Many students struggle with answering reading questions, even if they have no trouble reading. If your child finds this aspect of reading activities difficult, a great way to lend a hand is by reviewing the types of questions they might be asked and helping them expand on their ideas to give detailed answers.
To properly answer a reading question, your child first needs to understand what the question is asking! There are four possible types of questions, each corresponding to a different dimension of reading. It’s important to know what they are and what distinguishes them, as a comprehension question, for instance, requires a different approach than a reaction question.
Students are taught the four dimensions of reading in class to help them work on developing reading skills that go beyond simply finding information in a text. The overview below includes a summary of how to answer each type of question, along with several examples.
|
Reading dimension |
Sample questions |
|---|---|
|
Comprehension
|
|
|
Interpretation
|
|
|
Reaction
|
|
|
Assessment
|
|
You don’t have to have read the text yourself to help your child answer questions about it more effectively! All you have to do is be curious and be a good listener. Get into the habit of asking your child about what they’re reading. Make sure to ask a variety of questions that cover all four reading dimensions.
Download this tool for a list of question ideas!
Answering reading questions effectively means providing a thorough response. Your child likely has a tendency to give very concise answers. That’s perfectly normal! Learning to develop their ideas takes time and practice.
Apart from those related to comprehension, all reading questions require some type of justification. This means that students must not only give an answer, but also explain the reasoning behind it. They are typically asked to do so using elements from the text.
Here are some examples of partial and complete answers.
|
Partial answers |
Complete answers |
|---|---|
|
|
Try these strategies to encourage your child to give detailed answers rather than a simple yes or no response.
Ask open-ended questions.
If your child gives an incomplete answer, ask a follow-up question.
Encourage your child to rephrase their ideas.
Ask your child to justify an idea using an example from the text.
Share your thoughts on the text.
Draw parallels between the themes in the text and your own life.