Chapter 3 - Reading Strategy: Asking Questions

Good readers ask questions before, after, and during the reading.

Kinds of Questions
1. “Skinny” question = has one brief, correct answer.
Ex: How many roundabouts do we have in Lawrence?
Ex: Are George and Lennie related? How?
2. “Fat” question = open-ended, causes one to ponder; elicits opinions and discussion.
Ex: How effectively and economically do roundabouts control traffic in Lawrence?
Ex: How well does the relationship between George and Lennie work?

Reasons to Ask Questions
- Doing something active while reading helps readers pay attention and remember what they read.
- Question-asking is a key life skill.
- Student-generated questions increase engagement and inform your teachers (because the teachers will have a clearer idea of what confuses and/or interests you).
- School has been a place where adults come each day and work very hard . . . and where kids watch the adults work. One step in building a culture where students carry more of the thinking load is to help them learn to ask important questions!

What You Can Do
- Think about all the different instances when you have to ask questions. Maybe you have questions when you learn a new hobby or when you are reading new material.
- Become aware of the role questions play in your daily thinking.
- Pracitce paying attention to the questions that occur to you when you read.
- Some readers might claim they have no questions at all. This probably is a sign that they are not thinking as deeply as they could about the content.
- Some readers might not be aware of all the questions they have.

Chapter 3 Assignment
Think about the questions you have. What do you wonder? Think about what questions you have before you start reading chapter 3 (pages 38-65). Maybe you will be able to answer some of them while reading this chapter! Pay attention to your questions while reading the chapter, and ask questions when you finish the chapter.