Tutor Training Guide 2024 : simplebooklet.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS3 - 5 CORE VALUESTRAINING GOALVOLUNTEER TRAINING HOURS & REQUIREMENTSTRAINING OVERVIEW 6 - 9 FLUENCY FUNDAMENTALSFIVE COMPONENTS OF READINGLITERACY TERMSWHAT IS FLUENCY?FLUENCY FUN GAMES10-17 TUTOR SESSIONTUTOR SESSION TIMELINEFINAL BOOK READING SESSIONCELEBRATE READING SUCCESS18-25 ADDITIONAL RESOURCESSESSION LOGFIRST DAY SESSIONMATERIALSONE KIND WORDSOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNINGVOLUNTEER RESOURCE CENTERNOTES

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RESPONSIBILITYCORE VALUESTHE CORNERSTONE OF OUR ORGANIZATION'S CULTURE.Our core values of Responsibility, Respect, Knowledge, and Care form thecornerstone of our mission to empower learners. These values guide everyinteraction between volunteers, students, and program partners, ensuring acollaborative and supportive environment where everyone is committed toachieving educational excellence. Together, we strive to create a nurturing space that values accountability, mutualrespect, shared knowledge, and compassionate care, fostering personal growthand lifelong learning for all participants. KNOWLEDGERESPECTCAREVolunteers: Provide consistentsupport and guidance to students. Students: Actively participate andstrive to improve their literacy skills. Program Partner: Create a conducivelearning environment and providenecessary resources. Collective Effort: Ensure everyone isengaged and working towardscommon educational goals. Volunteers: Share their expertise andfacilitate the learning process. Students: Engage in acquiring andapplying new skills. Program Partner: Provide theresources necessary for effectivelearning. Collaborative Effort: Enhance learningand intellectual growth throughshared knowledge. Volunteers: Value and accommodatethe diverse backgrounds and learningpaces of students. Students: Appreciate and respect thetime and effort of volunteers. Program Partner: Support andacknowledge the contributions ofboth volunteers and students. Mutual Consideration: Foster apositive and inclusive learningatmosphere. Volunteers: Show patience andattentiveness to students’ needs. Students: Support their peers andvalue the help they receive. Program Partner: Foster a safe andwelcoming atmosphere for allparticipants. Nurturing Environment: Ensureemotional and educational needs aremet, promoting a sense of community,and belonging.

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The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primaryfederal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related toeducation in the United States and other nations.In 2022, the NCES in collaboration with the National Assessment ofEducational Progress (NAEP) assessed over 1,800 fourth gradersfrom 180 schools across the United States, the District of Columbia,and Indian Education schools. In comparison with their 2019assessments, the score for fourth graders was four points lower inOral Reading Fluency (ORF) than before the pandemic. Scoresdeclined in all regions of the country.The National Institute for Literacy is a research-based guide thatuses a wide spectrum of science of reading research studiesconducted over the past fifty years. This research defines fivecomponents of reading.VOLUNTEER TRAININGThe Parentis Foundation Empowering Readers OCvolunteer training goal is to provide a research-basedtoolkit of strategies, activities, and resources to help at-risk readers develop proficient reading skills throughintentional, specific, and structured practice during atwice-weekly, thirty-minute session.The Need is Great

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NEW VOLUNTEERS COMPLETE A MINIMUM OF 15 HOURSOF TRAINING OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM YEAR.RETURNING VOLUNTEERS COMPLETE A MINIMUM OF 10HOURS OF TRAINING EACH PROGRAM YEAR.Training HoursTypes of TrainingPre-Service Training / Returning Tutor RetreatTechnology Training4-Week “Refresher” TrainingWeekly Coffee Chat (Virtual over Zoom)Peer Mentor MeetingsMid-Year TrainingOngoing Literacy CoachingSelf-Paced Webinars

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FIVE COMPONENTS OF READINGPhonemic Awareness: Phonemic Awareness is the ability to notice, think about,and work with individual sounds in spoken words. Before children learn to readprint, they need to become aware of how the sounds in words work.Phonics/ Alphabetic Principles: Phonics is the relationship between the letters ofwritten language and the individual sounds of spoken language. It teaches childrenhow to associate sounds with letters and use the sounds to form words.Fluency: Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly. Readers whoare fluent can effortlessly read words in connected text. Fundamental skills are so“automatic” that they do not require conscious attention.Vocabulary: Vocabulary is the set of words we need to communicate effectively,involving both understanding and using words to convey meaning. Oral vocabularyrefers to the words we use in speaking or recognize in listening, while readingvocabulary refers to the words we recognize or use in print.Comprehension: Comprehension is active and intentional thinking in which themeaning is constructed through interactions between the text and the reader.Parentis Foundation tutors will focus on the fluency component of reading. This focus,through repeated and guided oral practice, will foster stronger reading proficiency skillsas a bridge between word recognition, vocabulary, and comprehension.What is the Scienceof Reading?

