I have worked really hard with questioning this year. I have fifth grade. I chose a book that was significantly above the group's reading level and would be interesting to most of my boys - The Hobbit. I read it out loud. Their job was to record any questions they had as I read and then we shared questions at the end of each session. At first most questions were just about vocabulary or something right there that they didn't understand. Slowly their questions changed. My upper level students and the students that really "got into" the book started asking "I wonder questions" and lots of open ended questions which led to predictions and lots of inferences. That then led to other students asking good questions. It became like a line of dominoes falling. At that point they still were not really using questions in their own reading that way. We then went on to Eragon and during that book everybody started asking I wonder questions and why did... questions and the vocabulary questions almost disappeared. They are now using questioning everywhere. Yesterday, while reading The View from Saturday, one student asked how does Mrs Olinski(in a wheelchair) drive her van. This got all the other students thinking really hard and trying to see if there were any more clues in the story. This student then used the web to find an answer and share with the class. This process started at the end of February. I modeled questions sometimes, but we discussed their questions more often and how their questions helped them understand the story. Also how their questions helped them to be actively involved in the story and pay attention to what was happening and keep the beginning, middle and end of a long book tied together. We decided whether the question was a "good" question - made us think about the plot of the story or a "weak" question didn't make us think about the plot, or a question that went beyond the story. They have transferred this to their own reading now and is making their reading of nonfiction really powerful. It took a really long time but was really worth it. This is the first year I taught questioning this way but I will do it the same next year, just earlier in the year. Darcy
> Date: Wed, 2 May 2007 06:58:37 -0600> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: > [email protected]> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Some help with questioning > please> > I have modelled asking questions by starting off with, I > wonder...To date, only a few kids use this stem to ask a question about a > book that we're reading but they are all genuine questions. I think the I > wonder really helps them think about things they wonder. I think that when > you have kids ask questions about what they don't understand in a story or a > piece of writing, it muddles it up for them. I'm not sure why but that is > just a hunch I have right now. We ask questions during writing workshop but I > haven't suggested they start with I wonder. I will start suggesting that > today to see if the questions are more genuine and helpful to the reader. So > far, they haven't been. Thanks for making me wonder.> Elisa Waingort> > Calgary, Canada _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
