Asking Questions: The Secret to Deep Reading and Stronger Writing

 If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years teaching reading, it’s this: students who ask questions are the students who think deeply, write thoughtfully, and engage fully with texts.

But it’s not just about asking any question — it’s about asking the right kinds of questions at the right time.

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Before Reading: Setting the Stage

Before students dive into a text, I encourage them to ask questions like:

• “What do I already know about this topic?”

• “What do I want to learn?”

This primes their thinking, helps them make connections, and gives them a purpose for reading. For students who struggle with comprehension, I differentiate these questions — some might need sentence starters like, “I think this might be about…” while others can create open-ended predictions.

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During Reading: Staying Engaged

While reading, the magic happens when students pause and ask:

• “What is happening here?”

• “Why did this character do that?”

• “What does this part make me wonder?”

Differentiation is key here. Some students need guided prompts or small group support, while others can handle abstract questions that challenge them to infer or analyze. Teaching students to pause, reflect, and jot down their questions not only keeps them focused but also naturally builds higher-level thinking skills.

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After Reading: Reflection and Growth

After reading, questions shift toward reflection and synthesis:

• “What was the main idea?”

• “How does this connect to my life or another book I’ve read?”

• “What would I ask the author if I could?”

This is where differentiation really shines. Students can respond in written form, discuss in book clubs, or even create their own follow-up questions. The result? They start noticing patterns, analyzing text structures, and forming evidence-based opinions — skills that translate directly to stronger writing and confident discussions.

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The Benefits of Teaching Students to Ask Questions

When students learn to ask questions before, during, and after reading, you’ll start to see amazing transformations:

• Deeper comprehension: They understand texts on a meaningful level, not just surface details.

• Improved writing: Their reflections and responses become more detailed, structured, and evidence-based.

• Independent thinking: They can engage with texts on their own and sustain discussions in book clubs.

• Engagement across genres: Questioning helps them interact with narrative, informational, and even challenging texts.

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Two Resources I Use All the Time

To support this practice, I rely on two go-to resources:

1. A Differentiated Questioning Guide: Tailored prompts that meet students where they are, from beginner readers to advanced thinkers.

2. A Variety Question Bank: A collection of question types (inference, prediction, analysis, reflection) that support differentiation and can be used across independent reading, small groups, and book clubs.

Teaching students to ask questions isn’t just a strategy — it’s a pathway to confident readers, critical thinkers, and strong writers.

How I Make Nonfiction Come Alive in My Classroom

I’ll be honest—teaching nonfiction can sometimes feel like a chore. Dense passages, complicated diagrams, and dry facts can leave students disengaged. But over the years, I’ve learned that when nonfiction is taught strategically, it transforms students into confident, analytical readers.

Here’s a little peek into how I bring nonfiction to life in my classroom:

Starting with Structure:

Whenever I introduce a new nonfiction topic, I start small. I pull out a short passage and ask students to identify the structure—Is it cause and effect? Compare and contrast? Sequence? Problem and solution?

We use graphic organizers to map our thinking.

Suddenly, a confusing paragraph isn’t so intimidating—it’s a puzzle we can solve together.

Students love seeing how the information connects, and it gives them tools they can carry to every nonfiction text they read.

Text Features as Treasure Maps:

Headings, captions, diagrams, and bolded words aren’t just extra—they’re our treasure maps for finding the important stuff.

I make it a game: students hunt for key information using text features, discuss their findings, and explain how these features helped them understand the passage better.

By the end of the week, they aren’t just reading—they’re analyzing, thinking critically, and even anticipating questions before we discuss them.

Practice that Sticks

After introducing structure and features, we practice using mini passages and task cards.

I set up small stations where students can rotate, sort text types, answer questions, and discuss their thinking.

It’s amazing how much engagement increases when students can actively interact with the text instead of passively reading it.

We also do short written responses, where students cite evidence from the text.

These exercises help them practice skills that show up on tests and assignments—without it feeling like “test prep.”

Check out some of the things I use: click here

How I Finally Stopped Recreating Reading Lessons Every Year

If you’re like me, back-to-school can feel a little like Groundhog Day. 

Every year, I found myself digging through files, searching for worksheets, and trying to remember which reading strategies worked best for which students.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know what to teach — I did. 

