Developing the Art of Questioning

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My professional and student goal revolves around inquiry, specifically the art of questioning.  Throughout the year, my students and I will be exploring, experimenting and evaluating different questioning strategies and techniques.

Followers of this blog know that we are excitedly awaiting a visit from Anne Ursu, the author of Breadcrumbs and The Real Boy.  

You can read about last week's experience reading form Breadcrumbs and listening to an interview with Anne Ursu on NPR.

This week, with a focus on developing the art of questioning, the students worked in groups to brainstorm questions for Anne.  They then tried to answer these questions by exploring information available on Teachingbooks.net, where there is a link to Anne's personal Webpage along with approximately five written interviews.  

Here are the directions for the lesson.

Here is the Google form they filled out.

I love that we were virtually paperless (after a slight glitch on my part)!

I am feeling good about this lesson.

I was able to talk with the students about the art of questioning. We talked about questions with breadth and depth.  We talked about drawing upon personal writing experiences for inspiration - for instance if a student was feeling that he or she had trouble just beginning the writing process, he or she might ask Anne about where she begins, "Does she diagram or web her story?", "Does she outline her story?", "Does she just begin writing?" For questions about characters, "Do you map out all your characters qualities before you write your story or do your characters grow because of something they encounter in a story?"

I was able to remind students about TeachingBooks.net and hopefully inspire them to use this resource both in their classroom and at home.  I cannot speak highly enough about the power of watching the author and illustrator interviews on TeachingBooks.net. My hope was that the students would be able to answer their "easier" questions from the resources on TeachingBooks.net, but most did not have the time to delve that deeply into the interviews.  This would have been better in two lessons. Per usual, I asked the students to do too much in too little time (broken record about 30 minute classes, I know).  

The last thing I asked the students to do was share any additional questions that arose from the TeachingBooks.net exploration.  My hope was that more questions would arise form the reading or that deeper questions would be asked.  Only a few students got to this step.

The students recorded this answer to a question of theirs:

Despite my not giving the students enough time, I am feeling good about this lesson. The students:

**worked collaboratively to determine roles in the group;

**worked collaboratively to brainstorm three questions;

**worked collaboratively to navigate to and find the resources;

**used technology in an authentic manner;

**gained new enthusiasm for TeachingBooks.net;

**and, left library knowing more about Anne Ursu and armed with some great questions for her visit!

We're getting ready for a visit from Anne Ursu!

Anne Ursu is visiting our school later this month!  She'll be meeting with our 4th and 5th graders. We cannot wait!

I have been pulling together resources for the students to explore so they will know a bit about Anne before she arrives. The Real Boy is Anne Ursu's latest book.  I am so eager for the students to read this book and hear Anne Ursu talk about this book.  Want to know how much I loved this book?  Here's my review.

We've been reading and reading about her other books as well.

This week, I read the first few pages from Breadcrumbs and then showed the students how to find resources on TeachingBooks.net. I explained that we were going to listen to an interview from NPR.  

On the reading:
The students were engrossed and would have sat with me all day, had we the time.  We had much to talk about after only four pages.  Words like mundane, sully and pristine demonstrated how beautiful and rich is the language in this book and all of Anne Ursu's books.

On the NPR interview:
Remember, it is the day after Halloween and two days after the Red Sox won the World Series, but my students were listening intently for seven minutes while Anne Ursu talked about the book. Listen to the interview yourself.  What a great way to practice a 21st Century skill and meet CCSS.  These students were taking in information from a variety of sources in a variety of formats.  Cool beans.

The Real Boy

Anne Ursu knows how to take a dollop of this, a dash of that and a pinch of the other to concoct an engaging, clever fantasy adventure.

Below the shining city of Asteri, in a forest called The Barrow, Oscar prepares herbs and plants in a small room beneath the shop of his master.  The shining city of Asteri is protected by magic, magic that is fed by the Barrow's rich soil.  The Barrow's rich soil feeds the plants and herbs that Oscar's master, Caleb, sells. Caleb is a magician, a magician more powerful than any in a generation. Oscar is not his apprentice, but a mere hand whose job it is to collect, dry, extract and grind the tools of his master's trade.  

Caleb and the magic smiths of the Barrow serve the people of Asteri.  Life in Asteri and the Barrow have been like this for a hundred years.  Then the children of Asteri begin to fall ill.  The children of a city that should see no harm, that should be protected by magic.  Then, some form of evil in the forest begins to attack the people of the barrow.  These events might be connected to a plague that nearly destroyed everything and everyone and left lasting reminders and consequences.  Oscar is thrust into action. 

And that's all I'll tell you. 

Wait, I'll tell you this, I love this book.

I love Oscar. Oscar might not think he understands and relates to people, but he sees what they don't and he understands what they don't.  Oscar has a secret weapon: his knowledge.  Oscar is a reader.

I love how Anne Ursu celebrates the power of plants, plants that grow in many gardens, plants like cockscomb, burdock, foxglove, and agrimony.  This book doesn't just celebrate plants, it is a tribute to the power of the natural world - plants, trees, soil, and water all play important roles.

I love the cats whose unique names and personalities make them characters in their own right.  The reader knows that Oscar is not alone (and is also protected) if the cats are about.

I love Callie, the brave and strong apprentice, whose broken heart tries to heal others.  

I love that the novel explores societal ideals around justice and equality as well as perfection and acceptance.  

I love how Anne Ursu challenges the reader to consider, "What would you do to secure a perfect world?" and, "What would you do to ensure your child's health and happiness?"  

Like the herbs and plants young Oscar collects, prepares and combines to create herbal remedies for his master's clients, Anne Ursu collects, prepares and combines magic, wizards, and a plague, along with suspense, mystery and some hero's quest to create one powerful concoction.  Read the The Real Boy.