Who, What, When, Where, How, Why: Becoming Story Detectives!

English Language Arts Grades Pre-K 2:53 Video
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Lesson Description

Let's learn how to be super story detectives! We'll use six questions to understand stories better: Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why. Get ready to sing, dance, and discover!

Video Resource

6 Questions | Fun Reading & Writing Comprehension Strategy For Kids | Jack Hartmann

Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel

Duration: 2:53
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Asking Questions
  • Story Elements

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to identify the six questions: Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why.
  • Students will be able to answer simple 'who,' 'what,' 'when,' and 'where' questions about a short story.
  • Students will begin to understand the purpose of asking questions to learn more about a story.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students if they like stories. Ask them what makes a good story. Introduce the idea that asking questions helps us understand stories better.
  • Video Time! (5 mins)
    Play the '6 Questions' video by Jack Hartmann. Encourage students to sing and dance along! After the video, ask them what the six questions were.
  • Question Exploration (10 mins)
    Go through each question individually. For 'Who,' ask: 'Who are the people or animals in the story?' For 'What,' ask: 'What happens in the story?' For 'When,' ask: 'Does the story tell us when it happens? Is it day or night?' For 'Where,' ask: 'Where does the story take place? Is it at home or school?' For 'How' ask: 'How did the character solve the problem?' For 'Why' ask: 'Why did the character do that?' Use simple examples related to their lives.
  • Story Time and Question Practice (10 mins)
    Read a very short and simple picture book aloud (e.g., 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' or 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?'). After reading, ask the six questions about the story, prompting students to answer. Focus primarily on 'who,' 'what,' 'when,' and 'where.'
  • Activity: Drawing and Telling (10 mins)
    Have each student draw a picture of their favorite part of the story. Then, ask them to tell you (or a partner) about their picture, using at least one of the six questions to guide their explanation (e.g., 'Who is in your picture?' or 'Where are they?')

Interactive Exercises

  • Question Word Sort
    Write the words 'Who,' 'What,' 'When,' 'Where,' 'How', and 'Why' on separate pieces of paper. Show pictures related to a familiar story and ask them to hold up the word that answers the questions regarding that image. For example, if you show a picture of Goldilocks, they should hold up the 'Who' card.

Discussion Questions

  • Why is it important to ask questions when we read a story?
  • What is your favorite question to ask about a story and why?

Skills Developed

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Communication Skills

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

The song talks about questions to ask about a ______.

Correct Answer: Story

Question 2:

Which question helps us find out *who* is in the story?

Correct Answer: Who

Question 3:

Which question helps us know *where* the story happens?

Correct Answer: Where

Question 4:

If we want to know *what* happened, which question do we ask?

Correct Answer: What

Question 5:

The questions help us to ______ the story better.

Correct Answer: Understand

Question 6:

Which question helps us find out *when* the story happened?

Correct Answer: When

Question 7:

Is 'How' one of our question words?

Correct Answer: Yes

Question 8:

Is 'Why' one of our question words?

Correct Answer: Yes

Question 9:

What does 'Who' tell us about?

Correct Answer: The people

Question 10:

These questions help us become story ______!

Correct Answer: Detectives

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

We ask '_____' to find out who is in the story.

Correct Answer: Who

Question 2:

We ask '_____' to find out what happened.

Correct Answer: What

Question 3:

We ask '_____' to find out when it happened.

Correct Answer: When

Question 4:

We ask '_____' to find out where it happened.

Correct Answer: Where

Question 5:

We ask '_____' to find out how something happened.

Correct Answer: How

Question 6:

We ask '_____' to find out why something happened.

Correct Answer: Why

Question 7:

Asking questions helps us __________ stories better.

Correct Answer: understand

Question 8:

There are ________ questions in the song.

Correct Answer: six

Question 9:

'Who', 'What', 'When', and 'Where' are _________ words.

Correct Answer: question

Question 10:

We can use the questions when we read and ________.

Correct Answer: write

Educational Standards

PK.3.R.2:Students will answer basic questions (e.g., who, what, where, and when) about texts, photographs, or illustrations during shared reading or other text experiences with prompting. PK.2.R:Students will begin to retell or reenact major events or details from a read-aloud. PK.1.S.3:Students will ask and answer questions with prompting.

Teaching Materials

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