It is open ended; that is, it typically will not have a single, final, and correct answer. Requires a claim, support and justification, not just a simple answer Thought provoking and intellectually engaging; and often sparks discussion Calls for higher-order thinking; such as analysis, inference, evaluation, prediction. It cant be answered by recall alone. Raises additional questions and sparks further inquiry.
World connection question A question that connects the text with the real world. If a civil law contradictes a divine law, is it acceptable to refuse it like Antigone?
Open-ended question An insightful question about the text that will require proof and group discussion and construction of logic to discover or explore the answer to the question. Why did Jane Eyre leave Thornfield even though she was in love with Rochester?
Universal theme / Core Question A question dealing with a theme(s) of the text that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the text. After reading Antigone, can you identify the elements of a tragic hero? How is Aristotle's catharsis demonstrated?
Literary Analysis Question A question dealing with HOW an author chose to compose a literary piece. How did the manipulate point of view, characterization, poetic form, rhetorical devices, etc.? How did Robert Frost communicate the theme of life's obligations interfering with simple pleasures in his poem Stopping by the Woods on Snowy Evening? What poetic techniques communicate this meaning?
To keep a dialogue going (with others and with a text) To help point out what is important and why it is important in a text or topic To see connections between different parts and how they fit together To better understand what question and prompts are asking To stimulate critical thinking
Defining Describing Identifying Listing
Naming Observing Reciting Scanning
What is the definition of indigenous? (definition) Who is the narrator of The Canterbury Tales? (identification) What characters appear in chapter 1 of Lord of the Flies? (list) Analyzing Comparing Contrasting Grouping
Inferring Sequencing Synthesizing What words should be defined? How does the Millers interaction with the Reeve demonstrate Chaucers argument about the common people of medieval England? (analysis) If To Kill a Mockingbird is partly inspired by the Scottsboro Boys, what do you think will happen in the story? (inference) How do Katherine and Bianca differ in terms of embracing their given social role? (contrast) Applying a principle Evaluating Hypothesizing Predicting
Judging Speculating Imagining What words should be defined?
Are any of the characters in The Taming of Shrew really who they claim to be? (Judgment) What do you think happens to Katherine as her marriage to Peteuchio progresses? (Speculation)