Same Study skills › Thinking about learning › Costa's levels of questioning
What are level 1, 2 and 3 questions?
Costa's levels sort questions by how much thinking they take. Level 1 questions gather facts (define, list, name). Level 2 questions process them (compare, explain why). Level 3 questions apply them to new situations (predict, judge, what if). Teachers ask kids to write their own questions at each level.
- Level 1, gathering: the answer is in the text.
- Level 2, processing: put ideas together.
- Level 3, applying: go beyond the text.
Why schools teach it
Asking good questions is a skill
Arthur Costa, an education professor, described these three levels of thinking. AVID schools use them for the Inquiry part of WICOR, and many teachers use them in discussions and Cornell notes.
Writing their own questions makes kids think about the material in more ways, and higher-level questions show up on tests as “explain” and “what would happen if” items.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
What's a level 1 question about this? Something you can find.
Can you make it level 2? Ask why or how.
What would be a level 3 “what if” question?
Which level was the hardest to answer?
Skip this
- Thinking level 1 questions are bad.Kids need the facts first. All three levels matter.
- Yes-or-no questions.Start with why, how, compare or what if.
- Questions not about the text.Even level 3 should connect back to what was read.
See it in action
Three questions about the Erie Canal
Level 1
How long was the Erie Canal?Level 2
Why did the canal make shipping cheaper than wagons?Level 3
What might have happened to New York City if the canal had never been built?
Some classes call it “Costa's House”: level 1 is the first floor, level 3 the attic.
Free practice sheet
Make a Costa's levels sheet
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Parents also ask
How is this different from Bloom's taxonomy?
Bloom's has six levels. Costa's groups thinking into three, which is easier for kids to use.
What words start level 3 questions?
Predict, imagine, judge, what if, how might, what would happen.
Do level 3 questions have one right answer?
Often not. A good answer uses facts from the text to support it.
Is this only for AVID schools?
No. Many teachers use these levels.