M01 ande5832 04 se c01. indd

 Story Questions 
Questions to Ask While You Read 
 1. 
What do you think this character might be 
thinking? What clues help you to know?
 2. 
How do you think this character feels? What 
clues help you?
 3. 
Why did _______ finally decide to _______ ?
 4. 
What was the reason for _______ ?
 5. 
What do you think might happen next? Why 
do you think so?
Questions to Ask After You Read 
 1. 
What does the title of the story mean to you 
now?
 2. 
What caused the problem faced by the main 
character?
 3. 
What words describe the personalities of the 
characters?
 4. 
What did the main character learn at the end? 
What did the other characters learn?
 5. 
What do you think is the most important 
idea the author might want you to remember 
about this story?
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C H A P T E R 2 :
Elements of Quality Children’s Literature

43
way. Asking children to tell you about their drawings will help them verbalize their 
personal meanings. Once the drawings and verbalizations have occurred, form 
small or large groups for readers to discuss their various meanings. Sharing this 
way allows readers to learn to respect the opinions of others, to ask questions for 
clarification, and to extend their individual meanings if they so choose. Usually the 
teacher needs to model for children how to show respect for the interpretations and 
opinions of others, but the teacher can do this only if he or she genuinely accepts 
diverse opinions.
L
iterature Circles 
A great way to turn kids on to books, allowing them to respond to what they read 
by sharing their thoughts with others, is literature circles . These are small, temporary 
discussion groups that have chosen to read the same book. More is said about litera-
ture circles in Chapter 14 , but here I offer a brief outline based on Literature Circles: 
Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom (Daniels, 1994): 
•
Students choose their own reading materials.
•
Small, temporary groups are formed, based on book choices.
•
Different groups read different books.
•
Groups meet on a regular schedule to discuss their reading.
•
Students use notes to guide both their reading and discussion.
•
Discussion topics come from the students.
•
Group meetings aim to be open, natural conversations generated through 
personal connections, digressions, and open-ended questions about books.
•
In newly formed groups, students play a rotating assortment of task roles.
•
The teacher serves as a facilitator, not as a group member or instructor.
D
eveloping a Classroom Library