Literacy Tutoring

I strengthen learners' proficiency in reading by offering small group and one-on-one instruction covering specific areas of the five pillars of literacy (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension). I work in person with students in Austin, TX and remotely nationwide.

 

See details from the National Institute for Literacy here.

 

I love helping students find confidence and enjoyment in reading by creating fun, targeted, reading lessons that give learners a solid foundation in literacy skills.

 

Upon enlisting L.E.T.S. services, you can expect Wendy to:

• assess your child’s current reading and writing levels

• increase your child’s reading skills:  phonemic awareness; fluency; sight word recognition; letter identification and sounds; comprehension and enthusiasm for reading 

• use a comprehensive phonics assessment to gain insight into your child’s specific phonics skills

• offer your child a step by step writing process that will lead to greater confidence in expressing their thoughts and ideas

• assist homeschooling families find and use the literacy program that best suits their individual needs

 

Depending on a child's needs, sessions may focus on: 

• decoding

• handwriting/letter formation and letter reversals

• spelling and writing 

• phonological and phonemic awareness  

• introducing a new sound and continuously reviewing previously taught sounds

• multi-syllable strategies

• fluency and reading rate 

• comprehension

• sight word recognition 

• processing skills 

• working memory 

• studying, note-taking and test-taking skills

 

I believe in going back to the basics. I find and improve upon any gaps in the child's previous phonics foundation and use a multi-sensory approach that helps students retain information such as the sounds and symbols of our language. In addition, I train the child along with their parents in these methods so that parents have the knowledge, tools, and confidence to carry out home practice with their child between sessions. I create a plan that is best for each student I work with. 

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I use evidence-based methods grounded in the Science of Reading to help students build strong, essential, foundational literacy skills.  The approach emphasizes explicit, systematic instruction in phonics, decoding, and language comprehension. The Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program is incorporated to strengthen students’ ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken words. These skills are essential for developing confident and fluent readers. L.E.T.S. uses these research-based reading instruction techniques and progress monitoring assessments. After I conduct a baseline assessment, I identify students’ specific skills gaps, and instruction is targeted to meet their needs.  Whether your child is just beginning to read or needs targeted support, L.E.T.S. tailors instruction to meet their individual needs.  I also use evidence-based digital tools like IXL Learning, Lexia®Core5®Reading/Lexia®PowerUp Literacy™ to enhance reading instruction, track growth, and keep students engaged outside of tutoring hours.

 

Instruction moves forward until students are reading with automaticity and fluency.  LETS go!