1. A Learners Guide

2.  Inquiry is an important part of any classroom. Inquiry-based learning focuses on the student as learner, developing skillful, open-ended questioning skills. Being able to recognize different levels of questions is beneficial for all students, whether it is in math, humanities, science, or any other class.

3.  Dr. Art Costa developed the three levels of questions used in inquiry in the classroom.  Truly understanding the three levels of questions explained in the following slides is critical for student success. It will make you a better student, not only at GMS but in high school and when you are enrolled in college.

4.  Level One Questions are “Text Explicit.”  This means that you can point to one correct answer right in the text. These questions are basic comprehension questions and require little if any real thought.

5.  Words found in these questions include:  define  observe  describe  name  identify  recite  note  list  Questions are often written using the words:  Who  What  Where  When

6.  Who is the protagonist in The Hunger Games? (Humanities)  What was the first battle of the American Revolution? (Humanities)  Define tangent. (Math)  List the steps in photosynthesis. (Science)  What are the primary and secondary colors on the color wheel? (Art)  Where is stage left and stage right? (Drama)

7.  Level Two Questions are “Text Implicit.”  This means that readers infer answers from what the text implicitly states, finding answers in several places in the text.  Another way to say this is that you make a judgment or conclusion using evidence from what you have read.

8.  Words found in these questions include:  analyze  group  synthesize  compare/contrast  infer  sequence  Questions are often written using the  words:  How  Why

9.  Compare and contrast Percy and Annabeth in Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief. (Humanities)  Analyze the causes of the American Revolution. (Humanities)  Compare the square root of 49 to the square root of 64. Which is greater? (Math)  Diagram and order the life stages of a milkweed bug. (Science)  Why did the Roman Empire eventually fall? (Humanities)

10.  Level Three Questions are “Experience Based.”  This means that readers must think beyond what the text states.  Answers to the questions are based on your prior knowledge and experiences and will not be the same as other student’s answers.

11.  Words found in these questions include:  evaluate  judge  apply  speculate  imagine  predict  hypothesize  Questions are often written using the  words:  Could  Should  Would

12.  Predict how Katniss Everdeen will change if she survives. (Humanities)  Could you survive as a 13 year old male in Sparta.? How would you be successful? (Humanities)  Apply the Pythagorean theorem to the find the measurement of this triangle. (Math)  Diagram the stages of photosynthesis and predict how long each takes. (Science)  Evaluate the use of light in Monet’s Giverny series of paintings. (Art)

14.  Level 1 (the lowest level) requires you to gather information.  Level 2 (the middle level) requires you to process the information.  Level 3 (the highest level) requires you to apply the information.

15. There are one-story intellects, two-story intellects, and three-story intellects with skylights. All fact collectors who have no aim beyond their facts are one-story people. Two-story people compare, reason, generalize, using the labor of fact collectors as their own. Three-story people idealize, imagine, predict—their best illumination comes through the skylight.

16.  AVID Tutor/Student Guide  www.mrkash.com