Why Do People Ask Questions?
People have always had problems. That means things that are hard or not working well. When something is a problem, people ask questions to fix it!
Long ago, people asked questions just like you do. Their questions helped them make amazing things!
Every great idea started with a question. Asking questions is what engineers do. Engineers are people who solve problems by making things.
What Makes a Good Question?
When we see a problem, we can ask questions about it. Good questions help us understand the problem better. Let's learn how!
Notice the Problem
Ask "What" and "Why"
Ask "How"
Think About What You Need
See How Questions Help Us
Let's look at our anchoring phenomenon. That means a real thing we can look at and wonder about. Imagine you are at school and it starts raining. Oh no! The class pet bunny's outdoor pen is getting all wet!
Do you see the rain falling into the pen? The bunny is getting wet. We can observe this. That means we can see it with our eyes. Now we can ask questions about this problem!
How Asking Questions Works
Here is how asking questions helps us solve a problem. It works in steps, like climbing stairs!
Step 1: See the Problem
First, we observe. That means we look carefully. We use our eyes, ears, and hands to notice things.
Step 2: Think About Who Needs Help
We ask: Who has this problem? Is it a person? Is it an animal? What do they need?
Step 3: Ask Lots of Questions
We ask many questions! Every question is a good question. Questions help us learn more about the problem.
Step 4: Pick the Best Question to Start
Some questions help us start fixing the problem. We pick one to try first. Then we can design something. That means we plan and build something to help!
Different Kinds of Questions We Can Ask
There are different kinds of questions. Each kind helps in a different way. Let's look at the bunny pen problem and see the kinds of questions we can ask.
Look at all the question words! When you use these words, you are thinking like an engineer. Engineers ask these questions before they build anything.
Let's Solve the Wet Bunny Problem!
Now let's be engineers! We will ask questions about the wet bunny pen and figure out how to help. Watch how we go step by step.
Did you see that? Our questions led us to an idea. We can put a cover on the pen! Asking questions helped us figure out what to do.
Helpful Questions and Tricky Questions
Some questions help us solve problems faster. Other questions might not help as much right now. Let's see the difference!
| Helpful Questions ✅ | Tricky Questions 🤔 |
|---|---|
| What is the problem? | What is the bunny's name? |
| Who needs help? | What color is the bunny? |
| How can we fix it? | What did I eat for lunch? |
| What things can we use? | Is it Tuesday? |
Remember, all questions are good! But when we want to solve a problem, the most helpful questions are about what is happening and how to fix it.
Questions Lead to Big Ideas
Asking questions is just the first step! After you ask questions, you can start to design a solution. That means you make a plan to fix the problem.
| What You Do Now | What Comes Next |
|---|---|
| See a problem | Draw a plan to fix it |
| Ask questions | Build something to test |
| Think about what you need | Try it and see if it works! |
Someday you will learn to draw plans, build models, and test your ideas. But it all starts with asking great questions — and you already know how to do that!
Practice: Ask Questions About Problems!
Now it is your turn! Here is a new problem to think about. Read each question and pick the best answer. You can do it!
What Did We Learn?
Today we learned that asking questions is the first step to solving a problem. We use our eyes and ears to observe what is happening. Then we ask what, why, who, and how questions to understand the problem.
The best questions are about the problem we want to solve. When we ask good questions, we are thinking like engineers! Our questions help us come up with ideas to design a solution. Keep asking questions — you are a great problem solver!