Engaging Discussions: Asking and Answering Questions About a Text
Engaging Discussions: Asking and Answering Questions About a Text Objective: Students will be able to ask and answer questions about a text read aloud or presented orally, demonstrating understanding of key details and information.
Learning Objectives
- Understand how to listen carefully to a story or passage.
- Learn how to ask questions that show curiosity about the text.
- Practice answering questions with complete sentences that refer to the text.
Materials Needed
- A short story or informational passage (age-appropriate, about 1-2 pages)
- Paper and pencil or notebook
- Whiteboard or large paper for brainstorming (optional)
Key Vocabulary
- Question
- A sentence that asks for information or a response.
- Answer
- A response to a question that provides information or explains something.
- Details
- Small pieces of information that help explain or support the main idea.
Detailed Activities
Listening and Questioning
- Read aloud a short story or informational passage to the student.
- Pause at key points and model asking a question about what was just read.
- Encourage the student to ask their own questions about the story or passage.
- Write down the student’s questions to help them see how questions are formed.
Answering Questions
- Ask the student questions about the story or passage you read, focusing on key details.
- Model how to answer using complete sentences that refer back to the text.
- Have the student practice answering the questions aloud or in writing.
- Provide gentle feedback and praise correct answers and efforts.
Create Your Own Question and Answer
- Ask the student to think of a question they can ask about the story or passage.
- Help the student write down their question.
- Guide the student in answering their own question in a complete sentence.
- Review the question and answer together and celebrate their success.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson focuses on helping your child understand the importance of asking and answering questions to improve comprehension.
- Encourage your child to listen carefully and think about what they hear before asking or answering questions.
- Be patient and provide plenty of praise to build your child’s confidence in speaking about texts.
Assessment Questions
- Can you tell me one question you have about the story we read?
- How would you answer the question: ‘What happened at the beginning of the story?’
- Why do you think it is important to ask questions when you hear a story?
Extension Ideas
- Have your child listen to a short video or watch a read-aloud online and practice asking questions about it.
- Create a ‘Question and Answer’ journal where your child records questions they ask and answers they find from books or conversations.
- Play a game where family members take turns asking and answering questions about a story you all read together.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can model questions first and provide sentence starters like ‘Who…?’, ‘What…?’, or ‘Why…?’ to help them get started.
Encourage your child to use full sentences by gently prompting them, for example, ‘Can you tell me more about that?’ or ‘Why do you think that happened?’
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may think that yes/no answers are sufficient instead of providing full explanations.
- Some children might confuse asking questions with just repeating information from the text.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Provide sentence starters for both questions and answers to support language development.
- Use shorter texts and more frequent pauses to help comprehension.
- Allow for oral responses instead of written answers if needed.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage your child to ask higher-level questions like ‘Why did the character do that?’ or ‘What might happen next?’
- Have your child write questions and answers in a journal to build writing skills.
- Introduce group discussions with family members to practice speaking and listening skills.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend extra time on modeling questions and answers if your child is new to this skill.
- Keep activities short and interactive to maintain engagement.
- Repeat similar activities across several days to reinforce learning.
Standards
- 5.SL.6 — Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
Printable Worksheet
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