In English classes, we often focus on teaching students to make presentations, answer discussion questions, and describe pictures. However, we sometimes overlook practicing a key skill: asking questions. This skill is essential in daily life, yet forming questions in English can be challenging due to complex grammar rules.
Why is it important?
In real-life conversations, people don’t just listen and respond - they engage in meaningful exchanges. This interaction involves both asking and answering questions. Being able to ask questions is essential in many everyday situations, such as:
- Asking for recommendations
- Requesting details
- Seeking information
- Asking for directions
Another reason to focus on teaching question formation is that it can be tricky in English. English grammar has its challenges, and forming a question isn’t just a matter of adding a question mark. Often, it requires using specific auxiliary verbs or applying subject-verb inversion, which can be overwhelming for beginners.
Error Correction
When you run question-focused activities, accuracy is key. Correcting errors in real time ensures that students learn to form questions accurately. Here are a few approaches to error correction:
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Immediate Correction: Address errors as they arise, especially in activities focused on accuracy.
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Self-Correction: Write down errors and ask students to correct them after the activity. This approach promotes reflection and self-correction.
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Peer Correction: Pair students and encourage them to correct each other’s mistakes. Note that this works best in groups comfortable with peer feedback. Avoid it with students who might feel insecure about their English skills.
While accuracy is essential, don’t forget about fluency. Students can be 100% accurate, but without fluency practice, they may struggle to ask questions confidently in real-life situations.
Activity Ideas
Here are some activities to help students practise asking questions:
#1 Topic-Based Questions
In pairs or small groups, give students a topic (e.g., travel, books, shopping). Set a time limit or ask them to create a specific number of questions on the topic. Afterwards, groups can swap questions and discuss their answers.
#2 Photo-Based Questions
Prepare photos showing people in different situations. Students come up with questions these people might be asking. Additionally, they could generate questions to find out what might have happened before the photo was taken. This activity is great for practising past tense questions.
#3 WH- Questions
Provide a topic or photo. Students then create questions starting with each WH-word: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
#4 Missing Questions
Prepare short statements or answers (e.g., “No, thank you,” “Only on Wednesdays,” “Blue,” “Tomorrow”) and display them. Students write questions that could match these answers.
For more activity ideas and ready-to-use resources, explore our pack Questions, Questions. It offers over 100 activities to enhance question-asking skills in your classroom.
