Understanding Key Details in Stories
Understanding Key Details in Stories Objective: Students will be able to ask and answer questions about key details in a text to demonstrate understanding of the story.
Learning Objectives
- Identify key details in a story by listening carefully.
- Ask questions about the story to improve understanding.
- Answer questions about key details to show comprehension.
Materials Needed
- A short story or picture book appropriate for 6-year-olds (e.g., ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’)
- Paper and crayons or markers
- Worksheet with simple questions about the story
Key Vocabulary
- Key details
- Important parts of a story that help us understand what is happening.
- Story
- A description of events that happen to characters.
- Question
- A sentence we ask to learn more about something.
Detailed Activities
Read and Discuss
- Read the chosen story aloud to the student, showing pictures if available.
- Pause occasionally to ask simple questions about what happened (e.g., ‘What did the caterpillar eat first?’).
- Encourage the student to ask their own questions about the story.
Drawing Key Details
- Ask the student to draw their favorite part of the story.
- Have the student explain their drawing, focusing on key details they remember.
- Discuss why these details are important to the story.
Answering Questions Worksheet
- Provide a worksheet with 3-5 simple questions about the story.
- Guide the student to answer the questions using complete sentences.
- Review the answers together to reinforce understanding.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- Encourage your child to talk about the story in their own words to build comprehension.
- Use simple, clear questions to help your child focus on important parts of the story.
- Be patient and praise your child’s efforts to ask and answer questions.
Assessment Questions
- What happened first in the story?
- Who is the main character?
- Can you tell me one thing the character did?
- What part of the story did you like best and why?
Extension Ideas
- Have your child retell the story using puppets or toys to act it out.
- Read another story and compare the key details with the first story.
- Create a simple story map together, drawing pictures for beginning, middle, and end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try asking easier or yes/no questions at first, and encourage them by showing interest in their thoughts. Be patient and make it fun.
Short daily reading sessions of 10-15 minutes are ideal to build comprehension gradually without overwhelming your child.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may focus on remembering the entire story instead of key details.
- Children might struggle to differentiate between main events and minor details.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use simpler stories with clear illustrations.
- Ask yes/no or multiple-choice questions to build confidence.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage them to explain why key details are important.
- Have them create their own questions about the story.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend about 15 minutes reading and discussing the story.
- Use 10 minutes for drawing and sharing key details.
- Finish with 15 minutes on the worksheet and review.
Standards
- 6.RL.1 — Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Printable Worksheet
Plan Your Own Lesson
Looking for a custom lesson plan? Try our Lesson Planning Generator — create standards-based plans for any topic, instantly!
Common Core Aligned Lesson Plans
Looking for another common core lesson? See all of the lesson plans here.
More Free Lesson Plans
We’re adding more every week! Check back soon or explore all our lesson plans here.
Leave a Reply