After the second reading, the students will participate in a group discussion about the story. The group discussion is enhanced by the students writing responses to a series of questions prior to coming to class. During the discussions the students share their responses and listen to others. I also challenge the students to support their responses by asking further questions that enhance critical thinking and deductive reasoning. These questions can be quite challenging for some children as their thinking skills are not fully developed.
Questions of fact refer directly to the text and have only one correct answer.
These types of questions will be asked on tests to check comprehension. Questions of interpretation occupy the central place in Junior Great Books discussions. Answering interpretive questions requires students to infer meaning, make generalizations, and draw conclusions based on the facts of the story. It's important, too, that the students provide evidence from the story to support their statements. From time to time the students will also write a personal or creative essay that relates to a topic or theme in the story.