POWER-OF-THE-QUESTION PROJECT: JOHN SAWATSKY

Name of lesson: IQ2: Interdisciplinary quality questioning
Suggested grade levels: middle/high school (7-12)
Suggested subjects: English, journalism, social studies (although could be adapted to other disciplines as well, like science)
Suggested time allowance: two to three 45-minute periods or one to two 90-minute block(s)

Lesson overview

This lesson explore three qualities of questions — open, neutral and lean (narrow). In an accompanying video, ESPN coach John Sawatsky provides tips, including focusing on What, How and Why questions. Using his tips, students will examine the importance of questioning to discover how asking good questions can elicit good information.

Objectives

Students will

• Describe how a question determines an answer.
• Identify and explain Sawatsky’s three qualities of questions: open, neutral, lean
• Create open, neutral and lean questions.
• Evaluate others’ questions based on these three qualities.
• Analyze and critique the qualities of interview questions in video clips.
• Recognize how honing these questions can help to discover new information.

Materials

• note cards and/or Post-it notes
• Three to five subject-specific articles/primary sources located by the teacher
• three video clips (see below)

Sawatsky video

Lessons created by Y-Press journalists and Indiana teachers for its power-of-the-question project

Copyright 2009 Y-Press

Open, neutral, and lean

05/21/2012

At the start of class, hand out Post-its or note cards and ask students to write three questions about school, which will be shared anonymously. Don’t influence students’ ideas by giving suggestions. When students complete the task,...

Topic and demand

05/21/2012

Read the following questions. Check whichever quality you think the question has. You may check none, one, two or all boxes depending on the question. Be prepared to defend your choices.

Patterns in questions

05/21/2012

Have students write a journal entry about a time when he or she asked a poor question and describe the experience. Share several student examples.

Application, application, application

05/21/2012

Because this lesson is geared toward multiple grade levels and subjects, it has been kept very general. Depending on how a teacher plans to use this lesson and the needs of students, below are several options for gearing up, gearing down,...