Topic 02 · Inquiry & Evidence

Asking Questions and Looking for Clues

How do good questions and useful clues help us learn?

Learning goal

What you will be able to do

ask a question that begins with who, what, where, when, why, or how; name a clue that could help answer a question; tell the difference between noticing and guessing

Before you begin

Activate what you know

Think of a question you have asked today. You may say it, act it out, or simply listen to the example, ‘Where does this path go?’

Words to know
1

Start with What You Truly Notice

A strong inquiry often begins with a small observation. You might notice that a photograph shows three bicycles outside a building. That is something visible. Then you can ask, ‘Who rode the bicycles?’ or ‘Why are they parked here?’ The photograph may answer some questions and leave others open. To learn who rode the bicycles, we might need to ask a person or read a label. To learn where the building is, we might use a map. Good learners choose a source that fits the question

Teaching visual 1 for Asking Questions and Looking for Clues
Read the visual. Different questions may need different sources. A photograph, map, schedule, person, or object can each help in a different way
2

Match the Clue to the Question

Suppose we ask, ‘How did children travel to this school long ago?’ An old photograph might show a walking path or a bus. A conversation with someone who attended the school could add a memory. Two useful sources can give us more information than one alone. We should not make a source answer a question it cannot answer. A photograph can show what was in front of a camera for one moment. It usually cannot tell us what every child did or thought. Saying ‘I need another clue’ is a strong inquiry habit

Teaching visual 2 for Asking Questions and Looking for Clues
Read the visual. Evidence does not make every idea certain, but it helps us tell a careful idea from an unsupported guess
Key point

Question, Source, Clue

First ask a clear question. Next choose a source that may help. Then point to the clue that supports your answer

Study strategy

Turn a Notice into a Question

When a learner names an object, respond, ‘You noticed the wagon. What could we ask about it?’ Offer two question starters and let the learner choose one

Common misconception

A Confident Guess Is Still a Guess

Speaking loudly or feeling sure does not make an answer accurate. An answer becomes stronger when a clue supports it

Try it

Mystery Object Inquiry

Examine a safe everyday object such as a key, ticket, or measuring cup. Ask one question, name one visible clue, and tell what other source could help you learn more

TOPIC SUMMARY

Questions guide an inquiry. Sources provide clues, and clues become evidence when they support an answer. Careful learners separate what they observe from what they infer

Practice and answer guide

Work through all 8 questions. Open an answer only after you have written or explained your response.

  1. 1. Which sentence is a question? A. Where does this road go? B. The road is gray. C. I see a road
    Check answer

    Where does this road go?

  2. 2. You want to know where a library is. Which source would help most? A. a map B. a shoe C. a song with no place names
    Check answer

    A map

  3. 3. A picture shows a coat, mittens, and snow. Name one detail you can observe
    Check answer

    Accept a visible detail: a coat, mittens, snow, or another detail stated in the prompt

  4. 4. Use the same picture. Give one careful idea the clues support
    Check answer

    Accept a cautious, supported idea, such as ‘The weather may be cold’ or ‘It may be winter.’

  5. 5. Ask a who, what, where, when, why, or how question about a community garden
    Check answer

    Accept a relevant question, such as ‘Who works in the garden?’ or ‘How do the plants get water?’

  6. 6. A picture shows two blue chairs. Which statement needs another clue? A. I see two chairs. B. The chairs are blue. C. The chairs belonged to a famous singer
    Check answer

    The claim that the chairs belonged to a famous singer needs another clue

  7. 7. Draw a safe object that could be a source. Tell one question the object might help answer
    Check answer

    Accept a safe object and a fitting question—for example, a ticket and ‘Where was this used?’

  8. 8. Put the inquiry steps in order: look for a clue; ask a question; give an answer supported by the clue
    Check answer

    First ask a question. Second look for a clue. Third give an answer supported by the clue