Questioning
Grade 3
Two day lesson
Purpose:
To enhance comprehension through the use of questioning.
To help students recognize that their thinking constantly changes with
each reading of a text.
Objectives:
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Students will ask questions related to text before, during, and after
reading of book.
Students will ask inferential or thick questions and choose one
“burning question” to solve.
Students will listen to peer questions, and ask deeper related
questions.
Students will revise their thinking as new information is learned
through further discussion, re-reading, and questioning.
Students will look for clues in re-reading of text to solve their
burning question and prove their thinking.
Connection to the MA State English/Language Arts Frameworks:
Standard 2: Questioning, Listening, and Contributing
Students will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute their own information or ideas in
group discussions or interviews in order to acquire new knowledge.
Standard 4: Vocabulary and Concept Development
Students will understand and acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly in reading and writing.
Standard 8: Understanding a Text
Students will identify basic facts and main ideas in a text and use them as the basis for interpretation.
Standard 10: Genre
Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the characteristics of different genres.
Materials:
The Royal Bee by Frances and Ginger Park
Question web
Chart with the title and author of the text and areas labeled before, during,
and after to hold student post-it notes
25 Clipboards
Pencils
Post-its
Procedures:
Activating Activity:
1.
Ask students, if they recall the strategy of questioning. Review the difference
between a thin and thick question. Refer to chart displayed on wall in reading corner.
Ask students to refer to the question starters on the chart-How? Why? How come? What
is? I wonder...? Refer to the lesson we did last week with questioning and the book Tar
Beach to help them make connections with what we will do with this new book.
Tell them that we will be questioning again before, during, and after the reading of this
story. Instruct them that they will need to have at least three questions for each section;
before, during, and after.
2.
Tell students to look at the cover of The Royal Bee and begin thinking about this
story. Instruct them to write questions they may have already about this story on post-it
notes and put their initials on the note as well.
3.
Tell them that this story takes place in Korea many years ago. Locate Korea on
the globe to show students. Read to them a bit of the author’s note (without revealing the
solution of the story) to give them a little more information to think and question about.
After a few minutes call on students to share their before questions and stick them to the
chart on the easel.
Core Procedure:
4.
Begin reading the story. Encourage students to ask questions as they listen. But
do tell them that they can also just listen and that you will stop to give them time to write
down their questions and share them with the class.
5.
Stop at a pre-marked point in the story for sharing of questions. As students share
and post their questions, point out how more questions develop as we listen to one
another.
6.
Return to reading. Stop one more time right before the conclusion. Repeat step 5.
Encourage students to make predictions of the ending. What will happen to Song-Ho?
Why do you think so?
Closing Activity:
7.
After finishing the book, instruct students to continue to think about the story.
Encourage them to think beyond the story written down and ask questions about: What
will happen to Song-Ho now? Guide students to think deeper. Require them to ask thick
questions.
8.
Have students share questions and post on chart.
9.
Ask students to review the class’ questions. Sort and group those that are similar
in nature. Help students see how they are the same by modeling your thinking out loud.
Tell them that we need to determine a burning question that continued coming up in our
reading.
10.
Write this burning question in the center of a chart sized question web. Tell
students that we will read this again tomorrow to search for clues and possible answers to
this question.
Assessment:
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Nine post-it notes will be required of all students. This will demonstrate the level
of questioning for each student.
Extensions:
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Students will listen to the story a second time to determine a possible answer to
their burning question.
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Students could practice inferring the meaning of the many Korean words such as
sangmin, yangban, and Royal Bee.