Which types of questions can students answer for Library Lessons assigned digitally on the CommonLit platform?

When a teacher digitally assigns a Library Lesson, students will be asked to read the text and complete the set of assessment questions. These assessment questions can include multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, or some combination of the two. Teachers can also edit which types of assessment questions they would like students to complete when assigning a Library Lesson. Teachers can choose to assign only multiple-choice questions, only short-answer questions, or not to assign any assessment questions at all. 

Library Lessons also include Guided Reading Mode (GRM), an optional CommonLit Digital feature that asks students to answer basic comprehension questions as they read to further promote their understanding of the text. Unlike assessment questions, GRM questions are not included in the student’s overall grade. Teachers can also disable GRM when assigning a Library Lesson.

Unlike assessment questions and GRM questions, students cannot respond to a text’s discussion questions through the platform for Library Lessons. Discussion questions will never count toward a student’s grade on his or her assignment.

CommonLit recommends that teachers use the discussion questions to lead an oral debate in class. To do this inside the classroom, print out the “Discussion Questions” page by clicking “Download PDF” just above the text’s title. Then, distribute this handout to students and ask them to brainstorm their answers in writing before discussing it with their peers.

Feel free to download the CommonLit discussion graphic organizer and list of sentence starters to use in your classroom discussions. You can find them on the FAQ: How can I use the discussion questions in my lesson?