We use it all of the time! My First Graders love it! Yes,
you heard me! Even First Graders can do
it! The strategies have made a big difference in how my students think about
questions and find the answers in challenging texts.
I use it as much as possible: social studies, science, guided reading and
especially when students are responding to text in their Reader’s Response
Journals.
What is QAR?
QAR stands for Question, Answer, and Relationship. QAR
is a strategy that relates questions with the text, using the reader's
background knowledge or direct context clues and information included in the
text being read. The premise of the strategy is that there are four types of
questions that need to be asked when reading a text: Right There, Think and
Search, Author and Me, and On My Own.
QAR helps students understand the differences between In
the Book and In My Head question-answer relationships. In
the Book kinds of questions can be answered, you guessed it, in the book. The answer can be found directly in the text. In
My Head kinds of questions must be answered using Higher Order Thinking skills,
going beyond what was in the text.
Students must bring in their own thinking, schema, and connections.
How do I use QAR?
I always begin with text that students can read and
comprehend easily. I do this so that my
students are successful in understanding the process of answering questions. The students must figure out what the
question is asking, find the answer, and then categorize the question-answer relationship.
In the beginning it is so important to MODEL, MODEL, MODEL,
the process: reading the text, asking questions, finding answers, and then categorizing
the question-answer relationship. As we read questions, I often ask students to label
the question. “Is this a Right There Question?”
or “Is this a Think and Search?”
This helps students recognize whether or not information is in the text and, if not, that it is necessary
to make inferences to answer the question. In first grade, we talk about all 4
questions, but we mostly focus on In the Book questions.
After you have modeled this SEVERAL
times guide the students through the process gradually releasing the
responsibility for learning to them.
Finally, I provide many opportunities for my kids to try the strategy on their
own.
This strategy:
- explicitly shows the
relationship between questions and answers;
- categorizes different
types and levels of questions;
- helps student to
analyze, comprehend and respond to text concepts
- helps students gain a
deeper understanding of the text
- helps students search for key words and phrases to locate
the appropriate information for answering questions.
I have created some materials to help my students learn the QAR strategy:
If you want your own set of QAR anchor charts, you can get them HERE!
Have
you tried QAR before? Please share any
tips or tricks that you have about QAR!
