asking WH- questions for clarification

Your teacher says: “Finish the assignment for homework if you don’t complete it in class.” You’re not sure when it is due.

You’re working on a multi-step math problem, and you completed the first step, but now you’re stuck and don’t know what to do next.

Your teacher says: “Make sure your paragraph includes a strong claim, supporting evidence, and reasoning.” You understand claim and evidence, but you don’t know what “reasoning” means.

During a timed writing activity, your teacher tells the class there are 10 minutes left, but you still have a lot to write and aren’t sure what to focus on finishing.

During a group project, your teacher says: “Each group member needs a specific role.” You’re not sure what your role is supposed to be.

In math, your teacher says: “Round your answer to the nearest tenth.” You’re not sure how to round to the nearest tenth.

Your teacher says: “Be sure to cite your sources using MLA format.” You’ve never done that before and don’t know what it means.

In math, your teacher says: “Graph the solution on a coordinate plane.” You don’t know where to start or what to graph.

In math class, your teacher models a problem on the board and then assigns similar problems for independent practice. When you start, you realize your problem looks different and you don’t know which steps to use.

During science class, your teacher says: “After you finish the lab, record your observations and write a conclusion explaining the results.” You’re not sure what “observations” means in this context.

During class, your teacher says to check your answers before turning in your work, but you’re not sure what you should be looking for when checking.

Your teacher gives multi-step directions: “First highlight key details, then summarize the passage in your own words.” You’re confused about what counts as “key details.”

In science, your teacher says: “Form a hypothesis before starting the experiment.” You don’t understand what a hypothesis is.

In class, your teacher gives directions quickly and then starts the timer for independent work. You feel like you missed part of the directions and aren’t sure what to do.

Your teacher says: “Make sure your response is detailed and thorough.” You’re unsure how much detail is expected.

During class, your teacher says: “Turn and talk to your partner about the main idea.” You don’t remember what “main idea” means.

During independent work time, your teacher says: “Use the rubric to check your work before turning it in.” You don’t know where to find the rubric.

You’re completing an assignment on Schoology, but after submitting it, you realize you may have uploaded the wrong document.

Your teacher says: “Use complete sentences when answering the questions.” You’re unsure what makes a sentence “complete.”

You’re working on a group project, but your group members are all doing different parts, and you’re confused about how your part connects to theirs.

During independent work time, you’ve been trying to solve a math problem for several minutes but keep getting different answers each time.

In ELA, your teacher says: “Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word ‘reluctant’ in paragraph 3.” You don’t know what “context clues” are.

Your teacher says: “Finish your essay by the end of class,” but you’re only halfway done and realize you won’t have enough time to complete it.

Your teacher says: “After finishing your draft, revise it for clarity and organization.” You’re not sure what changes you’re supposed to make when revising.

You’re writing an essay, and you have ideas in your head, but you’re struggling to organize them into a paragraph.