Use More Questions than Answers

Did you know that when it comes to learning, the brain is more receptive to questions than answers? There is an increase in capability when learning with questions and a coasting release with the brain as the answers are found.

•         Allow students to generate questions in advance of a topic. They can post them up or publish them or put them on tape.
•        Write up questions and put them in a basket. Have a daily “drawing” for the group. Students can vote on the best or most thought proving questions.
•         Have a question of the day board with contributions by your students.
•          Encourage questions. Give clear, thoughtful answers. Turn questions into interested divergent paths of exploration.

While awake, your brain generates between 10 and 23 watts of power–or enough energy to power a light bulb.

How to Ask HOT Questions

Often Tiers 2 and 3 students are denied access to higher level questions because they still have difficulty with skills. However, higher level thinking questions are sometimes easier for Tiers 2 and 3 students to answer because open ended questions have more entry points and require more “think time” by the rest of the class. When a class is heavily focused on recall questions, lower readers may be limited because of their need for processing time.

Higher Order Thinking Questions

To Use After Reading

What reason is there for the character to….?

What was the motive behind…?

What do you suppose the character was thinking when…?

Predict what the character will do next.

Can you predict what the outcome would be if…?

Why did the character feel…?

Analyze how the character’s feelings changed in the story.

How would you feel if…?

What is the relationship between these two characters?

How would you compare these two characters?

What was the turning point in this story?

What would happen if…?

What is a different way to solve the problem?

How would you have solved the problem?

What plan would you carry out if this happened to you?

How would you change or improve…?

Was it better to _______than to _____?

Was it right for the character to…? Why or why not?

If you were that character, would you…?

What choice would you have made if…?

What is your opinion of that character’s actions/words?

What evidence can you find to prove that the

character…?

Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you are creating a new connection in your brain.

 

Higher Order Thinking Skills Question Templates

Recall

Note: Any question becomes a recall question if the answer has already been explicitly provided to the student in class or in the text.

When did ________ take place?

List the ________.

Define the term ________.

What is a ________?

Who did ________?

Name ________.

Analysis

How does ________ work?

Sort these ________ .

Use the table to determine ________ .

Use the graph to determine ________ .

Graph ________ .

What caused ________ ?

What is another possible cause of ________ ?

Outline the ________ .

Based on the written description, draw a diagram.

Draw your own map of ________ without tracing or copying.

Use the map to determine ________ .

In what sequence did ________ happen?

Break ________ down into its component parts.

Give an example of ________ .

What literary form is being used?

What technique is being used?

What information is needed?

Is the information relevant?

Into what groups can you organize these?

Draw a picture that illustrates what's described in the story ________ .

What does ________ symbolize?

Find examples of [a literary device] in your readings.

Analyze the ________ in ________ .

Classify these ________ according to ________ .

Separate the ________ from the ________ .

Translate ________ .

Analyze how ________ .

Explain how ________ works.

What was the author's point of view?

How did the author convey ________ ?

What words does the author use to paint an image of ________ in your mind?

How were ________ used to ________ ?

What kind of a ________ is this?

Which one doesn't belong in this group?

What is the function of ________ ?

What is the purpose of ________ ?

What is the relationship between ________ and ________ ?

What is the pattern?

Use manipulatives to illustrate a concept.

Build a model of ________ .

Measure ________ .

Comparison

How is ________ like ________ ?

How are ________ and ________ different?

Compare the ________ before and after ________ .

Compare the character ________ at the beginning of the story and at the end.

Distinguish between ________ and ________ .

Compare ________ with ________ .

On what dimensions might you compare ________ and ________ ?

Which one is the biggest/oldest/tallest?

 

Inference

Hypothesize what will happen if ________ .

Predict what will happen if ________ .

Apply the rule to ________ .

Solve the problem ________ .

Predict how the story ________ will end.

What is the main idea of the story ________ ?

What is the overall theme of ________ ?

What is the moral of the story?

Develop of plan to ________ .

