# data[].attributes.headline
New York State K-12 Social Studies Resource Toolkit | EngageNY

# data[].attributes.subject
New York State K-12 Social Studies Resource Toolkit | EngageNY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Toolkit is designed to put instructional and curriculum design tools into the hands of teachers and leaders in local districts. The Toolkit resources focus on implementation of the Inquiry Arc, as presented in The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, including the four dimensions: (1) Developing questions and planning inquiries, (2) Applying disciplinary concepts and tools, (3) Evaluating sources and using evidence and (4) Communicating conclusions and taking informed action.

The Conceptual Foundations provides the intellectual foundation for the Toolkit project and specifically, the Inquiry Design Model. The Inquiry Design Model (IDM) is a distinctive approach to creating instructional materials that avoids over-prescription by highlighting key elements, offering pedagogical suggestions, and relying on teacher expertise and experience.

Written by New York State teachers for New York State teachers, the centerpiece of the Toolkit are inquiries that are provided for all K-12 teachers. An inquiry is larger than a lesson plan but smaller than a unit; they are not scripts or modules for teachers to follow. Rather, these inquiries set a curricular and instructional course that teachers can consider in light of the NY Framework. In this way, teachers must bring their professional expertise and knowledge of successful instructional practice into the inquiry.

Within the Toolkit are 84 inquiries: six at each grade K-11 and twelve at grade 12 (six each for Economics and Participation in Government). Each of the inquiries features a blueprint and a short description of how the inquiry might be taught. Fourteen of the inquiries (one at each grade K-11 and two at grade 12) are fully annotated with explanations. Review of the annotated inquiry is a recommended first step for teachers, as it provides considerable curricular and instructional guidance in implementing an inquiry-based approach.

Select a grade band below to see the array of inquiries being developed for each grade level. By viewing the topics for each inquiry, curriculum teams can begin planning their work to develop additional inquiries for the remaining grade-level topics.

Topics and Key Ideas of Toolkit Inquiries
Kindergarten-Grade 4 Inquiry Topics and Key Ideas Grades 5-8 Inquiry Topics and Key Ideas Grades 9-12 Inquiry Topics and Key Ideas

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New York State K-12 Social Studies Resource Toolkit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Toolkit is designed to put instructional and curriculum design tools into the hands of teachers and leaders in local districts. The Toolkit resources focus on implementation of the Inquiry Arc, as presented in The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, including the four dimensions: (1) Developing questions and planning inquiries, (2) Applying disciplinary concepts and tools, (3) Evaluating sources and using evidence and (4) Communicating conclusions and taking informed action.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
All Illinois-created resources have been moved to the Illinois Social Science in Action webpage. Click the image to the left or the button below to access this wonderful resource!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio traveled the world documenting that most basic of human behaviors -- what we eat.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Today on All Things Considered, photographer Peter Menzel and his wife, Faith D'Aluisio, discuss their latest book, What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets. But 16 years ago, Menzel was working on another project, called Material World: A Global Family Portrait. He and other photographers took portraits of 30 statistically average families with all of their worldly possessions displayed outside their homes.

While Menzel has moved on to new subjects, the topic of Material World remains relevant today. More recently, two Chinese photographers, Ma Hongjie and Huang Qingjun, took on a similar venture in their own country. Their project is called Family Stuff. Hongjie says he wanted to do such a project in China because, as he writes in an e-mail, "China is most diversified both geographically and ethnically." Qingjun does not necessarily admit to being influenced by Menzel's project. And yet, Family Stuff looks awfully familiar. What do you think?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Everything You Own In A Photo: A Look At Our Worldly Possessions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today on All Things Considered , photographer Peter Menzel and his wife, Faith D'Aluisio, discuss their latest book, What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets. But 16 years ago, Menzel was working on another project, called Material World: A Global Family Portrait.

# data[].attributes.headline
Middle School Idea for Starting Conversation

# data[].attributes.subject
Middle School Idea for Starting Conversation

# data[].attributes.body
Use this concept with pictures from around the word pass or present to get the students asking questions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Intriguing Times images stripped of their captions -- and an invitation to students to discuss them live.

