Steven Said:

reading comprehension ideas?

We Answered:

OK, there could be a whole bunch of stuff going on here!

I am an ESL teacher in an elementary school so let me make a few comments from teaching my ELLs.

First, can they read well or are they still struggling with phonics issues and sight word recognition?

Next, there is a set of language that is used solely for testing. It may include phrases like, "What is MOST LIKELY the reason......" and kids don't comprehend the language used in asking test questions.

Also, children have to be taught explicitly how to find answers in a text. Don't assume that if the story is about George Washington, that they can answer a question like "Who is the story about?" You have to teach them how to locate info in a story. Teach them the words who, what, when, where, why and how.

There are also inferential test questions that require readers to make judgments, like "Based on the story, why do you think the dog got lost?" Students must infer the correct answer based on the events in the story.

Finally, for ELLs, vocabulary is a killer. Especially in English. Think about the word "Spring" It's a season but it also means to jump and then there is a mattress spring and a springer spaniel! All of these are VERY confusing to ELLs.

You will have to do a LOT of questioning to find out what they DON'T understand before you can help them!

Good luck!

George Said:

Any ideas for tutoring a 3rd-grader in spelling and reading?

We Answered:

READ< READ<READ!

Read to them and with them! Talk about the story as you read, ask prediction questions, comprehension questions.....show them how to go back and reread!

Allow them to listen to books on tape, have a friend, or classmate read with them.

As for spelling, make sure they know how to pronounce the word. Show them that the word is made up of different sounds, spell those sounds. Use reminders...my class spells friend FRI - END. We say fry - end to spell it correctly.

Christopher Said:

I have to tutor an 8th grader in reading comprehension, any idea what i'm supposed to do?

We Answered:

This depends largely on what the kids reading level is. You will likely need to do a lot of vocabulary.

Nathaniel Said:

Is it better to go to a Speech/Language pathologist for Language Processing issue or to a Tutor (reading)?

We Answered:

A speech pathologist has the skills to recognize and remediate whatever processing problem the student has. Typical reading tutors haven't a clue about processing problems and would not know how to use strategies to help overcome that weakness.