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Students will learn about the importance of tutoring. They will read to younger students and help them develop their reading skills. The lesson will last 30 minutes and is designed for students in Grades
6-8.
• reading books
literacy: the ability to read and write to a competent level
tutor: someone who instructs an individual student, or a small group of students, especially one teaching students in need of extra practice with a subject
tutee: the person who is being tutored; the learner
Students will . . .
▶ understand the importance of tutoring
▶ read to younger students
▶ tutor younger students’ with their reading skills
Facilitator introduces the theme of the day, Become a Reading Tutor
– this means that students will help younger students develop their reading skills.
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▪ Discuss with students the importance of service and helping others. Explain that one way they can serve their school is to become reading tutors for younger students.
▪ Have students brainstorm activities they could do to help younger students develop their reading skills. List them on the board.
When the brainstorming session is over, have students choose two or three activities they would like to incorporate in the tutoring services.
Explain to students that tutors play an integral role in a child’s educational experience: for today as well as tomorrow. Tutoring can be a long-term or short-term project, and may involve working with one individual or several. However it is done, tutoring makes a positive impact on a student by allowing them to develop their academic potential and reach their greatest capacity as a learner.
Explain to students that they will serve others by becoming reading tutors for younger students.

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▪ Discuss the importance of literacy with students. Explain that you need to read to do well in school and get a good job. It is important that we all do our part to help others become successful readers. One way to help others is to become a reading mentor.
▪ Model with students reading strategies they can share with the students they are mentoring. For instance, that the students suggest sounding out mispronounced or struggled words. Students can also mentor reading comprehension by having their reading buddies summarize page spreads, or explain what action is taking place in the story’s illustrations.
▪ Explain that students will each pair up with a younger student from a chosen classroom. The first meeting they should come prepared with an age-appropriate book to read to their reading buddy. They should schedule a time to go with their student to the school library for more books to read together.
▪ Suggest that students draft a proposal to a teacher of a classroom of younger students. They should explain to the teacher what their goals are and what they plan to do as reading mentors for the class.
Go over the following tutoring tips with your students. You may wish to print them out and distribute to student tutors:
TuToring Tips
Tutoring can be a long-term or short-term project, and may involve working with one individual or several. However it is done, tutoring makes a positive impact on a child by allowing them to develop their academic potential and reach their greatest capacity as a learner.
Tips for relating to your student:
1) Create opportunities for the student to express opinions and ideas.
2) Be patient with the relationship and the academic development of the student.
3) Be dependable, caring and honest.
4) Be a good listener, use eye-to-eye contact, sit side by side.
Have the class come up with a way to put their collective experiences into a story and share it using social media.
Encourage students to use their artistic talents to create bookmarks and book covers to give to their reading buddies.
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• Have students put together packets of study skills for reading comprehension to help younger students succeed in their classes.
Students can then bring the packets to the younger students they are tutoring.
• Write letters to stores and companies asking them to donate money or educational materials to support valuable but under-funded school programs like the tutoring service.
• Reading tutors can offer their services at the local library, other classrooms, or community centers.
• Volunteer at an agency involved in education or youth services.
5) Demonstrate as you talk, show as you tell.
6) Be honest, if you are unsure of an answer, admit it and work it out together—modeling that it is ok to make a mistake and not know every answer.
7) Encourage the child to learn outside the tutoring session, reinforcing the value of “practice” in learning.
8) Bring a variety of hands-on teaching options.
9) Find a quiet tutoring area with no distractions.
10) Make your session challenging, yet fun.
11) Keep students on task
Tutors need to plan ahead and respect the teacher or supervisor, and the classroom environment
1) Be prompt and enthusiastic.
2) Be non-disruptive and model mature behavior.
3) Be complimentary of the classroom environment.
4) Use activities recommended by the teacher.
Becoming mentors or tutors is an excellent way to benefit youth in the community.
Students sit in a circle and reflect on the theme of the day, Become a Reading Tutor . Each student tells their favorite part about tutoring a younger student with their reading skills, by finishing the following sentence “The best part of tutoring was….”
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