We had a wonderful summer session that included the tutoring of eight students.

We plan our tutoring sessions focusing on each individual child’s needs and interests. We always make sure we are having fun together at the same time they are learning important reading skills needed to achieve their grade level in reading.

An example including details:

One of our 3rd grade students could read just about any word, but lacked comprehension, and read without any enthusiasm or fluency. I worked first and foremost on building her confidence when it came to reading. The more I gave her feedback and praise, the more she enjoyed reading on her own. After completing the first week in our program, her neighbor noticed her picking up a book to read on her own without being asked to – this was the first time she had ever done this!

We then began to work on comprehending words when she wasn’t sure of their meaning. These words became her “dictionary” words, and if she asked ME before I asked HER what an unfamiliar word meant, she received a sticker to be used to trade on her prize list. This gets children into the habit of ASKING what a word means instead of just reading ahead and not understanding what they’re reading. This is a powerful tool when it comes to increasing reading skills, enjoying reading, and also having better understanding of worksheet directions and assignments in school.

We read fun books, including Dr. Seuss, for expression and fluency. She became very animated when reading books that included sentences in all capitals or ending in exclamation points!