1. Ms. Amber Huntington Costa’s Three Levels of Questioning

2. According to Costa, comprehension exists on 3 levels when discussing texts Each level indicates an enhanced, more comprehensive understanding of a text The lowest level of questioning is Level 1; the highest is Level 3 Try to encourage your group to answer questions which ask them to infer or apply prior knowledge rather than regurgitate what the text has already said Three Levels of Questioning

3. On the line questions are quite literal • What color was Red Riding Hood’s cape? • What sort of fish was Nemo? • What was the name of the place the children discovered through the wardrobe? • These sorts of questions are great for recounting facts and are useful in that aspect, but they do not promote higher order thinking or discussion • The answers to these questions are often forgotten after a short time (like after the test is over) Level I: Here – on the Line

4. Hidden questions force people to combine snippets of information given in the text to come to a conclusion • The answers are still in the text, but not written on the line like Level I; some deduction and interpretation is required • How do we know the Beast was in love with Beauty? • How do we know the professor wasn’t use to children in the house in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? • These questions force people to interpret or infer answers by using several pieces of evidence to conclude something Level II: Hidden – Between the Line

5. These questions require the person to use prior knowledge to make an informed decision • They should be able to deduce, predict, or ascertain an answer based on their own experiences and the text • Do you think the children will ever return to Narnia? • Do you think pandas will ever become extinct? • Do you think world leaders will ever abolish nuclear weapons? • These questions require students to draw on head facts—things they already know—to come to an informed answer Level III: Head – Beyond the Line

6. Get into groups of 3-4 people Receive paper-clipped papers, and make sure you have 15 strips of papers with questions on each Create three piles of questions: Level I Questions, Level II Questions, and Level III Questions according to Costa’s definitions We will all check our answers together Use this knowledge to create great discussion questions for your World Poem assignment Let’s Give it a Try