Write a question

What it looks like when your child can do it

• — Given "The dog sleeps by the door," your child writes "Where does the dog sleep?" or "Does the dog sleep by the door?"
• — Your child ends a question with a question mark and a telling sentence with a period, without a reminder.
• — Your child uses different starting words: who, what, where, when, which, how many, how long, does.

How to teach it at the kitchen table

1. 01

   Telling versus asking

   Say two sentences out loud: The soup is hot. Is the soup hot? Ask your child which one wants an answer. A question is a sentence waiting for somebody to reply.

2. 02

   Keep a card of question starters

   Write these on a card: who, what, where, when, which, how many, how long, does, is, can. Most of the questions your child needs will begin with one of them.

3. 03

   Flip the words

   Some questions are made by moving a word to the front. The cat is hungry becomes Is the cat hungry? The ice will melt becomes Will the ice melt? Try a few at the table.

4. 04

   Check the end mark

   The question mark is how a reader knows the sentence is asking. Your child checks the end of every sentence: asking gets a question mark, telling gets a period.

You will need: An index card for the starter list · Lined paper and a pencil

Try it together

1. Try 1

   Say "The bread got moldy" and ask your child to write a question about it.

   Listen for  Something like "Why did the bread get moldy?" or "How long did the bread take to get moldy?" Look for a starter word at the front and a question mark at the end.

2. Try 2

   Write: Can a paper airplane fly across the room. Ask your child what is missing.

   Listen for  A question mark at the end. Your child should hear that the sentence is asking, then fix the end mark to match.

3. Try 3

   Write: The plant on the windowsill is taller. Ask your child to turn it into two different questions, each with a different starter word.

   Listen for  For example "Which plant is taller?" and "How tall is the plant on the windowsill?" Two different starters show your child is choosing, not repeating one pattern.

4. Try 4

   Ask your child to write three questions about something in your kitchen they have wondered about.

   Listen for  Three real questions, each ending in a question mark, like "How many grapes fit in a mug?" A question they could answer with things already in the house is a bonus, and that is where the book goes next.

Watch for

• — A question word with a period at the end, like "Where is the cat." The words are asking, so the end mark has to ask too.

If it is not there yet

• — Play it out loud first: you say a telling sentence and your child says it back as a question. Writing comes after it feels natural spoken.
• — Keep the starter card on the table and let your child point to a starter before writing each question.

A few days of this is normal, and it is time well spent. The lesson will still be there, and it will go faster.

Where this skill comes up

• How Scientists Actually Find Out · Lesson 5

  A Question You Can Actually Test

  Needs it because half the sheet is rewriting flat statements as questions with question marks.