Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
1
Initial Meeting with Teacher
Student A
This student was chosen by Mrs. Joyner to be apart of the action research group
because of her lack comprehension skills. This student is a completely fluent reader
but there is a some kind of underlying disconnect between reading the words
correctly and understanding the meaning of a text. Based off of the comprehension
assessments she took in third grade and the ones Mrs. Joyner has given her, she
struggles with finding the main idea and deciphering between what the key parts in
a story are. Mrs. Joyner feels that with more one-on-one intervention, this student’s
comprehension skills should improve.
Student B
This student was chosen by Mrs. Joyner to be apart of the action research group
because of her slow reading rate along with her inadequate comprehension skills.
Student B is an ELL student who already has intervention with a professional three
times per week. Mrs. Joyner believes that the language barrier has something to do
with her lack of comprehension skills and believes more one-on-one intervention
will help improve her comprehension skills.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
2
The Initial Question:
After Mrs. Joyner determined which students should be a part of the action research
group, we determined that the common problem that was evident amongst these
two students was their lack of comprehension skills. After I gave each student 3
comprehension assessments, I saw that both students missed the main idea
questions. That is when I constructed this question to be the focus of my action
research: What are the best strategies for teaching main idea to a fourth grade
student in order to improve their comprehension skills. This question was
developed based off of the data I received after giving my 3 initial assessments to
both students. During the process of my action research, I developed a new question
for student B. After 4 sessions with student B, I discovered that there was a strong
language barrier and the reason for her lack of comprehension skills was because
she did not understand the vocabulary.
The Revised Question for student B:
Due to the language barrier, I wondered: What can I do to improve this student’s
vocabulary knowledge so that she will have better understanding of a text.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
3
Timeline
Pre-Session
Initial meeting with Mrs. Joyner
o
o
o
o
Choose students to work with
Determine the essential question
Discuss individual needs of each student chosen
Pick a book for students to read
Session 1
Wed. 0ct 15
Initial Assessments: (Five different types of assessments will be used in order to
determine the needs of each student.)
Action Research Group
o “Your favorites list”- Interest Inventory
o Student Comprehension strategy use survey-metacognition assessment
(Teaching Children to read book pg. 260)
Session 2
Thurs. Oct 16
Initial assessments continued
o Washington Comprehensive assessment “The Story of Milton Hershey”
grade 4
o Washington Comprehensive assessment “Just plain Buster” grade 4 reading
Session 3
Fri. Oct 17
Finish up last initial assessment
o Individual (Student A) Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment
o Individual (Student B) Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment
o Collected all initial data and plan for action
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4
Identify the essential question
What are the best strategies for teaching main idea in order to improve
their comprehension skills.
Session 4
Mon. Oct 20
Discuss the book they will be reading: Because of Winn-Dixie
o Introduce main idea
o Read aloud first page, discuss first –person voice
o Read first chapter and model strategies that will be used with them:
questioning and summarizing.
o Have students draw a new cover of the book in their progress monitoring
booklets
Session 5
Tues. Oct 21
Focus on Questioning strategy
o Play question game “Can you help me remember how I met my dog.”
o Read Chapter 2 (pgs. 13-19) out loud & model questioning
o Fill out questioning sheet “I wonder” (Before, during, after)
o Student “A” reads 3 pages of Chapter 3 and student “B” read the last 2 pages
(pgs. 20-25)
o Group practice asking questions after they read a page (guided practice)
o Give time for group to fill out Questions I have during reading on the
“Wonder worksheet.”
