.
http://www.fno.org/feb01/pl.html
Framing Essential Questions Essential questions give the The fact that some
Essential questions make research students more meaning with the answers may never be
motivating and meaningful. They assignment rather than just found, only tentative
require students to evaluate, synthesize, looking up information. They ones is something I
or analyze. They spark our curiosity and have to research, research, and learned. I know there
sense of wonder. Answers to essential then research some more. It are questions that don’t
questions cannot be found; they must makes us want to find an answer have answers, but as a
be invented. Answering these questions to the interesting topics created teacher, aren’t I
may take a lifetime. They engage by these questions. They can supposed to know the
students in real-life problem solving. encompass other subjects and answer? Or at least be
http://www.fno.org/sept96/questions.html skills. able to help the
students find the
answer?
Filling the Tool Box Having the students develop the I liked the idea of the
This article is about developing a lesson questions for the unit will make five minute question.
or group of lessons having the students them feel more a part of their There are too many
help develop the essential questions. It own learning. It becomes times that I ask a

2. begins with the students brainstorming something that they want to question and get no
questions which then, throughout research because they were part answer because it was a
discussion, are developed into essential of the process. When the recall question and no
questions. Then the questions are questions are put into categories, one remembers. Asking
separated into categories. Students can they are learning that you have a five minute question
then use this concept with their to have the right question to find would require them to
homework assignments. They can also the right answer. If they then use think about the answer
be asked to think like an interviewer. this process with their and not just wait for me
Reporters ask questions that flow from homework, they might expand to tell them the answer
or stimulate curiosity. The article also their learning even further than or for the one “smart”
mentioned the five minute question. just completing the assignment. student to blurt out the
Telling the students that the question answer.
coming up is a one minute or five minute
question lets them know they will have
to think about it for awhile to discover
an answer.
http://www.fno.org/toolbox.html
A Questioning Toolkit Essential questions are those that I learned how to word
Essential questions are those which give us an “ah-ha” moment when essential questions in a
touch our hearts and souls. They probe we find the answer; if we can find more efficient way. The
the deepest issues confronting us. The an answer. The greatest stories examples this article
greatest novels, plays, songs, and of all time include essential listed were great.
paintings all explore essential questions questions as to the who, what,
in some way. They offer the organizing when, where, why, and how of
focus of a unit. There are subsidiary our universe.
questions that help build answers to the
essential questions. These are smaller
questions that lead to insight.
http://www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html
Summary
Most of these resources said basically the same thing. The essential question is the one that
makes us think. They help us define what it means to be human. They are more than a simple
answer; a yes or no won’t do it. These sites made me understand what is meant by the words
“essential question”. I had heard it before but didn’t really have my head wrapped around it
quite yet. This assignment made me completely understand what it means and how to apply
them in my classroom. I really liked the concept of letting the students help come up with the
questions. We shouldn’t reject any question, but keep brainstorming until most of the
questions become essential questions. I truly think that the students will be more inclined and
excited to look for the answers to the questions that they helped create than to answer
questions that I provide them. I did take a little time to look as some of my assignments that I
give students. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was using essential questions more than I

3. thought. However, I am really going to be looking at my questioning technique a lot differently
from now on.