No Series: Structure Learning with Essential Questions

Structure Learning with Essential Questions

Lesson Objective: Introduce units with engaging questions
All Grades / All Subjects / Planning
2 MIN

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

  1. What makes a successful question?
  2. How could you use "essential questions" throughout a unit?
  3. What is the effect of asking a question rather than stating an objective?

17 Comments

  • Private message to Brooke Turulski

Essential questions connect to what is being disscussed within the lesson/unit and can also help students have something to think about when going into a lesson. Essential questions also help pull students in to what is being learned becuase the students will want to figure out how to answer it based on what they've learned.

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  • Private message to Jackie McLean

Keeping good notes and staying on the topic makes a successful online journal. Using essential questions get student motivated and interested in the topic at hand. Asking a question get the students thinking directly about the question being asked by the teacher. I think the definition of essential questions are questions designed to get students thinking immediately about a particular topic.

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  • Private message to Mary Ann Pait

You can use the object and turn it into a question. The teacher in the video captured the attention of the students emediately. The students then started to answer the question. Theywere ready to learn.

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  • Private message to Danette Robinson

I like how the teacher started with an essential question. The teacher's object question about the egg. Love the answer the student gave. "The model is like our school, hard on the outside but, soft on the inside".

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  • Private message to faye bing
I like this video, because the teacher start out using high interesting question, then the student get involved immediately and they was motivated.
Recommended (1)

Transcripts

  • [00:00]
    Interviewer: Pretty much for any unit that I teach I want to start with an essential question. The

    [00:00]
    Interviewer: Pretty much for any unit that I teach I want to start with an essential question. The essential question needs to be a very high interest question, and it needs to be something they can directly relate it to.

    When we studied chemistry at the beginning of the year our core question was, “How can I make new stuff from old stuff?” When we studied astronomy our question was, “Are we alone in space?” These are just big picture questions.

    Thinking about why do I need to wear a helmet when I ride my bike.

    In this unit our question was, “Why do I need to wear a helmet when I ride my bike?” We’re exploring the ideas of force in motion.

    We’re modeling that collision using an egg. Somebody remind me why is an egg a good thing for us to use when we’re doing this model?

    Interviewee: It’s a perfect model because it’s the same as our skull. It’s hard in the outside, but it’s soft in the inside.

    Interviewer: It’s just something where right away we can kind of pull them in, give them something that they’re familiar with to talk about.

    Interviewee: The momentum the cart had transferred to the egg.

    Interviewer: I want them to think of science as something that they can do, and something they should think about in their day to life. I don’t want a theoretical discussion to remain theoretical. We need to have the theory, but really I want them to be putting everything that we’re talking about into their day to day context.

    If I give them that framework they’re much more likely to go home—in fact they’re extremely likely to go home and talk to their parents about what they did today. What I’m really hoping is that they’re excited about what we’re learning, they’re understanding the scientific concepts and that they’re gonna feel comfortable practicing using the vocabulary.

    [End of Audio]

School Details

KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy
1430 Scott Street
San Francisco CA 94115
Population: 369

Data Provided By:

greatschools

Teachers

teachers
Mike Rettberg
Science / 8 / Teacher