Mounting the Rhythms of Rational Voice

Before there was the High Stakes Test, there was the Question.

Questioning is always the primary tool we use to make our students think.

Each deliberately worded question that we ask should contain the linguistic infrastructure for students to articulate a ready response simply by deconstructing the question and using its syntax as the scaffolding to construct the answer. i.e. We use the words of the question to structure the answer.

From this technique, a teacher can instill the cadences of rational voice into children’s writing and speech, not by grammar and rules, but through rhythm.

The Structured Answer

The task of structuring answers EXACTLY to the syntax of questions fixes the student’s attention upon the linguistic architecture of a question.

The task of skillfully WORDING a question fixes the teacher’s attention upon how students can actually think it though as they attempt their answer.

This rhythm of questioning-and-answering creates a venue to exercise the full range of children’s powers of reasoning. See Bloom’s Taxonomy, for examples.

To achieve a proper answer to any question, student writers are required to establish the tightest possible alignment between the language of the question and the language of the answer.

Students gain a keen appreciation of what every question is asking.

The response does not answer that specific question.

It answers this question:

Students learn expository writing and thinking by first strictly imitating the syntax of questions they are given, and then internalizing that language by reading their answers out loud.

In this way, we empower student thinkers to articulate and transcribe their own reasoning voices.

The Structured Paragraph

First, students develop skill using the words of questions to structure their answers.

Next, students develop their one- sentence answers into paragraphs.

“Structured Paragraphs” are exactly 5 sentences.

The Structured Answer becomes the topic sentence of the paragraph.

Three more sentences add depth, details, and support information.

The fifth sentence concludes or summarizes.

The Illuminated Paragraph

Students artistically present their writing.  They use colored pencils and manuscript paper to illuminate a special paragraph.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR STRUCTURED ANSWERS

What is your full name?

How many people are there in your family?

Who is the oldest person in your family?

What is your most favorite holiday of the year?

Of all the ice cream flavors they make, which is the best?

What is something good to put on a pizza?

What are the names of five fictional characters your know?

What is the name of the story where a little girl meets a wolf in the woods?

When you come home from school, what is the first thing you usually do?

50 ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING TONGUE TWISTER QUESTIONS

 

1. How could a noisy noise annoy an oyster?

 

2. When would you like to buy a yellow yo-yo?

 

3. Can you pick up six sticks quickly?

 

4. Will you look at a bug tug at a rug?

 

5. When do you shun the sunshine?

 

6. Did Sam shave six chins in six seconds?

 

7. Will we see the sun shine soon?

 

8. Where did Barbara burn the brown bread badly?

 

9. Can Kitty cuddle Katie’s kitten?

 

10. Have you met Harry’s homely uncle?

 

11. Has Helen heard how Howard hurried home?

 

12. Where did you go by a Blue Goose bus?

 

13. How many times did the rascal run around the rock?

 

14. Doesn’t this crisp crust crackle?

 

15. Will you make coffee in a proper coffee pot?

 

16. Where does this shop stock socks with spots?

17. Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie?

18. When will she sew the socks?

19. Why should I fetch you the finest fish that Frank can fry?

20. When the blue duck goes “Quack-quack”, does the black duck answer back?

21. When Pete Briggs pats pigs, does he pat the pink pigs more proudly than he pats the purple pigs?

22. Where did Betty Botter bring the bitter butter back?

23. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a wood chuck could chuck wood?

 

24. Who washed Washington’s white woolen underwear when Washington’s

washerwoman went west?

 

25. If neither he sells seashells, nor she sells seashells, who shall sell seashells?

 

26. Which is the witch that wished the wicked witch?

 

27. Why won’t you let Little Nellie run a little?

 

28. When did Tom throw Tim three thumbtacks?

 

29. Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?

 

30. When does the wristwatch strap shop shut?

 

31. What color is the black-backed bath brush?

 

32. When does the busy bee buzz most busily around the busy beehive?

 

33. For what did Babbling Bert blame Bess?

 

34. How many cuckoos could a good cook cook, if a good cook could cook cuckoos?

 

35. How many cans can a canner can, if a canner can can cans?

 

36. Which cricket critic cricked his neck at a critical cricket match?

 

37. Which charming tunes do cheerful children chant?

 

38. Which dude designed the desperate plot to dupe the dreadful Duke?

 

39. Who can make double bubble gum bubbles double?

 

40. Last year, who could not hear with either ear?

 

41. How can you elevate eleven elephants?

 

42. Why did five fat frogs flee from fifty fierce fishes?

 

43. Where will you make some groovy gravy, baby?

 

44. What time does the glow-worm’s gleam glitter in the glade?

 

45. Where’s the liter of lemon liniment?

46. Which musician makes music and moves multitudes?

47. Do you believe sheep should sleep in a shack or a shed?

48. What did one wise whistling wizard whistle?

 

49. What color is a blue bug’s blood?

 

50. How did the thieves seize the skis?