*Questioning Strategy*

Last week, I began a mini-unit on using the questioning strategy to help with comprehension of our reading. The students have really grasped this concept, especially with support from the teachers. They understand the importance of why we ask questions throughout our reading, and can distinguish between thick and thin questions. While we are reading in our literacy circles, the students are prompted to ask questions and to have discussions throughout the time for circles.
However, I have found when they are to find questions themselves, they are in need of support. I see that the students need extra practice to help figure out HOW to actually form questions while they are reading independently. So to help with this task, I decided to compile a list of "question starters" for the students. I created little note cards that have these question starters on them and placed these in a bag. Each literacy circle has a copy of these question starters. When the students have read around 3 pages in their circles, they are to stop, draw a question card, and use that question starter to form a question to ask a literacy circle classmate.

The question starters are:
-What are the characteristics of...?
-Who...?
-Would you agree that...?
-What caused...?
-Why...?

These question starters are ones that can be thick and thin, depending on how they asked their question. A thin question is one that they can find the answer to right away by looking at the page. A thick question is one where the students have to really think and analyze the text in order to answer the question.

I took a few pictures of the students using these question starters, and they have really seemed to help! In a few weeks, I will take away the cards and see how they do forming questions without the support.