Interview with a comparable ESOL student.

Amanda: Alright. For our first, um, assessment, we used a worksheet and we had our student write about her favorite animal and here she’s going to tell us a little bit about it. Will you read to us what you wrote there?

Sonya: A kangaroo is funny. I will like to be a kangaroo because it carries a baby in its pouch.

Amanda: Great! And she drew a picture of it and it looks just beautiful! Okay, now we’re going to have her read Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss. Okay, just read as much as you can of it.

Sonya: Pup, Pup. Pup in Cup. Pup, cup. Cup in pup. Mouse, house, mouse on house. Mouse, house mouse, house on mouse. All tall, we all are tall. All small, we all are small. All ball, we all play ball. All wall, we all, we, up on a wall. All fall, fall up, fall up the wall. They play, we play all day. Night fight, we fight all night. He me, he is after me. Him, Jim. Jim is after him. See bee, see a bee, see be three now now we see three. Three trees, three fish in in a tree. Fish in a tree, how can that be? Red, red. They call me red. Bed, bed, I am in bed.

Amanda: Okay. (tape stops) Okay now we’re going to have you read another book. It may be a little bit harder so just do the best that you can. It’s called A Dragon in a Wagon. Go ahead.

Sonya: Maggie opened a world (pause) window?

Amanda: (prompting) Guess…good job.

Sonya: Guess what she sees? A dragon in a wagon. She says the dragon lets go up lets go for a ride. Good (pause)

Stephanie: (prompting) Idea…

Sonya: Good idea said Megan. She hops inside the the wagon does not go far so Megan and the dragon hop into a car. The car will not go so so they (pause) hop on a bus with horse and a fat hippopotamus. (laughs) The bus will not go so they jumped into a boat with a dog, three cats, and a billy goat. The boat will not row so they hop on a sled with a moose (pause)

Amanda: (prompting) who…

Sonya: who was by funny (pause) mice.

Stephanie: Good.

Sonya: on his head. The sled will not go so they…

Amanda: Good job.