As We Love To Ask Questions

As humans we love to ask questions. Why is the sky blue? Why do people forget how to drive during the winter? As teachers, we are the same; however it is very important that teachers understand how to be able to ask the right questions to enhance learning and also use questions as a proper assessment tool. Questions need to be thoughtful, having a specific purpose, and be age appropriate. What I mean by age appropriate is that you do not want to ask a 1st grader to analyze why the main character of the book was sad rather you may ask if the main character is sad because her dog ran away.
QAR is an instructional tool that can be utilized across every grade level and every content area. Every student has the ability to answer questions, but
QAR has 4 types of questions that effective teachers can utilize in the classroom during group discussion, collaboration, assessments, and/or one-on-one environments. The first type of QAR question is what I call “answer at your fingertip” or “right there” questions. The answers to these questions is provided “word for word” in the materials provided. There is no thinking, but rather just referring to information provided. The second type of QAR question is often referred to as “think and search” questions. The answers to these questions need to be searched and/or organized by the student to create meaning from multiple places within the text. An example of a “think and search” question might be name 3 details about the main character of the story. The information is in material, but it may be placed throughout the material. It is not like “answer at your fingertip” question because you have to mindfully find the information and answer the question. The third type of QAR question is “author and you” questions. “Author and you” questions are questions that utilize the author’s text and relate it to the student’s experience. It is noted that the student needs to