Questions to Ask

As teachers, we have shifted our literacy mindset to not push children up in reading levels but instead think deeply and critically about texts within our grade level. This involves students thinking about books in three ways:

• Within the text (i.e. identifying important information, sequence of events)
• Beyond the text (i.e. message of the story, character feelings/traits)
• About the text (i.e. genre, understanding key text features )

To best support your child, take time to talk deeply about the stories your child is reading or books you read together. Below are examples of the questions we ask students in the classroom:

• Talk about how the character changes from the beginning of the story to the end? At what part in the story did the change occur?
• What is the most important idea the writer wants readers to learn from this story?
• How does the message make you think about what you can do in your own life?
• How does the map/diagram help you as a reader?
• What is the genre of this book and how do you know?
• What do you notice about how the writer tells the story?
• How does the writer organize the book/information?
• What does the writer do to keep you interested?

There are also many ways to practice literacy conversation outside of reading. You can apply these questions to movies, television shows or even storytelling by a family member. The more practice students have immersed in literacy conversation, the easier it will be to apply these skills in the classroom.