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Once children understand their purpose, we’d hope that they will choose to use rhetorical questions naturally, navigating when the technique best serves their writing. However, some pupils might benefit from having the writer’s thought process explained explicitly. To help, we can encourage children to follow four easy steps: 1. Identify the purpose – what effect do pupils want to achieve? Do they want to surprise the reader, make them think, or build suspense? 2. Put ourselves in the reader’s shoes – imagine the question the reader might be asking themselves at this moment in the story or text. 3. Don’t expect an answer – remind the children that the goal isn’t to get a response, but to make the reader pause or reflect. 4. Make it relevant – the best rhetorical questions relate directly to the topic, action or characters’ emotions in the story, keeping readers focused and engaged. For example, let’s imagine a child is writing an adventure story about a character named Ruben, who’s exploring an ancient cave filled with mysterious, magical treasures. Here’s how they might create a A ren’t rhetorical questions great for getting children to share ideas and create effects in their writing? (Can you see what I’ve done there?) The (unnecessary) answer is a resounding yes. A well-considered rhetorical question can draw a reader into a topic, create a sense of intrigue or provide an insight into a character’s thoughts and feelings. But, like every technique, rhetorical questions are best used sparingly and judiciously. One or two, well-placed, can bring a text to life. But a steady stream of them might make for a disjointed and rather odd piece of writing. Knowing how to use rhetorical questions in an effective way depends partly on an ear for language and an understanding of how texts work, but it also depends on some knowledge about the approach and its possible uses. Adventures and explanations Rhetorical questions are versatile tools. They can be used in fiction for exciting action scenes or character dialogue, and to introduce key ideas in non-fiction. And they can help create a connection between writer reader in both genres. rhetorical question for a suspenseful moment in the story, following our steps: 1. Identify the purpose – we want to create a feeling of suspense, making readers wonder if Ruben is in danger. 2. Put ourselves in the reader’s shoes – at this moment, the reader might be wondering, ‘is Ruben safe or is something about to happen to him?’ 3. Don’t expect an answer – pupils should aim to phrase the question in a way that encourages reflection but doesn’t require a specific answer. 4. Make it relevant – as the scene is set in a dark, mysterious cave, the question should relate to the setting and Ruben’s feeling of nervousness and uncertainty. The outcome could look like this: Ruben took a step forward, his heart pounding. Was he truly alone in this ancient cave, or was someone – or something – in here with him? If the child is writing a non-fiction text about volcanoes, they might CAPTIVATING PROSE? Who wouldn’t want to write Inspiring curiosity and enhancing creativity, rhetorical questions can be a useful tool for young writers in both fiction and non-fiction, says James Clements use a rhetorical question to introduce a new idea or grab the reader’s attention. 1. Identify the purpose – the child should make the reader curious and engaged with the topic of volcanoes. 2. Put ourselves in the reader’s shoes – the reader might be wondering ‘why do volcanoes erupt?’ or ‘What causes these eruptions?’ 54 | www.teachwire.net