Super QARfor Test-wise Students

Why the World NeedsSuper QAR. . .

The Challenge

To meet two goals– Prepare students to perform well on tests– Keep quality of education high

• Higher level thinking• Reading comprehension• Rich Content

Concern for Students

Present emphasis on basic skills All students can also benefit from

instruction in higher level thinking In general, students of diverse

backgrounds have few opportunities for such instruction

Why Use QARs?

Leads to quality instruction in core comprehension skills

Builds confidence among students in question-asking and question-answering situations

Provides a language to talk about comprehension strategies

Provides a language to talk about test requirements

QAR - Question Answer Relationships

Research-based A strategy to promote higher order

thinking An approach to test preparation A language for talking about questioning

activities

Icons: TE p.9

In the BookRight There: 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 the Book Comprehension Strategies TE p.24 Scan Skim Identify main idea and supporting detail

(Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph carefully)

Summarize Clarify Identify important information Compare/Contrast

In My HeadAuthor 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.

In My HeadComprehension Strategies TE p.30

Identify background knowledge, beliefs, feelings and experiences

Predict Visualize Make inferences Connect to Self Connect to Text Connect to Themes or Ideas

Right There: Student Book p.4

Definition: The answer is in the text; usually a detail or fact. You can put your finger on the answer.

Strategy: Scan Information Source: Information in one

sentence

Think and Search: Student Book p.4

Definition: The answer is in several different places in the text. Involves more than one sentence.

Strategy: Identify what is being asked

Note key terms in the question

Skim/Scan

Identify main ideas and details

Compare and contrast

Summarize

Identify text structure Information Source: More than one sentence or

paragraph

Author and Me: Student Book p.5 Definition: The answer comes from the reader’s

background knowledge, but the reader also needs to have read and understood the text.

Strategy:

Identify background knowledge

Predict

Visualize

Make inferences

Make personal connections (Text to Self)

Make connections to other texts (Text to Text)

Make connections to the world (Text to Themes) Information Source:

The text (author) and the reader

Author and Me

Text to Self: Readers connect the text to their own experiences.

Text to Text: Readers connect the text to something else they have read.

Text to Themes: Readers make inferences about author’s message/theme and support their conclusions with details from the text.

QUESTIONING THE AUTHOR

Initiating Queries: This is done as you work through the text.

What is the author trying to say? What is the author’s message? What is the author talking about?

Follow-Up Queries: The goal is what the text means rather than what the text says.

What does the author mean here? Does the author explain this clearly? Does this make sense with what the author told us before? How does this connect with what the author told us here? Does the author tell us why? Why do you think the author tells us this now?

Narrative Queries: These are used with narrative text and may often deal with characters, theme, and plot.

How do things look for this character now? Given what the author has already told you about this

character, what do you think he’s up to? How has the author let you know something has changed? How has the author settled this for us?

CRISS Manual: p. 37-38

On My Own: Student Book p.5

Definition: The answer comes from the reader’s background knowledge and experience.

Strategy:Make connections to the topicIdentify experiences, feelings, beliefs

Information source:The reader’s background knowledge

Student Book P.24

Start with easy material: Cinderella

Right There: How many stepsisters did Cinderella have?

Think and Search: What things did the fairy Godmother change with her magic wand?

Author and Me: Why didn’t Cinderella’s stepmother let her go to the ball with her stepsisters?

On My Own: Have you ever excluded someone from hanging out with you? Why?

Popcorn CRISS Manual p.71

Have you ever wondered why popcorn pops? Popcorn has more moisture inside each kernel than regular corn. As the kernel is heated, the water inside turns into steam. Pressure begins to build inside until the hard coat on the outside of the kernel explodes, turning inside-out. If you are careful about how you prepare it, popcorn turns out to be a very healthy snack-higher in protein than ice cream or potato chips, without the fat and sugar. Air popping is the best way to prepare popcorn because it doesn’t require any oil; this keeps the popcorn low in calories. To add a little zest to your snack, forget the butter or caramel flavors. Instead try melting a few tablespoons of peanut butter and stirring that into your popped corn. Or you can add sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame seeds.

