Curriculum Ideas: Question Starters

These are some "question starters” you may want to use with your children according to your teaching objectives. With these “question starters “ you are able to direct your children’s thought to the task you have in mind for them to do.

• Knowledge – Recalling literal information
  Where did …. Name the …..
  What was… Locate in the story where …
  Who was/were… List the ….
• Comprehension – Understanding what you read and gaining
  meaning
  Tell me in your own words ….
  What does it mean ….
  Give me an example of…
  Describe what ….
  Illustrate the part of the story…
  What does the word ________ mean?
  Make a map of…
• Application – Using what you learn in a new situation
  What would happen to you if…
  Would you have done the same as …
  If you were there would you…
  How would you solve the problem in your own life?
  In the library, find information about…
• Analysis – Ability to relate parts to each other and see
  relationships
  What things would you have used …
  What other ways could …
  What things are similar/different…
  What part of the story was most exciting, funny, sad, scary …
  What things couldn’t have happened in real life?
  What kind of person is…
  What was the message the author is trying to give us?
• Synthesis – Use of information to make a logical deduction
  What would it be like if…
  What would it be like to live…
  Did anything happen to you like …
  Pretend you are…
  Tell (or write) a different ending.
  What would have happened if …
• Evaluation – Opinion based on evidence from the story
  Would you recommend this book to your friend? Why/why
  not?
  Select the best ________________. Why is it the best?
  What do you think will happen to ___________________? Why
  do you think that?
  Could this story really have happened? Why/why not?
  Which person in the story would you like to meet?
  Was ________________ good or bad? Why?

* Note: Originally, these starter questions are known as Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions Starter (they are embellished in a way to suit the writer’s purpose/s.