The Right Kind of Questions

Effective teachers understand the importance of asking the right kind of questions to facilitate the learning of all their students. By learning what questions to ask and when, teachers can engage their students in instruction that aligns to the vision of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (Benedict-Chambers et al. 2017; NGSS Lead States 2013). In this article, the authors describe a set of five questions that work together to help teachers support their students to use science practices as a context for developing an understanding of disciplinary core ideas. The five questions include: (1) probing questions; (2) academic language questions; (3) science practice questions; (4) explication questions; and (5) explanation questions. Using a lesson from the Science and Technology for Children (STC) curriculum unit: Electric Circuits (National Science Resources Center 2004), adapted to follow the 5E instructional model: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate (Bybee 2014), they characterize the ways how teachers can ask these questions to support their fourth-grade students in using science practices to explain how electric current travels through a complete circuit to light up a lightbulb.