Question Answer Relationships

(QAR):
A Framework for Improving
Literacy Teaching and Learning
Taffy E. Raphael, Ph.D.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Spring, 2005

Focus for Today

What is QAR?
Why use QAR
How can QAR support comprehension
instruction that connects across grade
levels and subject areas and enhances
test-taking?

What is QAR?
Why Not Tell Them Where
Information Comes From?

QAR Core Categories

In the Book

In My Head

IntheBook
RightThere:
Adetailtypeofquestion,
wherewordsusedtoform
thequestionandwordsthat
answerthequestionare
oftenrightthereinthe
samesentence.

Think&Search:

Theanswerisinthetext,
butreadershavetothink
&searchtofindthe
answer;sometimeswithin
aparagraph,across
paragraphs,oreven
chapters.

InMyHead
AuthorandMe:

Theinformationto
answerthequestion
comesfrommy
backgroundknowledge,
buttoevenmakesense
ofthequestion,Id
needtohavereadand
understoodthetext.

OnMyOwn:

Thequestionrelatestothe
text,butIcouldprobably
answerthisoneevenifIhad
neverreadthetext.Allthe
ideasandinformationcome
frommybackground
knowledge.

Why Use QAR?

1. A language for ALL to use in talking about
strategies and their use in context
2. A developmental progression that is visible
to students and teachers across grade
levels
3. A logical way to organize comprehension
strategies
4. A valuable approach to test preparation

Thus, QAR Provides a

Common Language
Within grade levels
Across grade levels
Across subject areas

QAR
A Developmental Progression Builds
Coherence Across Grades

QAR Across the Grades

IntheBook

InMyHead

RightThere Think&Search Author&Me OnMyOwn

GenreAnalyses

HowtoTakeNotes

SchoolSubject
Extensions

TexttoWorld
Connections
TexttoSelf
Connections TexttoTheme
Connections

Beginning Focus

Contrast Book / Head

Consider how knowledge gets into our heads

Individual Accountability
and Reflection
Picture of Students Representations of
In the Book and In My Head QARs

What do I know about sources of information?

How can I represent this to someone else?

Tools for Primary Grades

Poster with definitions
How to use post-its
Flip Chart for every-pupil
response

Tools in Middle Grades

Picture of Right There versus Think and
Search definitions
Picture of Comprehension Strategies
for each QAR

Links to Content Learning

(e.g., science)
Showing language
connections
Activating prior
knowledge = making
observations
Predicting = Stating
a hypothesis
Taking notes =
Keeping data

Picture of Science
Teachers Chart

Getting Organized for

Comprehension
Instruction
Staircase versus Christmas Tree

*Au,K.H.(inpress).Multiculturalissuesandliteracyachievement.Mahwah
NJ:Erlbaum.)
*Raphael,T.E.,&Au,K.H.(inpress).TheStandardsBasedChange
Process.TheCaliforniaReader.

Where Does QAR Fit?

Identifying Important Information*
Summarizing
Making Inferences
Predicting
Visualizing

Questioning
Monitoring
Critique and Evaluation

Introduce Students to the

Reading Cycle and the
Role of QAR
Before During After Reading

Before Reading
On My Own: From the title or the topic,
what do I already know that can
connect me to the story/text?
Author and Me: From the topic, title,
illustrations, and/or book cover, what
might this story/text be about?

DURING READING
Author and Me:
What do I think will happen next?
How would you describe the mood of the story and why is this
important?

Think and Search

What is the problem and how is it resolved?
What role do [insert characters names] play in the story?
What are the important events? (literary, informational)

Right There: [locate and recall details]

Who is the main character? (literary)
Identify the topic sentence in this paragraph (informational)
What are some words that describe the setting? (literary)

AFTER READING
Author and Me
What is the authors message?
What is the theme and how is it connected to the world
beyond the story?
How can I synthesize the information with what I know
from other sources?
How well does the author make his/her argument?
How is the author using particular language to
influence our beliefs?

Think and Search

Find evidence in the text to support an argument.

Align Strategies to QAR

Categories

QAR and Comprehension

Strategies: Right There
Scanning to locate information
Note-taking strategies to support easier
recall of key information
Using context clues for creating
definitions

QAR and Comprehension

Strategies: Think & Search
Identifying important information
Summarizing
Using text organization to identify relevanat
information
Visualizing (e.g., setting, mood, procedures)
Using context to describe symbols and
figurative language
Clarifying

QAR and Comprehension

Strategies: Author & Me

Predicting
Visualizing
Making simple and complex inferences
Distinguish fact and opinion
Making text to self connections
Making text to text connections

QAR and Comprehension

Strategies: On My own
Activating prior knowledge (about
genre, experiences, authors, etc.)
Connecting to the topic (self-to-text)

Making QAR Part of the

Fabric of the Classroom
Embedding QAR Language in a Book
Club Setting

How Would You Respond?

Dear Dr. Raphael,

I would really appreciate your input for this scenario. It's a
somewhat delicate situation because the child is a particularly
bright third grader and a voracious reader, reading at least on a
6th to 7th grade level.
Thestudent described above didn't answer all of the QAR's
correctly for the critical thinking assessment for Charlotte's Web
and I'm concerned.Does failure to"get the QAR's" necessarily
reflect lack of critical thinking skills?
I asked him if he had heard of critical thinking and he replied,
"No,"but asked me if I meant "mean" or "smart". It's apparent
from conversation that he makes original correct critical
observations. i.e. If a tree falls in outer space it won't make
noise because noise requires atmosphere to travel. He makes
astute mature observations about an author's background, etc.
But these contributions aren't captured in QAR's

End-of-Presentation Goals
I can describe to my colleagues a process of bringing
coherence to our comprehension program.
I can describe at least three ways that QAR can help
improve my own and my schools comprehension
instruction across grades and school subjects.
I can make my literacy instructional goals more
visible to my students and their families
I can create instructional tools for improving
comprehension instruction in my classroom or
school.

Related Resources
Raphael,T.E.&Au,K.H.(inpress).QAR:
EnhancingComprehensionandTesttakingAcross
GradesandContentAreas,TheReadingTeacher.
Raphael,T.E.&Au,K.H.SuperQARforTestwise
Students.WrightGroup/McGrawHill
http://www.litd.psch.uic.edu/pr

taffy@uic.edu