QAR

Question-Answer Relationships (QAR) is a strategy that allows readers to analyze typical reading comprehension questions and consciously determine where and how they can find an appropriate answer. QAR also helps readers realize the need to consider both information in the text and information from their own background knowledge. Without QAR instruction, less experienced readers often over rely on text information or background knowledge.

Reading comprehension questions can be divided into two categories: "In the Text" and "In My Head."

Right There: What is the color of the woman's hat?

Putting It Together: In what different areas of the painting do you see the same color?

Putting It Together: What items are the table in front of the man and woman?

Author and Me: In what place are the two people in the painting?

Author and Me: In what kind of mood is the woman in the painting and what could be the reason for that mood?

(4.3)

Dennis sat in an old wood rocking chair. He rocked harder and harder. Suddenly he found himself sitting on the floor!

Right There. What kind of chair did Dennis sit in?

Putting it Together: What did Dennis do while sitting in the chair?

On My Own: Why did Dennis find himself sitting on the floor?

NARRATIVE

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the water spout

Out came the rain and washed the spider out

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

And the Itsy Bitsy spider went up the spout again

1. Who climbed up the water spout?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

2. What happened after the rain washed the spider out?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

3. Why do you think the spider decided to climb back up the water spout?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

4. Have you ever tried and failed at something once, and yet still have the courage to try it again?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

(3.8)

Tom has lived in Marysville his entire life. However, tomorrow, Tom and his family would be moving 200 miles away to Grand Rapids. Tom hated the idea of having to move. He would be leaving behind his best friend, Ron, the baseball team he had played on for the last two years, and the big swing in his backyard where he liked to sit and think. And to make matters worse, he was moving on his birthday! Tom would be thirteen tomorrow. He was going to be a teenager! He wanted to spend the day with his friends, not watching his house being packed up and put on a truck. He thought that moving was a horrible way to spend his birthday. What about a party? What about spending the day with his friends? What about what he wanted? That was just the problem. No one ever asked Tom what he wanted.

5. How long has Tom lived in Marysville?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

6. What is the name of the town where Tom and his family are moving?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

7. Does Tom like playing on the baseball team he has played on for the last two years?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

8. In what ways can moving to a new house and to a new city be exciting?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

9. What is Tom’s best friend’s name?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

(4.6)

Susan was swimming under water when something came near her. It had a round middle with eight long arms sticking out of it. Each arm had rows of little cups that could hold things tightly. In its middle was a mouth with two beaks as sharp as knife blades.

In the past, many seamen had been afraid of this animal. But Susan was not afraid. She was a scientist learning about the octopus. She knew that it eats crabs and other small shellfish from the bottom of the sea. She knew that some octopuses (or octopi) give out lots of ink when they feel theyʼre in danger. The ink makes a screen so their enemies canʼt see them slip away. Susan hoped this would not happen because she wanted to observe the octopus and learn more about it.

10. What is Susan doing?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

11. Why wasnʼt Susan afraid of the octopus?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

12. Why would sailors of long ago be afraid of an octopus? Explain your answer.

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

13. If you were Susan in this passage what would you do?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

14. Where was Susan?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

15. Describe characteristics of an octopus.

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

(7.2)

With the sun in her eyes, the driver pulled over into the highway’s slow lane and eased up on the gas. Glancing up at the large mental sign overhead, she was relieved to see that she had only two exits to go. She had started driving early in the morning, just before six a.m. Now it was nearly six p.m.

16. Where was the driver?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

17. How much farther did she have to go?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

18. How long had she been driving?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

19. How do you feel after you’ve been in a car for a long time?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

20. In which direction was she heading?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

EXPOSITORY

(2.5)

The diving bell spider is an odd spider. Most spiders live on land, but this spider is different. It spends most of its time under water. How does it breathe? It breathes by making a tent full of air bubbles under water.

First it spins a web in the shape of a bell. Then it fixes the web to plants under the water. Next, it swims up to the top of the water and traps a tiny bubble of air with its hairy back legs. It drags the bubble to its web. It does this many times until its home is full of air. Then it sits nice and snug in its web and feeds on tiny fish and other water animals.

1. How does the spider breathe?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

2. What does the diving bell spider trap tiny bubbles of air with?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

3. How does the shape of the web help the spider?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

4. Why would the spider attach the web to a plant under the water?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

5. What makes the spider unusual or different from other spiders?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

(4.6)

In January, 1848, gold was found in California. The gold was found on land owned by John A. Sutter. He tried very hard to keep the good news hushed up, but by May miners were streaming in. A few men found between 300 and 500 dollars worth of gold dust a day. However, most of the miners panned one ounce of gold dust each day, which was worth about twenty dollars.

