A part of homework every week is to read 4 times a week, the children all have a reading book which they take home as well as allocated to them on Bug Club. When reading with the children, please ask some key questions to help them further develop their understanding of what they have read.

Please find below some questions to ask your children whilst reading.

Questions to consider while listening to your child read:

• Is this text challenging enough?
• Does this text explore any new themes/messages?
• Is this text written by an author my child hasn’t read books from before?
• Does my child understand every word they are reading?

During reading

• What does this word/phrase/sentence tell you about the character/setting/mood?
• By writing…, what effect has the author created? Do you think they intended to?
• What other words/phrases could the author have used here? Why?
• How has the author made you/ this character feel by writing…? Why?
• What do you think…. means? Why do you think that? Could it be anything else?
• I think….; do you agree? Why/why not?
• Why do you think the author decided to…?
• Can you explain why….?
• What do these words mean and why do you think that the author chose them?
• Find the… in this text. Is it anywhere else?
• When/where is this story set? Find evidence in the text.
• Find the part of the story that best describes the setting.
• What do you think is happening here? Why?
• Who is telling this story?
• Can you think of another story with a similar theme? How do their plots differ? Which stories
• have openings like this? Do you think that this story will develop the same way?
• Why did the author choose this setting? Will that influence the story?

After reading

• What is the main point in this paragraph? Is it mentioned anywhere else?
• Sum up what has happened so far in… words/seconds or less.
• Which is the most important point in these paragraphs? Why?
• Do any sections/paragraphs deal with the same themes?
• What is similar/different about two characters? Did the author intend that?
• Explain why… did that.
• Describe different characters’ reactions to the same event.
• Does this story have a moral?
• Which… is better and why?
• How has the author made you feel happy/sad angry/frustrated?