COMMON CORE
READING DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
(Complete at least 1 discussion question about your Home
Reading with an adult each week.)
Name _________________
Dear Parents,
I am excited to begin this school year with a reading program to use
at home that, with your participation, will help your child’s reading abilities grow.
Our classroom goal is for each child to read 20 - 30 minutes at home each day.
Studies show that a child’s comprehension greatly increases when reading is
combined with critical questioning.
Attached are questions representing Common Core Standards which
can be used for fiction and non-fiction texts. Please choose 1 question each week
to engage in discussion with your child about the book he/she is reading. The
questions are designed to be used with any text, but being familiar with the text
your child is reading will help you choose an appropriate question. Think of the
questions as a guide. Use them as inspiration to create your own natural
dialogue while reading. The purpose of the questions is to help your child make
connections and think critically about the text. Please have your child record
his/her answers for each week’s discussion in his/her Reading Response Log.
Thank you for letting me be a part of the important partnership we
share in helping your child become an excellent reader.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Anderson
Guidelines for Response Log
Your response should:
* be at least 5 – 7 sentences.
* follow the sample format
* include your name, date, book title, author,
genre, and common core question number.
* answer the question asked in a complete
sentence using part of the question in the
answer.
* include details and evidence from the text.
* include characters’ names when necessary.
* be signed by a parent of caregiver.
_______________________________________________________________
Mrs. Anderson
September 6, 2012_
_______________________________________________________________
Book: The Stories Julian Tells_______________________________________
Author: Ann Cameron_____________________________________________
Genre: Realistic Fiction____________________________________ ________
Common core Discussion Question: Fiction 3.2.c________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_____In the chapter “The Pudding Like a Night on the Sea” Julian and his ____
brother Huey learn an important lesson. After their dad makes pudding, he__
tells them that they are to leave it alone while he takes a nap. However, the _
two brothers decide to taste the pudding. When they have finished there is _
nothing left. Julian’s dad has the boys remake the pudding so that they can __
see how much work and effort it took. The boys learned that it is important to
always be honest and to listen to your parents. They also learned that making
pudding is much more difficult than eating it!___________________________
_______________________________________________________
RL.3.1.
Fiction
a. Explain an important event, setting or character.
Use details from the text in your description.
b. Mark with a sticky note a section of the text that is
confusing or makes you wonder. Reread it with
someone and write about it. Explain your thinking.
c. As you read, stop to ask yourself questions about
what will happen next. Discuss your predictions.
Record your predictions supporting them with clues.
d. What questions do you have about the characters’
actions? Why do you think the characters made the
decisions they did?
RL.3.2.
Fiction
a. What central message/theme did the author want the
reader to understand? What details helped you
understand the message?
b. Read a fable, myth or folktale. Write about a challenge
or problem that a character faced. Explain how the
problem was solved.
c. What lesson did the characters learn? Include specific
details.
d. Retell what you read today with someone. Retell the
story in your log using five good detailed sentences
based upon the most important events. Create an
illustration if you want.
RL.3.3.
Fiction
a. Choose three personality traits to describe an
important character in the text. Give evidence for
each trait. (Maggie is kind because in the story
she…) Draw a picture of the character if you want.
b. What feelings did the characters experience? What
made them feel that way?
c. Identify an important character from the text.
Describe an important decision he/she made. What
motivated him/her. Sketch the scene, if you want.
d. How did an important character’s actions effect the
story. Explain with details.
RL.3.4.
Fiction
a. As you read, make a list of words you do not know.
Based on clues from the text, what do you think each
word means?
b. Can you find any examples of nonliteral language
(figurative language – simile, metaphor, personification
etc..). Copy the text and explain its meaning?
c. Identify two important words that are interesting to you.
Use context clues or a dictionary to write the definitions.
Try to use these words in conversation.
d. (Poetry) Find some examples of similes or metaphors.
Copy the words and explain their literal meaning using
words and pictures.
RL.3.5.
Fiction
a. How does the chapter you read today connect to the
last chapter you read? What do you think will
happen next?
b. What clues does the author give the reader for what
might happen next?
c. How do you think the author decides when to start
and stop each chapter? Give examples from your
reading.
d. Did this text use chapters, scenes, or some other
structure? Explain.
RL.3.6.
Fiction
a. What is the main character’s point of view? Do you
agree or disagree with this character’s opinion?
Explain.
b. If you could change anything about what you read
today, would you? Explain using details.
c. If you were best friends with the main character, what
advice would you give to him or her?
d. How do you compare and contrast with the characters
you are reading about. (How are you alike/different?)
Explain with details.
RL.3.7. (Fiction text with illustrations)
a. What mood or feeling does an illustration from the text
have? Explain.
b. Look at an illustration. What is something new you
can learn about the story from studying it?
c. How do the illustrations compare and contrast to the
story you picture in your mind? If you want, draw your
mind picture.
d. Look at the setting in the illustrations. What details
from the book do you notice? What details did the
illustrator add?
