S Level Fiction Questions

Thinking within the Text -

SUMMARY

Summarize ideas from a text and tell how they are related.
What was the problem in the story? How did the characters solve the problem?
How did the story end? Was the surprise at the end?
What new information did you learn about __________?
Look at the photograph/drawing on page ________. What did you learn?
Summarize the important events at intervals during the reading of a longer text.
Sequence the actions from a graphic text.
What was the big problem in the story? What other problems did the characters encounter?
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in a text; summarize the text.
Tell the important ideas in an organized way (orally or written response).
Summarize chapters, short stories, or sequels in order to understand larger themes.
What were the events that led to the ending?

Thinking beyond the Text

PREDICT:

Based on what you know about a character, predict what he or she will do.
Based on what you know, what might happen next?
After reading the text, predict what might happen next. What clues from the book or personal experience helped you with this prediction?
Has your prediction happened? How do you know?
Based on clues from the story, predict what the character will do next, feel, etc.
With new events in the story, how has your prediction changed?

MAKE CONNECTIONS:

Can you think of another book that is similar to this one?
How is the (topic, characters, ending) similar to (title of another book)?
How is the character the same in this book as in previous books?
What connection can you make (personal, text, world)? Explain how they are connected.
Based on what you already know about ____________, what connections can you make to the text?

SYNTHESIZING:

What new information has been added to what you already knew about the topic?
After reading, has the new information changed your thinking about the topic? (Different people and cultures)
What did you learn about __________ after reading this book? Show where you found this information.
How has your thinking changed after reading? Why?
Why are ______________ important to us?
Explain ___________ in your own words.
What lesson did the character learn in the story?
How do you have a better understanding of a character or plot after reading another chapter, connected short story, or sequel? Inferring
Look at the dialogue in the text. What does the dialogue tell you about how the characters are feeling or thinking?
Why do you think the character felt _______ or acted _________?
Tell what you learned about (character).
Why did the character ______________? How do you know?
How did the character change from _________ to _________? Why?
What happened to cause the character to feel or act ___________?
How would you feel if ________ happened to you? Would you solve the problem the same way the character did?
What is the big idea/theme of the text? How do they apply to our lives today?
How did the characters feelings towards each other change from _________ to ______? Why?
What caused the character to feel or act a certain way? What was the effect?
How do actions of one character affect another?
What does the author mean by ___________ (symbol)?

Thinking about the Text -

ANALYZING:

What did the author do to make the characters, situation, or topic interesting?
Could this story really happen? Why or why not?
What descriptive language did the author use? How did it add to your enjoyment or understanding of the text?
Look at the way the writer ended the book. Do you think this was a good way to end? Why or why not?
What role does the setting play (realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy)?
What aspects of writer’s craft (style, language, perspective, theme) did you notice after reading several texts by this author?
What does the writer mean by ______________?
Find the part of the story where the writer showed _______________.
What did the writer want you to learn from this book?
How did the writer build interest and suspense throughout the story?
What was the most important part of the story and why?
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g. Herculean).
Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

CRITIQUING:

What did you like/dislike about this (book, beginning, characters, ending)?
What did you think about (book, beginning, characters, ending)? Why?
What was the most important part of the story? Why?
What do you think (character) was thinking? Why?
Why do you think the author included this information?
How does the author help you learn about _____________?
Do you agree or disagree with __________? Why or why not?
Do the pictures or graphics add to your understanding of the book? How or why not?
How could the characters have behaved differently?
What did the author do to make this topic/book interesting, funny, or exciting to read about? Why?
Is this a realistic portrayal of what could happen in this situation or time period? Why or why not? (i.e. historical fiction)
Was the title of the text a good one? Why or why not?
How did the graphics add to the quality of the text or provide additional information?

S 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.
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?
How would you categorize the information?
How can what you have read in the past help you understand the people and cultures in this text?
What qualifications does the author have to write an informational text?
How does this book give you a new perspective?