Question Words
Understand and use question words (who, what, where, when, why, how) to form and answer questions
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Question words signal that we are asking, not telling. Who is a person, what is a thing or event, where is a place, when is a time, why is a reason, and how is a way or manner.”
Bring to the table
- Ready question-word cards: who, what, where, when, why, how
- One familiar toy, photo, or short home scene to talk about
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Who → “Dad.” What → “a red ball.” Where → “under the chair.” When → “after lunch.” Why → “because it rolled.” How → “with two hands.”
Optional challenge. Your child asks a why or how question and judges whether your answer actually fits that question word.
What to notice. Save a parent note listing four question–answer pairs, such as “where → under the chair; why → because it rolled.”
Share and support
Compare teaching approaches
Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Question words signal that we are asking, not telling. Who is a person, what is a thing or event, where is a place, when is a time, why is a reason, and how is a way or manner.
Spend about 10 minutes matching question words to answers and asking three real questions about one familiar scene.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
Florida Center for Reading Research · Practice link — not the full lesson
Kindergarten and First Grade
Before you open · source notes
Free FSU/FCRR K–1 student-center catalogue, including oral language useful for question words. An adult picks one PDF; the page is a catalogue, not a single game.
Free university printables, no sign-in. An adult picks one activity PDF.
Before you openAsk the learner to ask one who/what/where question about a short text.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public Florida Center for Reading Research (FSU) student-center catalogue. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this index page. Individual activity PDFs were not downloaded in this check. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult must choose one printable from the catalogue.
Florida Center for Reading Research. “Kindergarten and First Grade.” External catalogue; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute printables.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- 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
“If your child 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"?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Language
- Subject
- English
- Domain
- Grammar & Punctuation
- Age range
- Ages 5–10
Standards