The self-questioning strategy for reading: how to teach it
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
The self-questioning strategy teaches students to ask themselves questions before, during and after reading, then read to answer them. Model it with question starters, have the student write one question per section, and check that each question is answered by the text. Score how many sections get a question that fits and an answer that is correct.
Strong readers ask themselves questions constantly. Why did she hide the letter? What does this have to do with the last section? Students with IEPs often read passively, waiting for the teacher's questions at the end. Self-questioning moves the questions into the student's hands, so they read with a purpose and notice when they cannot answer.
The steps below each come with an example, and a worked example follows one fictional 5th grader. Numbers are illustrations. For the full set of strategies, see the cluster pillar on reading comprehension strategies.
What the research guides say
The National Reading Panel identified question generation, where readers ask themselves questions about the text, as one of the comprehension strategies with a firm research base.[1] The What Works Clearinghouse guide for grades 4 to 9 recommends giving students consistent opportunities to ask and answer questions about what they read, as part of a routine set of comprehension practices.[2]
Self-questioning is also the engine of metacognitive strategy instruction. A question the student cannot answer is the signal that comprehension has broken down.
What you need before you start
- Sectioned text. Passages of 3 to 5 short sections or paragraphs, with headings if possible.
- Text the student can read. About 95% word accuracy, or read it aloud.
- Question starter card. Before: What do I already know about ...? What will this tell me about ...? During: Why did ...? What does ... mean? How is this connected to ...? After: What was the most important ...? What do I still wonder?
- A question log. Three columns: my question, the answer, where I found it.
Step-by-step self-questioning routine
Step 1: Model questions on a short text
Read one paragraph aloud and think out loud. "The first sentence says sea turtles return to the beach where they hatched. My question is: how do they find the same beach after years at sea? I'll read to find out." Write the question in the log. Read on and point to the answer when you find it, or say plainly that the text never answered it.
Step 2: Teach the difference between thin and thick questions
Thin questions have a one-word answer in one sentence: "What color is the shell?" Thick questions need several sentences or a reason: "Why do so few hatchlings survive?" Sort 8 sample questions together. Students start with thin questions, which is fine for the first week, then aim for at least one thick question per passage.
Step 3: Ask a before-reading question
After a quick look at the title and headings, the student writes one question the text will probably answer. A preview of the text gives the student something to ask about. Turning a heading into a question is the easiest start.
Step 4: Ask one question per section while reading
At the end of each section, the student stops and writes or says one question about it. Then they reread if needed and answer it. The question must be about that section, and the answer must come from the text or a clear inference.
Step 5: Ask an after-reading question and check the log
After the last section, the student writes one big-picture question ("What was the main reason ...?") and answers it. Then they look back at the log. Any question still unanswered is a cue to reread or ask for help.
Step 6: Fade the card and the log
Once the student writes fitting questions for most sections, remove the starter card. Later, replace the written log with spoken questions at each stop. The goal is a student who asks questions in their head during class reading.
Worked example: one student across 9 weeks
Student (fictional): Lila, grade 5, reads grade 4 text with about 96% accuracy. On end-of-passage questions she scores around 50%. Her teacher notices she reads to the end without stopping, even when the text confuses her.
Baseline, January 13 to 17. Three probes on 4-section grade 4 informational passages. Lila was told to "ask yourself a question about each part." She wrote a fitting question and a correct answer for 1, 0 and 1 of 4 sections. Median 1 of 4.
Goal. Given an unpracticed grade 4 informational passage of 4 sections, Lila will write one question per section that the section answers and answer it correctly, for at least 3 of 4 sections on 3 consecutive weekly probes. See the template to write and answer a question for each section.
Instruction. Three 15-minute sessions a week in a small group. Weeks 1 and 2: modeling and thin-thick sorting. Weeks 3 to 6: guided practice with the starter card. Weeks 7 to 9: card removed.
| Week | Sections with a fitting question and correct answer (of 4) | Thick questions (of 4) | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 1 | 0 | None |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Modeling |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | Card |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | Card |
| 7 | 3 | 2 | No card |
| 8 | 4 | 2 | No card |
| 9 | 3 | 2 | No card |
Lila met the criterion in weeks 7, 8 and 9. Her end-of-passage question scores rose from about 50% to 70% over the same weeks. That supports keeping the strategy, though other instruction ran at the same time.
How to measure self-questioning
Count opportunities: each section is one opportunity. Score it correct only if both parts are present.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1 | The question is about this section, the text answers it, and the student's answer is correct |
| 0 | The question is off-topic, unanswerable from the text, or the answer is wrong |
Probe weekly with 4 or 5 sections. Record each probe on an opportunity data sheet, one column per section. Track thick questions separately if the goal names them. To compare this with other comprehension measures, see how to measure reading comprehension for IEP goals.
Common mistakes
- Weak: Accepting questions the text never answers ("Do turtles like the beach?"). Better: Require the student to show where the answer is. If it is not there, rewrite the question.
- Weak: All questions start with "what." Better: Push for one "why" or "how" question per passage once "what" questions are reliable.
- Weak: Questions written after reading, copied from the passage. Better: Stop at each section. Questions written at the end usually skip the hard parts.
- Weak: A goal that says "will ask questions about text with 80% accuracy." Better: Name the passage, the number of sections and both parts of a correct response.
- Weak: Treating every student question as a win. Better: Score fit and accuracy. A question log full of unanswerable questions is a sign to reteach Step 2.
Goals and next steps
Self-questioning pairs with visualizing for narrative text and with summarizing for informational text. Younger students can start with the template to ask a question about the story during reading. For more wording, see the comprehension goals page, the reading comprehension strategies goal hub and IEP goals for reading comprehension. Paste your draft into the goal checker to catch vague parts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between self-questioning and answering comprehension questions?
In self-questioning, the student writes the question and reads to answer it. Answering teacher questions measures understanding after reading. Self-questioning is a strategy the student uses during reading to stay engaged and catch confusion.
At what age can students learn self-questioning?
Kindergarten and first grade students can ask a spoken question during a read-aloud. Written question logs work from about grade 2 or 3. Middle and high school students use the same routine with textbook sections and articles.
How many questions should a student write per passage?
One per section, plus one before and one after reading. For a 4-section passage, that is about 6 questions. More than that slows reading down without adding much.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Comprehension goals (reading)
- Reading comprehension strategies goal hub
- Write and answer a question for each section (goal template)
- Opportunity data sheet
- Reading comprehension in the IEP glossary
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- Reading comprehension strategies for struggling readers
- Metacognitive strategy instruction for reading comprehension
- Teaching the visualizing reading strategy to students with IEPs
- Reading comprehension IEP goal examples
Sources
- Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.