o Copy two questions into progress monitoring booklet
o Students were assigned pages (pgs. 26-30) for homework
Session 6
Wed. Oct 22
o Discuss chapter 4 as a group
o Answer questions on the “I Wonder” worksheet
o Discuss types of questions (Right There” “Think and Search” “Author and
You” “On Your own”)
o Read chapter 5 as a group and categorize the questions
o Fill out graphic organizer “Questioning”
o Assign chapters 6 and 7 (pages 31-44) for homework
Session 7
Thurs. Oct 23
Teach
1st
lesson on Main idea
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5
Give main idea assessment (Dolphins)
o Read Chapter 8 and 9
o Assign Chapter 10 and 14 (67-97)
o
Session 8
Thurs. Oct 30
o
Fountas and Pinnell Comprehension assessment “The Big Show” (midpoint)
CHANGED QUESTION FOR STUDENT B
o
Student B: Vocabulary Pre-Assessment (The Word Up Project)
Session 9
Thursday. Nov 6
Student B:
o Dictionary search (Doubt)
o Fryer Model (Doubt)
o Flash Card practice on six new vocabulary words missed in vocabulary
assessment
Student A: Continued to read Because of Winn-Dixie modeled questioning strategy
in journal.
Assign Chapter 15-19 (pages 98-132)
Session 10
Tues. Nov 18
Teach Vocabulary Context Clues Lesson
o Context clues assessment
o
o
Student B- Homework (Continue to Practice Flash Cards)
Student A-Homework (Finish Because of Winn-Dixie)
Session 11
Thurs. Dec 4
Student A:
.
o Fountas and Pinell final assessment “Exploring Caves” (Final)
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
o
6
Student B: Final Vocabulary Post-Assessment (The Word Up Project) (Test
on 6 flashcards)
Initial Assessment Reflection
Student A
After administering four of the five initial assessments, I began to realize this
student was a fluent reader but struggled understanding the full meaning of a
passage. I gave her an interest inventory call “Your favorites list” and I learned that
this student loved to read fantasy and poetry books. Then, I first assessed her use of
comprehension strategies by giving her a Student Comprehension Strategy survey. I
noticed that she circled “never” when the statement, “I am able to tell the difference
between important parts and less important details” came up. This made me look
deeper into her understanding of main idea. When I gave her the Washington
Comprehensive assessment “The Story of Milton Hershey,” she was able to answer 7
out of the 9 answers correct; one question she missed asked what the main idea
was, and the other was a vocabulary question. When I gave her the second
Washington Comprehensive assessment,” Just Plain Buster” she missed the question
asking her what the main message of the story was. This led me to believe she
needed the most instruction on main idea. My last initial comprehensive assessment
I gave her was the Individual Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment level N. As
she read, I did not have to mark any errors because she was completely fluent. After
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
7
she read, I asked her what happened in the story and she was able to give me some
details but was unable to recall the full meaning of the text. Her score for key
understanding with in the text and beyond the text were both a 1. Throughout the
action research process, I decided to use the Fountas and Pinnell Assessments as a
steady assessment to see student’s growth.
Student B
After administering four of the five initial assessments, I began to realize this
student was not fluent at all and also struggled understanding the full meaning of a
passage. I gave her an interest inventory call “Your favorites list” and I learned that
this student loved to read fantasy, action/adventure and nonfiction/informational.
Then, I assessed her use of comprehension strategies by giving her a Student
Comprehension Strategy survey. I noticed that she circled “sometimes” when the
statement, “I am able to tell the difference between important parts and less
important details” came up. This made me look into her understanding of main
idea. When I gave her the Washington Comprehensive assessment “The Story of
Milton Hershey,” she was able to answer 7 out of the 9 answers correct; one
question she missed asked what the main idea was, and the other was a vocabulary
question. When I gave her the second Washington Comprehensive assessment,” Just
Plain Buster” she missed the question asking her what the main message of the
story was. This led me to believe she needed the most instruction on main idea. My
last initial comprehensive assessment I gave her was the Individual Fountas and
Pinnell Benchmark Assessment level N. She struggled majorly when reading the
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
8
words. She would substitute words and add words to the text. For example, she
would say, “hear” instead of “her” or she would have a long pause when reading
difficult words like “beauty”, “patient”, or “graceful”. Just like student A, after she
read, I asked her what happened in the story and she was unable to recall the full
meaning of the text. Her score for key understanding with in the text and beyond the
text were both a 1.
