Foundations of Literacy and Expression · Senior Infants

Active learning ideas

Higher-Order Questioning and Inquiry

Active learning helps young children practice higher-order questioning naturally through movement and discussion, not just worksheets. When children act as questioners and problem-solvers, the abstract skill of inquiry becomes concrete and fun, building confidence in their own thinking.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Junior Cycle English - Oral Language
• NCCA: Junior Cycle English - Engaging with and Responding to Texts

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

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Story Why Questions

Read a picture book aloud. Model a higher-order question like 'Why do you think the bear hid?'. Students think alone for 1 minute, pair to discuss and share ideas with evidence from the story, then share with the class. Record responses on a chart.

How do I formulate questions that encourage deeper analysis and critical thinking?

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, pause after the think time to model whispering your own question aloud before pairing, so children hear how to form higher-order questions softly.

What to look for

After reading a short story, ask: 'What is one question you have about why the character did that?' Then, 'Can you find a sentence in the story that helps answer your question?'

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

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Whole Class

Inquiry Circle: What If Games

Sit in a circle with a familiar story prop. Pose a synthesis question like 'What if the mouse could fly?'. Each child adds an idea, building a group story. Evaluate by voting on the best ending and explaining choices.

What makes a response comprehensive and well-supported with evidence?

Facilitation Tip

Set up Inquiry Circle stations with picture cards of story scenes so children physically move to explore 'what if' scenarios together.

What to look for

Present students with a simple scenario, like a toy breaking. Ask: 'What are two questions we could ask to figure out how to fix it?' Record their questions.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Socratic Seminar
• 35 min · Small Groups

Question Station Rotation

Set up stations with story cards: analysis (compare characters), synthesis (connect to self), evaluation (like/dislike why). Small groups rotate, formulate one question per station, and respond orally. Share one favorite at the end.

How can questioning be used as a tool for research and problem-solving?

Facilitation Tip

At Question Station Rotation, place a timer for one minute at each station so the quick rotation keeps energy high and prevents over-talking.

What to look for

Give each student a picture from a familiar story. Ask them to write or draw one question they have about the picture and one reason why they think that.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Socratic Seminar
• 20 min · Pairs

Problem-Solver Pairs

Present a play scenario problem like a blocked path. Pairs generate evaluation questions ('Is this the best way? Why?'), test solutions, and report back with evidence of what worked best.

How do I formulate questions that encourage deeper analysis and critical thinking?

What to look for

After reading a short story, ask: 'What is one question you have about why the character did that?' Then, 'Can you find a sentence in the story that helps answer your question?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start by modeling your own higher-order questions with think-alouds during shared reading, showing how you wonder 'why' or 'what next' instead of 'what color'. Avoid jumping to answers too quickly; instead, use wait time and prompts like 'What makes you say that?' to encourage deeper talk. Research shows that young children’s inquiry skills grow when they hear and practice these patterns in playful, low-stakes contexts before formal writing.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently ask questions that require reasoning, connect ideas to their own experiences, and share opinions with simple reasons. Their language will show analysis, such as comparing characters or events, and evaluation, such as stating what they like and why.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for children treating all questions as recall facts.

  Use color-coded question cards at the station: red for recall, blue for why/how, and green for opinion. Have partners sort their questions by color before discussing, which makes the difference visible and concrete.

• During Inquiry Circle: What If Games, children may wait for the teacher to ask all the questions.

  Give each pair a role card: one is the 'asker' and one is the 'explainer'. Rotate roles halfway so every child experiences generating questions, building ownership through active practice.

• During Problem-Solver Pairs, assume higher-order thinking is too abstract for some children.

  Provide picture cards of simple problems like a missing shoe or a spilled drink. Ask children to point to the problem and use sentence frames like 'The shoe is missing. Maybe it happened because...' to scaffold their thinking aloud.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Inquiry Circle
• Socratic Seminar