Welcome to Week 4!

Each fortnight, I’ll be featuring one of our staff members within the WISH team, so our families can get to know who is supporting the students at Robertson State School.

This fortnight, we meet our Guidance Officer, Donna Riches.

Amanda Slinger

Head of Special Education Services - (HOSES)

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Speech-Lanuage News

Helping Your Child Build Stronger Reading Skills with Blank's Levels of Questioning

Reading plays a vital role in your child's development, helping to grow their vocabulary, strengthen their language skills, and improve their understanding of the world around them.

Sharing books together not only fosters a love of stories but also supports success in learning. One effective way to deepen your child's reading comprehension is by using Blank's Levels of Questioning.

What Are Blank's Levels of Questioning?

Psychologist Marion Blank developed this framework to support children's language and thinking skills. It includes four levels of questions that move from basic, concrete ideas to more complex, abstract concepts. These questions help children develop important skills like understanding, reasoning, and problem-solving.

Why Use Blank's Questions?

Regularly asking these types of questions while reading can help your child:

• Understand Stories Better: They learn to think beyond the words and make connections.
• Grow Their Vocabulary: New words become familiar in meaningful contexts.
• Think Critically: Predictions, explanations, and problem-solving become easier with practice.
• Stay Engaged: Questioning turns reading into an interactive and interesting experience.

Exploring the Four Levels

Level 1: Naming and Identifying

• Focus: Recognising and labelling things that are easy to see or hear in the moment.
• Examples:
  • "What is this?" (While pointing to an object)
  • "Who is that?"
  • "What is [person] doing?"

Level 2: Describing and Classifying

• Focus: Noticing features and understanding basic relationships.
• Examples:
  • "What happened?"
  • "Where is the ____?"
  • "What colour/size/shape is it?"
  • "Show me the one we use for _______."

Level 3: Reorganising and Inferring

• Focus: Making predictions, explaining ideas, and connecting information.
• Examples:
  • "What might happen next?"
  • "What is a ______?" (definition)
  • "Find one that goes with this."
  • "Which things don’t belong?"

Level 4: Abstract Thinking and Problem-Solving

• Focus: Thinking about reasons, outcomes, and possibilities.
• Examples:
  • "What might happen if _____?"
  • "Why did ______ happen?"
  • "What could ____ use?"
  • "Why would _____ work for that?"

Using Your Blank's Levels Bookmark:

To make it easier to use these strategies, you might like to use this Blank's Levels of Questioning bookmark. This simple tool lists different types of questions for each level, giving you quick access to helpful prompts during reading time with your child/ children.

Here's how to make the most of it:

• While Reading: Pause occasionally to ask questions, starting with simpler ones and moving to more challenging ones as your child's understanding grows.
• After Reading: Chat about the story using Level 3 and Level 4 questions to encourage deeper thinking.

Reading together should always be fun and rewarding. By using thoughtful questions to spark your child's curiosity and ideas, you're giving them tools to become confident, independent thinkers—and nurturing a lifelong love of books.

Warm regards and until next time,

Morgan Johnson

Speech-Language Pathologist