Right There: What is the best way to prepare popcorn? (air popping)

Think and Search: What are some ways you can make popcorn taste better? (add peanut butter, sunflower, pumpkin or sesame seeds)

Author and Me: Why do you think the author wrote this article about popcorn? ( to inform the reader how to make popcorn a healthy snack)

On My Own: What is your favorite snack? Is it healthy?

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, And the itsy, bitsy spider went up the spout again. 1. Who climbed up the water spout? (Right There) 2. What happened when the rain washed the spider out? (Think and Search) 3. Why do you think the spider decided to climb back up the spout? (Author and You) 4. Have you ever tried and failed at something the first time, and yet had the courage to come back and try again?(On Your Own)

QAR PRACTICE

The sun was setting, and as the senator gazed out of his office window, he could see the silhouettes of some of the unique buildings and monuments of Washington, D.C. Directly in front of him at the other end of the National Mall, the stark obelisk of the Washington Monument thrust dramatically skyward, its red warning lights blinking in the approaching dusk. Although he couldn’t quite see it, he knew that beyond the Washington Monument and the reflecting pool just past it, a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln sat thoughtfully in the Lincoln Memorial. The senator was worried. A bill was before the Congress, called Safe Surfing for Safer Schools that would deny federal education dollars to states that didn’t have laws against internet pornography on their books. He was concerned about kids having access to dirty pictures, and even more concerned about internet predators having access to kids. But he also believed strongly in the right of people to freely access information, even if it meant sometimes children might be exposed to adult materials. It seemed dangerous to take money away from schools, where the need was desperate, if state legislatures balked at this federal pressure on them. His constituents had let him know in no uncertain terms that they supported strict standards of decency on the internet. He knew if he didn’t support the bill, his next election opponent would paint him as pro-pornography and anti-child. He didn’t want anything to get in the way of providing monetary support to schools through federal grants. The unique spires of the original Smithsonian Institution were getting harder to see, but there was still a faint gleam on the green dome of the Museum of Natural History. What was the right thing to do?

1. Whom does this senator remind you of? Why? 2. What legislation is the senator worried about?

3. What is a tough decision you have had to make? 4. What are some of the buildings and monuments the senator can see out of

his window?

Type Right There Think and Search Author and You On Your Own

Definition The answer can be found in the text in one sentence. The answers are in the selection, but you need to put together different pieces of information to find it. The answer is not stated directly in the text. You need to reread and think about what you already know. What is the author trying to get you, the reader, to think? You do not have to read the text to answer the question. It is based on your own experiences and background knowledge.

Blooms Level Knowledge Knowledge Comprehension Analysis Evaluation Synthesis

Example What does QAR stand for? P.41 What are the differences between Right There and Think and Search questions? P.43 How can QAR be used to prepare students for the TAKS test? (Reread p. 43 and infer) Can you access the value and importance of higher level questions in the classroom?

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Book-based Questions Right There questions

Find the answer in the text first, and then make up the question.

Think and Search questions Find two or more answers in the text, and then make up the

question. Start the question with list, give, name, or state followed by a

number greater than one. List three reasons… Combine two interrogative words together to form one question

with more than one answer. Where and when? How and why? Who and what?

Brain-based Questions Author and You questions

These are the why questions. If the answer will be yes or no, always include explain, elaborate,

or support. When wording this type of question consider,

According to the selection, According to the text, According to the author, After reading the selection, What do you think the writer means, In your opinion, with support from the text, Mention a specific character, quote, scene, reference, visual, or detail from the text.

On My Own Questions

Question should relate to the subject or topic the text deals with. Do not make any direct reference to anything in the text. Remember that this type of question can always be answered

without reading the selection.

On My Own/ Level 3 (Beyond the Lines)

Author and You/ Level 2 (Between the Lines)

Right There/Think and Search Level 1

(On the Lines)

Lesson Plan(p.14-17 TE)

Objectives Set the purpose Materials Model (includes thinking aloud) Coach Assessment Build Independence Reflect

QAR Plan The teacher introduces the QAR strategy and the

four types of questions. The teacher models the QAR process with a short

reading passage. (may happen more than once) The teacher and the class together practice the QAR

strategy with short pieces of text. The class practices using the strategy with easy

materials in partners or small groups. The teacher provides independent practice. The teacher gradually increases the length and

complexity of text used with QAR. The students create their own QAR questions in

partners, small groups, or individually using various pieces of text including TAKS materials.