Question-Answer Relationship
What was Implemented?
Question Answer Relationship is a reading comprehension strategy used to help students understand that the type of question being asked directly relates to being able to identify how to answer the question. This strategy is broken down into two categories "In the Book" and "In My Head" questions. These categories help students analyze the question being asked in order to determine an answer. The "In the Book" category questions required students to look in the text to find their answers. There are two subcategories within "In the Book". The first subcategory "Right There" are questions that the student can find the answer to word for word in the text such as defining words. "Think & Search" questions require students to look in the text over multiple pages. It may ask the students to summarize the text, compare/contrast, or give examples. There are also two subcategories for "In My Head" questions. The first subcategory "Author & You" requires students to use the text along with their background knowledge. These questions could ask the students to infer, predict, or draw conclusions. The second subcategory is "On My Own" which requires students to use background knowledge and past experiences to answer opinion questions.
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The QAR strategy was implemented to my students in a small group setting over a six-week period. We spent approximately a week learning each category. To see my plan in more detail refer to my calendar.
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Goals
My Goals
Student Goals
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Implement a reading strategy to increase student's reading comprehension.
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Implement a strategy that can be differeniated and accessible to all students.
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Learn a reading comprehension strategy to show growth on IEP goals.
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Learn a strategy that can be used in all academic areas and in their everyday lives.
How it was Implemented
Question Stems
Students were taught questions stems to help them identify if a question was from the "In the Book" or "In your Head" category. This helped the students decide if they were able to find their answer in the book or use their background knowledge. Question stems were introduced at the beginning of the week. Each category had unique question stems that directly related to it. I introduced these sentence stems in a variety of ways. For "In the Book" questions I had students practice making the who, what, where, and when questions with wiki sticks. All the students are visual and tactile learners so being able to make the words themselves helps them make a connection with the questions stems. For "In my Head" questions the question stems refer to skills such as being able to infer and predict. For these, we practiced those skills and highlighted the question stems being asked.
Question Category Visuals
The students received a summary of each category for individual use. The students utilized these visuals when they completed assignments and assessments. They were used for prompting to help drive student thinking. The student would use them as a guide to help pick which category a question belonged to. The students used the visuals consistently to identify the sentence stems in a question.
Anchor Chart
At the beginning of each instructional week, the students collaborated in creating an anchor chart for each QAR category. This served as an instructional tool and a reference aid for the students to use.
Data Collection
Running Records
Running Records were used weekly to track student's comprehension. The questions corresponded with the student's instructional reading text. The questions asked were a mix of questions from the QAR categories. Each question asked started with a sentence stem taught to the students during their weekly instruction. Running Records helped me keep track of the student's growth and allowed me to identify areas that they needed additional support.
Anecdotal Notes
Anecdotal notes were used concurrently with running records. In the QAR strategy, students need to understand that "In the Book" category answers are found in the text and "In my Head" category answers are found using their thinking. In the notes, I tracked whether the students were looking in the text when they needed to be or using their thinking. After each running record, the students and I would reflect on areas that the strategy was used correctly and areas that needed to be reviewed the following week.
Exit Tickets
Exit Tickets showed the student's understanding of how to utilize the strategy. I used exit tickets once a week after the lesson the students learned where to find each question. They helped determine if we needed to elaborate on the concept, reteach, or continue to the next lesson. These were vital because knowing where to find an answer "In the Book" or "In your Head" is a main element of the QAR strategy.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Culturally responsive teaching practices were used through the research study to positively impact student learning. The culturally responsive teaching practices used are outlined below.
Differentiated Reading Groups: Students were separated into groups based on their instructional needs. Instructional needs that were considered are ability, peer interaction, and time of day. Meeting these instructional needs allowed me to meet students at their level.
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Use of multiple media for communication: When completing assignments, exit tickets, and assessments the students were provided a choice in how to respond. They had the option to orally respond, write, or use text-to-speech.
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Access to Materials: A reading strip was provided for my student with a visual impairment. This allowed them to access books without worrying about eye fatigue and losing their place. All students were provided instructions written and recorded to allow everyone to independently complete assignments.
Small-Group Discussion: The students were placed into small groups to allow for conversation. This gave the students an opportunity to speak to prior knowledge and experiences.