“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”
N Level Fiction Questions
Thinking within the Text Summarizing
o Summarize the important events or episodes from the text in the order that they happened. Tell me more. (This could also be a written response.)
o Summarize ideas and facts from a text and tell how they are related.
o Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
o What was the problem in the story?
o How did the characters solve the problem?
o How did the story end? If applicable, what was the surprise at the end?
o What new information did you learn about __________?
o Look at the photograph/drawing on page ________. What did you learn? (Draw attention to captions.)
o Look at the (glossary, heading). How does it help you? Give an example of a (word from the glossary or an idea under that heading).
o Summarize the important events at intervals during the reading of a longer text.
o Sequence the actions from a graphic text.
o What was the big problem in the story? What other problems did the characters encounter?
o Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
o Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
Thinking beyond the Text Predicting
o Based on what you know about a character, predict what he or she will do.
o Based on what you know, what might happen next?
o After reading the text, predict what might happen next. What clues from the book or personal experience helped you with this prediction?
o Based on the genre or text structure of this book, predict what might happen next.
o Has your prediction happened? How do you know? Making Connections (Follow up question: How did that connection help you understand the story?)
o Can you think of another book that is similar to this one?
o How is the (topic, characters, ending) similar to (title of another book)?
o How is the character the same in this book as in previous books?
o What connection can you make (personal, text, world)? Explain how they are connected.
o Before, During, and After Reading - Based on what you already know about ____________, what connections can you make to the text?
o Before, During, and After Reading - How did what you know about the topic help you understand the text?
o Written Response: What connections can you make between this text and another text that you have read?
Guided Reading Goal Questions
Synthesizing
o What new information has been added to what you already knew about the topic?
o After reading, has the new information changed your thinking about the topic? (Have the students clarified their knowledge of the topic?)
o What did you learn about __________ after reading this book? Show where you found this information.
o How has your thinking changed after reading?
o Why are ______________ important to us?
o Explain ___________ in your own words.
o What lesson did the character learn in the story?
o How are __________ and ____________ alike? How are they different? Inferring
o Look at the dialogue in the text. What does the dialogue tell you about how the characters are feeling or thinking?
o Why do you think the character felt _______ or acted _________?
o Tell what you learned about (character).
o Why did the character ______________? How do you know?
o How did the author show ___________?
o Why do you think __________?
o How did the character change from _________ to _________? Why?
o What happened to cause the character to feel or act ___________?
o How would you feel if ________ happened to you? Would you solve the problem the same way the character did?
o What caused the problem or outcome?
o What is the big idea/theme of the story?
o If applicable, what information can you gather about (setting, character’s traits and feelings, and plot) from the illustrations in graphic novels (texts)?
o Let’s discuss the story. Did anyone understand the story differently? What makes you think this?
o What were the major events that led to the problem or the solution?
Thinking about the Text
o Analyzing
o What did the author do to make the characters or situation interesting?
o What is the genre of the book? What are the aspects of this genre that you noticed? (fiction, nonfiction, realistic stories, traditional literature, fantasy)
o What types of illustrations are in the book (photographs, drawings, etc.)?
o What text features did you notice in the book? How did they help you understand the book?
o Could this story really happen? Why or why not?
o What descriptive language did the author use? How did it add to your enjoyment or understanding of the text?
o Show me where the problem was resolved in the story. How do you know?
o Explain the differences between fiction and nonfiction (informational) texts.
o How was _________ different from all of the rest?
Guided Reading Goal Questions
o What is the text structure of this book? Why did the author choose this? (description, compare and contrast, temporal sequence, cause and effect, problem and solution)
o What nonfiction text features do you notice? Why did the author choose these features? (headings, photograph, caption, pictures, bold, italics, etc.)
o Show me a page where (identify a text structure element).
o How do the setting and plot of the story relate?
o How did the dialogue help you to understand the text?
o After reading several books from this author, what similarities do you notice about the author’s writing style?
o What writing techniques did the author use? (example: question and answer format)
o When reading a graphic novel, how has the author communicated meaning through illustrations and print?
o If applicable, this book had different kinds of writing in it. What were the different kinds of writing (letters, stories, diary etc.)?
o How does the author show what (character) was like even if he/she wasn’t in the story most of the time?
o Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.
o Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
o Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series).
o How is your point of view different or the same as the narrator or characters in the text?
o What does the author mean by (figurative language example; literal or nonliteral word or phrase such as “it was raining cats and dogs”)? How does it add to the meaning or enjoyment of the text?
o Critiquing
o What did you like/dislike about this (book, beginning, characters, ending, pictures)?
o What did you think about (book, beginning, characters, ending)? Why?
o What was the most important part of the story? Why?
o What do you think (character) was thinking? Why?
o Why do you think the author included this information?
o How does the author help you learn about _____________?
o Do you agree or disagree with __________? Why or why not?
o Do the pictures or graphics add to your understanding of the book? How or why not?
o How could the characters have behaved differently?
o What did the author do to make this topic/book interesting, funny, or exciting to read about? Why?
N Level Nonfiction Questions
What do you already know about this topic?
What new ideas have you learned?
How did what you learned add to your knowledge?
What connections can you make to other books?
Have you changed your mind after reading this book?
What did the author want you to learn or know?
What caused the problem?
Why did that happen?
How can you tell this book is nonfiction?
How did the author organize the book?
Why did the author organize the book this way?
How well do you think the author used illustrations and graphics? How did they help you as a reader?
What else would you have included if you were the author?
What does the illustration mean?
Find facts and opinions.
Do you agree with the author’s point of view? Support your answer.
Judge this text. Explain your judgment.
What did the author do that made this book interesting?