Samples of essential questions that have been compiled by Jay McTighe, coauthor of Understanding by Design as conveyed to Rich Frias by email.

Overarching Essential Questions in Social Studies

(examples)

History/Historical Analysis and Interpretation

§ What happened in the past?

§ How can we know if we weren’t there?

§ Why study history?

§ What can we learn from the past?

§ How am I connected to those in the past?

§ In what ways is the past about me?

§ How do we know what really happened in the past?

§ Whose "story" is it?

§ Whom do we believe and why?

§ Is history the story told by the "winners"?

§ Is history inevitably biased?

§ Who were the "winners" and who were the "losers" in ________? (for any historical event)

§ Was anyone at fault? (for examining any historical or literary event)

§ What causes change?

§ What remains the same?

§ What can we legitimately infer about the artifacts we find?

§ What should we do when the primary sources disagree?

§ How does the legacy of earlier groups and individuals influence subsequent generations?

§ How do patterns of cause/effect manifest themselves in the chronology of history?

§ How has the world changed and how might it change in the future?

§ Is it true that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it?

Civics/Government

§ How are governments created, structured, maintained, and changed?

§ What are the roles and responsibilities of government?

§ How do the structures and functions of government interrelate?

§ What would happen if we had no government?

§ What are the roles and responsibilities of citizen’s in a democracy?

§ What kinds of things to "good" citizens do?

§ How do personal and civic responsibilities differ?

§ Can an individual make a difference?

§ How do citizens (both individually and collectively) influence government policy?

§ What is power?

§ What forms does it take?

§ How do competing interest influence how power is distributed and exercised?

§ How is power gained, used, and justified?

§ How can abuse of power be avoided?

§ Who should govern/rule?

§ Should the majority always rule?

§ When should society control individuals?

§ Why do we have rules and laws?

§ What would happen if we didn’t?

§ Who should make the rules/laws?

§ Is it ever o.k. to break the law?

§ What are "inalienable rights"?

§ How do governments balance the rights of individuals with the common good?

§ Should _______ be restricted/regulated? (e.g., immigration, alcohol/drugs, media, etc.) When? Who decides?

§ How do different political systems vary in their toleration and encouragement of change?

Economics

§ Why do we have money?

§ What is the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’?

§ How does something acquire value?

§ What is it worth?

§ How much should it cost? Who decides?

§ Who should produce goods and services?

§ What impact does scarcity have on the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services?

§ How does the free market system affect my life? …our community? …our society? …the world?

§ Who should produce goods and services?

§ Should government regulate business/economy or be its partner?

§ Why do people to work? Should everyone be expected to work?

§ What does it mean to "make a living"?

§ What is the ‘best’ job for you?

§ How does technological change influence people's lives? …society?

§ What social, political and economic opportunities and problems arise from changes in technology?

§ What goods and services should government provide? Who should pay for them? Who should benefit from them? Who should decide?

§ How do different economic systems vary in their toleration and encouragement of change?

Geography

§ Why is "where" important?

§ Why is/was ________ located there? (e.g., capitol, factory, battle, etc.)

§ What makes places unique and different?

§ How does geography, climate and natural resources affect the way people live and work?

§ How does where I live influence how I live?

§ Why do people move?

§ What do we mean by ‘region’?

§ What story do maps and globes tell?

§ How and why do maps and globes change?

§ How do maps and globes reflect history, politics, and economics?

Culture

§ o What does it mean to be "civilized"? o What makes a civilization?

§ How have civilizations evolved

§ Are modern civilizations more ‘civilized’ than ancient ones?

§ Why should we be interested in/study other cultures?

§ Who are the "heroes" and what do they reveal about a culture?

§ o How and why do we celebrate holidays? o Who and what do we

§ memorialize?

§ What are the significant symbols and icons of civilizations/cultures? What

§ function(s) do they serve?

§ Do the arts reflect or shape culture?

