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Talent Development Waterford School District |
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With our busy schedules and highly-connected lifestyles, we sometimes forget the importance of turning off the TV and simply having a conversation with our children. Here are some conversation starters to discuss your child’s school day and help them think about their skills for learning. Tell me something you learned today that you never knew before. What was the best part of your day at school today? What made it enjoyable? Have you enjoyed doing this in the past? Is there anything you can do to make that happen again? What is something that you were very good at today? How do you know that you did it well? How did you feel? Is it something you could do again? Was there anything that was hard for you today? What did you do when it got tough? Did that help you do better? Do you have ideas what you will do if this happens again? Is there something you learned today that you think you need to practice some more? Why do you think you need more practice? What parts are you not sure about yet? How can I help you practice that? Higher Order Thinking Skills The following list begins with the simple recall questions and develops in difficulty to the most complex. Asking your child questions from the more complex levels helps them deepen their understanding. 1. Knowledge: Identification and recall of information (most simple) Who was ____? What is___? When did ___? Where was ___? How did _____? Describe ___________________. 2. Comprehension: Organization and selection of facts and ideas Retell ___________ in your own words. What is the main idea of ___________________? 3. Application: Use of facts, rules, principles How is __________ and example of _____________? How is __________ related to _________________? Why is _________________ significant? 4. Analysis: Separation of the whole into component parts What are the parts or features of ___________________? Classify _______________ according to _____________. Outline/diagram/web ____________________________. How does _________ compare/contrast with _________? What evidence can you list for _____________________? 5. Synthesis: Combination of ideas/information to form a new whole What would you predict/infer from __________________? What ideas can you add to ________________________? How would you create/design a new _________________? What might happen if you combine _______ with ________? What solutions would you suggest for _________________? 6. Evaluation: Development of opinions, judgments, or decisions (most complex) Do you agree with ____________________? Why or Why not? What do you think about _______________? Why do you think that? What is the most important about_________? What makes you say that? Prioritize in order of importance ________________. How would you decide about ____________? What would help you make your decision? What standards would you use to evaluate ______?
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 "Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. " ~Robert Fulghum |