Question:
I'm tutoring an 11 year old boy this summer in English, and I'm kind of at a
loss as to how to proceed. Can anyone recommend what I should use for building
reading comprehension? I need to find suitable textbooks (or something similar)
for 6th graders where he can read a story and answer questions about it and
maybe write an essay on it. Workbooks would also be helpful.
Is there someplace I can get these materials free of charge? An educational
library? I think there is one near me, but I have not been there yet. Also, are
there websites that have printable worksheets or lessons? I am also looking to
focus on vocabulary (so far, I have come up with the idea of keeping a
vocabulary notebook) and spelling, so I also need some resources for that.
I have tutored before (but only adults), and I was always provided with the
materials. Therefore, I could use any help you could provide on how to do this!
Answer:
You can go to a local teacher supply store if your area has one. Barnes and
Noble has a pretty good education section, as does Borders, if you have those
in your area. There are books that have photocopiable resources in those
stores.
Failing that, a good university library usually has teacher editions, texts and
workbooks available. You won't be able to have the kid write in them, but you
can use them for a few weeks if you get a card and then renew them as needed.
Best would be to find a generic activity book for literature, to go with any
literature selection, then use real novels to work on comprehension. Use what
he likes to read and you'll be surprised at how fast he'll come on.
If his problem is in decoding, rather than comprehension, depending on the
severity of the problem, there are a few books out which can help.
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