Fun Tools of Tutoring

Two important things for after school tutoring:  Have a consistent routine and have fun!

Consistency is important so the students know what to expect.  This cuts down on time wasted explaining what the activity is about and why we are doing it.  With only two one-hour tutor sessions a week time is very valuable!  It also is beneficial from the students perspective because they won’t feel caught off guard with an activity they don’t understand or like.

Two ways I have incorporated fun into the reading tutoring is with dry erase boards and cards.

 Before reading a picture book story the students and I preview the book.  This is done first by looking at the front cover and title and predicting what the story is about.  Then a picture walk previews each page without reading, guessing what the picture clues tell us about the book.  The dry erase board brings a fun aspect to previewing and reviewing the book.  I check the book for difficult vocabulary words at the beginning and we dissect them with the dry erase boards.  I may write them on my board and ask it to be read, talk about the meaning, or give it as a spelling word.  The students are excited to see whether I will award them a star or X depending on their answer.

I tried to create my routine so the students have something to look forward to at the end.  The last 10 minutes of tutoring are dedicated to “Apples to Apples”.

While “Apples to Apples Kids” or “Junior” are probably the best, we have been having lots of fun with the adult version.  Before bringing in the cards I preview them to make sure the students can relate to them and appropriate for children.  My favorite thing about using the adult version is I can pick funny and interesting red cards with very few difficult green cards (adjectives).  The students may not understand the word, but after I explain it they are able to make a connection with their red card.  I am curious to see if my students begin to learn these tough green cards as the weeks progress.