Summer Reading Logs for Incoming 5th Graders
Directions:
This summer, read at least 15 days in July and 15 days in August. Then,
orally discuss what you read with a family member. Answer at least one of the
comprehension questions on this sheet.
On the calendar, have your parent initial the date you read and write the
question number you discussed with a family member.
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For example: one date on the July calendar may look like this:
KD
#3
Comprehension Questions
A Note to Parents: After your child has finished reading, begin by having a
comprehension conversation. Ask your child to talk about what happened in the
story or about the facts he or she learned in the nonfiction text. Use the
questions below to prompt more understanding.
Use questions 1-12 for Non-Fiction texts:
Within the Text Questions:
1. What is true about the topic you read about?
2. Tell what you learned from a specific photograph or chart in the book.
3. Can you tell me more about the topic you read about?
Beyond the Text Questions:
4. What is the most important thing about the topic? Why is that most
important?
5. What is a question you still have about the topic?
6. Refer to an event in the book and ask, why you think this event happened.
For example, if you are reading about bears you might ask, “Why do you
think people are afraid of bears?” (The child would have to give support
from the text that allowed them to make that inference.)
7. You may also ask, “Why do you think bears live in different areas and
climates?”
About the Text:
8. Why is the title a good title for the book?
9. What did the writer want you to learn from reading this book?
10. What does the word___ mean in this book? (Insert a vocabulary word from
the book.)
11. How did the writer help you understand what the word ___meant in the
book?
12. Why do you think the writer wrote the book?
Use questions 13 – 22 for Fiction texts:
Within the Text:
13. What was the character’s problem in the story?
14. What else happened in the story?
15. How did the character solve his/her problem?
Beyond the Text:
16. How did the character change in the story from the beginning to the end?
17. How do you think another character in the story felt about the main
character? Why do you think that?
18. Why was the character adventurous, persistent, excited, anxious etc. in the
story? How do you know this?
About the Text:
19. How did the writer help you know how the character felt?
20. What did it mean when the character said_______________? (Insert
something that the character said.)
21. What words did the writer use to describe the character? (or choose
something else that the writer described)
22. What was the most important part of the story? Why do you think that was
most important?