Propose and describe an invention that fills some need.

Write a research paper on ________ .

Based on your readings, what can you conclude about ________ ?

What was the author's point of view?

Solve a logic puzzle.

What if ________ ?

What rule applies here?

What generalization can you make from this information?

Create a ________ .

Design a ________ .

Propose a solution to the problem of _______

Evaluation

Was ________ worth the costs? Explain your answer.

Was the argument convincing? What makes you think so?

Did ________ behave appropriately? Why?

What would you have done in this situation? Why?

Write a critique of ________ .

Was this experiment well designed? Defend your answer.

Judge which is the best solution to the problem of ________ ? Why do you think so?

How well are the conclusions supported by the data/ facts/evidence? Explain.

Did ________ choose a wise course of action? Give reasons.

Apply a scoring rubric to this piece of work.

Explain why you are assigning each score.

What would you have done in this situation? Why?

Review a book, performance, or exhibit.

Justify your evaluation.

Which ________ is the best? Why do you think so?

Whose arguments/evidence was more convincing? Why?

If you were the judge, what would your decision be? Why?

Give and justify your opinion on ________ .

  

Question Starters Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

The first three levels are considered lower order questions; the final three levels are considered higher order. Higher order questions are for critical thinking and creative problem solving. Each taxonomy level has a short description, a list of keywords that can be used to begin a question, and question starters.

Level 1: Remember – Recalling Information

Key words: Recognize, List, Describe, Retrieve, Name, Find, Match, Recall, Select, Label, Define, Tell

Question Starters:

• What is…?
• Who was it that…?
• Can you name…?
• Describe what happened after…
• What happened after…?

Level 2: Understand – Demonstrate an understanding of facts, concepts and ideas

Key words: Compare, Contrast, Demonstrate, Describe, Interpret, Explain, Extend, Illustrate, Infer, Outline, Relate, Rephrase, Translate, Summarize, Show, Classify

Question Starters:

• Can you explain why…?
• Can you write in your own words?
• Write a brief outline of…
• Can you clarify…?
• Who do you think…?
• What was the main idea?

Level 3: Apply – Solve problems by applying knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a unique way

Key words: Apply, Build, Choose, Construct, Demonstrate, Develop, Draw, Experiment with, Illustrate, Interview, Make use of, Model, Organize, Plan, Select, Solve, Utilize

Question Starters:

• Do you know of another instance where…?
• Demonstrate how certain characters are similar or different?
• Illustrate how the belief systems and values of the characters are presented in the story.
• What questions would you ask of…?
• Can you illustrate…?
• What choice does … (character) face?

 Level 4: Analyze – Breaking information into parts to explore connections and relationships

Key words: Analyze, Categorize, Classify, Compare, Contrast, Discover, Divide, Examine, Group, Inspect, Sequence, Simplify, Make Distinctions, Relationships, Function, Assume, Conclusions

Question Starters:

• Which events could not have happened?
• If … happened, what might the ending have been?
• How is… similar to…?
• Can you distinguish between…?
• What was the turning point?
• What was the problem with…?
• Why did… changes occur?

 Level 5: Evaluate – Justifying or defending a position or course of action

Key words: Award, Choose, Defend, Determine, Evaluate, Judge, Justify, Measure, Compare, Mark, Rate, Recommend, Select, Agree, Appraise, Prioritize, Support, Prove, Disprove. Assess, Influence, Value

Question Starters:

• Judge the value of…
• Can you defend the character’s position about…?
• Do you think… is a good or bad thing?
• Do you believe…?
• What are the consequences…?
• Why did the character choose…?
• How can you determine the character’s motivation when…?

Level 6: Create – Generating new ideas, products or ways of viewing things

Key words: Design, Construct, Produce, Invent, Combine, Compile, Develop, Formulate, Imagine, Modify, Change, Improve, Elaborate, Plan, Propose, Solve

Question Starters:

• What would happen if…?
• Can you see a possible solution to…?
• Do you agree with the actions?…with the outcomes?
• What is your opinion of…?
• What do you imagine would have been the outcome if… had made a different choice?
• Invent a new ending.
• What would you cite to defend the actions of…?