# data[].attributes.headline
Inquiry-Based Instruction | Minnesota Center for Social Studies Education (CSSE)

# data[].attributes.subject
Inquiry-Based Instruction | Minnesota Center for Social Studies Education (CSSE)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inquiry-Based Instruction | Minnesota Center for Social Studies Education (CSSE)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inquiry is an intellectual process used by social scientists to address authentic issues. Inquiry-based instruction gives students practice being political scientists, economists, geographers, and historians.

# data[].attributes.headline
Learners Should Develop Their Own Essential ?'s

# data[].attributes.subject
Learners Should Develop Their Own Essential ?'s

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learners Should Be Developing Their Own Essential Questions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Having essential questions drive curriculum and learning has become core to many educators' instructional practices. Grant Wiggins, in his work on Understanding By Design, describes an essential question as: A meaning of "essential" involves important questions that recur throughout one's life. Such questions are broad in scope and timeless by nature.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With Common Core Literacy Expectations and the NCSS College, Career, and Civic Life standards,

English teachers are being asked to include more social studies content into their instruction - that's a good thing. But social studies teachers are also being asked to include much more reading, writing, and communicating into their stuff - which is a very good thing. Quality social studies folks have been doing this sort of thing forever. There's just no way to do Social Studies right without "English/Language Arts" skills embedded into our instruction.

And I know that state, national, and Common Core literacy standards are freaking some of you out. So you'll find a few things here that might help settle the nerves a bit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With Common Core Literacy Expectations and the NCSS College, Career, and Civic Life standards, English teachers are being asked to include more social studies content into their instruction - that's a good thing. But social studies teachers are also being asked to include much more reading, writing, and communicating into their stuff - which is a very good thing.

# data[].attributes.headline
Fostering Student Questions: Strategies for Inquiry-Based Learning | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.subject
Fostering Student Questions: Strategies for Inquiry-Based Learning | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

# data[].attributes.headline
Inquiry-Based Learning: The Power of Asking the Right Questions | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.subject
Inquiry-Based Learning: The Power of Asking the Right Questions | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

# data[].attributes.headline
Accountable Talk - Conversation Starters

# data[].attributes.subject
Accountable Talk - Conversation Starters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Where would we be without conversation? Throughout history, conversations have allowed us to see different perspectives, build ideas, and solve problems. Conversations, particularly those referred to in this book as academic conversations, push students to think and learn in lasting ways. Academic conversations are back-and-forth dialogues in which students focus on a topic and explore it by building, challenging, and negotiating relevant ideas.

Unfortunately, academic conversations are rare in many classrooms. Talk is often dominated by the teacher and a few students, or it does not advance beyond short responses to the teacher's questions. Even certain teaching approaches and curriculum programs neglect to train students how to maintain a focused, respectful, and thoughtful conversation.

To address these challenges, authors Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford have identified five core communication skills to help students hold productive academic conversations across content areas. These skills include: elaborating and clarifying, supporting ideas with evidence, building on and/or challenging ideas, paraphrasing, and synthesizing. This book shows teachers how to weave the cultivation of academic conversation skills and conversations into current teaching approaches. More specifically, it describes how to use conversations to build the following:

Academic vocabulary and grammar

Critical thinking skills such as persuasion, interpretation, consideration of multiple perspectives, evaluation, and application

Literacy skills such as questioning, predicting, connecting to prior knowledge, and summarizing

Complex and abstract essential understandings in content areas such as adaptation, human nature, bias, conservation of mass, energy, gravity, irony, democracy, greed, and more

An academic classroom environment brimming with respect for others' ideas, equity of voice, engagement, and mutual support

The ideas in this book stem from many hours of classroom practice, research, and video analysis across grade levels and content areas. Readers will find numerous practical activities for working on each conversation skill, crafting conversation-worthy tasks, and using conversations to teach and assess. Academic Conversations offers an in-depth approach to helping students develop into the future parents, teachers, and leaders who will collaborate to build a better world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
academic conversations: classroom talk that fosters critical thinking and content understandings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
thought and thinking;study and teaching (elementary)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
conversation - study and teaching (elementary)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
education / teaching methods & materials / general

