CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS: Questions about the text that will help us clarify facts about events or characters in the text. Good for situations where the correct answer is subtle, easily overlooked, or can only be reached by inference (NOT interpretation!!) but can be agreed upon. This question usually has a "correct" answer. 

Example: What is the relationship of "kookaburras" and "kingfirshers" in this poem?

OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS: Questions about the text that requires readers to go through and beyond the text. It will require text evidence, "construction of logic," and sometimes background knowledge or real-world experience to develop satisfying answers to the question.   These questions generally invite interpretation and diverse viewpoints.

Example: What is the "god of flowers"?

The following types of questions are usually open-ended:

REAL WORLD CONNECTION QUESTIONS: Questions connecting the text to the real world—either "going in" to the text from human experience (background knowledge or events) or "coming out" from the text into human experience.

Example: What kind/s of real experiences might prompt a reader to remember or think about this poem?

THEME/INTERPRETATION QUESTIONS: Questions dealing with theme/s of the text that will encourage discussion about universal aspects or applications of the text, including its interpretation and significance.

Example: What is the central concern of this poem?

LITERARY FEATURE QUESTIONS: Questions dealing with HOW an author presented the ideas and other content of the text. 

Example: What do you notice about the sounds in the phrase, "pressed against the edge of their cage"?