(Source: Pohl, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn)

Higher Order Thinking Questions for Text Features

Knowledge

• List all of the text features you found on this page.
• Circle the heading.
• Describe the diagram.
• Draw an example of bold letters.
• Explain where you would find the table of contents of a book.
• Point at the bullet points on the page.

Comprehension

• Explain what a table is in your own words.
• How are a photograph and an illustration different?
• How are captions and labels alike?
• Which text feature best supports the main idea of this paragraph?
• What text feature should you use to figure out the meaning of a word: an index or a glossary?
• Based on the text features in this book, what do you think the book will be about?

Application

• How could you use the title or headings of this book to predict the main idea?
• In what other situations would bold letters be useful?
• What caption would you write for this photograph?
• What text features would you include if you were writing an article on basketball?
• Organize the information in this paragraph into a table or chart.
• Write an appropriate heading for this paragraph.

Analysis

• How do the text features on this page relate to each other?
• If you were asked to divide the text features on this page into 2 groups, how would you categorize them?
• What inference can you make about this book based on its text features?
• How do the text features on this page relate to the text?
• Compare and contrast two of the text features on this page.
• Explain the different parts of the diagram or chart. What text features are included within the diagram or chart?

Evaluation

• Which text feature was most useful in helping you understand the text?
• Which text feature was least helpful to you in understanding the text?
• Where in the text could the author have added a table, chart, or diagram?
• Which text feature is the most important to nonfiction books?
• Why did the author choose to add this text feature?
• Which text feature did the author use most effectively?

Synthesis

• Write a nonfiction article that includes at least 6 different text features.
• Create an additional text feature for this book.
• How would this book have been different if the author hadn’t included any photographs or illustrations?
• Choose one of the text features on the page and write your own paragraph to support the text feature.
• What text feature could be added to help you understand the text better?
• How would the book have been different if the author had not included any headings or titles?

Point of View: Questions Based on Bloom’s Technology

From point of View Activity Bundle

Knowledge

• Define first point of view.
• Define third person point of view.
• Who told the story?
• Point at a sentence from the passage that shows the author’s point of view.
• What is point of view?
• Who is the narrator of this story?

 Comprehension

• What does the author think is most important?
• How does the author feel about…?
• What’s the difference between first and third person point of view?
• What sentence from the passage best supports the author’s point of view?
• How does the narrator’s point of view affect the events in the narrative?
• How does the main character feel about               …?

 Application

·         What strategies can you use to determine the author/narrator’s point of view?

·         If the author rewrote this from an opposing viewpoint, what statements would you need to change?

·         What questions would you ask the author about his/her point of  view during an interview?

·         How could you change this narrative so that it is written from a third person point of view?

·         What events in the narrative would change if the narrative was written from a different character’s point of view?

·         How would the character handle living in a new setting?

 Analysis

·         Would the author agree or disagree with the statement… and how do you know?

·         Why do you think the author choose to say …?

·         What facts does the author state?
What opinions does the author state?

·         What evidence can you find that the author believes …?

·         Why do you think the narrator said…?

Evaluation

• What information did the author choose to leave out because it opposed their point of view?
• Can you trust the author’s point of view? Why or why not?
• Is the author knowledgeable on this subject? Why or why not?
• What would you have done differently form the main character? Why?
• Would the narrative be better if it was written from a different character’s point of view?
• Do you agree with the author’s point of view? Why or why not?

Synthesis

Rewrite this narrative from a different character’s point of view.

·        How would the narrative have been different if it had been written from a first person point of view rather than a third person point of view?

·        What statements would you add to the nonfiction article to make the author’s point of view clearer?

·        Write a diary entry form the main character’s point of view.

·        Rewrite this article with an opposing viewpoint.

Collected from internet