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
language arts & disciplines / writing / general

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
thought and thinking - study and teaching (elementary)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
thought and thinking;study and teaching (elementary)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
conversations; academic; communication skills; academic vocabulary; grammar; critical thinking; literacy skills; classroom practice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
education / teaching methods & materials / general

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
language arts & disciplines / writing / general

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk that Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Amazon.com: Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk that Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings (9781571108845): Zwiers, Jeff, Crawford, Marie: Books

# data[].attributes.headline
Accountable Talk - Sentence Stems for Student Desks

# data[].attributes.subject
Accountable Talk - Sentence Stems for Student Desks

# data[].attributes.body
https://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/resources/refining-teaching-methods/asking-questions-to-improve-learning/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When you prepare for class, office hours, and help sessions, compose specific questions that you will ask your students (or that you anticipate they will ask you). Doing so will help you increase student participation and encourage active learning. The strategies below will also help you formulate questions for exams and paper assignments.

Active learning extends beyond the classroom. When you ask questions in the classroom, you are modeling a process that students can and should use themselves; encourage your students to use the following questioning strategies to assess what they have learned, to develop their thinking skills, and to study for exams.

When planning questions, keep in mind your course goals. For example, do you want students to master core concepts? To develop their critical thinking skills? The questions you ask should help them practice these skills, as well as communicate to them the facts, ideas, and ways of thinking that are important to their learning in your course. (For more information about course goals, see Designing a Course).

Avoid asking "leading questions." A leading question is phrased in such a way that it suggests its own answer and therefore discourages students from thinking on their own.

Follow a "yes-or- no" question with an additional question. For example, follow up by asking students to explain why they answered the way they did, to provide evidence or an example, or to respond to a yes-or-no answer given by another student.

Aim for direct, clear, specific questions. During class discussions, rather than beginning with a single question that is multilayered and complex, use a sequence of questions to build depth and complexity. Essay questions on exams or paper assignments, on other hand, often provide an appropriate opportunity to ask multi-layered questions. If your exam will include multi-layered questions, use questions during class time to walk students through the process of answering multi-layered questions.

In class discussions, do not ask more than one question at once. When you ask more than one question, students often do not respond because they are unsure which question you want them to answer.
When you plan each class session, include notes of when you will pause to ask and answer questions. Asking questions throughout the class will not only make the class more interactive, but also help you measure and improve student learning. Do not save the last two minutes of class for questions. Students are unlikely to ask questions when they know that only a few minutes remain. (See Increasing Student Participation and Teaching with Lectures.)

Ask a mix of different types of questions. You should use "closed" questions, or questions that have a limited number of correct answers, to test students' comprehension and retention of important information. You should also ask managerial questions to ensure, for example, that your students understand an assignment or have access to necessary materials. "Open" questions, which prompt multiple and sometimes conflicting answers, are often the most effective in encouraging discussion and active learning in the classroom. For examples of "open" questions and the purposes they can serve, see below.

Wait for students to think and formulate responses. Waiting 5-10 seconds will increase the number of students who volunteer to answer and will lead to longer, more complex answers. If students do not volunteer before 5 seconds have passed, refrain from answering your own question, which will only communicate to students that if they do not answer, you will do their thinking for them. If the students are unable to answer after sufficient time for thinking has passed, rephrase the question.

Do not interrupt students' answers. You may find yourself wanting to interrupt because you think you know what the student is going to say, or simply because you are passionate about the material. Resist this temptation. Hearing the students' full responses will allow you to give them credit for their ideas and to determine when they have not yet understood the material.

Show that you are interested in students' answers, whether right or wrong. Encourage students when they are offering answers by nodding, looking at them, and using facial expressions that show you are listening and engaged. Do not look down at your notes while they are speaking.

Develop responses that keep students thinking. For example, ask the rest of the class to respond to an idea that one student has just presented, or ask the student who answered to explain the thinking that led to her answer.

