Cedartown Middle School: 2014-2015

A Guide to Focused Questioning

Are you focused on what you are asking your students and how you are assessing understanding through your verbal and written questions?
FOCUS ON THE HOW AND WHY TO DIVE DEEP INTO LEARNING.
Subjects and example questions for each DOK level
Webb’s Depth of Knowledge / Question Type
(key DOK words underlined) / Language Arts / Math / Science / Social Studies
DOK
LEVEL 1
(Basic Recall)
*Time spent at DOK Level 1 should be minimal. / Recalling key plot events
Defining words or concepts
Measuring or calculating distances or solutions
Identifying concepts / Who is the main character in Chapter 1?
What is the definition of theme?
Label the parts of the plot diagram for the short story.
Recite the prologue from Romeo and Juliet. / What is the first step that should be used in order to isolate the variable and maintain a balanced equation for the following?
7x + 9 =23
Two angles of an obtuse triangle are 35 degrees and 45 degrees. Calculate the measure of the third angle. / Which cell organelle is responsible for building proteins?
Which type of rock is formed under great pressure and high temperatures?
Using information form the Periodic Table, how many protons does one atom of Carbon have? / Define compromise.
Identify two examples of political conflict among individuals and/or groups in the Unities States during the colonial time period.
List three physical characteristics of a region of the United States.
DOK
LEVEL 2
(Skill/Concept)
*Ensure that DOK Level 2 skills are present in students and that concepts are solid in order to move deeper. / Demonstrating cause and effect
Predicting events or outcomes
Making inferences
Distinguishingdifferences between subjects/things
Relating content to other ideas or life / What causes the character to flee and what is the effect of her departure from her family?
What do you think might happen next in the story?
What might be the cause of the character’s stress? / If you were asked to find the amount of paint needed to paint walls, floor, and ceiling of a game room, would you need to calculate volume or surface area? Explain your thinking.
One angle of a triangle has a measure of 30 degrees. What are the possibilities for the other 2 angles? How will your answers change if you are told that the triangle must be an acute triangle? / (Given a food web) Which organisms would be considered primary or first order consumers and why?
Create a multi-flow (cause and effect) Thinking Map showing the relationship between deforestation and the environment.
Create a line graph depicting a person driving a car. Make sure to label the axes and include what the graph would look like when the person hits the gas, brakes, and stops. / Why did most colonial farmers settle near oceans or coastal waterways?
Explain the reasons why discrimination developed in the United States prior to the Civil Rights Movement.
Explain the causes and effects of the Revolutionary War.
What was the most significant economic impact of the transcontinental railroads during
the late 1800s?
DOK
LEVEL 3
(Strategic Thinking)
*Your questions for discussion, classwork, and test questions should target this deeper level DOK. / Assessing the effect or purpose
Drawing conclusions to hypothesize a possible outcome
Revising to show improvement
Using concepts to solve a problem or pose a solution
Citing evidence to support an idea / What is the purpose of the dark colors of the character’s clothing?
How does the author’s voice change in this chapter?
Use supporting evidence to prove the novels’ main theme.
Determine the author’s purpose and describe how it affects your interpretation of reading the speech. / Smallville Middle School has set a goal to raise money for the Toys for Tots program. The sixth grade has 200 students and raised $1400. The seventh grade has 250 students and raised $1250. The eighth grade has 225 students and raised $1800. Which of the following statements is not true? Justify your answer in words and with a diagram.
The eighth grade raised the most money per student.
If the sixth grade had raised $200 more, their amount per student would be the same as the amount per eighth grade student.
The seventh grade raised 1/3 as much money as the sixth and seventh grades combined.
The sixth grade raised approximately 1/3 of the total amount of money. / Compare a distance vs. time graph with an acceleration vs. time graph for the same moving object. Explain your findings.
Read three scholarly articles about water pollution and write an essay discussing your findings and explaining how you can personally reduce water pollution in your home or school. / Recognize and explain misconceptions related to the discovery of America.
Justify the Democratic and/or Republican party platforms expressed in a series of debates.
Using examples to justify your answer, explain the powers of government established by the Preamble to the United States Constitution and why these powers are still significant today.
DOK
LEVEL 4
(Extended Thinking)
* DOK Level 4 questions usually require multiple steps and usually integrate multiple concepts. / Creating a product
Proving an idea or hypothesis
Synthesizing multiple understanding
Connecting concepts to relevant ideas
Critiquing concepts to discuss strengths, weakness, effect, etc.
Designing a product / Describe and illustrate how the theme from this unit is found in multiple texts.
Create a research paper to analyze the important role family history plays in an author’s fiction writing.
Synthesize multiple texts from the unit to analyze universal themes found throughout each work. / TASK: You plan to sell 300 ice cream cones at a sports event. You buy ice cream in 1 liter tubs at $2 each. Each cone sells for 5 cents, and you plan to sell each filled cone for 80 cents.
Before buying the ice cream, you survey 60 people and find out the following preferences: MINT-10%, STRAWBERRY-25%, CHOC CHIP-15%, VANILLA-50%.
Work out the quantities you need to buy and calculate those costs. Show how much profit you expect to make on that day. Show all work and give a written justification for your answers. / Design and conduct a science investigation that involves collecting, organizing and interpreting dataas well as effectively communicating your findings.
Research a local ecological problem and work with a team to develop a practical solution. Implement the solution if possible. / Propose solutions for today’s economic crisis. Predict outcomes for each solution.
Create your own party and party platform. Include three to
five issues and
be prepared to present and debate those issues.