Writing Interview Questions

Overview

This 35-minute session will build on yesterday’s oral activity where students created interview questions for a visitor guard. Today, first-class students will develop their writing skills by transferring and refining these questions into their writing copies, progressing through the writing process stages before producing neat, final versions on question cards. This lesson is designed following the IE Curriculum framework, focusing on oral language transfer to writing, sentence construction, punctuation, spelling, and literacy development.

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Curriculum Links

English Language Arts: Writing and Literacy Development

• Strand: Writing
• Strand Unit: Functional Writing
• Learning Outcome:
  • W1.1: Write simple sentences with capital letters and full stops.
  • W1.2: Begin to write questions with correct question marks.
  • W1.5: Edit and improve own writing with support.

Oral Language Development

• Strand: Oral Language
• Strand Unit: Oral Language Awareness
• Learning Outcome:
  • OL1.3: Construct and respond to questions orally.
  • OL1.4: Use language appropriate to a given context or purpose (e.g., interviews).

Cross-cutting Skills

• Developing confidence in written expression linked to oral language.
• Enhancing understanding of punctuation related to question sentences.
• Boosting vocabulary through peer discussions and teacher feedback.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Transfer orally created interview questions into written form, maintaining correct sentence structure and punctuation.
2. Use capital letters, full stops, and question marks correctly in their sentences.
3. Edit their writing with teacher support to improve accuracy and clarity.
4. Write neat, legible final versions of their questions on cards for practical use.
5. Recognise and apply literacy features relevant to question sentences (e.g., interrogative words, punctuation).

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Resources

• Writing copies (notebooks) for each student
• Pencils, erasers, and coloured pens for corrections
• Question card templates (pre-cut)
• Visual aids showing question words (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How)
• Whiteboard/flipchart for modelling writing process
• Example sentences from yesterday’s oral session (on board or handout)

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Lesson Structure

Time	Activity Description	Teaching & Learning Notes	IE Curriculum Focus
0-5 mins	Recap & Goal Setting

• Quick oral recap of yesterday’s interview questions activity.
• Explain today's writing focus: transferring spoken questions into written form.
• Discuss punctuation in questions (focus on question marks). | Use visual prompts of sample questions to engage students.
  Encourage use of interrogative words correctly.
  Link to OL1.3, OL1.4. | Oral Language: Construct/respond to questions
  Writing: Sentence punctuation, structure. | | 5-20 mins | Writing Transfer and Teacher Feedback
• Students write their interview questions in their copies.
• Teacher circulates, providing individual support and correction focusing on capital letters, punctuation & spelling.
• Peer support encouraged to identify missing question marks or capital letters. | Use questioning prompts to encourage students to check their own writing (Is the first word capitalised? Is there a question mark?).
  Highlight correct question sentence formation W1.1, W1.2, W1.5. | Writing: Drafting & editing skills
  Literacy: Sentence conventions, punctuation. | | 20-30 mins | Final Copy onto Question Cards
• Once corrections are completed, students write neat copies of the interview questions onto question cards.
• Emphasise neat handwriting and correct punctuation.
• Display cards in classroom or prepare for upcoming interview activity with visit. | Motivate with “interviewer’s toolkit” feel.
  Support use of literacy features (capital letters, question marks).
  Make explicit links to audience and purpose—questions for a visitor. | Writing: Functional writing purpose
  Cross-curricular skill: Audience awareness. | | 30-35 mins | Low & High Order Question Review & Closure
• Teacher reviews five lower order and five higher order questions linked to activity orally, encouraging class participation.
• Sample questions scaffold language awareness & comprehension.
• End with verbal reflection: “What did we learn about writing questions today?” | Foster metacognitive awareness of writing process and language.
  Use think-pair-share or choral response to engage all learners. | Oral Language: Reflection and comprehension
  Critical thinking. |

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Suggested Question Sets

Lower Order Questions (Recall and Identification)

1. What kind of questions did you write?
2. Where does a question mark go in a sentence?
3. Can you find a question word in your writing?
4. Which letter do we use to start a question sentence?
5. How many questions did you write?

Higher Order Questions (Reasoning and Application)

1. Why is it important to use question marks correctly?
2. How does writing your questions help you prepare for the visitor?
3. Can you think of a better way to ask one of your questions?
4. What might happen if your questions were unclear or had no punctuation?
5. How can you check if your question makes sense before writing the final copy?

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through teacher observation during drafting and corrective feedback phase.
• Success criteria: Written questions show correct use of capital letters, question marks, and clarity.
• Peer assessment: Students identify missing capitalisation or punctuation in peer’s work before final copying.
• Oral participation in question reflections at lesson close.

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Differentiation

• Support: Sentence starters or word banks with question words for students needing language scaffolding.
• Extension: Challenge advanced students to add an additional question or rephrase one to be more detailed.
• Visual support: Use picture prompts for question topics to support understanding.

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Teacher Reflection Notes (Post-Lesson)

• Were students able to transfer their oral questions accurately into writing?
• How successful was the correction process in improving punctuation and structure?
• Did the question cards motivate students?
• Were the low and high order questions effective in linking oral and written language development?
• What adjustments are needed for future writing process lessons?

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This plan integrates oral language to writing skills carefully, utilising the IE Curriculum’s language development strands. It is age-appropriate and designed to build confidence in young learners’ emerging writing abilities. The blend of formative and peer feedback alongside purposeful functional writing provides a motivating, skill-building experience.