Summer tutoring presents a valuable opportunity to accelerate student learning away from the pressures of the school year. Here’s how to optimize your summer tutoring sessions with proven strategies and insights into the advantages of high-dosage tutoring methods.

6 Strategies to Amplify Your Summer Tutoring Program

When planning instruction for summer reading tutoring, it is essential to use literacy strategies backed by the Science of Reading research, focusing on the Five Pillars of Reading. A pre-and post-assessment should also be conducted to effectively measure student progress and tailor the tutoring to meet individual needs.

1. Create Excitement Around Summer Reading

Integrate activities that get kids excited about summer reading, such as building a book club into your tutoring sessions, creating a reading challenge, developing weekly themes around different topics, or integrating reading with activities that involve creativity, the arts, and curiosity.Here are ten ideas to try. 

2. Personalize Learning Experiences

Begin your summer tutoring program by assessing each student's strengths and areas to grow to tailor your approach effectively. Set specific, achievable goals with students to maintain motivation and focus. Regular progress checks allow for necessary adjustments, ensuring a supportive and adaptive learning environment for each individual.

3. Use Multisensory Learning Techniques

Multisensory learning techniques bring learning to life for students of all ages by engaging sight, sound, and touch. This approach makes reading more fun and strengthens memory by building stronger brain connections. Research shows that using multiple senses can significantly improve reading and writing skills.

4. Incorporate Science of Reading Principles

Incorporate the five pillars of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension into your instruction plan. Stay informed with the latest research to keep your teaching methods effective and innovative, ensuring comprehensive support for building foundational reading skills. Attend aJust Right Reader Science of Reading Symposium or subscribe to ourScience of Reading Leadership podcast to stay current on the latest and practical strategies for teaching reading. 

5. Provide Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction for Developing Readers

Systematic phonics instruction is critical for developing readers. It involves teaching reading by building on a foundation of letter-sound relationships, progressing sequentially from simple to more complex. This helps students develop a solid understanding of phonics, which is crucial for decoding and fluent reading. Learn more about what makes aneffective phonics program here.

6. Utilize High-Dosage Tutoring Methods

High-dosage tutoring consists of frequent, focused sessions designed to improve specific skills. 

• Regular Sessions: Implement short, frequent tutoring sessions focusing on skill mastery.
• Trusted Guidance: Continue to work with the student long-term to build a relationship of trust.
• Structured Content: Use high-quality materials to supplement school curriculum, effective instructional practices, and frequent assessments to monitor student progress.Instruction is tailored to meet the specific needs of each student.

A growing body of research suggests that this method of tutoring leads to significant learning gains for students and is an effective way to address learning setbacks, even those stemming from the pandemic.

Just Right Reader High-Dosage Tutoring

Just Right Reader's high-dosage tutoring resources are tailored for impactful summer learning. 

Tutor Professional Development
90 minute virtual sessions and self-paced courses equip tutors for rigorous implementation of Science of Reading Decodables.

Libraries & Resources for Tutors
Science of Reading decodables come with lesson plans, video lessons in English and Spanish, engaging activities, and more. 

Tutoring Packs for Students
Students work with their tutors each week, then take their packs of decodables home for additional practice.

Ready to learn more?

Learn how to enhance your summer tutoring program with Science of Reading decodables and resources designed for high-impact intervention.