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LITERACY TERMSSCIENCE OF READING LITERACY TERMSRead with expression and enthusiasm: Maintain fluency by reading at a smooth,conversational pace, using expression to engage the student.Focus on vocabulary: Before starting, introduce 2-3 key vocabulary words,encouraging the student to listen for these words during the story. For example, in"The Tale of Peter Rabbit," words might include "mischievous," "cottontail," and"scurry."Phonemic Awareness and Phonics: As you read, highlight the sounds of keyvocabulary words, emphasizing phoneme segmentation (e.g., "m/i/s/ch/i/e/v/o/u/s")and blending (e.g., "scur/ry") to support the student’s phonemic awareness andphonics skills.Engage without interrupting flow: Pause strategically to ask questions thatreinforce comprehension and critical thinking without disrupting fluency. Examples: "Where is the story taking place?" "I was surprised when Peter disobeyed his mother. What has surprised you?" "How many rabbits have we seen so far?"Chunking and Decoding: When encountering challenging words, demonstratechunking by breaking down the word into smaller parts (e.g., "an/ten/nae" for"antennae") and guide the student in decoding and recoding these words.End-of-session reflection: When stopping for the day, ask the student to recap keyevents and predict what might happen next. Review their earlier predictions, focusvocabulary, and any high-frequency or sight words.Next session preparation: Start the next session by reviewing what has happened inthe story so far. Engage the student in making new predictions and select newvocabulary words to reinforce.Final discussion and SEL: At the end of the story, engage the student in a discussionto foster social and emotional learning (SEL) skills: "Did you enjoy the story? Why?" "Did the ending match what you expected?" "If you were the author, would you write any part differently? Why?" "Would you recommend this book to your family and friends? Why?"Praise and Encouragement: Conclude by offering praise for the student’s effort andengagement, and provide encouragement to inspire confidence and a love forreading.

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What is fluency?Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly.Fluent readers read aloud effortlessly with expression at aspeaking pace. Because fluent readers do not have to focus ondecoding words, they can concentrate on what the text means.Fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the sametime. Less fluent readers must focus on word recognition anddecoding, interfering with their ability to understand the text.How do we develop fluency?Key findings from science of reading research define the twobest practices for developing fluency:Repeated and guided oral reading practice. -- Oralrepetition of a reading passage with guidance andfeedback improves overall reading skills.Modeling of fluent reading. -- Modeling by a proficientreader through the reading aloud of text demonstrateswhat a fluent reader sounds like and gives meaning to thetext.The best strategies for developing reading fluency are toprovide students with many opportunities to read the samepassage orally several times and to model fluent reading byreading to the student.WHAT IS FLUENCY?

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Property SearchAgents assist clients in finding suitableproperties that meet their criteria,such as location, size, budget, andspecific features.My Turn - Your TurnTutor reads a sentence(s), having thestudent read the next sentence(s).Repeat with the student leading on thesame page.What’s Missing?Echo ReadStudent repeats tutor after eachsentence read.Always start with this game!Tutor reads a sentence(s) at a fluentpace and leaves out a word. The studentidentifies the missing word, and then thestudent takes the lead.I‘m Thinking of a WordTutor spells and/or sounds out a wordthat the student should find, then thestudent takes the lead. Repeat for eachsentence on the page.Tutor and student read the whole pagetogether at a fluent pace.Optional game for virtual sessions.Choral ReadDramatic ReadTutor reads paragraph/page in anexpressive or “silly” voice, then thestudent takes the lead.PLAY 3 - 5 GAMES ON EACH PAGE BEFOREMOVING TO NEXT PAGE“Practice Makes Permanent”Fluency Fun Games

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Tutor Session GuideOpening Activities (2 Minutes)Connect with care and interest, checking in with howthey are doing and feeling. (Refer to One Kind Wordmonthly calendar in the Volunteer Resource Center.)Discuss expectations and goals, establishing anunderstanding of what is to be accomplished duringthe tutor session and what their jobs are in doing so.Check for readiness - materials, environment, andfocus.TUTOR SESSIONTIMELINEPage Preview (2 Minutes)Identify pages you will be working on. (1-3 pages)Briefly discuss pictures, graphs, and other textfeatures.Identify and discuss 1-3 new vocabulary words.Keep time and discussion brief to allow more timefor oral practice. As you read the book, thestudents’ understanding will deepen. The studentshould have more “time on the tongue” than thetutor.

