Finding answers can be a difficult process. Sure, our favorite search engines are great, but even they have their limitations. Encourage students to seek out new resources and materials. Actively promote the idea that sometimes answers are found in multiple locations because “one size does not fit all”. As students seek answers, their knowledge and interaction with the text continues promoting active engagement and skilled readers. Students should note that at times, answers can be found by combining one’s personal knowledge with information contained within a text.

As students form questions, assist them in determining the best resources to aid them in finding answers by doing the following:

• Where do you think we could find the answer to this question? (Guide students to look on specific pages in a passage.)
• Encourage students to think about one part of a book that relates to their questions. (Guide students to check the book’s index or table of contents.)
• In determining how students feel about a topic or what they learned about a topic, they should reflect on their own ideas and prior knowledge. (Guide students to realize that background knowledge is only a starting point in finding answers.)
• There are times that a student’s questions cannot be answered by the contents of a reading passage. (Guide students to realize that they already have the information to answer these types of questions. They simply must use their own ideas.)