What are good questions for me to ask my child about the book they are reading?

As you read with your child, you will aide their comprehension by using a variety of questions. It's helpful if you model your thought process while you read and answer questions also. We call this "think-aloud". Students see us do it frequently. Try to make the questioning informal and make reading enjoyable.

Knowledge questions:

Where did the story take place?

Who are the characters?

What was the story about?

Do you know what this word means?

Did you learn something new?

Comprehension questions:

Describe in your own words what the main character was like?

Tell three things that happened in the story and put them in order.

How did this story end?

What was the problem in this story?

Application:

What lesson did you learn from this story? 

Tell about a time when something similar in the story happened to you.

If you had the same problem what would you do?

What kind of ending would you write for this story?

Analysis:

What was the author's purpose for writing this story? (persuade? inform? entertain?)

Can you summarize this story?

Tell 5 ways this character is like/not like you.

Synthesis:

How did your thinking change as you read the story?

How does this story affect your thinking about______?

What event in the story gave you the most vivid mental picture? Can you draw it?

Evaluation:

Do you like the way the story ended? Why or why not?

Which character would you like to be? Why?