2Nd Grade- Sample Questions/Prompts

2nd Grade- Sample Questions/Prompts

*For each of the questions below, ask students to support their answer with evidence from the text.

Reading Literature Standards:

RL2:Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

Teach the students Frist, Next, Last. Ask students to tell the key events from the story using those words.
Have students use the words, first, second, third, to tell the key events from a story.
After reading the story, ask students to retell the story, and to describe the moral of the story in their own words.
What is one important lesson that was learned in this story?
What moral or lesson can you learn from this story?
What lesson can be learned from this story?
What do you think is the message, or moral, of this story?
Think about the story events? What lesson did _____learn?
What lesson does_____ learn?
Summarize the story.
Use the important details from the story to retell what happened.
What lesson do you think _____learned?
What lesson do you think the author is trying to tell?
Remind students about what a moral of the story means. Through a class discussion, have students determine the moral of this story.
What happened first? Next? Finally?
What do you think____ learns at the end of the story?
What are the most important events in the story? In what order do the events take place?
What lesson can I learn from the characters at the end of the story?
What can you learn from reading a fable? Fairytale? Folktale?
What lesson can readers learn from the way this story ends?
What are the main events in this story?
What happens in this [story]? What is the central message?
What happens in this [story]? What does the author hope the reader learns from the [story]?
What happens in this [story]? What [lesson does Jose learn in the story]?
What happens in this [folktale]? What lesson does this [folktale teach]?
What happens in this [fable]? What is the moral of this [fable]?

RL3: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

For each character list the event, and words, thoughts, or actions.
Why does (character)start to feel ____?
How does (character) act after (event)? Why do you think the ______reacts this way?
How does _____change by the end of the story?
How does (character)feel at the beginning of the story? How does _____feel at the end of the story?
How are ____’s actions different at the beginning of the story than his/her actions at the middle and end of the story?
How does ___ act at the end of the story? What does this tell you about him/her?
Why do you think (character) isn’t angry when _____happens?
How does ______react when ______happens?
How does _____feel when _____happens? How do you know?
How do the characters react when they hear about______?
What clues in the text tell us that (character) is ______?
Why do you think _____(the character) decides to ______?
How does (the character) feel when (event that happens)?
What does (character) do when (event that happens)? Based on what you know about (character) why do you think this happens?
Why do/does(character(s)) (action)? What does (character) realize when he/she sees this?
What is ____’s attitude towards ______? How do you know?
How do you think (character) feels about ______now?
What word(s ) describe the character’s feelings at this point in the story?
How did (an event) change the life of (character)?
What can you tell about (character) based on how he/she (action)?
Why [does the boy smile]?

• How [does the[girl feel when she learns what happened]?

• What [does the dog do to find his owner]?

• How [does the main character change during the story]?

RL4: Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Identify the words that are repeated in the poem.
Point out that an action was repeated ___ times in the story, what action was repeated?
What effect does the repetition of words have?
What words and phrases does the author repeat?
What does (character) mean when he/she says (quote)?
What clues in the text help you understand the meaning of the word____?
Listen to the rhythm and repetition of the words. How do the words give the poem a rhythm, or beat and help you understand the meaning?
Comparing poems… Which poems use repeated words to help the reader understand what the author wants to say? Which use rhythm? Do any use rhyme?
What lines repeat?
What word in the text tells you how (character) feels about (topic)?
The author repeats the phrase: (quote)… How does that help you picture what happens?
How did the author use words and rhythm in this selection?
Why did the author use sound words in this story?
Authors sometimes use words that sound like noises to make a story seem real. Where in the story can you find examples of words that sound like an animal or object?
The author uses capital letters for some words. How would you read these words differently? Why does the author use capital letters for these words?
How do the words and phrases in the poem give it rhythm?
Why did the author use the word_____ instead of the word____?
The author uses many colorful verbs in this story. How does this help you picture what is happening?
What does it mean to (quote)?
How does the author describe___? Why do you think the author makes this comparison?
How do the repeated words add rhythm and meaning to the story?
How does the plot of (selection title) fit the saying (idiomatic expression)?

RL 5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

How did the author begin the story?
How does the ending of the story solve the problem from the beginning of the story?
How does the beginning of the story share the main problem?
How is the problem solved at the end of the story?
What happens at the beginning of the story that gives you a clue about the end?
What has changed by the end of the story?
What does the author want to help you understand at the beginning of the story?
What does the author want to help you understand at the end of the story?
What happens to (character) at the end of the story?
Tell students authors sometime use flashbacks to take readers back to an earlier time in order to explain what is happening in the present. What words in the ______sentence on page _____ signal that the author is talking about an earlier time?
Use the words first, next, and last to tell the sequence of the events.
Think about the action or events that take place at the beginning of the story, the middle, an finally the end of the story.
What is the problem at the beginning of the story? What events or character’s actions solve the problem?
What problem did the author present at the beginning of the story?
In the story ______how does ______( character) solve the problem?
Ask students to retell or summarize the important events in the story they read. Consider using a graphic organizer while you read record key events to reflect the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
What happens at the end of the story?
What happens in the middle of the story?
As you listen to the story listen for details about the characters, the setting, and the events that happen at the beginning, middle and end of the story.
In the middle of the story, how does______?

RL 6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

When you are reading the character’s words, think about how he or she might feel about what is happening.
Ask students to read the part of a character in the story using the voice they think the character should have.
How do you think (character) feels about what is happening in the story?
Read the character voices aloud and use your voice to show each character’s point of view.
How do (character’s) feeling about ______seem different from (character’s) feelings about ______?
How is (character’s) point of view different from (character’s) point of view?
From the point of view of (character) which is better?
What words on page ______give you clues to the point of view of ______?
Working with a partner, reread pages ______. Tell your partner what ______thinks or feels about ______.

