Essential questions invite students to grapple with complexity, deepen their understanding of a topic or theme, and explore connections between what they are reading, what they are experiencing, and what they are learning about the world today.
When students revisit essential questions over the course of a unit, in their journals and in conversation with others, they come to realize how questions can lead to new questions, as well as how literature can deepen their understanding of themselves and their world.
This section explains Facing History’s approach to developing essential questions, as well as ideas for essential questions that teachers can choose from for their coming-of-age literature unit.
According to Grant Wiggins, an essential question “causes genuine and relevant inquiry into big ideas.” In the same vein, Harvard professor David Perkins describes these “big questions” as inspiring wonder and curiosity about the human condition and our world. Unfortunately, classroom research shows that most of the questions that students encounter are review and procedural rather than exploratory.
Our essential questions invite students to use their imagination and lived experiences to explore complex questions about human behavior with the hope that these questions will spark new ones as students deepen their understanding of the literature they read and the world in which they live.
Craft the Essential Question
Design the Summative Assessment
Facing History & Ourselves is designed for educators who want to help students explore identity, think critically, grow emotionally, act ethically, and participate in civic life. It’s hard work, so we’ve developed some go-to professional learning opportunities to help you along the way.
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