§ What can we learn about a culture through its art forms?

§ What happens when cultures collide?

§ Why do people fight? Is conflict inevitable? …desirable?

§ What is worth fighting for? Is there such a thing as a "just" war?

§ What is a revolution?

§ What causes people to ‘revolt’?

§ Are revolutions inevitable?

§ How are all religions the same?

§ How does belief influence action?

§ How and why do beliefs change?

Essential Questions from the

NATIONAL COUNCIL of SOCIAL STUDIES

CULTURE

§ What is civic participation and how can I be involved?

§ How has the meaning of citizenship evolved?

§ What is the balance between rights and responsibilities?

§ What is the role of the citizen in the community and the nation, and as a member of the world community?

§ How can I make a positive difference?

TIME, CONTIUITY, CHANGE

§ Who am I?

§ What happened in the past?

§ How am I connected to those in the past?

§ How has the world changed and how might it change in the future? Why does our personal sense of relatedness to the past change? How can the perspective we have about our own life experiences be viewed as part of the larger human story across time?

§ How do our personal stories reflect varying points of view and inform contemporary ideas and actions?

PEOPLE, PLACES, ENVIRONMENT

§ Where are things located?

§ Why are they located where they are?

§ What patterns are reflected in the groupings of things?

§ What do we mean by region?

§ How do landforms change?

§ What implications do these changes have for people?

POWER, AUTHORITY, GOVERNANCE

§ What is power?

§ What forms does it take?

§ Who holds it?

§ How is it gained, used, and justified?

§ What is legitimate authority?

§ How are governments created, structured, maintained, and changed?

§ How can we keep government responsive to its citizens' needs and interests?

§ How can individual rights be protected within the context of majority rule?

PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, CONSUMPTION

§ What is to be produced?

§ How is production to be organized?

§ How are goods and services to be distributed?

§ What is the most effective allocation of the factors of production (land, labor, capital, and management)?

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, SOCIETY

§ Is new technology always better than that which it will replace?

§ What can we learn from the past about how new technologies result in broader social change, some of which is unanticipated?

§ How can we cope with the ever-increasing pace of change, perhaps even with the feeling that technology has gotten out of control?

§ How can we manage technology so that the greatest number of people benefit from it?

§ How can we preserve our fundamental values and beliefs in a world that is rapidly becoming one technology-linked village?

CIVIC IDEALS and PRACTICES

§ What is civic participation and how can I be involved?

§ How has the meaning of citizenship evolved?

§ What is the balance between rights and responsibilities?

§ What is the role of the citizen in the community and the nation, and as a member of the world community?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Enduring Understandings (Principles and Generalizations) with Companion Essential Questions in Mathematics

(examples)

General

Mathematics is a language consisting of symbols and rules.

§ How is mathematics a universal language?

§ What is a symbol? What is a rule? How do they help us?

Sometimes the "correct" mathematical answer is not the best solution.

A problem’s context determines the reasonableness of a solution.

§ When is the "correct" mathematical answer not the best solution?

Mathematical models simplify reality to enable useful solutions.

§ What are the limits of mathematical modeling?

§ When is simplification helpful? …harmful?

§ In what ways does a model illuminate and what ways does it distort the phenomena?

Mathematical rules, functions, formulas and algorithms depict

mathematical relationships. (For example, a function denotes a special relationship between variables.)

§ How can we show mathematical relationships?

§ Can a formula be developed for any given data situation?

§ If axioms are like the rules of the game, when should we change the rules?

Strategies (heuristics) can help solve difficult problems. (For example, breaking a complex problem into chunks; using a visual representation; working backward from the desired result; relating to a similar problem)

§ How do we solve difficult problems?

§ When are particular strategies most effective?

§ What kind of problem is it?

§ What should we do when we’re stuck?

Technology can enhance problem solving.

§ How and when can technology enhance problem solving?

Numeration

Numbers are inventions that represent quantities, rates, sequence and characteristics of things and experiences.

