This document discusses two types of research questions - big questions and smaller questions. Big questions are open-ended, require longer answers, and direct overall research. Examples include "How do airplanes fly?". Smaller questions support the big question and usually start with who, what, where, when. They have shorter, more specific answers. Examples include "Who invented the first airplane?". The document provides guidance to students on developing questions about the author Jeff Kinney for a research project.

1. Writing Good
Research Questions
Spring Glen School
Grade Four

2. Two types of questions:
•Big Question
• Small Question

3. The Big Research Question
• Begins with Why or How
• Require longer answer to satisfy the question
• Open-ended question
• A good project uses multiple resources
• Gets you thinking and directs your research

4. Examples of Big Questions
• How do airplanes fly?
• Why do butterflies migrate?
• How did George Washington become the first
president of the United States?
• Why did the northern states fight the
southern states in the American Civil War?

5. Smaller Questions
• Support the Big Question in a research project
• Usually start with Who, What , Where, When
• But can also be How and Why questions, if shorter
answers
• Answers support the Big Research Question. They
are RELEVANT.
• NOT a “fun fact”
• Avoid small questions that can be answered with a
Yes or No. (…because the REAL question that follows
is “Why?”)
• Questions that can be answered with a few words
• or Yes/No are called Closed-ended Questions.

6. Examples of Small Questions
• Who invented the first airplane?
• What did it look like?
• Where do butterflies live throughout the year?
• How long does it take to migrate in one
direction?
• What did George Washington study in school?
• What jobs did he have?
• Where did the first battle of the Civil War take
place?
• When did the Civil War end?

7. Your Job today…
• Work in groups of two or three. No more.
• Create questions about Jeff Kinney, the author
and illustrator of the Wimpy Kid series. Put your
names at the top of the paper and write your
questions neatly as a group.
• Ask yourselves “what do we want to know about
him and his work?”
• We’ll look at the questions and ask ourselves how
we’ll find the answers the next time we meet.

8. Credits
• Class Dojo image
• Clip art from ClipArtPanda.com
• Basic idea from
http://www.schooltube.com/video/2bd6901fcc554395a272/The%20Rese
arch%20Question%20Part%20I