Student A Observations/Implementations
Date/ Time Spent
Strategy
Description
10/15/14 Comprehens
35 min
ion Skills
Anecdotal
Observation
I noticed that A
was very
energetic. She
enjoys the movie
Frozen, listens to
hip-hop and
loved to read
comic books.
Assessment
Data
- Reports she
is unable to
tell the
difference
between
important
story parts
and less
important
details
Plan for Next
Session
Reflect/Respond
-Give Washington
Comprehensive
assessments
- “The Story of
Milton Hershey”
& “Just Plain
Buster”
-Student A
already loves to
read.
- Pick a book
that she will like
to read
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10/16/14 Comprehens
ion Skills
Student A
missed both
main idea
questions in
both passages.
-Answered 7
out of 9
questions
correct “The
story of Milton
Hershey”
-Answered 4
out of 5
questions
correct “Just
Plain Buster”
-Give Fountas
and Pinnell
Assessment level
N “Vanessa’s
Butterfly”
- Student seems
to struggle with
finding the main
idea of the
passage. I need
to give an
assessment that
will remain
consistent and
give clear data.
10/17/14 Comprehens
ion Skills
Student A is
completely
fluent in her
reading. Had a
raw score of 1
for both key
understanding
with-in the text
and beyond the
text. I noticed
she seemed
embarrassed for
being unable to
recall
information
I noticed this
strategy was
working with
student A. As she
read her book
aloud, she would
model her
thinking and ask
questions.
-Was unable
to tell 3 events
in a sequence
- Did not
understand
over-all
meaning of
the story
- Introduce
Because of WinnDixie
- Use Questioning
strategy
- Make booklet
for student to
monitor their
own progress
- Student felt
confident while
reading allowed.
-Scored a
perfect score for
fluency
- Was able to
answer her
before, during,
and after
questions.
-Continue with
Questioning
strategy.
-Teach
Question/Answer
relationships.
Student loved
learning about
the different
types of
questions. Her
question/answe
-Graphic
Organizer was
filled out
correctly
-Student
categorized
10/21/14 Questioning
Strategy/
Modeled
through
think-alouds
“I wonder”
worksheet
10/22/14 Questioning
Strategy
(Right
There”
“Think and
Search”
-Student loved
recording her
questions as she
read.
-When passage
was over, she
was able to
answer her
before, during,
and after
questions.
- Teach first
-Student
lesson on main
categorized her
idea
questions in her
-I will give a main booklet
idea assessment
-Liked to ask
-Student will
inferring
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
“Author and
You” “On
Your own”)
-Graphic
Organizer
10
r booklet began
to fill up.
her questions
as she read
Because of
Winn-Dixie.
have to read
passage and tell
main idea with 2
supporting
details
questions
10/23/14 Explicit
teaching of
main idea
Student A
thrived in this
lesson. She was
able to pick out
the main idea
and 2 supporting
details
- Received a
100% on the
main idea
assessment
-Give mid-point
level N Fountas
and Pinnell
assessment “The
Big Show”
11/6/14
-Student A
comprehension
score on the
Fountas and
Pinnell
assessment
increased 2
points.
-Student A
went from a
raw score of 1
in both
Understandin
g within and
beyond the
text to a raw
score of 3.
- Student A will
continue to read
Because of WinDixie.
-She will
continue with
questioning
strategy and
summarize the
end of each
chapter in her
booklet.
-Student was
able to
contribute to the
lesson and
explain that she
used the
questioning
strategy to
figure out the
main idea of the
passage  YAY!
-Student A has
already made a
lot of progress
as this point.
- My main focus
will need to be
on student B.
Student A will
continue to read
her book and
write before,
during, and after
questions in her
booklet. I need
to figure out
how I can help
student B with
her vocabulary
knowledge.
Student A scored
a 4 out of 4 on
her final Fountas
and Pinnell
assessment. She
went from a
score of 1 to a
score of 4.
Students A
progress has
been
unbelievable.
She began
reading at a
level N and
now she has
Even though
student A loved
to read at the
beginning of this
process, she
claims her love of
reading as
grown. She said
Mid-point
assessment
11/16/14 Final
Assessment
In a perfect
world, I would
have loved to
implement
another strategy
with student A.
