INVESTIGATING THE WAYS

STUDENT-CREATED DEPTH OF
KNOWLEDGE (DOK) QUESTIONS
AFFECT LEVELS OF STUDENT
THINKING IN READING
INSTRUCTION
By Caroline Henderson

University of San Diego, May 2013


INTRODUCTION
Fourth grade classroom
31 students
K-8 public school in Santee, CA
Project and technology based school
environment
Students mainly work collaboratively in groups
throughout all subjects

AREA OF NEED
I noticed a need for my students to develop
their higher thinking skills during their reading
of the novel, Holes.
My students were solely using surface level
questioning and thinking in order to show their
understanding of the book.
I implemented the Depth of Knowledge (DOK)
model through this investigation in order to
have a focus for the levels of higher thinking
students use.


MY QUESTION:
In what ways can student-created
Depth of Knowledge (DOK)
questions affect levels of student
thinking in reading instruction in a
fourth grade classroom?


GUIDING THEORIES:
Blooms Taxonomy
Webbs Depth of Knowledge Model (DOK)
Both help define cognitive rigor within students through
curriculum and instruction.
Increase levels of thinking and develop a deeper
understanding for the content that students are learning
WEBBS DOK LEVELS (1997, 1999)

Level -- Description
DOK-1 Recall & Reproduction Recall a fact, term, principle, or
concept; perform a routine procedure.
DOK-2 Basic Application of Skills/Concepts Use information,
conceptual knowledge; select appropriate procedures for a task; perform
two or more steps with decision points along the way; solve routine
problems; organize or display data; interpret or use simple graphs.
DOK-3 Strategic Thinking Reason or develop a plan to approach a
problem; employ some decision-making and justification; solve abstract,
complex, or non-routine problems, complex. (DOK-3 problems often
allow more than one possible answer.)
DOK-4 Extended Thinking Perform investigations or apply concepts
and skills to the real world that require time to research, problem solve,
and process multiple conditions of the problem or task; perform non-
routine manipulations across disciplines, content areas, or multiple
sources.

PHASE ONE (WEEK 1)
Student Feedback Form
Jumanji
Students create their DOK questions with the
knowledge that deeper meaning questions
require more than just an answer you can find
in the book
Students will respond to a peers question to
identify the different levels of questioning within
the classroom based on if their answer required
more thought than looking back in the book

PHASE ONE (WEEK 2)
Zathura
This book is sequential to Jumanji in that it begins with
Jumanjis ending
We will discuss in small groups the progression of thinking for
the student-created DOK Jumanji questions
Read in small groups and create a deeper meaning question
together, ideally starting at a DOK Level 1 and working it up to
a DOK Level 3
Students will create their own deeper meaning questions at
the end of the week, and then respond to one of their peers
questions.