jhave become more sophisticated over the years. As a result, students need to ask themselves high-level questions in order to think in a diverse and complex manner. To promote high- level questioning skills, I used book talks with my fifth-grade students. Keane (2000) stated, "The main purpose of a book talk is to grab the audi- ence's interest and make them want to read the book" (FAQ section, first paragraph). I chose this activity because my students enjoyed reading and were excited to discuss their favorite stories and au- thors. I felt that as fifth graders they should ask in- sightful and thoughtful questions that would require them to explore the literature's deeper meaning. For that to occur, the students had to be- come accountable for their learning. Accountable talk "puts forth and demands knowledge that is ac- curate and relevant to the issue under discussion" (Institute of Learning, 2003, p. 1). I decided to model high-level questions for the students that focused on making personal connec- tions and encouraged the presenter to give clear ex- planations about the book's intention (see Figure 1). Every Wednesday, for two weeks, I asked three students to present their books to the class, and then I questioned them. EstalbMslhmg cditeda During the third week, I asked the students to identify the key elements of a book. Their respons- es were title, author, characters, setting, and plot. I then asked the question "What type of criteria should we develop for asking questions?" The stu- dents established the following list: 1. Focused questions 2. Specific topics 3. Deeper meaning 4. Connection to own life 5. Think out of the box (how can the story relate to different parts of your life?) FIGURE 1 Questions for book talk 1. What type of personal connections did you mal<e to the characters? 2. Because the book did not give a time period for the story, how did you determine it? Through ciothing, language, setting, description? 3. if the characters were real, what would they be doing now? 4. People write because they have a story to tell. What do you think the author was saying? (moral lesson) 5. Why did you choose that particular section of the book to read? 6. Are there pictures in the book that you find interesting? Why? What are they depicting? 7. What type of book is this? (fantasy, fiction, nonfiction) 8. Why should we read this book? o O '296 2004 International Reading Association (pp. 296-299) doi:1O.1598/RT.58.3.7 These criteria were recorded on chart paper and displayed at the front of the room. Using the criteria as a foundation, I directed the students to create their own questions. I created a rubric to evaluate the students' questions (see Figure 2) and a self-assessment sheet for the students to evaluate themselves (see Table 1). Ferfoirinniaiec Every Wednesday for the next 12 weeks, three students were called upon to present their book. Before each book talk, two students were chosen to ask their questions and given a self- assessment sheet. I then used the rubric to assess their questions. As the weeks progressed the students' questions showed improvement. For instance, in March their scores on the question evaluation ranged between 10 and 15 points out of 16 points. By the end of May, 50% of the students were scoring 14 points. I believe that the development was due to them having the tools to critique themselves. In some cases, there was a discrepancy between the score I had given and FIGURE 2 Question evaluation Student: Book presented: Question: Questions allowed presenter to express ideas and thoughts. 1 2 3 4 No A little Somewhat Yes Question prompted presenter to make real-world connections. 1 2 3 4 No A little Somewhat Yes Question was related to the book. 1 2 3 4 No A little Somewhat Yes Question was clear and focused to the presenter. 1 2 3 4 No A little Somewhat Yes the student's self-assessment. At those times, once we heard the presenter's response and discussed the areas of disagreement, they were able to understand Name: Score 3 2 1 Book talk Content Provided all of the essential elements (title, author, plot, setting). Provided at least three of the essential elements. Provided at least one of the essential elements. TABLE 1 performance rubric Presentation Well organized, spoke loudly and clearly. Stayed on topic of text. Organization made topic confusing. Difficult to hear. Strayed from topic at least once. Poor organization. Continually strayed from topic. Interpretation Able to respond to teacher's guestions. Connected text to own life. Able to recognize the story's meaning. Able to respond to some of the teacher's guestions. Made some connections to own life. Attempted to recognize the story's meaning. Unable to respond to teacher's guestions. Unable to make connections to own life. Could not recognize story's meaning. TEACHING TIPS 297)) O o Date: 5/21/03 FIGURE 3 Lesson plan for book talks Subject area: Reading Grade level: 5 Lesson objectlve(s) 1. Students demonstrate understanding of a book of their choice by presenting the essential elements of the book (title, author, plot, setting). 