How does [Lawanda] feel about the trip? How is that different from how her brother feels?

•How does [Frank] feel about getting a new dog? How is that different from how his mother feels?

•Read a portion of the story aloud using a different voice for each character.

RL 7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

How do the words and pictures make______?
How do the illustrations on page____ show you______?
What clues in the illustrations on page_____help you understand the meaning of the word ___?
How does the author use the illustration on page ____ to help you understand____?
How do the words and illustration on page____ show you_____?
How do the pictures and words work together on these pages?
Looking at a picture: What is happening in the picture? What details show you this? What conclusions can you draw?
How do the photos and captions help you learn more about _____?
How does the picture on page ____ show the same details that the text tells?
What do you learn from the picture?
How do the illustrations help you understand the characters in the story? Point to the picture to give an example.
What clues does the picture give you about when and where the story takes place?
The text says ______. How do the illustrations help you understand what the text means?
How does the picture on page____ go along with the text on that page?
What is (character) doing on page___? What part of the picture tells you this?
Look at the picture on page______. How do you think (character) feels?
How does the illustration relate to what is going on in the story?
Have students note describe the picture, list the page number and state the purpose of the picture in a graphic organizer.
Use words and pictures to complete a graphic organizer with the following headings: Character, What Happens, Words, Thoughts, Actions.
Use the illustrations on page____ to figure out _____.
What clues about (character) do you find in the words and pictures on page_____?
What does the illustration on page _____ show?
What clues do the words and pictures give you about the setting?
How do the pictures in this story help you understand the character?
Using the illustration on page ___, what new problem do you think (character) has now?
What did the character look like at the beginning, middle, and end of the story? Use the illustrations and text to support your answer.
Look at the illustrations on pages _____. What details do you notice about the characters shown that help you learn more about them?

RL9 Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

Compare the two stories that were read in class. What do they have in common? How are they different?
Invite students to make comparisons between the plot and events in versions of the same story.
Compare two versions of the same story. Ask students: What is the same about the two stories? What is different about each story?
Read two versions of the same story. Where does version one of the story take place? Is the setting the same as the setting in version two of the story? How are the characters the same and different? How are the events the same and different? Do the same ingredients go into the soup?
How are the stories ______and ______alike and different?
After reading two versions of the same folktale by different authors, explain how they are alike and different.
How are the [Cinderella stories from China and the United States] the same and different?
Have students complete the following frames:
The stories are similar because ______.
The stories are different because ______.
Both authors wanted readers to learn ______.

Reading Informational Text Standards:

*For each of the questions below, ask students to support their answer with evidence from the text.

RI 2 Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.

What is the main idea of the text we just read?
What are the important details found in the text we just read?
Details help us visualize what ____ is/are like. What are some detail words you might use to describe the ______you read about?
What is the main idea of the paragraph?
What details on the page support the main idea that ______?
What is the topic of page _____?
What are some details that describe ______?
What is the main topic on pages______? How do you know?
What are these paragraphs mainly about? How do these paragraphs relate to each other?
How does this section relate to the topic of this selection?
How do the headings help you figure out the main idea of the section?
What is the most important thing that happened because of _____? Which details help you to know this?
What details does the author give to show that ______?
What is the topic of _____?
As I read this page/section/passage, I learned that there are many ____. How does this detail help me figure out the main idea? What is the main idea of this passage/section?
Discuss with a partner the key details you learned on these pages about ____. Let’s list the details on our chart. (Main idea and key details graphic organizer).
Let’s review the key details on the chart. What do they all have in common? We can use how they are connected to help us figure out the main idea. How can we state the main idea about all of these?
Choose the details from this section that were the most important. Think about what they have in common and group them together. Use the groups of details to find the main idea for each part of the text.
Remind students that the main idea or main topic is what the text is mostly about. After reading, ask “What is the most important point the author makes?”
What is the main focus of each paragraph on this page? How do these paragraphs relate to the main topic of the whole text/
What is the main topic of this selection? What key details do we learn about the topic on pages ___?
Use the key details that you have identified in this text to figure out the main idea or main topic.
What it the main idea or main topic in this text? How did the key details help you to know?
What is the main idea the author wants you to learn about this topic?
Remind students that when reading expository text, we look for the key details in the words, photographs, and captions. The main idea is the most important point the author makes about the topic. After reading, guide students to identify key details. Ask them, “Why is this an important detail?” “What does it tell you about__?”
What is the main idea of the boxed information on this page?

RI 3Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in text.

What is the connection between ___ and ___?
Describe the connection between ____ and ____.
How do you think this will affect _____?
What might have happened if ____ didn’t happen?
How does ___ affect ____?
What are some problems that might occur if ______?
How are the two events connected? Which is the cause and which is the effect?
What is the cause and effect relationship between ____ and ____?
Why is it important to _____ before ___?
What would happen if one of the steps were not followed properly?
What would happen if (a person/animal) skipped that step?
What would happen if the order of the steps was mixed up?
How is _____connected to _____?
How are the steps connected?
What would happen if step____ was missed?
What happened after______?
What happed before______?
How did _____’s knowledge of ______help______?
How does ___ happen?
What is the first event on the timeline? How did this event impact the next two events?
What connections can you make between ideas that were presented long ago and inventions that we have available today?
How is life different now than ______?
How is life today different from when ______was alive?
Describe the life cycle of a ______.
What events lead up to [the first Thanksgiving]?
Why was [Christopher Columbus’ voyage] important?
What are the steps in [building a sandbox]? Why is it important to [sand the wood before it is painted]?

RI 4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.