10 Original Ways to Assess Reading Skills

Students create an alphabet book by associating each letter of the alphabet with a word that’s related to a text read in class. Next, they justify each word choice with an excerpt or element of the story. Their words can represent a character, an important place, a theme, etc.

This activity encourages rereading and reflection on a story as a whole. Try adding in a creative element by having them colour in and illustrate their alphabet books.

A reading journal is a tool in which students write down their impressions of what they have read, summarize chapters, select and comment on excerpts that stood out, suggest illustrations, draw up character profiles, or make connections with other works. Anything is possible! The key to success here is to strike the right balance between giving clear instructions to guide their work and leaving them enough freedom to personalize their journal.

Battle of the Books is a fun activity in which each student defends their top pick from a proposed selection of books. Students prepare arguments to convince the class that their chosen book deserves top ranking. Next, each student gives an oral presentation about why their book is so great. Lastly, the entire class votes on the winner. This activity is an interactive and engaging way to assess reading skills.

You can have two books battle head-to-head every week throughout the year, or one big battle where all students present their arguments for their choice at the same time. 

For this correspondence activity, two students will exchange one or more letters. Students have to write as if they were one of the characters from a book studied in class. This activity is perfect for assessing understanding of literary genre. Students will have to project themselves into the time and place of the story and demonstrate a good understanding of the characters’ physical and psychological traits.

Reading circles have become an essential teaching activity! They involve splitting students into small groups to talk about a book or excerpt read in class. Each student prepares a reading report and is given a role to help guide the discussion. During the session, students talk about their understanding of the text, share their impressions, and analyze key elements of the story. The teacher observes, supervises, or moderates the discussions.

For this activity, students are asked to write a reading “prescription” for a book read in class. Students should present the book in an appealing way, as if they were recommending it to a future reader. With the help of small colour-coded labels or tags, each book is “prescribed” according to its benefits for the reader: for example, green to reconnect with nature, purple to travel to fantastic worlds, pink for a moment of calm, etc. This activity fosters creativity, argumentation skills, and exchange!

For this activity, the teacher deletes part of a text, then asks students to replace it and justify their choices. It could be the title of a text, the title of a chapter, an entire chapter, the back cover, or even the ending of a story. Students can also be asked to add a chapter to a novel or add a paragraph to an expository text. Whatever the details of the assignment, students must demonstrate a good understanding of the initial text to ensure that their own writing is coherent with and relevant to the original!

Why gate-keep literary favourites (or flops)? Ask your students to share their opinions and make them public! Have them read a novel, then write a review and publish it on a real readers’ forum, like quialu.ca (site in French), Goodreads, or Babelio. If you prefer to use another medium, ask your students to create a BookTube video and publish it on your virtual class site!

For this activity, students write a text imitating the style of an author studied in class. After reading an excerpt or a work, students use the author’s writing characteristics to invent a new scene, rewrite a passage, or create another story. This activity assesses students’ reading comprehension and the ability to identify writing techniques and apply them to their writing.

What if reading was a gateway for creative exploration? Have your students create artwork that extends their exploration of a text read in class by applying their skills as readers . . . and as artists! Ask them to present their work orally, justifying their creative choices by making relevant links with excerpts from the text.