Student questioning: teaching students to ask their own questions
In short
Teaching students to ask their own questions while reading improves comprehension, because it makes them think actively about the text. Model the kinds of questions good readers ask, give students question stems, and use routines like reciprocal teaching where students take turns leading.
Why should students ask the questions?
In most classrooms, teachers ask nearly all the questions. Students answer them, but they never have to decide for themselves what's worth wondering about in a text. When students generate their own questions, they have to think about the text actively, notice what's important, and spot what they don't understand.
The National Reading Panel found question generation to be one of the comprehension strategies with the most research support. Students who learn to ask good questions tend to understand and remember more of what they read.
What kinds of questions should students learn?
Students need to know that questions differ, and that some are much more useful than others. Some can be answered from one sentence. Some require putting together several parts of the text. Some need the reader's own knowledge. A simple way to sort them helps students ask, and answer, better questions.
| Type | Where the answer is | Example question stem |
|---|---|---|
| Right there | In one sentence in the text | Who? What? Where? When? |
| Think and search | In several places in the text | How did...? Why did...? What changed? |
| Author and me | In the text plus my knowledge | What does the author mean by...? Why might...? |
| On my own | In my own experience | Have you ever...? What would you do if...? |
Aim to move students beyond right there questions. Those are easy to write, but think and search and author and me questions do more for comprehension.
How do you teach question generation?
Model it first. Read aloud, stop to ask questions out loud, and explain why each question seems worth asking at that point in the text. Then give students question stems to use, and gradually remove them as students get comfortable.
- Read a short passage aloud and ask two or three questions as you go, saying why each one matters.
- Sort your questions with students: which can be answered right there, and which need more thinking?
- Give students a set of stems, such as "Why did..." and "What would happen if...".
- Have pairs write questions for the next section, then swap and answer each other's.
- Discuss which questions led to the best conversations, and why.
- Teacher
- Before we read on, ask your partner a question about what we just read. Try a why question.
- Student
- Why did the girl hide the letter?
- Student
- Maybe she didn't want her mom to see it. It might be bad news.
- Teacher
- That's a think and search question. You'll need more of the text to be sure. Keep reading and check.
What is reciprocal teaching?
Reciprocal teaching is a routine developed by Annemarie Palincsar and Ann Brown in the 1980s. Students read a text in small groups and take turns leading four strategies: predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarizing. The teacher models each role first, then hands it over.
| Role | What the leader does |
|---|---|
| Predictor | Asks the group what might come next, using clues from the text |
| Questioner | Asks questions about the section just read |
| Clarifier | Points out confusing words or ideas and leads the group in fixing them |
| Summarizer | States the main idea of the section in a sentence or two |
Studies of reciprocal teaching found strong gains in comprehension, especially for students who could decode reasonably well but understood little of what they read. It works well in small groups from about third grade up.
Should students ask questions before, during or after reading?
All three, for different reasons, though the balance should lean toward questions asked during reading. Questions before reading set a purpose. Questions during reading keep students engaged and help them notice confusion. Questions after reading help them review and connect ideas.
During-reading questions are the most powerful and the most often skipped. Stop at a few planned points in a text and ask students to write or say one question. It takes a minute and keeps their minds on the text.
How do you keep questions from being shallow?
At first, most student questions are right there questions that can be answered by pointing to one sentence. That's normal. Praise them, then push for more. Ask "Can you turn that into a why question?" or "What question would need us to look at two parts of the story?"
Share examples of strong questions from other students, with their permission. Hearing a classmate ask a sharp, interesting question is often more motivating than any model from the teacher.
How do you assess student questioning?
Collect students' written questions every couple of weeks and sort them by type, either on your own or together with the class. Over a few weeks, you should see more think and search and author and me questions. Note which students stay stuck at right there questions and give them more modeling.
Also listen to group discussion. Students who ask good questions of each other are showing real comprehension, often more clearly than on a written test.
Can younger students learn to ask questions?
Yes, and read-alouds are the best place to start. Kindergarten and first grade students can learn to ask "I wonder" questions about a story, such as wondering why a character is sad or what will happen when the storm arrives. Model one wondering question at each stopping point, then invite students to share their own with a partner.
By second grade, many students can sort questions into easy ones, where the answer is right there, and thinking ones, where they need to use clues. That simple sorting sets them up well for the four question types in later grades.