If a student gives an incorrect or weak answer, point out what is incorrect or weak about the answer, but ask the student a follow-up question that will lead that student, and the class, to the correct or stronger answer. For example, note that the student's answer overlooks the most important conclusion of the study you are discussing, then ask that same student to try to recall what that conclusion is. If he or she does not recall the conclusion, open this question up to the class.
1. To assess learning.

What is the most important idea that was generated in today's discussion?

Can you explain this concept in your own words?

Can you draw a diagram to illustrate this idea?

2. To ask a student to clarify a vague comment.

Could you elaborate on that point?

Can you explain what you mean?

3. To prompt students to explore attitudes, values, or feelings (when appropriate).

What are the values or beliefs that inform this argument?

What is your initial reaction to this argument?

4. To prompt students to see a concept from another perspective.

How do you think that this issue is viewed by those with whom you disagree?

How does that concept apply to this new problem?

5. To ask a student to refine a statement or idea.
When does that principle apply? Always? Only under certain conditions?
Would you say, then, that you disagree with the author?
6. To prompt students to support their assertions and interpretations.

How do you know that?

Which part of the text led you to that conclusion?

7. To direct students to respond to one another.

What do you think about the idea just presented by your classmate?

Do you agree or do you see the issue differently? Explain.

Can you think of another way to solve that problem?

8. To prompt students to investigate a thought process.

What are the assumptions that informed the design of this experiment?

What are the assumptions that these two arguments share?

9. To ask students to predict possible outcomes.

What might happen if this practice were to be outlawed?

What would be the result if a different set of assumptions were used to set up this experiment?

Would you get a different result?

10. To prompt students to connect and organize information.

How does this article shed light on the concept we studied last week?

Can you develop a graph or table that organizes this information in a helpful way?

11. To ask students to apply a principle or formula.

How does this principle apply to the following situation?

Who can suggest how we might use this new formula to solve the problems we examined at the start of class today?

Under what conditions is this equation not valid?

12. To ask students to illustrate a concept with an example.

Can you think of an example of this phenomenon, drawn from your research?

Can you point us to a specific part of the novel that led you to that conclusion?

Can you identify a painting or design that exemplifies that idea?

Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (1956) provides another useful way to think about when and how to use questions in teaching. As the following table shows, Bloom identified six types of cognitive processes and ordered these according to the level of complexity involved. Ideally, you should combine questions that require "lower-order thinking" (often "closed" questions) to assess students' knowledge and comprehension with questions that require "higher-order thinking" (often "open" questions) to assess students' abilities to apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate.

After teaching a class session, leading a help-session, collecting an assignment, or administering an exam, take brief notes on which questions were most effective at achieving the goals you had set out and which questions led to answers that you did not expect. Keep these notes with your lecture notes or lesson plan and use them to refine your questions for the next time you will teach or meet with students.

Bloom, Benjamin (ed). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Vol. 1: Cognitive Domain. New York: McKay, 1956.

Davis, Barbara Gross. Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. 1993.

"Questioning Strategies." Center for Teaching Excellence. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. http://cte.illinois.edu/resources/topics/methods/strateg.html.

McKeachie, Wilbert, et al. McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. © 2009, Washington University.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When you prepare for class, office hours, and help sessions, compose specific questions that you will ask your students (or that you anticipate they will ask you). Doing so will help you increase student participation and encourage active learning. The strategies below will also help you formulate q

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our lesson plans are written and reviewed by educators using current research and the best instructional practices and are aligned to state and national standards. Choose from hundreds of topics and strategies.

Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.

Teacher Resources by Grade

The Inquiry Chart (I-Chart) strategy is one that allows students to examine a topic through integrating prior knowledge on the topic with additional information found from a variety of sources. The I-Chart strategy is organized into three steps, each of which consists of activities meant to engage and aid students in evaluating a given topic: 1) Planning, 2) Interacting, and 3) Integrating/Evaluating.

I-Charts can be used with individuals, small groups, or the entire class, and are meant to strengthen reading skills and foster critical thinking. This strategy can be used to differentiate instruction for each student's needs, and can also be used as an assessment tool to measure student understanding of a given topic.

