Teacher Rubric: Essential Questions
The concept of ‘essential question’ comes from McTighe and Wiggings’ (2005) book, Understanding by Design. The objective of an essential question is to get at the core ‘big idea’ of a unit and to frame that in a way that can be applied to any subject. For example, in a unit I designed in September about Christopher Columbus and the explorers, my essential question was, “What motivates people to explore the unknown?” This question can be applied to Science, Math, English, Art, Music, or Foreign Language. Because it is asking about people’s motivations not about a historical event, the question allows students to look at themselves as well as the historical events. Another key to a good essential question is if it is thought provoking. Wiggins and McTighe write,
Their [essential questions] aim to stimulate thought, to provoke inquiry, and to
spark more questions—including thoughtful student questions not just past
answers. They are broad, full of transfer possibilities. The exploration of such
questions enables us to uncover the real riches of a topic otherwise obscured by
glib pronouncements in texts or routine teacher-talk (p. 106).
Their [essential questions] aim to stimulate thought, to provoke inquiry, and to
spark more questions—including thoughtful student questions not just past
answers. They are broad, full of transfer possibilities. The exploration of such
questions enables us to uncover the real riches of a topic otherwise obscured by
glib pronouncements in texts or routine teacher-talk (p. 106).