From the midpoint
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11
moved up and
entire level.
She can begin
reading at a
level O in the
future.
she will continue
using the
questioning
strategy.
assessment until
the end, I had to
focus my
attention on
improving
student B’s
vocabulary.
Student B Observations/Implementations
Date/ Time Spent
Strategy
Description
10/15/14 Comprehens
35 min
ion Skills
10/16/14 Comprehens
ion Skills
10/17/14 Comprehens
ion Skills
Anecdotal
Observation
Assessment
Data
Plan for Next
Session
Reflect/Respond
I noticed that B
was pretty
intimidated by
student A. She is
very shy but
smiles a lot at
me. She enjoys
fishing and
spending time
with friends
Student B
missed both
main idea
questions in
both passages.
- Reports she
is unable to
tell the
difference
between
important
story parts
and less
important
details
-Answered 7
out of 9
questions
correct “The
story of Milton
Hershey”
-Answered 3
out of 5
questions
correct “Just
Plain Buster”
-Give Washington
Comprehensive
assessments
- “The Story of
Milton Hershey”
& “Just Plain
Buster”
-Student B does
not like to ready
very much. She
finds it difficult
to pronounce
hard words.
- Pick a book
that she will like
to read
-Give Fountas
and Pinnell
Assessment level
N “Vanessa’s
Butterfly”
- Student seems
to struggle with
finding the main
idea of the
passage. I need
to give an
assessment that
will remain
consistent and
give clear data.
Student B
struggles with
-Was unable
- Introduce
to tell 3 events Because of Winn-
-Student was
timid when
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12
her fluency. She
would say words
that were not in
the text. She had
a raw score of 1
for both key
understanding
with-in the text
and beyond the
text. I noticed
she seemed
embarrassed for
being unable to
recall
information
I noticed student
B was struggling.
It would take her
a long time to
read a page. She
had a hard time
coming up with
questions.
in a sequence
- Did not
understand
over-all
meaning of
the story
Dixie
- Use Questioning
strategy
- Make booklet
for student to
monitor their
own progress
- Was able to
think of before
questions but
was unable to
answer during
and after
questions.
-Continue to
work on during
and after
questions.
-Teach
Question/Answer
relationships.
10/22/14 Questioning
Strategy
(Right
There”
“Think and
Search”
“Author and
You” “On
Your own”)
-Graphic
Organizer
I noticed student
struggling in
vocabulary. She
is unable to
recognize many
words. She does
not know the
meaning.
-Student B
struggled
filling out the
Graphic
Organizer. She
only
completed
half of it.
10/23/14 Explicit
teaching of
main idea
Student B kind of
laid back during
this lesson.
Seemed as if she
was thinking a
lot but I’m not
sure if she really
- Received a
50% on main
idea
assessment.
10/21/14 Questioning
Strategy/
Modeled
through
think-alouds
“I wonder”
worksheet
reading allowed.
-Student did not
like recording
questions as she
read.
-When passage
was over, she
was unable to
answer her
before, during,
and after
questions.
- Teach first
-Student tried to
lesson on main
categorize
idea
questions in
-I will give a main booklet but
idea assessment
could not. She
-Student will
seems very
have to read
frustrated.
passage and tell
main idea with 2
supporting
details
-Give Preassessment for
Vocabulary
-Student had
limited
contribution to
the lesson. I
need to change
my instruction.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
11/6/14
Vocabulary
Flash card
practice
11/18/14 Vocabulary
Frayer
model
12/4/14
Vocabulary
Explicitly
taught
Context
Clues
12/4/14
Final
Vocabulary
Assessment
understood what
we were doing.
-Student
appeared happy
when I told her
we were going to
work on
Vocabulary
instead of
comprehension
strategies.
-Student B
seems to be
having a lot
more fun. She
told me that she
feels like she is
learning a lot
more.
