ReadWriteServe Tutor Training

1. ReadWriteServe Tutor Training ReadWriteServe Programs of the Center for Adolescent Literacies at UNC Charlotte

2. What is ReadWriteServe? • ReadWriteServe--Partnership for Literacy Action Initiatives brings together UNC Charlotte and community-based resources to address increasingly complex literacy needs of students and their families in the Southeastern U.S. through service, research and community-based programs that are culturally relevant and focused on community needs. • RWS supports literacy and reading tutors working with students at different levels and in differing contexts. • We offer a structured but flexible approach to tutoring that relies on tutors to make decisions about the needs of learners. p. 2

3. RWS Tutors Provide • Homework Help • Reading Support • Mentoring A note about our terminology: Tutors-----UNC Charlotte student /staff volunteers Learners----the grades K-12 students receiving tutoring

4. The RWS Commitment • Set a time commitment that is reasonable and stick with it. We ask that you commit to meeting with a learner once a week if possible. Whatever your schedule, please keep your commitment to our student partners. • Be ethical and responsible in all that you do in your work with student partners. You are mentors and role models. p. 2

5. Have questions? Need help? • Check out the ReadWriteServe Tutor Blog at rwstutoring.wordpress.com • Get tutoring tips • Learn about upcoming events and trainings • Ask questions & join a conversation

6. Before we get started…

7. Jumping Right In Do’s & Don’ts of Tutoring

8. Scenario #1: What’s a Tutor to Do? You begin tutoring with a book. What do you do?

9. Scenario #1: What’s a Tutor to Do?

10. Scenario #1: What’s a Tutor to Do?

11. Scenario #1: What’s a Tutor to Do? • You’ve just begin working with Alex, a 2nd grade student who struggles a bit with reading. You sit down with Alex and open up Flat Stanley at Bat, an I Can Read Level 2 book. • What do you say? What do you NOT say? • What do you do? What do you NOT do? • How do get started in tutoring Alex?

12. DO’S: Tutoring Tips • Let the child hold the book and turn the pages • Let the child set the pace • Take time to look and talk—look at the pictures and talk about the book • Listen, listen, listen • Talk about their ideas and check your predictions from the picture walk • “What did you like?” • Talk about other good books and reading

13. Get to know each other Ice breaker & information

14. Assessment Overview of Tutoring Meeting the Learner Setting Expectations Evaluating the Learner Planning Tutoring Sessions p. 5

15. Formal vs. Informal Assessment p. 9-10

16. Informal Assessment Assessment gives us information about what learners strengths and areas of need—what they can do and what they need help with. Here are some informal methods of assessment: • Interview • Learner Surveys • 5-finger assessment • Read Alouds • Retellings p. 10

17. Our Approach: Guided Learning Our basic approach is to meet a learner at his or her point of need. You might help the learner with homework or in reading and writing. Most tutoring can be broken into this simpleframework: • Before Reading & Learning • During Reading & Learning • After Reading & Learning p. 14

18. Guided Reading & Learning Guided Reading & Learning is a type of instruction in which a tutor guides at student (learner) through the process of reading. Tutors are mentors to students. They help students (learners) move from reading with help to reading independently.

19. p. 14

20. Example 1: Sam in 7th Grade p. 18

21. Example 2: Rachel in 3rd Grade p. 19

22. Scenario #2: Planning for Sam

23. Scenario #2: Planning for Sam • You’ve been working with Sam, a 5th grade student who loves science but struggles a bit with reading. Sam has difficulty remembering what he reads and finds new words challenging. • Plan a lesson for Sam using Fossils as your book. It’s one he’s picked out and seems like it’s not too difficult.

24. Scenario #2: Planning for Sam

25. Scenario #2: Planning for Sam

26. Scenario #2: Planning for Sam

27. Lesson Activities & Mini-lessons Here are some useful lesson activities and mini-lesson ideas: • Book Walk or Picture Talks • Guided Reading & Learning • Dictating Stories or LEA • Word Families & Word Sorts • Sight Word practice • Teaching Strategies p. 17

28. Book Walks & Picture Talks • Tutors guide students through a book by looking at the cover, title page, and pictures in the book. Point out a few key words and ask the learner questions like, “What do you think is going on in the book?” and “What do you think will happen?” During the guided reading and learning session (the heart of the tutoring process), the tutor can check with the learner to confirm predictions. p. 17

29. Basics of the Book Walk, Picture Talk • Start with the cover. • Look at the picture • Read the title and author • Ask, “what do you think this book is about?” • Take a picture walk. • Without reading the words ask the child to turn the pages one at a time. • Point to the pictures and ask, “What do you think is happening?” • Use the 5 “W” and “H” questions

30. Basics of the Book Walk, Picture Talk • Take a picture walk. • Use the 5 “W” and “H” questions • What is happening on this page? • Where do you think they are going? • How do you think it will end? • Will they get to the house? • Repeat what the child said but in your own words • Add a bit more information

