Monthly Archives: March 2019

Tutoring Articles

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Tutoring Articles

Reading tips forupper grades (6-12):
Read what they’re interested in: Once again, getting your son or daughter to read is the goal. Continue to encourage reading whatever they’re interested in. Reading for fun is what it’s all about, whether it be magazines or books. 

Improving their skills: Reading for fun and reading a textbook are not the same thing. Your son or daughter may be able to comprehend the material they’re interested in, but struggle when it comes time to read their textbooks. One of the most valuable tools you can give your teen is to set them up for success. You can do this by using the SQ3R model. Survey(1 to 2 minutes): Pre-view the reading assignment. Look at every picture, caption, heading, subheading, graph, map, bold and highlighted word then make 3 predictions about what they’re going to read. Don’t read the text at this time.

Question (1 to 2 minutes): Write out a question for each section of the text. You can do this by rewording the subheading into a question, using the questions at the end of the assignment, or by creating your own questions.

Read: Read one section at a time. 
Recall (2 to 3 minutes): After reading each section, recall what they read. Next, in their words, answer the questions. 

Review (less than 5 minutes): Review the questions by covering up the answers. If they are unable to answer their questions have them reread the particular section. Continue to review their answers nightly.

Reading tips formiddle grades (3-6)

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Reading tips formiddle grades (3-6)

Encourage reading materials that they’re interested in: All kids are not interested in the same thing. Get books and magazines that interest your child. If s/he is interested in sports, check out books on the sports that they’re interested in. If s/he love science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror or mystery then get books in those genres. Don’t worry if they’re reading the same types of books; instead be happy and proud of him/her for reading. If you need help picking out books ask your local librarian for help or go to http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/ to help narrow your search by topic, subject, interest and reading levels, genre, language, and reading motivation programs. 

Enable a good reader: If your son or daughter is struggling in reading, help them to focus on what needs improvement. If it’s their fluency, have them read to you as you prepare dinner and encourage them to reread sentences/paragraphs that they have trouble with. If you notice that your child isn’t able to read 90 out of 100 words with ease, then the book they’re reading is too difficult. Next time help them choose books at a more appropriate level, which isn’t necessarily their grade level. The above website is a wonderful tool to use. If your child is having difficulty with comprehension, after each paragraph have them summarize what they read. Ask open-ended questions, for example, “What do you think the author meant when they said…?” As they improve, they can summarize after each section or chapter. The goal is to get them to understand what they are reading.

Tips for improving reading in the Primary Grades (K-2)

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Tips for improving reading in the Primary Grades (K-2)

Connect with Books: Repeatedly read the same book…once is never enough at this age. Ask questions about the pictures and the text: “What color is the kite?” or “How do you know Sammy doesn’t like chocolate?” etc. Help your child relate to the book; “Have you ever lost your favorite toy before?” or “What would you have done if it happened to you?” Having your child answer questions about what they are reading is always a great way to help build comprehension.

***Play word games with your child. Have them play the rhyming game with you to see how many words they can rhyme (i.e. fat/cat/rat/bat; ran/can/man, tan; etc.) Practice blending sounds together. With a smile ask, “So, what word you think I am saying? Then, hold each SOUND longer than normal and say “ L- O- G,” for log. Also, say a word and challenge your child to pick out another word that begins with the same letter sound (i.e. Keesha/Key, Lollipop/Lion, etc.) Finally, challenge your child to a game of “Changing the Word.” Have your child sound out the word as you change it from cat to rat to sat; from sat to sap to lap; and from lap to lip.

Reading tips forupper grades (6-12)

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Reading tips forupper grades (6-12)

Read what they’re interested in: Once again, getting your son or daughter to read is the goal. Continue to encourage reading whatever they’re interested in. Reading for fun is what it’s all about, whether it be magazines or books. 

Improving their skills: Reading for fun and reading a textbook are not the same thing. Your son or daughter may be able to comprehend the material they’re interested in, but struggle when it comes time to read their textbooks. One of the most valuable tools you can give your teen is to set them up for success. You can do this by using the SQ3R model. Survey(1 to 2 minutes): Pre-view the reading assignment. Look at every picture, caption, heading, subheading, graph, map, bold and highlighted word then make 3 predictions about what they’re going to read. Don’t read the text at this time.

Question (1 to 2 minutes): Write out a question for each section of the text. You can do this by rewording the subheading into a question, using the questions at the end of the assignment, or by creating your own questions.

Read: Read one section at a time. 
Recall (2 to 3 minutes): After reading each section, recall what they read. Next, in their words, answer the questions. 

Review (less than 5 minutes): Review the questions by covering up the answers. If they are unable to answer their questions have them reread the particular section. Continue to review their answers nightly.