Picture this: two students are in your classroom. One student devours books at every opportunity, while the other groans at the thought of independent reading. Why the difference? The key to getting your students to read? Finding out what each student loves to read. Once you find out your students’ interests, you will be able to help them find the types of books they enjoy reading, where they like to read, how they feel most comfortable reading, if they prefer to read alone or with a friend, if they would rather read themselves or listen to someone read, and so much more!
When you use a reading interest survey, you will find out all of these things! It is the best solution to find out valuable information about your students reading interests. In this post, we will discuss what a reading interest survey is, why it is valuable in your classroom, and how to use one in your classroom during any point in the school year.
On a personal level, I know that I rarely recommend nonfiction texts. I have gotten better about this after realizing it, but nonfiction was never my favorite thing to read and so therefore, I never thought to recommend it. However, in my case, most of my students have loved and devoured nonfiction.
As a mom, I have noticed this love of nonfiction in my own two boys as well. Without finding out a students love of nonfiction, they could have missed out on some really great texts! So, make sure to think beyond what you typically enjoy, what you would typically recommend, and even beyond what your students typically read. They may be interested in a topic that they do not even know about yet!
What Is A Reading Interest Survey?
A reading interest survey is a simple questionnaire designed to gather information about your students’ reading preferences, habits, and attitudes. It is a great way to get to know your students and to provide your students with personalized book recommendations. The best reading interest survey questions include both open-ended questions and multiple choice questions to find out their feelings on different reading topics and their reading choices.
Questions To Ask In A Reading Interest Survey:
- What are your favorite books?
- Who is your favorite author?
- Do you like to read alone or with a partner?
- What is the last book you loved?
- What type of books do you like to read?
- Would you rather read or be read to?
- What is the best book?
- Would you rather read funny books or animal books?
- Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction?
- What are your favorite things to read about?
- Where do you like to read? (bed, couch, beanbag, etc.)
- If you could write a book, what would it be about?
- Would you rather read a picture book or chapter book?
- What makes a good book a good book?
Any of these questions will help you learn more about your students interests and help you find books that are perfect for them!
Why You Should Use A Reading Interest Survey
You know what is also great about a reading interest survey? You do not have to save this for the beginning of the school year. While it is great to give one during the first week of school so you can get to know your young learners reading behaviors, you can give one at any time in the school year! It is never a bad idea to learn about your students interests, especially when it will help you find them the perfect book!
A Reading Interest Survey Helps You Choose The Right Books
By knowing what topics, genres, and formats your students enjoy, you can build a classroom library that excites your students. Rather than blindly recommending books based on what you think they would enjoy, you will have better insight into what each student actually wants to read and what to recommend during independent reading time.
Increases Student Engagement
Kids are more likely to stay engaged when they are reading books that they actually enjoy! A reading survey help you connect students with books that match their interests, making reading feel more fun than forced.
Identifies Struggles Early On
Your students will not tell you that they are struggling with reading. At least, most will not tell you this. However, when you give a reading interest survey, their responses might let you know which students need extra help. If a student checks “I don’t like reading” or has a difficult time thinking of a favorite book, that is a clue to explore ways to boost their confidence as a reader. Now, that will not be true for every case obviously, but it is something to keep in mind.
Helps You Identify When To Teach Reading
Now this may not even be a choice for you. Your school may require you hold your reading block at a specific time and if that is the case, then this part will not be for you. However, you may ask your students “When do you enjoy reading best? In the morning or afternoon? Before lunch or after lunch?” This may help you make your reading schedule so that you are teaching them reading during a time that they feel they can best learn the content and they can be their best selves as readers.
How To Use A Reading Interest Survey In Your Classroom
Like I stated above, please do not feel that the only time you can give a reading interest survey is at the beginning of the year. You should give it multiple times throughout the school year because personal interests change, students grow as readers, they find new books that interest them, and they develop in different ways as a reader and overall person.
Give at the beginning of the year: During the first weeks of school, have your students take the survey. This will give you a baseline understanding of their reading habits and interests, helping you set up your classroom library and reading groups accordingly.
Give at a mid-year check-in: Your students change throughout the year, which means reading interests change as well! Giving quick student interest surveys can help you see how students’ interests are shifting and ensure they remain engaged with books they love.
As A Small Group or 1:1 Tool: You can learn valuable insight from a student survey. Use it as a conversation starter in reading conferences or small groups to get to know your students better. Reviewing their answers with them can help you better understand their reading journey and struggles.
Give one more time at the end of the year: By giving a survey one more time at the end of the year, you can compare how your students grew and changed over the school year. You can also pass it along to their classroom teachers next school year as a starting point.
Using A Reading Interest Survey To Support Reading Strategies
Once you have collected the survey responses, you can use them to enhance your literacy instruction in several ways:
- Small Reading Groups: Group students with similar interests together so you can discuss books they love. Obviously this may be more difficult when you are grouping students by reading level or skill level, but you can still use it to guide your book shopping for that group. If you know your group of students are not interested in bugs, you will know to stay away from all of those bug books!
- Book Recommendations: Create a “Recommended Reads” board in your classroom based on students’ favorite genres. This is also the perfect activity for students to use sticky notes (you know they love those!). They can write a sentence about why they recommend it and stick it to the cover of the story. You can also display their books that they recommend on book holders on the top shelves of your classroom library.
- Classroom Library Organization: Organize books by popular themes or students interests to make it easier for kids to find something engaging. In my classroom library, I had many different bins for different topics and I also organized my bookcases by fiction and nonfiction. That way, if they wanted a nonfiction book about bugs, they knew which bookcase to look through. Want to make it even easier to organize your classroom library? Check out our classroom library labels here on Teachers Pay Teachers or here on Missing Tooth Grins.
- Reading Partners: Pair students with similar book preferences to encourage reading discussions and book swaps. This will also further their comprehension when they have a buddy to talk about their books and interests with.
Make A Reading Interest Survey Work For Your Students
To make it work for you, we have created reading interest surveys that could work in kindergarten, first grade, or second grade! How are they different?
Kindergarten:
This version focuses on visual and simple responses. You may also prefer to use this in the beginning of the year in first grade or for students who need more support visually. This version involves more pictures, drawing rather than writing, and more discussion with you.
First Grade:
This version involves guided responses with limited writing. There are sentence starters and multiple choice options.
Second Grade:
This version has more expanded written responses since seconds graders can write more detailed responses.
Download Your Free Reading Interest Survey Here
By using a reading interest survey, you are not just gathering survey data- you are showing your students that their personal interests matter, helping them feel seen as readers, and setting them up for success. When children feel seen as readers, they develop stronger connections with books and become more engaged in literacy.
To make this process easy for you, I have created a free reading interest survey that you can download and use in your classroom today! This printable includes:
- a mix of multiple choice and open-ended questions
- fun, engaging visuals for younger students
Have you used a reading interest survey before? If so, how has it helped you get books your students love into their hands? Let me know in the comments below!
Related Posts:
Make sure to check out these blog posts for more ideas about organizing and building your classroom library!
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