Questioning+Activities

1. Spin A Question - link : [] I will use this activity in a small group setting and it will be used in conjunction with //Life During the Civil War// by Sarah Sheffield. The students will use the spinner provided in the link above. While we are reading this book, I will stop in random sections and have a student spin the spinner, make a question using the question word, and select a classmate to answer the question. This activity can also be used with partners.

2. Paired Questioning - link: [] I will use this activity with //Dear Austin Letters from the Underground Railroad// by Elvira Woodruff. Students will be assigned partners. Each partner group will be given stopping points at which one partner will ask questions and the other must attempt to answer. The partners must reverse roles and continue this process until the selection is finished. Student's questions must begin with question words (who, what, when, where, how, why, do).

3. Hot Seat - link: [] This activity can be used with Dear Austin Letters from the Underground Railroad or The Legend of Old Abe A Civil War Eagle. The book selected to use with this activity is basically a matter of if your class has time to read a chapter book. If I were to use Dear Austin, the "hot seat" student would be speaking from the perspective of Austin. If I used Old Abe, the "hot seat" student would be speaking as if they were Abe the eagle. This activity helps students formulate inferential questions. As preparation for this activity, explain to students the difference between questions that have obvious, on-the-surface answers and ones that have under-the-surface answers or require them to make an inference. Demonstrate by using a student volunteer. Ask questions about the student’s eye color, hair color, etc.—questions that have obvious answers. Then ask questions that require an inference, such as how the student is feeling, why she is smiling, etc.

To play Hot Seat, one student is selected to play the role of a main character in a text and is sent out of the room. The rest of the class generates a list of questions to ask the character. The character returns to the room and is seated on a “hot seat.” Students take turns asking the character questions. The student on the hot seat attempts to answer the questions from the character’s point of view. A discussion session follows. Variation: Select several students to play the role of the same character. Bring in one character at a time to sit on the hot seat. Compare and contrast the different characters’ answers.