Essential questions are a part of planning every unit, but up until this point they have really been for my benefit. They helped guide my activities and assessments and gave me a direction. But essential questions (EQ) aren’t just for me. My students need to know the essential questions so they know where we are headed and on what to focus their energy. So when we started our unit on animals, I put the EQs on post-it paper in the front of the class: How are all living things connected? Why are all living things important? I asked the students to brainstorm some ideas in Spanish and they couldn’t come up with anything – a sign I have a good EQ. What would be the point of an EQ that students can answer before the unit even begins??
We are now about half way through the unit and we revisited our EQs. Students had a better idea, but still struggled to come up with answers. We began the unit looking at the relationship between wolves and the other animals in Yellowstone through a short video called How Wolves Change Rivers.
We are now about half way through the unit and we revisited our EQs. Students had a better idea, but still struggled to come up with answers. We began the unit looking at the relationship between wolves and the other animals in Yellowstone through a short video called How Wolves Change Rivers.
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