ABSTRACT

One of statements of attainment in the original English National Curriculum document (DES, 1990) stated that children should ‘devise a clear set of questions that will enable them to select and use appropriate information sources and reference books from the class and school library.’ In Chapter 4, we have argued that setting specific, personally generated questions is a vital part of the process of getting children to engage with non-fiction texts, for it not only focuses the research but also gives pupils a personal commitment to that work, with all the attendant benefits of increasing motivation. There are however other important reasons why we should encourage and support children’s questioning.