INQUIRY AND

COSTA’S LEVELS OF QUESTIONS

What is Inquiry?

Inquiry (noun) Searching for answers by asking questions

Costa’s Levels of Questions A system to group

questions/statements by level 3 levels Progresses from simple questions

that address lower-level thinking skills (like memorizing facts) to complex questions that address higher-level thinking skills (like inventing your own college)

Level 1 Questions

The answer can be found in the text Very concrete and relates only to the

text Asks for facts about what has been

heard or read Information is recalled in the exact

way it was heard

Level 1 Questions

Level 1 Words:

Define – tell what the meaning is Describe – tell about Identify/Name List Observe Recite – say aloud from memory

Level 1 Questions

Examples

What is photosynthesis? Define exposition. Identify the starting date of the Civil

War. Recite the first two stanzas of the poem. List all the steps in the scientific method

in any order.

Level 2 Questions

The answer can be inferred from the text. Infer: to conclude or judge based on the

information available

Information can be broken down into parts Involves examining in detail, analyzing

causes, making inferences, finding information to support big ideas or decision making

Questions combine information in a new way

Level 2 Questions

Level 2 Words Analyze – to break a big idea into parts Synthesize – to put small parts

together Compare – to show the similarities Contrast – to show the differences Categorize/Group/Classify – to put into

a group based on similarities Sequence – to put in order

Level 2 Questions

Examples

Using a plot diagram, analyze the plot of the short story.

Compare the square root of 49 to the square root of 64. Which is greater?

Diagram and order the stages of photosynthesis.

Compare and contrast the two main characters. Group the different questions according to

Costa’s levels of questions.

Level 3 Questions

The answer goes beyond the text or lecture.

Ask that judgments be made from information

Gives opinions about issues, judges the validity of ideas or other products and justifies opinions and ideas

Level 3 Questions

Level 3 Words

Apply – to use knowledge/skills in a new setting

Evaluate/Judge – to judge, grade, say whether something is good or bad

Imagine Hypothesize/Predict – to say what will

happen next based on the information available

Level 3 Questions

Examples

Can you predict what will happen to the main character as she grows up? How will moving away from her home change her perspective about life?

Apply your knowledge of geometry and ratios to create a perfect scale model of Campbell Middle School.

Imagine you were in the main character’s situation. What would you do and how would you feel?

Evaluate your binder using your knowledge of organization.

What would life be like today if the South had won the Civil War?

Level ONERequire us to gather informationcomplete, identify, recite, define, describe, list, observe, select

Level TWORequire us to PROCESS informationcompare, sort, infer, contrast, classify, distinguish, explain (why?) analyze

Level THREERequire us to APPLY/EVALUATE informationevaluate, judgegeneralize, predict, hypothesize,imagine, speculate, forecast

EVALUATEGENERALIZEIMAGINEJUDGEPREDICTSPECULATEIF/THENAPPLY A PRINCIPLEHYPOTHESIZEFORECASTIDEALIZECOMPARE/CONTRASTCLASSIFYSORTDISTINGUISHINFERSEQUENCEANALYZESYNTHESIZEMAKE ANALOGIESREASON

COMPLETECOUNTDEFINEDESCRIBEIDENTIFYLISTMATCHNAMEOBSERVERECITE

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Can you build a second or third story

without having the first story?