Questioning 101
It’s all about asking the
right questions
Hornets Nest Elementary School
Millie Snyder, Principal
D.J. Midgett, Media Specialist
I Can Teach That Kid How to
Conduct Research with A
Coat Hanger and aComputer.
Questions
Allow us to make sense of
the world. They are the
most powerful tools we
have for making
decisions and solving
problems, for inventing,
changing and improving
our lives as well as the
lives of others.
Jamie McKenzie
Powerful Questioning
Leads to Information
Power
The ability to…
Fashion solutions
Make decisions
Create plans
That are original,
cogent, and effective
Information Gap
We, as educators, must address
the ever increasing gap between
The rich and the poor
Not the economic gap,
But the information one…
The FUTURE is held in the hands
of the informational rich
David Thornburg, Futurist
Research & Write
First step of the R&W
cycle
Requires lots of prior
planning
Probably the most
difficult and critical
step of the cycle
Definitely MESSY!
Why Research & Write
Students learn best
when they USE what
they find out, to
construct their own
answers to higher-
level questions
Constructivism
Why Questioning?
Once you have learned
how to ask relevant and
appropriate questions,
you have learned how to
learn and no one can keep
you from learning
whatever you want or
need to know
Teaching as a Subversive
Activity
Why Questioning?
Taps Higher Order
Thinking Skills
(HOTS)
Using the cerebral
cortex
Where do I begin?
Think about thinking.
(Metacognition)
Talk about questions
Discuss the
differences between
questions and
statements
Brainstorm question
words, stems or
kernels
Questions &
Statements
Make a statement.
Write it on a sentence strip.
Turn the statement around and
make it a question.
Write the question on a
sentence strip.
How does the statement begin?
How does the question begin?
Questioning Web Sites
From Now On www.fno.org
– The Great Question Press: Squeezing Import
from Content
21st Century Literacies
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/sitema
p.html
Questioning www.questioning.org
Questioning Strategies
– http://www.css.edu/USERS/ggaetz/Student.pages/Que
stioning_Strategies_webpage.html
Inquiry Page
– http://inquiry.uiuc.edu/
Question Words
Ask students to list some question words -
words that begin questions.
With each word they give you, use it in a
simple question (or if it isn’t a question,
use it in a statement).
If the word they give is the beginning of a
yes-no question, give an example and
stress that the question is a simple one.
Deck of Questions
Take six index cards.
Write a question word on each card.
What do you notice about many of the words?
Now sort the cards into two piles
Words that promote skinny or simple answers
Words that promote fat or complex answers
Question Words
Who? Person
What? Thing
When? Time
Where? Place
How? Require thoughtful
Why? more elaborate
What if? answers.
How do I plan for the
use of technology in
questioning and
research?
CONTROL
the questions
Don’t Begin with the Topic
Begin with an essential question that
encompasses the topic
Kindergarten The Wind
First Grade Animals
Second Grade Whales
Third Grade City Wildlife
Fourth Grade Careers
Fifth Grade Stars
Essential Question
The BIG Question
Allows students to build
their own answer
Uses the information
gathered to analyze,
evaluate, and/or
synthesize
Usually begins with how,
why, what if, or which
Can’t be ―looked up‖, but
must be built using
researched information
Essential Question Examples
How does the wind help and hurt us?
How are animals alike and different from
us?
Why are whales endangered and how can
we protect them?
Why have we, in our society, forced
animals to live in cities?
How can we accomplish our dream job?
How will learning about the stars help us to
learn more about the Earth?
Supporting Questions
Little Questions that Hold Up
the Big One
Work backwards from
the essential question
to come up with
supporting questions
Limit your number of
supporting questions
K-2nd three to five
3rd-5th five to eight
Why have we, in our
society, forced animals to
live in cities?
