Imagine you begin reading one of your favorite long-awaited books. You are almost in the middle of the book when you realize you cannot identify some characters. You thought they were momentarily added to the story but turns out they were from the beginning, and you forget their names. You surely will be disappointed!
If proper attention is not paid to the text, the probability of forgetting and missing important details in the text increases tremendously. Educators can use this opportunity to cultivate concentration and an active mindset in kids, considering the comprehension and reading level of a student. In accordance with the student’s potential and abilities, educators can employ strategies for assisting kids to critically understand and analyze the stories or texts.
Putting up pre-, while, and post-reading questions is a sound way to keep the children concentrated and engaged in the text. These questions allow kids to reflect upon their learning and understanding of the text and think outside the box by expanding their thought processes and letting their creative juices flow.
Before moving to some pre-, while, and post-reading questions, let’s understand the purpose of these questions and how they contribute to effective learning. Let’s get started!
Purpose of pre-, while, and post-reading questions
Pre, while, and post-reading questions are a great way to promote critical text analysis and make children self-competent. Considering different reading skills, these questions will ensure that kids won’t miss important details, and instead of rote learning, the kids engage in active analysis and synthesis of the text.
1. Pre-reading questions
Pre-reading questions are a perfect medium to build a base for reading and establish a purpose for reading. It will help kids anticipate what they will encounter and how it will be relevant.
2. While reading questions
It is a great way to assess if kids are keeping up with the text and critically analyzing it. Reading questions stimulate readers to identify and assess the theme and main idea of the text and whether the text is justified or not. These questions will let children ponder on the text and, in the process, refine their vocabulary, reading comprehension, and ability to connect the links in the text.
3. Post-reading questions
Post-reading questions are your go-to option if you want to evaluate a kid’s learning and assess the personal values kids associate with the text. They are a great way to begin discussions and encourage children to share their points of view. Kids learn to relate the content with real life and develop creative ideas to make the text more interesting.
Making English fun: pre-, while, and post-reading questions
Pre, while, and post-reading questions can be used in a variety of ways, such as bell-ringer questions, warm-up questions, test questions, critical thinking questions, and whatnot. Some pre-, while, and post-reading questions are as follows can make your English lessons more creative, fun, and interesting.pre
I. Pre-reading questions
- What do you think the text will be about? Why do you think so?
- Does the title present you with some idea of the story?
- Is the cover of the text of some relevance to you?
- What do you think, which genre the book is?
- Is the book fiction or based on some real-life story?
- Do the text illustrations provide you with some idea of the story?
- What do you think the main theme of the story will be?
- What do you think the plot of the story is?
- What do you think the tone of the text will be?
- Do you think the author will justify the story?
- What are the possible issues the story will deal with?
- Will the story have some significance in real life?
- What characters do you think the story will have?
- What roles do you think characters will be playing in the text?
- Who will be the main character of the story?
- What do you think the ending of the text will be?
- Can you predict the fate of the supporting characters in the text?
- Does the book remind you of something else you have encountered earlier?
- Can you identify some clues the author has hidden in the cover illustrations and text?
- What do you think the author aims at while writing this text?
- What emotions do you think the text will be based on?
- Can you relate the text and title to some personal life incident?
- Considering the cover and title, what questions would you have asked the author if given a chance?
- Are you aware of why we are reading this text?
- Considering the title, what do you think the writing format of the text will be? Is something unique or the author’s trademark writing style?
II. While reading questions
- Can you describe the theme of the text you have understood so far?
- What do you think will happen next in the text?
- Did you understand what we just read right now?
- Why do you think the characters did what they did?
- Do you think the character was right in their decision?
- Is there any better way to deal with the situations the character(s) are in now?
- What do you think you would do if you were in the place of the character?
- What emotions do you think the main character is feeling right now?
- Does the topic make sense to you now?
- Is the text justifying the main idea of the story?
- Can you make the plot more interesting and intriguing?
- Can you visualize what the author is trying to portray?
- Can you relate to the characters and the story?
- Do you know someone in real life who resembles the main character of the text?
- Has anything similar to the text’s plot ever happened to you in your real life?
- Do you relate to the character’s emotions and mindset so far?
- How do you think you are different from the main character in the text?
- Is there anything that needs to be re-read for better understanding?
- Can you identify some turning points in the story that shaped the story?
- Why do you think the author wrote the middle like he did?
- What surprised you most about the text till now?
- Can you describe the text we have just covered in your own words?
- Do you like the characters so far? Which character is your favorite and why?
- Do you think the vocabulary used in the text so far is easy to understand and read?
- Do you think the author has smartly used similes, metaphors, etc., in the text?
III. Post-reading questions
- What is the main idea of the text?
- Can you describe the story in your own words?
- Can you list at least five important events in the story? Try to list them in categories of beginning, middle, and end.
- Did you understand the implications of the theme in the text?
- Can you relate to every character in the text? If not, why?
- Is the ending justified to you?
- How do you think the story should end?
- What questions do you want to put up with the author?
- Is there anything about the text that’s bothering you?
- Do you think some or all characters deserve a different ending?
- What is one personal learning you will take with yourself from this text?
- Will you re-read this book or recommend it to your friends?
- Did the author justify your expectations from the text?
- Did you understand the character’s background and history?
- Is any word, paragraph, or page unclear and needs clarification?
- What do you like and dislike most from the text?
- Is the author’s intention behind writing the story clear?
- How does the story make you feel?
- Are there any surprising elements in the story for you?
- From whose perspective has the story been written?
- If given a chance, which character role would you like to play? Why?
- What modifications would you like to make to the role of the main character in the text?
- What do you think the sequel of the text will be about?
- Can anything similar to the plot happen in real life? Why and why not?
- Can you highlight some similarities and differences between the characters in the text?
Bottom line
There are multiple ways to improve children’s reading and comprehension skills, and pre-, while, and post-reading questions are among them. The above-mentioned questions can easily be applied to a wide range of reading materials and used with young and high school kids.
These questions will not only assess the understanding level of the kids but will also help children formulate their views regarding the text and manipulate it according to their liking. Educators can use these questions in their English classes and customize them according to their needs and the text. The questions will be a great base for long-term learning and unique experiences.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,