Reading

There are different areas that teachers look at to assess reading. We call these assessment foci or AFs. 

There are different skills children need to develop beyond breaking down words and reading them fluently, so that they can fully understand the piece writing.

When reading with your child, you should read a poem, or a few pages with them. Then choose an assessment area, and maybe choose two or three questions you could ask them about the piece they have just read.

It is better to a few paragraphs, then ask questions and have a discussion about the writing, than asking a child to read pages and pages in silence without having any discussion with them about what they are reading.

Readers can sound confident and fluent, but you can only tell if the child understands the text, if you ask them comprehension question.

Here are lots of questions for you to choose from. Remember only pick two or three for each reading session. Vary the sections you ask questions from as they are all equally valuable.

AF2-To seek, find and understand.

Retrieval questions

§  Where and when did the story take place?

§  What did s/he/it look like?

§  Who was s/he/it? Can you name the….?

§  Where did s/he/it live?

§  Who are the characters in the book?

§  What happened after?

§  Describe what happened at….?

§  Can you tell me why? Which is true or false…..?

§  Find the meaning of….?

AF3- Reading Between the lines

§  Why is ____important?

§  How did___ feel?

§  Why did ___feel / think____?

§  Describe___reaction / feelings

§  Match feelings / thoughts to parts of the story.

§  Agree or disagree with an opinion.  Why do you think that?

§  What does this tell us about how ___ is feeling / thinking?

§  Have you ever had a similar experience?  How did you feel?

§  Put yourself in their shoes (imagine what the character's life is like.)

§  What do you think is happening here? 

§  What happened in this part of the story? What might this mean?

§  Through whose eyes is the story told? 

§  Do you know what might happen next? 

§  What do we know about….?  e.g. Sarah was up the tree in her best frock. What do we know about Sarah? 

§  Could this have happened in ….? Why and what are your reasons?

§  Which events could not have happened?

§  If________ happened, what might the ending have been?

§  How was this similar to….?

§  What do you see as possible different ending?

§  Can you explain what must have happened when….?

§  What were the motives behind…?

§  What was the problem with…?

AF4- The structure of writing

Questions for Non-fiction

§  Where could you find out about... in this book? Where in the book would you find...?

§  How do headings help you when you scan the text?

§  What do the headings describe?

§  What’s the difference between the index and the contents?

§  If you want to find out about... how could you do it?

§  If you can’t find information in the contents, where else might you look?

Questions on organisation

§  Highlight the words that tell you which order to follow – e.g. first, then, after, finally.

§  Why have these words been put in bold? 

§  Who would this information be most useful for?

§  Which words show that some people think differently about this issue? E.g. however, although, on the other hand.

§  Give two ways in which this text is written like a diary/report/discussion?

§  What are the features of this text type? 

AF5- The language used

§  Which feature does the author use in a  piece of writing and why? 

§  What does (word/phrase) mean? Why has the author used this phrase/feature? E.g. italics, bold, repetition, simile, exclamation marks, headings, bullet points, captions etc. Comment on the effect.

§  What has the author used in the text to make this character funny/sad/angry/tense? How effective is this?

§  How has the author used the text to make the situation or event angry/tense? 

§  As a reader, how do you feel about...? How has the author created this feeling?

§  Which words and phrases tell you that the author is describing...?

§  How could altering the punctuation change the meaning? E.g. commas, full stops, ellipsis, exclamation marks.

§  Comment on the technical language.......... and..........? Explain why the author used it.

§  What words/phrases show the author’s attitude?

§  How does the author show that... is important?

§  Why has the author used repetition? What effect does it have?

§  Why have exclamation marks/italics/capitals been used? How does this affect the way you read it? What effect does this create?

§  What is the author’s style? What features help you identify this? Why is this style effective in this text?

§  What words give you that impression?

§  How has the author been humorous?

§  What words, phrases or features make you think that?

§  How would you explain this...to a younger child?

How does the metaphor/simile/adjectives/adverbs... help you to understand this text? What makes it effective?

AF6- The Writer

§  Why did the author choose this setting?

§  What do you think the writer’s purpose is? How do you know?

§  What did the writer intend by (phrase /sentence /event...?)

§  What is the purpose of this paragraph/character/change?

§  Why has the author used humour at this point?

§  Look at the caption and diagram. What does it explain to you? Why does the writer choose to include them?

§  What idea do you think the writer wants to give of this character? Why? What effect does this have on other characters?

§  From the opening section of the text, what is the writer’s opinion of school/animals etc? How does this affect the story/plot/characters/setting?

§  Which other author handles time in this was e.g. flashbacks or dreams? Which stories have openings like this?

§  Which article/letter would most persuade you to change your mind? Why?

§  By using these words/phrases (....................) what effect has the author had on the reader?

§  How are the two texts different in purpose? What effect does this have on the reader?

§  From these texts, how have the authors presented the information in different ways? Which is the most effective? Why?

§  Whose viewpoint is being presented here?

§  What does the writer want to persuade you to do/think/believe?

§  Who is the advert trying to persuade?

Can you tell what the author thinks?

AF7- The text and the world

§  Can you think of another story which has a similar theme; eg. good over evil; weak over strong; wise over foolish?

§  Where there is a different cultural setting - where is the story set? What are the features of this setting e.g. language, attitudes?

§  What difference does the culture make to how the characters act/react in the story? What does this tell us about the way of life within this different culture?

§  Which other stories deal with similar issues e.g. social; moral; cultural?

§  In other poems by (same author), what common features, such as themes or language, do you notice?

§  What do you know about this time in history that helps you to understand the writer’s second paragraph/ the author’s meaning/ the character’s feelings etc?

§  How is the heroine/hero in this story similar to others you have read about?

§  In the fairy stories that you know, who are the heroes/ villains? What have they got in common and how are they different?

§  How is this setting similar to settings in other traditional tales you have read?