Crafting Questions

Year Level

Year 11 English (Australian Curriculum v9)

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

25 students

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Learning Intentions

• Students will understand the purpose and characteristics of Socratic Discussion questions.
• Students will learn how to craft open-ended, text-based, accountable talk questions using a student-friendly guide.
• Students will practise crafting Socratic questions with reference to author choices, audience, purpose, and language/structure in texts.

Success Criteria

• Students can differentiate between effective Socratic questions and less effective ones.
• Students use provided question stems confidently to create their own Socratic questions.
• Students demonstrate discussion skills including turn-taking, building on ideas, and citing textual evidence.
• Students independently craft at least two high-quality Socratic questions using evidence during the exit ticket task.

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Australian Curriculum Alignment

Relevant Content Descriptions

• ACELA1562: Analyse and evaluate the ways texts position individuals and groups.
• ACELY1759: Plan, draft, and publish imaginative, informative, and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features for specific audiences and purposes.
• ACELY1805: Use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions, including voice volume, tone, pitch, and pace, according to group size, formality of interaction, and needs and expertise of the audience.
• ACELY1812: Listen to and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, and evaluating procedures, information, and opinions.
• ACELY1818: Analyse and explain how language features and text structures are used to create and sustain cohesion and stylistic effect.

General Capabilities Addressed

• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Ethical Understanding
• Literacy
• Personal and Social Capability

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Resources

• Printable Question Ladder Card (differentiated question stems ranging from simple to complex open-ended questions)
• Exemplar Socratic Question Set (text-based exemplar questions)
• Observation Checklist for teacher to note student engagement and question quality
• Whiteboard and markers
• Copies of a short text excerpt (for close reading)
• Printed sentence starters for Socratic questions (differentiated)
• Exit Ticket Sheets for student self-assessment (to craft two questions)

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Lesson Plan Breakdown

1. Warm-Up Activation (10 minutes)

• Activity: "Think-Pair-Share"

• Prompt students with a simple open-ended statement related to a previously read text or current text (e.g., “What author choices most affect how you feel about the protagonist?”)

• Students write one quick question they would ask in a discussion.

• Pair and share their questions, discussing what makes a good discussion question (open, text-based, provokes reasoning).

• Purpose: Activate prior knowledge of discussion questions and engage all students in defining what questions lead to meaningful discussions.

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2. Mini-Lesson: Explicit Modelling of Socratic Question Stems (15 minutes)

• Explanation and Modelling

• Using the Question Ladder Card projected or handed out, explain the purpose of Socratic questions: open-ended, accountable (based on text evidence), and encourage exploration and reasoning.

• Model several question stems across different levels of complexity (e.g., "What is the author suggesting when…?", "How does the choice of language affect…?", "Why might the audience interpret this differently?").

• Show examples of strong vs weak questions referencing the exemplar question set; discuss why some questions prompt deeper discussion.

• Teacher Prompts:

• "What do you notice about this question?"

• "How does this question encourage others to think or respond?"

• "Where in the text could we find evidence for this question?"

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3. Guided Practice in Pairs (15 minutes)

• Activity: Students work in pairs to analyse the exemplar question set and critique which questions would lead to better discussion, using the Question Ladder Card as a scaffold.

• Each pair then crafts 2-3 Socratic questions focused on a short text excerpt they have (close reading).

• Teacher circulates, using the Observation Checklist to note:

• Whether questions are open-ended

• Use of text evidence in question focus

• Use of discussion norms

• Differentiation:

• Provide sentence starters for reluctant speakers and lower-level question stems for scaffolded support.

• Challenge confident students with question ladder levels 4-5.

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4. Discussion Norms and Routines Briefing (5 minutes)

• Teacher-led Discussion:
• Review key discussion norms:
• Turn-taking politely
• Building on others' ideas (“I agree and would add...”)
• Referencing text evidence explicitly (“On page 10, the author shows...”)
• Class commits to these norms for upcoming dialogue.

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5. Close Reading Connection (10 minutes)

• Activity: Class close reading of a brief extract focusing on ‘crafting texts’ concepts: author choices, audience, purpose, language, and structure.
• In pairs or small groups, students refer back to their questions and refine or add questions linking to this close reading focus.

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6. Assessment for Learning: Formative Diagnostic and Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

• Formative Assessment: Teacher informsally assesses participation and quality of questions during pair discussion and close reading activities.
• Exit Ticket: Each student writes two crafted Socratic Discussion questions on an exit ticket, explicitly using evidence from the text.
• These are collected to assess understanding and question quality.

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Differentiated Supports

• Sentence starters like:
• "How does the author show that...?"
• "What is the effect of...?"
• "Why do you think the author chose to...?"
• "In what ways might the audience interpret...?"
• Question Ladder Card with levels from basic comprehension to critical evaluation questions.
• Support for reluctant speakers through pair collaboration and scaffolded prompts.
• Extension prompts for advanced students to craft evaluative and speculative questions.

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Teacher Reflection and Follow-Up

• Use Observation Checklist and exit ticket responses to identify students needing further support or enrichment.
• Plan next lessons around applying Socratic questions in formal text discussions or written reflections.
• Encourage peer feedback on question quality to deepen accountability.

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This lesson is aligned to the Australian Curriculum v9 English content and embedded capabilities. It explicitly teaches the meta-cognitive skill of crafting quality discussion questions in relation to text analysis and student accountability, supporting literacy and critical thinking, key for Year 11 English students preparing for senior secondary and beyond.