EFFECTIVE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

DO NOW Independently, answer the question in 1-2 sentences in your notebook. What does a good discussion question look like?

Do Now Note taking: Effective Discussion Questions Practicing with TKAM Pair Work: Practice with an informational text Exit Ticket Students will generate open-ended discussion questions in order to analyze multiple interpretations of an informational text. 1/20/15 ObjectiveAgenda

WHY DO WE ASK QUESTIONS? Questions can help you understand the material. Questions are a way to review, restate, emphasize, and/or summarize what is important. Questions can be used to stimulate discussion and creative and critical thinking.

YES or NO responses: Did Scout learn anything? Recall Questions (questions with only one answer): Who attacked Jem and Scout? Questions that are impossible to support: What would happen if Dill was abducted by aliens? Questions to Avoid

HOW TO CRAFT AN EFFECTIVE DISCUSSION QUESTION Your question should… Have more than one possible answer that can be supported by the text Ask the reader for analysis or interpretation Be simply and clearly stated Help you explore ideas in the text that you find interesting and valuable

STEPS TO MAKING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS What is your focus or big idea ? What stood out to you? Time to produce questions: Produce as many questions as possible Change statements into questions Categorize Questions as Effective or Ineffective Ineffective: Closed-ended Questions Effective: Open-ended Questions Look through your list of effective questions Which 3 are the most important or stood out to you?

POSSIBLE QUESTION STARTERS Analysis Questions beginning with “Why…” “How would you explain…” “What is the importance of…” “What does ______ symbolize” Compare and Contrast “Compare…” “Contrast…” “What is the difference between…” “What is the similarity between…” Cause and Effect “What are the causes/results of…” “What connection is there between…” Clarification “What is meant by…” “Explain how…”

Focus/Big Idea- TKAM: Racism, Prejudice, and Coming of Age After To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee never wrote another novel. If she had written a sequel continuing Scout's story, what might it be like? Scout Finch is one of the most memorable and poignant narrators in American fiction. What single event or episode in Scout's story so far do you feel truly captures her personality? What has changed about the children, and what have they gained/lost since the novel began? By the way, in what ways does this focus on change, growth, and loss connect the novel to other works we’ve read? What does the mockingbird symbolize? What does the mad dog symbolize? Why does the author tell the story through the voice of Scout instead of Jem, Atticus, or Tom Robinson?

YOUR TURN TO PRACTICE: We will read the following article together. After the reading, in your groups, you will: Create a focus or big idea Create as many questions as possible Categorize the questions Rank the questions Be ready to share out your top ranked questions.