The Joy of Literacy

Teaching Tipster: Teaching Questioning to Improve Comprehension

2012-02-28T11:35:00.000-08:00

After working with my students with this reciprocal teaching framework for the past month, I realized that they need a lot more explicit teaching on questioning.

I really like the questioning model presented in Jan Richardson's The Next Step in Guided Reading. Her model is based in the QAR (Question-Answer-Relationship) model, but it's more explicit and gives sentence frames to better guide students. Sentence frames are essential learning tools for my ELL students, but are helpful for every student.

I first introduced my interevention students to GO (literal, right there) questions. These questions start with Who, What, When, Where, and How. Students can go directly to the text to find the answer to these questions. I modeled GO questions with a shared reading of the students' leveled text. Then, after some practice together, the students began asking literal questions with an instructional-leveled text.

After practice with the GO questions, I introduced my students to STOP questions, or inferrential questioning. These questions are not directly answered in the text, but students have to use background knowledge, or the inferences from text to find come to an answer. These questions start with What if...?, I wonder why...?, What would happen if..?, Why would..?, How could...? Why do you think?... Again I modeled how to ask these questions, and began with teaching the sentence frame, I wonder why...?

I haven't yet introduced my students to SLOW DOWN questions. They need to become more proficient with GO and RED questions, before I introduce them to these more complex questions. For these questions students have to look more than on place in the text to find the answers to their questions. SLOW DOWN questions are cause/effect, compare/comtrast questions.

This model is especially helpful for my students as English Language Learners. They struggle with knowing how to start questions. The sentence frames give the students the academic language they need to ask questions.

Knowing about question-answer relationships allows the students to find answers to the questions their teacher (or the test!) is asking them. Do they go to the text? Do the make an inference? When you teach your students different question types, it helps them to know how to both ask and answer questions. Knowing how to answer to question well, also dramatically improves students' ability to comprehend a text.

If you don't have this Jan Richardson book, you should get it. She has great ideas to improve guided reading.

Reading + Pinning + Doing (9)

2012-02-25T21:34:00.001-08:00

ReadingHere are a couple of our library favs from the past week:

Rap a Tap Tap by Leo and Diane Dillion is a preschooler's story of BoJangles, an American tap dancer. This has great repetition and rhyme. This book is great for any child ages 2-6.

Nora's Room by Jessica Harper, illustrated by Lindsay Harper duPont, is a silly, fun book. Nora is making a ruckus up in her room playing make believe. I also like that the author and illustrator are sisters.

Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear by Nancy White Calstrom also is filled with rhyme: Goldfish, goldfish/ swimming with a fin swish. Let me help you flap about/ I can zigzag in and out. I like the playfulness of the rhymes, but I don't love the illustrations- they're a bit dated.

Can you Growl like a Bear? by John Bulter is well written, and has soft, captivating illustrations. Here's a taste of the writing: Can you CROAK like a tree frog, basking in the rain? Can you ROAR like a leopard, slinking slowly by? This would be a great book for any preschooler.

We love Raffi's song, Shake My Sillies Out, so this book is fun to sing/read.

My daughter is still asking for Where is My Teddy? from last week, so I think we'll have to check it out again soon.

Pinning
This is a great site for educational games: Cookie.com. I like that you can also make an account for your child/students and track their progress. I suggested this site to a teacher that needs some additional sight word and multiplication practice for one of her students.

Doing
I have slacked on blogging because I have been busy, busy, busy. But life has been full of good times with friends and family, so I cannot complain.

I went to Glen Ellen (Sonoma wine country) with my sister, friends, spouses, and 6 kiddos. Good times.

Cousins take an epic hike

My two lovelies

spontaneous reading happened often...

amid chaos

my husband and I took a walk to a winery

most of the clan

my little family

we got our new backsplash installed- yay, I'm so excited!

Me and my sweetie on a walk

It was a good long weekend.

My First Award!!

2012-02-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Jennifer at Teaching with a Smile for (my first!) blog award! I'm very flattered!

The Liebster Award is given to up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. I'm going to pass on this award to 5 blogs. And they are:

1. Hope is the Word

2. An Irregular Silsbee

3. Elementary, My Dear, or Far From It

4. Beginning Reading Help

5. Cozy Up and Read

Check out these awesome blogs!!!! And happy 3-day weekend!

Thanks again, Jennifer!