The reading interview, an innovative assessment approach, is gaining in popularity in English classes. This method has many advantages, since it relies on a discussion with the student to check their understanding of a text. Among other things, it allows teachers to observe the reading strategies used by the student in real time, more fairly assess students who struggle with writing, and easily adapt the assessment to the needs of each student.
Here are some practical tips for conducting an effective reading interview.
The key to a successful reading interview is proper preparation. If you plan your activity thoroughly and choose your materials carefully, you can properly assess your students without any hiccups.
Here are a few helpful things to do in the weeks before the interview:
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Plan an activity for the other students to do while you’re interviewing.
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Create a bank of questions to ask.
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Create a simple interview rubric.
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Decide whether you will interview one student or multiple students.
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Ask for support from a colleague (student teacher, librarian, resource teacher, etc.)
Another important element to consider is the atmosphere during the interview. For meaningful, enriching conversation to flourish, you need to create a pleasant, low-pressure atmosphere.
Here are a few things you can do to set your students up for success:
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Choose a quiet, distraction-free environment for the interview (hallway, library, empty classroom next to yours, etc.).
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Choose books appropriate for the student’s reading level.
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Choose books that align with the student’s interests.
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Give the student enough time to read the text, if applicable, and to answer your questions without feeling rushed.
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Focus on the student, not the rubric.
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Provide helpful, specific feedback to the student (encouragement, successes, challenges, strategies to adopt, etc.).
Your choice of questions can make or break your reading interview. Asking a variety of engaging questions not only allows you to get a more complete picture of students’ reading skills, but it also helps solicit longer, more authentic responses from students.
Here are a few things to consider when planning your questions:
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Ask questions that address the four dimensions of reading.
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Prompt students when their answers are too brief. (Why? What makes you say that? Could you point me to a clue in the text that would lead you to believe this? etc.)
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Don’t ask every student the same questions.
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Personalize the questions. (Which character is most like your best friend? Which character would you most like to see join your field hockey team? etc.)
Here are some examples of original and engaging questions:
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How does the cover relate to the story?
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Why do you think the author chose this title?
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If you had to choose a title for Chapter 4, what would it be?
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If you could give the main character one gift, what would it be?
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If this secondary character were an animal, what would they be?
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Which character would you like to see join your class the most? The least?
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Which character resembles you the most? The least?
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What qualities do you most admire in this secondary character?
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Which character do you think is the most courageous (or daring, or resourceful, or generous, etc.)?
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If you could remove any character from the story, who would you choose?
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Have you ever read a book or seen a movie that reminds you of this book?
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If you had to change the ending of the story, what would you want to happen?
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Imagine you had to adapt this book into a movie. Which actor or actress would you cast in the lead role?
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What question would you like to ask the author?
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Do you think any of your friends would like this book?
- Kanozayire, B. and Béchard, L. (n.d.). Astuces et outils pour des entretiens de lecture réussis. J’enseigne avec la littérature jeunesse. (URL)
- Kanozayire, B. and Béchard, L. (n.d.). L’entretien de lecture, un outil d’évaluation authentique. J'enseigne avec la littérature jeunesse. (URL)
- Boissy, C. (n.d.). Pourquoi l’entretien de lecture est-il bénéfique pour tous les élèves?. Institut des troubles d’apprentissage. (URL)