Question Answer Relationships Enhancing comprehension and test taking across grades and content areas

QAR In the Book In My Head Right There Think & Search On My Own Author & Me Simple List Sequence Explanation Description Text-to-self Text-to-world Text-to-text

In the Book Think & Search The answer is in the text. I need to “think and search,” or put together different parts of the text, to find the answer. It can be within a paragraph, across paragraphs, or even across chapters and books. Right There The answer is in the text. Words from the question and words that answer the question are often “right there” in the same sentence.

In My Head On My Own Author & Me The answer is not in the text. I need to use my own ideas and experiences to answer the question. Author & Me The answer is not in the text. To answer the question, I need to think about how the text and what I already know fit together.

QAR -- Sample Comprehension Strategies On My Own Activating prior knowledge (e.g., about genre, experiences, authors) Connecting to the topic (e.g., self-to-text) Right There Scanning to locate information Note-taking strategies to support easier recall of key information Using context clues for creating definitions

Think & Search Comprehension Strategies Identifying important information Summarizing Using text organization (e.g., comparison/contrast, problem/solution, list, explanation) to identify relevant information Visualizing (e.g., setting, mood, procedures) Using context to describe symbols and figurative language Clarifying Making text-to-text connections Making simple inferences

Author & Me Comprehension Strategies Predicting Visualizing Making simple and complex inferences Distinguishing fact and opinion Making text-to-self connections

Before reading… On My Own From the title or the topic, what do I already know that can connect me to the story or text? Author & Me From the topic, title, illustrations, or book cover, what might this story or text be about?

During reading… Author & Me What do I think will happen next? How would I describe the mood of the story and why is this important? Right There Who is the main character? What are some words that describe the setting Identify the topic sentence in the paragraph Think & Search What is the problem and how is it resolved? What role do (characters’ names) play in the story? What are the important events? (literary, informational)

After reading… Author & Me What is the author’s message? What is the theme and how is it connected to the world beyond the story? How can I synthesize the information with which I know from other sources? How well does the author make his or her argument? How is the author using particular language to influence our beliefs? Think & Search Find evidence in the text to support an argument

QAR – Sample Passage Jeff has lived in Martinsville his entire life. But tomorrow, Jeff and his family would be moving 200 miles away to Petersburg. Jeff hated the idea of having to move. He would be leaving behind his best friend, Rick, the baseball team he had played on for the last two years, and the big oak tree in his backyard, where he liked to sit and think.

And to make matters worse, he was moving on his birthday And to make matters worse, he was moving on his birthday! Jeff would be thirteen tomorrow. He was going to be a teenager! He wanted to spend the day with his friends, not watching his house being packed up and put on a truck. Jeff thought that moving was a horrible way to spend his birthday. What about a party? What about spending the day with his friends? What about what he wanted? But that was just the problem. No one every asked Jeff what he wanted. 

Questions… How long has Jeff lived in Martinsville? (Think and Search) What is the name of the town where Jeff and his family are moving? (Right There) What might Jeff do to make moving to a new town easier for him? (In my Head) Does Jeff like playing on the baseball team he has played on for the last two years? (Think and Search) In what ways can moving to a new house and to a new city be exciting? (In my Head) What is Jeff’s best friend’s name? (Right There)

Reference Taffy E. Raphael, Kathryn H. Au, QAR: Enhancing comprehension and test taking across grades and content areas, The Reading Teacher, Vol. 59, No. 3, Nov 2005