DOK Question Stems: Why Depth of Knowledge Isn’t a Verb List (Reading + Math Examples)
You hang the DOK verb wheel. You plan your questions straight off it. You ask your class to analyze the main character.
And you get back one sentence copied from page 12.
Sound familiar? The question had a fancy verb. The answer was pure recall. That isn’t your students falling short. That’s the verb wheel letting you down.
Here’s what nobody tells you about Depth of Knowledge: it was never a verb list. Once you see what DOK actually measures, writing questions that push kids to think deeper gets a whole lot easier, in reading and in math.
The Problem with the DOK Verb Wheel
You’ve seen the chart. Level 1 gets identify, list, and define. Level 3 gets analyze and compare. Level 4 gets create and design.
It looks tidy. It’s also misleading.
The same verb can land at completely different levels depending on what students actually have to do. And plenty of “Level 4” verbs lead to tasks that take about thirty seconds of thinking.
- “Describe the setting.” If the setting is stated in the first paragraph, that’s Level 1.
- “Describe how the setting shapes the character’s choices.” That’s Level 3. Same verb.
- “Create a bookmark for the story.” Create sits at Level 4 on most wheels. Decorating a bookmark is not Level 4 thinking.
When we plan from the verb, we end up with questions that sound rigorous but aren’t. It’s a lot like teaching keywords for math word problems. It works right up until it doesn’t.
What Depth of Knowledge Actually Measures
Norman Webb designed DOK to describe the complexity of the thinking a task requires. Not the verb. Not how hard the words are. Not how big the numbers are.
That last part trips up a lot of us, so it’s worth saying twice: complexity is not difficulty.
- A really hard vocabulary word is still a Level 1 question if students just need to recall the definition.
- A long multiplication problem is still Level 1 if students are following a procedure they already know.
- A short, simple text can absolutely support Level 3 reasoning.
So the question to ask yourself isn’t “Which verb did I use?” It’s “What do students have to do in their heads to answer this?”
The Four DOK Levels in Reading (With Examples)
| Level | What students are doing | It sounds like… |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Recall | Finding information that’s stated in the text | Where does the story take place? |
| 2: Skill & Concept | Using information to infer, summarize, or explain relationships | How does the character feel? How do you know? |
| 3: Strategic Thinking | Reasoning with evidence when more than one answer could work | Why did she make that choice? Prove it. |
| 4: Extended Thinking | Investigating over time, across more than one source | How do three different authors treat the theme of courage? |
Here’s what that looks like with one short text. Read it with your class, then ask all three questions. Watch how the answers grow.
Maya read the tryout list twice. Her name wasn’t on it. Her best friend Jordan’s was, right at the top. Jordan spun around, grinning, then stopped when she saw Maya’s face.
“Maybe they made a mistake,” Jordan said quietly.
Maya shook her head. She had missed three practices to help at her grandma’s bakery, and she knew it. That night she laced up her sneakers and ran to the park, dribbling until the streetlights came on. The next morning she found Coach Ellis before school.
“What do I need to work on?” she asked.
Level 1: Where did Maya go the night she saw the list?
“She went to the park to practice dribbling.” The answer is right there in the text.
Level 2: How does Maya feel when she reads the list? How do you know?
“She feels disappointed. Jordan stopped grinning when she saw Maya’s face.” That’s an inference, backed by one clear detail.
Level 3: What kind of person is Maya? Prove it.
“Maya is determined. She doesn’t blame anyone, because she knows missing practice cost her. Instead of giving up, she practices until dark and asks the coach what to improve.”
Notice what changed. The Level 3 question uses a simpler verb than the Level 2 question! But students have to make a claim, pull more than one piece of evidence, and explain how it connects. Other answers (like responsible) work too, as long as they’re proven. That’s character analysis doing real work.
The Four DOK Levels in Math (With Examples)
Math is where “complexity isn’t difficulty” really clicks.
“Solve 24 × 15.” That’s Level 1. Students follow a procedure they’ve learned.
“Solve 24 × 15 two ways. Which way is more efficient, and why?” That’s Level 3. The numbers didn’t change. The thinking did.
| Level | What students are doing | It sounds like… |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Recall | Recalling facts and definitions, or following a known procedure | What is 7 × 8? Find the area. |
| 2: Skill & Concept | Choosing a strategy, using a model, solving multi-step problems | Which operation fits? Show it with a model. |
| 3: Strategic Thinking | Justifying, critiquing someone’s reasoning, solving non-routine problems | Prove your answer. Is Sam’s reasoning valid? |
| 4: Extended Thinking | Investigating a real problem over time with data or design | Design the box that holds this volume with the least cardboard. |
Try it with one problem: Pencils come in packs of 6 for $2. Single pencils cost $0.40. Ms. Rivera needs 48 pencils.
