Answering Questions
Being asked to identify, describe and find out answers from passages that students just read helps to solidify the comprehension of that reading (Moore, Moore, Cunningham, Cunningham, 2011). Answering questions about a reading also help students focus their reading on what the teacher has found to be important. Answering questions also helps students connect prior knowledge, and make connections and think critically about the content (Adler, n.d.). I believe it is important to involve different types of questions about the readings. I often look to Bloom's Taxonomy when I'm building them. I start out with questions that ask to identify and describe, then I like to work up to compare/contrast, analyze and evaluate. Therefore students are developing their critical thinking skills and accessing prior knowledge. The Q-A-R (Question-Answer Relationship) is another strategy used to help understand the four types of questions they will be asked in order to give them success in the future.
QAR Question types (Question-Answer Relationships, n.d.)-
Benefits
Sample lesson
1. First pick out a reading that is suitable for the age/learning of the group.
2. Identify the key facts and details you would like to students to know, develop questions that students can compare/contrast the ideas of this reading to something you have work on recently. Have students analyze some facts the author states, based on what students already know about the subject matter.
3. Assign students the reading and have questions either handed out to the students or projected on to the board.
4. Give plenty of time for students pairs to read, reflect and record their answers.
5. Discuss as a class the different answers that students came up with. Some are factual and have a certain answer, others may be open to interpretation.
QAR Question types (Question-Answer Relationships, n.d.)-
- Right There Question - an easily identifiable fact from the reading
- Think and Search Questions - the answer is within the text, but in several parts and needs to be interpreted to make meaning
- Author and You - these are questions where students have to take information provided in the text and compare it to their own experiences
- On My Own - these questions do not require knowledge of the passage, but has students share their prior knowledge
Benefits
- Helps students identify important facts from the reading
- Helps students to determine the key ideas
- Teaches students to think critically and creatively
- Helps students connect the reading to other parts of their life
Sample lesson
1. First pick out a reading that is suitable for the age/learning of the group.
2. Identify the key facts and details you would like to students to know, develop questions that students can compare/contrast the ideas of this reading to something you have work on recently. Have students analyze some facts the author states, based on what students already know about the subject matter.
3. Assign students the reading and have questions either handed out to the students or projected on to the board.
4. Give plenty of time for students pairs to read, reflect and record their answers.
5. Discuss as a class the different answers that students came up with. Some are factual and have a certain answer, others may be open to interpretation.
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Use of the QAR Strategy in Non-Fiction |
Reading Strategy Instruction -QAR |
In this video, the teacher has an activity to explain and discuss the different aspects of the QAR Strategy. They analyze these questions before they complete the non-fiction reading. Students also create their own questions in this video.
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This video shows a teacher using and explaining the Questioning-Answer Relationship. She does a great job of explaining the different types of questions for students to be successful at answering questions about the reading.
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References
Adler, C. R. (n.d.). Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension. Reading Rockets. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/3479
Johnson, E. (2013, March 12). Use of the QAR Strategy in Non Fiction. YouTube. Retrieved July 25, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHWgK6C_dRg
Moore, D. W., Moore, S. A., Cunningham, P. M., & Cunningham, J. W. (2011). Comprehension. Developing readers and writers in the content areas, K-12 (6th ed., ). Boston : Pearson.
Question-Answer Relationship (QAR). (n.d.). Reading Rockets. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/question_answer_relationship
TheTeacherTrack. (2011, October 6). Reading Strategy Instruction--QAR. YouTube. Retrieved July 25, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsud7AQWva8