The problem was keeping it all organized in a way that actually made teaching easier and helped students truly understand what they were reading.

So I decided to do something about it. 

I created a set of anchor charts, lesson plans, and practice tools that I could use year after year. Instead of starting from scratch each fall, I now have a system that works — and the best part? 

I don’t have to reinvent it every time.

When I need to adjust for a new class or a different student group, 

I just tweak a chart or add sticky notes to the lessons.

 It’s flexible, 

it’s practical,

 and it keeps me focused on what really matters: helping students think deeply about what they read.

The results speak for themselves.

 Students are more confident, engaged, and independent because the skills are taught in a clear, organized way that builds on what they already know.

 And I finally get to spend less time planning and more time teaching. I would copy the anchor charts and have student glue them in their Reading Journal 

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like you’re starting from scratch every year,  check out  my anchor charts and lesson plans that I created based on our learning standards an dunit of studies in 6th grade

👉 Check it out here and see how it can transform your reading instruction.

Making Reading Comprehension Work for Every Student

I’ll never forget the day I asked my students to describe a character in a story. One student shrugged and said, “He’s nice.” Another added, “She’s mean.” At that moment, I realized something important: my students weren’t learning to analyze—they were just skimming the surface.

That experience pushed me to rethink how I approached comprehension. Instead of focusing only on recall, I started guiding students with questions that met them where they were and encouraged deeper thinking. The change was incredible.

• Struggling readers gained confidence because the questions weren’t overwhelming.

• Advanced students were challenged to think critically, make inferences, and justify their ideas.

• Classroom discussions became richer, with students building on each other’s thoughts and citing text evidence.

• Students could work more independently during stations and small groups, giving me time to focus on conferring and targeted instruction.

At the end of the day, it wasn’t just about getting students through the text—it was about helping them grow through the text. And that’s what I want for every reader.

If you’ve ever felt stretched thin trying to differentiate for multiple reading levels,  check out my differentiated question resource that I utlilze whe planning read alouds, conferences, writing about reading prompts and  even in small groups, book clubs, stations,..

I found that I made differentiated reading instruction easier and more impactful.

I created resources to make this process easier for teachers. These tools help you differentiate without the stress, support critical thinking, and foster meaningful discussion. Whether it’s small groups, book clubs, or independent work, students can practice applying strategies that stick—moving beyond just reading the text to truly growing through it.

📌 Curious? Check out my TPT store:  Educating Readers Literacy Hub,  for ready-to-use, classroom-tested resources that make differentiated reading instruction simple, effective, and engaging.

“The Strategies My Students Finally Clicked With (After I Changed My Approach)”

 You know how sometimes you teach a reading strategy during whole group, and half the kids look at you like they’ve got it while the other half are still lost? That used to happen to me all the time. I’d move on with the curriculum because I had to, but deep down I knew my students needed more time with those strategies.

That’s why I started creating these resources. I wanted something that would make reteaching easier, give me ready-to-go materials for small groups and stations, and help students practice strategies in a way that felt manageable—not overwhelming.

This Reading Comprehension Bundle came straight out of my classroom experience. I pulled together the tools I kept going back to again and again—the ones that helped my students finally “click” with strategies like inferring, synthesizing, and visualizing.

Here’s what I included (and why):

• Anchor Charts → My students needed clear, consistent visuals. Having these posted or used in small group kept strategies front of mind.

• Task Cards & Activity Sheets → Perfect for reteaching in bite-sized chunks instead of redoing the same lesson that didn’t work the first time.

• Graphic Organizers & Response Sheets → Gave structure to students who struggled to explain their thinking in writing or discussion.

• Mentor Texts & Lesson Plans → Because sometimes you just need something done-for-you when time is short.

• Poems, Passages & Vocabulary → I noticed variety kept engagement up, so I added these to keep practice fresh.

I use this bundle in so many ways—reteaching strategies students didn’t get during whole group, setting up stations so kids can rotate through strategy practice, or pulling small groups for guided practice. The best part? It simplifies the process. Instead of reteaching the same way the curriculum dictated, I could reteach in ways that felt more approachable for my students—and it worked.

