Using Bloom's Taxonomy to Enhance Your Reading Instruction!

I really enjoy using Bloom's Taxonomy in my classroom!  Many teachers ask me how I use my  posters and question cards with my students so here it goes.  

 So, it all started when I created these posters.  I wanted to make some posters that I could hang in my room to remind me to use Bloom's Taxonomy with my students everyday.  The posters were a big help, because any time I was thinking of a question to ask my students, I could easily refer to them to help me create my questions.  After a few weeks, of using them, it became a lot easier for me to ask and create high quality questions to ask my students on a daily basis.  

 

Since asking and answering questions is a second grade reading standard, I also wanted my students to learn how to ask high quality questions to each other.  That gave me the idea of creating fiction and nonfiction question cards to help my students ask questions during my reading block.

I keep a full set of fiction and nonfiction cards on book rings so I have a variety of questions to choose from.  Since I want my students to have access to their own set of cards, I printed out one set of fiction and nonfiction question cards per table and divided them evenly into groups of four so each students at that table has a different set of questions to ask each other (I have four students at each table in my room.)  Each student needs to have cards from each level of Blooms.  I then cut out and laminate the cards and keep a set of fiction and nonfiction cards for each student in their caddy in the middle of their table.

I LOVE using these cards for my whole group and small group reading instruction!  Read below for some different ways I use them in my classroom to motivate my students to participate in our reading discussions and enhance their critical thinking.

 

Whole Group Reading

Each Wednesday we read the story from our basal reader.  My students take turns reading each paragraph or page aloud to the class.  At the end of the paragraph or page, I ask them a few lower level questions (Remember, Understand, Apply).  Before I ask my question, I say, "This is a red Remember question worth one point."  I then choose a red level question and ask it to the class.  I then call on a student to answer the question.  They then earn one point for a correct answer.  Some of my students raise their hand and say that they want to add on to the previous answer.  He or she will also earn a point.  This has lead to some wonderful discussions of our text.  We then continue on with the text.  After I ask a couple of lower level questions, I ask the higher level questions (Analyze, Evaluate, Create).  These higher level questions are worth more points so my competitive students love answering these to earn more points!

 

 Partner Reading     

Thursday, I usually have my students partner read the text.  I have them choose a partner who is not in their reading group, or I choose their partner.  Students find a spot in the room to read with their partner.  After they partner read, each student grabs their fiction or nonfiction question card ring.  Students can either choose a question to ask their partner, or they can roll the die to see which type of question they will ask.  I bought these colored dice from Amazon.  You can use the Differentiated Instruction Cubes from Carson-Dellosa or Photo Stacking Blocks.  I like the photo stacking blocks since I use the colors blue, green, yellow, and red to differentiated my small groups.  I love watching my students take turns asking each other meaningful and engaging questions to enhance their thinking about the story.           

Guided Reading Groups

I use the question cards in guided reading groups in a similar way as in whole group.  I have my small group of students take turns reading the paragraph or page of the text aloud.   I then ask them questions about the story.  After I read a question to the group, I tell them to take their reading tracker and "highlight" the answer.  That way everyone is actively engaged looking for the answer and I can easily see who found the answer in the text.  I also use this strategy in whole group to make sure everyone locates their text evidence to support their answer.  You can purchase reading trackers like the one below at Lakeshore Learning or Really Good Stuff.

 

I made a mini set of my Bloom's Taxonomy posters to hang on a ribbon next to my guided reading table.  This way, we can easily refer to them during our guided reading groups.  I also made point value signs to hang next to the mini posters to remind them of the point values for each color.  Adding point values to the questions make this activity fun and engaging for students.  They also want to be challenged because they know they will earn more points for higher level questions.

I have really seen a difference with my students' abilities to ask and answer questions after using these cards.  I hope your students have as much fun during your reading block as mine do!  Click on the pictures above or here to check out these fun and engaging Bloom's Taxonomy resources for your own classroom!