Reading With Your Child

I always encourage parents to read at home with their child. When you read with your child, you should not only listen to your child read, but you should also ask questions and discuss the book. Sometimes, it can be difficult to think of good discussion questions. There are the very basic questions like "Who was the main character?" and "Where did the story take place?" While these questions are very important, it is critical that we ask more thought provoking questions also. For example, "What may have happened if...?" or "What choice would you have made...?" Take a moment to look at the types of questions you may want to ask while reading with your child.

Questions to Ask Before, During, and After Reading

Knowledge Questions – recalling facts, terms, basic concepts, and answers
What is …? How is …?
Where is …? When did ____ happen?
How did ____ happen? Can you recall …?
Why did …? Can you list the three …?
When did …? Who was …?
How would you show …? Who were the main …?

Comprehension Questions – demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas
Which statements support …?
How would you compare …? Contrast …?
Will you state or interpret in your own words?
How would you rephrase the meaning …?
What facts or ideas show …?
What is the main idea of …?
How would you summarize …?

Application Questions – applying acquired knowledge in a different way
What examples can you find to …?
How would you solve ____ using what you’ve learned …?
What approach would you use to …?
How would you apply what you learned to develop …?
What other way would you plan to …?
What questions would you ask in an interview with …?

Analysis Questions – break information into parts
What is the theme …?
What inference can you make …?
What conclusions can you draw …?
What is the relationship between …?
Can you make a distinction between …?
How would you classify …?

Synthesis Questions – compile information together in a different way
What changes would you make to solve …?
What would happen if …?
Can you propose an alternative …?
Can you invent …?
Suppose you could ___ what would you do …?
Can you predict the outcome if …?

Evaluation Questions – present and defend opinions by making judgments
What would you recommended …?
Why did they (the character) choose …?
What choice would you have made …?
What information would you use to support the view …?
How would you prioritize …?