Create an anchor chart of connecting questions with your students. Some to get you started are:

1. What is a connection that furthers your understanding of the story?
2. What is a connection that builds on the main idea of the story?
3. What is a connection that broadens your understanding of the big idea or message?
4. Is there an idea is this story that is like an idea in a story we’ve already read?
5. Are there characters in this text/story that have traits similar to another character in something you have read?
6. How does something that you have experienced further your understanding of this story?
7. Do you share any common character traits with any of the characters in our story? Does this give you any insight as to why…?
8. Are there people or events in the story that are like things going on around me…in my family, among my school friends and neighbours, in what I learn from the news? How does this knowledge help me understand?
9. How does the story relate to what I know about the world?
10. One thing I wonder about is…
11. If I compare (name a character in the story)to (name another character) it makes me think…
12. If it was my friend who said (use a quote from the story) I would have said…