Questioning strategies to teach your students:
1. Mark up the text. Use sticky notes to mark your questions and when you find the answer, record it on the note. These can become study notes.
2. I learned…I wonder… Have students record something they learned, then complete the I wonder statement. That can become their homework, or the topic of research, or a class discussion starter.
3. Categorize questions. Have students generate a list of questions from a text, then categorize them into groups. Use A for answered, BK for background knowledge, I for inferred, D for discussion, NR for needs research, C for confused, or whatever your class wants to use. Leave questions posted and answer them on the chart so that everyone has access to the information.
4. Differentiate between Thick and Thin questions. Have students put a value on the question. Is this a larger, universally important question or is this a clarifying or simplistic question?
5. Start with a question. Put a question of some importance in the middle of a piece of paper. Have students brainstorm answers, then discuss and/or read to find another point of view.
6. Turn headings into questions. Using Cornell notes, have students change the headings of a text into questions on the left side, and on the right side record the answers as they read.
7. Use questions that inspire inferential answers. These questions go beyond what is in the text and ask the student to move into thoughtful consideration of fact and opinion. By asking “What would happen if…”, the student moves from basic knowledge to inference, a higher-level thinking skill.
8. Push it a bit further. When students present answers to you, ask them to dig deeper. “Why do you think that so? How do you know for sure? What would happen if…” Is that always true?
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CMS Teacher Professional Development: R. Breland 2009