Questioning the Text Teaching American History In Miami-Dade County October 12, 2010 Fran Macko, Ph.D.

Framing the Session Why are history texts often difficult for students to comprehend? What role does questioning play in supporting students in the reading and analysis of history texts? What strategies can teachers use to develop questioning skills?

What are the keys to reading in history? Effective readers of history have a variety of comprehension strategies that they bring to reading a text. Effective readers of history are in charge of the process, monitoring how they read and adjusting to ensure success. Questioning the text is a critical skill before, during and after reading.

How does questioning support learning? What is the role of questioning in the learning process? What challenges do your students face when asked to answer questions? List your responses and turn and talk with a colleague.

How does questioning support learning? Students who ask questions when they read assume responsibility for their learning. Questioning improves comprehension in four ways: –by fostering interaction with the text –by creating motivation to read –by clarifying information in the text –by supporting inferring beyond the literal meaning

Effective readers ask questions when they learn something new or read something unfamiliar. Asking questions facilitates the learning of new material and leads to more sophisticated questions. They know that sometimes the answers to their questions aren’t in the text, but are in other sources.

Featured Strategy QAR QAR is an acronym for question/answer relationship. This strategy: –supports students in understanding different levels of questions and the relationships between questions and answers. –supports students in engaging with and constructing meaning from a text. –helps students understand their thinking processes and develop their metacognitive abilities.

Students often respond to questions either with a literal answer or with “It isn’t in the book”. QAR presents four levels of question/answer relationships: –In The Text right there think and search –In My Head you and the author on your own Each relationship represents a more sophisticated level of thinking.

The strategy teaches students that answering different kinds of questions requires different thought processes and approaches to the text. Some questions require students to find the answers in the text, explain something they have read, or build in what they have learned. Other questions ask students to access their own thoughts and feelings about an issue.

Tier One Questions The first two levels of questions in the QAR strategy are text-based and focus students on finding and organizing information found directly in the text.

What is a “right there” question? Right there questions ask students to respond at the literal level. –The words used to formulate the answer to the question can be found “right there” in the same sentence in the text.

“Right There” questions require students to go back to the passage and find the correct information to answer the question. These are sometimes called literal questions because the correct answer can be found somewhere in the passage. “Right There” questions sometimes include the words, “According to the passage…” “How many…” “Who is…” “Where is…” “What is…”

What are examples of “right there” questions? Think of a “right there” question for a topic you teach. Share it in your table group. What is the thought process needed to answer a “right there” question?

What is a “think and search” question? Think and search questions require students to think about how the information or ideas in the text relate to each other. –They need to search the entire passage to find the information that answers the question.

“Think and Search” questions usually require students to think about how ideas or information in the passage relate to each other. They will need to look back at the passage, find the information that the question refers to, and then think about how the information or ideas fit together. “Think and Search” questions sometimes include the words, “The main idea of the passage…” “What caused…” “Compare/contrast…”

What are examples of “think and search” questions? Think of a “think and search” question for a topic you teach. Share it in your table group. What is the thought process needed to answer a “think and search” question?

Tier Two Questions The third and fourth levels of questions in the QAR strategy require students to focus on the author’s point of view and how the content can be used and applied. These questions often require students to use prior knowledge to answer the questions.

What is an “author and you” question? Author and you questions ask students to combine their prior knowledge with information in the text to answer the question.

“Author and You” questions require students to use ideas and information that is not stated directly in the passage to answer the question. These questions require students to think about what they have read and formulate their own ideas or opinions. “Author and You” questions sometimes include the words, “The author implies…” “The passage suggests…” “The speaker’s attitude..,”

What are examples of “author and you” questions? Think of an “author and you” question for a topic you teach. Share it in your table group. What is the thought process needed to answer an “author and you” question?

What is an “on my own” question? On my own questions can be answered with information from the student’s background knowledge or from another source. –They do not necessarily need to read the text.

This type of question does not usually appear on tests of reading comprehension because it does not require students to refer to the passage. “On My Own” questions sometimes include the words, “In your opinion…” Based on your experience…” “Think about someone/something you know…” Essential Questions are “On My Own” questions.

What are examples of “on my own” questions? Think of an “on your own” question for a topic you teach. Share it in your table group. What is the thought process needed to answer an “on your own” question?

What are the steps in teaching the strategy? Explain the two broad categories of questions (In the text and In my head) and the four subcategories to students as an introduction to the QAR strategy. Provide a reading selection and a set of questions about its content.

Model the placement of the questions on the QAR graphic organizer. Model how to find the answer to each of the 4 types of questions.

The QAR Graphic Organizer Category of QAR question QuestionAnswerHow I found the answer Right There Think and Search Author and You On My Own

Next, divide the class into small groups and provide each with a reading selection and a set of questions. Have the groups place the questions in the QAR framework. Finally, provide the groups with a new reading selection and ask them to develop questions from its content. Have the students evaluate their own questions in light of the QAR framework.

Modeling the Strategy

Grade 8-The Essential Question What was unique about the system of slavery that developed and was sustained in the United States and how did those held in servitude able to develop and sustain their cultures?

Grade 11-The Essential Question What were the causes and effects of various social reforms that drastically shaped US history (e.g. labor and other social movements as a result of industrialization and more modern movements, Civil Rights, Women’s rights and the youth counter-culture movement)?

Modeling the Strategy- Middle School- Life in Slavery Form groups of 2-4. Divide the documents in the packet to the members of the group. Individually, create 3 questions based on your portion of the text: –“Right There” –“Think and Search” –“You and the Author”

Summarize what you read and share your questions. Then, discuss the process of identifying the category of question and the approach to answering the question. Then, as a group, develop an “on your own” question” that could be answered using all three documents.

Modeling the Strategy- High School- Labor Reform Form groups of 2-4. Divide the documents in the packet to the members of the group. Individually, create 3 questions based on your portion of the text: –“Right There” –“Think and Search” –“You and the Author”

Summarize what you read and share your questions. Then, discuss the process of identifying the category of question and the approach to answering the question. Then, as a group, develop an “on your own” question” that could be answered using all three documents.

What are some examples of a/an –Right There Question? –Think and Search Question? –Author and You Question? –On My Own Question? What is the answer to each question? Where can the answers to each question be found? What is the process involved in answering each type of question?

What types of texts work for QAR? Questioning the Text is a flexible strategy that can be used with a variety of sources based on your students’ needs and strengths. Primary Sources Non-Fiction Fiction Poetry News articles Videos Periodicals Interviews Music Art

Adapting QAR to Your Classroom How might you use QAR in your social studies classroom? What adaptations to the strategy would you make? Turn and talk with a colleague.

Adaptations include: –Introduce and model one level at a time before introducing the next. –Eliminate the “on your own” questions or introduce them at the end of a unit. –Collapse the four levels into two categories: “In the Text” and “In My Head”. –Vary the length and sophistication of the text. What other adaptations can you think of?

Next Steps for QAR Once students are comfortable with the QAR strategy: –Have students create homework questions that reflect each of the 4 QAR categories. –Have students present their homework questions (as a “Do Now” or warm-up) and explain how they would answer them. –Have students review standardized test questions and categorize them using QAR types. –Create a bank of questions for tests or other assessments. What other next steps can you think of?

Final Thoughts Students who ask questions when they read assume responsibility for their learning. Effective readers ask questions before, during and after they read. Questioning improves comprehension in four ways: –by fostering interaction with the text –by creating motivation to read –by clarifying information in the text –by supporting inferring beyond the literal meaning Asking questions facilitates the learning of new material and leads to more sophisticated questions.