The addition of a single word in a question can take students’ thinking to a new dimension. Those familiar with depth, complexity, and the content imperatives understand this. Sandra Kaplan, one of creators of those tools, also developed a set of “key words” or that are nearly impossible to find online. I did manage to dredge up a key words PDF from my classroom days.
Now, one look at that list and you’ll see the same problem as me. Way too many words and too many words that mean basically the same thing. This lead to overwhelmed, confused kids (and teachers!), so I like to work with a tiny subset. My two favorite key words are: motivation and consequence.
Here’s how to use them to upgrade questions.
Character Analysis
Adding “motivation” or “consequence” into a character analysis question quickly jolts the thinking level. We’re going to use The Three Little Pigs as our sample text.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| What kind of house did the third pig build? | What motivated the pig to use bricks for his house? |
Now kids are considering a deeper aspect of this simple story. Why did the pig act the way he did?
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| What happened after he built his brick house? | What were the consequences of choosing brick? |
This question seems rather similar, despite the more advanced vocabulary. But let’s combine it with a prompt of depth for increased power!
What were the ethical consequences of choosing bricks?
Now you can get kids thinking in whole new directions: was there a downside to choosing the brick? Some little genius might suggest the environmental impact of creating bricks versus using the easily renewable sticks and straw. Perhaps there is a negative economic effect of using bricks for a house.
Now students can evaluate the choice in a whole new light. And all we did was add a couple of words to the question.
Social Studies
These key words aren’t just useful in literature response. Let’s see them in action in social studies.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| What actions did George Washington take during the American Revolution? | What were the motivations for Washington’s actions? What consequences did he receive after the revolution? |
Don’t Forget Bloom’s Taxonomy!
Despite the added complexity, these questions still prompt only the lowest level of thinking skill. Kids can just make a list to answer our upgraded question. So, let’s super-charge this thinking with higher-level skills, such as “evaluate” and “create”:
- Judge Washington’s motivations for rebelling against England. Was the risk justified?
- Imagine that Washington led a rebellion in the modern day. Create realistic motivations for this action.
- What were the consequences for Washington’s successful revolution? Now evaluate his actions from the British perspective. What consequences would have been appropriate from their point of view?
Simple Changes, Big Results
You don’t need a masters degree in American History to develop these questions. You don’t need a weekend to create intricate prompts. A few minutes with a few simple tools leads to some great complexity.
And yes, I’ve added these into The Differentiator.