QUESTIONS TO HELP YOUR CHILD UNDERSTAND WHAT HE/SHE IS READING:

1. What part of the book did you like the best? Why?

2. Who is the author? Who is the illustrator?

3. How did the story begin?

4. What happened in the middle of the story?

5. How did the story end?

6. Which character in the story was your favorite? Why?

7. What did the story remind you of in your own life?

8. Did anything _____(funny, sad, scary, etc.) happen in the story?

9. What kind of problem(s) happened in the story? How were they solved?

10. How would you have ended the story if you were the author?

11. Did you learn anything new while reading this story?

12. What would you tell your friends about this book?

These questions are suggestions for you to use as you read with your child. You do not have to ask all of these questions about every book. Choose the questions you feel are appropriate. Have fun reading with your child. It can be a wonderful experience for both of you.

One important way that you can check your child's understanding of comprehension is asking him/her to retell you the story in his/her own words. Can he/she retell main events or points of the story and tell it in sequence.

When thinking of types of comprehension, there are two basic types of questions. The first type is questions in which the answer can be found directly in the text. The second type, usuallly the more challenging type, is a question that requires knowledge about the book AND your own thinking combined. That requires higher levels of thinking. Those questions usually begin with: "Why do think......." "What if............" "How would you feel if......." "What might........." and also making predictions all during the reading involve thinking in higher levels.