FEBRUARY 2018
READ TO LEARN PROVIDING SERVICE FOR OVER 30 YEARS
New Tutors Attend Training Session
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
01 Handling Exam Week 01 Welcome
FindTips Classmates Who Can 02 Top for Tutors 02 Tutor You
03 Book Look Out Groups 03 Site
Take a Breather 04 Volunteers Enjoy RTL 04
SPRING SEMESTER BRINGS 53 NEW TUTORS Welcome to a new semester! We are thrilled about the number of new tutors who recently joined Read to Learn. When word got out that volunteers were needed, many responded, resulting in 53 new tutors. We appreciate your enthusiasm and look forward to seeing you in class. As always, we are pleased to welcome back our returning tutors who stay with the program year after year. The service you provide by helping your adult learner as well as mentoring new tutors is invaluable. We have an exciting semester in the works. All eleven of our Read to Learn sites are moving and shaking with book groups, conversation groups, and extra activities adding flavor to our regular lesson plans. We hope you have a satisfying and rewarding semester.
"It's wonderful to be able to help these students. Each week the time flies by and we really feel like we have accomplished something. -Judy Liles, Tutor at Indian Trails Public Library
you work with your student and soon you will feel comfortable using the tutoring techniques you've learned. 2. Get to know your student. Discovering what they like to do will provide a springboard for your tutoring sessions. Spend some time conversing with your learner about their activities in order to determine what kinds of reading will help them most in their day-to-day life. 3. Read aloud with your learner. The combination of reading and listening can help a
TOP TIPS FOR TUTORS
student understand the text and expand their vocabulary. In addition, reading aloud allows you to model correct pronunciation and proper phrasing.
by Beth Custer
4. Check your learner's reading comprehension Sometimes new tutors and even returning tutors can be a little nervous about helping their students. Here are a few tips to get your semester off to a good start.
frequently. One easy way to do this is by asking who, what, why, when, and where questions about the passage you are reading together. The ultimate goal of reading is to understand what has been read, so this is a very important
1. Relax. Reading together should be a pleasant experience for both you and your adult learner. Don't worry if you can't remember everything you learned at tutor training. You probably received a lot of unfamiliar information, and it may have seemed overwhelming. You will continue to learn as
step in improving your learner's literacy. 5. Talk to your site supervisor. If you have questions or feel confused about anything in your lesson plan, your site supervisor is happy to help. Most of all, enjoy yourself and make class time pleasant for your student.
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Site Book Groups are Flourishing Several of our Read to Learn sites include book groups in their weekly meetings. The groups are a fun way to improve reading comprehension and language fluency. Tutors often participate along with their students in order to facilitate reading, understanding, and conversation about the book. One tutor acts as the leader of the group and may organize a series of questions that motivates students to think more deeply about what they've read. Discussion of the book encourages students to practice using new vocabulary words in conversation. Led by veteran tutor Jodie Draut, seventeen participants at Our Savior's Lutheran Church meet before class to read and discuss Seedfolks by Paul Fleischmann. They love the challenge of reading a chapter book in English and enjoy discussing it with their peers in a supportive environment. The Indian Trails Public Library group, led by tutor Sylvia McCauley, consists of ten students and tutors. They are reading Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. The group enjoys discovering and discussing the advanced vocabulary included in this novel about a young boy growing up during the Depression. Integrating reading, listening, and speaking within a book group encourages our adult learners to grow in all areas of literacy.
RTL Website Offers Help and Inspiration Does your adult learner need information on a specific subject? Are you looking for something extra to augment a particular lesson? Try our Read to Learn website at www.rtl4you.weebly.com. You'll find reading, vocabulary, and grammar lessons, as well as videos on a myriad of interesting subjects. There are useful listening activities and a list of fun sites to try. Students will find things to practice at home, like speaking activities and pronunciation help. The site is always available to tutors and students, and the information and lessons are Follow us on always free! Facebook
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RTL Tutors as seen in
HandsOn Suburban Chicago (This article is excerpted from the HOSC newsletter.)
Most people who volunteer will tell you they get back as much as they give. But Read to Learn tutors feel they get so much more. These tutors work one-on-one with students from other nations, helping them to improve their English and adjust to life in the United States. They see it as a chance to show these newcomers the best America has to offer. Lillian Clinton, a Senior Corps-RSVP member and RTL tutor for nearly sixteen years says, "We're building relationships from country to country. That makes me feel good." A typical RTL class can start out with announcements from the site manager, who is always on hand to answer questions or address concerns. Tutors and students then work on the students' goals using handouts that can include worksheets on grammar or stories about American daily life. Mike McGinley, a Senior Corps-RSVP member who has been a tutor for about twelve years, said his most inspiring student was a woman whose husband became ill and she needed to learn better English to find a good job. He helped her write a resume and she found a sales position at Woodfield. Later, she earned a degree from Elgin Community College. Bob Kacprowicz, another ten-year veteran and Senior Corps-RSVP member, enjoys getting to know the students he works with. "I learned a lot from them, their country, schools, etc. I just like being around people." Bob's advice for those considering signing up for RTL: "If you're thinking about it, forget about thinking, do it! You already know you want to. Try it. You won't come out the same."