50 Fabulous Discussion-Prompt Cards

for Reading GroupsSnap-Apart Question Cards That Build Comprehension & Spark Great Discussions About Character, Plot, Setting, Theme & More

By Laura Robb

New York • Toronto • London • Auckland • Sydney

Mexico City • New Delhi • Hong Kong

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Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the cards for classroom use.

No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission of the publisher.

For information, write to Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway,

New York, NY 10012.

Cover design by George Myer

Cover and interior design by Niloufar Safavieh

Cover illustration by Stephen Cox

Interior illustration by Rick Brown

ISBN-13: 978-0-439-22722-3

ISBN-10: 0-439-22722-4

Copyright © 2000 by Laura Robb. All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A.

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Contents

IntroductionThe Benefits of Discussion Prompt Cards 4Ideas for Organizing Groups 4Ahead of Time: Teacher Tips 5Card-Selection Ideas 5Key Management Tips 5

Question CardsWalk in a Character’s Shoes (Character) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cards 1–8

What’s the Big Idea? (Theme) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cards 9–12

Where and When? (Setting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cards 13–16

Suspense–Building Techniques (Story Structure) . . . . .Cards17–20

Living the Story (Personal Connections) . . . . . . . . . . . .Cards 21–28

Reading Between the Lines (Making Inferences) . . . . .Cards 29–32

The Real World (Nonfiction) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cards 33–40

Talk–Show Time (Role Play) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cards 41–52

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INTRODUCTIONThe Benefits of DiscussionPrompt CardsDuring my first five years of teaching, I

devoted long hours to composing discussion

questions for each novel students read

together. One day a student asked, “Why

can’t we have questions that work for any

book?” With that, my teaching life changed,

and the seeds for this book were planted. I

began writing open-ended questions on

index cards and handing them out like a

deck of cards to groups of students. They

loved choosing their questions from this

stack, and their enthusiasm for book

discussion skyrocketed.

These easy-to-use question cards work for

any fiction or nonfiction book or story.

While students independently talk about

books, you’ll gain time to work with individ-

uals, pairs, or small groups who require

extra guidance. The cards come to the res-

cue of student discussion groups that are

having difficulty valuing diverse ideas, or

gathering evidence from their books, or

focusing on the discussion. What follows are

ideas for organizing and managing student-

led discussions, tips for using the cards, and

prompts that students can use to jump–start

stalled discussions.

Ideas for Organizing GroupsIs there a golden rule for how many stu-

dents should be in a group? I recommend

that they discuss books in pairs or in small

groups of three to five. You can form groups

based on:

The Same Book: All students read and

discuss a single title.

Different Books: The teacher has multi-

ple copies of different titles and offers sets

of the same title to pairs or groups. A varia-

tion is to tap the school’s and classroom’s

libraries collection so that every student

reads a different title.

An Author Study: Different groups read

and discuss different titles by the same

author.

A Genre Study: Every group reads and

discusses books of the same genre, such as

mystery, historical fiction, or biography.

(Each student can read a different title, or

each group can read a different title.)

A Theme Study: Every group reads and

discusses books of a common theme, such

as peer pressure or friendship.

Independent Reading Books: Invite

students to bring their completed indepen-

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dent reading books to school on a specific

day. In my class, students decide on a book

of their choice to discuss once every six

weeks. This activity takes two thirty-minute

classes.

Ahead of Time: Teacher Tips•

• Decide on how many weekly student-led

discussions you want. I schedule them two

to three times a week for 25–30 minutes,

which includes 5–10 minutes of prep time

(see next bullet).

• Schedule enough prep time for students to

select a card, skim their books, take notes,

and think about the points they want to

make. Without this, discussions can be a

disaster. This “think” time can occur right

before the discussion or on the previous

day, depending upon your needs.

Card-Selection Ideas Over the course of the school year, give

students lots of choices for using the cards.

Generally speaking, each student works with

at least one question per discussion.

Here are some ways to use them during

student-led discussions:

• The teacher selects a category for the

whole class, such as Character or Theme.

Each student in the group chooses one

question from this category.

• The teacher chooses the category and

questions for each pair or group.

• Each group chooses the category and

questions.

• Each group chooses a single

question to discuss.

• Students choose a

“mystery” card from a

category or from the

entire deck. If the question

won’t work for a student’s

book, another card is chosen.

Key Management Tips

1. Explain Pre-discussionResponsibilities. Let students

know that it’s up to them to make

sure each question they’ve chosen or have

been given can apply to their books. If the

question does not apply, they should choose

a different card.

Encourage them to take notes on the ques-

tions to bring to the discussion. Students can

skim books for specific details and jot these

down in their journals. They should note the

page number so they can read a passage

aloud to prove a point.

2. Give Guidelines to the GroupLeader. (Rotate this job so all students can

experience leading a discussion.)

• The leader opens by asking everyone if

they have completed the reading.

• The leader reads the question(s) and

invites students to discuss.

• The leader uses the discussion prompts

(see page 6, number 8) to move the conver-

sation forward.

5

Print and laminate the cards so you will

have them for a long time. Before laminating,

write the card category on the back of each

card (character, role play, etc.).nonfiction,

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3. Set Behavior Guidelines. Organize

students into small groups and invite them

to suggest five to six behaviors that foster

productive discussions. Together, the class

should decide upon the best advice and post

it on chart paper for reference. For example:

• Read the assigned pages.

• Be a good listener.

• Value different ideas.

• Use your book to support ideas.

• Bring your book, a pencil, and response

journal.

• Try to participate.

