Asking Questions

By Ken Kwasniewski, MA, CCC-SLP and Verda McGraw, M. Ed.

Expected Outcome: The person will be able to ask meaningful questions with proper word order.

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to teach the skill of asking questions to request information, to ask permission, to elicit a response from a communication partner, and to have communicative exchange.

Target Vocabulary:

1. call
2. can I
3. can you
4. do
5. go
6. good-bye
7. hello
8. help
9. how
10. I can
11. it
12. later
13. me
14. more
15. now
16. play
17. read
18. said
19. say
20. stop
21. think
22. what
23. when
24. where
25. who
26. you can

Target Language Skill: Asking questions with proper word order.

Suggested Objectives:

1. The person will use words from the target vocabulary list to ask questions.
2. The person will reverse the word order they learned in speaking declarative statements in order to speak a question.
3. The person will ask a question beginning with "Can I.." in order to ask permission to do something.
4. The person will ask the question "Can you.." in order to find out something about the communication partner.
5. The person will ask the question "Can you help..." in order to request help from someone.
6. The person will express questions using "wh" words to find out information about the communication partner. For example: "When can you play?"

Teaching Activities:

A. Speaking

1. Model the phrase "Can I" on the person's communication device. Remind him or her of the double meaning of the word "can". Prompt the person to say the phrase "can I with the device.
2. Model longer phrases, for example, "Can I go?" Prompt the person to ask permission to go. If the person is able, add a place to go at the end of the phrase. It is not necessary to require a complete phrase at this stage, unless the person understands articles. For example "Can I go store?" is acceptable, as well as "Can I go to the store?"
3. Model the phrase "Can you". Prompt the person to say "can you".
4. Model adding a target word to the end of the phrase. For example: "Can you help?" or "Can you help me?"
5. Model "Can I do it?" Prompt the person to request permission to do something.

B. Reading

1. Read together the Power Point slide show titled, "Can I?" Target the phrases with "Can I". Stop reading aloud when you come to these phrases and let the person read them.
2. Read the book again, and let the person read as much of it independently as possible. Model the other words in the story.
3. Look for books at the appropriate reading level that contain the phrases "can I" and "can you". Read them with the person, letting him or her say the target words and phrases.

C. Writing

1. Using computer access with a USB cable or a BlueTooth adapter, start up a Word document. Let the person write a note to another person asking them questions. Print out the note, and let the person deliver it.
2. Start a Word document and insert pictures of the person doing activities. Ask the person to write captions for the pictures using target words.

D. Generalization

1. Model other question phrases with the communication device such as "would I" and "would you". Prompt the person to use other question phrases.
2. Model other question phrases such as "could I" and "could you." Prompt the person to say "could I" and "could you".
3. Expand these question phrases by adding other words from the target vocabulary. For example "Could I do it?" "Would you read it?"

Smart Charts

Supplemental Material

Asking questions Power Point books