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Essential Questions

Essential Questions. Webquests. Powerquests. By Kathy Beck . What Are Essential Questions. Requires the student to make a decision or plan a course of action Fosters higher order thinking skills Promotes critical thinking skills and problem solving

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Essential Questions

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  1. Essential Questions Webquests Powerquests By Kathy Beck

  2. What Are Essential Questions • Requires the student to make a decision or plan a course of action • Fosters higher order thinking skills • Promotes critical thinking skills and problem solving • Promotes multi-disciplinary investigations

  3. Blooms Taxonomy

  4. Blooms Taxonomy Evaluation: (Give Opinion, Criticize, Discriminate, Summarize) What is the significance of this photo for the time period of their dress? Compare this photo with working women of today. How do they differ? Synthesis: (Create, Construct, Plan, Role Play) What might these women say about their skills in an interview? Analysis: (Analyze, Separate, Compare, Contrast) Why are these women here? What can you tell about them by the way they are dressed? Application: (Modify, Solve, Change, Explain) How would you describe this photo to others? What caption would you write for this photo? Comprehension: (Describe, Name, Identify, Discuss) What is happening in this picture? Why are they dressed like this? Knowledge: (List, Define, Tell, Label) When was this picture taken? Where was this picture taken?

  5. What makes a good Essential Question? • Essential Questions reside at the top of Blooms Taxonomy • Answers to Essential Questions can not be found – they must be invented • Essential Questions usually lend themselves well to multi-disciplinary investigations

  6. What are the most important concepts my students should learn from this? • Essential questions are concepts in the form of questions. Questions suggest inquiry. • Essential questions are organizers and set the focus for the lesson or unit. • Essential questions are initiators of creative and critical thinking. • Essential questions are conceptual commitments focusing on key concepts in the area of study.

  7. Essential Questions engage students in real life applied kinds of problem solving.

  8. An Essential question is the heart of the curriculum. It is the essence of what you believe students should examine and know in the short time they have with you. Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs.

  9. Teachers can use questions before a learning experience to establish a mental set with which students process the learning experience. Marzano, Pickering, Pollock

  10. Questions designed to help students obtain a deeper understanding of content will eventually increase their interest in the topic. Marzano, Pickering, Pollock

  11. Essential questions are designed with deeper understanding in mind. Marzano, Pickering, Pollock

  12. Essential Questions:What specific questions will guide this unit and focus teaching and learning?

  13. How to Write Essential Questions • Require students to use thinking skills • Analysis: Categorize, Sequence, Assume, Conclude • Synthesis: Compose, Invent, Solve, Prove • Evaluation: Defend, Justify, Prioritize, Prove • Begin with a strong verb • High level vs lower level questions • Open ended vs close-ended questions

  14. Literature Examples of Essential Questions • Number the Stars • No more Dead Dogs • That was Then, This is Now • The Giver • Two Suns in the Sky • The Devil’s Arithmetic • Animal Farm Skip examples

  15. Essential Question Number the Stars by Lois Lowry • What part does religion play in war? • What causes war? • What are the results of war? • How do children respond to and resolve the conflict around them? • How does courage, resourcefulness and discrimination play a role in times of war?

  16. Essential Question No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman • Is honesty always the best policy? • When is it alright to tell a lie? • Rick-isms? Meanings behind the words • What is a hero? • Hero worship • Injustice

  17. Essential QuestionThat was Then - This is Nowby SE Hinton • What is considered (what events mark) coming of age in today's culture? • Accepting responsibilities for one's actions whether good or bad • Anger Management • Interpersonal Conflict • Gang Rivalries • Motivations • Changing Relationships

  18. Essential Question The Giver by Lois Lowry • What comparisons can be made with the Ceremony in the book with our lives? • How does Jonas’s assignment differ from his peers? • Are there any situations in our lives that we are given assignments? • What are the advantages of Jonas's society? Disadvantages?   • What are some similarities of Jonas’s community to ours? What are some differences? • What types of behaviors or activities show sameness in Jonas’s world? • What are some examples of sameness in our world? • Questions about diversity and conformity

