English · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Asking and Answering Questions

Active learning helps Year 1 students move from passive listening to purposeful questioning. When children practise asking and answering questions during shared reading, they engage with texts in a way that builds comprehension, vocabulary, and curiosity. Movement and collaboration turn abstract skills into concrete actions they can see and revise in real time.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E1LY04
• AC9E1LY05

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Partner Question Swap: Picture Book Edition

Pairs read a shared picture book. One student asks three who/what/where/when/why questions; the partner answers using text evidence. Switch roles and discuss best questions together.

What questions can you ask to help you understand a text better?

Facilitation Tip

During Partner Question Swap, provide sentence stems on cards to support students who need extra language scaffolds.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, familiar picture book. Ask them to write down one 'who' question about the main character and one 'what' question about an event. Review their questions for clarity and relevance to the text.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 35 min · Small Groups

Question Hunt Relay: Small Group Challenge

In small groups, hide question cards around the room linked to a class text. Students find cards, answer in relay style, passing a baton. Groups compare answers at the end.

How does asking 'who', 'what', 'where', 'when', and 'why' help you understand what you read?

Facilitation Tip

For Question Hunt Relay, place a timer at each station so groups pace themselves and stay on task.

What to look for

Give each student a sentence from a simple story. Ask them to write one question that starts with 'why' or 'how' that could be answered by that sentence. Collect and assess their ability to infer deeper meaning.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Whole Class

Whole Class Question Board: Build Together

Project a text excerpt. Class brainstorms questions on a shared board, categorising by who/what/where. Vote on top questions and answer as a group, recording evidence.

Does your answer to a question about the text include all the important parts?

Facilitation Tip

Use the Whole Class Question Board to model how to turn vague questions into focused text-based ones by adding details together as a group.

What to look for

After reading a short fable, ask students: 'What is one question you could ask to understand why the character made a certain choice?' Facilitate a brief class discussion where students share their questions and explain why they are helpful.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Individual

Individual Question Journal: Personal Response

Students read independently, draw or write one question per page about key details. Share one with a partner for answering, noting what they learned.

What questions can you ask to help you understand a text better?

Facilitation Tip

In Individual Question Journals, model one entry aloud before students begin to set clear expectations for recording questions and evidence.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, familiar picture book. Ask them to write down one 'who' question about the main character and one 'what' question about an event. Review their questions for clarity and relevance to the text.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin with short, predictable texts so students focus on question structure rather than unfamiliar content. Teach question types explicitly by naming them as you read aloud, pausing to ask and model 'who' or 'why' questions. Avoid letting discussions drift into personal opinions without anchoring back to the text. Research shows that guided practice with immediate feedback strengthens comprehension more than repeated independent reading alone.

By the end of these activities, students will consistently pose clear, text-based questions using who, what, where, when, and why. They will respond with answers grounded in specific details and share their thinking with peers. Success looks like focused conversations, visible evidence of text references, and growing confidence in both asking and answering.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Partner Question Swap, watch for students who default to yes/no questions. Provide question word cards and coach them to rephrase questions using who, what, where, when, and why before swapping.

  During Partner Question Swap, model how to turn a yes/no question into an open-ended one by adding 'Tell me about...' or 'I wonder why...' to the prompt.

• During Question Hunt Relay, watch for answers that rely on personal opinions instead of text evidence. Peers often accept these without checking the book.

  During Question Hunt Relay, require each group to underline or point to the exact sentence or picture that answers their question before moving to the next station.

• During Whole Class Question Board, watch for students who see questioning as only useful at the end of a story. They may skip early parts or focus only on the resolution.

  During Whole Class Question Board, draw a simple timeline and ask students to post questions at the beginning, middle, and end sections to show how questioning continues throughout reading.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share