Absolutely — when you are reading The Wind in the Willows with Troy, the best questions are the ones that help you check whether he is:
- paying attention
- remembering details
- understanding the characters and plot
- making predictions
- thinking about why things happen
You do not need to ask only “right answer” questions. Good reading questions help Troy talk, think, and explain his ideas.
Good questions to ask during reading
1. Questions about what happened
These check whether Troy is following the story.
- What just happened?
- Who was talking?
- Where are they right now?
- What did Rat, Mole, Toad, or Badger do?
- What problem is the character having?
- What happened first? What happened next?
2. Questions about characters
These help Troy pay attention to people in the story.
- Who is your favorite character so far? Why?
- How would you describe Toad?
- How is Mole different from Rat?
- Why do you think Badger acts that way?
- How do you think the character feels right now?
- What makes you think that?
3. Questions about understanding feelings and motives
These help Troy think beyond the surface.
- Why do you think Toad made that choice?
- Why is Mole nervous/excited/surprised?
- What would you have done in that situation?
- Do you think the character was being wise or foolish? Why?
- Why does this matter to the story?
4. Questions about setting and details
These check whether Troy is noticing the world of the story.
- Where does this part of the story take place?
- What details do you remember about the river, the woods, or Toad Hall?
- What words does the author use to describe the place?
- How does the setting make the story feel?
5. Questions about predicting what will happen next
These help Troy think ahead.
- What do you think will happen next?
- Why do you think that?
- Do you think this will turn into a problem or a solution?
- What clue made you guess that?
6. Questions about cause and effect
These help Troy understand why events happen.
- Why did that happen?
- What caused the problem?
- What happened because the character did that?
- How did one event lead to another?
7. Questions about remembering and retelling
These are great after reading a chapter or section.
- Can you tell me what happened in your own words?
- What was the most important part of this section?
- Can you name three things that happened?
- What is one detail you remember?
- If you had to tell someone who missed the reading, what would you say?
8. Questions about vocabulary and language
The Wind in the Willows uses some rich language, so these questions are useful.
- What does that word mean?
- Can you find a clue in the sentence that helps us understand it?
- What do you think the author means here?
- Is this a describing word, action word, or naming word?
- Can you say that in your own words?
9. Questions that ask Troy to connect ideas
These help him think more deeply.
- Does this remind you of anything in real life?
- Have you ever seen someone act like Toad?
- Would you want to be friends with this character? Why or why not?
- Is this a good lesson to learn? Why?
- What do you think the author wants us to learn from this part?
Easy questions you can ask anytime while reading
If you want quick check-in questions, these are simple and useful:
- What is happening right now?
- Who is this character?
- What did he/she do?
- Why did that happen?
- What do you think will happen next?
- How do you think the character feels?
- What part did you like best?
- What confused you?
A simple way to use the questions
You do not need to ask a lot at once. Try this:
-
Ask one question before reading:
“What do you think will happen in this chapter?” -
Ask one question during reading:
“Why do you think Toad is acting this way?” -
Ask one question after reading:
“Can you tell me what happened in your own words?”
That gives you a quick picture of whether Troy is listening and understanding.
Best kinds of questions
The most helpful questions are:
- open-ended questions, because they encourage more talking
- why questions, because they build deeper thinking
- prediction questions, because they keep him engaged
- retell questions, because they show understanding
- feeling questions, because they help him think about characters
Example question set for one chapter
You could ask:
- Who were the main characters in this part?
- What happened first?
- Why did that happen?
- How did the character feel?
- What do you think will happen next?
- What was the most important event?
- Can you retell the chapter in your own words?
Helpful tips
- Ask short questions if Troy is younger or gets distracted easily.
- Give him time to think before answering.
- If he is stuck, offer choices like: “Was Toad angry or sad?”
- Praise effort: “Good thinking,” or “I like how you used a clue from the story.”
- If he answers quickly, ask follow-up questions like “What makes you think that?”
If you want, I can also make you a printable question list by chapter or a parent/teacher reading guide for The Wind in the Willows.