This slideshow gives an example of how the 5 W's and 1 H can be used to help extract explicit details when reading.

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