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Fluency Fun Games (15 Minutes)Play 3 - 5 games on each pageBefore playing each game, remind students how to play thegame establishing an understanding of what their role or“job” is and why it is important. Remember the goal is to improve student’s fluency- theirability to read like we speak with expression andaccuracy. Have them restate the goals and expectations. Encourage the student to stretch, sit up and take a fewbreaths to help with focus. (Refer to mindfulnessbookmark)Have the student follow along with their bookmark.EchoReadingTake TurnsWhat’sMissing Thinking ofa WordChoralReading DramaticReadingTUTOR SESSION TIMELINE (cont.)Full-Page Read (2 Minutes)Student reads whole page after playing all games andbefore moving on to the next page.After completing 3-5 fluency practice games on one page,have the student read the page independently without tutorsupport. This allows them to practice fluency andunderstand the content in one uninterrupted reading. Whilelistening, note their fluency, accuracy, and expression. Thisevaluation will guide your selection of pages for the nextsession.

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Comprehension Check (2 Minutes)(Informational Text - Reading A-Z Book)Here are 5 comprehension check questions focused oninformational text for 1st to 5th graders:What is the main idea of the text? This helps them identifythe primary topic or concept.What are two important facts you learned? This checkstheir ability to recall key details.What did the text teach you about [specific topic]? Thisencourages them to summarize what they've learned.Why is [a specific fact or detail] important? This helps themunderstand the significance of certain information. How does the text explain how [a process or event] works?This checks their comprehension of cause and effect orsequential information.Dialogue with studentthroughout the session.Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?Avoid questions that can be answered with YES or NO.Refer to Comprehension Bookmark for quick reference.TUTOR SESSION TIMELINE (cont.)

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Read Aloud (5 Minutes)(Fictional - Story Book)Reading a fiction book to a student models fluent reading,expands a student’s exposure to experiences, to multiplegenres, develops a larger vocabulary and helps foster alove of reading. Before Reading Aloud Select a fictional story above the student’s readinglevel. Choose 2-3 new vocabulary words to emphasizeduring the reading.Plan specific stopping points for asking engagingquestions, ensuring they don't disrupt the story's flow(refer to the tutor bookmark for guidance).Conduct a Picture Walk, discussing the cover, title,and all illustrations in the story.Encourage the student to make predictions about thestory’s content and explain their reasoning. Clearly state the goal and expectations – “My job is toread to you and your job is to listen.”TUTOR SESSION TIMELINE (cont.)

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During the Read AloudRead with expression and enthusiasm**: Keep a fluent pace to maintainthe child's engagement and interest in the story.Focus on vocabulary: Ask the student to listen for 2-3 key vocabularywords during the reading. For example, if reading "The Tale of PeterRabbit," words might include "mischievous," "cottontail," and "scurry."Engage without interrupting flow: Periodically pause to ask questionsthat deepen understanding but don’t disrupt the story’s momentum.Examples:Where is the story taking place?I was surprised when Peter disobeyed his mother. What hassurprised you?How many rabbits have we seen so far?End-of-session reflection: When stopping for the day, ask the studentto recap what has happened and predict what might happen next.Review their earlier predictions and the chosen vocabulary words.Next session preparation: At the start of the next session, reviewwhat has happened in the story so far. Encourage the student to makenew predictions and select new vocabulary words to focus on.Final discussion: When finishing the read-aloud, encourage thestudent to be a book critic:Did you enjoy the story? Why?Did the ending match what you expected?If you were the author, would you write any part differently? Why?Would you recommend this book to your family and friends? Why?Express appreciation: Thank the student for their participation andthoughtful responses.TUTOR SESSION TIMELINE (cont.)

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Closing (2 minutes)Reflect on the student’s achievement in fluency,accuracy, effort, focus, interest, and participation usingpositive affirmations.How do you think today’s time together went? Why?Did we achieve any of our goals? How?I saw how hard you worked.You kept at it!Look at how far you came from the beginning of our time untilnow!You were really focused and engaged today.You tried again and again.Thank the student for their time.TUTOR SESSION TIMELINE (cont.)

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Final Book Read Session - (One Dedicated Session)Objectives:Ensure the child can read the entire book fluently andindependently.Reinforce comprehension by revisiting tricky words and usingvisual aids.Celebrate the child's progress with a certificate.Session Outline:Opening: Begin with a calm, welcoming atmosphere. Encourage the child to take a few relaxing breaths.Book Review:Start at the beginning of the bookRevisit tricky words or passages that were challenging.Use the glossary or pictures to aid understanding.Independent Reading: Have the child read the entire book independently. Ensure no games are played during this session.Fluency Check: Listen carefully as the child reads. Fluency criteria: 5 or fewer errors, depending on the nature of theerrors.Closing:If the child meets the fluency criteria, have them fill out acertificate sticker and place it at the back of the book. Allow the child to take the book home if they are ready. If time allows, conclude with a read-aloud session.FINAL BOOK READSESSIONDon’t assume the child will take the book home immediately;they may need an additional session. Focus on making thesession positive and encouraging, emphasizing progress overperfection.

