Asking Questions -- QARs

We're practicing writing  the types of questions a teacher might collect for a quiz or test -- not questions about things you don't understand -- though you might not know the answers to some of the questions you ask.

Try to come up with
1) some  "thin" or "right there" questions,
2) some questions where you might need to look at more than one sentence or more than one page to find the answer (think and search),
3) some where you need to combine what you've read with what you already know or with your own opinion (author and you),
4) and at least one that a reader could answer without ever reading the book (on your own). 

Here are some examples from the first part of the The Giver :

1) Right there:
What had frightened Jonas a year ago?  (answer: an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice) page 1
What sort of eyes did almost every citizen in the community have?  (answer: dark eyes) page 20

2) Think and search:  What do you learn about Asher and his growing up as you read the first seven chapters of the book?
As children grow up in Jonas' community, what different things happen to them at the ceremonies for each new year?  (For example, when they are nines they receive their bicycles.)

3) Author and you: From what you've read so far in The Giver, would you want to live in Jonas'  community?
What similarities and differences do you see between our own community and the community in The Giver?

4) On your own: Have you ever helped out at an old folks home or child care center?
What would the ideal society/community be like?

See the chart and more examples at

QAR's - Question-Answer Relationships

QAR's - Question-Answer Relationships

Whether you are answering questions or creating your own questions as you read, it is helpful to know where to look for the answers to various types of questions. When you are reading, there are four main types of question-answer relationships. Here they are, with a brief explanation for each:

1. Right There. The answer is in the text, and if we pointed at it, we'd say it's "right there!" Often, the answer will be in a single sentence or place in the text, and the words used to create the question are often also in that same place.
2. Think and Search. The answer is in the text, but you might have to look in several different sentences to find it. It is broken up or scattered or requires a grasp of multiple ideas across paragraphs or pages.
3. Author and You. The answer is not in the text, but you still need information that the author has given you, combined with what you already know, in order to respond to this type of question.
4. On My Own. The answer is not in the text, and in fact you don't even have to have read the text to be able to answer it.

Here are examples of these question-answer relationships for questions about The Giver:
1. Right There:
Question: What is one of the rituals in Jonas' community?
Answer: the evening telling of feelings
Words for the question, and the answer are both found in this sentence: "It was one of the rituals, the evening telling of feelings." p. 4

2. Think and Search:
Question: Who does Jonas mention as his friends in the community?
Answer: Asher, Fiona, and later, the Giver [I had to go to three different pages to find this aswer.]

3. Author and You:
Question: Why doesn't the community allow more than three books?
Answer: Reading books gets people to think and wonder and consider possibilities beyond their own experiences. For Jonas's community to continue to work as it has been, the people need to be content with what they have and not think or wonder too much.
[I had to know about the community from reading The Giver, but I also used what I knew even before I read the book to help answer the question.]

4. On My Own:
Question: Have you ever experienced a sled ride? (You and I could answer that without reading any part of the The Giver!]

Another On My Own:
Question: Which do you think is more important -- freedom or security? [You and I could answer that question without reading The Giver, though once we've read it, we could use examples from that book in defense of our choice of which is more important.]

January 26/27, 2009

Self-starter: Activity with Question-Answer Relationships
Compare video and book. (chapters 1 and 2) -- Create a chart in your composition book.
Learning about sentence composition: Subjects, Verbs, and Direct Objects.

Places on the web to learn about sentence composition:
http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/sentencetext.htm
http://www.leasttern.com/Grammar/humbugsubpred.html

If time: chapter 3 of Words By Heart


Next time we'll start working on using the verbs lie and lay.

You could go to this site for information about using the verbs lie and lay:
http://www.chompchomp.com/rules/irregularrules02.htm

Go here for a quiz on lie and lay: Take and print the quiz for extra credit.
http://www.english-zone.com/verbs/lie-lay1.html