Child Interview Shari Wickline October 11, 2011

The class assignment was to conduct a reading interview on a child between the ages 513 or grades K-9. I chose to complete the interview two times, once on a female child in second grade and the other on a male child in the fifth grade. The children are siblings and were exposed to books and reading from infancy. The interview was completed this way to show how the siblings vary in reading ability and style. This difference is despite the fact that they were read to daily and have unlimited access to a large selection of fiction and nonfiction, picture and chapter, books from all genres. To obtain the most reliant information a modified version of the Burke Reading Interview was used. Below the interview and a summary of the interview for each child has been provided. The Burke Interview gives the interviewee a solid picture of the childs reading experiences and habits. This information, along with assessment scores, allows the interviewee to gather information that would assist in developing an individualized reading plan for the child.

Modified Burke Reading Interview (Modified from C. Burke, 1987 by C. Gilles, 2004) Name: Ashley Age: 7 Date: October 7, 2011 School: Nevin Coppock Elementary Grade Level: 2 Gender: Female Interviewer: Shari Wickline Generally begin talking with the child/student, establish rapport, and ask questions 11, 12, or 13 first. Then go back to number one. (If students are interviewing each other, be sure to have students who work well together and will take the interview seriously. Older students might even interview themselves and speak into a mini-recorder.) 1. When you are reading and you come to something you dont know, what do you do? Sound it out or ask somebody. Do you ever do anything else? No. 2. Who is a good reader that you know? Mommy, (then giggles). 3. What makes him/her a good reader? Uh, I dont know. (giggles, then says why did you put that in there, thats so weird giggles more). 4. Do you think that s/he ever comes to something that s/he doesnt know when s/he is reading? Sure. 5. If the answer is YES: When s/he does come to something unknown, what do you think s/he does about it? She sounds it out.

6. If you knew that someone was having difficulty reading, how would you help that person? I dont know. 7. What would a/your teacher do to help that person? Help them sound it out. 8. How did you learn to read? Uh, no idea. What did they/you do to help you learn? I dont know I have no idea. 9. What would you like to do better as a reader? Make sure I know how to read. 10. Do you think that you are a good reader? Kind of. 11. How you feel about reading? (additional) I think it is important to read because if you dont know how to read then sometimes you cannot learn stuff. 12. What do you read routinely for pleasure? Dr. Seuss and umm chapter books. I read any type of book, because I just like to read. How frequently (additional) A lot at home and in school 13. What is the most memorable thing youve ever read? (additional) Ballet books.

Summary: During the interview Ashley answered the question very direct and to the point. She did not give lengthy answers as with her sibling, but a clear picture of her reading experiences and habits was evident. She reads every chance she gets. In school in-between lessons or during free time she reads. Every evening she reads for a minimum of thirty minutes. She is reading on a fourth grade level and primarily reads chapter books. Her preference is anything she can find to read. Due to her young age she still loves to read picture books but enjoys the complexity of challenge the higher level chapter books has to offer. She understands that it important that she master the skills needed to become a successful reader. Compared to other children this age Ashleys fluency and comprehension are accelerated. While she enjoys picture books, her main focus of reading is chapter books. She also will read a variety of materials and genres, while her peers seem to focus on particular topics or areas of interest. She purposely selects titles that are going to challenge her reading skills. A peer the same age will usually select a book that is easy and quick to read.

Some books and activities I would suggest for Ashley relate to her interests. She enjoys fantasy and being creative. Although she does read all genres, she does enjoy those that allow her to use her imagination. The books below are from grades two through four, so she has books that she finds enjoyable yet challenging. She is a very skilled artist and enjoys writing and illustrating her own books. I suggest activities that allow her to use these gifts and passions to demonstrate her comprehension of the stories.

Books: 1. Rats on the Roof and other Stories by James Marhall 2. Milton the Early Riser by Robert Kraus 3. Rockin Reptiles by Stephanie Calmenson 4. Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully

Activities: 1. Make several sketches of some of the scenes in the book and label them. 2. Make three posters about the book using two or more of the following media: paint, crayons, chalk, paper, ink, real materials. 3. Write and perform an original song that tells the story of the book. 4. Write a different ending for your story. 5. Write a letter to a friend about the book. 6. Make a book jacket for the book or story.

Modified Burke Reading Interview (Modified from C. Burke, 1987 by C. Gilles, 2004) Name: Tristan Age: 10 Date: October 7, 2011 School: L.T. Ball Intermediate Grade Level: 5 Gender: Male Interviewer: Shari Wickline Generally begin talking with the child/student, establish rapport, and ask questions 11, 12, or 13 first. Then go back to number one. (If students are interviewing each other, be sure to have students who work well together and will take the interview seriously. Older students might even interview themselves and speak into a mini-recorder.)

