Costas Levels of Questioning

Where do babies Will what happened to the

come from? dinosaurs happen to us?
What do
young
children do
when they
want to know
something?
What do people
do in heaven? Well, they ask A Why is water
wet?
LOT of questions.
 We learn by
asking questions.

What we get out of

literature depends on the
questions we ask it.

The higher the level

of question, the
higher the level of
thinking and the
more you will learn.
 We will use these styles
of questioning for
Socratic seminar.

We want to ask
questions that are
demanding and require
some serious brain
activity.

Not all questions are

created equal.
There are three levels of
questions we will become
familiar with.

LEVEL III

LEVEL II

LEVEL I
 Why?
Learning takes place when you PRODUCE
knowledge not reproduce it.

Higher-level thinking questions help you dig

deeper, and learning is richer and more
rewarding.

Making higher-level questions a habit of mind

will make you smarter and more capable in ALL
of your studies, not just English class.
FACTUAL QUESTIONS:
have only one answer
answers found in the text
very concrete
info is recalled in the
exact manner/form it was
heard
short answers (usually 1 LEVEL I
or 2 words)
Gathering and
recalling information:
Level I questions start
with:
define, describe,
identify, list, name
observe, recite,
scan, explain,
review locate,
paraphrase LEVEL I
 Who was the first
president of the
United States?

What is your
name?

We need facts to think with.

LEVEL I
Think about the first 4 of our 4-4-2.
INTERPRETIVE QUESTIONS
more than one answer with
evidence from text
more abstract, one must infer
in order to answer
examines causes and
connections
LEVEL II
involves finding information
that supports ideas
Short answer or essay
Making sense of the
gathered information:
Level II questions start
with:

analyze, compare,
group, infer,
contrast, sequence, LEVEL II
illustrate, retell,
synthesize, sort,
diagram, summarize
 What is
unique about
you?

These questions require you to

think a little harder. We do a lot of
Level II work.

Retell chapter 2
LEVEL II
in the form of a
childrens book.
EVALUATIVE QUESTIONS
answer goes beyond text
apply information
asks for judgments to be
made from information LEVEL III
answer depends on personal
experiences, values,
interpretation of literature
gives opinions about issues,
judge validity of ideas
Essay questions
Applying and evaluating
information:
Level III questions start
with:

apply, evaluate, LEVEL III

hypothesize, imagine,
judge, predict,
speculate, compose,
construct, critique
These questions require you
think, reflect, and write.

Which
character
suffered the LEVEL III
most?

Do you agree
that all athletes
should be
drug-tested?
Learning takes place
in levels II and III and
right outside your
comfort zone.
LEVEL III

LEVEL II
LEVEL I
REVIEW:
Apply and evaluate
information LEVEL III

Make sense of
information LEVEL II

Gather and recall

information LEVEL I
 2 To which level do these words
____sequence
belong?
3
____apply
2
____analyze
1 LEVEL III
____list
3
____hypothesize
LEVEL II
1
____describe
1
____recite
LEVEL I
2
____compare
Ready for some
questions a teacher
might ask.
 1
____Describe your study habits from last year.
3
____Generalize how a successful student
should study.
2
____Explain how your study habits from last
year will have an impact this year?
2
____What could you infer would happen if you
study the same as you did last year?
2
____Illustrate the story.
3
____Imagine if you didnt study..
____How
1 does the poem begin?
3
____In your opinion, which of the characters
suffered the most?
2
____How do the lawyer and doctor differ?
____Which
1 states seceded from the union?
2
____How does the characters violence reveal
a deep-rooted insecurity.
3
____Using this equation, how can we find out
the number of apple trees in an orchard
having 15 rows, 5 trees each.
Lets try a fairy tale!
____How
3 would you feel if you were the Giant?
2
____Retell the story in your own words.
1
____What did Jack trade for the beans?
2
____What is the moral of the story?
1
____What did Jack find at the top of the stalk.
2
____How is Jacks personality like yours?
2
____How is this fairy tale similar to Cinderella?
3
____How would you solve a similar problem?
Now its your turn to
write some questions
of your own.