I came up with this idea when I was trying to figure out how to get students excited to practice reading passages. With this era of high stakes testing, knowing how to tackle a reading passage is an important skill, but it can be very dry and boring. I knew students needed some type of motivation to keep them going as they practiced. High interest topics would help, but it would not be enough. They needed fun. They are kids after all. 🙂 Let’s not ever forget that! Then, came the idea for a Comprehension Quest.
What is a Comprehension Quest?
A Comprehension Quest™ is a fun way to get students excited about practicing reading comprehension! More specifically-reading passages! They are super EASY for the teacher to implement! You don’t have to run around and do tons of prep for the quests. I kept teacher set up in mind every step of the way! I want to keep your life simple. Every Comprehension Quest follows this same basic setup.
Hook (Introducing the Quest)
Starting off with the hook video, students learn they have a quest to complete. The hook video is what first gets students excited about their quest. They are quick videos, only one or two minutes long. (If for some reason you can’t show a video in your classroom, there is also a printable version of the quest also included.)
Read & Respond
After the introduction to the quest, students begin their reading work. The quest includes SIX passages and SIX clues. After students read a passage, you will give them a reader response activity to complete. These are written response/graphic organizer style and are aligned to standards. I have included DIFFERENTIATED options for these graphic organizers for grades 2-5. Since all of your students are doing work for the same passages, they will not know if they are being given harder or easier work.
Check & Clue
Once students complete this work, they will bring it to you to look over. I’ve included answer keys to make your life easier! Then, if you are satisfied with their work, you will give them a clue! They will use the clue to mark off some options on their elimination page. (This is how they solve the quest!) You can read the passages in any order, just be sure to give the clues in order 1-6.
Once students have read all six passages, completed all six response activities, and received all six clues from you, they will be able to finish the elimination page. From there they will bring you their answer to the quest, which you can look over with your teacher answer key. (See image above) If they get it correct, there is a certificate included that you can have your students fill out and color!
FAQ and Other Info:
I get asked a lot, how much time do you spend on a quest? This is hard to answer because it really varies depending on the abilities of your students. Some teachers complete the entire quest in one day, others do not. I always ask teachers, how long would you allow your students to work on six passages? That’s what I would recommend.
Teachers have adjusted this in many different ways to meet the needs of their students and they have shared with me some of the ways they have done it. Here are some options:
- Spread the quest out over a few days, completing one or two passages per day.
- If time is really limited, decrease the number of passages to read, and give more than one clue at a time.
- Students work in partner pairs to complete the graphic organizers.
- Read the passages and complete the graphic organizers together, solving the quest as a class.
Check out all of my Comprehension Quests here!
Seasonal:
Comprehension Quest Plymouth Colony
Comprehension Quest Save Santa (Christmas Around the World)
Comprehension Quest The Secret Valentine
Comprehension Quest St. Patrick’s Day
Comprehension Quest Mystery Mansion (does NOT mention Halloween!)
Comprehension Quest Holiday Bundle
Other:
Comprehension Quest Dinosaurs
Comprehension Quest Lost in Space
Comprehension Quest Titanic
