Help students understand the plot of the story and any unfamiliar vocabulary. If they are old enough, they can look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary themselves. You can also teach them to deduce the meaning of a word from its context. If you are reading aloud to them, explain what a word means for them.
Discuss with students the various characters in the story. Talk about their personality traits, if they are good or bad and if they change or remain the same. Ask them if they would make the same decisions in the character's place.
Direct student's attention to the literary techniques the author uses. Point out descriptive imagery, symbols and interesting phrases. Teach students how to closely analyze words and the effect they have on the meaning of the story. Ask students if the techniques are effective or why they think the author used them.
Ask children what messages they think the author is trying to convey. Discuss if there are any morals to the story, or what they learned from the book.
Encourage students to express their opinions about the book - - what they liked or didn't like about it, and what they would change.
Invite students to raise any questions they had about the text. Ask them if there is anything they don't understand or that doesn't make sense to them, or any problems they had with the story.
Bring to light any ideological assumptions in the text in a way that children can understand. Ask them if the story is realistic and if they agree with the world as the narrator presents it.