Assaf, L., Ash, G., Saunders, J. and Johnson, J. (2011). " Renewing Two Seminal Literacy Practices: I-Charts and I-Search Papers." English Journal, 18(4), 31-42.

Hoffman, J. (1992). "Critical Reading/Thinking Across the Curriculum: Using I-Charts to Support Learning." Language Arts, 69(2), 121-127.

Before beginning this strategy, decide on a topic that students will be exploring and collect appropriate resources (books, magazines, websites, etc.). Or, if you choose to have students self-select a topic, arrange for time to be spent in the library or in a computer lab with internet access.

Provide each student with a blank copy of the I-Chart Printout and assist with topic selection or provide a pre-selected topic. Have a class or group discussion about the topic(s) that students will be working with. You may choose to have a formal discussion, complete with an organizer such as a K-W-L Chart, or you may have an informal discussion where students simply share their thoughts aloud.

Students will now begin the first phase of the strategy, Planning, in which they will:

Identify the topic

Form questions

Construct the I-Chart (or use provided printout)

Collect materials needed for inquiry

During the second phase of the strategy, Interacting, students will:

Explore prior knowledge

Share intresting facts

Read and reread

As a class or individually, instruct students to begin forming questions about their topic(s) (this can be an extension of the "W" column on the K-W-L Chart, if you chose to use this organizer). These questions are placed in the top row of the I-Chart Printout, one for each column (Question 1, Question 2, etc.).

Allow time for students to begin phase 3 of the strategy, Integrating/Evaluating. During this phase, students will:

Students should spend time during this phase researching the questions that they wrote in the top row of their I-Chart Printout, or things they "want to know." As they find information about their questions, they should record their findings from the different sources.

After gathering information from multiple sources to answer each of their questions, students should use the "Summary" row as a place to write a concise sentence or two about what they learned about each question while researching.

Ask students to resolve competing ideas discovered during their research or develop new questions to explore based on any missing or conflicting information.

Once students' I-Charts are complete, they can be used to help organize their writing for an informational essay on the topic they chose to research, as well as other research-related projects.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inquiry Charts (I-Charts) - ReadWriteThink

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our lesson plans are written and reviewed by educators using current research and the best instructional practices and are aligned to state and national standards. Choose from hundreds of topics and strategies. Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.

# data[].attributes.headline
Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through Whole-Class Dialogue

# data[].attributes.subject
Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through Whole-Class Dialogue

# data[].attributes.body
Grade 3-5

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Grades

3 - 5

Lesson Plan Type

Standard Lesson

Estimated Time

One 60-minute session (small class) or three 30-minute sessions (large class)

Lesson Author

Publisher

Student Objectives Instruction and Activities Extensions Student Assessment/Reflections
STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Students will

Develop and demonstrate critical thinking skills as they take positions in response to a question, consider other viewpoints, identify reasons in support of their positions, evaluate supporting reasons for truth and acceptability, and draw final conclusions based on discussion

Take responsibility for their own learning and for evaluating their own thoughts

Participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical persons in respectful dialogue with one another

back to top
Instruction and Activities

Before reading (15 minutes)
Open the lesson with an informal discussion of what students already know about the Korean War. Tell them that they will be reading and discussing a book about one girl's experience during that war. Can they make predictions about the book based on its title and cover and what they already know about the war?

Let students know that after reading the book, they're going to be asked a question that will take the whole class to answer-and everyone's answer could be different. What will be important is whether they can provide acceptable reasons to support their answers.

Reading phase (about 15 minutes, depending on the length of the text and the reading comprehension method you use)
Depending on your students' needs and the availability of book copies, you can read the book to your students using the guided reading approach, have the students partner/group read, or have the students read silently. The important thing to consider when conducting the reading phase is to make sure students understand the text entirely. This will allow them to fully participate in the discussion phase to follow.

With the guided reading approach, intermittent discussion should take place. The discussion breaks should be informal and focus on sharing an understanding of what is happening in the text.

If you use another approach, check in with the individuals or groups to ensure understanding by asking questions during or after the reading. Keep the questions focused for now on students' comprehension of the book, making sure everyone understands the basic story well enough to be able to participate in the discussion phase to follow.

