K-12 Essential Questions

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GIPS K-12 Language Arts Program
Essential Questions

1.0 Reading

Word Study and Vocabulary Development
• How are words built?
• How does the topic affect the words the writer uses?
• What's my strategy for reading this text? How do I know if it's working? What do I do if I get stuck?

Comprehension: Reading Strategies
• What's my strategy for reading this text? How do I know if it's working? What do I do if I get stuck?

Comprehension: Metacognition
• What do I know about myself as a reader?
• How do I make a plan for reading that will work for me? How should I revise my plan if it's not working?
• What do I do to finish text that I don't enjoy? When is it okay to abandon the reading?

Comprehension: Reading Fluency
• What's my strategy for reading this text? How do I know if it's working? What do I do if I get stuck?
• How does the way I read affect understanding of the piece?

Reading Informational Texts: Structural Features of Informational Materials
• What do I notice when reading this text? How do I find what I'm looking for?
• What words/devices does the writer use to communicate to the reader? Why does the writer make these
choices? What impact do those choices have on the reading experience?
• What's my strategy for reading this text? How do I know if it's working? What do I do if I get stuck?
• What kind of text is this? What structures can I expect to see? How does that affect my reading experience?

Reading Informational Texts: Analysis, Evaluation, and Interpretation of Informational Text
• How do I know if this source can be trusted?
• What am I bringing to the text? What am I getting from it?
• How does this reading experience affect what I think?
• What words/devices does the writer use to communicate to the reader? Why does the writer make these
choices? What impact do those choices have on the reading experience?

Reading Literary Works: Structural Features of Literary Genre
• What techniques and structures does the writer use to communicate to the reader? Why does the writer
make these choices? What impact do these choices have on the reading experience?
• How does a writer hook and hold an audience?

Reading Literary Works: Developing and Exploring Interpretation of Literary Texts
• What am I bringing to the text? What am I getting from it? Is it the same as other readers? What am I learning
from the conversation with them?
• How do I use what I read to develop and support my ideas?
• What do I notice about the text? How is my interpretation affected by what other people think?

Reading Literary Works: Influence of Context on Development of and Response to Literary Texts
• What is this text about? What does it remind me of? What do I learn from these connections?
• How do the stories people tell give insight into who they are?
• How does this reading experience affect what I think?
• What makes this text enduring?

2.0 Writing

Writing Modes
• Who am I writing for? What do I hope to accomplish? How does that affect the rules I follow and the choices I
make?
• How do I hook and hold an audience?

Preparation
• How do I work to say what I mean?
• How do I develop an idea?
• How do I hook and hold an audience?
• What do I do when I'm stuck? How am I working to get myself out of it?

Revision
• How do I work to say what I mean?
• How do I develop an idea? What impact do I hope those choices have on an audience?
• How do I hook and hold an audience?
• How can I find the right voice?
• How do I know when I'm finished?
• What did I find out about myself during the writing experience? How will that shape what I do next?

Editing
• How do I work to say what I mean?
• What rules of writing apply here?

3.0 Research

Search Process
• How do I find what I'm looking for?
• What makes a source trustworthy?
• What's my plan? How is it working? What do I do when I get stuck?
• How do I take notes so I remember what's important?
• How do I find what I'm looking for?
• What makes a source trustworthy?
• What's my plan? How is it working? What do I do when I get stuck?
• How do I take notes so I remember what's important?

Organization and Synthesis
• What do I see when I look at the evidence? How does that affect what I do next? (search more, synthesize,
prepare for presentation)
• How do I handle different points of view on the same issue/topic?
• When do I have enough information so that I can draw a conclusion?

Communication of Findings
• What am I trying to say? How do I use the information I found to support my thinking?
• Who is my audience? How does that affect the way I communicate information and ideas?
• How do I show what sources influenced my thinking?

 

4.0 Speaking

Preparation
• What is my purpose?
• What am I trying to say? How do I work to say what I mean?
• How are language and culture linked? How does that help me better prepare for my audience?
• How are language and knowledge base/experience linked? How does that help me better prepare for my
audience?

Presentation
• What am I trying to say? How is my delivery affecting the audience response? What adjustments do I need to
make?
• What do I do when things go badly?
• How do I know if my speech was effective? How does that feedback better prepare me for next time?

5.0 Listening

Unconditional Listening
• What am I listening for? How do I stay focused?
• What is the speaker trying to say?
• How do I know if I heard correctly?
• How does the delivery of the message affect my understanding?
• As a listener, what am I communicating?

Responsive Listening
• What am I listening for? How do I stay focused?
• What is the speaker trying to say?
• How does the delivery of the message affect my response to the content of the speech?
• How do I get the information I want?
• How do I know when it's my turn to talk? What does the other person (persons) expect from my response?
• What do I do if the conversation is not working?

    • What makes this text enduring?