Student Questions for Purposeful Learning (Page 107)

Student Questions for Purposeful Learning (SQPL) is a technique in which the teacher makes a statement about the topic that the students will be studying and the students generate questions that they will answer as the class explores the topic. This technique helps the students take ownership of the learning by allowing them to "become interrogators exploring information and ideas with purpose and with heightened attention."  

For my current English 3 unit, the students just completed chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby. Since they now know basic facts about the major characters, I provided them with 3 quotes from the book (beginning, midpoint, and ending) and asked them to pair up and create 2 questions that they would like answered for each quote. These questions had to be questions that could be answered through the reading and through interpreting what was read. Once each group had 2 questions for each, we discussed all the questions and put most of them on the board. These questions will become part of the students' final assignment and discussion for the novel. Below is a screenshot of the students' questions once they have been typed from the board. 

For additional ideas, check out the chapter in our professional development book. I hope you're finding this book to be a helpful resource for adding more literacy to your class.

Feel free to share any questions or ideas in the comments!