QUESTION//STUDIO
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Question Generating Studio

Use a photo, video, or text to set up something to explore. Then build questions with 9 lenses, star your favorites, and build an activity around them.

Step 01 · Set Up

Set Up Your Topic

Show what you want to explore with an image, video, or text. Then write your Q-Focus sentence.

Edvard Munch, The Scream (1893)
Edvard Munch, "The Scream" (1893) — Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Q-Focus
The Scream — Edvard Munch (1893)
A tool to sharpen any question

STAR Question Lens · ADAPTIVE-C

Look at your topic through 9 different lenses. Each one shows an example question about our starting image, "The Scream."

A
Assumption
Find a hidden assumption in the text.
e.g. “Why do we assume the figure is scared — and not just cold, or shouting for fun?”
Easier: “Do you think the person is really scared, or could they be doing something else?”
D
Definition
Make the key idea clear.
e.g. “What does “anxiety” really mean — and does this painting show it?”
Easier: “What is a nightmare? Could this painting be showing one?”
A
Alternative
Look for another possibility or idea.
e.g. “What if the wavy sky isn't really the sky — what else could it be?”
Easier: “What color would you paint the sky if you wanted it to feel happy instead?”
P
Perspective
See it from a different point of view.
e.g. “How might the two calm people in the background see this moment differently?”
Easier: “If you were the person screaming, what would you want people to know?”
T
Tree of Thought
List out different choices or paths.
e.g. “What are all the possible reasons the figure could be screaming?”
Easier: “Can you name 3 things that might make someone scream like this?”
I
Implicature
Find a meaning that isn't said directly.
e.g. “What is the painting telling us without using any words at all?”
Easier: “If this painting could talk, what would it say?”
V
Value
Decide what matters most.
e.g. “Why do people still care about this painting more than 100 years later?”
Easier: “Would you want this painting in your bedroom? Why or why not?”
E
Evidence
Check the facts that support an idea.
e.g. “What details in the painting make it feel scary or uneasy?”
Easier: “What color is used the most, and how does it make you feel?”
C
Chain of Thought
Connect ideas step by step to a conclusion.
e.g. “How does the color of the sky connect to the figure's expression?”
Easier: “If the sky got even redder, how would the feeling of the painting change?”
Step 02 · Ask & Improve

Generate Questions

Pick a lens and write a question. Mark each one Open or Closed, and tap ★ on the ones that matter most.

No questions yet. Add one above.
0 questions · 0 starred
Step 03 · Word-Type Questions

Parts of Speech

Pick one word from your Q-Focus sentence. Focus on a verb, noun, adjective, or adverb to write a question.

Verb
Noun
Adjective
Adverb
No questions yet.
Step 03b · W-P-S

W-P-S Strategy

Build your question step by step: Word → Phrase → Sentence.

Word
Phrase
Sentence
No questions yet.
Step 04 · 5 Whys

5 Whys

Ask "Why?" five times in a row. Each answer leads to the next question, moving you closer to the root cause.

Q-Focus
Why 1
Why 2
Why 3
Why 4
Why 5
No questions yet.
Step 05 · Why · What If · How

Why · What If · How

Use three different question starters to see your topic in new ways.

Q-Focus
Why
What If
How
No questions yet.
Step 06 · 5W1H

5W1H

Cover every angle with six question words: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

Q-Focus
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
No questions yet.
Step 06b · MTV Thinking Routines

MTV Thinking Routines

Choose one Making Thinking Visible routine below. Its steps will appear underneath.

Now using: See-Think-Wonder
Q-Focus
See
Think
Wonder
No questions yet.
Step 03 · Prioritize

Answer Your Inquiry Question

Questions you starred show up here. Write your answers below.

No starred questions yet. Go back and tap ★ on your favorites.
Step 04 · Act

Build an Activity

Choose the single most important question, then build an activity around it.

Inquiry Question
Your chosen question will appear here.
Now using: Free Writing
1Just write2Don't stop3Don't edit4Reflect after