Interview Skills for English Language Learners

Warm-up:

Look at the photograph and caption of Blanca and Guido (Image 8 in "An Immigrant's Struggle to Raise Her Son in Middle Class America") or another image from the project that interests the group.

Write your answers to the following questions (5 minutes):

1. What do you see?
2. What do you think?
3. What do you wonder?

Group Conversation:

Looking at Image 2 in the photo essay, you'll make observations about the photograph that will help you understand its meaning. You'll be like a detective, collecting visual evidence.

(Teacher, ask the class these open-ended questions. Follow up on student observations with further open-ended questions, but try to push the students to look more deeply and back up their ideas with visual evidence rather than offering your own opinion.)

1. What do you see in the photo?
2. What is happening?
3. What do you see that makes you say that?
4. What else do you see?
5. What does this photograph tell us about Blanca and Guido's relationship?
6. How does it show that?

Now choose another photograph from the series to discuss as a class. Answer the same open-ended questions: What do you see in the photo? What is happening? What do you see that makes you say that? What else do you see? (15 minutes)

Pair Work:

Work with a partner to write down answers to these questions, based on the group conversation:

1. Who are the characters in the story?
2. Where does the story take place?
3. When did it happen?
4. What happened to the characters?
5. Why did it happen?

Use these 5 W's to practice interviewing a partner about his or her immigration story or that of their family. (15 minutes)

Share:

What went well during your interview? What was tricky? What will you do differently when you're interviewing in the future? (10 minutes).

Extension Activity:

Use the Interview Questions handout to interview someone in our community about his or her immigration story.