Blank's Levels of Questioning

What is it?

Dr. Marion Blank, a developmental psychologist specialising in language, created Blank’s Levels of Questioning in the 1970s. Blank’s Levels of Questioning is a structured approach designed to aid children in developing key oral comprehension skills.

Why is it important?

The framework provides a valuable, scaffolded tool for educators, speech and language therapists and families to assess a child’s oral language and comprehension skills and support their development.

Blank’s Levels of Questioning can benefit every pupil, but are most often used to support:

How does it work?

The framework emphasises the interconnectedness of language and reasoning skills, suggesting that improvement in one area positively impacts the other.

Through the systematic teaching of different question types, the framework enables pupils to build confidence in navigating conversations and understanding abstract concepts.

The framework consists of four stages of questioning, which progressively increase in complexity: 

Level 1: Simple and straightforward questions, often dealing with concrete information. For example, “What is this?”

Level 2: Move beyond the concrete and involve basic reasoning. For example, “Why did it happen?”

Level 3: Deeper thinking and abstract reasoning. For instance, “What might happen next?”

Level 4: Intricate questions involving complex reasoning and abstract concepts. An example could be, “What are the implications of this?”

Blank’s Levels of Questioning can be effectively used in both group settings and one-on-one interactions. 

Group Settings: 

• Facilitate discussions where children take turns answering questions at different levels. 
• Read a text aloud and pause to ask questions related to the topic. Children share their thoughts with each other.
• Facilitate group reading sessions that allow children to learn from their peers, practice active listening, and engage in collaborative thinking. 

One-on-One Interactions: 

• If a child struggles with abstract reasoning, targeted intervention allows for targeted practice and reinforcement.
• Individual attention provides a safe space for children to express their thoughts without peer pressure and helps them to build confidence.

How to use the framework with Rockerbox? 

• You can implement Blank’s Levels of Questioning with readers working at any Rockerbox reading level.
• You can use Blank’s Levels of Questioning with any Rockerbox text. The visual aids and real-life examples will help to bridge language gaps. 
• Pick a topic that is interesting to the reader(s) so that they’re engaged in the activity. Encourage pupils to read as independently as possible at their designated Rockerbox reading level. Utilise the Read Aloud or other accessibility features where needed. 
• Rockerbox quiz questions are built according to Bloom’s Taxonomy and can easily be adapted for this framework. Simply ask the question out loud and encourage the pupil to answer orally before reading the possible options and selecting the appropriate answer on Rockerbox.