A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

How Tutors Can Support Young Readers

The previous chapter provided background knowledge on how most children learn to read and write. The information on child development, brain research, emerging literacy, and how children become readers and writers, provides the foundation for designing effective programs to help children read well and independently. These insights are critical to becoming an effective tutor. This chapter is addressed to the tutors (sometimes called reading coaches, reading helpers, or facilitators); it can also be helpful to reading specialists or teachers who are partnering with the tutors, and to program developers and trainers.

The knowledge base provided in Chapter 2, How Most Children Learn to Read, will help you understand and use the curriculum adopted by your tutoring program. It will also help you identify the skills and interests of the child to whom you are assigned. You can then individualize your support to best encourage the reading and writing skills of this child.

This chapter covers the following topics:

• setting the stage for success--preparing for the first session, using effective tutoring strategies, and motivating children to read;
• tutoring strategies for preschool and kindergarten children--reading, talking, and writing with children; and
• tutoring strategies for the primary grades--reading together, building decoding skills, taking meaning from the text, and supporting the writing process.

Even the best resource is secondary to the relationship that is established between the AmeriCorps member and the student. To optimize the effectiveness of any session, surround your student with trust, love, and genuine praise for individual achievements for work well done as measured by the child's strengths.

Mike Houston, Director, SLICE Corps, AmeriCorps Project
Simpson County Schools, Kentucky, February 1997

[How Most Children Learn to Read]

[Chapter 3 (continued): Setting the Stage for Success]