We've all experienced this. Children typically don't ask great questions. Of course there is the occasional opportunity to say, "THAT was a great question!" Don't we love those moments? It means somebody is listening; somebody is thinking! What if kids were compelled to wonder? When it becomes a classroom norm for your kids to ask good questions, you, as the teacher are their model, you get the ball rolling. Lots of times questions are "off the cuff" (and there's nothing wrong with that because our teaching is fluid), but we might consider ramping up our own questioning strategies. If we raise the level of our questions in our classroom, we raise the level of thinking. Kids will catch on to how good questions sound and look. I use verbs from Bloom's Taxonomy every single time I plan (modeling questions for students.) From that list of action verbs come great questions, plans, and ideas. To up your question game, I suggest one great starting point...
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In the same way that publishing children's writing improves their writing, children improve their thinking, understanding, and confidence as we verbally praise and encourage good questions.
Here is a link to a free "Planning Pal" I have created to give you a reference for planning great questions.
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