Levels of Questioning

Questioning  Questioning the Text –What it is: You develop your own literal, inference, and universal questions about the text as you read. –Purpose: Helps you engage more actively with texts, read with greater purpose and focus, and ultimately answer questions and lead your own discussions.

LEVEL 1—LITERAL Questions  Literal/Recall Questions –The answer is in the text; it may be who, what, where, when, how, etc. Something that you can easily go back and find IN the text. Examples: What did the first little pig build his house out of? Who ‘huffed and puffed’?

LEVEL 2—INFERENCE Questions  Inference Questions –Requires you to “go beyond” what is in the text. You have to make inferences (or ‘read between the lines’). The answers are NOT specifically stated in the text. Examples: Why didn’t the little pigs let the wolf in when he knocked? Why would the third little pig be considered the ‘smartest’ of the three pigs?

LEVEL 3—UNIVERSAL Questions  Universal Questions –These questions ask you to make connections between the story and your own life. They go ‘beyond’ the text and create more room for discussion. Examples: Have you ever relied on a sibling to help you out? Explain. Was there ever a time that you felt threatened by someone? What did you do about it? Was there ever a time that you felt threatened by someone? What did you do about it?

Questioning  Writing your own questions really shows you UNDERSTAND the story.  Writing your own questions helps you take OWNERSHIP of a discussion.  Really take the time to think about the questions you write—make them meaningful!