Cues, Questions &
Advance Organizers
Created by The School District of Lee County, CSDC
in conjunction with
Cindy Harrison, Adams 12 Five Star Schools
What’s the question???
 She went to visit her grandmother but got
side tracked on the way.
 They were brothers who were “homeless”,
but charged greatly to those who invaded
their territory.
 She was very fond of fruit and it became her
downfall.
 He had an imagination that caused his
followers to believe that it could be the end of
time.
Questions and Cues
Discussion questions:
What makes a good question?
How do you currently use cues in your
classroom?
Cues and Questions
 Heart of classroom practice
 Account for 80% of what occurs in a classroom on a
given day
 Involve explicit reminders/hints about what students are
about to experience
 Activate background knowledge
 Aid students in process of filling in missing information
Research and Theory about
Questions and Cues
Generalizations based on research:
1.
Should focus on what is important not unusual.
2.
Higher level questions produce deeper learning.
3.
Increasing wait time increases depth of answers.
4.
Questions are an effective tool even before a
learning experience.
Research and Theory about
Questions and Cues
Generalization #1:
Should focus on what is important, not unusual.
•
Unusual may be interesting but can distract from
what is important
Generalization #2:
Higher level questions produce deeper learning.
•
Causes students to restructure info
Sample Lower Level Questioning
Based on Bloom's Taxonomy, Developed and
Expanded by John Maynard
 I. KNOWLEDGE (drawing out factual answers,
testing recall and recognition)
 II. COMPREHENSION (translating, interpreting
and extrapolating)
 III. APPLICATION (to situations that are new,
unfamiliar or have a new slant for students)
Sample Higher Level Questioning
 IV. ANALYSIS (breaking down into parts,
forms)
 V. SYNTHESIS (combining elements into a
pattern not clearly there before)
 VI. EVALUATION (according to some set
of criteria, and state why)
Research and Theory about
Questions and Cues
Generalization #3:
Increasing wait time increases depth of answers.
•
•
•
Should be several seconds
Gives students more time to think
Increases discussion and interaction
Generalization #4:
Questions are an effective tool even before a learning
experience.
•
Develops framework
Recommendations for Classroom Practice on
Questions and Cues
a.
Use Explicit Cues
b.
Ask Questions that Elicit Inferences
c.
Use Analytic Questions
Recommendations for Classroom Practice on
Questions and Cues
b. Ask Questions that Elicit Inferences
c. Use Analytic Questions
Two Categories of Questions
 Inferential
Help students fill in
gaps from a lesson,
activity, reading
 Analytic
Often require students
to use prior
knowledge in addition
to new knowledge to
analyze, critique
information
Inferential Questions
 Answer is implied
 Read between the lines
 Student fills in gaps
 Use prior knowledge
 Use new knowledge
Inferential Questions
Four categories:
1. Things and people
2. Actions
3. Events
4. States
Analytic Questions
 Require students to analyze and critique the
information
 Require them to use prior knowledge
 Require them to use new knowledge
 Designed around highly analytic thinking and
reasoning skills
 Have more than one answer
Research and Theory about
Advance Organizers
Generalization #1:
Should focus on what is important not unusual.
•
Unusual may be interesting but can distract
from what is important
Generalization #2:
Higher level advance organizers produce deeper learning.
•
Causes students to restructure info
Research and Theory about
Advance Organizers
Generalization #3:
Most useful with information that is not well
organized.
•
Organizes information within a learning structure
Generalization #4:
Different types produce different results.
•
4 Types
Recommendations for Classroom Practice on
Advance Organizers
Use all 4 types of advance organizers
1.
2.
3.
4.


Expository
Narrative
Skimming
Graphic
Not the only types
Advance organizers come in many formats
Expository




Describes content
Written or oral
Can include text and/or pictures
Helps see patterns
Example:
Neurons are nerve cells that transmit nerve signals to
and from the brain at up to 200 mph. The neuron
consists of a cell body (or soma) with branching
dendrites (signal receivers) and a projection called an
axon, which conduct the nerve signal.
The axon, a long extension of a nerve cell, and take
information away from the cell body.
Myelin coats and insulates the axon increasing
transmission speed along the axon.
The cell body (soma) contains the neuron's nucleus
(with DNA and typical nuclear organelles). Dendrites
branch from the cell body and receive messages.
Narrative
 Story format
 Makes personal connections
 Makes seem familiar
Example:
Before beginning a unit about the experience of
immigrant groups who moved to the U.S., Mr.
Anderson told the story of his grandfather,
who immigrated from Sweden.
Skimming
 Preview important information quickly by noting what
stands out in headings and highlighted information
 Pre-reading questions or SQ3R (survey, question, read,
recite, review) can be helpful before skimming
Example:
When beginning a new lesson, gives students 60 seconds to skim
an article paying close attention to headings, subheadings, and
the first sentence of each paragraph.
This helps students become aware of what information they will be
learning when they read the article more carefully.
Graphic Organizers
 Type of nonlinguistic representation which
visually represents what the students will
learn
Examples: