Reading Strategies
Strategy: ReQuest (Reciprocal Questioning)
Manzo, A. V. (1969). The ReQuest procedure. The Journal of Reading, 13(2), 123-126.
Vacca, I. L., & Vacca, R. T. (1993). Reading and learning to read. New York: Harper Collins.
Overview:
ReQuest, or reciprocal questioning, gives the teacher and students opportunities to ask each other their own questions following the reading of a selection. The ReQuest strategy can be used with most novels or expository material. It is important that the strategy be modeled by the teacher using each genre.
Procedure:
- A portion of the text is read silently by both the teacher and the students.
- The students may leave their books open, but the teacher's text is closed. Students then are encouraged to ask the teacher and other students questions about what has been read. The teacher makes every attempt to help students get answers to their questions.
- The roles then become reversed. The students close their books, and the teacher asks the students information about the material.
- This procedure continues until the students have enough information to predict logically what is contained in the remainder of the selection.
- The students then are assigned to complete the reading.
Note: In the beginning, students will have difficulty asking questions other than literal ones. It is suggested that prior to this activity, or in conjunction with it, the teacher spends considerable time instructing students in the strategy of Question/Answer Relationships (QAR).