I often see this question on language arts and social studies worksheets: “Put these events in order.” Yes, it’s low-level, but the real problem is that it’s a one-off. Let’s make a sequence of questions about the order of events.
As a teacher, I didn't know how to ask questions well! I had basically no training. But I asked hundreds each day. Now, I'm renovating my embarrassingly bad old questions!
Updating Old Questions: Addition With Missing Pieces
How can I go beyond asking 20 variations of 622 + 77 = ___?
I asked about Caesar vs Alexander, but somehow skipped Analyze.
A big ol’ table that looks like comparing, but it’s really more about remembering.
Updating Old Questions: A math question that’s TOO high level?!
What happens when we ask a math level that scares off 83% of our students? Don’t lower the ceiling! Lower the floor through scaffolding.
Multiple Perspectives on Veterans’ Day
We can’t just list multiple perspectives.
Updating Old Questions: A Character’s Bedroom
An under-developed task in which students designed a character’s room.
A Math Question That Moves Around on Bloom’s
I was aiming for engagement rather than higher-level thinking.
Updating Old Questions: A Mere Model of a Cell
Why are my best biologists just restating facts we already know?
Going Beyond “Name That Genre!”
What can we do once students correctly identify a story’s genre?
Updating Old Questions: Identify Figurative Language
What do we do after a student can identify the type of figurative language?