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My Reading Mentor

Helping Children Ask Better Questions While They Read

Reading becomes more active when children learn to wonder, predict, clarify and challenge ideas. Asking questions helps them connect new information with what they already know, notice important details and monitor whether the text makes sense.

Teaching children to ask questions while they read is useful across fiction, information books, websites and school assignments. The skill supports comprehension, vocabulary, inference and independent learning, including the demands of the Australian Curriculum.

Some children begin with simple questions such as “What happened?” Others may need explicit modelling before they can ask about motives, evidence or the meaning of unfamiliar words. A patient routine makes this process feel manageable rather than like another test.

Families in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and regional communities can use the same approach at home, in a public library or during an online literacy session. Short conversations about a shared text can be just as valuable as a long reading lesson.

Begin With Curiosity

Before opening a book, invite children to inspect the title, cover, headings or illustrations. Ask what they notice and what they predict, then encourage them to turn those thoughts into questions. “I wonder why the character is alone” is more useful than asking a child to guess the whole plot.

Model your own thinking aloud. Say, “I wonder whether this information will explain how the animal survives,” or “I’m not sure what this word means, so I’ll read the next sentence for clues.” Children learn that good readers do not understand every word immediately; they pause, investigate and revise their ideas.

Use Question Stems

Question starters reduce the pressure of creating a perfect question from nothing. Display a few on the fridge, beside a home reading folder or in a child’s exercise book. Gradually remove the prompts as the child becomes more confident.

Useful stems include “Why did…?”, “How do we know…?”, “What might happen if…?” and “What is the author trying to show?” For younger readers, “Who?”, “Where?” and “What happened next?” provide a strong foundation. Older students can explore perspective, bias, evidence and cause.

Question Starters For Practice

Pause At Natural Points

A child does not need to stop after every sentence. Too many interruptions can weaken fluency and make reading feel laborious, especially for learners who already find decoding difficult. Choose natural pauses after a page, paragraph, chapter or significant event.

Try a simple before-during-after rhythm. Before reading, make a prediction. During reading, ask one question about meaning or evidence. Afterwards, discuss which predictions changed and what in the text caused that change. This routine works well with a novel, a school worksheet or an article about Australian wildlife.

In Australian classrooms, teachers may connect questions to texts selected under the Australian Curriculum or to preparation for NAPLAN-style comprehension tasks. The aim is deeper understanding, rather than training children to produce a fixed type of answer.

Move Beyond Recall

Recall questions are a useful starting point, but children need opportunities to think beyond information stated directly. Ask them to infer feelings, compare viewpoints and explain how they reached an interpretation.

A character may never say, “I am frightened,” yet the child can use actions, descriptions and dialogue as evidence. In a nonfiction text, a student can ask whether a claim is supported by facts, photographs, headings or reliable sources. These conversations build the reading habits needed for secondary school and later study.

When a child gives an answer, respond with “What makes you think that?” This keeps attention on the text and teaches children to support ideas rather than rely on a guess. Accept different interpretations when the evidence allows them.

Support Multilingual Learners

Children who speak another language at home may have strong ideas but limited English vocabulary. Allow them to discuss a question in their strongest language first, draw a response, or use a bilingual dictionary before expressing the idea in English. This supports EAL/D learners without lowering the intellectual level of the discussion.

Phonics, spelling and oral language also affect question-making. A child who is concentrating heavily on decoding may have little attention left for comprehension. Personalised literacy support, such as that offered by My Reading Mentor, can combine reading instruction with confidence-building strategies for bilingual children and students with reading difficulties.

Make It Practical At Home

Everyday Australian routines create useful reading opportunities. A child can question a supermarket catalogue, a bus timetable, a library notice, a sports report or a recipe. During a tram ride in Melbourne or a train journey in Sydney, ask what information a sign provides and what remains unclear.

Keep the conversation brief and specific. Instead of asking, “Did you like the story?”, try “Which decision changed the story?” or “What would you like to find out next?” Families in regional and remote areas can use e-books, school platforms and online reading groups when local book access is limited.

Everyday Texts To Explore

Build Confidence Through Choice

Children ask more meaningful questions when they have some control over what they read. Offer two or three suitable choices, including graphic novels, factual books, poetry and high-interest articles. Choice is especially important for reluctant readers and students who associate reading with correction.

Praise the thinking process rather than the cleverness of a question. “You noticed a detail and connected it to an earlier event” gives precise feedback. Avoid correcting grammar while the child is exploring an idea; reformulate gently afterwards if language practice is needed.

Schools and families should also consider accessibility and inclusion. Under Australia’s Disability Discrimination Act 1992, students with disability are entitled to reasonable adjustments in education. Enlarged text, audio support, extra processing time or multisensory tools can help a child participate in question-led reading.

Track Growth Without Pressure

A small question journal can show progress over time. The child might record one prediction, one confusing point and one idea supported by evidence after each reading session. A drawing, voice recording or short sentence can serve the same purpose for younger learners.

Review the journal every few weeks and notice changes: questions may become more specific, explanations may include evidence, and the child may begin asking questions independently. This information can help families communicate with classroom teachers or tutors and identify whether support is needed with decoding, vocabulary or comprehension.

The goal is an engaged reader who notices when meaning is unclear and knows what to do next. With regular modelling, appropriate texts and encouraging discussion, questions become a natural part of reading rather than an extra task added afterwards.