1. Who discovered gold in California?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

2. Putting It Together: What happened when gold was discovered in California?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

3. On My Own: Why do you think Sutter wanted to "keep the good news hushed up?"

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

(5.1)

When lighting a match, it is important to follow these steps carefully. First, tear one match out of the matchbook. Second, close the matchbook cover. Third, strike the match against the rough strip on the outside of the matchbook. Finally, after the match has been used blow it out carefully, and be sure it is cool before you throw it away.

1. What is the first step in correctly lighting a match?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

2. Why should you be sure the match is cool before you throw it away?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

3. What should you do after a match has been used and it is still burning?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

4. Why should you close the cover before striking the match?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

5. What do you strike the match against to light it?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

(9.2)

To appreciate the stars in their full glory, we need good conditions. Even the light of the full moon chases faint stars from view. Anyone who has contemplated the skies in clear desert air or on a frosty night deep in the countryside soon realizes the disadvantage faced by the town-dweller from the background glow of streetlights

What effect does the full moon have on the visibility of faint stars?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

Why can’t you see as many stars from a city or town as you can from the country?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

If you were a professional astronomer, where would you choose to build an observatory?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

(9.3)

Rome wasn’t built in a day, they say. Even a small part of Rome, the Sistine Chapel, took eight years to construct, plus another eleven years to decorate. The artist Michelangelo sprawled atop his scaffolding from 1508 to 1512 painting scenes from the Old Testament on the ceiling.

1. Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

2. How did Michelangelo reach the ceiling in order to paint it?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

3. Why do modern buildings take less time to construct than the Sistine Chapel did?

A) Right There

B) Putting It Together

C) Author and Me

D) On My Own

(12.2)

The sun was setting, and as the senator gazed out his office window, he could see the silhouettes of some of the unique buildings and monuments of Washington, D.C. Directly in front of him at the other end of the National Mall, the stark obelisk of the Washington Monument thrust dramatically skyward, its red warning lights blinking in the approaching dusk. Although he couldn't quite see it, he knew that beyond the Washington Monument and the reflecting pool just past it, a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln sat thoughtfully in the Lincoln Memorial.

The senator was worried. A bill was before the Congress, called Safe Surfing for Safer Schools, that would deny federal education dollars to states that didn't have laws against internet pornography on their books. He was concerned about kids having access to dirty pictures, and even more concerned about internet predators having access to kids. But he also believed strongly in the right of people to freely access information, even if it meant sometimes children might be exposed to adult materials. And it seemed dangerous to take money away from schools, where the need was desperate, if state legislatures balked at this federal pressure on them.

His constituents had let him know in no uncertain terms that they supported strict standards of decency on the internet. He knew if he didn't support the bill, his next election opponent would paint him as pro-pornography, and anti-child. But he didn't want anything to get in the way of providing monetary support to schools through federal grants.

The unique spires of the original Smithsonian Institution were getting harder to see, but there was still a faint gleam on the green dome of the Museum of Natural History. What was the right thing to do?

Right There: What legislation is the senator worried about?

Think and Search: What arguments is he having to weigh in his mind?

Author and Me: How would you advise the Senator, and why would you advise him so?

On Your Own: What's a tough decision you've had to make?

Alien Invaders

Americans first saw kudzu at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. The Exposition was a huge fair. Countries from around the world set up exhibits. Visitors loved the kudzu vine’s lavender blue flowers and its sweet grape-like scent at the Japanese pavilion. Soon kudzu seemed to be everywhere. People bought the vines for their homes. Farmers fed it to livestock. The Soil Conservation Service told people to use it to prevent erosion—the washing away of soil by water.

Kudzu had fewer natural enemies in America than it did in Japan, and it adapted amazingly well to its new home. Now kudzu covers more than 2 million acres in the South. Each plant grows up to 100 feet (30 m) per year. This is good for kudzu, but bad for other species. Invading kudzu uses resources that native species need to survive. And vines can quickly cover buildings, bridges, and even power lines. No wonder some people call kudzu “the vine that ate the South!”

Right There: When did Americans first see kudzu?

Think and Search: How was kudzu used?

Author and Me: What might you do to eliminate kudzu?

On My Own: Imagine you could bring an alien invader to your town, what would it be?