Numbers can be used to count, label, order, identify, measure, and describe things and experiences.

§ What is a number?

§ Why do we have numbers?

§ What couldn’t we do if we didn’t have/use numbers?

§ What are the limits of mathematical representation/modeling?

§ Can everything be quantified?

The value of a number is determined by its position.

§ When does placement (position) matter?

There are different number systems (e.g. bases) that can represent the same quantities. (For example, computers operate using a binary number system.)

§ What is a number system? What can numbers show?

The same thing can be shown in different ways.

Mathematical ideas can be represented numerically, graphically, or symbolically.

Quantitative data can be collected, organized and displayed in a variety of ways.

The use of exponentials and scientific notation offer efficient ways of representing large numbers.

§ How might we show (represent) _____? In what other way (how else) ?

Estimation can be more efficient than counting everything when accuracy and precision are not required.

§ When is estimation okay?

Statistics and Probability

Patterns exist in the natural world and can be represented numerically and graphically.

Patterns reflect the past and forecast the future.

Statistical analysis and data display often reveal patterns that may not otherwise be evident.

§ What is a pattern?

§ How do we find patterns?

§ How do we show patterns?

§ What can patterns reveal?

§ How can patterns forecast the future?

Sometimes sampling is better than counting everything.

A larger sample generally provides more reliable information about the probability of an event than does a smaller sample.

§ When should we sample?

§ When is better than counting?

§ How much/many (of a sample) is enough (sufficient)?

Correlation does not insure causality.

§ What causes ____?

Statistics (data) can "lie" as well as reveal. (Data presentations can be biased...designed to communicate a particular point of view.)

The ways in which data are collected and displayed influences

interpretation. (Interpretation can be skewed by the way in which data is collected and displayed.)

§ How can statistics (data) lie/mislead?

All data displays are not equal. (Certain graphic displays more

accurately represent some types of data than others; e.g., bar chart for fixed quantities; graph w/ slope for acceleration).

Graphical displays can show a variety of possible relationships between two variables.

§ How can we best show this data?

The identification of patterns and trends enables prediction.

§ What will happen next?

§ What will happen in the future?

§ What is the best way of predicting future events?

§ How can we mathematically predict the outcomes of some future events?

Probability describes the likelihood of phenomena occurring in a population.

The probability of an event’s occurrence (prediction) can be calculated with varying degrees of confidence.

§ How sure are you?

§ How can we quantify our predictions about outcomes occurring?

§ How well can we predict the outcomes of some future events?

Measurement

Measurement helps us understand and describe our world.

We measure our world in order to determine its' boundaries and limits.

§ Why do we measure? What would happen if we couldn’t/didn’t measure?

§ How big? How far? How heavy?

§ How much (time, money, …)?

Measurement of distances is fundamentally different from measurement of area.

§ How does what we measure influence how we measure?

An object or event can be measured in different ways.

§ How do we measure _____?

§ What’s the best measure for _____?

Standard units of measure enable people to interpret results or data in the same way.

§ Why do we need standard units of measure?

§ What if we didn’t have standard units of measure?

Every measure contains margins of error.

The need for measurement precision varies based on the requirements of the task/situation. (There are circumstances where it is not always necessary to be precise.)

§ How accurate (precise) is it? How precise is precise enough?

§ How accurate (precise) does this need to be?

Classification (grouping items with similar features) highlights similarities and differences, enabling the formation of unique groups.

§ What goes with what? How are ____ similar? …different?

Parts of a whole can be represented with different mathematical forms, such as fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and odds. We can show parts of things in various ways.

§ How do we show a part of something?

Rates of change vary (e.g., linear vs. exponential growth; constant vs. accelerated speed).

§ How is ___ changing?

Changes can be represented mathematically and graphically. (For example, the slope of a line can represent acceleration.)

§ How can we best show/describe changes?

Geometry

§ What is geometry? Is there more than one?

