PEER Strategy
Standards
CCRS Reading Anchor 1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Level A: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Level B: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
NELP Predictor: Visual Processing
the ability to match or discriminate visually presented symbols.
NELP Predictor: Oral language
the ability to produce or comprehend spoken language, including vocabulary and grammar.
NELP Predictor: Phonological memory
the ability to remember spoken information for a short period of time.
Objective(s)
At the end of this lesson, parents/caregivers will be able to:
- develop questions about the key details in a story; and
- explain how who, what, when, where, why, and how questions support comprehension.
Materials and Resources
- Multiple copies of A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018)
- ACIRI Blank Scoring Form which can be found in Lets's Read Together by Andrea DeBruin-Parecki
- PEER Handout: Open-Ended Questions and Expansion
- PEER Handout: Steps for the Dialogic Reading Process
- PEER Handout: The PEER Sequence
- Chart paper or white/SMART Board and markers
- Bedtime Struggles article
Instructional Procedures
Welcome / Ice Breaker
What are some of your favorite strategies to get your child interested in a book? What are some of the things you do that are effective?
Do you recall a reading together strategy that we have used called the PEER strategy?
Does anyone remember what PEER stands for? PEER stands for:
- PROMPT
- EVALUATE
- EXPLAIN
- REPEAT
Share PEER Handout: The PEER Sequence.
Let’s review the PEER Sequence. Today we are going to practice the PEER strategy using A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin.
Keep a list of parent comments on the board, and consider sharing the ACIRI Blank Scoring Form after comments are collected. Point out similarities between the strategies shared by parents and the adult behaviors included within the ACIRI. This validates for parents that many of the things they are doing when reading have been identified by researchers as critical behaviors for building literacy skills in children. If parents are experiencing difficulty generating strategies, the ACIRI form can be shared to prompt discussion.
Write PEER on the board. The PEER strategy helps organize the key behaviors of the ACIRI into a strategy for reading with children. PEER demonstrates the “back and forth” interaction between adults and children when reading together.
Ask parents to talk with a partner and find a similarity between the ACIRI behaviors and the PEER strategy.
Review Objectives
Our objective is to:
Explain how who, what, when, where, why, and how questions support comprehension. Comprehension is understanding the meaning of the text.
Write the objective on the board.
Opening Activity
Distribute copies of A Big Mooncake for Little Star. Depending on how many copies you have, parents can work in pairs or small groups. Give parents time to review the book.
Before we begin reading, what do you notice about this book? Take some time to look through the book. Please look to me when you are ready to continue.
Discuss the questions and record notes on the board.
Thank you! You noticed a lot of interesting elements to this book. I am excited for you to share it with your children.
On the board write:
- What do you notice?
- What is the book about?
- What do you notice about the pictures/illustrations?
Central Ideas and Practice
Let’s begin by reading the book together. Recall the
questions on the board. Consider these as I read.
Read the book aloud to parents.
Thank you for your attention. Let’s consider these questions. As I read, did you notice anything else you’d like to mention or add?
In 2019, Grace’s picture book A Big Mooncake for Little Star was awarded a Caldecott Honor. Point out the award sticker on the cover of the book. Have parents noticed awards like these on other books for children? The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
In what ways might the illustrations in this book support young readers’ comprehension of the text?
Direct Instruction
Be sure that the PEER Handout; Open-Ended Questions and Expansion and PEER Handout; and The PEER Sequence parent handout are available as refreshers and guides for parents.
Recall the PEER reading strategy that we have used with other books. Who remembers this strategy. The first strategy in the PEER strategy is to “Prompt” children by asking questions.
Review the Open-Ended Questions and Expansion handout.
Asking open-ended questions prompts a child to answer with more than one-word answers. With an open-ended question, there can be more than one response.
Select a page from the book, and point to a specific picture. When reading we can ask, “What is this?” Or we can ask, “What do you see on this page?” How did it feel when asked open-ended questions vs. closed questions?
Walk through the pages of the book again, this time brainstorming a list of who, what, when, where, why and how questions related to the story. Ask parents to identify which questions are open-ended questions. If parents suggest closed questions, offer support to adapt the questions to open-ended ones.
