Hot questions

Teaches students what higher order thinking is and how to incorperate into class discussion andr reading

1. WHAT is a HOT Question? HOT = Higher Order Thinking A questions where you would: ANALYZE information JUDGE positions or opinions on a topic CREATE new concepts or ideas on a topic

2. What makes a GOOD HOT Question??? Thought - Provoking: Questions should spark many responses and generate interest by causing the listener to think critically (judge) and/or creatively about the topic. Open-ended: Effective discussion questions always lead to multiple answers because they call for different perspectives. Clear: Participants should understand right away what the questioner is asking. Keep your questions short with simple language, even when the ideas are complex .

3. Example: Who do you think is the most influential hip-hop artist and why?

4. Thumbs up, Thumbs Down: Is the following an example of a HOT question? How do you think Miley Cyrus felt when she didn’t win the music award at the VMAs ?

5. Thumbs up, Thumbs Down: Is the following an example of a HOT question? When did Leonardo DiCaprio star in The Great Gatsby ?

6. Thumbs up, Thumbs down: Is the following an example of a HOT question? What is Lady Gaga’s real name ?

7. Thumbs up, Thumbs down: Is the following an example of a HOT question? What do you think is going to happen to Justin Beiber’s music career since he’s decided to make a comeback?

8. ANALYSIS Questions Analyze – to separate a whole into parts and determine their relationships Examples: What do you think about Spongebob and Patrick’s friendship? Can you compare and contrast Spongebob and Patrick? What can you infer about Squidward from the way that he treats Spongebob ? Why do you think Spongebob and Patrick are such good friends?

9. Evaluation Questions To make judgments based on set standards or prior knowledge/opinions. Examples: Which food is more important, nutritionally, pizza or spaghetti? Can you defend your position on eating pizza for breakfast? Why is breakfast important? How would you feel if grocery stores stopped selling cereal?

10. Synthesis (Creating) Questions Combining ideas or concepts to create new ones. Example: Can you imagine what the world would be like without Netflix? What could you design to help people decide what they should watch on Netflix? What is your theory on why Americans watch so much television?

11. How to use the text to ask questions: Theme Themes are often very broad and are a great way to open up a dialogue about your personal opinions. Example: In Taylor Swift’s song, “Bad Blood”, she sings about a grudge she has against someone. Is there ever a good reason to hold a grudge? Characters You can focus in on a specific character or characters to explore themes and ideas Example : Imagine what the show Spongebob would be like if Spongebob behaved like Squidward . Quotes: Quotes can be a useful way to focus the conversation on a specific idea Example: In the song, “Bad Blood”, Taylor Swift says “Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes.” What do you think this line means?

12. Determine whether the following are analysis , evaluation , or synthesis questions: How are Harry Potter and Voldemort similar? How are they different ? Do you think that Justin Beiber is an influential pop artist in America? What do you think the world would be like if the internet was never invented? Why do you think that Miley Cyrus is so popular?