How to ask 'What' questions about a topic for Kindergarten ELA

💡 Quick Study Guide: Asking 'What' Questions in Kindergarten ELA

• 📖 Focus on retrieving concrete details from a story or text. 'What' questions are excellent for identifying key information.
• 🎯 Use simple, direct language that kindergarteners can easily understand. Avoid complex sentence structures.
• 🗣️ Relate 'What' questions to fundamental story elements: characters, setting, and key events.
• 👀 Encourage observation and recall. Prompt students to look back at pictures or text for answers.
• 🖼️ Provide visual aids or point to specific parts of an illustration when asking the question to help guide their focus.
• 🧠 'What' questions build foundational comprehension by asking students to state facts directly from the material.

📝 Practice Quiz: Asking 'What' Questions

Choose the best 'What' question for a kindergarten ELA lesson.

1. After reading a story about a cat, which 'What' question helps identify a character?

1. What color was the cat's fur?
2. Why did the cat run away?
3. How did the cat feel?

2. During a unit on seasons, which 'What' question targets the setting?

1. What season is happening in this picture?
2. When do leaves fall off the trees?
3. Who likes to play in the snow?

3. After listening to a story about a trip to the zoo, which 'What' question focuses on an event?

1. What did the children see first at the zoo?
2. Where did they go on their trip?
3. How many animals were there?

4. While looking at a picture of a farm, which 'What' question helps identify an object?

1. What is the farmer holding in his hand?
2. Why does the farmer need a hat?
3. Who lives on the farm?

5. Which of these is the most effective 'What' question for a kindergarten student about a picture of a bear eating honey?

1. What is the bear doing?
2. Where is the honey?
3. When will the bear finish eating?

6. Which question is NOT a 'What' question?

1. What did the boy build?
2. Why was the girl happy?
3. What color is the apple?

7. What is the primary purpose of asking 'What' questions in kindergarten ELA?

1. To encourage creative storytelling.
2. To assess recall of specific details and facts.
3. To explore character motivations.