When it comes to reading, one of the main strategies that we all use is to ask questions about what we are reading. This comes naturally; we ask questions about why things happen, what will happen next, and we wonder about characters and new words.
Questioning is a reading strategy that is taught to students to help them engage with the text. It helps the reader to clarify what he or she is reading and to better understand the text. Asking good questions is a way for students to monitor their own comprehension while reading.
Asking questions seems easy, but it is incredibly difficult for students to do. Many times, students are focused on reading the words in front of them. Because of this focus, often students don't take the time to think about what they are reading as they are reading it. Students are great at going back in the text to find answers to questions, but they struggle to come up with their own questions.
As you read with your child at home, stop at different times and have them ask questions about what they are reading. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Which? Model this for your child by thinking aloud so they can hear your questions as they develop their own.