Reread behavior guidelines before students

start discussing. Reminding students of the

guidelines helps them recall and apply the

standards they set.

4. Establish a Cue for Silence. Agree

on a cue such as flicking the lights to alert

students that noise levels are escalating.

5. Be Up Front With Consequences.Consider the consequences of being unpre-

pared for a book discussion. In my class,

unprepared students read the pages in class

before joining their group.

6. Explain Post-discussion Choicesto Students. Help groups who have com-

pleted their discussion early to continue

working quietly. On the chalkboard, list two

to three choices, such as: Summarize the high

points of the discussion in a journal, read

independently, or work on a piece of writing.

7. Make the Rounds. Circulate among

groups; listen to and validate what’s work-

ing. Support groups that need additional

guidance to keep a conversation going by

using the prompts listed below. Spotlight

what is working well so others can learn

from peers’ successes. Note groups who

might benefit from your guidance.

8. Discussion Prompts. Sometimes

students have great difficulty sustaining a

discussion. Everyone takes turns saying

something, but there’s no give and take—

no real conversation—because other

members don’t comment or react. The

following prompts can help students learn

to elaborate on a question or offer an

opposing view.

• Can you give support from the story?

• Does anyone have something to add?

• Does anyone have a different idea?

• Can you connect this book to other books?

• Can you connect a character or an event to

your life?

• Did the discussion raise a question? What

is it?

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page15

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the

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oud.Ex

pla

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and

how

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pas

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port

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est

ory

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Desi

red

Dest

inat

ions

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ere

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gth

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ade

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ebe

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ere

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ere?

Dis

cuss

the

sett

ings

you

con-

nec

ted

toan

dex

pla

inw

hy

you

rela

teto

them

.

#2

1/Pers

on

al

Con

nect

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s

Who

Inte

rest

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uboar

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ebook.

With

whom

would

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lk?

Why?

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would

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ter?

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would

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ber

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choose

the

most

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irab

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#2

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on

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s#

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on

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2/Pers

on

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page17

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New

Kid

inTo

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The

mai

nch

arac

ter

ism

ovi

ng

toyo

ur

tow

n.

Will

he

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in?

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or

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are

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fere

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Mak

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Conn

ecti

ons

Did

the

titles

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oth

erbooks

or

movi

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into

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hea

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Shar

eth

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imyo

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on

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Con

nect

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Crea

ting

Moo

dYo

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ecting

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lighting

dir

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ksyo

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hat

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do

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e?

#2

7/Pers

on

al

Con

nect

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s#

28

/Pers

on

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#2

6/Pers

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page19

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Bean

Act

orRea

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tosh

ow

what

you

know

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char

acte

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motiva

tions?

Sele

cta

sect

ion

of

your

book

that

’sri

chin

dia

logue.

Rea

dit

aloud,

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efo

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edif-

fere

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son-

ality

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Invi

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om

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Beth

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Act

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Spea

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It’s

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hat

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akin

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page21

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#3

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on

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Wha

tYou

See

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llth

rough

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eth

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arts

,dia

gra

ms,

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tner

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up.Ex

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on

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Wha

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What

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this

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Biog

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Why

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on

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Vita

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Whic

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would

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would

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page23

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on

fict

ion

Min

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Did

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your

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the

topic

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ow

?W

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ctual

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imto

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ple

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fact

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dopin

ions

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shar

eth

ese.

Are

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ired?

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eyo

uw

ant

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keac

tion

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me

way

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#3

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on

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#4

2/R

ole

Pla

y

Role

Mod

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nsw

erth

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esti

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tof

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Talk

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llit

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est

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per

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hy?

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4/R

ole

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y

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eM

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poin

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Talk

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me

poor

dec

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way

?Te

llth

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1/R

ole

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y

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tof

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.

Talk

–Show

Host:

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ea

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ent

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ton

your

life

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der

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#4

3/R

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y

Seco

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tof

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Host:

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me

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ng,Ilik

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ayth

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uld

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ge

one

even

tin

your

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whic

hw

ould

itbe?

Why?

”

page27

50 F

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6/R

ole

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y

Pred

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nch

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poin

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.

Talk

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Host:

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now

that

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em

ade

itth

rough

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edo

you

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elf

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hy?

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8/R

ole

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y

Gett

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eA

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tof

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Talk

–Show

Host:

“Who

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ur

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ood

you

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he

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#4

5/R

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Pla

y

Star

Brig

htA

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erth

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Talk

–Show

Host:

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hat

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Expla

inth

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itie

syo

uar

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#4

7/R

ole

Pla

y

Low

Poin

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erth

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tof

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Talk

–Show

Host:

“What

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sor

worr

ies

keep

you

up

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ht?

What

was

the

low

est

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tin

your

life?

”

page29

50 F

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#5

0/R

ole

Pla

y

Fine

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tof

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Talk

–Show

Host:

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your

bes

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#5

2/R

ole

Pla

y

Rem

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erth

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poin

tof

view

.

Talk

Show

Host:

“What

do

you

wan

tre

ader

s,100

year

sfr

om

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,to

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life?

What

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inth

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nfr

om

your

story

?”

#4

9/R

ole

Pla

y

Shin

ing

Mom

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Answ

erth

isqu

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tof

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Talk

–Show

Host:

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of

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ur

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Expla

inw

hy

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#5

1/R

ole

Pla

y

Deci

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ons

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erth

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tof

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Talk

–Show

Host:

“Ther

ear

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ple

ssnig

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ause

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icult.Te

llus

abou

ttw

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ugh

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ns

you

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ake.

Why

did

you

stru

ggle

mak

ing

each

?”

page31

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