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This is a technique promoted by the Great Books Foundation for use with their Great Book series. I have found it very useful
in promoting student discussion. The following are ideas from the training manual, An Introduction to shared inquiry, second
edition.
After students have read a selection, have them sit in a circle for a discussion. Start by asking interpretive questions.
An interpretive question is one that may have more than one answer with evidence supported by the text. The teacher is only
the facilitator and may not answer any questions. All opinions stated by the students should be supported by evidence from
the text.
Things to look for when writing interpretive questions with examples from Jack and the Beanstalk:
• Character motivation—look for reasons behind statements, actions, or thoughts.
• Ex. Why does Jack climb the beanstalk the third time?
• Striking or unusual use of language—
• Ex. Why does the author have Jack answer the old man’s question by saying, “Two in each hand and one in
your mouth”?
• Prominent details—some can function as important elements in interpretation.
• Ex. Why does the author make Jack’s mother a poor widow?
• Words, phrases, or sentences that can be understood in more than one way.
• Ex. Is the author sarcastic when he writes that Jack was “as sharp as a needle” in responding to the old
man?
• Connections between passages, characters, incidents, or ideas—well-crafted works of literature are interconnected.
Understanding the story means understanding this relationship.
• Ex. Why is Jack so much bolder in asking the ogre’s wife for food on his second trip than he had been on his
first?
(Introduction to shared inquiry, 1991)
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