31. If time allows…try a book walk • If you have a book available, do a quick book walk or picture talk with a partner. • Talk about pictures • Make predictions • Point out the title and a few words you think are important to the story

32. Picking Texts to Read Comprehension Word Work: Vocabulary & Sight Words Fluency Decoding p. 21

33. Picking Texts to Read p. 22 You can use any type of text to tutor from; however, if you get a chance to read for enjoyment, pick a good book (one that your student picks) that is not too difficult and enjoy reading for pleasure. Together with the student, you can choose reading material that interests the student and is at an appropriate reading level. One method for choosing a book is the five finger method. Remember • Whenever possible, pick books that are interesting to the learner • For tutoring, pick books are that at their Instructional Level (not too easy, not too hard) • For independent (personal) reading, pick books at the Independent Level.

34. Picking books at the right level “Just right” book but when time is short use these strategies for finding a book that isn’t too challenging: • Ballpark it! Working with a struggling 3rd grader? Pick a book that looks like a 1st or 2nd grader could read it. • Don’t worry. Just read it! Don’t worry if it is a “just right” book. Read aloud and talk with the child. • Five Finger Rule. A quick and simple way to match a book to a kid.

35. Five Finger Rule • As you or the child reads a page from a book, have them put a finger on any words they don't understand. The number of fingers used helps indicate the reading level. • 0-1 fingers - too easy (Independent level) • 2-3 fingers - just right (Instructional level) • 4-5 fingers - too hard (Frustration level) • Too easy is okay. Too hard isn’t. Remember that this is just a “quick & dirty” test. p. 13

36. Scenario #3: Struggling Reader http://youtu.be/dfSogVWYvbo

37. Scenario #3: Struggling Reader • What do you see as this child’s reading challenges? • What can we do in our tutoring to help her?

38. What to focus on in tutoring There are four key areas that we most often focus on in literacy tutoring. • Comprehension • Word Work: Vocabulary & Sight Words • Fluency • Decoding

39. Comprehension • Comprehension is the “so what” of reading. Readers who comprehend understand and can answer questions about what they’ve read. Here are some strategies that help with comprehension: • Say Something • Double-entry Journal • ThinkPairShare • KWL • 3-2-1 • Talking Drawings p. 22

40. Comprehension Strategies Say Something Double-entry Journal Take turns reading and… Make a prediction Ask a question Clarify something you read Make a comment Make a connection p. 23-24

41. Comprehension Strategies KWL Chart ThinkPairShare By yourself, think about __________________ Share your thoughts with a partner or tutor Write down some new things you learned Works great with math problems p. 25

42. If time allows… • Take a couple minutes and review pages 23 through 27 in your RWS Tutor Handbook. • Think about the comprehension strategies and how you might use them. • Look back at the lesson plan you created (if we had time) and think about strategies you might add. • What strategies could you have used in tutoring in the past? Which strategies do you think you’d use in the future.

43. Word Work • Sight words are the most common words that make up our spoken and written language. Fifty percent of all text is made up of the most common 100 sight words. • Vocabularyrefers to the meanings of words, not their spelling or pronunciation.  Vocabulary is important to a reader’s success because comprehension breaks down when readers encounter too many words they do not know.  Vocabulary words are new words that students must learn.   p. 28

44. Sight Words • Sight words are common words that a reader should recognize on "sight." These important words are also referred to as "high-frequency words.” • Sight words are a group of common words with a high-frequency of use that readers must know on sight, instantly, and automatically in order to develop into an efficient and smooth reader. Some examples of these important words are a, is, the, of, and, that, in, you, I, and to. • We include a copy of the list of Dolch Sight Words in the back of this handbook on page 55. p. 28

45. Vocabulary Vocabulary strategies help readers with words they don’t know and need to learn. We don’t expect them to have to memorize these words like we hope readers will do with sight words. Readers need strategies to include but go beyond teaching definitions and include pictures and connections to the real world. p. 28

46. Sight Words & Vocabulary Repetition is the key to teaching sight words. Try this: • Play Sight Word bingo • Make sight word flash cards and review them each Here are some strategies that help teach vocabulary. Note that they move beyond simply teaching definitions. • Vocabulary Cards • Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart • How Well Do I Know These Words • Teach common pre-fixes and root words

47. Vocab Cards & How Well Do I Know p. 30

48. Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart p. 31

49. If time allows… • Take two minutes and review pages 28 through 32 in your RWS Tutor Handbook. • Think about the vocabulary strategies and how you might use them. • Try your hand at creating a vocabulary card for a content area term like solar or cylinder.

50. Fluency • Fluency is the ability to read accurately, effortlessly, at the appropriate pace, and with expression. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on figuring out the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means.  In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. • Less fluent readers, however, must focus their attention on figuring out the words, leaving them little attention for understanding the text. p. 30