page contents

IMPROVE YOUR CHILD'S COMPREHENSION WITH QUESTIONS:

 

Below is a list of questions to use when checking your child's understanding of stories they are reading for AR or any other text. The questions range in difficulty.

 

 

FUNCTIONAL

Initial Understanding

Ask a question that requires students to simply locate details or identify chronological order. The answers are right there in the poster, chart, flyer, or recipe.

  • Who, what, when, where, how many, or how much?
  • According to the ________, what will the children learn?
  • What do you do first/last?
  • What did he/she do first/last?
  • Where did ____ go before/after _____?
  • Which ______ was seen first/last?
  • Step # ___ tells ______.
  • The story tells you that _______.

Interpretation


Ask a question that requires students to draw conclusions from the information given, apply ideas from text to a new situation, or determine the main idea.

  • Who, what, when, where, how many, or how much?
  • Why did _____ have_____?
  • How did ______ do _____?
  • What might be funny? (ha ha)
  • Why do you think _______?
  • Why should ___________?
  • About how long will it take to_________?
  • What makes ______ _______?
  • To make _____ you will need _______.
  • Which of these is true?

Critical Analysis and Strategies

Ask a question that requires students to determine the author’s purpose/viewpoint, identify text characteristics, or if needed information is within the text.

  • The _____ was written mainly to ________.
  • Which of these is true?
  • What does the author want you to know?


 

INFORMATIONAL

Initial Understanding


Ask a question that requires students to simply locate explicit details and chronological order that are right there in the expository text.

 

  • Who, what, when, where, how many, or how much?
  • What does the story say about _______?
  • The story says that _______.
  • Which of these happened first/last?
  • Which of these happened only once?
  • What happened _______?
  • At the end of the story, ________?

Interpretation

Ask a question that requires students to make inferences to draw conclusions, determine main idea, or cause/effect relationships.

  • Which of these is the best name for this story?
  • What is the main idea of the story?
  • What is this story about?
  • Which of these is true?
  • Which of these is true in the story?
  • Why does ____have ___?
  • What causes _____ to happen?

Critical Analysis and Strategies

Ask a question that requires students to determine the author’s purpose/viewpoint and unknown words in context.

  • Which of these does the author probably believe?
  • The author wrote this story mainly to_____?
  • How can you tell that________________?


 

LITERARY

Initial Understanding

Ask a question that requires students to locate explicit details and chronological order that are right there in stories, personal narratives, or poems.

  • Who, what, when, where, how many, or how much?
  • What does the story say about _______.?
  • The story says that _______.
  • Which of these happened first/last?
  • Which of these happened only once?
  • What happened _______?
  • At the end of the story, ________?

Interpretation

Ask a question that requires students to make inferences in order to draw conclusions, determine main ideas, or cause/effect relationships.

  • Which of these is the best name for this story?
  • What is the main idea of the story?
  • Why does ____have ___?
  • _______ probably does ______because _____.
  • This story is mostly about______.
  • You can tell that ___ likes ____ because___.
  • Who had probably___________?
  • How do you know___________?

Critical Analysis and Strategies

Ask a question that requires students to determine the author’s purpose/viewpoint, unknown words from context, or identify characteristics of genre.

  • In this story, what does the word _______ mean?
  • The author wrote this story mainly to_____?
  • How can you tell________________?
  • Which of these is true?
  • The story was written to ________.
  • The story is most like a ________.(joke, song, poem, fairy tale)
  • You can tell this story make believe because ________.