Assessment

Questions that get every student talking — and thinking.

Get discussion questions. Enter text/topic, grade, and discussion goal.

Generate my discussion questions

What you'll get

A set of discussion questions with supports

Discussion Questions Generator, scroll to preview

Inputs the user provides

[[Text, Topic, or Source Material]]
[[Grade or Audience Level]]
[[Learning Goal or Focus]]

---

Deliverable

Discussion Questions — [[Text, Topic, or Source Material]]

Audience: [[Grade or Audience Level]]
Focus: [[Learning Goal or Focus]]
Question Framework: Bloom's Taxonomy / Depth of Knowledge (DOK) progression

Level 1 — Recall / Remember (DOK 1)

1. What is [[key fact, term, or event from the text]]?

2. Who is [[character or person]] and what did they do in the beginning / at this point?

3. Where and when does the [[event or setting]] take place?

Level 2 — Understand / Apply (DOK 2)

1. In your own words, explain [[central idea, process, or relationship]].

2. What caused [[event]] and what was one effect?

3. How would you summarize the main argument or story in two or three sentences?

Level 3 — Analyze (DOK 3)

1. How does [[author or character]] use [[literary device, evidence type, structure]] to develop [[theme or claim]]?

2. Compare [[two ideas, characters, or approaches]] in the text. How are they similar and different?

3. What patterns or connections do you notice between this section and earlier parts?

Level 4 — Evaluate (DOK 3-4)

1. Do you agree with [[claim or decision]]? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text.

2. Which piece of evidence is strongest for [[argument or interpretation]] and why?

3. What are the strengths and limitations of [[approach, solution, or perspective]] presented?

Level 5 — Create / Extend (DOK 4)

1. Design an alternative ending, solution, or experiment that addresses the central problem or question.

2. Write a new scene, dialogue, or short piece from the perspective of [[different stakeholder or character]].

3. Propose a real-world application or next investigation that builds on what we learned.

Accountable Talk and Follow-Up Stems

Use these to keep discussion rich and inclusive:

"I agree with ___ because..."
"I'd like to add on to what ___ said..."
"Can you say more about...?"
"What in the text makes you think that?"
"I'm wondering... Does anyone have another way of looking at this?"
"One thing that is still confusing to me is..."

Equity and Participation Notes

Cold calling is used only after think time and pair/share options.
Provide sentence frames visibly for all levels.
Use random reporters, hand signals, or digital tools to distribute voice.
Allow written response option before oral sharing for reluctant speakers.
Celebrate risk-taking and precise use of evidence over "right answers."

Discussion Protocol Options (Choose One per Session)

Think-Pair-Share (individual → partner → whole)
Fishbowl (inner circle discusses, outer observes then rotates)
Socratic Seminar (text-based, student-led with minimal teacher talk)
Chalk Talk (silent written conversation on chart paper or digital board)
Jigsaw (expert groups become teaching groups)

Assumptions

Text/topic and goal from user input.
Questions and stems are written at appropriate complexity for the stated grade/audience while pushing depth.
All questions are text-dependent or evidence-based where a source is involved.

---

Use these questions in order or select a balanced set (at least one from each cognitive level). Print the stems and post them. The goal is thinking, not just answering.

Template — adjust wording, add or remove questions, and tailor stems to your classroom norms.

Fill it out

Illustrative preview, your actual result is generated from your inputs.

How it works.

Provide text/topic, grade, goal and get a complete discussion questions set in minutes — including levels, stems, extensions. Free AI workflow, no signup required to preview.

Start now

Generate my discussion questions

Discussion set: 1-2 literal, 2-3 inferential, 1-2 evaluative; stems; teacher facilitation notes; extensions.

Format & standard

What good looks like.

What it must include

Criteria

01Questions organized by cognitive depth (DOK or Bloom's progression from recall to analyze, evaluate, create) — the discussion has a planned arc instead of random recall that goes nowhere.
02Open-ended, text-dependent phrasing that requires students to return to the source — prevents 'just tell me what you think' drift and opinion battles.
03Clear alignment to the day's learning goal so every question serves the objective — the discussion is not filler or time-killer while the teacher takes attendance.
04Mix of literal, inferential, and evaluative questions plus follow-up and probing prompts — the teacher has planned how to push deeper in the moment rather than hoping for it.
05Accountable-talk stems and equity-of-voice supports — participation structures ensure more than the usual three students speak and the quiet ones are pulled in.
06Plan for how student responses will be captured and used (anchor chart, notes, exit ticket) — the talk produces something that lives beyond the period.

Signals of expertise

Quality

✦Uses DOK or Bloom's leveling and deliberately moves students up the taxonomy during the discussion — the teacher is not satisfied with surface answers and has planned the ramp.
✦Writes text-dependent questions that force evidence use instead of opinion alone — the discussion builds comprehension, argumentation, and text facility.
✦Plans probing follow-ups and talk stems in advance — the teacher can respond in the moment without losing the thread or defaulting to 'good, anyone else?'.

Common mistakes

Pitfalls

×All recall or literal questions with no progression to higher-order thinking — students practice remembering, not thinking, and the discussion feels like a quiz.
×Closed yes/no or leading questions — the 'discussion' is actually a quiz in disguise and participation collapses to the few who will play the game.
×No alignment to the learning goal — the talk is pleasant and on-topic but does not advance the objective the class is supposed to hit.
×No structures for equity or follow-up — the same voices dominate and quiet students are never pulled in, so the data is skewed.

Questions that get every student talking — and thinking.

How it works.

Generate my discussion questions

What good looks like.

What it must include

Signals of expertise

Common mistakes

More in Assessment.