2. Students express meaningful interpretation of a book through their response to specific questions. 3. Students construct questions that initiate thoughtful response. 4. Students evaluate their questions based upon set criteria. Big Idea Students must be exposed to age-appropriate materials that are important to them. Students must be able to create high-level questions that encourage an informative and thoughtful response. Planning for teaching Materials: Student books, rubric, question evaluation sheet, questions Grouping: Individual Lesson opening Introduction (set, launch): 10 minutes 1. Review main elements of a book talk (direct students to display). 2. Review criteria for questions (direct students to display). 3. Ask students, "What is the purpose of book talks?" 4. Ask students, "What is the purpose of asking questions of the presenter?" 5. Remind students that their questions should be at a high level. 6. Explain to students that they will be evaluating their questions as well as the presenter. During the iesson Sequence of lesson events (explore): 30 minutes 1. Distribute question evaluation sheet. 2. Review content with the students. a. Explain the numbers 1 through 4. b. Give a 4 only if you feel your question has met all of the criteria. 3. Collect question evaluation sheets. 4. Choose three students to present books. 5. Choose two students to evaluate presenter using rubric and two people to ask questions and complete evaluation. a. Repeat procedure for each presenter. b. Teacher also completes rubric and evaluation for questions. Ciosing the iesson (5 minutes) 1. Ask students what book they find the most interesting and why. 2. Ask students to give positive feedback to the presenters about how they made the book seem interesting. 3. Ask students to comment on how they could have made their questions more effective. how to develop the questions appropriately. The book talks followed the lesson plan in Figure 3. Wilen and Clegg (in Brualdi, 1998, p. 1) sug- gested that "Students must learn ways to ask ap- propriate questions that encourage responses that show an extensive knowledge based upon clear ideas and supportive details." Through the develop- ment of high-level questions, the presenters were able to extend their ideas into a deeper meaning and were forced to articulate their understanding in a significant way. As mentioned previously, the book talk was used as an exercise to get students to recognize the quality of questions that they were asking. I hope students will transfer the criteria they created to other subjects, such as math, science, or social studies, and develop their questions to encourage a high-level response. Once students accomplish proficiency, they become skilled inquisitors who are accountable for their own learning. ss s sutstiMs isachsn Shs o O 298 The Reading Teacher Vol. 58, No. 3 November 2004 References Brualdi, A.C. (1998). Classroom questions (ERIC/AE Digest). Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED422407). Institute of Learning. (2003). Accountable talk. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh, Learning and Development Center. Keane, N. ( 2000). Book talks-Ouick and simple. Retrieved March 2, 2004, from http://nancykeane. com/book talks/fag. htm To submit Teaching Tips, see instructions for authors at www, reading.org. Teaching Tips should be brief, with a singie focus on the classroom. INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION REGIONAL CONFERENCES Your Best Professional Development Opportunity 2005/2006 Academic Year lOth Transtnountain, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaOctober 26-28, 2005 February 1 -4, 2006 2006/2007 Academic Year 33rd Plains, Omaha, Nebraska October 4-7, 2006 32nd Plains, Minneapolis, Minnesota November 9-12,2005 ^^ ^ o ^ . .-, i t. 25th Southeast, Mobile, Alabama ERA Celebrate Literacy Regional Conference, October 15-18, 2006 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaNovember 27-29, 2005 24th Southeast, New Orleans, Louisiana December 11-14, 2005 31st Southwest, Albuquerque, New Mexico WWW. reading, org Information and registration forms are available on our website www.reading.org approximately six months prior to conference date, or call 800-336-7323. Outside the U.S. and Canada, call 302-731-1600. 01-42 A&M010/C TEACHING TIPS 299)) O