Study Sync Skills Lesson: Generating Questions

Study Sync: Skills Lesson
Generating Questions Learning Target: How can I generate questions before/during/after reading to ensure understanding?
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By Brendan Mccann

Step 1:

Preview: to look at or see beforehand.

Before reading, you can preview a text’s title, headers, and other visual elements and generate questions in order to identify what you would like to learn.

Step 2:​

Generating questions is the strategy of coming up with your own questions before, during, and after reading. This strategy can help you gain information and deepen your understanding.

Generate: To make, produce, or create.

​Step 3:
During reading, you’ll probably think about what you understand or don’t understand

• For example: Why is this character so angry about what’s happening?

  After reading, think about any questions you still have that remain unanswered. You may wish to reread parts of the text to help you find or infer the answers.

Reorder

You are sitting in class and you are about to read a story or text. Put the steps in order to use the GENERATING QUESTIONS STRATEGY.

• Preview text features like the title or images/graphics.

• Use the text features to create questions about the story or text.

• Answer questions as you read, and think about unanswered questions when you finish. Re-read to find answers.

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Use words like who, what, when, where, and why to generate questions about what you are reading.

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During reading, you’ll probably think about what you understand or don’t understand

Multiple Select

Read the passage from "Walk Two Moons." Use who, what, when, where, or why to generate a question:

At that moment, it was if a switch went off in Mrs. Winterbottom's brain. She put her hand to her mouth and stared out the window. She was invisible to Prudence and Phoebe, though. They did not notice.

CHOOSE A QUESTION THAT WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE PLOT OF THE STORY:

• What is Mrs. Winterbottom surprised about?

• Why is Mrs. Winterbottom surprised?

• How is Mrs. Winterbottom feeling at this moment?

• Why is she "invisible" to Prudence and Phoebe?

Open Ended

Read the passage from Walk Two Moons. Use who, what, when, where, or why to generate a question:

Mrs. Winterbottom took the envelope and turned it over and over before she slowly unsealed it and slipped out the message.

"Oh," she said. "Who is doing this?" She held out the piece of paper: "In the course of a lifetime, what does it matter?"

Match

Your Turn: Evaluate the questions and decide WHEN you would ask them:

Before, During, or After reading?

• Why is the character feeling sad about what happened on the last page?

• Based on the cover and title, what might the main character want to do in this story?

• Will the main character be able to solve this new problem?

After Reading

Before Reading

During Reading

• After Reading

• Before Reading

• During Reading