Reading Tutoring Program

Reading Program for 3rd Grade and Older

Connect to Comprehension Program

The Connect to Comprehension program is composed of 6 skill-based levels and includes instruction and practice in the 5 basic components of reading:

  • Phonemic Awareness

  • Phonics

  • Fluency

  • Vocabulary

  • Comprehension

as well as oral language, and written expression.

The program has many instructional activities and routines to work on phonetic/structural analysis patterns as well as comprehension skills/strategies including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Characters/Character Details/Character Traits

  • Recall of Facts/Detail

  • Setting

  • Predicting/Revising Predictions

  • Sequence of Events

  • Summarizing

  • Visualizing

  • Beginning/Middle/End

  • Problem/Solution

  • Using Conversational Clues

  • Using Context Clues

  • Cause/Effect

  • Main Ideas/Details

  • Multiple Meanings

  • Locating Information

  • Making Inferences

  • Author’s Purpose

  • Fact vs. Opinion

  • Figurative Language and Idioms

  • Point of View

  • Compare/Contrast

  • Text Genres

  • Literary Devices- (e.g. Foreshadowing)

Assessement

The Connect to Comprehension program uses three assessments that identify skill weaknesses in decoding, measure oral reading fluency, and identify strengths and weaknesses in comprehension skills. Kindergarten/non-readers are assessed on letter naming, letter sounds, word blending, word building, and listening comprehension.

Decodable Text

The High Noon decodable readers used in Connect to Comprehension present stories rich in structure and comprehension with real-life characters who confront everyday problems. Reading practice in decodable text helps students connect previously taught letter-sound correspondences before new ones are introduced.

Paired Informational Text

Struggling readers and grade-level readers need instruction and practice with nonfiction text/informational text. Using informational text in an intervention reading program increases engagement, helps students understand the genre structure and elements, and supports an inquiry approach to content knowledge.

Explicit instruction and multiple opportunities to interact with informational text are particularly useful for students struggling with reading comprehension. This pairing provides significant benefit in supporting literacy development for at-risk students.

After students have read a fiction story and learned the vocabulary, structure and skills, they read a short informational text article on a topic introduced in the story. For example, after reading "North Meets South", a fictional story about two boys meeting in the Civil War, they read a short nonfiction passage about Civil War soldiers.

This pairing allows students to examine the differences in the text structures, learn common vocabulary, and differentiate factual information from story elements. As with the narrative stories, explicit instruction is provided with student practice. Students learn and practice skills in the nonfiction articles include predicting, fact recall, making inferences, determining main ideas, summarizing, cause/effect, compare/contrast, and sequencing of events.

Testimonials

The structure and consistency of this program are the biggest takeaway and success from using Connect to Comprehension with students. Students thrive on knowing what to expect and love being able to practice learned skills with decodable texts.

The activities in this program are varied which keeps students engaged. These instructional routines lend themselves well to our brain-based, multi-sensory approach to reading and spelling.

Graphic Organizers

Timelines and Venn diagrams are provided as supports to learn these critical skills. These specially developed articles are also decodable, so students continue to read and practice the skills they have learned at each level.