Textbook Comprehension & Questioning Strategies By: Paula Colatriano

Student’s Comprehension of Science Textbooks Using a Questions Based Reading Strategy By: Betty Lou Smith, William G. Holliday & Homer W. Austin Keywords: college, science, reading strategies, science textbooks, elaborative interrogation, reading comprehension

Text Defined as meaningful sequences of words printed on a page. Why can some people understand it on their first read? Why can’t some people understand it until their third?

College Why do we struggle when we first begin? Students are required to read challenging science text. Most students are not “trained” to comprehend such dense text

The Facts College students read only a few passages from science texts as a last resort in studying for an exam. Students overestimate their understanding Teachers only see their textbooks as “high quality” Faculty claims that they are not rightly trained to teach reading strategies So what do we do???

Reading Comprehension Strategy  Question the meaning of a text  Summarize the text  Predict what the text will state further in the chapter  Go back and clarify the confusing text This is commonly used and very effective because it works with any content subject.

Questioning Encourages students to elaborate on the author’s message Allows student to put the information in their own words Increased recall learning in middle schools by more then 280%

Interrogation “Why?” questions have been the most effective on students comprehension Focuses the students’ attention on background information Students summarize what they have learned without realizing “The more relevant the statement queried using a why question approach, the greater learning outcomes.”

“Why?” The questioning technique has been used and proven as useful. Students comprehend and retain more information when answering questions about the text Every subject can use this strategy Every grade level can use this strategy

Ways to Incorporate: Quizzes Graphic organizers Verbal discussions Worksheets Projects Experiments

Article Citation Smith, Betty L., William G. Holiday, and Homer W. Austin. "Students' Comprehension of Science Textbooks Using a Question Based Reading Strategy." Journal of Research in Sciene Teaching 47.4 (2010): Print.

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