Questions, Questions, Questions!

      When a child uses questions while reading it helps them clarify ideas and deepen understanding.  Asking questions-even those that are unanswerable-enriches the reading experience. Remember when your child was 3 or 4 and every other word was “why”?  In a child’s quest to make sense of the world, they become master questioners. Why is the grass green? Why do we dream? What happens when we eat? Frequently, parents have no idea how to answer these endless questions. We had the tendency to just say “because” due to not knowing the answer ourselves, but we need to encourage our children to ask these questions and become little researchers to find the answers.  This constant curiosity keeps their imagination going like a well-oiled machine.  They are able to make sense of the world around them and begin to form their own opinions and new ideas based on the information gained from the answers to these in-depth questions.  Questions also allow, you as the parent, to engage with your child in discussions and deeper thinking. Begin to encourage your child to ask questions about what they read.  These questions can be divided into four different big categories:

Thin (right there) and Thick (think and search) questions.

Thin questions are important to understanding the story elements or facts about a piece of text.  These answers can be found explicitly in the text.

Thick questions provide the child with a quest.  They have to search for an answer or use their inferring strategies to deepen their understanding of the text.

 

Below are some question prompts you may find useful when asking your child “Thick” questions:

What if …? How did …?

Why did…?

What would happen if …?

What caused…? What might…?

How would you feel if you…?

What character traits describe _______?

Why do you think…?

Why is…?

 

The other two important categories for questions are Author and Me questions and On My Own questions.  The Author and me questions focus on information provided in the text but the student is required to relate it to their own experience. Although the answer does not lie directly in the text, the student must have read it in order to answer the question.  On My Own questions are questions which do not require the student to have read the passage but he/she must use their background or prior knowledge to answer the question.

     When you read with your child and model your own questions it allows your child to see how reading can be an exciting adventure.  Below are some additional resources for you to use with your child at home to encourage their natural curiosity.  Happy Questioning!