If you’ve ever wished for resources that actually make reteaching and small group planning easier, this is the exact bundle I wish I had years ago. That’s why I made it.

Why Picture Books Aren’t “Too Easy” — They’re the Key to Unlocking Tough Reading Skills

 

I used to think picture books were just for my younger students. Bright illustrations, short text… surely my 5th and 6th graders had outgrown them, right?

But here’s what I noticed: whenever state testing season rolled around, my students struggled with the same skills over and over again—making inferences, analyzing characters, and tracking plot development. They could decode the words, but applying higher-level thinking to complex texts left many of them stuck.

That’s when I pulled picture books back into the classroom—this time with a purpose.

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The Surprise Benefit

What I found was surprising (and honestly, a relief): picture books became the perfect entry point for introducing tricky skills.

✨ A short, accessible text meant students could focus on the strategy, not get lost in the length.
✨ Rich characters and themes opened the door for inferences, analysis, and discussion.
✨ Illustrations gave visual clues that helped students connect the dots.

And suddenly, the skills that once felt overwhelming became doable—and even enjoyable.

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Beyond Comprehension: SEL Connections

Another unexpected gift? Picture books naturally led to social-emotional learning.

Books about kindness, forgiveness, differences, or even bullying opened the floor for morning meetings and classroom conversations that went deeper than “test prep.” Students weren’t just learning reading skills—they were reflecting on their own lives, their choices, and their empathy toward others.

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A Resource That Brings It All Together

That’s why I designed my Picture Book Activity line.  It consist of some of my favorite titles that I have used over the years. 

It’s allows me to be flexible,  using the illustrations in lesson keep students engaged, and helps  strengthen reading skills and social-emotional growth.

Inside you’ll find a variety of activities with each Read aloud Book activity set.  All you need is the book. They all have 

•  A variety of activities for inferencing, character development, and plot analysis and more. 

• Vocabulary-building tools and discussion prompts

The Takeaway

Picture books aren’t “too easy.” They’re a scaffold. They’re a safe, powerful way to introduce skills that students often struggle with on tests—and a natural way to weave in lessons on empathy, kindness, and connection.

👉 Click here to check out the Picture Book Resource Bundle in my TPT store.
And if this post gave you new ideas, please follow, comment, and share the blog to spread the word about the power of picture books!

When “He’s Nice” Isn’t Enough: Teaching Students to Analyze Characters

 I’ll never forget the first time I asked my class to describe the main character in a novel we were reading. Hands shot up immediately. I was thrilled—until I heard the answers.

“He’s nice.”
“She’s mean.”
“They’re funny.”

That was it. Surface-level answers. Nothing tied to the text, no deeper reasoning. My students wanted to participate, but their responses told me something important: I hadn’t given them the tools to go beyond the obvious.

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The Turning Point

The truth is, character analysis isn’t natural for most readers. Kids can see what characters do, but they don’t always know how to connect those actions to traits, growth, or the bigger story.

When I shifted my instruction to give students scaffolds—anchor charts, question stems, and response frames—they started digging deeper. Instead of “He’s nice,” I heard:

“I think the character is compassionate because he shared his lunch even when he didn’t have much. That shows he thinks about others before himself.”

That’s when I knew: students weren’t avoiding deep thinking, they just needed a roadmap to get there.

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A Resource That Makes It Simple

That’s why I created Character Analysis Made Simple—an all-in-one resource to move students past surface-level thinking and into meaningful analysis. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to help students:

• Identify and support traits with text evidence

• Study dialogue and actions to understand growth

• Track character change from beginning to end

• Make inferences that deepen comprehension

• Connect plot and character decisions to the story structure

With anchor charts, lesson plans, task cards, differentiated activities, writing prompts, and assessments, you’ll have ready-to-use tools that save time and spark higher-level thinking.

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The Payoff

The best part? Engagement skyrockets when students have the language and strategies to back up their ideas. Suddenly, book clubs sound like real literary conversations. Independent responses show depth and text evidence. And those “nice/mean/funny” answers? Gone.

Because when students learn how to analyze characters, they don’t just understand the story better—they become critical thinkers who can explain why.

👉 Check out the  preview here:

And if this post resonated with you, please follow, comment, and share the blog to support more teachers in helping students think deeply about characters.