RL.3.9. (Two or more fiction books by same author)
a. What characters are similar in the books you have
read by this author? Describe them.
b. Does the author use similar settings in his or her
books? What about the setting is unique or different in
this book?
c. What do you like about how this author writes? Explain.
Would you read more books by this author? Why?
d. What kinds of themes have you read about in books by
this author? Explain.
RI.3.1.
Nonfiction/Information Text
a. Look through the text before you read it. Make a list
of questions you think will be answered as you read.
Discuss your questions with someone.
b. As you read mark with a sticky note parts of the text
that confuse you or make you wonder. Reread the
part with someone and write about. Explain your
thinking.
c. If you were making a quiz about the text, what
questions would be important? What would be a
good answer for each?
d. As you read the text, create a list of questions to ask
a partner at home. They can do the same. Then
discuss each of your questions.
RI.3.2.
Nonfiction/Information Text
a. What is the author’s main idea(s) in the text?
Summarize what you read about today in your own words.
b. What are some interesting details you learned? How do
they connect to the main idea(s)?
c. What was the main idea your read about today? How
does it connect to what you read earlier?
d. Pick an interesting paragraph you read today. What
was the main idea? What details supported the main
idea?
RI.3.3.
Nonfiction/Informational Text
a. Did you read about any cause effect relationships?
What were they? Hint: Think about events and why
they happened.
b. If you can, make a timeline of events from what you
read today.
c. What important ideas did you read about today? How
are they connected to each other?
d. What time order words did the author use to help you
understand the text? Why are they important?
RI.3.4.
Nonfiction/Informational Text
a. As you read, write down words (include page numbers)
you do not understand. Afterwards discuss them with
someone. Explain the word meanings.
b. What new words did you learn that are important
vocabulary for the topic you are reading about? What do
they mean?
c. If you were making a vocabulary test for what you read
today, which words would you include? What do they
mean?
d. Look for words you do not know very well. What clues
help you understand what each word means?
RI.3.5.
Nonfiction/Informational Text
a. What text features did the author use (pictures,
diagrams, captions, headlines)? How did they help
you understand the text?
b. If you needed to look up information about a
specific topic in this book what text feature would
you use? Explain how you would use it.
c. Does this book use headings? Before you read, look
at the headings and predict what each section will
be about? Write about your predictions.
d. As you read think of a question you’d like to research
more. Research with someone online. Write about
your research.
RI.3.6.
Nonfiction/Informational Text
a. What personal background or knowledge do you have
on the topic? What background does the author have to
make him or her an expert?
b. What questions would you like to ask the author about
the topic? How do you think he or she would answer?
c. Does the author mostly give facts or opinions? Do you
agree or disagree with the author’s opinions? Why?
d. What is your opinion about the topic you are reading?
How is it similar or different from the author’s opinion?
RI.3.7.
Nonfiction/Informational Text
a. Flip through the illustrations. What kind of
illustrations does the author use (maps, charts,
timelines etc)? Why are they appropriate for the topic?
b. What illustrations did you look at while reading? How
did they help you learn about what you read?
c. Pick an illustration for you and a partner at home to
carefully look at after you read. What details are
important?
d. Pick some illustrations to examine. What is the main
purpose of each one? Hint: Does it answer who, what,
when, where, why, or how?
RI.3.8.
Nonfiction/Informational Text
a. Choose an interesting series of three paragraphs. How
are the paragraphs connected? Hint: Do they describe,
compare/contrast, sequence, explain cause/effect?
b. Choose an interesting paragraph to examine. How do
the sentences connect to each other? Hint: Do they
describe, compare/contrast, sequences, or explain
cause/effect?
c. What was the main purpose of the text you read today.
What are some sentences that are good examples of this?
d. Look at the headings. Based on the headings what kind
of connections do you think the author will make in each
section?
RI.3.9.
Nonfiction/Informational Text
(multiple books on same topic)
a. What important ideas and details did you read today that
are similar to what you have learned in other texts?
b. What new ideas and details did you learn in this text?
c. Compared to other books you’ve read about this topic,
which one would you recommend? Why? Think about the
details in each.
d. After reading multiple texts on this topic, what do you think
are the most important points and details someone should
know?
Evidence Based Terms Use these when writing your responses!
The boy was sad because his dog ran away.
The man loved clouds for instance, he moved to a house with big
windows just to watch the clouds.
Adelina loved whales for example, she would spend hours listening to
stories about them.
The force of the wind was very strong. I know because the author said
the force of the wind could shatter a window.
According to the text the purpose of a robot is to do a job.
Hurricanes that are very destructive may have their names retired. It said
on page 405 that the name Hurricane Andrew was retired for that
reason.
From the reading I know that an anemometer measures the speed of
the wind.