Questions for EYFS/KS1 Children:
Draw on Knowledge of Vocabulary to Understand Texts
- What does this… word/phrase/sentence… tell you about… character/setting/mood etc?
- Highlight a key phrase or line. By using this word, what effect has the author created?
- In the story, ‘x’ is mentioned a lot. Why?
- The writer uses words like … to describe …. What does this tell you about a character or setting?
- What other words/phrases could the author have used?
- The writer uses …words/phrases…to describe … How does this make you feel?
- How has the writer made you and/or character feel …happy /sad/angry/ frustrated/lonely/bitter etc? Can you find those words?
- Which words and /or phrases make you think/feel…?
Identify and Explain Key Aspects of Fiction and Non-Fiction Texts, Such as Characters, Events, Titles and Information
- Where/when does the story take place?
- What did s/he/it look like?
- Who was s/he/it?
- Where did s/he/it live?
- Who are the characters in the book?
- Where in the book would you find…?
- What do you think is happening here?
- What happened in the story?
- What might this mean?
- Through whose eyes is the story told?
- Which part of the story best describes the setting?
- What part of the story do you like best?
- What evidence do you have to justify your opinion?
- Find, it. Prove it.
- How do the title/contents page/chapter headings/glossary/index… help me find information in this book?
- Which part of the text should I use to find…?
- Why has the author organised the information like this?
Greater Depth Questioning: Use a synonym instead of the word in the text and also a synonym in the distractors
Eg Text: She will be surprised thought Handa as she set off for Akeyo’s village. Where did Handa leave for?
Identify and Explain the Sequence of Events in Texts
- What happens first in the story?
- Use three sentences to describe the beginning, middle and end of this text?
- You’ve got ‘x’ words; sum up this story.
- Sort these sentences/paragraphs/chapter headings from the story
- Make a table/chart to show what happens in different parts of the story
- Why does the main character do ‘x’ in the middle of the story?
- How does the hero save the day in the story?
Make Inferences from the Text
- What makes you think that?
- Which words give you that impression?
- How do you feel about…?
- Can you explain why…?
- I wonder what the writer intended?
- I wonder why the writer decided to…?
- What do these words mean and why do you think the author chose them?
Predict what Might Happen on the Basis of what has Been Read so Far
- Look at the cover/title/first line/chapter headings…what do you think will happen next? How have the cover/title/first line/chapter headings…helped you come up with this idea?
- What do you think will happen to the goodie/baddie/main character? Why do you think this?
- What will happen next? Why do you think this? Are there any clues in the text?
- Can you think of another story, which has a similar theme; e.g. good over evil; weak over strong; wise over foolish? Do you think this story will go the same way?
- Which stories have openings like this? Do you think this story will develop in the same way?
- Why did the author choose this setting? How will that effect what happens next?
- How is character X like someone you know? Do you think they will react in the same way?
Questions for KS2 Children:
Give/Explain the Meaning of Words in Context
- The writer uses words like … to describe …. What does this suggest about… (character/setting)?
- What other words/phrases could the author have used?
- Which word most closely matches the meaning of the word x?
- The writer uses …words/phrases…to describe … How does this make you feel?
- Which of these words…… is a synonym for (choose a word from the text)?
- Find and copy one word meaning……
- Give the meaning of the word…… in this sentence
- Circle the correct option to complete this sentence (provide synonyms/phrases with similar meanings to replace at the end of the sentence)
- What does this phrase mean? (idiomatic or figurative language)
Greater Depth Questioning
- Find and copy questions
- Questions involving more complex vocabulary and in particular around the meaning of phrases such as idioms/figurative language
Also the greater depth student will be able to use meaning seeking strategies to work out the meaning of unknown words/phrases: What do you think (the unknown word) means and why?
Retrieve and Record Information/Identify Key Details from Fiction and Non-Fiction
- Where/when does the story take place?
- What did s/he/it look like?
- Where did s/he/it live?
- Who are the characters in the book?
- Where in the book would you find…?
- What is happening at this point in the text?
- What happened in the story?
- Through whose eyes is the story told?
- Which part of the story best describes the setting?
- What part of the story do you like best? Find evidence to support your opinion.
- What evidence do you have to justify your opinion?
- Write down 3 things you are told about … (character/setting/subject of the text)
- What was revealed at …. (beginning, middle, end, paragraph)
- Which of these statements is true/false?
