Questioning Techniques - Comprehension Questions

Carol Brewer
Aug 23, 2010

How can Comprehension Questions help students become better readers?

The Questioning Technique is the way in which teachers plan for and use questions. Comprehension questions require students to think about what has been read to answer the questions. The answer might not be right there in the text, but it is important for students to reference the text for answers. These type of questions are often missed because students think they know the answers and do not use the text to assist with the answers. It is important for students to recognize and practice these questions at an early age. For example, kindergarten students can use pictures and think about why the picture was drawn, or what is meant by the details in the picture. They can also look in newspapers to find words that start with the same letter as their first or last name, and then think about other words that start with that same letter. They might look bac k at the big books their teacher is reading to find words that rhyme or words that have the same meaning or opposite meanings, then think of additional words to add to their lists. Once this questioning technique is understood and trusted by students, it is a valuable strategy for any type of assessment.

An example of a Comprehension level question is, "Based on the passage, what is meant by the first paragraph?" With this question students should reread the first paragraph instead of guessing or thinking they know the answer. They should use their knowledge of making inferences to answer the question. If students are not secured with their understanding of inferences, it is important to explicitly teach it and make the connection from instruction to assessments. Using the results from the assessments is also a powerful strategy to use in small flexible groups to meet the needs of all students.

A suggested structure for the Questioning Techniques is for schools to have a monthly focus for their questions.! Just l ike the Comprehension Strategy of the Month, teachers model and apply one type of question throughout the month to ensure that students can understand and use them independently. Additional type of questions can of course be used throughout the month, but this is the focus type question for the month.

Additional information for the Questioning Techniques can be found with the Connecting Learning to Assessments training, book and flipchart