We are excited to start a new blog series called Reader Ready: Standard by Standard. In this series, we will look at each RL standard. We will show you a resources, books, and ideas for teaching each standard.
This blog post features RL .1, Ask and Answer Questions About a Text.
The main point we try to get across with this standard is that good readers are constantly asking and answering questions about the text they are reading. We try to emphasize the importance of thinking about the text the whole time they read versus only thinking about it at the end if / when prompted with questions by the teacher.
Printable resources shown in this blog post can be purchased in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Additionally, we have instructional videos for RL.1 for purchase. You can watch the videos yourself in preparation of teaching RL.1 or you can show your kiddos as as a unit opener, as a self-guided lesson for the kiddos (when you need some down time!), or left with sub plans.
Asking Questions
Answering Questions
The Good Reader Tool for this unit is the Wonder Wheel. Kiddos LOVE the Wonder Wheel! They love to use it as a spinner, landing on a question prompt. When we've used it with kiddos, we have found them enjoy when we ask them questions and they enjoy making up the questions to ask us as well!
Good Reader Tool
{Wonder Wheel: a reader's mind never stops turning...we ask and answer questions as we read}
Anchor Chart
We use this anchor chart as a class for a variety of books; here is was used with The Bad Seed. We give students post it notes and each time they have a question during the read aloud, they write it down. We intentionally stop at various points of the text to model questions we might have. This activity can be used whole group or small group!
The Bad Seed shows how an action can make you mad or sad, but you can choose to still be happy and do good things!
Before starting the unit, we create the anchor chart labels and laminate. This gives us an anchor chart we can reuse for the entire unit! Additionally, using sticky notes helps make the chart easily reused!
Wemberly Worried is a favorite read aloud for back to school time! Poor Wemberly worries so much and now she's got to start school! Kiddos will see how finding a way to have fun with others can erase worries!
Guided Reading
After several whole group read alouds modeling the large anchor chart to
model asking and answering questions with students, we begin to use
printable task sheets to have students individually practice the skill
of asking and answering questions. Making this transition in small
guided reading groups helps! We like to give kiddos more guidance in
the small group. Using The Digger and The Flower,
the teacher wrote the question and the student answered. When ready,
students work in partner pairs to alternate asking and answering
questions.
The Digger and The Flower has a sweet message about caring for other living things!
During Guided Reading, we complete a similar task; students are each given one post it note with one of the question words on it (who, what, when, where, why, or how). They write a question they have about the book (during any point); and we put them on the smaller anchor chart that has the question words broken down into sections. We answer the questions together, which is a great way to review the book read. This anchor chart can also be used for students to use independently; they can use post it notes, or just write directly on the paper.
My Name Is Yoon is a great book for the beginning of the year when all kiddos are starting a new year and may have some apprehension of the unknown being in a new classroom. You'll be able to show kiddos how they may relate to Yoon.
Seeing a lot of sticky notes? We LOVE sticky notes!! They can:
- add a pop of color to anchor charts
- make anchor charts reuseable for the entire unit
- give all kiddos a chance to participate and interact with the anchor chart
For a few tasks during this unit, we printed on sticky notes! Here's how you can do it too!
Download this file. Print the template sheet first and place a sticky note on each blank square. Then, print the second page with the questions prompt labels. Hooray! You've got nice and neat sticky notes for your lesson!
Here's another idea for using sticky notes! If your kiddos aren't able to flip over the sticky and write or draw their response, keep 2 sticky notes stuck together. Write the question on the top sticky and kiddos can flip up to the bottom sticky and record their response. Bear Snores On is a great books with a friendship theme!
Independent Practice
We follow a pattern with our Good Reader Tools:
1. teacher modeling through whole group read aloud and anchor charts
2. guided practice in small reading groups using the individual reader tool
3. students use the good reader tool independently while reading books in their book boxes
Strictly No Elephants is a sweet books about accepting everyone as a friend! Here the kiddos is create their own questions using their text and individual Wonder Wheel. Your kiddos will love to use the Wonder Wheel as a spinner to create their own questions!
Paired Resources
Also, be sure to pair our RL.1 Print a Standard Packs with your unit! These packs each include over 10 activities to practice asking / answering questions about the text. The activities can be done whole group, small group, or independently. They are also great for assessments or homework. With all of our Print a Standard packs, we use formats that are easy to use but are engaging to the students. 
Book Recommendations
As with any standard, good read aloud are the MUST! Here are a few of our RL.1 Book Recommendations. Click on the titles below to find them on Amazon. (affiliate links)
The Bad Seed // My Name is Yoon // Wemberly Worried // Strictly No Elephants // Mrs. Spizer's Garden // Bear Snores On // The Digger and the Flower
More Reader Ready Posts!
Need more reading tools?
Check out our FREE webinar 'Interactive Reading in the Primary Grades!
Use
these tools to engage your readers with strategies to
interact with texts. We share easy to implement
resources to use in the classroom and at home. For attending the
webinar, get access to a file with the 5 reading tools featured above
so you can make your own classroom sets!
