Questioning is a critical strategy that helps readers make meaning of literature by promoting critical thinking about what is being read.
Questioning occurs as a natural part of the classroom routine as teachers encourage students to pose, discuss, and answer questions. Questions can be generated by the reader, a peer, the teacher, or curriculum developers. Any one of these kinds of questions can be answered by the student individually, after discussion with others, or in collaboration with a peer. While most questions require having the text available, some might not.
Questions—whether before, during, or after reading—can have different qualities. Check out the examples at the following web site: www.springfield.k12.il.us/resources/languagearts/
readingwriting/tchrques.html
Four Types of Questions
There are four key types of questions:
- "Right there" questions (text explicit). These are literal questions where the answer is in the text itself.
- "Think and search" questions (text implicit). The answer is implicit in the text but the student must synthesize, infer, or summarize to find the answer. Think and search questions tend to be more open-ended without set answers.
- "Reader and author" questions (text implicit or experience-based). The answer needs the reader to combine his or her own experiences with what the text states, i.e., the knowledge presented by the author.
- "On my own" questions (text implicit or experience-based). The reader needs to generate the answer from his or her prior knowledge. The reader may not need to read the text to answer, but the answer would certainly be shaped differently after reading the text.
Sites That Matter
To find out more about how to use questioning strategies, select from the navigation menu below.
Questioning Strategies Before Reading
The purpose of posing questions before reading is for readers to:
- Elicit prior knowledge related to the core ideas of the text
- Make connections between what they know and the subject of the text
- Set a purpose for reading
- Construct predictions
Below we list research-based strategies for questioning before reading. For each strategy we provide a description and links to additional information, classroom examples, and lesson plans.
KWL (Know Want Learn) Students organize their information about a topic using a three-column chart.
K stands for Know. What do I already know about this topic?
W stands for Will or Want. What do I think I will learn about this topic? What do I want to know about this topic?
<L stands for Learned. What have I learned about this topic?
Here are some web sites that show this strategy in action:
Reciprocal Reading Students working in small groups of four are each assigned a role before they read:
- Predictor
- Questioner
- Clarifier
- Summarizer
During the reading, they take notes and then discuss the text from the point of view of their role. They then switch roles and repeat the process.
Here is a web site that shows this strategy in action:
Scaffolded Reading Experience (SRE) SRE uses teachers' questions as the basis for the pre-reading engagement of students with text.
Here is a web site that shows this strategy in action:
- Strategies for Teaching Reading
This site summarizes the SRE, Scaffolded Reading Experience. This process uses scaffolding, which provides students with the necessary assistance in preparation, guidance, and follow-up to help them make connections with the text (scroll mid-way down the page for information on SRE). www.state.tn.us/education/ci/cistandards2001/ la/cilarstratteachread.htm
Directed Reading Activity (DRA) This process uses teachers' questions to activate prior knowledge, create interest, and establish the purpose for reading.
Here is a web site that shows this strategy in action:
Questioning Strategies During Reading
Questioning during reading should help the reader to:
- Clarify and review what has happened so far
- Confirm or create new predictions
- Evaluate the text critically and make personal connections
- Compare with other experiences or readings
- Monitor reading for meaning and accuracy
Below we describe strategies to use during reading. For each strategy we provide a description and give links to additional information and classroom examples.
Questioning the Author As students read, they develop questions for the author about the author's intent for the selection and his or her success at communicating it. One format uses these questions:
- Why is the author telling you that?
- Does the author say it clearly?
- How could the author have said things more clearly?
- What would you say instead?
Another modification of this approach is to have students rewrite a selected passage.
Here is a web site that shows this strategy in action:
Learning Logs Students record their questions about the text in a notebook, on a handout, or by using sticky notes. Students enter their reactions during and after reading a text.
Double Entry Journal In the left-hand page or column, students ask questions. After reading, in the right-hand column they answer the questions.
Think-Aloud The purpose of a think-aloud is to capture the student's thinking about the text during the reading process. The teacher selects a piece of text to model the strategy to the students. While reading the text aloud, the teacher says things such as, "I don't understand this word. Maybe if I keep reading I will find out."
Here are web sites that show this strategy in action:
Discussion Webs A discussion web uses a graphic aid for teaching students to look at both sides of an issue before drawing a conclusion. Students are asked to respond to a yes-no thinking question individually, in pairs, with another set of pairs, and then with the whole class.
Here is a web site that shows this strategy in action:
Think-Pair-Share Students are given a question. They think about the answer individually, in pairs, and then in small groups to reach a consensus.
Here are web sites that show this strategy in action:
Questioning Strategies After Reading
The purpose of post-reading strategies is to extend the reading experience by helping the reader to:
- Reinforce the concept that reading is for understanding the meaning of the text and making connections
- Model ways of thinking through and organizing the information taken in from reading a text
- Think critically about the text
- Respond on a personal level
Below are questioning strategies to use after reading. For each strategy we provide a description and give links to additional information and classroom examples.
Journal Writing On a regular basis, students record their questions, comments, reflections, and reactions in a journal.
Here is a web site that shows this strategy in action:
Teacher Questions The teacher leads large and small group discussions using various question guides.
Here is a web site that shows this strategy in action:
ORQ - Observe, Ruminate, Question Students make an observation based on the reading, and then they ruminate or extend it. They end with a final question.
Here is a web site to help put this strategy into action:
- A technology extension of the ORQ activity is to take the final questions, go onto the Web, and get answers from online experts. This site provides links to many sites that have experts in different content areas.
njnie.dl.stevens-tech.edu/askanexpert.html
Questioning the Author As students read, they develop questions for the author about the author's intent for the selection and his or her success at communicating it. One format uses these questions:
- Why is the author telling you that?
- Does the author say it clearly?
- What would you say instead?
Another modification of this approach is to have students rewrite a selected passage.
Here is a web site that shows this strategy in action:
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Kris Hoet 
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