The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

Tips for Tutoring Reading
73
Kathryn Leedom
Fall 2010
The types of reading that occur in the writing center are very diverse, but essentially almost all
tutoring sessions involve some sort of reading. This reading could be an essay prompt, a draft of a paper,
a literary text, or a research article, but is certainly not limited to these things. Strategies for reading in the
writing center differ depending on what kind of reading students present us. For example, the way in
which one approaches fiction or creative writing should not be the same way in which one examines a
research article, secondary source, or scientific study. Our knowledge of a specific kind of text (for
instance, many tutors may be well-versed in humanities and less knowledgeable in the sciences, or vice
versa) can affect the things we should look out for and be aware of in our tutoring sessions.
General Reading Strategies
There are a few techniques one can use during each step of the reading process that are helpful for
most reading situations.
Before You Read
Before jumping into a text, skim over the entire work. Look at the organizational
structure (what does the structure of the article/novel/essay suggest? Can you identify a few main
points from the structure?), consider the context or discourse community in which the writing
resides, think about the title of the text, and note whether the work was written by a singular
author or collaboratively. Sometimes even reading the last sentence or two of the text before
reading the entire thing can be helpful. That way you are aware of where the text is headed and
what the most important ideas are. This may help anxious readers relax and later, readily identify
evidence the author uses to support the main ideas mentioned near the end.
While You Read
While reading, encourage the student to think about what has already been identified
before starting. One of the first things to look for is the author’s purpose in writing. Why is the
author writing? What is the main point of the text? Are there sub-points? Encourage students to
underline or make notes in the margin of the text while reading, and stress the importance of
“marking up” the writing in order to break the text down into manageable pieces. Sometimes
students feel more comfortable using pencil, and sometimes they will want to use highlighters.
Either way, try to help them identify what is worth marking or what can be left untouched. Often,
authors will give verbal cues that point to what is important, such as “ultimately,” “in other
words,” “I wish to focus on,” or action words like “we should,” or “if this does not occur, this
will happen.”
After You Read
After reading the text completely, identify the context of the writing. What audience is
the author writing for? Was this piece of writing published in a scholarly journal or an
entertainment magazine? Read over the notes the student made, and read the highlighted or
underlined portions again. Try to make connections between each main point identified, and see if
the student is able to discern between a main idea and evidence for that idea. A good exercise to
employ after reading is summarizing. Help the student go through each section of the text, and
write a sentence or two summary of that section or main point. By summarizing, the student is