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An important aspect of learning to read and enjoying texts  is reading comprehension. When your child reads to a teacher or teaching assistant they are asked questions around the story. Doing the same at home will help to turn him or her into a enthusiastic, critical, mindful reader who enjoys and appreciates texts on an intellectual level. You can also read to your child and ask the questions below to develop and enhance your child's understanding of texts.

Vocabulary

Children need to draw on their knowledge of vocabulary to understand texts.

Ask:

Which word in the text describes what ....are like?

What does....mean?

Which two words describe how scared...was?

Retrieval

Children need to identify and explain key aspects of fiction and non-fiction texts, such as characters, events,titles and information.

Ask:

What does the ....do?

What happens to the ....in the...?

Why did the ....want to have the ....?

Give two problems with.....?

Look at the section headed:....... What does it tell us about?

Can you make up a question about the text?

Sequencing

Children need to identify and explain the sequence of events in a text.

Ask:

Can you draw four pictures and retell the story?

Can you tell me the order that things happened in the text?

What is the main purpose of the text?

Inference

Children need to be able to: paraphrase texts;  make reference to the text.

Ask:

Why did....say, e.g. "This must be our lucky day"?

How do you know that ....was excited?

How can you tell it was late when ....woke up?

What does....think/feel? How do you know?

Prediction

Children need to be able to predict what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far.

Ask:

What do you think is going to happen next? Why do you think that?