Greater Depth Questioning
- What 2/3 (rather than one) things are you told about a character or a setting
- Questions which require you to look across a page or the whole text
Make Inferences from the Text/Explain and Justify Inferences with Evidence from the Text
- What makes you think that?
- Which words give you that impression?
- How can you tell that…?
- Can you explain why…?
- Explain what x (phrase with challenging vocabulary) suggests about x.
- What does this… word/phrase/sentence… imply about… (character/setting/mood)?
Greater Depth Questioning
- Explanations are detailed, using evidence from the text (The 2 or 3 mark questions)
- Decide if the following statements are fact or opinion
- Explain (using evidence from the text) how someone’s character/a setting may appeal to readers
Eg.
- What does a paragraph tell you about a character/setting? Explain 2 features giving evidence from the text.
- How is someone/something made to seem an adjective? Explain 2 ways giving evidence from the text.
- What evidence in the text that something/someone is an adjective. Give 2 examples
Predict what Might Happen from Details Stated and Implied
- Can you think of another story, which has a similar theme; e.g. good over evil; weak over strong; wise over foolish? Do you think this story will go the same way?
- Do you know of another story which deals with the same issues; e.g. social; moral; cultural? Could this happen in this story?
- Which other author handles time in this way; e.g. flashbacks; dreams?
- Which stories have openings like this? Do you think this story will develop in the same way?
- Why did the author choose this setting? Will that influence how the story develops?
- How is character X like someone you know? Do you think they will react in the same way?
- Do you think x will happen? Tick one (from yes/no/maybe). Explain your answer with evidence from the text.
Greater Depth Questioning
- Giving evidence (from the text) for your predictions. Eg What will happen next? Do you think that someone will do/act differently in the future? Explain your choice fully using evidence from the text
Identify/Explain how Information/Narrative Content is Related and Contributes to Meaning as a Whole
- Explain why a character did something.
- Explain a character’s different/changing feelings throughout a story. How do you know?
- What are the clues that a character is liked/disliked/envied/feared/loved/hated etc…?
- What is similar/different about two characters?
- Why is ‘x’ (character/setting/event) important in the story?
- What is the story (theme) underneath the story? Does this story have a moral or a message?
- Why do you think the author chose to use a… question/bullet/subheading/table etc to present the information?
- How does the title/layout encourage you to read on/find information?
- Where does it tell you that… (could be information contained in headings/glossaries/labels etc.)?
- Why has the writer written/organised the text in this way?
- In what ways do the illustrations support the instructions?
- How could these instructions/information/illustrations be improved?
- Draw lines to match each part of the text to the correct quotation.
Greater Depth Questioning
Identify when a character’s mood/feelings change in the text as a whole? Give evidence from the text to justify your answer
Identify/Explain how Meaning is Enhanced Through Choice of Words and Phrases
- What does the word ‘x’ tell you about ‘y’?
- Find two or three ways that the writer tells you ‘x’.
- What does this… word/phrase/sentence… tell you about… character/setting/mood etc?
- Highlight a key phrase or line. By writing a line in this way what effect has the author created?
- In the story, ‘x’ is mentioned a lot. Why?
- The writer uses words like … to describe …. What does this tell you about a character or setting?
- What other words/phrases could the author have used?
- The writer uses …words/phrases to describe … How does this make you feel?
- What do you think the writer meant by… ‘x’?
- Which words do you think are most important? Why?
- Which words do you like the best? Why?
- The author makes an action/description ‘like’ something else. Why?
- The author states that ‘x’ is something it isn’t. What is the effect of this? Why have they done this?
- Highlight a key phrase or line. By writing a line in this way what effect has the author created?
- How has the writer made you and/or character feel …happy /sad/angry/ frustrated/lonely/bitter etc?
- What do these words mean and why do you think the author chose them?
- What impression do these words… give you about… (use a synonym for the previous words)?
Greater Depth Questioning
- Give two impressions that a particular phrase gives Eg they crossed the glassy surface of the lake. Give two impressions this gives you of the water.
- What particular words or phrases has the writer used to create a mood eg sad, cold, relaxed etc?
Make Comparisons Within the Text
- Describe different characters’ reactions to the same event in a story.
- How is it similar to …?
- How is it different to …?
- Is it as good as …?
- Which is better and why?
- Compare and contrast different character/settings/themes in the text
- What do you think about the way information is organised in different parts of the text? Is there a reason for why this has been done
Greater Depth Questioning
- Give evidence from the text to justify your answers. Eg Out of a choice of 2 or 3, which character is ………braver/stronger etc……….? Give evidence from the text to justify your answers
