Book Snap #6 Lessons from the book

It is often recommended to ask students questions about what they've read in order to find out if they comprehended it.  But how do you know what questions to ask?  Are some questions better than others?
On pages 98-106, the authors provide short text passages at various grade levels, along with examples of questions that focus on the crucial parts students need to understand.  By asking questions about these parts, teachers can quickly assess a student's reading comprehension and where/why they misunderstand.  When students answer incorrectly, teachers should ask them to share their thinking to gain insight into which text feature tripped them up.  The authors prefer doing this Q&A in large group discussions to give all students access to their classmates' thinking, which is an interesting concept...  I feel like sometimes it's hard to keep all students engaged if whole groups sessions get lengthy.
The authors also suggest developing these kinds of questions to use during read-alouds to assess listening comprehension.
It's so helpful to have these examples to learn from!  

I love the acronym to remember for myself or a child who needs help.  

Start with the FACTS.
Food
Activity
Connection
Tune-­ out
Sleep
In order for kids or adults to access self-­ control, we need to be in a regulated state.

"The classroom had been set up to encourage ideas and mistakes, so they were unafraid to propose their own ideas."

This idea is especially powerful in my classroom, where many students are developing their mathematical identity and often struggle with confidence.  At this age students can be very hesitant to participate if they fear being wrong.  Creating a classroom culture where mistakes are normalized and even valued helps reduce math anxiety and encourages risk taking.  When students feel safe to share their thinking, teachers gain better insight into their understanding, and students are more likely to engage in meaningful problem solving rather just trying to get the "right answer".