Questioning Shells

Excellence in Education: Questioning Shells and Stems

The questions we ask affect the level of thinking. But an equally and even more evidence-based strategy is having students devise questions about their learning with correct solutions. Additionally, when students create the questions it provides us with a means to formatively assess their learning as their questions reveal their understanding. Questioning shells assist students in developing higher-order questions. 

What are questioning shells?
Questioning shells are a partially scripted means of providing assistance to students in asking questions beyond factual recall. Expert teachers almost intuitively use questioning shells in their day-to-day teaching. Instead of asking, "Is 23 a prime number?" the expert teacher will ask, "Why is 23 a prime number?" or "Why is 23 a prime number and 24 not?" 

Examples
Explain why...
How are....and...different?
What do you predict will happen next? 
Can you explain how _______ affected ________? 
How is _________ related to _________? 

Many of us have the Bloom's taxonomy flip charts at our disposal. I found it helpful to produce questioning shells and stems charts and to laminate them for students. A simple Google search for Questioning Shells/Stems (DOK, Bloom's, etc.) will produce a ton of results. My stem cheat sheet had two sides, one for use by my history students and another for my reading students.

After creating questioning shells and distributing them to students, How Can Questioning Shells Be Used?

• Use questioning shells as an introductory technique. The could be used as part of a K-W-L Chart or have students create questions before the lesson and have students create 3-5 questions that they would like answered. Have students share their questions and create a list of the top 10. 
• Use questioning shells or stems with reading. This active reading technique can be used individually or in pairs. Using individually, provide students with question shells and a relevant reading and have students generate three or four thoughtful questions. These questions can be written down and later used to ask classmates. They could also be a leaping point for a classroom discussion or a Socratic Seminar.
• You can have students read quietly with pairs. Have students turn their chairs so they are near each others ears and have 1 student quietly read a section of the reading. After finishing the reading, the other student uses the question stems to ask a question which the reader then answers. This can also be done with 3 students with the 3rd student answering the question. Rotate rolls. (As a bonus, this is also a means of informally assessing student reading fluency and comprehension as you listen to the students reading and it lends itself to flexible grouping). 
• At the end of a lesson, have students create 2-4 questions and then have students partner up to answer their questions.

What are some ways that students can use questioning stems in your class? 

Need to Knows 

February 19: Normal School Day

February 20-21: AdvancEd Visit Visitors will be viewing your classrooms and may ask to interview you during your planning period and may want to speak to your students. 

February 23: End of Interim Period

February 28: Interim Grades in PowerSchool (9am) 

Grade Change

Please use this link to submit Grade Change Forms online. If you have any questions about the form, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Please understand that if you change a grade in one term, it more than likely affected another term. Example, if a grade changes in the Q2 category, it will also affect the T2 grade. I will need all of the grade changes to be submitted. These changes can be made to a single form. Please make sure to indicate which term you are changing.

Graduation Gowns for Faculty

If you are a new teacher to Monticello and are in need of a gown, please fill out the form sent by Ms. Seale and return by February 23. 

March 8: Parent-Teacher Conferences 
 

Shout Outs

Thanks to everyone for making LoveFest 2018 a successful one. Your patience and participation were appreciated by our students. Thanks Ms. Meade and Ms. Lawrence for the organization of this event. 

Field Trips

March 2: Adaptive PE Field Trip 

Birthdays

Feb 21: Paul Shepherd

Feb 22: Najwa Tatby

Feb 23: Heather Charles, Kossi Djamessi (custodial)

Feb 25: Paul Jones, Krista Matheny, Joe Weaver

Useful Information

Activity Period Calendar : Club day with Club Pictures this Friday

Technology / Website Permission Request Form Please use this form to request use of a website or any resource that requires student log-in if the site is not already on the approved list. DART approved list

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm Please be sure to have announcements cued and ready to go at 8:55 every morning.

