Here are two prompt ideas that you can paste into ChatGPT, with your grade and subject specifics, that can help you generate essential questions.
1️⃣ “Please generate a list of essential questions related to [insert your topic or theme] for [insert grade level] that stimulate critical thinking, inquiry, and a deeper understanding of the subject matter. These questions should be open-ended, thought-provoking, and encourage the exploration of core ideas and universal themes. Focus on questions that are relevant to real-world issues, promote higher-order thinking skills, and lead to additional inquiries. Remember that essential questions may have multiple answers and should be meaningful and engaging to the students. Keep in mind the three overlapping meanings of essential questions: ‘important and timeless,’ ‘elemental or foundational,’ and ‘vital or necessary for personal understanding.'”
2️⃣ “Please generate a list of open-ended, thought-provoking essential questions related to [insert your topic or theme] that will guide [insert grade level] to focus on key concepts, themes, theories, issues, and problems within the content. Your questions should foster critical thinking, inquiry, and a deeper understanding and analysis of the topic, while being relevant to real-world issues. To create effective essential questions, consider using the Right Question Institute’s Question Formulation Technique, which teaches students how to generate and refine their own questions. Additionally, refer to resources by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins on essential questions for further guidance.”