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Congratulations on completing this book!Enjoy reading aloud to yourfriends and family.Proud Reading Club Member, You are a star reader!CELEBRATEREADING SUCCESS!"Congratulations on completing your book! Your hardwork and dedication have paid off, and you should beproud of your reading achievement. Enjoy taking yourbook home and keep up the great work!"Upon completing their FinalBook Read, the student willplace a Completion Stickeron the back of the book andtake it home with them.

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Documenting your time with the student is an importantpart of the program, you will record your sessioninformation in the Session Log. The purpose of theSession Log is to keep track of the student’s readingprogress, provide important information if a substitute isever required, and helps guide instruction if needed. Progress notes should only include specific notes about readingprogress, do not include any comments about a student'sbehavioral challenges.SESSION LOGSHOW TO RECORD YOUR SESSION INFORMATIONHow it works: You will receive specific training on how to complete theSession Log.Session Logs are emailed to you by 5:00pm of the day youworked with your students. After opening this email, you will click on the button titled“Open Request.”The Session Log will open and you will see a form to recordyour session information: book read, pages covered, gamesplayed, information about the fiction read aloud selection,and social/emotional indicators.Refer to the Session Log Tip Sheet onthe Volunteer Resource Center (VRC)for additional instructions.Tip: Take notes on the provided Session Log notes sheets or on apiece of paper to help you remember the session informationwhen you enter it online.

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First Day with StudentPreparationArrive Early:Ensure you have time to set up and be mentally prepared.Have the assigned folder and leveled book for each student.Choose a fiction read-aloud that you enjoy.Gather bookmarks, pencils, and tutor guide cards.Welcoming the StudentGreet the students warmly as they arrive.Introduce yourself with a friendly tone, using a title like Miss,Mrs., or Mr. followed by your first name or last name if you prefer.Explaining the ProgramBriefly explain what the program is about.Share when and how often you will meet.Explain your goal: helping them become more fluent readers.Describe the fun ways you’ll work on fluency together: playinggames, reading aloud, and enjoying time together!Review the materials with them, setting clear expectations forfocus, listening, and participation.Getting to Know the Student All About Me Worksheet (see sample on next page)Complete the worksheet together making connections with thestudent by finding similarities between you.Approach their responses with an open and non-judgmentalattitude, especially regarding family or personal information.Read-Aloud (Conclude Day 1)Read a preselected fiction book to the student, showingenthusiasm and love for reading, model fluent reading as you go.Wrapping UpLet student know when you’ll next meet and what you’ll be doing,such as reading the book in their folder and playing fluency gamestogether.FIRST DAYSESSION

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Children become betterreaders and more empatheticindividuals, better equipped tonavigate a complex world.The One Kind Word Initiative began with the mission to weavekindness into students' learning experiences. One Kind Word (OKW)creates a safe and secure learning environment for students tounderstand how words matter, to express themselves, and embracethe unique differences among their friends, family, and community. Focuses on kindness,empathy, compassion, andunderstanding.Empowers children tobecome agents of kindness.Each month highlights akindness-related theme.Weekly activities provideconsistent and immersivelearning.Customized bookmarks andkindness activities promote aculture of kindness beyond theclassroom.Seamlessly integrated into theexisting literacy interventionprogram.Benefits over 400 students.Created by a volunteercommittee and readingspecialist recognizing thetransformative power ofkindness.CORE CURRICULUMINTEGRATION WITHLITERACY VOLUNTEER-DEVELOPEDINTEGRATION WITHLITERACY IMPACTSTUDENT MATERIALS

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SOCIAL EMOTIONALLEARNING8 Best Practices to Support Your Student Using the One Kind Word Learning PrinciplesStart with KindnessBegin each session with a positive affirmation or kind word to set a welcomingtone and emphasize kindness.Encourage EmpathyAsk students to consider how characters feel and how their actions affectothers during reading sessions, fostering empathy and understanding.Promote Positive ExpressionProvide opportunities for students to express themselves through discussionsor writing, focusing on respectful and thoughtful communication.Celebrate DifferencesEmbrace and acknowledge the diverse backgrounds and perspectives withinthe pier group, encouraging appreciation of each person’s uniqueness.Highlight Kindness ThemesIntegrate our monthly kindness-related themes into reading materials andactivities to consistently reinforce these concepts.Empower Students as Kindness AmbassadorsEncourage students to apply the lessons learned during tutoring in theireveryday interactions, making them agents of kindness.Use Customized MaterialsProvide students with our customized bookmark that serves as reminders ofthe importance of kindness and empathy.Create a Safe Learning EnvironmentEnsure tutoring sessions are a secure space where students feel safe to share,learn, and grow, reinforcing a positive and inclusive atmosphere. These practices not only support literacy development but also help students grow into compassionate, understanding individuals, well-equipped to becomefuture leaders.

Tutor Training Guide 2024

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