Announcement Request: http://tinyurl.com/requestannouncement

Teacher Handbook 
 

Link to calendar, schedules and rosters

Worth Your Time

The Gap Between The Science on Kids and Reading, And How It's Taught

Seven Real-Life Skills Your Teenager Needs Before Going to College

2 Evidence-Based Learning Strategies

Ensuring that PBL is Accessible to All

Embracing Students Through 2 x 10 and Listening Passage Preview

Excellence in Education: Embracing Students Through 2 x 10

This strategy came to me via Ms. Stacks via Mr. Warren. I believe it was originally from Dr. Allen Mendler.

It’s a technique used to connect with and embrace students, especially tough ones. It’s pretty simple, take 2 minutes a day for 10 consecutive days to engage the student in a personal conversation. Try to avoid talking about school, and definitely avoid anything negative about school (missing assignments, poor test grades, etc.). It’s also important to avoid anything else that might bother the student (for example, several years ago I was trying 2x10 with a student, “Frank,” and I was asking him about his weekend and his brother. “Frank” seemed to be shutting down even more despite my best efforts. The technique wasn’t working until, when near the 10th day--it was probably after the 10th day, “Frank” finally broke and told me that he wasn’t living at home anymore and was essentially homeless. In other words, I had been bringing up all the things that were causing stress for him, but even then, he saw that I was trying and eventually shared his personal story with me.

• Like any conversation, it should be a two-way conversation but make it mostly about the student.
• Listen
• Respond
• Make the student believe that he/she is the most important person in the world

Give the technique a try with one of your most difficult students, someone who you feel you haven’t connected with yet.

In 2 weeks, I’d love to hear how it’s made a difference.

Intervention Strategy for Reading Fluency : Listening Passage Preview

I think Popcorn or Round-Robin reading should never be used in class but I know there’s value to having students read aloud, either whole-class, in groups, with peers or with a teacher. This is a great strategy to help students practice so they can read aloud later.

1. Sit with the student in a quiet location (alternatively this could be done in small, similar groups or with a stronger reading partner who the student feels comfortable).
2. Say, “We’re going to read together. I’ll read first and you’ll follow along.”
3. Read aloud for a couple of minutes and then state, “Now, it’s your turn to read the same part out loud. If you come across a word you don’t know, I’ll help you.” If you’re working with a small group of students they can chorally read.
4. Stop for student errors or if he/she hesitates for more than 3 seconds (wait for the entire 3 seconds no matter how hard it is). Correct the word and have the student correctly read the corrected word.
5. Continue reading until the passage is finished.

Need to Knows

Positive Referral Link : http://go.shr.lc/1XRoeub

DART (Dr. Huneycutt) form : http://goo.gl/forms/PBK9CZNZ5C

Technology / Website Permission Request Form http://go.shr.lc/1HovEA6

Shout Outs

Nurse Tomlin for acting quickly and responsibly to a significant student injury and Ms. Campbell for being a calming and reassuring presence for the student.

Dr. Huneycutt for volunteering to serve as our DART representative.

Calendar Items

Tonight’s #vachat at 8pm is being hosted by Wade Whitehead, a member of the state’s SOL Innovation Committee. Should be a great conversation and it’s an opportunity for you to voice your opinions to someone who can make a difference.

November 10: Blood Drive

 PowderPuff Game

November 11: 10th grade Career and College Expo at UVa (9:45-11:15)

11:00-11:30 - 1st Lunch (9th, 11th, & 12th grade students who eat 1st lunch)

11:45-12:15 - 2nd Lunch (All students who eat 2nd lunch and 10th grade students that eat 1st lunch)

12:30-1:00 – 3rd Lunch (All students who eat 3rd lunch)

November 12: Dodgeball Tournament

Birthdays

A long stretch without any birthdays….

Worth Your Time

The Secret Sauce: The Right Way to Teach the Teachers

Sometimes Misbehavior Is Not What It Seems

Seven Homework Assignments That Guarantee Learning and the Secret Sauce That Makes Them Work  Purely coincidence that 2 of 3 articles have secret sauce, and full disclosure: I occasionally blog for this site.