Transcript Looking Back and Ahead with QAR

Question Answer Relationships
(QAR):
A Framework for Improving
Literacy Teaching and Learning
Taffy E. Raphael, Ph.D.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Spring, 2005
Focus for Today
• What is QAR?
• Why use QAR
• How can QAR support comprehension
instruction that connects across grade
levels and subject areas and enhances
test-taking?
What is QAR?
“Why Not Tell Them Where
Information Comes From?”
QAR Core Categories
• In the Book
• In My Head
Right There:
In the Book
A “detail” type of question,
where words used to form
the question and words that
answer the question are
often “right there” in the
same sentence.
Think & Search:
The answer is in the text,
but readers have to “think
& search” to find the
answer; sometimes within
a paragraph, across
paragraphs, or even
chapters.
In My Head
Author and Me:
The information to
answer the question
comes from my
background knowledge,
but to even make sense
of the question, I’d
need to have read and
understood the text.
On My Own:
The question relates to the
text, but I could probably
answer this one even if I had
never read the text. All the
ideas and information come
from my background
knowledge.
Why Use QAR?
1. A language for ALL to use in talking about
strategies and their use in context
2. A developmental progression that is
visible to students and teachers across
grade levels
3. A logical way to organize comprehension
strategies
4. A valuable approach to test preparation
Thus, QAR Provides a
Common Language
Within grade levels
Across grade levels
Across subject areas
QAR
A Developmental Progression Builds
Coherence Across Grades
QAR Across the Grades
In the Book
In My Head
Right There Think & Search Author & Me On My Own
Genre Analyses
How to Take Notes
School Subject
Extensions
Text to World
Connections
Text to Self
Connections Text to Theme
Connections
Beginning Focus
• Contrast Book / Head
• Consider how knowledge gets into our heads
Individual Accountability
and Reflection
Picture of Students’ Representations of
In the Book and In My Head QARs
• What do I know about sources of information?
• How can I represent this to someone else?
Tools for Primary Grades
• Poster with definitions
• How to use post-its
• Flip Chart for every-pupil
response
Tools in Middle Grades
• Picture of Right There versus Think and
Search definitions
• Picture of Comprehension Strategies for
each QAR
Links to Content Learning
(e.g., science)
• Showing language
connections
– Activating prior
knowledge = making
observations
– Predicting = Stating
a hypothesis
– Taking notes =
Keeping data
Picture of Science
Teacher’s Chart
Getting Organized for
Comprehension
Instruction
“Staircase” versus “Christmas Tree”
*Au, K. H. (in press). Multicultural issues and literacy achievement. Mahwah
NJ: Erlbaum.)
*Raphael, T. E., & Au, K. H. (in press). The Standards-Based Change Process.
The California Reader.
Where Does QAR Fit?
• Identifying Important Information*
• Summarizing
• Making Inferences
– Predicting
– Visualizing
• Questioning
• Monitoring
• Critique and Evaluation
Introduce Students to the
Reading Cycle and the
Role of QAR
Before  During  After Reading
Before Reading
• On My Own: From the title or the topic,
what do I already know that can connect
me to the story/text?
• Author and Me: From the topic, title,
illustrations, and/or book cover, what
might this story/text be about?
DURING READING
• Author and Me:
– What do I think will happen next?
– How would you describe the mood of the story and why is this
important?
• Think and Search
– What is the problem and how is it resolved?
– What role do [insert characters’ names] play in the story?
– What are the important events? (literary, informational)
• Right There: [locate and recall details]
– Who is the main character? (literary)
– Identify the topic sentence in this paragraph (informational)
– What are some words that describe the setting? (literary)
AFTER READING
• Author and 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 what I
know from other sources?
– How well does the author make his/her argument?
– How is the author using particular language to
influence our beliefs?
• Think and Search
– Find evidence in the text to support an argument.
Align Strategies to QAR
Categories
QAR and Comprehension
Strategies: Right There
• Scanning to locate information
• Note-taking strategies to support easier
recall of key information
• Using context clues for creating
definitions
QAR and Comprehension
Strategies: Think & Search
• Identifying important information
• Summarizing
• Using text organization to identify relevanat
information
• Visualizing (e.g., setting, mood, procedures)
• Using context to describe symbols and
figurative language
• Clarifying
QAR and Comprehension
Strategies: Author & Me
•
•
•
•
•
•
Predicting
Visualizing
Making simple and complex inferences
Distinguish fact and opinion
Making text to self connections
Making text to text connections
QAR and Comprehension
Strategies: On My own
• Activating prior knowledge (about
genre, experiences, authors, etc.)
• Connecting to the topic (self-to-text)
Making QAR Part of the
Fabric of the Classroom
Embedding QAR Language in a Book
Club Setting
How Would You Respond?
Dear Dr. Raphael,
I would really appreciate your input for this scenario. It's a somewhat
delicate situation because the child is a particularly bright third grader
and a voracious reader, reading at least on a 6th to 7th grade level.
The student described above didn't answer all of the QAR's correctly for
the critical thinking assessment for Charlotte's Web and I'm
concerned. Does failure to "get the QAR's" necessarily reflect lack of
critical thinking skills?
I asked him if he had heard of critical thinking and he replied, "No," but
asked me if I meant "mean" or "smart". It's apparent from conversation
that he makes original correct critical observations. i.e. If a tree falls in
outer space it won't make noise because noise requires atmosphere to
travel. He makes astute mature observations about an author's
background, etc. But these contributions aren't captured in QAR's…
End-of-Presentation Goals
• I can describe to my colleagues a process of
bringing coherence to our comprehension
program.
• I can describe at least three ways that QAR can
help improve my own and my school’s
comprehension instruction across grades and
school subjects.
• I can make my literacy instructional goals more
visible to my students and their families
• I can create instructional tools for improving
comprehension instruction in my classroom or
school.
Related Resources
Raphael, T.E. & Au, K. H. (in press). QAR:
Enhancing Comprehension and Test-taking Across
Grades and Content Areas, The Reading Teacher.
Raphael, T. E. & Au, K. H. Super QAR for Testwise
Students. Wright Group/McGraw-Hill
http://www.litd.psch.uic.edu/pr
[email protected]