The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

each paragraph, and transitional sentences at the conclusions of each paragraph? Can you readily
identify the thesis or main points? These are some questions you might ask yourself as you read.
An important aspect of reading for organization is making the student aware of these questions, as
well. If they can ask themselves questions about their own writing structure as they read, they will
be more prepared to approach organizational writing issues in the future.
Later Order Concerns
Many students are not able to see consistent grammatical mistakes or faulty sentence
organization because as they read their papers to themselves, they fix the errors subconsciously
without noticing that the page does not match what they read aloud. A good way to make error
noticeable to students without having to correct them ourselves is to read their paper aloud,
clearly pronouncing the errors and pausing slightly to give the students a chance to review. Most
of the time, once students are able to identify that there is error and where the error exists, they
can make logical decisions concerning how to correct it. Often, students will make the same
mistakes continuously throughout a paper. If we read tutees’ draft carefully and slowly, we
increase the chance that they will be able to correct reoccurring mistakes once they have noticed a
pattern.
However, there are certainly cases in which the students will not notice the mistake as
such, even if we pause or pronounce each word clearly. In this case, it becomes our responsibility
to help them become aware of the error so that they have a better chance of not making the same
error in the future. Of course, simply pointing the mistake out and correcting it will not do. We
should take a moment or two to explain the reasoning behind the correction so that the student
feels empowered and in control of their language.
Finally, informing students of the benefits of close reading their own materials is important in
helping them become successful writers in the future. By performing as models in close reading we can
encourage students to practice close reading themselves, once they are aware of this strategy.
Works Cited
Gillespie, Paula and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn,
2000.
75