Discussion phase (30 to 60 minutes, depending on class size)
There are four basic components to this part of the lesson:

Posing a central question and possible answers

Identifying reasons to support the possible answers

Evaluating the truth and acceptability of the supporting reasons

Drawing final conclusions on the merit of the possible answers

As students become familiar with the critical-thinking process, these components can be modified to give students greater responsibility for their learning. (See Modifications for examples.)

Before proceeding with the discussion, make sure to establish a few guidelines with the students. These guidelines can include

Listening carefully to other students' questions, opinions, and reasons and responding to them in a helpful manner

Respecting everyone's questions and everyone's responses

Agreeing or disagreeing, but giving reasons to support your opinion

Respecting everyone's opportunity to speak and waiting your turn

back to top
Central question. At this point, introduce a question that will be of interest to students and in response to which they will each have to take a position. The question should be thought-provoking, the answer to which can be debated. A sample question for this book (as listed on the Central Question Chart) is, "Why did Mr. Han try to convince the soldier to let Soo go across the river instead of himself?"

Once you have a question, you should offer two hypotheses (or positions) as answers to it. Record the two positions on chart paper, the board, or overhead. Sample positions are listed on the Central Question Chart. (Until students have practiced the subsequent processes of identifying and evaluating reasons, it is important to limit the position options for now to two.)

Once the two positions are listed, ask each student to decide which position he or she thinks best answers the central question and to be prepared to explain why. Let students know that they can change their positions after the discussion.

Identifying reasons. Have students explore each position by identifying supporting reasons for it. Talk to a student who supports the first position, for example. Ask the student why he or she believes it's correct. How about a student who supports the second position?

Get the students to begin talking to each other, with you acting as facilitator between them. This may be a good time to abandon a rule of raising hands; instead, let students dialogue freely but respectfully.

As they cite reasons, encourage them to use examples from the text, from their own background knowledge of not only the Korean War but any experiences they have had that help them understand the text, and from what they feel makes sense.

Record all reasons on the chart underneath their respective positions, even those that make little sense or seem wrong. (In the course of the discussion, students will be evaluating the truth and acceptability of the reasons. If you filter out reasons according to your judgment, it will deny students the opportunity to evaluate their own thinking.)

Evaluating reasons. After all the reasons are listed (and perhaps even as they are being listed), students should decide whether they are completely true, completely false, or are true or false depending on certain factors. As the facilitator, put each reason before the group for discussion and let students decide amongst themselves the truth and acceptability of each reason.

For each reason, ask students the following kinds of questions (and eventually encourage them to ask each other and themselves): What makes this reason true? Or what makes it false? Are there times that it could be true, but other times when it could be false? What examples can you give from the book to support a reason as acceptable? Does it make sense? Why or why not? Should we accept this as a supporting reason for the position?

Throughout this discussion, you may need to question the students or rephrase their ideas to help them formulate their thoughts. However, be sure not to put words in students' mouths.

As students discuss the reasons, record their decisions about the reasons in the truth column of the chart. You can use a 'T' for true, 'F' for false, and 'D' for depends. For the 'T' and 'D' reasons, mark what makes them acceptable: 'TXT' for text support, 'BK' for background knowledge support, and 'LOG' for logical support.

Students themselves may not know at first that an acceptable reason is based on text, background knowledge, or logic (i.e., what seems to make sense), but they should be able to decide if it's acceptable or not. As you classify the reasons, help them to understand why you are categorizing them as you are-that their discussion is leading you to figure out the kind of support each reason is based upon. Guide them in this thought process until they are able to tell you what justifies the reasons.

Drawing conclusions. After all reasons have been evaluated, give students the opportunity to say what their positions are based on the discussion. Has anyone changed his or her mind? For those who are sticking with their original positions, do they feel more strongly about them now? Also, give students the option to say they have not made up their minds (for the ability to withhold judgment is central to critical thinking). Another way to end the lesson could be to have the students write their conclusions and justify their reasons in a journal entry or a more formal writing assignment.

