1. Costa’s Levels of Questioning
Preparing yourself for higher order thinking

2. Costa’s Levels of Questioning LEVEL 1
GATHERING:
Answers come from
the source
Book
Handout
Notes
Map
(others)
No thinking required – just point to the answer

3. Costa’s Levels of Questioning LEVEL 2
PROCESSING:
Answers come from
two places,
Source
Your Own Thinking

4. Costa’s Levels of Questioning LEVEL 3
APPLYING: You have to apply information you were given from the source. This level is all on you and your own thinking! (opinion questions)

5. Costa’s Levels of Questioning LEVEL 1 – WHEN / HOW TO USE IT…
You can literally point to the answer in the source
Complete
Name
Observe
Match
Recite
Select
Scan
Count
Define
Describe
Identify
List

6. Costa’s Levels of Questioning LEVEL 2 – WHEN / HOW TO USE IT…
If you have to compare/contrast two different things, or use your own thinking
Compare
Contrast
Classify
Sort
Distinguish
Reason
Infer
Sequence
Analyze
Synthesize

7. Costa’s Levels of Questioning LEVEL 3 – WHEN / HOW TO USE IT…
If the answer can only be found by your own thinking
Evaluate
Generalize
Imagine
Judge
Predict
Speculate
If/then
Hypothesize
Forecast

8. Costa’s Levels of Questioning organize IT…
Organize the words into the following categories:
Level 1 : Input
Level 2 : Process
Level 3 : Output
Define
Evaluate
Describe
Imagine
Classify
List
Apply
Explain (why?)
Distinguish

9. Costa’s Levels of Questioning practice IT…
See if you can write some questions regarding the story of Cinderella:
Level 1 : Input
What are the names of the stepsisters?
Level 2 : Process
Compare and contrast Cinderella to one of her stepsisters.
Level 3 : Output
Identify the characteristics that make Cinderella’s stepsisters so undesirable to the prince.