1. Beacon Media Supporting Christian schooling worldwide One-on-one assistance

2. Suggested places to conduct one- on-one support sessions The library A small corner of the school office Outside on a bench or under a tree

3. Reading with a beginner reader Make sure the book is at the child’s level – not too hard! Allow time. 15 minutes per child in one reading session. For a new book, read it to them first. Use expression. Let them re-read books over again to gain fluency. Pay attention to the pictures and talk about them. Use the pictures as ‘cues’.

4. Give attention to ‘sounding out’ unknown words, that is, if the word can be sounded. Pay attention to the initial sound of the word. Relate to the picture as a cue. If the word can’t be sounded with the sounds the child has learned so far, and the child does not know the word, then you can tell the word. But first give them plenty of time to work it out by the meaning of the sentence, e.g. You can read the sentence again and ask the child to fill in the ‘blank’. Ask: “What word do you think would go in here?”

5. If the child makes a mistake, and it doesn’t make sense, you could say, “Let’s read that sentence again and see if we can find a better word.” or “Let’s read that sentence again and sound out this word.” For a new book, or new story, you can read it to the child first. By listening to a fluent reader, the child gets to hear what a fluent reader sounds like.

6. Ask questions about the story Before you start a new book, look at the cover, and some of the pictures and ask, “What do you think this story will be about?” Then make some conversation about the subject of the book, e.g. If the book is about pigs, “What do you know about pigs?” Ask questions about the story as you go, e.g. what do you think will happen next? Ask open-ended questions at the end, e.g. “Why do you think …”

7. Be gentle and patient Always speak kindly… Not…”Come on, you should know that!” Make it a positive experience. Praise or reward a good effort.

8. What prevents students from reaching their potential in reading? Not enough enjoyable experiences through reading Not enough one-on-one reading with an adult Not enough interesting books available Negative experiences with trying to learn to read Distractions Physical disorders Mental and emotional disorders

9. Special assistance for the under- achiever How to conduct a one-on-one session (20 min) 1. Vocabulary – 5 minutes Child reads 5 and 10 high frequency words or phonetic words on small individual pieces of paper. Each time the word is said correctly, the helper places a tick on the back of the paper. When there are 5 ticks on the back, then word is replaced. Alternatively you can play a word game.

10. 2. Familiar Reading – 5 minutes The child reads aloud a familiar short story or rhyme at the independent level. This is a book they have read before and know well. The aim is for fluency and enjoyment. The child should be encouraged to use expression, even listening to the helper and imitating a sentence or two.

11. 3. Instructional Reading – 5 minutes The child reads a book at instructional level. It should be read by child to the assistant but if the child is finding difficulty, then assistant may read with the child. It is not necessary to read the whole book – just a few pages. Use a book mark or sticky note to mark the place.

12. 4. Help the child to write a sentence. You have a pencil and so does the child. You can write the parts of the word that the child does not know. The child should be encouraged to at least get the first letter by using sounds. Use a rubber to correct spelling mistakes as you go.

13. Thinking hats for writing a response to a text

14. Red (Emotions) - How did you feel when…? or How do you think X felt when… Blue (Thinking) - What did you learn from…? Green (Creativity) - What else could have been done? What would you have done? White (Information) - What was …? Who was…? How many? Where? Yellow – good points Black – bad points Gold – what would Jesus do?

15. Activity Work with a partner. Choose a text and decide which thinking hats would be good to use for this story. Discuss the response that the child might make.