Questioning strategies for reading comprehension
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 11, 2024
As teachers, we know the importance of reading comprehension strategies. They are incredibly crucial to student success. Even so, with all of the content we need to cover each day, it can be easy to skip past them and focus on the more meaty parts of our curriculum. However, in order to deeply understand and make meaning from text, students need explicit instruction is targeted reading strategies. Today’s post continues my series on reading comprehension. In a previous post I discussed what reading strategies are. I also provided some information and tips for the visualization strategy. Today’s post focuses on key questioning strategies.
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What are Questioning Strategies?
Good readers engage with text by actively asking questions. While reading, students ask questions to better understand what they are reading. This key strategy helps readers to turn reading into an active instead of a passive experience as they attempt to clarify to better understand text. Questioning while reading is another important step towards guiding students to monitor their own comprehension.
For more information on reading strategies, check out our complete guide!
How do Questioning Strategies Help Students Become Better Readers?
Practicing questioning strategies helps provide students with a purpose for reading. Students may choose to ask questions while reading to:
-Clarify meaning. For example, they may question what a particular word means or why a certain thing is happening.
-Make predictions about a text. For example, a reader may choose to ask questions to try and determine what is going to happen next.
-Understand an author’s purpose. For example, good readers may question why an author chose to write the particular piece of text.
-Better understand characters and events. For example, a reader may choose to ask why a character chose to act a certain way, or why an event is occurring.
The process of asking questions is constantly evolving. As questions are answered, new ones arise. Teaching students to monitor the questions they make aids comprehension.
Great read alouds to practice questioning strategies
Below is a list of some of my very favorite read alouds to practice questioning strategies . They have engaging characters and plotlines that inspire students to be curious thinkers.
Affiliate links are included. If you choose to order any of these diverse picture books through these links, Amazon will provide me with a small kickback (at no additional cost to you) that I will put toward the costs of keeping this blog up and running.
Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty
This charming picture book follows the curious and determined young Ada Twist, who is driven by a boundless thirst for knowledge and a passion for science. From a very young age, Ada is fascinated by the world around her, asking questions about everything she observes, leading to experiments and investigations that sometimes create chaos at home. Despite the challenges, her supportive family encourages her quest for answers, highlighting the importance of curiosity, perseverance, and the scientific method in discovering the wonders of the world.
The Arrival by Shaun TaN
This profound and beautifully illustrated graphic novel tells the story of an unnamed man who leaves his family behind in search of a better life in a new land. Through a series of wordless, highly detailed images, Tan captures the complexities of immigration and the universal quest for belonging and safety. “The Arrival” is a moving exploration of hope, change, and the search for home, resonating with readers of all ages and backgrounds.
If By Sarah Perry
This captivating picture book explores the limitless possibilities of the imagination through a series of whimsical “what if” questions. Each page invites readers into a beautifully illustrated world where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. Perry’s narrative encourages children to ponder scenarios ranging from the fantastical, like elephants living in trees, to the introspective, prompting a deep engagement with the world’s wonders and mysteries.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
This captivating and intriguing picture book serves as a gateway to the imagination. This unique collection presents 14 black-and-white illustrations, each accompanied by a title and a single line of text, purportedly submitted to a publisher by the mysterious Harris Burdick, who then vanished. The images and their accompanying captions are deeply evocative and open-ended, inviting readers of all ages to weave their own stories around them.
The Three Questions by Jon J Muth
“The Three Questions” by Jon J. Muth is a profound and heartwarming picture book that brings to life the timeless wisdom of Leo Tolstoy’s famous story through the eyes of a young boy named Nikolai. Seeking answers to three important questions—When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?—Nikolai hopes to find the key to being a good person. This book is a beautiful exploration of compassion and living in the moment, offering valuable lessons for readers of all ages.
Zoom By Istvan Banyai
This groundbreaking picture book that takes readers on a visual journey that plays with the concepts of perspective and scale in a unique and innovative way. Without using a single word, Banyai’s illustrations start with what appears to be a simple image, but with each page turn, the viewpoint zooms out, revealing that each scene is part of a larger picture. This cleverly designed book not only entertains but also encourages critical thinking and imagination, making it a fascinating experience for readers of all ages.
For more great read alouds, check out our holiday favorites, Halloween favorites, and picture books for encouraging a growth mindset!
Looking for resources to practice Questioning Strategies?
Check out these reading comprehension posters in my TPT shop by clicking here or on the image below.
These posters are some of my favorite ways to explicitly practice these important strategies. I really like that they focus on one strategy at a time, and that they can be used with any text.
Interested in reading more about reading comprehension strategies?
Check out some of my previous posts below.
Building Reading Comprehension Strategies
Visualization Strategies for Reading Comprehension
Text Mapping to aid Reading Comprehension
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