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.
Before Reading: Setting the Stage
Before students dive into a text, I encourage them to ask questions like:
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“What do I already know about this topic?”
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“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.
During Reading: Staying Engaged
While reading, the magic happens when students pause and ask:
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“What is happening here?”
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“Why did this character do that?”
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“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.
After Reading: Reflection and Growth
After reading, questions shift toward reflection and synthesis:
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“What was the main idea?”
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“How does this connect to my life or another book I’ve read?”
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“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.
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:
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Deeper comprehension: They understand texts on a meaningful level, not just surface details.
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Improved writing: Their reflections and responses become more detailed, structured, and evidence-based.
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Independent thinking: They can engage with texts on their own and sustain discussions in book clubs.
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Engagement across genres: Questioning helps them interact with narrative, informational, and even challenging texts.
Two Resources I Use All the Time
To support this practice, I rely on two go-to resources:
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A Differentiated Questioning Guide: Tailored prompts that meet students where they are, from beginner readers to advanced thinkers.
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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.
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