  19. Essential QuestionsTwo Suns in the Sky by Miriam Bat-Ami • Bubble vs. walnut - what is the difference between these conceptions of the world? • What do stars signify in different cultures? • Questions about tolerance and its absence • Being different

  20. Essential Questions The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen • Names play a significant role in various cultures...why? • How does one's heritage define who they are? • What roles do prophets play in religion? Significance • Questions about the importance of remembering • Questions about the importance of exploring and studying history

  21. Essential Questions Animal Farm by George Orwell • What causes people to rise up and rebel? • What prevailing conditions cause revolt? • What is the nature of power and how do people get it, take and use or abuse it? • What are the stages of a revolution and how does Animal Farm follow this formula? • What are the qualities of a good leader? • How does revolution affect individuals both rich and poor, leaders and followers?

  22. Essential QuestionsBig 6Powerquests • What product can you use to follow Big 6 research skills to assist students in their assignment? Webquest Powerquest

  23. What is a Webquest?and what is a Powerquest?

  24. Inquiry Based Learning • Student Centered • Combines instructional strategies • Uses and processes information • Can be short term or long term • Organized in a specific way that is universal

  25. Webquest / Powerquest Format • Introduction • Task • Resources • Process • Evaluation • Conclusion • Teachers guide - optional See Template See Designing a Webquest

  26. Inquiry Based Learning • Focus students’ inquiry on questions that are challenging and have to be solved • Teach students specific procedures and strategies in the process of solving the quest • Include opportunities for students to access information that is essential to the inquiry • Give students opportunities to work with peers (cooperative learning) • Help students develop competencies while completing a sequence of activities • Provides the opportunity for performance/presentation • Involve students in the process of deriving the standards for performance • Rely on authentic assessment for learning

  27. Student Centered • Students play a role • Not text book driven • Teacher as a facilitator • Choosing themes that have meaning to students • Have a stake in the presentation and set up their own criteria

  28. Cross curricular • Meaningful learning • Comprehension and transferable knowledge • Greater retention of information

  29. Cooperative Learning • Working in a team • Social skills • Learn how to deal with constructive feedback • Learn how to reach a consensus • Awareness of their contribution • Learn about different jobs and roles • Listening skills • Verbal skills • Appreciate diversity

  30. Affective Learning • Enthusiasm • Motivation • Expressing opinions • Talking about frustrations • Reflection

  31. Learning Styles • Speaks to all types of learners • Tactile • Auditory • Visual • Working on students strengths and weaknesses

  32. Webquest - - Powerquest • Turn your webquest into a powerpoint and you have a powerquest. • Use the webquest/powerquest template. • This product can be embellished with appropriate coordinated backgrounds and images and posted to the web to share with other staff.

  33. PowerQuest • A webquest built within a PowerPoint. A WebQuest is a learning activity used by educators. During this activity learners read, analyze and synthesize information using the World Wide Web. Learners typically complete Webquests as cooperative groups. Each learner within a group can be given a role or specific area to research. WebQuests may take the form of role-playing scenarios, where students take on the personas of professional researchers or historical figures. • Template for Powerquest – on webpage

  34. Where to Begin • Get together with other teachers – combine strengths and expertise • Explore webquests that are already available – don’t duplicate if you don’t have to. There are many sources.. • http://webquest.org/index.php • http://warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/#anchor2127666 • www.QuestGarden.com – 30 day free trial, $20.00 to subscribe • Assess your students needs – multiple intelligences • Start slow

  35. In Preparation for Collaboration on Webquests or PowerQuests • Read the book, • Or choose your topic • Or theme • Basic knowledge of PowerPoint • Prepare Essential Questions – becomes the topic of your PowerQuest or Webquest • Identify SCOS objectives

  36. Bring or email to yourself: Email to yourself ( or save on flash drive and bring): • Links to sites that can be used to obtain information (Kathy will provide some) • Appropriate clip art to enhance their PowerQuest (Kathy will provide some) • Bibliography of Resources

  37. Created by Kathy Beck Iredell Statesville Schools kbeck@iss.k12.nc.us

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