Summer with Raising Readers

We are in countdown mode at my house! Yeah for Summer! Two regular school days and early-dismissal to go bowling on Wednesday. We've loved our first year at Eastwood! AG was crying the other day because the school year was ending. HP, on the other hand, is counting the days just like his Mama! Speaking of HP, he'll be my guest blogger this week. He's reading the first book in a new series by Rick Riordan. Details to follow! (He has to finish the book first.)

This Summer I'll be tutoring and hosting some Art and Reading Enrichment Camps. Tutoring will be at my house on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I only have 2 slots left, so let me know if you're interested. I'm super-duper excited about the Art and Reading Enrichment Camps at Eastwood! Susan Parker and I have been perusing books that would be appropriate and interesting for a variety of ages. It's going to be awesome! If you're interested in tutoring or camp, give me a call.

Happy reading,
Susanne
334-451-0917

How is your business going?

I've had many friends and family ask me about my business. So, I thought I'd make a blog post to let everyone know: IT'S GOING GREAT! I'm happy to report that my schedule is almost maxed out. I can only accept one or two other students right now. More importantly, though, I absolutely love it and I feel like I'm meeting the needs of children and their parents. They are constantly affirming our work. It is such a blessing to see these students recognize that I'm on their side. One of my students even told AG I was "cool"! How funny is that? I had another little one thank me for teaching her to read. That makes my heart smile! Just yesterday, one particular guy had a break-through. He asked me how many books he could borrow. He'd never willingly read a book before. Finally, I got this sweet note from a mama:
I am so grateful for you - I feel like I have a partner in this now and it feels very good to be proactive. Anna had so much fun at the session last week and I like that she knows that we are doing whatever it takes to help her as much as we can. I have told everyone about how much I appreciate your ideas - everything you have said makes so much sense to me and makes me feel like we are on the right path. Friends, this is a direct quote. All I did was change the name of the child. How sweet! Thank you for inviting me into your hearts and lives! I feel like I'm your partner in raising these precious readers.

Happy reading,
Susanne

An update on Raising Readers

I hope y'all are staying warm on this cold, cold day! We've got Spring Fever at the Estes house. We are starting to make plans for warmer weather and I wanted to let you know how Raising Readers fits into your summer schedule. I will be tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting May 27th. On the occasions that we will be out-of-town on those days, I will schedule makeup sessions during the following week. If you have questions regarding Raising Readers, please call me!

Happy reading,
Susanne
451-0917

What is a customized reading plan?

There are a variety of ways I can work with children. In each situation, individual needs, interests, aptitudes and deficiencies are evaluated. The primary areas of consideration are fluency and comprehension. Fluency is the ability of the child to recall correct pronunciation of a word. Comprehension is the ability to recall facts and concepts related to a reading passage.

I have a multitude of activities to develop fluency. If it's related to spelling words, we will play "Memory" each week. In addition, I will give the parent a copy of the words in a large font and I'll show them how to cut out each word to enhance differentiation of letters. I have cards with two letters printed on them. The child is given letters to "fill in the blank". These are just a few of the manipulatives that can be used to inspire your reader while making it fun.

When developing comprehension, books are used. I attempt to find books that would be appealing to the child. (Each parent fills out an information sheet prior to the first session.) I will read a portion of the book out loud. We will practice "foretelling", using text and pictures to determine what will happen next in the text. At the end of each session, I will ask questions related to concepts and facts in the text. Finally, we will discuss favorite aspects of the text. The next session, we will review what happened previously by asking the child pointed questions. Depending on the situation, the child will be asked to read aloud. This isn't usually done in the beginning because many struggling readers are self-conscious reading aloud.

I will use some of these activities to customize a plan for your child. In addition, I am happy to work with their classroom teacher to develop related activities. If you have any questions, please call me. 334-451-0917

Happy reading,
Susanne

Raising Readers

Imagine the value of a customized reading plan to help your child develop his or her comprehension, fluency, confidence and interests. It's available to all students and the first session is free. I am a former classroom teacher and librarian offering my training and experience to help your child learn to read appropriate materials for their grade level. I will conduct a reading inventory to determine reading level and areas of interest. Activities with read-alouds and manipulatives will be utilized during each session as well as any special activities from the classroom teacher. After the initial free session, you can choose 1 half-hour session per week for $25 or 2 half-hour sessions per week for $40.

I am passionate about inspiring readers and welcome the opportunity to speak to parent groups or homeschool networks. Call me at 334-451-0917 for additional information on this or other tutoring needs.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Susanne and I live in Montgomery, AL. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Education. As of October 2009, I have a master’s in Library Educational Media. I have 8 years combined experience in Business Education and Library Media. I’ve been an elementary librarian as well as taught various computer applications courses. My passion is helping children find appropriate books to read. My goal is to inspire readers. I believe each child can be inspired to read through direction from a knowledgeable individual. Many schools have an open access library with a librarian that desires to inspire readers. Unfortunately, too many schools have lost sight of that ideal. With the infiltration of technology, books and the joy of reading have been passed over. This may sound strange coming from someone with a strong technology background, but I’ve found that most children have a natural curiosity and interest in technology. Far fewer children have a natural curiosity and interest in books. There are many statistical correlations between reading and academic success. (In a future post, I will detail some of these figures.) In my experience, if we haven’t inspired children to read by Middle School/Junior High, we’ve lost them. Together, we can inspire readers. It will not be easy, but it is definitely worth the effort.