The Daily Question??

 As a Head Start teacher I saw the amazing transformation that children could make. My students would come in to class in August with very little writing experience, not knowing how to recognize their name—let alone write it, and typically with about 95% not speaking much English. The children would be shy and quiet; it would be another year of teaching the routines, teaching letters and numbers, learning how to write names, and most importantly learning how to work together. 


In the mornings when the children come in I have them sign in, just like their parents, to practice writing their names. First I have children find their name and put it on the feelings chart to check in every day. Within a couple of weeks I begin to do the question of the day. Something simple to start, for example: “I like dogs or cats” or “What is your favorite… then give 2 to 3 choices of food, colors, animals, books…” the ideas are really endless. I also begin asking questions about our curriculum, for example: “Are dolphins mammals?” or “What eats plankton?” 


The question of the day is a way for the children to sign in and still practice writing their name without having to “sign in” all year round. It gives the students lots of practice in other things as well. I can use it to assess what they know about a subject that we are studying, what they understand about questions, what they like to start conversations, what book they would like to read, and many other assessments and knowledge can be taught and gained from this simple technique of asking.