Catherine’s Quiet Question

Reading together

Reading age 9–12 describes the audience for this adult-led Shared Reading book, not an independent reading-level assessment. This is a read-aloud story for children aged 9–12, not an independent reading-level text. Read at the child’s pace. Children can listen, point, gesture, sign or join in with familiar words. Joining in is optional.

Before reading

Look at the title and cover. Introduce the characters and setting. Explore these five words with pictures, actions and familiar examples: arrangements, important, investigate, position, communicate. Invite a prediction about what might happen.

During reading

Use Talk Together for a prompt on each page. Talk about what happens, how the characters feel and which support or choices help. Accept different experiences. Do not use the story to demand a particular behaviour. Invite children to point, sign, gesture or join in if they want to.

After reading

Offer several ways to ask a genuine question: speaking nearby, drawing, showing objects, writing, signing or AAC. Make time to check the intended meaning before answering. Describe what the characters noticed and how their ideas changed. Invite different experiences and respect a child’s choice not to share.

Explore and play

Everyday situation

Ask a question about a bridge test in a manageable way

Beginning

Catherine’s class is testing paper bridges. Mr Dean explains how to add weights, then invites questions. Catherine wants to know whether the blocks should go in the middle or along the whole bridge. She knows the question, but speaking across the busy room feels difficult today.

What feels difficult

Calling a question across the busy room feels difficult

Support and choices

Catherine shows two arrangements to the teacher at her table

What changes

She demonstrates the agreed middle position to Oliver

Try together

Offer several ways to ask a genuine question: speaking nearby, drawing, showing objects, writing, signing or AAC. Make time to check the intended meaning before answering.

Adult support

Read with a familiar adult at the child’s pace. Accept pointing, gestures, signs, AAC, speech or listening. Feelings and sensory needs vary. Offer choices and practical support; participation, touch, tasting and sharing are optional.

Activities with an adult

The eleven separate question cards include recall, word meaning, observation, “why”, inference and evidence questions and discussion. Read the questions and choices aloud and offer picture support. The feedback checks recall of this story, not whether the child’s own feelings or needs are right or wrong. Explore five vocabulary words, build them from movable letters and order three story pictures. Model a vocabulary word for the child to copy; letter recognition and independent decoding are not required. Mouse dragging, finger dragging, tap controls and keyboard controls are available. Use the light green and red feedback as a chance to look at the story again.

Choose a few activities that suit the child’s interest. Offer pictures, drawings, gestures or spoken answers, and model word building when useful. Activities are optional.