MAIN CONCEPT:

Students learn to ask the right questions during an interview.

OBJECTIVES:

• To help the students think about decision-making processes.
• To practice asking questions.
• To help the students use a "branching" strategy to ask more questions.
• To help the students learn to prioritize questions.
• To help the students decide which questions are close and open-ended.

• Computer and Word Processing Software
• Journals for students to record information

1. The students think about some imaginary or real decision-making processes which are affecting their lives. The teacher lists these on the chalkboard.

2. Upon selecting one decision-making process, students brainstorm all the questions that one could ask about that decision-making process.

3. Students review the list of questions and identify the three most important questions.

4. Students choose one question that they would like to ask first.

5. The students brainstorm some more questions that they need to ask about the most important question that will give them the answer that they need.

6. The class discusses "questions", how questions are used, and the different types of questions.

7. The students identify the questions that could be answered with a yes or no.These questions are called "close-ended" questions. Discuss how and when "close-ended" questions are or are not helpful.

8. Students think about "open-ended" questions which are questions that can not be answered with a yes or no. Discuss how and when "open-ended" questions are or are not helpful.

9. The teacher helps the students decide how the "close-ended" questions could be changed into "open-ended" questions.

10. The students decide how they should form their questions during the oral interview, and then write a few sample questions that they could use in the interview. These questions may be typed on the computer.