Learning a language is closely connected to learning to think critically in specific subject matter. Teachers need to teach not only the technical basics of reading and writing to English language learners but also the critical thinking skills that these students need both in and out of school. Various question-seeking activities can promote higher-level thinking skills. Teachers can actively seek out student questions by having students write them down and drop them in a box, by inviting students to hypothesize and ponder their own answers, and by having students write from differing perspectives.