-Student B
enjoyed my
lesson and
remained
engaged the
entire time
-Student B was
excited when I
told her she was
going to be given
one last
assessment to
see how well she
knew the
13
-Student B
missed 6 out
of 20
vocabulary
words.
-She seemed
happy to work
on these
words using
flashcard
practice
-Student B
was able to
recall 5 of the
6 vocabulary
words.
Student B did
very well on
the context
clues
assessment
given at the
end of the
lesson. She
was able to
write the
definition of
the 6
vocabulary
words we
have been
working on
-Student B
scored a
100%
answering all
20 questions
correct on the
Word-Up
post-
- Student B will
continue to
practice her flash
cards
- We will fill out
frayer model for
the six words.
- I will she
student B how to
use a dictionary
-Student B has
already made
progress with
the 6 vocabulary
words. When we
reviewed, she
knew 2 out of
the 6 vocabulary
words already.
- I will be
explicitly
teaching a lesson
on Context clues
as it relates to
both
comprehension
and vocabulary
- I will be giving
her the postassessment for
the vocabulary
Word-Up Project.
-Student B is
beginning to
make progress.
-She seems a lot
more enagaged
with the one-onone instruction
I am happy to
report that even
though progress
was minimal
with student B, I
am glad that I
was able help
enhance her
I wish I had
more time with
student B. I
think should
would benefit
from more oneon-one
vocabulary
-Student has
been improving
in her
vocabulary
knowledge
everyday.
-These
strategies seem
to be making
more of a
difference.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
vocabulary
words
14
assessment
vocabulary
knowledge.
instruction.
Strategies Used
1. Explicit Modeling
2. Think-a-louds
3. Questioning
4. Summarizing
5. Graphic Organizers
6. “I wonder” Before, During, After
7. Flashcards
8. Frayer Model
9. Explicitly taught context clues
10. Explicitly taught main idea
11. Dictionary Use
Lessons/Assessments Used
1. You favorites List (Interest Inventory)
2. Student Comprehension Strategy Use Survey
3. Washington Comprehensive assessment “The Story of Milton Hershey”
4. Washington Comprehensive assessment “Just plain Buster”
5. Fountas and Pinnell Comprehension assessment “Vanessa’s Butterfly”
(initial)
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
15
6. Fountas and Pinnell Comprehension assessment “The Big Show” (mid-point)
7. Fountas and Pinnell Comprehension assessment “Exploring Caves” (final)
8. Main Idea Lesson & “Dolphins” main idea reading passage/assessment
9. Context Clues Lesson & assessment (self-made)
10. The Word Up Project (Flocabulary) Pre-Assessment- 2nd grade (Level
Turquoise)
11. The Word Up Project (Flocabulary) Post-Assessment- 2nd grade (Level
Turquoise)
Necessary Instruction Changes
Student A
1. Student A seems to be progressing with implementation of the questioning
strategy. I will need to explicitly teach her about main idea and the ways to
find the main idea in a passage.
2. Student A became very bored when student B would read
3. I separated students and split instruction time.
Student B
1. I noticed after my 7th session with student B, she did not understand simple
words in our book Because of Winn-Dixie. Words like hollered, howled,
wagged would stump her up. During our reading sessions, I would stop and
ask her what words meant, and she was unable to tell me. After I would
explain the word, she was able to answer my comprehension questions.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
16
2. Right before I was going to give my mid-point Fountas and Pennel
assessments, I had to change my action research question for student B
because I realized student B needed help with understanding vocabulary.
3. Student A became very bored when student B would read. I decided at this
point, I needed to separate instruction.
4. I changed my question half-way through and ask what I could do to improve
student B’s vocabulary knowledge so that she will have better understanding
of a text?
5. During my 8th session, instead of giving student B a mid-point
comprehension assessment, I gave her a vocabulary assessment. This
assessment was a second grade Pre-assessment on the Word Up Project.
6. She missed 6 out of the 20 vocabulary questions. I immediately made
flashcards of the six words missed and the next day made a fryer model of all
six words.
