Figure 3-2

Coaching for Comprehension:

Questions and Prompts for Teachers
The purpose of coaching for comprehension is to expand students comprehension of what they have read rather than assess it. High-level questions are engaging, challenging, and require students to pause and think about before answering. When coaching you might: Stretch students understanding of the story by asking them interpretive questions. Ask children to summarize all or part of the story or nonfiction text. Invite children to talk about the big idea, or theme, of the story. Ask children to relate the story to their own lives. Examples of questions to coach for comprehension: What happened at the beginning of the story? The middle? The end? (Answer in just a few sentences.) Why did Character X do Y? How did Character X change? How are you like Character X? How are you different? What did you learn from this story? What did you like or not like about this story? Why? 5. Why do you think the author gave the title he or she did to the story? 6. What did you like best about (name a character)? Why? What in the story helped you think this way? 7. What did you not like about (name a character)? Why? What in the story made you think this way? 8. If you were the main character, would you have done the same things the main character did? Why or why not? What might you have done differently? 9. Why do you think (character in the story) did . . . ? 10. How did (character in the story) change? Why do you think this happened? 11. What do you think were three main ideas (or most important ideas) in this article (for nonfiction)?

High-Level Questions That Relate to Childrens Lives

Ask questions that are based on a concept in the story or selection and relate it to childrens lives. 1. Which character is most like you? Why? 2. Which character would you like to be like? Why? 3. Which character would you like to have as a friend? What in the story helped you make this decision? 4. How are you like (character in the story)? How are you different? 5. Can you compare anything in this story to (name another story or something else you have done in your classroom that could be compared)? Why do you think these are similar (alike) or different? 6. Ask nonfiction-type questions that relate to your state (e.g., Could you find these animals, events in Minnesota? Why or why not? Where might they be if they could be in Minnesota?). 7. What did you like about this story or nonfiction text? Why?

Interpretive Questions Based on the Text

1. What kind of person do you think (name of character) is? What in the story makes you think this? 2. What are some good or bad things that happen in the story? Why do you think these are good or bad things? 3. What do you think is an important thing that happened in the story? Why do you think it is important? 4. How does (character in the story) compare to you or a family member? How is the character different?

2010 by Barbara M.Taylor from Catching Readers, Grade 2. Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.

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