Tips For Reading Tutors


Tips for Tutors
       Advice for First-Time Tutors
              Literacy consultant Cathy Puett Miller helps you get started
       More suggestions for effective tutoring
       A Toolbox of Terms for Volunteer Tutoring
              Cathy Puett Miller explains the terms used in reading instruction.
       Reading Assesment Tips
               Benchmark checks, forms, and quizzes from Reading A-Z
In Their Own Words: The Language Experience Approach
       An Approach to Reaching Reluctant or Struggling Readers
       Annie, The Sleeping Beauty: How I Taught Her to Read 
              by Jean Katzenberg
       For Professionals:  Principles and Practices of Language Experience
              by Ronald L. Cramer, Ph.D

Classroom Letter and Language Activities from Dr. Jean Feldman
       Add an Ending
       Alphabet Chant
       Cut-Apart Chart
       High-Frequency Word Activities
       Language Experience Chart
       Letter Chart
       Locomotion Letters
       Oral Language Circle Time Activities
       "Mystery Person" -- A Language Experience Approach Extension
       Participation Stories
       Phonercise
       Singing the ABCs -- Creative Variations
       Toss A Sound -- Teaching Letter Sounds with Fun and Exercise
       Walk-About Story -- Incorporating Movement with Reading

Talking About Books With Your Students
       Why is it important to talk about the books you read together?

Telling Students to "Sound It Out"
       Does saying "Just Sound it Out!" really work? We present some alternatives.

The Great Phonics Debate
       Which approach is best for your student?
       The Road to Literacy:  Teacher/Musician Greg Whitfield on the importance of teaching letter sounds.
 
Readers' Theater  
       Children love this activity--and so will literacy tutors.

Word Families
       Word Families:  A Great Way to "Crack the Code."
       The 37 most common word families and how they can be used.
       For professionals:  More thoughts on phonograms.
 
Working and Playing with Words 
       Introduction to Word Activities
       Favorite Word Activities from Cathy Puett Miller
       Word Activities from Speech Teach
       Word Study Lessons from Words Their Way

High-Frequency Sight Words
       The Fry List, Instant Words, Dolch Words, and Word Wall Words
       Practice with Abstract Sight Words
       More on Practice with Sight Words
       Betsy B. Lee on the Teaching of Dolch Words
       Dolch's List of Basic Sight Words
 
Using Music to Promote Reading Skills
       From our partner site, Songs for Teaching
       Picture-Song Storybooks
              by Regina Newlin
       Teaching Children to Listen for Initial Letter Sounds
              by Jim Gill
       Using Music to Build Phonemic Awareness
              by Laura Woodall and Brenda Ziembroski
Literacy Begins at Home
       A letter that tutors may reproduce and distribute to parents.

Suggested Reading
       Books on a Budget 
              How you can acquire books at minimal cost.
       Books for Your Earliest Readers
              These books will get your beginning students off to a positive start.
       Great Books for Teaching Students to Read
              See why Ruth recommends using "Readers" for all ages.
       Books your students will enjoy
              See our recommendations and links to useful book lists.
       References for Volunteer Tutors and Literacy Program Directors  
              Books and websites that will benefit any literacy program.