Ask Questions Throughout the Reading Process

Readers who are actively involved in reading ask themselves questions before, during, and after reading a selection. This not only increases their comprehension of what is being read, but it fully engages them in the reading process. As readers, when we are fully engaged in the reading process, we are more likely to remember important details and information. Asking questions is a great way for readers to monitor their comprehension of the text. Your child will learn that successful readers generate their own questions and that not all questions generated will be answered.

Learning to ask questions throughout the reading process is an important reading strategy because it teaches a reader to think aloud. It helps readers review important points in the text, evaluate the quality of the text, make connections, and refine predictions.

Model this questioning process by reading to your child and stopping during the reading to question what is going on in the text. Use questions such as:

• “What does this mean?”
• “Is this important?”
• “How do you think this story might end?”
• “What does this word mean?”

Some other possible questions include: (Higher level thinking skills are accessed as the numbers progress.)

1. Recall:
   1. Who is …..?
   2. How did …..?
   3. How many ….. ?
   4. Where did …..?
   5. What did …..?
   6. What is …..?
   7. When did …..?
   8. Which is …..? ?

2. Cause/Effect:
   1. What do you think will happen next?
   2. What caused ………………………………………….?
   3. What are the effects of ………………….?
   4. Why did …………………………………………………..?
   5. Why do you think ………………………………..?
   6. What would have happened if ………?
   7. How did _______ affect _______....?
   8. If _______, then _______ …………………..?

3. Similarities:
   1. How are _____ and _____ alike?
   2. How was _____ the same as _____?
   3. What is the same about _____ and _____?
   4. Compare _____ and _____.
   5. _____ and _____ are alike in what ways?
   6. _____ is to _____ as _____ is to _____ (analogy).

4. Differences:
   1. What are the differences between) _____ and _____?
   2. How is _____ different from _____?

5. Ideas to Examples:
   1. What are some examples pf _____?
   2. Find some examples of _____.
   3. Give an example of _____.
   4. Name some _____.

6. Examples to Ideas:
   1. What kind of person was _____?
   2. What is the main idea of _____?
   3. _____ is an example of _____.
   4. _____, _____, and _____ are all _____.
   5. What word best describes _____?

7. Evaluation:
   1. Do you think it was (good, bad, right, wrong) for _____?
   2. Who do you think _____?
   3. What do you think _____?
   4. If you had your choice, would you choose _____ or _____?
   5. Should _____?
   6. Do you agree with _____? Why?
   7. Would you rather _____?
   8. Do you like _____?

Sources include:

· Allison Behne ©2009 www.thedailycafe.com

· Ideas and strategies are taken from: The CAFÉ Book, written by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser

· Questions based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Developed by Linda G. Barton