Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to develop question strings which lead to deeper comprehension

Knowledge questions help pupils to recall or revise material that has already been covered.

Comprehension questions help pupils to clarify their understanding of the main points of a story.

Application questions help pupils to transfer knowledge learned in one context to another.

Analysis questions help pupils to think more deeply about mood, characters, setting, expressing opinions and preferences, inferring, deducing and referring to the text for evidence.

Synthesis questions help pupils to develop a critical stance based on information from a range of sources; to take an idea from one context and apply it in another.

Evaluation questions help pupils to make judgements, compare and contrast and develop reasoning based on evidence.

Initial response -

Which parts of the story do you like best ?

Have you ever had an experience like this ?

Who would enjoy reading this story. Why ?

Is the story better if read alone and silently or read aloud to others. Why ?

What was your first impression ? What made you want to read more ? What was difficult to understand ?

Favourite quote/passage –

Read aloud your favourite part of the book – why do you like it ?

Plot and characters –

How does the story begin ?

What makes a successful story ? what evidence do you have ?

Could the story be improved ? How ? Is this story as good as . . ?

Is the book all about the characters or all about the plot ?

Characters –

Who are the main characters ? What does the main character look like ?

Who is telling the story ? What is the problem faced by the character ?

Can you think of another story character who acted in the same way ?

How has the author used description/dialogue to show that this character is happy/afraid etc. ?

Do you agree with ________ ‘s opinion ?

Which character did you relate to the most ? Why ? How did the characters change throughout the story ? How did your opinion of them change ? Which characters changed and which stayed the same ? Which changes did you like ? Which didn’t you like ?

What would the main character think about . . ? If you were the main character, how would you have

reacted to . . ?

Was this character believable ?

If/then questions –

Shows a deep understanding of the text – if different choices had been made by the characters, how might the plot have changed ? (options are limitless)

Setting –

Where is the story set ? Where does the main character live ?

Which parts of the story describe the setting ?

Why did the author choose this setting ?

Could the story have taken place anywhere ? How important is the setting and why ?

How did the structure of the book affect the story ?

Have you read a story that begins in the same way as this one ?

If you were to write your own opening, what ideas would you borrow from this story ?

What do these words mean and why did the author choose them ? (relate to grammar, punctuation and knowledge of sentence structure)

The ending –

What happened at the end of the story ?

Do you think the ending was effective ?

How did you feel about the ending ? What did you like/not like ? What do you wish had been different ?

Themes –

Pick out any themes (the aim is to generate a great

conversation)

Can you think of another story with a similar theme ?

Generic questions -

What makes you think . . ?

What gives you that impression ?

Can you explain why ?

What is your opinion about . . ?

What evidence do you have to support your view/back up your opinion ?

Using the evidence available, what do you think about . . ?

How do you know that ?