Two-Column Notes

Date:
10/19

Page #
226

Name: Troy LeFevre

Class/Subject: EDTL 2760

MR Title(s): Bring learning alive! Methods to transform middle and high school
social studies
MR Source(s): Bower, B., Lobdell, J., and Owens, S. (2010). Essential questions.
Bring learning alive! Methods to transform middle and high school social studies.
Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Institute, pp. 226-228.
The Text Says
I Say
That last portion of the statement was not bolded in the
The essential question, then, will help you determine
passage, but I needed to add emphasis on that final point. I
which lessons and content should be included in the
believe there are teachers who add way too much extra gunk
unit, and will also determine the focus of your
assessment. If a lesson or topic does not help students to their lessons where they could just be presenting the meat
and potatoes to their students. When I become a teacher I
answer the essential questions, it should not be
will make sure to nail home the essential information, and
included.
from there elaborate and give more detail.

226

An essential question must be crafted so that it

provides students with an opportunity to reach deeper
understanding of key standards.

227

If an essential question is to be truly effective,

students must be able to answer it in more than one
way. If they cannot argue different sides of the
question, or if the evidence presented leans too
heavily on one side, there is little point in posing the
question.

The example given by the book was to ask whether or not

the civil rights movement was successful, rather than asking
about Martin Luther King and Malcom X. This is telling me
to make sure essential questions are broad in theme and
leads to conversation, and ultimately searching for new
avenues of thinking.
This makes me think back to my World War II class when I
was a senior in high school. The teacher, Mr. Punsalan, told
us that he was going to do his best to tiptoe on the line
between biases, and if he ever seemed to sway one way or
the other to tell him and he will correct himself. That class
was my most memorable from high school, and it may be
from the unbiased perspective he gave, which led to great
discussion and debate.

Connections to previous MR:

I do not believe the essential questions in the course calendar are not relatively strong. The questions
lack the urge to spark debate, and do not present a two-sided argument. For example, there is no way

to argue against what is social studies? Social studies is social studies and you cant counter argue
that. I suppose a stronger EQ would be what is the essential aspects of social studies? That way you
can debate and discuss the best aspects of the essential question.