Modifications

After a few lessons with the same book or subsequent readings, students will have had practice identifying and evaluating reasons for positions you hypothesize. Next, allow them to generate several positions of their own to new central questions. This will help them to develop hypothesizing skills.

After practice at hypothesizing, move on to allowing them to generate their own central questions. You will have to determine their readiness for identifying central themes and issues, but also, you can expect by this time for students to help guide each other in this process.

Another modification as students become more and more responsible for their own learning may include switching to peer discussion groups, which then report their results in writing or to the class.
back to top
EXTENSIONS

My Freedom Trip does not have a great deal of factual information, so creating a K-W-L chart may help lead the class into a research project as an extension of the book. Ask the students what they already know about Korea and the issues that arose around the Korean War. Use the W column in the K-W-L as a springboard for research. As examples, students could research why the soldiers divided the country of Korea or why North Korea was oppressed while South Korea was "the freedom land."

Since My Freedom Trip has a theme of bravery and not giving up, ask each student to write a personal narrative about a time when he or she was faced with a tough situation, but stuck it out. Remind students that their stories do not have to be of the same magnitude and that we all face challenges, big and small. You may want to take these pieces through the entire writing process to publication.

Invite people who have lived through challenging situations to speak to the class about their ordeals. Send a letter to parents and community members to see if they would like to share their experiences. Students can respond to guest speakers' experiences through discussion afterward or in journal entries.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS

Observe the following in students:

Do they participate in the discussion before the book is read, as well as during the reading (whether using the guided reading approach or other method)?

Do they offer reasons for their positions that can be verified by the text, background knowledge, or logic?

Do they rightfully evaluate and dismiss reasons that are not acceptable or valid?

Do they participate fully in the discussion, giving due regard for differing opinions and viewpoints?

Provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their critical thinking skills with the following assessment:
back to top

Have students read a new text or read it aloud to the entire class

Present students with a central question and two positions

Have students, on an individual basis, provide support for both positions and evaluate each as they did in the lessons

Have students give a written response regarding one of the positions

Evaluate the written response the same way as the journal entry (see below)

Evaluate student journal entries on the following (minimum) criteria:

Do the students justify their conclusions using reasons supported by the text, background knowledge, or logic?

Do the students' writing responses reflect your expectations for them?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through Whole-Class Dialogue - ReadWriteThink

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Grades 3 - 5 Lesson Plan Type Standard Lesson Estimated Time One 60-minute session (small class) or three 30-minute sessions (large class) Lesson Author Publisher Student Objectives Instruction and Activities Extensions Student Assessment/Reflections Students will Develop and demonstrate critical thinking skills as they take positions in response to a question,

# data[].attributes.headline
5 Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Questioners

# data[].attributes.subject
5 Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Questioners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

# data[].attributes.headline
10+ Terrific Resources for Teaching Questioning Skills to Your Students

# data[].attributes.subject
10+ Terrific Resources for Teaching Questioning Skills to Your Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
AMLE - Association for Middle Level Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a middle grades teacher, there are certain questions from your students that you see coming: Why are we doing this? Is this for a grade? When is this due? Can we work with a partner? Is it lunch yet?

And then there are the other questions. These questions poke their smiling faces around corners, surprise you, and make you happy that you're a middle level educator. One day as a sixth grade social studies teacher, I had such a joyous occasion.

I had about six students in my classroom eating lunch as they were working on a project about the Middle East. They were moderately productive amidst their lunch trays, notebook paper, and pens, and I had already fielded several of the standard "oh-my-gosh-Mr. Tomlin-this-project-is-like-impossible" questions-when I was faced with a question that only a middle school student could ask.

With a Jell-O cup in one hand, a boy named Jamie got up from his desk and asked most genuinely, "Mr. Tomlin, what's your favorite smell that you're not supposed to smell?"

Now, I don't know why he wanted to know my personal answer to this riddle, and I don't even remember what I answered. But I remember Jamie. I remember my feelings of joy and bewilderment. And I remember that awesome, novel question.

