5 w’s and 1 h reading practice
- 1. The 5 W’s and 1 H As a Strategy for Improving Reading Comprehension
- 2. What are the 5 W’s and 1 H? These are questions or question stems that can be used to when we are trying to investigate or learn something. They are: It is a good practice to reflect on these questions before you read and to keep them in mind while you read. This can help to direct you to explicit details, that is, information that is directly stated. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
- 3. Let’s Practice! The next two slides feature a passage about the attack on Pearl Harbour. At the end of reading the passage, we want to learn as much as we can about this event. Reflect on the 5 W’s and 1 H to see if you can come up with some questions that you may wish to find the answers to in the passage. For example: - What is Pearl Harbour? - Who attacked it? - Why was it attacked? - When was it attacked?
- 4. Let’s Practice! As you read, keep these questions in mind and pay attention to whether the answers are in the passage. Note that you may not find the answers to all your initial questions. Nevertheless, it is still a good practice to put in place to direct your attention while reading. Also, you may find details that relate to the who/what/where/when/why and how of the attack that you did not plan to find as well. But keeping the questions in mind should help you to notice the details more easily.
- 5. Reading Passage – Paragraph 1 The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States (a neutral country at the time) against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, just before 08:00, on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States' formal entry into World War II the next day. The Japanese military leadership referred to the attack as the Hawaii Operation and Operation AI, and as Operation Z during its planning.
- 6. Reading Passage – Paragraph 2 Japan intended the attack as a preventive action to keep the United States Pacific Fleet from interfering with its planned military actions in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. Over the course of seven hours there were coordinated Japanese attacks on the U.S.-held Philippines, Guam, and Wake Island and on the British Empire in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Wikipedia, “Attack on Pearl Harbour”
- 7. Details Extracted From the Passage WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? Who attacked Pearl Harbour? The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service What was Pearl Harbour A United States naval base Where was Pearl Harbour located? Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii When did Pearl Harbour occur? Just before 08:00, on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 WHY? Why did the attack on Pearl Harbour occur? As a preventive action to keep the United States Pacific Fleet from interfering with its planned military actions in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States HOW? How long did the attack last? For over seven hours
- 8. Reflect Did having the questions in mind before and during the reading process help to direct your reading? Look back at the table in the slide before with all of the details that have been extracted from the passage. Do you feel now like you are well-informed about the attack on Pearl Harbour?
- 9. Summary The five W’s and 1 H are questions or question stems that can be used when you want to learn about or investigate something. They can also be used to help direct your reading so that you can identify explicit details. Before and during the reading process, ask yourself these questions to identify information that is directly stated in the passage.
- 10. References • Wikipedia, 21 July 2021, “Attack on Pearl Harbour”, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., viewed 26 July 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor