Essential Question Stems
Essential questions (also known as "driving questions") create authentic learning experiences to engage and motivate learners. The most engaging questions:
- Have more than one correct answer
- Allow learners to apply their own unique ideas, interests, and experiences
- Require learners to research before answering
Here are 14 essential question stems to help you get started:
How can _____ improve _____?
- How can studying flags improve our understanding of communities around the world?
- How can robotics improve the healthcare industry?
- How can access to clean water improve communities in developing nations?
How can _____ be applied to _____?
- How can geometry skills be applied to cartography?
- How can economics be applied in our daily lives?
- How can ethics be applied to solve environmental problems?
How can _____ change _____?
- How can individuals change their communities?
- How can fashion change culture?
- How can human behavior change the environment?
How would you design a new _____?
- How would you design a new school?
- How would you design a new system to purify water?
- How would you design a new flag for your community?
How does _____ affect _____?
- How does immigration affect communities around the world?
- How does fake news affect our community?
- How does food affect our daily lives?
What impact did/does _____ have on _____?
- What impact did humans have on the environment during the 20th century?
- What impact does war have on art?
- What impact does the media have on elections?
What makes a good/effective _____?
- What makes a good flag?
- What makes an effective school?
- What makes an effective robot?
How do/does _____ impact my community?
- How does racism impact my community?
- How does the food grown in our region impact what people eat?
- How does geography impact my community?
What is the relationship between _____ and _____?
- What is the relationship between geometry and architecture?
- What is the relationship between economics and history?
- What is the relationship between transportation and trade?
What would _____ be without _____?
- What would our school be without classrooms?
- What would the Earth’s climate be like without the atmosphere?
- What would the world be without art?
If you were in charge of _____, what would you change?
- If you were in charge of our school, what would you change?
- If you were in charge of our national parks, what would you change?
- If you were in charge of Facebook, what would you change?
How can you use _____ to inspire _____?
- How can you use poetry to inspire change?
- How can you use storytelling to inspire people to take better care of the environment?
- How can you use science to inspire people to eat healthier food?
What if _____?
- What if you could go back in time, what would you change?
- What if America did not have a public school system?
- What if the world lost the internet for one year?
How might your community change if _____?
- How might your community change if it were twice as big?
- How might your community change if it rained every day for a year?
- How might your community change if every person were given $1 million?