How to Teach WH Questions to Students Who Need Extra Support
Questions are a big part of everyday communication. We ask children who they played with, what they want, where they put their shoes, when something happened, and why they made a particular choice.
For some students, answering these questions comes naturally. For others, hearing a WH question and figuring out what type of information is being requested can be challenging.
A student may know the answer but still respond incorrectly because they do not understand what the question word is asking them to provide.
Teaching WH questions systematically can help students build stronger language, comprehension, and communication skills.
[IMAGE: Child and teacher looking at picture cards containing WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY questions.]
What Are WH Questions?
WH questions are questions that ask for specific types of information. They typically begin with:
Who – asks about a person
What – asks about a thing, action, or event
Where – asks about a place
When – asks about time
Why – asks for a reason
How – asks about the way something happens or is done
Although these words may seem simple, a learner has to do several things to answer correctly.
The student must listen to or read the question, recognize the question word, determine what kind of information is being requested, understand the situation, find the relevant information, and formulate an appropriate response.
That is a lot of processing for one short question.
Start by Teaching What Each Question Word Means
Before expecting a student to answer a variety of WH questions, make sure the student understands what each question word is asking.
Keep the associations clear and consistent:
WHO = person
“Who is driving the bus?”The bus driver.
WHERE = place
“Where do you sleep?”In a bed.
WHEN = time
“When do you eat breakfast?”In the morning.
WHAT = thing or action
“What is she holding?”A book.
WHY = reason
“Why is he wearing a coat?”Because it is cold.
Students who need additional support may benefit from repeatedly seeing these relationships represented visually.
Teach One Question Type at a Time
Presenting who, what, where, when, and why questions together may be too difficult when a student is first learning the skill.
Instead, begin with one question type.
For example, if you are teaching WHO, use pictures with clearly identifiable people and ask questions such as:
“Who is cooking?”
“Who is sleeping?”
“Who is riding the bicycle?”
Once the student consistently recognizes that who requires the name or identity of a person, introduce another question type.
You can then begin contrasting the two.
For example:
Who is eating? The girl.
What is she eating? An apple.
The picture hasn't changed, but the information the student needs to provide has.
This helps teach an important concept: the question word tells us what part of the information we need.
Use Pictures Before Requiring More Abstract Answers
Visuals can reduce some of the language and memory demands involved in answering questions.
Show the student a picture of a boy playing basketball at a park.
You might ask:
Who is playing basketball?
What is he doing?
Where is he playing?
Later, you can introduce questions that require information that isn't immediately visible:
When might he play basketball?
Why might he be practicing?
Moving gradually from concrete information to more abstract information can make WH questions easier to understand.
Give Students Choices When Necessary
Some students may understand a question before they can independently formulate the answer.
Providing choices can help you determine whether the student understands what information is being requested.
For example:
Where do you buy groceries?
A. At the grocery storeB. A teacherC. Because I am hungry
The student must recognize that where requires a place.
As the student's skills improve, gradually reduce the assistance and work toward independent responses.
Teach Students to Notice the Question Word
Sometimes students focus on the topic of a question rather than the actual question being asked.
Consider these questions:
Who has the ball?
Where is the ball?
What color is the ball?
All three questions are about the same object, but each requires a completely different answer.
Encourage students to identify the question word before answering.
You might ask:
“What kind of information are we looking for?”
If the question begins with where, we're looking for a place.
If it begins with who, we're looking for a person.
This extra step can help students learn to process the entire question rather than responding to one familiar word.
Use the Same Picture to Ask Different Questions
One picture can provide opportunities to practice several WH questions.
Imagine a picture showing a family eating dinner in the kitchen.
You could ask:
Who is eating dinner?
What are they eating?
Where are they?
When do people usually eat dinner?
Why might someone use a fork?
Using the same scene helps students see how changing the question word changes the information they need to find.
Move Beyond Worksheets
Worksheets can be useful for introducing, practicing, and assessing WH questions, but answering questions on paper should not be the final goal.
Students also need opportunities to answer questions during everyday activities.
Try asking questions while reading a story:
“Who is the main character?”
“Why was she upset?”
Ask questions during classroom activities:
“Who passed out the papers?”
“What are we making?”
“Where should you put your finished work?”
And incorporate questions into natural conversations:
“What did you do this weekend?”
“Who did you go with?”
“Where did you go?”
The goal is for students to recognize and answer WH questions even when there isn't a worksheet or picture card telling them that it is time to practice.
Be Careful About Teaching Memorized Answers
Repeated practice is helpful, but repeating the exact same questions can sometimes result in memorization rather than understanding.
A student might learn:
“Where do you sleep?” → “bed”
without fully understanding that where asks for a location.
Test the underlying skill by changing the examples:
“Where do you eat lunch?”
“Where do you borrow books?”
“Where do you take a bath?”
“Where do you go to learn?”
If the student understands the meaning of where, they should gradually be able to answer new location questions rather than only the questions they have practiced.
Practice Across People and Settings
A student may answer WH questions successfully with one teacher but struggle when a parent, therapist, classmate, or another teacher asks similar questions.
Practice the skill with different people and in different environments whenever possible.
WH questions occur everywhere—at home, at school, in the community, during conversations, while reading, and during everyday routines.
The more varied the practice becomes, the more opportunities students have to use the skill outside of a structured lesson.
Remember That WH Questions Are Communication Skills
Teaching WH questions isn't simply about getting the correct answer on an activity.
Understanding questions helps students participate in conversations, follow classroom discussions, talk about experiences, understand stories, provide information, and communicate their needs.
Start with clear examples. Use visual supports when needed. Teach question types systematically. Provide plenty of practice, and gradually move from structured activities to natural situations.
Most importantly, pay attention to whether the student understands what the question is asking rather than simply whether they have memorized the correct response.
That distinction can make the difference between completing a WH-question activity and actually learning how to answer questions in everyday life.
Practice WH Questions With Educate Learners
Educate Learners provides educational resources designed to give students additional opportunities to practice important academic, language, communication, and functional skills.
Explore our WH-question and language resources to find additional activities you can use with your students at school or at home.
Comments