• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

June 13, 2013 Featured

Habits of Mind: Questioning and Posing Problems Through Summer Reflection

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Lori H Rice

Lori Rice is a fourth-grade teacher at West Elementary in Wamego, Kansas, who has taught K-2 reading as well as kindergarten, first grade and fourth grade since 1996. She has a passion for creativity, learning, questioning and the whole child. Her classroom is a place of acceptance and celebrating differences.
  • Bringing Project Based Learning to our Classroom - August 12, 2018
  • Keep the Engagement Alive: Start the Year with Purpose - August 5, 2018
  • It's Our Fault: A Teacher's Confession - March 18, 2018
  • Keeping Your Teaching Real: A Teacher's Role - March 11, 2018
  • Sketch Notes in the Elementary Classroom - February 15, 2017
  • Teach From the Heart - February 9, 2017
  • Who is the Teacher: School or Family? - January 11, 2017
  • Dear President Elect Trump, From Your Teachers - November 17, 2016
  • Let them Be Children - October 21, 2016
  • Print Resources: Great Tools for Kids - October 17, 2016

“To be or not to be, that is the question” -- William Shakespeare.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]

from habitsofmind.org

from habitsofmind.org

As the school year ends and we move into summer there are things we do as educators and that involves reflecting and thinking about our next school year.  For some of you, it is the end of a path if you are retiring or moving out of your classroom.  For some of you, it is a crossroad if you are changing grade levels or subject content or districts.  For me, it is a continuation of my path in fourth grade.  As I reflect on the past year I always begin to question and think about what I need to do better.  What works?  What needs refined?  How will I implement Common Core Standards with integrity? What will I do differently? What will I do the same?

This past year our school read Habits of Mind.  At first I thought, great.  Now there will be another thing to squeeze into an already tight schedule.  But as I have made myself read and learn more about this philosophy I am finding it rewarding to implement, model, and teach habits of mind to my fourth graders.  I am excited to use this next year from the beginning of the year to support my classroom environment and develop our community.

With my students I plan to teach the habits through our literature and through community building activities during the beginning of the year.  Here are some activities you can use to teach questioning to your students.  I have my fourth graders do these individually.  You can do this during reading group centers, as a writing assignment, for whole group lessons, or however works into your classroom schedule and curriculum.

1.  Define the word question.  Draw a picture and write a definition in your own words.  Define the word problem.  Draw a picture and write a definition in your own words. Compare how these words are similar and different.

2.  Give examples of questions characters have in the book you are reading.  Reference the page that supports the examples.  Give examples of problems characters have in the book you are reading. Reference the page that supports the examples.

3.  Write a list of thought-provoking questions for the main character in a book you are reading.  Answer them as if you were the character.

4.  Make a list of the natural resources available in your state.  List possible problems using these natural resources.  What are some possible solutions?

5.  Research Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking.  Write a list of questions to the President of the United States using one stem from each level of questioning.

6.  Design a poster to explain and illustrate this habit of mind—Asking Questions and Posing Problems.

7.  Make a list of questions about a current unit or topic of study to be used as a review game.  Provide answers for each question.

8.  Sort the questions you created for the review in activity (#7) into Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking.  Add questions to the upper three levels (application, evaluation, and synthesis).

9.  Make a list of questions you have about science.  Where could you find answers to these questions?  Make a list of questions you have about math, the human brain, how we learn, or government.  Who could you interview to find answers to these questions?

10.  Create a poster to explain Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking.  Explain each level and provide an example question or idea.

Questioning is part of the everyday life of a teacher.  This summer, as you reflect on the next step in your journey, think about how you will incorporate questioning into your classroom.  How will you teach your students this important skill?  How will you model questioning?  Check out the Habits of Mind website.  They have useful things for teachers, a weekly email, printable pdf items and more.  As you prepare for next year, think of the questions you have and enjoy the questions your students will bring.  Questions everything, it is how we learn.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailQuestions Please! An Approach to Higher Learning Think About Your Thinking—Going Beyond State Testing Default ThumbnailListening with Empathy—Can You Hear the Growth? Default ThumbnailLet Them Think!
« The State of Education: Montana
How I Created a Professional Development Training and Lived to Tell About It »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lori-Anne says

    July 02, 2013 at 12:42 am

    Just listened to a session by Michele De Bellis on Habits of Mind at the ASCD conference in DC. I've never heard of this prior to this session. Thanks for the article. Which "Habits of Mind" book are you referring to? By the way, the link to the HOM website is dead.

    Lori-Anne

    Reply
  2. brooke cooley says

    March 16, 2017 at 8:10 am

    I am trying to find a bright kid friendly poster of the 12 Habits of Mind.
    I am a teacher and have been looking for over a month. I found one on google and it took me to your site, but I cant find it! Any suggestions?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.