Asking good questions while reading
A short captioned lesson on questions that build understanding, for parents and carers. Free, with a full transcript and teaching notes.
Read the whole lesson
Good questions Reading is more than saying the words. It is understanding them too. A few good questions can help your child think about what they read.
Before: predict Start before you open the book. Look at the cover. What do you think this story is about? Why do you think that? Predicting gets the mind ready.
During: stop and think During the story, stop at an interesting moment. What do you think will happen next? Why did the character do that? How are they feeling?
Word clues Ask about words, too. What do you think this word means? Look at the picture or the other words around it for clues.
Easy and thinking Mix easy questions with thinking questions. Easy ones: what colour was the dragon? Thinking ones: why do you think the dragon was sad? Both are useful.
First, next, last After the story, ask for a short retell. What happened first, next and last? You can use your fingers to count the parts.
Why do you think that? Always listen to the answer, and if you want to hear more, say tell me more, or why do you think that? Any answer with a reason is a good answer.
Keep it a chat One or two questions is plenty. Keep it like a chat and stop before the fun runs out. Enjoy the book together!
For grown-ups Teaching notes
- Questions help children understand what they read, not just say the words. Mix questions about what is on the page with questions about what is behind it.
- Keep it light: one or two questions per session is plenty. It should feel like a conversation.
- Use before, during and after prompts: predict, clarify, wonder, summarise.
- Accept any reasoned answer. Ask Why do you think that? to deepen thinking.
Tip: pause the video after each picture, ask the child to say the answer, then press play.