7. I taught the student how to use context clues to figure out the meaning of
unknown words. We practiced using the words missed in the pre-assessment
in a sentence and student had to use context clues to make meaning out of
the word
8. Everyday that we practice the 6 vocabulary words, student B became more
excited about our sessions. You could tell she felt accomplished after giving
the right definition of a word.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
17
Final Assessment Reflection
Student A
After four sessions of intervention, student A comprehension skills have improved
immensely. She went from scoring a level 1 on a level N Fountas and Pinnell
Assessment to a level 4! Which means she is now reading at a level 0 which is where
beginning fourth graders are supposed to be reading. It is evident that through
teaching this student how to question herself as she read a text and explicitly
modeling it for her through think-a-louds, organizers, and a question booklet, she
will consistently improve. Using the book Because of Win-Dixie to practice
questioning, deemed itself to be an effective teaching method for student A. I really
enjoyed working with student A. If I have learned anything, it is that students
comprehension skills by just teaching the student how to use one strategy
effectively. Modeling questioning through think-a-louds and explicitly teaching
question answer relationships has enabled this students to make big improvements.
I am confident to say that with more one-on-one intervention, student A will soon be
able to comprehend full meaning of a text.
Student B
On the contrary, I did not see much improvement with Student B’s comprehension
skills. In our first couple sessions I noticed the student needed instruction on
vocabulary. About mid-way through the research, student B took a vocabulary
assessment pre-test and missed 6 out of 20 words. For her final assessment, she
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
18
showed complete knowledge of the 6 vocabulary words and scored a 100% on her
post-test. Even though the improvements were small for student B, I know she felt
successful. Based off of student B’s test results, she seemed to benefit from using the
frayer model and flashcards. I have learned that figuring out the root of a reading
issue is hard work. If I had more time with student B, I would have worked on her
phonology instead of choosing specific vocabulary words to learn. I would have
worked more on sight word recognition and braking apart words.
Students Self Monitoring Chart used

Student’s filled out these questions in their booklets at the end of all teaching
session! Student kept their booklets at the end of our meetings to look at
their progress along the way! This is a typed chart of students A progress
monitoring.
Date
Today, we
I feel that I…
I improved in… I need to work
did…
10/20/14
10/21/14
Today I
learned about
main idea and
asked before,
during, and
after questions
Today I read
Because of
Winn-Dixie
and asked
questions
on…
I am not very
good at
understanding
a story
I know more
about
questioning
myself as I
read
Questioning
myself before,
during and after
reading a text
I need to
practice more
on
questioning.
My knowledge
of the book
Because of
Win-Dixie
Figuring out good
questions to ask
myself
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH
10/22/14
I did a graphic
organizer and
filled out
different types
of questions
I learned a lot
today about
organizing
certain
questions
10/23/14
I learned about
main idea and
what it means.
I know how to
look for main
idea in a
passage.
I learned about
different types
of context
clues and how
to find
meaning of a
word I don’t
know.
Today I took
my last
assessment
and Mrs.
Hannah told
me I have
improved a lot.
I have become
smarter
11/18/14
11/4/14
19
I know what
questions to
ask myself as I
read in order
to figure out
main idea
Finding the
main idea of a
story
Practicing the
questioning
strategy
I know what
trembling
means now
I can use
context clues
when I don’t
know what a
word means
Asking the right
questions to figure
out when the
author uses logic
to tell the meaning
of a word.
I feel happy
that I have
learned new
things with
Mrs. Hannah
I have learned
that
questioning
myself when I
read will help
me understand
I need to read
more
Finding the main
idea of Win-Dixie
Chapters 6 and 7
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Data Comprehension Analysis
Data from the Fountas & Pinnell Assessments
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
StudentA
Student B
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Student B: Data from The Word Up Project assessment test: Grade 2
The Word Up Project
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
Pre-test
Post-test
Student B
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Action Research: Using Questioning for Text Comprehension Instruction
Hannah Marie Revels
Samford University
Olean Bullard Beeson School of Education
22
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Abstract
By using the questioning strategy, students can improve their text comprehension
skills overtime. Modeling through think-alouds and explicitly teaching the types of
questions to ask, while reading a text, are both necessary components when
teaching the questioning strategy. This literature review will offer best practice for
teaching students how to use questioning to improve reading comprehension.
