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Instructional Strategy

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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Question It!

Grade:

6-8, 9-12, UNIV

Type:

Question & Inquire
/ Discuss & Collaborate
20-30

Minutes

When:

During and after reading

Materials:

Preselected text, Question It! graphic organizer, whiteboard or display, writing utensil
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Description

A hand draws an orange question mark on green background.
© meeboonstudio/stock.adobe.com
Question It! is a discussion and collaboration strategy that invites students to generate and explore their questions about a text. Students create various types of questions independently and collaboratively and engage in group discussions to deepen text comprehension. This approach develops critical thinking and inquiry skills while promoting active reading. Text-to-question learning is effective for enhancing student engagement with complex texts, fostering analytical thinking, and deepening understanding through self-directed inquiry and peer discussion.
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Procedure

1
Explain to students that they will create their own questions about a text. Explain how this active thinking process enhances understanding.
2
Distribute the Question It! graphic organizer to students and explain its components. Example think-aloud questions for teachers:
I wonder what this word means in this context?
How does this information connect to what we learned earlier?
Why did the author choose to present this idea first?
What evidence supports this claim?
How might this concept apply to our daily lives?
3
Display a brief paragraph from the preselected text and model a think-aloud, demonstrating how to ask fact-based and interpretive questions. Use a display copy of the graphic organizer to show students how to record interesting or confusing parts and how to categorize different types of questions. Additional think-aloud prompts:
This part surprises me because ___.
I’m confused about ___. I need to reread this section.
This reminds me of ___.
I’m curious about why ___.
4
Generate and write down various question types (factual, inferential, evaluative, connective) in the “My Questions” section of the organizer. Explain your reasoning and how to refine questions.
5
Provide a comprehensive example to illustrate the process. For instance, suppose the paragraph is about climate change:
Factual questions:
What is the main greenhouse gas mentioned in this paragraph?
According to the text, by how many degrees has the global temperature risen?
Inferential questions:
How might rising sea levels affect coastal cities?
What could be some potential consequences of melting polar ice caps?
Evaluative questions:
To what extent does the author present a balanced view of climate change?
How credible are the sources cited in this paragraph?
Connective questions:
How does this information relate to what we learned about the Industrial Revolution?
Can we connect climate changes to recent weather patterns we’ve experienced?
While thinking aloud, the teacher might say:
I notice the text mentions carbon dioxide levels increasing. I wonder how this relates to other greenhouse gases we’ve studied. And it talks about a 1°C temperature rise. That doesn’t sound like much, but I’m curious about what effects this small change might have globally. The author seems concerned about this issue—I wonder if there’s another perspective we should consider? This reminds me of an earlier discussion on pollution—how might the ideas discussed then connect to what we’re reading here?
6
Invite students to continue reading the remainder of the text independently. As they read, ask them to use the graphic organizer to note areas of interest or confusion in the designated section.
7
After reading, instruct students to write down three to five questions about the text in the “My Questions” section of their graphic organizer, encouraging them to use various question types and check the appropriate boxes.
8
Divide the class into small groups to share and discuss their questions. During group discussions, invite students to use the “Group Discussion” section of the organizer to record the most interesting question from their group and how they tried to answer it.
9
Circulate among groups, offering guidance and encouragement as needed. Listen for particularly insightful questions or discussions to highlight during a whole-class discussion.
10
Facilitate a whole-class discussion, addressing key questions from each group and guiding students in finding text evidence. Ask students to use the “Class Discussion” section of the organizer to record a key point they learned and supporting evidence from the text.
11
Encourage students to complete the “Self-Reflection” section at the bottom of the graphic organizer, considering how asking questions helped them understand the text better. Conduct a brief sharing session in which a few students volunteer to share their reflections, fostering metacognitive thinking about the questioning process.
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Differentiation

Question Stems: Provide a list of question stems for each question type (factual, inferential, evaluative, connective) on an additional student handout, or added to the Question It! graphic organizer. These stems help learners formulate more diverse and sophisticated questions by offering structured starting points, gradually building their question-generation skills and confidence.
Tiered Complexity: Provide texts of varying complexity levels, allowing students to work with material that matches their reading level while still participating in the same activity. This approach ensures that all students can engage meaningfully with the questioning process, building confidence and skills at their own pace while still being challenged appropriately.
Multilayered Questions: Encourage students to synthesize information from multiple parts of the text or connect the text to external sources, promoting deeper analysis and encouraging students to engage with the material at a more complex level.
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Variations

Question Carousel: Students write their questions on large sheets of paper posted around the room; then they rotate in small groups to add responses or follow-up questions to each poster. This kinesthetic and collaborative approach engages visual, auditory, and tactile learners while promoting peer-to-peer learning and diverse perspectives on the text.
Digital Discussion Boards: For classes with access to technology, use digital platforms where students can post questions and respond to each other’s queries, fostering ongoing discussion beyond class time.
Expert Groups: Divide the class into “expert groups” focusing on different question types. Each group becomes proficient in generating and answering one type of question and then shares their expertise with others.
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