English // Grammar & Punctuation
Question Words
Understand and use question words (who, what, where, when, why, how) to form and answer questions
Quick check
If the learner wants to find out something — like where you put their shoes or why the sky is blue — can they start their question with the right word, like "where" or "why"?
Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.
Topic // Mastery
What mastery looks like
What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
- Ask questions using appropriate question words
- Answer who, what, where, when questions about familiar topics
- Recognise that question words signal a question is being asked
Topic // Map
Where this fits
What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
- RequiredMust come first
- HelpfulHelps, but not essential
Before this
1 topic- Listening and respondingHelpful
Speaking & Listening // Ages 4 to 11
Listening and responding supports learning question words
You are here
Question Words
Ages 5 to 6 // Language
Leads to
1 topic- Asking QuestionsRequired
Speaking & Listening // Ages 4 to 11
Generating effective questions requires knowledge of question words (who, what, where, when, why, how)
Topic // Standards
Curriculum standards
Codes for the curriculum statements this topic maps to. Each publisher owns its standard text.
- Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
- L.K.1d
English // Grammar & Punctuation
More in Grammar & Punctuation
- Basic Nouns & VerbsAges 5 to 6LanguageUse frequently occurring nouns (people, places, things) and verbs (action words) appropriately in speech and writing
- Regular Plural NounsAges 5 to 6MethodForm and use regular plural nouns orally and in writing by adding -s or -es; understand that plural means more than one
- Grammar words: letter, word, sentenceAges 5 to 6LanguageUse basic grammatical terminology when discussing reading and writing: letter, capital letter, word, singular, plural, sentence, punctuation, full stop…
- Building sentencesAges 4 to 6ConceptUnderstand that words combine to make sentences — a sentence expresses a complete thought; produce and expand complete sentences in speech and writing
- Joining Words with 'And'Ages 5 to 7MethodJoin words and clauses using the conjunction 'and' to create longer sentences
- PrepositionsAges 5 to 7LanguageUnderstand and use the most frequently occurring prepositions of location and direction (e.g. to, from, in, out, on, off, for, by, with)
- Spaces Between WordsAges 4 to 6MethodSeparate words with spaces in writing; understand that spaces mark word boundaries in print
- Capitals for Names, Days and IAges 5 to 7MethodUse capital letters for proper nouns (names of people, places) the days of the week, and the personal pronoun 'I'