Asking questions before, during and after reading improves comprehension and develops critical thinking skills. As parents and educators, we need to encourage our children to ask questions before, during and after reading. The more you incorporate this strategy of asking questions, the more likely that your child will ask questions while reading independently.
Do you know what kinds of questions to ask? Here are some examples of questions to ask before, during and after reading.
Questions to Ask Before Reading:
- What do you think this story will be about? Why do you think that?
- What characters do you think will be in the story?
- What do you know about the topic of the book?
- What questions would you like to ask the author before reading this book?
Questions to Ask During Reading:
- Who are the main characters?
- Where is the story taking place?
- If you were in the story, what would you see, hear, taste, or feel?
- What would you have done if you were the character?
- What is the problem or issue in this story?
- Is this story making any sense to you? Do you need to slow down?
- Do you understand what that word means? Are you still understanding the story?
Questions to Ask After Reading:
- What is the main message of the book?
- What questions would you like to ask the author now?
- Retell the most important events in the story from the beginning, middle and end.
- What were the most important events in this story?
- What is the main message of the book? What does the author want you to think about?
- Did you enjoy this book? Would you recommend it to others?
For more reading tips, visit the reading section of our blog.