Key words: Questioning, Comprehension, Think-alouds, Explicitly
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Without comprehension, reading is nothing more than decoding words and
sounding them out. Reading comprehension is the act of understanding the meaning
of a text and is typically the last developed pillar among students (Brummitt-Yale,
2014). In Stephanie Harvey’s book, Strategies That Work, she identifies 6 strategies
for teaching reading comprehension, which include: monitoring, background
knowledge, questioning, visualizing and inferring, importance, and summarizing.
Research says that the questioning strategy is one that works in combination with
all of the others to support comprehension (Harvey, 2000).
Modeling questioning through think-alouds is a great way for teachers to
demonstrate how to ask before, during, and after questions during reading. Thinkalouds are a way to create documentation of the decision-making process of going
through a text (Wilhelm, 2014). A teacher can model think-alouds as they read aloud
during group readings. As a teacher shares her questions with the class, she might
write the questions down on a sticky note to remind her to look for the answers as
she continues to read.
When modeling a think- aloud, the teacher might begin by looking at the
cover of the book with the class and thinking about her first question. She might say,
“Hmm, before I read this text, I wonder about…” or “I wonder why …” These are
questions that get the brain thinking or wondering what the story might be about.
Once the teacher begins reading, she might stop at an unknown word and say,
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“What does this word mean?” or maybe she asks, “What is going to happen next.”
“Why did the author put that part in there?” “I’m trying to figure out______ because I
am confused about______.” There are millions of questions that a teacher can ask
while modeling a think-aloud. After the teacher models her thinking, she should
allow the students to go through a text and practice asking before, during, and after
questions. If students understand the text enough to be able to form their own
questions, next, they need to know how to find the answers (Wilhelm, 2014).
Students must be able to categorize the questions they generate in their
minds, in order to know what sources are available for finding the answers. One of
the main components of the questioning strategy is Question-Answer Relationships.
QAR’s should be taught explicitly and should be practiced with students by reading
aloud a text, asking questions, and having students explain or show where they
would look to find the answers (Reutzel, D., & Cooter, R., 2015). In the text Teaching
Children To Read, Raphel and Au identify four types of questions that students
should categorize in order to form a better understanding of a text. The questions
include: right there, think and search, author and me, and on my own.
Questions that should be categorized as right there questions are the ones
whose answers can be found simply in the text. An example would be, Q: What was
Tommy’s mothers name? A: Debbie. Students should look in a single sentence or in
two sentences connected by a pronoun in order to find the answers to these
questions (Reutzel, D., & Cooter, R., 2015). The next question category is called
think and search. For these questions, students should focus their attention on the
structure of the text. The answers are likely found in more than one place. An
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example would be, Q: Why was Tommy sad? A: Debbie was making him clean his
room. The next two types of question is author and me and on my own. These
questions require students to make connections from what they already know to
what they have learned after reading a text. These answers will not be written in the
text clearly. These categories of questions are great questions to ask before and after
reading a text. Teaching QAR’s help students practice generating and categorizing
questions in order to better understand the meaning of a text.
The questioning strategy can be used when teaching the other strategies of
reading comprehension. Research says that questioning helps students improve
their text comprehension skills overtime. Modeling through think-alouds and
explicitly teaching the types of questions to ask while reading a text, are both
necessary components when teaching the questioning strategy.
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References
Brummitt-Yale, J. (n.d.). What is Reading Comprehension? Retrieved
November 20, 2014.
Reutzel, D., & Cooter, R. (2015). Teaching Reading Comprehension. In
Teaching children to read: The teacher makes the difference (Seventh
ed., pp. 268-270). Pearson.
Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Questioning. In Strategies that work:
Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding (pp. 81-94). York,
Me.: Stenhouse.
Wilhelm. (2014, January 1). Comprehension Skills, Strategies & Best
Practices. Retrieved November 20, 2014.