Reading skills may include: letter identification, letter sounds, blends, digraphs, prefixes, letter teams, suffixes/word endings, breaking words into syllables, sight word recognition, and additional phonics and phonemic skills. Reading comprehension strategies include: activating schema/background knowledge (i.e., text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections), asking questions, determining importance, making inferences, creating sensory and emotional images, using fix-up strategies, and synthesizing. I will assess the student’s reading level during the first session and will re-assess periodically. I increase text levels and adjust the curriculum based on observations combined with assessments. 

The luxury of individual tutoring is that each student learns differently and I can adapt my lessons to meet unique needs. For example, one student I worked with came to me with extremely negative reading experiences and did not like reading. Everything changed the day we set goals together for both him and myself. What made a difference for him was having a voice in his reading process and being able to let me know his teaching style preferences. This particular student made huge gains in reading in a short time! 

When working with students who have dyslexia and/or ADHD, I have learned that what works for one student may be the exact opposite for another student. For example, many students with ADHD do well with short breaks where they can run laps around the room (safely w/parent approval), stretch, or get a drink of water, while other students completely lose focus if they move from their tutoring spot. When it comes to students with dyslexia, some respond well to the approach of looking for similarities and differences between commonly used words that are frequently interchanged (e.g., were, where). Whereas, other students may find this comparison frustrating and learn better by associating pictures to these words. I find parents are often the best resource for knowing where to start with what works best for their child. 

I intentionally create a comfortable learning environment where students can share thoughts and take academic risks. We work through emotional blocks and reflect on learning style preferences. I do my best to find books that relate to students’ lives and diverse backgrounds so they can see themselves in the stories, and relate to characters and circumstances. For students who have not discovered the love of reading yet, in time, we will find a book or series that will inspire them! I update parents via Outschool conversations regarding their child’s progress.

***I recommend meeting a minimum of twice a week (if not more frequently) if your student is not reading at grade level.***