Comprehension Questions - Questions to ask to encourage comprehension
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Asking questions before, during, and after reading can help your child understand what he or she reads.
Before reading:
1. Look at the cover. What do you think this story will be about? Why?
2. Take a picture walk before reading by carefully, but quickly, looking at the pictures to develop an idea of what you think the story will be about. This is a good time to build upon prior knowledge. It also allows the child to anticipate vocabulary words that might appear in the text.
During and after reading:
1. What do you think will happen next? Why?
2. Why do you think that character did that?
3. What happened in the beginning? Middle? End?
4. Where did the story take place (the setting)?
5. If you were a character in the story, who would you be and why?
6. If you were a character in the story, what would you have done differently?
7. Can you make up a different ending?
8. How were the characters alike? How were they different?
9. Can you make any connections to this story?
10. What the author's purpose in writing this story?
11. What do the pictures in the story make you think of?