Questioning

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Learn how to ask questions about a text before, during, and after reading to improve your understanding of the text. Topics covered include using questioning to examine your purpose, expectations, attitude, and understanding of the topic; writing guide questions; using questioning to monitor your understanding as you read; and using questioning to evaluate what you’ve read.

Video Transcript
Video Reference Guide

0:00	Owl: Welcome to How to Use Questioning to Improve Reading Comprehension, an instructional video on reading comprehension brought to you by the Excelsior University Online Writing Lab.
0:23	Hold on there!
Displayed on screen	Student: Huh? What’s the problem?
0:28	Owl: That’s a good question!
0:30	Before you read that book, let’s talk about Questioning.
0:34	Questioning is a skill that readers use before, during, and after they read.
0:40	There are different reasons for asking questions before, during, and after reading.
0:46	For instance, you might ask questions
0:49	to be clear about what you know or want to know,
0:53	to clarify the meaning of what you are reading,
0:56	to speculate about the text,
0:59	to focus on a particular part or idea in the text,
1:03	to locate an answer to a specific question,
1:06	or, to reflect on what you’ve read.
1:11	Let’s talk about some different kinds of questions you should ask yourself before reading.
1:16	Later, we’ll talk about asking questions during and after reading, too.
Displayed on screen	Student: OK. I’m interested. Tell me more!
1:22	Owl: One important question to ask yourself before reading has to do with your purpose.
1:27	Ask yourself: What is my purpose for reading?
1:30	Your purpose will change how you go about reading the text.
1:35	For instance, if you are preparing for a multiple-choice test, your goal might be to identify important facts to memorize.
1:44	However, if you are writing a research paper, your goal might be to highlight important sections to quote or paraphrase.
1:53	On the other hand, if you are preparing for a discussion, your goal might be to make a note of important thoughts and questions that come up as you read.
2:03	Being aware of your purpose for reading will help you to make the best use of your time and effort.
2:09	Next, ask yourself: What do I predict the text will be about?
2:13	This helps you identify your expectations and preconceptions about the text.
2:19	Some other questions to ask yourself before reading have to do with your attitude toward the topic.
2:25	For instance, ask yourself…
2:27	How do I feel about the topic?
2:29	What biases might I have about the topic because of my feelings towards it?
2:35	Think about a time when your pre-conception about something turned out not to be accurate.
2:40	Before reading, you should also ask yourself what you know about the topic.
2:46	What do I already know or think I know about the topic?
2:50	What do I need to know about the topic?
2:53	What do I want to know about the topic?
2:56	and
2:57	What do I predict the text will tell me about the topic?
3:02	If you’ve already previewed the text, you should also ask yourself the following questions about it in order to prepare yourself to read it:
3:10	What do the title or section headings reveal about the text’s topic or argument?
3:15	What sections seem familiar?
3:19	What sections seem difficult or unfamiliar?
3:24	Does the text contain any special features that highlight important ideas, such as bold-faced terms, or visual aids?
3:31	Does the text include a summary, abstract, outline, or list of objectives that can help you identify and remember key ideas?
3:41	Does the text provide discussion questions to help you focus your attention as you read?
3:47	Finally, you should also use what you learned from previewing the text to write guide questions in the margins.
3:53	Guide questions help you improve your reading comprehension by focusing your attention on the most important information you need to gather.
4:01	For instance, if a chapter title is called “Ten Principles of Effective Leadership,” you might write down the following question in the margin:
4:10	“What are the ten principles of effective leadership?”
4:14	Then, when you go on to read the chapter, try to answer the question by identifying each of the ten principles.
4:22	Questioning is also something you do while you read.
4:25	By asking questions about what you are reading as you read, you can monitor your comprehension of the text and clarify meaning.
4:33	If it turns out you didn’t understand something, you can go back and read it again with your questions in mind.
4:39	You can construct your questions using one of these six basic question types: who, what, when, where, why, or how.
4:56	For instance, you might ask:
4:59	What does the author mean by _____?
5:03	or
5:04	How does this relate to _____?
5:07	or
5:08	Why is this _____?
5:12	Making statements such as
5:14	I don’t understand _____?
5:16	or
5:17	I was confused by _____.
5:20	can also help you to monitor your comprehension and clarify meaning.
5:25	You can jot down your questions and statements in the margins and come back to them later.
5:31	I’ll cover more about questioning while you read in the video on Annotating.
5:38	Finally, questioning is also something you do after reading.
5:44	The point of questioning after you read is to reflect upon and evaluate what you’ve read.
5:50	Ask yourself:
5:51	What did I learn?
5:54	Is there anything that was unclear?
5:56	If so, write down some guide questions and go back and reread difficult passages with these questions in mind.
6:05	Did I find what I needed?
6:06	If not, what else do I need to know?
6:10	Did I find the author’s style persuasive?
6:13	Why or why not?
6:17	Do I agree with what I read?
6:19	Why or why not?
6:23	How does what I read compare to other things I’ve read on this topic?
6:28	What ideas stuck with me?
6:31	Which ones do I want to investigate more?
6:35	We’ll cover more about evaluating a text in videos on Analyzing and Synthesizing what you’ve read.
Displayed on screen	Student: Wow, I can really see how questioning before, during, and after reading can help me become a stronger reader. Thank you!
6:47	Owl: You’re welcome!
6:50	Thanks for listening to this instructional video on How to Use Questioning to Improve Reading Comprehension!
6:57	Visit the Excelsior University Online Writing Lab for more support with reading and writing skills.