1. When you are reading and you come to something you dont know, what do you do? I go and I either try sounding it out or I look it up in a dictionary or I ask someone for help with it. Do you ever do anything else? Uh, look it up on the computer, um or I will just skip over it and as I go through and read it I look for words that will help to figure out what the word is. 2. Who is a good reader that you know? My mommy. 3. What makes him/her a good reader? She can read books really fast if she wants to and she is good at reading higher level books than I am and she is fun to learn how to read with. 4. Do you think that s/he ever comes to something that s/he doesnt know when s/he is reading? Yes, because there are always words that some people do not know. Nobody in the world knows all the words. 5. If the answer is YES: When s/he does come to something unknown, what do you think s/he does about it? Sounds it out or she thinks about it or she will read ahead and see if she can find words to help her figure out what the word is. 6. If you knew that someone was having difficulty reading, how would you help that person? I would help that person by helping them read a smaller book and help work their way up into the higher level books, until they are able to read fifth, sixth and seventh grade reading levels like me. 7. What would a/your teacher do to help that person? I think my teacher would do the same. 8. How did you learn to read? By reading smaller books with little words then working my way up into smaller books with more words but sometimes instead of nouns they use pictures. Then I started reading small chapter books and now my highest reading level is a 7.3. What did they/you do to help you learn? I would read smaller books until I was able to read them no problem and then go into a higher level book until I could it no problem and then I would go into an even higher book and read it until there was no problem. 9. What would you like to do better as a reader? One thing I would like to do better as a reader is being able to grasp onto a really, really good story and be able to feel like I am in the book with fiction and fantasy. 10. Do you think that you are a good reader? Yes, I think I am a good reader because I can read high level nonfiction books to teach myself about animals and nature. Oh, and I can read about historical events, like Vietnam. 11. How do you feel about reading? (additional) I think it is important to read because if you read a fantasy book it is like you actually get into the book and nonfiction is hard to understand unless you can read.

12. What do you read routinely for pleasure? I like to read nonfiction material and just a little fiction material, no I dont know. Okay, I like to read nonfiction. I read very little fiction material and I like to read books that could really happen. Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, that could really happen. I like reading books about things that are true and informational, like about animals and I dont know how to explain books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Maybe I like to read about wimpy kids. How frequently (additional) That depends like at home I dont read much maybe a chapter a night at school during free time I read about three or four chapters. I like to read at school. I usually read something like a book, magazine, information on the computer, a booklet or a paper (instructions) on how to do or build something. 13. What is the most memorable thing youve ever read? (additional) My name is America the Journal of Patrick Seamus Flattery. It was about his time in Vietnam and about how he made friends but in the end I learned that you cannot make really super good friends because in the end you lose them.

Summary: The interview took more time than the one with Tristans sibling. He is a very enthusiastic boy but needs extra prompting when asking questions in a conversational setting. His reading ability is advanced as long as the material is within the subjects he likes. If he is asked to read material that falls outside of science, animals or history his comprehension level begins to fall. Tristan knows the importance of reading and how he and others can benefit from learning to read; and regularly reading on their own. He primarily reads nonfiction books related to science, animals or history. He has, in recent months become interested in Historical and Realistic Fiction. In order to enjoy the book and comprehend what is being read he has to have an interest in the topic. Compared to other children his age Tristans reading abilities are not the norm. Others his age are reading more fiction and fantasy, while his main focus is nonfiction. He wants to read more fiction and fantasy like his peers, but his narrow interests in science, animals and history limit his ability to comprehend anything outside of these subject areas. He does read at an accelerated level within these subject areas, but struggles with fluency and comprehension if given most fiction materials, even at a lower level. He does understand the necessity of learning to read and knows where he would like to see improvements within his own skills. Some books I would suggest for Tristan to read are related to animals or tribal life. He has such a strong interest in animals and history, so I chose chapter books that stay within his interest areas. He finds it difficult to choose chapter books that he will enjoy so that is why I stayed with this type of fiction books. The activities are also geared towards his interest areas. He likes to complete research projects and design things. The activities listed provide him with opportunities to choose the book and the activity he thinks would best demonstrate his comprehension of the story.

Books: 1. Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry 2. My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen 3. Sounder by William H. Armstrong 4. Stay! Keepers Story by Lois Lowry Activities: 1. Make several sketches of some of the scenes in the book and label them. 2. Construct a diorama (three-dimensional scene which includes models of people, buildings, plants, and animals) of one of the main events of the book. Include a written description of the scene. 3. If the story of your book takes place in another country, prepare a travel brochure using pictures you have found or drawn. 4. After reading a book of history or historical fiction, make an illustrated timeline showing events of the story and draw a map showing the location(s) where the story took place. 5. Draw a comic-book page complete with bubble-style conversations showing an incident in your book. 6. Learn something about the environment in which the book takes place.

Comparison of the Siblings: Although both children have been exposed to reading in the same manner Tristan has a more selective reading style than Ashley. They both have access to a large selection of genres but his focus is still nonfiction, even when fiction titles are suggested to him. The amount of time they spend reading, outside of school greatly varies and until the end of fourth grade Tristan had a very hard time finishing any book that was not nonfiction. The opportunities these siblings have had, illustrates how an environment rich in print, gives an advantage over peers that do not have easy access to books. It also shows just how different individuals vary in their reading styles and selection process of genres.