The Marin Homework Coach tutors reading comprehension and composition.
Reading
With 20 years of experience tutoring a wide variety of students in Marin County and San Francisco, I know that many students do not get as much out of reading as they are capable of.
Reading Together
I had heard that some people graduate from high school without knowing how to read. While tutoring in San Quentin, I tutored men who did not know how to read. By reading to them and then together, I was able to teach them to read in a number of days.
Through reading together, taking turns reading paragraph by paragraph, I identify words that the student does not understand and/or pronounce properly. Together, we look up these words in the dictionary. We look at the various definitions and discuss how each word is used in the passage that we are reading.
While we are reading, I ask the students questions about what we are reading and we discuss the topic.
Note-Taking
I teach students how to take notes. I have a system that I developed while in college. I cut out a blank sheet of paper, the size of a page in the book that I am reading. I use this sheet of paper as a bookmark. When I come across passages that I find interesting or that raise questions, I write this down on the sheet of paper with a page number. I also write down any words that I do not know and add their definitions. If I am reading with a purpose, if I have questions that I am trying to answer, possibly essay questions, I look for these while I am reading and write what I find and the page number. When the sheet fills up, I leave it at that point in the book and start a new sheet. When I am done with the book, I have a number of these sheets ordered through the book. This technique of close reading and methodical note-taking helps me write about the book. These notes help serve as a guide through the book to help find other passages.