Both the real and the man-made world are designed using geometric figures.

§ Where is geometry in the natural world? …the man-made world?

§ Have all geometric figures already been identified and their properties defined?

§ Are geometric properties invented or discovered?

Geometric figures and relationships can be represented numerically, graphically, and with models.

§ What are the limits of geometrical representation/modeling?

The properties of geometric figures determine how the figures can be used.

Observable features and physical representations do not always determine properties.

When the linear size of a shape changes by some factor, its area and volume change disproportionately.

§ How do the properties of geometric figures influence their uses?

A proof covers all possible ‘like’ cases. It is much stronger than belief or conviction.

Proofs are required to establish the truth of mathematical theorems.

There are direct and indirect ways of coming to a conclusion or proving something (inductive and deductive logic).

§ What is proof? Why do we need proofs?

§ How do we prove ______? Given _____, what can we conclude?

Algebra

Equations depict patterns of change.

A pattern of change can be described through a function.

A variable represents an unknown that will change in different settings.

Exponents and logarithms are inverse operations.

§ When is it appropriate to write an equation?

§ Why use algebraic equations? What kinds of things in life can equations help us do?

§ Are there things or relationships for which equations can’t be used?

§ Do these fit any sort of pattern?

Matrices can be used to represent multi-dimensional data.

§ How do we show (represent) multi-dimensional data? When and why?

Slope is a number that represents a rate of change.

Slope and intercept can be graphically represented.

§ How do we show rate of change? When and why is this useful?

Symbolic statements can be manipulated by rules of mathematical logic to produce other statements of the same relationship.

§ Where do algebraic "properties" come from? Are they invented or discovered (like the properties of magnetism)?

§ How do we know something has been " proved" in mathematics?

§ Is a "proof" in algebra the same as evidence provided in a jury trial?

Trigonometry

Trigonometric functions describe triangular and circular relationships.

Calculus

Mathematical functions over a specified interval can be used to model the behavior of actual situations.

If a situation implies, however subtly, a rate of change, the process of differentiation can be applied to the solution.

Derivatives can be used to precisely locate "ideal" points (max., min., inflection) or confirm a conjecture regarding them.

§ What's a derivative "for"?

Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions in Language Arts and Literature

(examples)

Literature

Great stories/books address universal themes of human existence and conflict.

Great stories raise questions (and sometimes provide answers).

§ What makes a great book/story great?

§ Is a "good read" always a great book?

§ What is the relationship between popularity and greatness in literature?

§ Why read fiction?

§ Can fiction reveal truth? Can novels reveal truths about human nature?

§ What is the relationship between "fiction" and "truth?"

§ Can a fictional story be "true"?

§ Is "historical fiction" a contradiction?

§ How are stories from other places and times about me?

§ What can fairy tales from around the world teach us?

§ What’s new and what’s old?

§ Have we run across this idea before?

§ So what? Why does it matter? What does it mean?

Fiction can entertain while revealing truths.

§ What is a story?

§ Can fiction reveal truth?

§ What can we learn from fiction?

§ What is the relationship between "fiction" and "truth?"

§ Can a fictional story be "true"?

§ Is "historical fiction" a contradiction?

§ Should a story teach you something?

§ Must a story have a moral?; heroes and villains?

Literature can reflect, clarify and criticize the times it portrays.

§ Does literature reflect culture or shape it?

Reading

§ Why read?

§ What can we learn from print?

§ How do reading and listening differ?

§ What would happen if people couldn’t read?

§ What do good readers sound like?

§ Can a machine (e.g., scanner, robot) learn to read?

Letters represent sounds.

Letters can blend to make a single sound.

The same letters combinations can produce different sounds.

Letters combine in specific ways to form words.

§ What sounds are in letter? words?

§ What if all letters made only one sound?

§ How are letters, words and sentences formed?

§ Why does letter order matter? What if the letters were scrambled?

