I’m happy to announce that my Working with Struggling Older Readers: What Tutors Need to Know is now available at video.thecriticalreader.com. Although it is geared toward SAT/ACT tutors, it can be adapted by anyone working with struggling older readers in middle school or above.
The program includes the following:
Part 1 (53:00) covers some of the background issues that influence the reading process and that can interfere with students’ ability to connect letters on a page to authentic language. (If you’ve read my series of blog posts on this topic, some of the material will probably be familiar, but I encourage you to watch this part regardless since it summarizes the major issues and provides important context for Part 2).
Part 2 (1:47) is a step-by-step guide to a series of systematic, age-appropriate exercises designed to help older readers process sound-letter combinations more accurately and fluently so that they can focus on the meaning of what they read.
Very short, timed activities build from sounds to letter-sound combinations to words to connected text. Particular attention is given to speed as well as to the reading of multisyllabic words, with a focus on prefixes and suffixes commonly found in advanced high-school level texts.
There are also 10 additional short video demonstrations of the fluency sheets.
The program also comes with a 140-page materials pack with all the exercises covered in the videos. Unfortunately, there is currently no way to make PDFs available for download directly from Vimeo, so if you do purchase the series, please email us at the thecriticalreader1@gmail.com with proof of purchase, and we will send you the file.
There are two purchase options:
For 1 year of access, you can rent the videos for $99.95.
Or, if you want permanent access, you can buy them outright for $199.95.
Again, I ask that anyone interested in consulting with me privately regarding reading coaching watch the videos first as they provide a comprehensive introduction to the issues involved in working with teenage and adult readers who struggle to process and understand text.