Today, I interviewed “Miss Judah.” She is “mostly eight” and will be
turning nine in March. She is in the third grade. The following is the
interview that we conducted together this afternoon:
DO YOU LIKE TO READ? WHY/NOT?
Sometimes, because some books are more interesting than other ones.
HOW MANY BOOKS DID YOU READ LAST YEAR?
Like six.
HOW OFTEN TO YOU READ AT HOME? I
mostly read at home.
WHAT BOOKS HAVE YOU READ RECENTLY?
Lost in Las Vegas, it was
really good.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN A WORD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE? I try to sound it out, but if I still don’t
know it, I ask my mom or teacher.
DO YOU LIKE TO READ OUT LOUD? I
like to read out loud in my head because there is usually a lot going on around
me.
WHAT ALL DO YOU LIKE TO READ?
Books and magazines mostly.
IS READING HARD FOR YOU? Sometimes, maybe not really.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PLACE TO READ?
Yes, on my bed where there is a light that shines on it and it is the
perfect place to read.
DO YOU LIKE THE LIBRARY? Yes,
the one at school.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE BOOK?
Yes, Lost in Las Vegas was
really good.
WOULD YOU MIND READING A FEW BOOKS FOR ME THIS SEMESTER? I would be
glad to help you read.
Judah enjoys
reading and although she sometimes faces difficulties, it does not deter her. I
believe she gave a great answer when she said that she “asks her mom or a
teacher” when she does not understand the text. I have also spoken with Judah’s
mother, a long-time friend of mine, who says that Judah is an avid reader who
asks for help when she comes across something she does not understand.
Although, I know we are concentrating on students who are more struggling
readers, I think that this student is appropriate for the course because she is
not only a willing participant, but she is willing to ask for help when she is
struggling. I was also happy to hear Judah say that she has a favorite place to
read and a favorite book. She commented that she likes books that are “not real”
because they “take you to different places.” I am excited to share this
endeavor with Judah and think this will help her strengthen those literacy
skills she may be struggling with this school year. I also told Judah that I
will be choosing around ten books for her and she will choose the four that she
would like to read. I also told her that if they are not books that she is
interested in, that we could decide on different ones that she may like better.
I am looking forward to this being a remarkable partnership.
I used one of the surveys that were listed on taskstream and
changed/added/adapted some of the questions to fit the needs of this
interview: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/10/gathering-information-about-my-readers-interviewing-them
Hi Shannon! I loved reading the responses your student gave you during her reading survey. She does sound like she truly enjoys reading and I think it's great that she monitors the meaning of the text before, during, and after she reads. Monitoring and Clarifying is an important reading strategy! My WOW moment was listening to the way Judah described reading. I smiled when I read where she said "books take you to different places". With all the standardized testing, sometimes children's love of reading becomes stifled by required reads. I WONDERED if your students have an independent reading time? I noticed you said you would let her choose 4 books to read. In my 2nd grade classroom, my student keep 5 good-fit books in their book bins to read during our Read to Self time, which focuses on reading stamina.
ReplyDeleteI was very happy to read how your student reacted to the survey. I also like how you asked if she would mind reading a few books for you this semester. It's like you're still giving her the free will and not crushing her with books. My WOW moment was how she still seems so captivated by reading. I hate that students love to read when they're young. No young child hates being read to. Then we crush them under the weight of boring books and classic literature, and they learn to hate it. As a person who loves to read, it's sad to hear my students say, day after day, that they hate it. I WONDERED about what kind of books that you might be having them read, and also if she is going to have boundaries when it comes time for her to choose on her own.
ReplyDeleteThird grade was my favorite grade when I was in elementary school. I think it is a great age because you feel older, but you are still young enough to enjoy the little things. She "WOW"ed me by how she answered some of her questions. I like how she described her favorite spot to read. It sounds like she feels comfortable and peaceful there which would give her the perfect setting to daydream and take her away to "different places" as she said. When I use to read, I loved getting lost in a good book. It just takes you away from reality for a while. I did WONDER if you did any kind of book related projects? The fifth grade classroom I was in for student teaching did really neat and creative projects. The teacher would give different options that they could do like create a poem, a diorama, poster, song, etc. This way the students could express their creativity in a way that fit them best. This also gave those students who cannot afford a bunch of fancy craft supplies to create something with what they have at home.
ReplyDeleteShannon, it is fantastic that Judah will be spending time with you to help her become a strong reader. I will be interested to hear what books are chosen by the two of you and what her thoughts are on each of them. I love how she has already identified what type of books she is most interested in. During your time with her, I would be interested to see if she was provided other types of reading materials would her interests expand. I work with a small group of third graders and I have been introducing them to a wide variety of informational text and now many of them would say they prefer it. I use iPads with my students and they use Samsung Galaxies in the classroom. I came across a great app called News O Matic. It is a daily newspaper just for kids and is available on both iTunes and Google Play. They offer 5 news articles a day and the students can access the last 10 editions giving them a total of 50 articles available at all times. They have become addicted to this app and it has exposed them to wide array of current world events. It was originally designed to be written on a 3-4 grade level but they have now designed two other apps targeting grades 1-2 and 5+. They contain the same articles but are written at different levels of complexity.
ReplyDelete"Miss Judah" sounds like a hoot! I loved her answers to your questions, even when she answered about her age. My WOW moment was the answer to her question about reading out loud. Most children don't recognize that they read out loud inside their own head, so for her to realize that she hears a voice while reading is great! I am sure that helps her with comprehension. If I remember correctly, you are in the same situation as myself. We don't have classrooms or other students, just one child that we are working with. I WONDER if this will hinder our experience any since we are more limited with resources and our variety of readers to work with. I don't think that it will because it sounds like we both have amazing partners in these little girls!
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