Revisiting The SQ3R Reading Strategy

teachers have used the SQ3R reading strategyinto a logical organized form. Early on, students
successfully for years. For new teachers, this canmay pose rather simple questions. We do not
have a positive impact on whatever class, grade,allow easy yes/no questions, those with one word
or subject you are teaching. Reading is a vital skillanswers, or questions they already know the
in every class and every subject area, and aanswers to. We even spend class time discussing
strategy to improve students' reading whilewhat makes 'good' questions.
working on specific class material is extremelyOnce the pre-reading is finished, the 'Read' part is
beneficial.just that - the students now read carefully
SQ3R is an instructional strategy for improvingthrough the section, paying attention to
reading comprehension. It is an acronym foreverything on the page. It's important to find the
Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. Each ofanswers to their questions. We have the students
these activities focuses on a technique integral tothen answer their posed questions in complete
the reading process. The uses in the language artssentences. Sometimes students may have posed
seem rather obvious, but SQ3R is great for otherquestions that are unanswerable or not found in
areas too. This can be used in social studiesthe reading. We do allow students to state that
classes when reading through a new section ofthe answer was not found in the reading. That's
the text book. Science teachers use it to kick offok, as long as they don't make a habit of it. If
new units and in new labs. Math teachers cansuch a habit does form, simply require students
even use it to teach students to take notes fromto state where they could find the answer.
their books. Possibilities are endless.'Recite' refers to putting the data from the
Like any other technique, you will want to teachreading into a new use. We often create short
this carefully to your students and discuss eachfreewrites to discuss the implications of the
part together in class. While there are many waysreading, or its applications. You can also create
of interpreting and using the SQ3R strategy, inwriting topics for students to respond to.
this article I'll be sharing how we use it in our'Review' is, again, self-explanatory, as students
classroom.review the material. We have students create
'Survey' refers to skimming the reading quickly.quiz questions based on the reading, just as if
Students look for items that catch their eyes -they were the teacher. However, they are not
titles, headlines, photos, pictures, graphs,allowed to use their questions posed previously!
bold-faced or italicized words. Sometimes I referStudents can create ten multiple choice or true
to them as 'sticky words' since the reader's eyesfalse questions. Sometimes we assign creating
tend to stick to them. After the quick scan,fill-in-the banks statements, or even have
students write down the first six items their eyesstudents make their own essay questions or
'catch' upon. Just a word or short phrase is fine,writing topics. You could even have them create
as we want to keep this part short and sweet.crosswords or other word puzzles.
'Question' is the part where students makeTo make the SQ3R technique easy to do and
predictions and pose questions about whatgrade, we've created a form that is used through
they've surveyed. We have students create andour school. It is specific enough to cover all of the
write down three questions in complete sentencesareas, and yet general enough to allow individual
based on what they surveyed.teachers to adapt and customize this strategy to
Complete sentences requires students to thinktheir class, students, or current assignments.
carefully about the info they skimmed, and put it