Level 1 • Lesson 69 — Asking and answering questions

Objective

Ask and answer simple who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about a story or read-aloud.

Materials

Pencil/paper for the activity
The Sound Pad (bottom right corner) to hear letter and digraph sounds

Mini-lesson — Using question words to understand stories

Good readers do not just read the words. They ask questions and try to find the answers.

We can use question words to help us:

Who is the story about?
Where does it happen?
When does it happen?
What happens in the story?
Why did that happen?
How did the problem get solved?

We can ask questions:

Before reading: “What do I think this story will be about?”
During reading: “Why did the character do that?”
After reading: “What did I learn?”

Good readers also answer questions by:

thinking about what they already know
looking or listening back to the story
using the pictures and words together

You can use these frames:

“My question is…”

“I think the answer is…”

Today, you will practice asking and answering questions about a story.

Picture strip: Question bubbles around a book

Guided Practice — Mini-book: Questioning the story

How to use this mini-book:

Read each page and notice the question words.
Think about how each question helps you understand the story.
Practice saying the question and then answering it.

On your paper, write one “who” question and one “why” question you could ask about today's reading.

Useful question words

who what where when why how question

Frames: “My question is…” “I think the answer is…”

Mini-Book: Questioning the story

1

Who and what

Good readers ask, “Who is this story about?” and “What is happening?”

These questions help you find the characters and the main events.

When you can answer who and what, you can tell the main idea of the story.

2

Where and when

Other questions are “Where does this story take place?” and “When does it happen?”

These questions help you picture the setting in your mind.

The time and place can change how the story feels and what can happen.

3

Why and how

“Why did that happen?” and “How did they solve the problem?” are deeper questions.

They help you think about the characters' choices and feelings.

These questions make you understand the story, not just remember it.

4

Before, during, after

You can ask questions before, during, and after a story.

Before reading, questions help you make a prediction.

During and after reading, questions help you check if you understand the story.

Reading Practice — Which question fits?

Read each story sentence or situation. Drag the best question that matches it, or the best answer to the question. Chips stay in their own question. Then press “Check sentences.”

You are starting a new story and want to know who it is mostly about.
A good question to ask is:

Who is the main character in the story? Where is my backpack? Why is the floor wet?

They walked into the big, noisy city.
To think about the setting, you might ask:

Where does the story take place? Who will win the race? How much does it cost?

The moon was bright as they walked home.
A question that matches this is:

When does this story happen? Why did they walk home? Who is your best friend?

She held out her umbrella so her friend would not get wet.
A good question to think about is:

Why did the character share the umbrella? When did it start raining? Where is the umbrella now?

The story has a big problem, and you want to know how it is fixed.
A helpful question is:

How did they solve the problem in the story? Who is sitting next to you? What is your favorite snack?

Who is the main character?
The best answer is:

The main character is a boy named Leo. It happens in the winter. Because he wanted to help his friend.

Where does the story take place?
The best answer is:

The story takes place at a busy train station. They solved it by talking and sharing. The main character is the teacher.

When does the story happen?
The best answer is:

It happens at night, after dinner. Because she was feeling lonely. They are standing in the park.

Why did he say sorry to his friend?
The best answer is:

Because he wanted to fix his mistake. He was in the library. It was a very long story.

Your teacher asks, How can questions help you understand a story?
The best answer is to .

use who, what, where, when, why, and how to ask and answer questions about the story never ask questions and just guess only think about questions after the book is gone

Quick Check — Asking and answering questions

Why do good readers ask questions?

To finish the story as fast as possible To help themselves understand the story better To make the story more confusing

Which set shows the question words in this lesson?

red, blue, yellow, green run, jump, play, sleep who, what, where, when, why, how

What does a “who” question ask about?

The person or character The place where it happens The time of day

What does a “where” question ask about?

Why the character is sad The place or setting of the story How long the story is

How can you answer a question about a story?

Guess without thinking about the story Only look at the pictures and ignore the words Think about the story and look or listen back to find clues

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Can explain why asking questions helps with understanding a story Uses who, what, where, when, why, and how to ask simple questions about a text Answers questions by thinking about and referring back to the story Shares at least one clear question or answer during discussion

Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can ask and answer questions about a story 🙂 I need more practice using question words 😅 Asking and answering questions still feels tricky

I will practice…

Using who, what, where, when, why, and how when I read Looking back at the story to find answers Sharing at least one question after a read-aloud

Lesson 69: Asking and answering questions