Questioning Stems for “Thinking Within the Text” with Fiction
1. Tell some things the characters like to do.
2. What was the main character doing in the story?
3. What happened first in the story?
4. What happened at the end?
5. What was ______________’s problem in the story?
6. What did _______________ do to try to solve the problem in the story?
7. What were the important points in this story?
8. Summarize the main events in this story.
13. What were the important points made in this book?
Questioning Stems for “Thinking About the Text” with Fiction
9. Is this a good title for the piece? Why/why not?
10. What did the character(s) learn?
11. Why do you think the writer said ______________?
12. How did the writer help you know how the character was feeling?
13. Give an example of a description the writer used to show what __________was like. Why did the writer use this description?
14. What was the most important part of the story? Why was that part important?
15. What was the writer’s message?
16. How did the writer start and end the story? Why did he/she do that?
17. How did the writer let you know that something exciting was going to happen (or use foreshadowing)? Find an example in the story.
18. What did the writer do to make you predict what would happen next in the book?
19. Why do you think the writer wrote this book in first person?
20. What did the writer do to make the dialogue between the characters sound real? Show an example from the book.
Questioning Stems for “Thinking Beyond the Text” with Fiction
21. How can you tell that the characters feel __________? (Insert emotion.)
22. How do you think the character feels about ____________? (Insert topic.)
23. Why did the character _______________?
24. Why did the character say “_______________________” in the story?
25. What do you think the character was thinking?
26. Does this story remind you of anything?
27. Why did the character want ______________?
28. Did the character make a good decision? Why or why not?
29. What were some of the clues the author gave you about _____________?
30. How would you describe the character? Why?
31. How were the beginning and ending parts of the story alike? How were they different?
32. What lesson do you think the character learned?
33. How did the character’s feelings change and why?
34. What was surprising to you in the story?
35. What does the word “____________” tell you about how the character was feeling?
36. Make and support a prediction about what you think will happen next.
1. Tell some things the characters like to do.
2. What was the main character doing in the story?
3. What happened first in the story?
4. What happened at the end?
5. What was ______________’s problem in the story?
6. What did _______________ do to try to solve the problem in the story?
7. What were the important points in this story?
8. Summarize the main events in this story.
13. What were the important points made in this book?
Questioning Stems for “Thinking About the Text” with Fiction
9. Is this a good title for the piece? Why/why not?
10. What did the character(s) learn?
11. Why do you think the writer said ______________?
12. How did the writer help you know how the character was feeling?
13. Give an example of a description the writer used to show what __________was like. Why did the writer use this description?
14. What was the most important part of the story? Why was that part important?
15. What was the writer’s message?
16. How did the writer start and end the story? Why did he/she do that?
17. How did the writer let you know that something exciting was going to happen (or use foreshadowing)? Find an example in the story.
18. What did the writer do to make you predict what would happen next in the book?
19. Why do you think the writer wrote this book in first person?
20. What did the writer do to make the dialogue between the characters sound real? Show an example from the book.
Questioning Stems for “Thinking Beyond the Text” with Fiction
21. How can you tell that the characters feel __________? (Insert emotion.)
22. How do you think the character feels about ____________? (Insert topic.)
23. Why did the character _______________?
24. Why did the character say “_______________________” in the story?
25. What do you think the character was thinking?
26. Does this story remind you of anything?
27. Why did the character want ______________?
28. Did the character make a good decision? Why or why not?
29. What were some of the clues the author gave you about _____________?
30. How would you describe the character? Why?
31. How were the beginning and ending parts of the story alike? How were they different?
32. What lesson do you think the character learned?
33. How did the character’s feelings change and why?
34. What was surprising to you in the story?
35. What does the word “____________” tell you about how the character was feeling?
36. Make and support a prediction about what you think will happen next.