LEVELED QUESTIONS Adjusting Questioning Strategies to the Language Levels of Students Source: Fifty strategies By Adreinne Herrell & Michael Jordan Presentation by: Amal Ibrahim

LEVELED QUESTIONS

When are leveled questions used? They are used when teachers adapt the way they ask questions. The students respond according to their language acquisition stage. Teachers must observe the students and note how they interact in English.

The steps in using leveled questions Observing and documenting students’ language levels. Choosing and gathering materials. Planning a hierarchy of Questions. Involving all students. Assessing student progress and understanding.

Description of students’ English proficiency Stage Appropriate Expectations Preproduction Nodding, pointing, physically demonstrating Early production One -or two- word response, making choices from given language samples (is it a whale or a dolphin) Speech mergence Phrase or short sentences (expect grammar error) Intermediate fluency Longer sentences, fewer grammar errors

Appropriate questions for speech stages Question or Cue Reproduction “Show me…”“Which of these…?” Early production “Is it the------one or the ----one?” Questions that can be answered with one or two words Speech emergence “Did this happen at the beginning or at the end?” “What happened next?” “Where did you find the answer?” Intermediate fluency “How did you---?” “What was the character trying to do?

APPLICATIONS Leveled questions can be used in all grades and in each curricular areas. Leveled questions are appropriate at any grade level as long as there are students who need them to successfully participate in class interactions

CONCLUSION The use of leveled questions in the class requires that the teacher know the students’ stage of language development It also requires the teacher understand appropriate expectations of students in each stage by careful observation LEVELED questions reduces classroom management challenge