Burke Reading Interview

  1. When you’re reading a book or magazine you are interested in and come to something you don’t know, what do you do? What else do you try?
  2. What about when you’re reading your science or social studies textbooks and you come to something you don’t know, what do you do? What else do you try?
  3.  What kinds of things give you trouble in your textbooks?
  4.  When you get ready to read a book for school, do you usually
    • Start at the beginning and read straight through?
    • Make a list of questions you want to answer?
    • Look over the pictures or charts and the subheadings?
    • I don’t read it.
    • Other?
  5. When you finish reading a book or a chapter for school, how do you help yourself remember what you read?
  6. Who do you know that you think is a good reader? What makes that person a good reader?
  7. Do you think _____________ (the person from the question above) ever comes to something she/he doesn’t know when she/he is reading? What do you think _________ does?
  8. Have you ever helped a friend or a brother or sister when they came to something they didn’t know when they were reading? How did you help them? Or, imagine that a friend asked you to help her/him with reading.  How would you go about helping?
  9. How does your teacher help kids who are having difficulty reading the science or social studies books?
  10. Do you remember how you learned to read?  Tell me about it.
  11. Are you a good reader outside of school?  Why do you think so?  What makes you a good reader (or not)? What about in school?  Why?
  12. Is there anything you’d like to do better as a reader?  What?