QUESTIONING STRATEGY LESSON

Asking Questions Before, During, and After Reading a Text

Objective
With a partner, students will be able to ask and answer questions
before, during, and after reading the text
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a
text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Materials
Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Helen Berger
Chart paper divided into three columns labeled Before During and
After to be used for recording questions about the text
Document camera for displaying the text for the students while
reading
Tell Me A Story, Mama by Angela Johnson and David Soman
Graphic organizer for students
Anticipatory Set

Ask students to raise their hands and name a book they are currently
reading or have recently read.
Ask the students to think about these books that they have been
reading, and what they do while they read.
Ask the students When you start to read a new book, do you ever
have questions about the story right away? What about while youre
reading? Do you wonder about what is going on in the story? How
about at the end of the story? Do you ever have questions about a
story even after youve already finished it?
Tell the students that when you read books, you ask yourself lots of
questions too. Right now, I am reading a book called A Dogs Purpose.
The story is told by a dog who gets to live many lives with many
different owners in order to find his purpose. While Im reading, I ask
myself questions to help me better understand the story, to predict
what might happen next, to wonder something about the story, and to
help me learn as much as I can about what I am reading.
Explain to the students that it is important to ask questions about a
text before we read, while we read, and after we read in order to help
us understand more about what we are reading.

Procedures

Today, I am going to read a story aloud and we are going to work

together to ask some great questions before, during, and after we
read. Then, Ill let you try this with a partner.
The story we are going to read is called Grandfather Twilight by
Barbara Helen Berger. Before we start reading, lets look at the chart
Ive made. In this column, I am going to write down questions that I
have about the text before I even start reading.
o Who is grandfather twilight?
o I know that the word twilight has something to do with
the sky. I wonder if this story will be about the sky?
The teacher will jot down questions in the before column before
moving on.
As the teacher reads aloud, she will stop periodically to ask questions
and wonder aloud for the students.
o Is the pearl actually the moon?
o Why is this dog in the story?
Guided Practice
o Invite students to raise their hands and ask their own questions
as you read, recording them in the during column. Facilitate
discussion among the students.
After finishing the story, the teacher should model questions to ask as
well as accept questions from the students that they might still have
about the story. Record these in the after column.
o Why did the author write this story?
o What is she trying to teach the reader with this story?
Independent Practice
o Students will be assigned a partner randomly for independent
practice. Students will work with their partner to read the book
Tell Me A Story, Mama by Angela Johnson and David Soman. Each
student will complete a graphic organizer with three columns for
questions they have before, during, and after reading the story.
Students and their partners will record their questions in each of
the three columns together.

Differentiation

After students are grouped into pairs, the teacher will work with
struggling students in a small group to review the key points of the
lesson and to ensure that struggling students are confident in their use
of the questioning strategy.

Closure

Invite students to share out some of their questions about Tell Me A

Story, Mama. Ask students to explain in their own words why it is so
important to ask questions before, during, and after you read a book.
Collect graphic organizers for review.

Formative and Summative Assessment

Formative
o The teacher will assess students formatively through observation
and interaction throughout the lesson. The teacher will ask
checking in questions frequently throughout the lesson as well
as take a survey of students comfort with the strategy. The
teacher will ask students to give a thumbs up, thumbs in the
middle, or thumbs down before moving into independent
practice to show how comfortable they feel about using the
questioning strategy.
Summative
o The teacher will assess students summatively by collecting their
completed worksheets from independent practice. The teacher
will use these worksheets to determine which students are still
struggling, and which students may need more of a challenge
regarding the questioning strategy.