Supporting Questions
1. What is city wildlife?
2. Where do they live in the city?
3. What do wildlife in the city eat?
4. How does mankind "feed" these critters?
5. What plants grow wild in the city?
6. What wildlife is found in your backyard or on
your school ground?
7. What changes have we caused in our
environment that affect wildlife?
Find the Resources and Answers
before you start.
Tools
Q & A Chart:
Questions and Answers
Graphic Organizer
Planning
Open Court Stories
Variety of resources
Availability of resources
TECHNOLOGY
Planning for Technology Use
Questioning with Sorting & Sifting
Students Information
– Inspiration or Kidspiration – Search Engines
– Thinking Maps – NoteStar
Planning for Resources Synthesizing: Creating a
– Authentic Websites Work Product
– TrackStar – Student Writing Center
Gathering Information – PowerPoint (trading cards,
– Search Engines biocubes, artifact cubes)
– Digital Camera – Online graphing software
– Document Camera (graphs of all types)
– Video Microscope – Spreadsheets (timelines)
– Scanner Evaluating
– PowerPoint (Presentations)
– RubiStar
Online Tools: www.hprtec.org
ThinkTank
– Research organizer
TrackStar
– Organize and annotate websites
NoteStar
– Organize projects and take notes online
Web Worksheet Wizard for Teachers
– Project Poster for Students – student created quick &
easy web pages
RubiStar
– Create and find rubrics
QuizStar
– Create Quizzes
Online Tools for Classroom Use
Kathy Schrock: http://kathyschrock.net/cooking/
Bibliography Maker
Boolean Machine (for searching)
Citation Maker and Citation Machine
Create a Graph
Create a Venn Diagram
Project Interactive (math tools)
SurWeb (online multimedia presentations &
photo collections)
Timeline Maker
Using Conventional Software in
Non-Conventional Ways
Excel or other spreadsheet PowerPoint
Timelines Trading Cards
Charts Billboards
Graphic Organizers Biocubes
Artifact Cubes
Guinea Hamster or Rats and Hermit
PETS Pigs Gerbil Rabbit Dog Mice Crab
Food
Problems
Cages
Daily Care
Our Country and It's People
Immigrants: Coming to America
Where did
they come Where did they
Page # Who When from? settle in America?
209 Native American Indians Asia Alaska
210 Christopher Columbus
212-213 John Smith
214 Pilgrims
217 Servants and Slaves
219 Dutch
220 Jewish
221 Germans
232 Mexicans
233 Carribeans
234 Cubans
235 Asians
What five countries are listed in
235
the story as being in Asia?
Communication Invention Links Notes
Alphabet Index & Timeline
http://inventions.about.com
Separate section for communication
Alphabet Index & Timeline
www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/
Separate section for communication
Search for inventions or inventors
National Inventors Hall of Fame
http://www.factmonster.com
Timeline of Everyday Inventions
Inventions & Discoveries
Triceratops
Description
– 15-20 feet tall
– 25 feet long
– 5-7 tons
Diet
– Plants such as palms
and cycads
Fossils Found
– Western Canada
– Western U.S.
Deborah Teague Midgett
• Birth Date: 9/10/54
• Birth Place:Columbia,
S.C.
• Family: 1 sister, 1 brother;
oldest
• Favorite Things:
– Red
– Teaching
– Scrapbooking
• Positive Qualities:
– Organized
– Creative
• Dreams for the Future:
Write a Book
Harriett Tubman
Born as slave in Suffered Escaped to
1820 in pneumonia Pennsylvania at
Bucktown, from checking the age of 29
Maryland owner’s
muskrat lines in
the icy river
Freed her sister Acted as a spy Made a home
and family by for the North for freed slaves
taking them during the Civil on her own
along the War. property. Died
Underground in 1913 at the
Railroad age of 93.
Baking Powder Bottle
Tyler Green Composition Size
Mrs. Bailey’s It is made of It measures 4 ½
Third Grade green glass and inches tall and
had a cork top. six inches
around.
