How Questions

At a Glance:

Grades:	4, 5, 6
Subject:	ESL/ELL (English Language Learning)
Topic:	Answering “How” Questions
Lesson Length:	30 - 45 mins

Standards / Framework:

What will students learn in this activity?

Students will explain a phenomenon by answering “how” or “why" questions.

What should students know before this activity?

This lesson is intended to help students respond to “how” questions by providing a clear explanation about a familiar topic.

How can teachers introduce this lesson?

Read and discuss the sample comic. How does the water cycle work?
Help students understand that when someone begins a question with “how” they need to be able to provide a clear explanation. This might include explaining the steps in order from the beginning to end so their listener will understand.
Have students turn to a classmate and practice explaining their ideas.

What will students do?

Using the sample comic as a guide, have students create a comic that answers one of the following questions:
- How does the water cycle work?
- How are clouds formed?
- How does water change state as it travels through the water cycle?
- Why is the water cycle important to our planet?
- How does energy from the sun affect the weather?
- How does the water cycle impact the environment?

How can teachers wrap up the lesson?

Have students share their comics with a partner or present to the whole class.
Display student comics around the classroom to reinforce this lesson.

How can teachers differentiate this activity?

Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
Learn more about the water cycle by watching a video, reading a book, or researching in class.
Support student language structure and provide sentence starters as needed.

Related Resources:

Comic to print or display: Comic.
Adapt this lesson for your class by using a recent unit of study.

Related Content:

Suggested Story Starters:

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