Figure 7.17. Examples of Queries in Questioning the AuthorInitiating Queries
What is the author trying to say here?
What is the author’s message?
What is the author talking about?
Follow-up Queries
What does the author mean here?
Did the author explain this clearly?
Does this make sense with what the author told us before?How does this connect with what the author has told us here?
Does the author tell us why?
Why do you think the author tells us this now?
Narrative Queries
How do things look for this character now?
How has the author let you know that something has changed?
Given what the author has already told us about this character, what do you think he
[or she] is up to?Source
Beck, Isabel L., Margaret G. McKeown, Rebecca L. Hamilton, and Linda Kucan. 1997. Questioning the Author: An
Approach for Enhancing Student Engagement with Text, 45. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.During the discussion teachers use various moves to help students focus on the text:- Marking – responding to student comments in a way that draws attention to certain ideas
- Turning Back – turning responsibility back to students for thinking and turning students’
attention back to the text - Revoicing – interpreting what students may be struggling to express and rephrasing the idea
- Modeling – using think alouds to demonstrate thinking about the text
- Annotating – offering information to fill in gaps that the author did not address
- Recapping – pulling together ideas and summarizing when it is clear that students have grasped
the ideas and are ready to move on
Although originally designed for students at earlier grades, research studies with older students
support the use of QtA at all grades (Beck and McKeown 2006).
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