Words have meaning – they represent objects, ideas, situations, and feelings.

Some words describe what we see, hear, taste, touch and smell.

Some words tell what we think.

Some words tell what we feel.

What if words could mean anything at all?

Why does word order matter? What if the words were scrambled?

Punctuation marks aid comprehension by signaling how to read and interpret text.

Punctuation marks are like traffic signs and signals. They keep the reader on track so they do not get "lost".

§ Why have punctuation marks?

§ What if we didn’t have/use punctuation marks?

The goal of reading is to make meaning from text.

§ What is the author saying?

§ What does the text mean?

Different types of texts (e.g. narrative, mystery, biography, expository, persuasive) have different structures.

Understanding a text’s structure helps one understand its meaning.

§ How do texts differ?

§ How should I read different types of texts?

§ What is a "beginning"? an "ending"?

§ Must a story have a beginning, middle, and end?

Titles signal the text’s meaning.

§ What if we didn’t have/use titles?

Effective readers use specific strategies to help them better understand (e.g., using context clues, predicting what will come next, questioning the text, re-reading).

Readers can use words they know to help them read new words.

Effective readers question the text.

§ What do good readers do?

§ What do good readers when they don’t understand?

§ What do good readers when the text doesn’t make sense?

Pictures, graphics, illustrations can enhance text.

§ Why include pictures (graphics, illustrations, etc,)?

§ How do you "read" a picture?

Effective readers bring various stances (e.g., global, critical, personal) to make meaning from text.

§ What is the gist? What is the main idea?

§ Does experience and belief influence reading?

§ What does this mean to me?

Everybody is entitled to an opinion about what a text means, but some opinions are more supportable by the text than others.

§ What does it mean? How do I know?

§ What is the author saying? How do I know?

Writers sometimes convey ideas indirectly (e.g., satire, irony).

§ How can you read "read between the lines"?

§ What does the author really mean?

There is no such thing as a "neutral" text since writers bring their personal experiences, perspectives and philosophies to their writing.

Critical readers question the text, consider different perspectives, and look for author bias.

§ What can we believe?

§ From whose viewpoint are we reading?

§ What is the author’s angle or perspective?

§ What should we do when texts/authors disagree?

Writing

Writing conveys meaning.

§ Why write?

§ What if writing didn’t exist?

§ How do writers express their thoughts and feelings?

§ What is a "complete" thought?

§ Does a writer have an obligation to help the reader understand?

§ Why and how do people create? How do we express ourselves?

§ Why share personal experiences through writing?

§ Is the pen mightier than the sword?

Writing is a timeless form of communication.

Writing enables you to "talk to" people who aren’t there.

§ How is written language different from spoken language?

§ How can the dead speak to the living?

§ Can a machine (e.g., scanner, robot) learn to write?

Effective writers use specific techniques (style, word choice, organization) to better inform, entertain, and persuade.

§ What makes writing worth reading?

§ How do effective writers hook and hold their readers?

§ Where do ideas for writing come from?

§ How do writers decide what to write?

§ What makes writing flow?

§ What makes writing easy to follow?

§ Does a writer have an obligation to help the reader understand?

Audience and purpose (e.g., inform, entertain, persuade, provoke) influence literary technique (e.g., style, word choice).

§ Why am I writing? For whom?

§ What am I trying to achieve through my writing?

§ Who will read my writing?

§ What will work best for my audience?

Genre influences organization, technique and style.

§ How do great mystery writers hook and hold their readers?

§ How do great biographers hook and hold their readers?

§ How do great storytellers hook and hold their readers?

§ How does an effective persuader persuade their readers?

§ What is the best "beginning"? ending?

§ What is the best order (sequence)?

§ What makes writing easy to follow?

§ What is "flow"? What makes writing flow?

Writing helps us clarify, as well as express, our thoughts.

§ Why write?

§ How can writing lead to self-discovery?

§ A writer once said, "How do I know what I think until I see what I write." Agree?