I think back on this story about Jamie and wonder, "How can we help our students ask thought-provoking, robust, and amazing questions every day?" As middle level educators, we feel a great deal of pressure to create lessons that climb the rungs of Bloom's taxonomy ladder: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. We work hard to ensure that our plans are populated with higher-order, text-dependent questions to challenge students.

We prepare units with essential questions and enduring understandings for students to take away when they're done. We may even attend professional development workshops about how to write (and assess) higher-order thinking questions. Because we are critical practitioners in the art of teaching and learning, all of that effort has its place.

However, as I think about Jamie's question from lunchtime, I wonder how we can do more to develop student inquiry-to help students develop their own higher-order questions, which they can use to approach any learning situation.

There are 9 simple steps that we can take to build a culture of student inquiry in our middle level classrooms now.

1. Model curiosity. Ask big, higher-order novel questions, and do so as a learner. What are you curious about? Bring your own interests and big ideas into the classroom and share them with passion! Relate them to your content, but push back against the content. "Hey, y'all. Have you ever wondered why people wrote letters back home during WWII? What do you think it would have been like to write one-or to receive one and to write back?"

2. Build a culture of inquiry by cultivating relationships through questions. Solid relationships are the foundation upon which we build everything in the middle level. Therefore, with students, your fellow teachers, and staff, build relationships on genuine inquiry. Ask questions about each others' lives, interests, and (yes the dreaded "F" word) feelings that push boundaries and deviate from the script-like Jamie's.

3. Provide rich stimulus to inspire rich questions. Don't settle for tepid non-fiction or fiction-get the good stuff! Find well-written, progressive pieces about cool topics that get students interested, excited, and involved, so they start asking higher-order questions. And appeal to your students' minds through their ears and eyes as well by using provocative music (i.e., The Rite of Spring, Thelonious Monk, DJ Shadow) and art and photography (i.e., Dali, Banksy, Arbus)

4. Give students examples and keywords for novel questions. As they start building and asking, some students will need words to get them started. Here are some great sources for that: http://www.clemson.edu/assessment/assessmentpractices/
referencematerials/documents/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20Action%20Verbs.pdf. Use these words yourself orally and in print. Make them available for families, too, so they can ask novel questions at home.

5. Leave judgment at the classroom door. Honor a student's effort to ask a novel question-and tell him/her, "I like the way you're thinking!" That genuine, immediate praise will embolden him/her to ask more and to ask deeper questions.

6. (At the same time) Push students to give you more. Be bold. When students ask higher-order questions, make them explain those questions, provide the reasons why they asked them, and give additional follow-up questions to add more layers.

7. Document and celebrate novel questions. As soon as a student asks his/her big question, say, "WHOAAA! Gotta write that down!" Then grab that marker, run over to the wall or chart paper like you're literally on fire, and write it down with deliberate fury! And then use those questions later to show students that you value their thinking throughout the year.

8. Make the novel questions part of a project-based learning unit or Genius Hour (see Welcome to the Genius Hour and http://www.geniushour.com/). If we celebrate students' questions and connect them with authentic, self-selected learning goals, they will be even more motivated to ask novel questions. They will see how higher-order thinking questions can turn into something actionable and productive.

9. Question any list that declares absolutes about student inquiry. These 9 simple steps are not meant to be the end of the inquiry about student inquiry, so model the expectation and keep on asking your own higher-order questions about what works in the classroom. True pedagogical artists never rest!

So what's your favorite smell that you're not supposed to smell? What student questions will make you smile, make you push your fence lines, blow your hair back, make you question your notions, and make you ask more questions?

When you help students become great with inquiry, your classroom will be enriched by fields and fields of novel questions. Perhaps reaching every student and creating great schools is more about asking great questions than coming up with easy answers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ideas to Help Students Develop Higher-Order Questions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a middle grades teacher, there are certain questions from your students that you see coming: Why are we doing this? Is this for a grade? When is this due? Can we work with a partner? Is it lunch yet? And then there are the other questions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Inquiry-Based Learning: Developing Student-Driven Questions | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.subject
Inquiry-Based Learning: Developing Student-Driven Questions | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Harnessing Students’ Curiosity to Drive Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.