Questioning that Deepens Comprehension

We’ve long known that not all questioning strategies are created equal, and we recognize it isn’t easy to distinguish what kind of questions help students better understand complex texts. Interpretive questions–ones that have more than one answer and can be supported with evidence in the text–always bring students closer to the text, but what other questions increase students’ thinking? Edutopia’s “Questioning That Deepens Comprehension” provides four over-arching questions that can scaffold students’ thinking about complex texts. The short article breaks down how seemingly simply questions like “What does the text say?” and “What does the text inspire you to do?” help engage and connect students with what they read. The four questions can be tailored to any text and are a good way to get in the habit of asking meaningful questions in your classroom.