Write down the questions parents generate related to the story. It may help to write the headings who, what, when, where, why and how on the board ahead of time.
Examples could include:
- Who do you see?
- Tell me what you think she is going to do.
- What else do you see on this page?
- What do you think is going to happen?
- What does Little Star do when she is getting ready for bed?
- What are some things you do when it is bedtime?
- Why is Little Star getting out of bed?
- What would you do if there was a cake in the kitchen?
- What would happen if Little Star’s mom hears her?
- Where do you think she is going?
- Why is the cake changing its shape?
- How is the cake like a moon?
- Why do you think the cake is called a moon cake?
Guided Practice
To prepare for ILA, we will work in pairs or small groups to practice reading the story to others who will act as the child listening. As you read, practice asking questions from the list we developed. When the listening child responds, you can practice the second and third strategy in the PEER Sequence - Evaluating what the child said, and Expanding to add to their response. If time allows, we will switch roles.
Let’s talk about this activity. How did you feel asking the questions? And then how did you feel answering them? How did this change your understanding of the story?
Before reading, remind parents it is ok to take their time when reading through the book.
Children enjoy having time to take in the illustrations and think about the story.
Independent Practice / Informative Assessment
During ILA, parents will have the opportunity to read the story with their children, and practice asking who, what, where, when, why and how questions while reading.
Review Objectives
Our objectives were to:
- Develop questions about the key details in a story.
- Explain how who, what, when, where, why, and how questions support comprehension.
It is valuable to note that asking questions to support comprehension is a literacy strategy that can extend beyond reading books together.
When waiting at the doctor’s office, visiting the grocery store, or getting ready for bed, parents can use open-ended questions to support children’s understanding and expand vocabulary.
Wrap-up / Closure
As you become more comfortable with using who, what, where, when, why and how questions to support reading comprehension, your child’s engagement and enjoyment of reading together will grow.
Children may begin to initiate reading times together.
One aspect of the book that you may relate to is the struggle that Little Star experiences with staying in bed. Despite her mama’s instruction, she continues to sneak out of bed for a nibble of cake. Has anyone experienced this? When your child has trouble staying in bed at bedtime?
Share the article Bedtime Struggles with families. This is an article you may find helpful if you have this struggle. It says most young children have times when they don’t want to go to bed, or stay in bed. Creating a consistent bedtime routine, which can include reading together, can encourage a more restful bedtime.
The article also suggests simply talking with your child about their day. Who, what, where, when, why and how questions can be a great tool to guide a cozy night time conversation.
Teaser: Another interesting perspective would be to ensure that parents read the story BEFORE and AFTER the adult education lesson. For those who were not familiar with the details of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, how did learning about the festival impact their comprehension and perception of the story?
Similarly, background knowledge is a very important contributor to young children’s reading comprehension. The more a reader knows about a topic, the easier it is to read a text, understand it, and retain the information. Having this additional knowledge creates a fun opportunity to re-read the story, discovering new details each time that can be talked about to expand children’s understanding.
A Big Mooncake for Little Star was selected for the 2019 Baker's Dozen List.
Related Lesson Plans
Mid-Autumn Festival
Ask who, what, where, when, why, and how questions to identify key details in nonfiction texts.
Questions to Build Comprehension
Families explore who, what, where, when, why, and how questions to build children's comprehension.
Moon Phases
Science exploration of moon phases through observation, art, and movement.
References
DeBruin‑Parecki, Andrea. Let’s Read Together: Improving Literacy Outcomes with the Adult‑Child Interactive Reading Inventory (ACIRI). Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2007.
University of Pittsburgh, Bedtime Struggles: Parent Guide. University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, https://www.ocd.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/Parent_Guides/Updated-Parenting-Guides/Bedtime%20struggles%20Parent%20Guide.pdf.
Northwest Council for Family Literacy (NCFL). NCFL 6‑1‑25‑18. PA Adult Education Resources, https://www.paadultedresources.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/NCFL-6-1-25-18.pdf.