ABSTRACT
Determining what is essential for high-ability students to learn in a gifted program curriculum is one of the most important aspects of curriculum design work. Essential Questions (EQs) are written by teachers as an overarching articulation of what is important in the curriculum content. EQs should be written to be complex and abstract and can lend themselves to making connections and understanding about universal truths. EQs provide both teachers and students with information about what is essential to understand in the unit of study and when embedded into delivering the curriculum, students can learn to recognize, appreciate, and generate EQs of their own for further inquiry. EQs should not be isolated in the written curriculum but should be actively integrated into the classroom during instructional and assessment activities.
