Costa’s Levels of Questioning

Level 1:
1) Q: What is the definition of a mouth in terms of a river?
A: A mouth is the end of a river, where it empties into a large body of water.
2) Q: What facts did you learn about mountain ranges?
A: They are natural barriers, they have different climates depending on the side of
the mountain, they have little soil, they were formed by volcanoes and plates.
3) Q: Match the correct state to its capital.
1. Alabama a. Austin
2. Missouri b. Montgomery
3. Texas c. Jefferson City
A: Alabama – Montgomery, Missouri - Jefferson City, Texas – Austin
Level 2:
1) Q: Why do you think that a lot of people do not live on the side of a mountain?
A: Mountains are very unfertile and have no way to growing their own produce,
and roads/other types of transportation are difficult to build on a mountain and
would make it hard for items to reach people living on a mountain.
2) Q: How would you categorize the states?
A: Students may categorize them like they are, into regions such as Northeast,
Midwest, Southeast, West, etc. or they may categorize them by the first letter of
the state, or even by the similar climates the states have.
3) Q: Illustrate what absolute location is.
A: For example, the absolute location of Warrensburg, MO is 38°45′47″N
93°44′06″W. Absolute location refers to the fixed point of a location using
coordinates.
Level 3:
1) Q: Where would you predict the next mountain range to appear?
A: Without further research the student would not know a specific location, but
could assume that mountains are formed by volcanoes and plates moving, thus
they could assume that any place where there is high volcanic activity or plate
movement could appear a mountain.
2) Q: How would you justify that a lake is not a river?
 A: A lake is a standing body of water that does not have to be connected to any
other water source. A river is a flowing body of water that will empty into a sea or
an ocean. People often confuse lakes and rivers because they can both be
freshwater sources, but a lake must be inland and enclosed, where a river has a
drain that leads to the ocean.
3) Q: Do you believe that our country could survive without the transportation of rivers?
A: Student can use evidence such as the Mississippi River carries major items
from the middle of the country to New Orleans, many rivers go through multiple
states and can easily drop/pick up items to transport, or that the Hudson river
provides a major trade route from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes. Students may
also say yes, we could because we have such a vast road system now, as well as
air travel and other types of transportation. It all depends on the student’s point of
view.