Writers may convey ideas indirectly (e.g., satire, irony).

§ How can you say something without saying it?

Listening

§ How is listening different from reading?

§ How is written language different from spoken language?

§ What do good speakers sound like?

Effective listeners use specific techniques to help them understand the speaker.

§ What is a good listener?

§ How could someone be a bad listener?

§ Can one "listen" but not hear?

§ Can a machine (e.g., Via Voice, robot) listen?

Speaking

§ Speaking conveys meaning.

§ Why speak?

§ What do good speakers sound like?

§ What if people couldn’t talk?

§ Can animals "talk"?

§ How is spoken language different from written language?

§ How do we express ourselves orally?

§ How do good speakers express their thoughts and feelings?

§ What is a "complete" thought?

§ What makes a speaker easy to follow?

§ Does a speaker have an obligation to help the listener understand?

§ How can I help the listener understand me?

§ Why learn another language

§ Audience and purpose (e.g., inform, entertain, motivate, persuade, embarrass, provoke) influence speaker’s technique (e.g., volume, pacing, word choice, intonation).

§ Why am I speaking?

§ What am I trying to say?

§ To whom am I speaking?

§ Who will listen?

§ Why are they listening?

§ How can I help them understand me?

§ Non-verbals (e.g., gestures, intonation, pace, posture, expression) enhance or detract from the message.

§ How can you "speak" without words?

§ What is "body language"?

§ How can I help my listener(s) better understand me?

§ How can you make your words more effective?

Enduring Understandings - Arts

§ The visual language of art is a means by which to express our personal world, ideas, and emotions.

§ Available natural resources, tools and technologies influence the ways in which artists express their ideas.

§ Great art addresses universal themes of human existence.

§ Great artists often break with established traditions, conventions, and techniques to express what they see and feel.

§ Visual art is composed of key elements – line, shape, form, value, color, texture, and space.

§ Unity is achieved through the effective blending of the key art elements.

§ Movement can be created through the combination of one or more of the key art elements.

§ Line defines shape and adds meaning.

§ Texture conveys nuance.

§ Positive and negative space create balance.

§ Color creates mood.

Essential Questions - Arts

§ What is art?

§ Where can we find art?

§ Why create art?

§ Why and how do people create?

§ How does art communicate?

§ How does art reflect as well as shape culture?

§ What can artworks tell us about a culture or society?

§ In what ways do artists influence society? In what ways does society influence artists?

§ What makes art "great"?

§ How do artists from different eras present similar themes?

§ What is the artistic process?

§ What factors influence artists and artistic expression?

§ How/where do artists get their ideas?

§ How do artists choose tools, techniques, and materials to express their ideas?

§ How do artists use tools and techniques to express ideas?

§ Are some media better than others… (for communicating particular ideas, emotions to particular audiences)?

§ How can we use design principles to organize ideas?

§ How can we ‘read’ and understand a work of art?

§ What is beauty?

§ How do different conceptions of beauty influence the visual image?

§ Why do certain themes recur in art?

§ What kinds of things can be used to make art?

§ How is feeling or mood conveyed – musically?, visually?, through movement?

§ Can color (rhythm, etc.) affect mood/emotions?

§ What factors influence the development of a personal aesthetic?

§ What can we learn from studying the art of others?

§ In what ways have artistic traditions, cultural values, and social issues

§ influenced and/or given rise to new traditions/artistic expressions?

§ In what ways has technology enhanced and increased the value of the image as a form of communication?

§ How are visual images infused in our daily life and work?

§ Is the "medium the message"? Is a "picture worth a thousand words"?

§ Do artists have a responsibility to their audiences?

§ Do artists have a responsibility to society (e.g., to produce work that

§ does not continue stereotypes or further prejudice)?

§ Is the best art apolitical?

§ Should we ever "censure" artistic expression?

§ What is the role(s) of a museum?

• How do museums reflect continuity and changes in art?