Elkhart Community Schools

Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3Introducing Strategy#3

When kids are little….When kids are little….

They can’t stop asking questions.

They drive their family crazy with,

“Why does the kitty land on its

feet when you throw it in the

air? Why do I have two eyes?

Why do I have to go to bed?”

Relentlessly, they examine their

environment, trying to make

sense of it.

However….However….�As students get older, the

teacher ends up asking most of

the questions, expecting

students to find the right

answer.

�Being able to create thoughtful

questions is a sophisticated

cognitive skill.

The Importance of Building “Schema”

The Importance of Building “Schema”

�Schema is all the

background knowledge

and experience we have

in our brains.

�Building conceptual

frameworks or schema is

the way in which the mind

stores and retrieves data.

Questioning Skills Help With LearningQuestioning Skills Help With Learning

Research shows that if students cannot

formulate meaningful questions, their

ability to learn is significantly reduced.

“When an individual cannot ask

questions, he/she is like a computer

without a keyboard. It is very difficult to

access data.”

-Ruby Payne

Put in a simpler way . . .Put in a simpler way . . .

Questioning is

a strategy that

propels readers

forward.

� can help you establish a

purpose for reading and keep

you more focused.

� encourages your curiosity so

that you want to stay with the

material until you understand

it.

Being able to ask questions…Being able to ask questions…

� helps to make the text clearer.

� takes readers to deeper meanings to help them understand text.

Being able to ask questions…Being able to ask questions…

� clarify something in the text or a text feature.

� understand vocabulary.

� find specific information in the text.

� connect to the ideas or characters in the text.

� put yourself in the text by using your senses (visualizing, tasting, smelling, and feeling).

� understand choices the author made when writing the text.

You can ask questions to . . .You can ask questions to . . .

� understand the text organization and text structure.

� to summarize what you have read.

� extend your learning beyond the text.

� understand a character or an object.

� make predictions.

You can ask questions to . . .You can ask questions to . . .

Questioning

Strategies

Questioning

Strategies

Strategic Readers Ask Questions . . .Strategic Readers Ask Questions . . .

�Before Reading

�During Reading

�After Reading

What questions does this image bring to mind?

What questions does this image bring to mind?

� I wonder where this

place is.

� I wonder if it’s real.

� I wonder who would

live in a place like

this.

� Tell a partner. . .

“I wonder…”

Some questions . . .

� require only a brief answer

� require only a yes or no answer

� have only one correct answer

� are open-ended

� have more than one correct answer

� require a detailed, complex answer

� are unanswerable

Questions Are Not

All the Same

Questions Are Not

All the Same

For instance . . .

�What is photosynthesis?

You could not answer that

question with one word. The

answer is long and involved

and would need to be

researched.

DEEP QUESTIONSDEEP QUESTIONSDEEP QUESTIONSDEEP QUESTIONS

Deep questions address large,

universal concepts

DEEP QUESTIONSDEEP QUESTIONSDEEP QUESTIONSDEEP QUESTIONS

Deep questions address large,

universal concepts

Surface questions that can be

answered with a number or a simple

“yes or no” fall in this category.

For instance . . .

�How many flowers are in the vase?

�Does the vase have water?

You use surface questions to

understand specific details.

SURFACE QUESTIONSSURFACE QUESTIONS

Structure of QuestionsStructure of QuestionsMost of us think of these words when we

think of questions:

�Who?

�What?

�When?

�Where?

�How?

�Why?

But questions can also look like this…But questions can also look like this…

� Which of the following

statements fits with . . .?

� Can you think of an

example. . .?

� Could, should, would. . .?

� If this story happened. . .?

� Does she/he mean that . . .?

� In what ways. . . ?

The PayoffThe PayoffThe Payoff

“Hearing others’ questions

inspires new ones of your

own; likewise, listening to

others’ answers can also

inspire new thinking.”

Debbie Miller

Be an Independent ThinkerBe an Independent ThinkerBe an Independent Thinker

� Learn to use questioning

strategies on your own to

become a strategic reader.

� Learn to use the tools

available to become an

independent thinker.

� Is the answer right there in the text?

� Can this be answered using my background knowledge?

� Can I infer (figure this out) from different sections in the text?

� Could I answer this if I discussed it with someone?

� Do I need to do further research?

� Is this question confusing me?

When you’re trying to answer

questions, ask yourself. . .

When you’re trying to answer

questions, ask yourself. . .

What are

some surface

questions you

could ask

about this

picture?

What are

some surface

questions you

could ask

about this

picture?

What are

some deepdeepdeepdeep

questions

you could

ask about

this picture?

What are

some deepdeepdeepdeep

questions

you could

ask about

this picture?

The goal of learning cognitive reading strategies is to help you take responsibility for your own learning and be self-directed rather than teacher directed.

The goal of learning The goal of learning cognitive reading strategies cognitive reading strategies is to help you take is to help you take responsibility for your own responsibility for your own learning and be selflearning and be self--directed rather than directed rather than teacher directed.teacher directed.

Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .Remember . . .

Elkhart Community Schools

Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3Strategy#3

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