Making connections

• Have you heard of (name the topic) before?
• What can you tell me about it (the topic)?
• Can you think of three words that are the main things about (the topic)?

Predicting

• What do you think might happen in the text/book?
• What do you think we might learn about in this book?
• What words or images do you think we’ll hear or see in this text?

Visualising

• Can you see in your mind any pictures about (this topic)?

Making connections

• How do you feel about (the topic/person) so far?
• Has something like this ever happened to you?
• What can you tell me about it (the topic)?
• What are the main things about (the topic/person) that we’ve read so far?

Predicting

• What do you think might happen next?
• What do you think we might learn next about (name of a person in the text)?
• What words do you think we’ll see soon in this text?

Questioning

• How is the text making you feel?
• From whose point of view is this text written?
• What does the writer mean by ... ?

Monitoring

• Is the text making sense?
• What have you learned so far?
• Is there a part that we need to re-read or would you like me to re-read it to you?
• Would you like to try making some notes/using an organiser to help you keep track of what’s happening in the text? (provide an organiser)
• What can help you fill in the missing information?
• What does this word mean? (point to a word)
• Why has the writer used this punctuation mark here?
• Why has the author put this illustration here? (Later ask: ‘Does it add any meaning to the text?’)

Visualising

• What pictures are you seeing in your mind about (this topic)?
• Can you describe the picture in your mind that is clearest?
• Would you like to draw what has been happening so far?

Making connections

• Does the text remind you about anything in your life?

Questioning

• What did the author of the text mean when he/she wrote ... ?

Visualising

• Do you have a picture in your mind about the end of the text?

Summarising

• We need to make some notes. What kind of way will we do this – a mind map, a list, a sunshine wheel?
• Let’s imagine that you are going to tell someone else about this text. What would you say?
• Is there a main idea or theme in the text?
• Let’s insert these sticky notes at the most important events in the text and we’ll write the events on them so that we can find them easily.

Place your finger under the word and

PAUSE:

• Wait, be calm and quiet for the count of five seconds (and give time for your tutee to understand what is required, self-correct and work out the problem).
• Encourage the tutee to read the whole sentence as this might help with self-correction.

PROMPT:

• Ask the tutee to re-read the sentence.
• You could give a synonym or explain meaning (vocabulary).
• Focus on the first sound or blend (e.g. fact, say: ‘f – act’).
• Sound out (if phonetically regular).
• Group sounds or syllables (e.g. satisfy, say: ‘sat – is – fy’; formation, say: ‘form – a – tion’).
• After three attempts, tell the problem word (say: ‘The word is ...’

PRAISE every attempt:

• Say things like: ‘Good try!’, ‘Good correction!’
• Re-read the ‘problem’ word.
• Re-read the sentence containing the word.
• Explain the meaning of the word.
• Continue reading.
• Print the ‘problem’ word in a Word List column in the tutee’s book.

Do not spend too long prompting as the meaning of the sentence will be lost. If that happens, it will affect your tutee’s understanding the whole paragraph.

Also remember that you are trying to help your tutee to develop self-help strategies so that he/she will become more independent when reading.