Q.A.R. (Question-Answer-Relationships)
Question-Answer Relationships, or QAR, is a reading comprehension strategy developed to aid in the approach that students take when reading texts and answering questions about that text. Students learn to categorize types of questions which in turn help them know where to find information. It encourages students to be active, strategic readers of texts. QAR outlines where information can be found "In the Text" or "In my Head." It then breaks down the actual question-answer relationships into four types: Right There, Think and Search, Author and Me, and On My Own. (Fisher, D., Brozo, W.G., Frey, N., & Ivey, G, 2011, pg.81)
STEP-BY-STEP and EXAMPLE
Chosen text: Frog and Toad Together, by Arnold Lobel 1. Hook/Engagement--Begin by reviewing what students have already learned about how to ask questions as a way to understand the meaning of texts. For example using this reading asks them to talk about the kinds of questions they can ask before, during, and after reading.
Next, introduce the idea that there are two kinds of questions you can ask about texts. Explain to students that an "In the Text" question is a question that students can find the answer to by looking in the book that they are reading. An "In My Head" question is a question that requires students to think about what their own knowledge is to answer the question. Review a book that you have recently read aloud with students. Write the example below on a piece of chart paper or on the blackboard. Choose a few "In the Text" and "In My Head" questions about the book that obviously belong to one category or the other, and have students tell you in which column to write the question. When you give students a literal question, have them show you where they found the answer in the book. When you
References: Fisher, D., Brozo, W.G., Frey, N., & Ivey, Gay. (2011). 50 Instructional Routines to Develop Content Literacy. Boston:Pearson. Jones, R. (1998). Strategies for reading comprehension: Question-Answer Relationships. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://www.readingquest.org/strat/qar.html TeacherVision. (2000-2012). Question-Answer Relationships. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://www.teachervision.fen.com/skill-builder/reading-comprehension/48699.html