Shape Purpose Adjectives
It is shaped like It was used to Dull
a cylinder. store backing Smooth
powder Breakable
Questioning Session with
Students
Guide their thinking
Steer them towards the
big picture
Give them Think Time
Record questions
Think about the
relationship of their
questions to the essential
and supporting questions
If you keep working at
it—they will generate the
right questions.
Create Categories
Group their questions
into categories
Align the categories
to your supporting
questions
Model how you
categorized
Circle keywords
Concept Question Board
Record and display
your questioning
session
Utilize the Concept
Question Board
Make copies of your
transparencies to
compare later work
Use Realia Real Stuff!
Wind
– Pinwheels, Kites,
Anemometers, Bubbles
Habitats
– Sailboat, Moss, Shells,
Rocks, Vines,
Storytelling
– Artifacts like old bottles,
antiques, folk toys
Communication
– Record player, photo copier,
Braille, typewriter, radio
Stars
– Telescope, sextant, compass,
spyglass, GPS
Comparing Real Stuff
NAME____________________________________________________ TEACHER_________________________________________
TABLE NUMBER ___________ BOTTLE CONTAINED ______________
Old Bottle New Container
COLOR
SHAPE
SIZE
COMPOSITION
PURPOSE
SYMBOLS/WORDS
Use Authentic Web Sites
Pumpkins Online Pumpkins Farms
Habitats http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pump
kins/farms.html#OL
Community
Virtual Field Trips
Helpers
http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tou
rs/fieldtrips2.htm
Real People Interviews
http://teacher.scholastic.com/co
mmclub/
The Mystery Coat Hanger
An example of how it’s about process,
not content
What do I know?
– Name
– Services
– Location?
– Phone Number
What do I want to
know?
– Where is it located?
– How old is it?
– Is it still there?
How do I find out?
The Mystery Coathanger
Clue Resource
Name
Town
Address
Phone Number
Description
What We
Internet Site Keywords Found
The Mystery Coathanger
Clue Resource
Name Marotta's Dry Cleaners phone book
Town Welland Port Colborne atlas
Address 169 E. Main St. 49 Clarence St. street map
734-3231 734-3178 834-6455 call the numbers
Description refrigerated cold storage vaults furs-cold
tailoring suits made to measure cleaners don't do that today
cleaners and shirt launderers
What We
Internet Site Keywords Found
www.google.com Marotta's Dry Cleaners nothing
www.switchboard.com 734-3231 734-3178 834-6455 nothing - no area codes
.on.ca told us
www.google.com Welland AND "Port Colborne" Ontario, Canada
www.portcolborne.com could there be a site like charlotte.com request info form
Marotta's cleaners
was no longer
there, but the
building was. It is
www.portcolborne.com received an email from museum curator now a jewelry store.
Kindergarten – Second Grades
MODEL, MODEL,
MODEL
May need to assist in
rewording the
question
Explain what you are
doing
Model thinking for
them
Kindergarten:
How are apples and pumpkins alike and
different?
What color are apples and
pumpkins?
What shape are they?
What do they need to
grow?
What do the plants look
like when they are
growing?
How long does it take for
them to grow?
How big do they grow?
How do we eat them?
First Grade
How do plants and animals in a habitat
depend on each other?
What is a habitat?
Why is the soil in a
habitat important?
Why is the temperature in
a habitat important?
Why is the water in a
habitat important?
What kind of plants live
in certain soils?
How much water and
temperature do the plants
and animals need?
What kind of plants do
the animals need?
Second Grade
How do fossils tell us about dinosaurs?
How big was your
dinosaur?
How do we know?
How much did your
dinosaur weigh?
How do we know?
What did your dinosaur
eat?
How do we know?
Where did your dinosaur
live?
How do we know?
Revisit Questioning at
the End of the Research
& Write Cycle
Evaluate the product
in terms of the
supporting questions
and essential question