- Level 1: How many pencils are in 3 packs?
- Level 2: How much will she spend if she buys packs? Show your strategy.
- Level 3: Should she buy packs or single pencils? Prove it.
That Level 3 answer needs two calculations and a decision based on them. If your students can solve it but freeze when it’s time to explain, here is how to teach students to explain their math thinking.
Why Level 4 Doesn’t Belong on a Question List
If you’ve ever tried to write a “Level 4 question” and felt a little like you were faking it, you weren’t wrong.
Level 4 needs extended time and usually more than one source. It’s an author study across three books. It’s a survey your students design, run, graph, and present. It just can’t fit inside one question you ask on a Tuesday.
So most “DOK 4 question stems” lists are really Level 3 questions with a bigger verb. (Which is fine! Level 3 is great.) Save Level 4 for projects, like the extension options at the end of a novel study or a multi-day math investigation.
Level 1 Isn’t a Throwaway
Here’s the flip side. Some DOK advice makes it sound like Level 1 questions are something to apologize for.
They’re not. A few quick Level 1 questions about yesterday’s chapter or last week’s math skill are retrieval practice, one of the strongest learning strategies we have. They warm up memory and give every student a way into the conversation. (It’s the whole idea behind spiral review.)
The goal isn’t to skip Level 1. It’s to not stop there.
DOK Question Stems You Can Use Tomorrow
These work with almost any text or problem. Start at the top and climb.
Reading
- Level 1: Who is the main character? What does ___ say or do when ___?
- Level 2: Which word describes ___? What did ___ do that shows it?
- Level 2: What is the main idea? Which key details support it?
- Level 3: How does ___ change from beginning to end? What caused that change?
- Level 3: Which detail is the strongest proof that ___? Why?
Math
- Level 1: What is the question asking? What numbers are given?
- Level 2: Why did you choose this strategy?
- Level 2: Show the problem a second way: a table, number line, or equation.
- Level 3: How can you prove your answer is correct?
- Level 3: Do you agree with ___’s answer? Why or why not?
Want a bigger list? My 125+ reading comprehension question stems are a great bank to sort by level as you plan.
How to Get Students to Actually Answer at Level 3
Here’s the part most DOK charts skip. Asking a Level 3 question doesn’t guarantee Level 3 thinking. Students need the words to get there.
- Give them response starters. “I think ___ because on page ___ it says ___.” “My strategy was ___ because ___.” A starter takes away the blank-page freeze.
- Model before you ask. Answer one Level 3 question out loud first, using a starter, and show how your evidence connects to your answer.
- Use a quick self-check. Did I answer the whole question? Did I use evidence? Did I explain how my evidence proves my answer?
- Make “prove it” a habit. When a question needs evidence, say so every time, until students start going back to the text (or their work) on their own.
Talk first, then write. Partner talk is the easiest rehearsal there is, and it works in math class, too.
Differentiating DOK Questions for Struggling Learners
It’s so tempting to give struggling learners the Level 1 questions and save Level 3 for everyone else. I get it. You want them to feel successful.
But when some kids only ever get recall questions, they never get to practice the thinking that helps them catch up. Here’s how to keep the thinking high while lowering the barriers.
- Same skill, different entry points. Everyone answers Level 1 and 2 questions, then everyone tries one Level 3 question with support. Nobody gets left on the recall track.
- Lower the reading load, not the thinking. Use a read-aloud, a shorter passage, or even a photo. In math, use friendlier numbers with the same reasoning question.
- Let them say it before they write it. Oral answers and quick sketches count. Writing can come after the thinking is there.
- Scaffold, then fade. Start with full response starters. Over time, shorten them to just the first few words, then take them away.
For more ideas, my guide to supporting struggling readers and math differentiation guide go deeper.
A Done-for-You Option: Think Deeper Bookmarks
If you want these questions in your students’ hands (not just in your lesson plans), I made a set of fold-over bookmarks for exactly that.
- Each bookmark builds from Level 1 to Level 3 for one skill, so you can differentiate without extra materials.
- The back gives students response starters and a three-step self-check.
- Think Deeper Reading Bookmarks include fiction and nonfiction sets for grades 3–5 and 6–8, aligned to the reading standards.
- Think Deeper Math Bookmarks are built around the Math Practices, so they work with any problem, including your problem of the day.
- Print, cut, and fold. No double-sided printing, and the student pages are all black and white.
Teaching both subjects? The reading and math bundle saves you a little. And if you want to try them first, grab the free sampler with two reading and two math bookmarks.
Final Thoughts
DOK was never about fancier verbs. It’s about what kids do in their heads.
So tomorrow, try this. Ask one Level 1 question to warm up. Ask one Level 3 question. Give students a starter, model it once, and then wait.
That wait is where the deeper thinking happens.
