As my six-year-old races through 1st grade, I find myself seeking ways to guide his development of reading comprehension. I am a Reading Parent for his classroom.
His teacher supplied me with valuable information to assist me in speaking with the children about the stories and content we're sharing each week. I took her guidance and added to it where I felt I could and believed adding more meat was necessary.
I have many authentic AMS language lessons archived for your reference. I also have loads of Montessori language materials available for download in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Don't miss all the freebies!
Reading Comprehension – How to Talk with Kids about Fiction
Reading Comprehension – Setting
- Describe the scene(s) of the story
- At what point in the day/week/year is the story?
- Did this story happen in the past or present?
Reading Comprehension – Characters
- Name the main characters in the story.
- What words does the author use to describe the main characters?
- Who is the most important? Why?
- Which character can you describe to me?
- Which character do you enjoy learning about?
- Do any of the characters have a special friendship or relationship?
- Describe the appearance of the main characters
- Describe the personality of the main characters
Reading Comprehension – Plot
- Is there a problem to be solved?
- How might the problem be solved?
- How was the problem solved?
- Would you have solved the problem differently?
- What were the main points of the story?
Reading Comprehension – Narrator/Perspective
- Who told the story?
- Is it the author? Is it a character?
- How do you know who is telling the story?
- Why do you think this character told the story?
Reading Comprehension – Mood
- What do you feel when you read this story?
- How do you think the characters feel?
- Is there a happy character? a sad character? a frustrated character? an angry character? a worried character?
- How can you tell? Which words does the author use to tell you how the character feels?
- Did your feelings change as you read the story? At which point?
Reading Comprehension – Theme
- What is the story about?
- How did the author show us the story was about courage/friendship/sadness/etc.?
Reading Comprehension – Genre
- Do you think this story happened?
- What makes you believe it could have happened?
- How do you know the story is fiction?
- How can you tell that the story isn't non-fiction?
Reading Comprehension – Style
- What type of language does the author use?
- Does the author use soft words? Give an example.
- Does the author use strong words? Give an example.
- Which parts of the story are most memorable?
Reading Comprehension – Simile
- How does the author describe a character or place?
- Does the author compare the character or the place to anything?
Reading Comprehension – Metaphor
- What did the author compare the character or place too?
Reading Comprehension – Personification
- What was the author trying to tell us about the character or the place?
- How can you tell? Which words or phrases did the author use to get this point across to the reader?
Our favorite read-aloud chapter books are The Magic Treehouse series, the Droon Series, Boxcar Children, and My Father's Dragon Tales.
Marnie