Asking Questions

Impacting Quality of Responses

• Wait time• Clarity• Placement• Calling on children in

different ways• Thought level

Wait Time

• Increasing wait time increases number and quality of responses.

• Three second average• 15 seconds is best

Clarity

• Ask specific question, then stop talking.

Avoid Unclear Questions

• What about elephants?

Avoid Asking Series of Questions

• What do tigers eat? Do they eat plants? Would you find one attacking another tiger to eat it?

Placement of Questions

• Before reading—to comprehend specific information

• During reading—to focus

• After reading—for general comprehension

Methods of Calling on Children

• Solitary response (Jim, what is the date?)

• Controlled response (What is the date, Jim?)

• Uncontrolled response (What is the date?)

• Mass response (What is the date, class?)

Thought Level

• Literal

• Interpretive

• Application

Literal

• Read the lines.

• “Does he love me?”

Interpretation

• Read between the lines

• “Did he kiss me like he loves me?”

Improving Questioning

• Wait time• Clarity• Placement• Calling on children• Thought level

Application

• Read beyond the lines.

• “Will he ask me to marry him?”

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