Tutor Times

The Jewish Coalition for Literacy Newsletter

Fall 2007

Tutor Spotlight: Rick Weisberg

By Adam Lev Rosenzweig

When Leonard Fein founded the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy in 1999, it was a statement on behalf of the American Jewish community that we care about our public society, our educational system, and our children. As a Jew, he understood the imminent relevance of an investment in the education of the general public. As a human, he understood the importance of giving to those less fortunate. Eight years later, JCL has spread across the country and provides thousands of children with one-on-one help from dedicated tutors.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with one of JCL's tutors who truly embodies the values of JCL. Rick Weisberg wasn't necessarily looking to become a tutor when he stumbled across JCL. He had volunteered in other capacities and was really looking for an opportunity to read stories to groups of kids. Rick completed his first JCL training six years ago and has since been at John Gill Elementary School in Redwood City for three years.

It is clear from talking to Rick - as well as from reviewing the materials that he spends hours preparing each week - that he believes in the tutoring process and in the ability of his students. Rick is a lawyer, the Director of Intellectual Property and Business Partnering at Sun Microsystems in Menlo Park. He says that Sun highly encourages employees to spend time volunteering. Rick says, "I think it is important to give back where we can. I consider myself fortunate in the opportunities I have in life. I do give cash donations to some charities, but when I can volunteer in person my time and effort, it really makes me feel like I'm making a difference.

The most interesting part of Rick's story with JCL is his creative approach to education. Far from simply reading stories to his students, Rick is constantly creating new materials for his kids to interact with and learn from. For example, Rick will type a summary of a story at home but omit certain words, leaving blank spots for his students to fill in as soon as they finish reading the whole story themselves. In this way, the students re-tell the story that they read. Another example is the use of picture drawing to accompany the comprehension of a story. Again, after reading the story, Rick types up simple questions about the plot which the students must answer in a complete sentence, followed by their own illustration relating to a particular event in the story.

Rick recalls an example of how a little bit of work outside the classroom can facilitate a very dynamic learning opportunity:

"We were reading a book about Pirates, and [my student] asked me whether cannon balls sink ships by exploding and causing a fire, or by punching a hole through the ship. To be honest, I didn't know the answer, and I told him I didn't know. So we both agreed to try to find out during the week before we next met. But first we each made a guess (he guessed they made a hole, I guessed they explode). I learned later from the school Outreach Specialist that the boy went around asking his teachers and everyone. I too looked it up on the Internet. Turns out that he was right, and my guess was wrong. The next week I brought with me a page of information about cannon balls, and after we first reviewed the pirate book together we then read that page. When I got to the part that showed his guess was right, his eyes just lit up. He was so proud. I helped emphasize that he should be! It was a really neat day."

This work, well above and beyond the call of duty, leads not only to academic results, but also to an organic and profound relationship between Rick and his students. Rick related to me the story of one student who, at the end of the school year, asked the teacher to call Rick's home so that the little boy could leave a message for Rick, tearfully imploring him to come back the following year.

At John Gill Elementary where Rick tutors, 50% of the students are listed by the State of California as "socio-economically disadvantaged." However, to realize the efficacy of our work in the lives of individual students is to realize how lucky we are to be able to give what was so freely given to many of us. Rick Weisberg, like so many volunteers, is a living statement about Jewish social responsibility. With your continued support, we look forward to bringing ever brighter futures to our students on behalf of the Jewish community!

Adam Lev Rosenzweig is the 2007 Kohn Intern at JCL.

Report from the JCL Evaluation Committee

Each year JCL requests evaluations from teachers whose students have had JCL tutors. We want to find out how tutors and teachers interact and whether there has been a noticeable difference in students' attitude toward reading or achievement.

Our program stresses the importance of a caring adult in the child's life as well as academic progress for students in grades K-3. JCL places tutors in schools all around the Bay Area and currently has about 500 tutors. Composition of the student bodies is very diverse and includes many students who are English Language Learners.

Our evaluation instrument asks teachers to comment on their relationships with tutors, to observe student behaviors that represent progress in reading and to provide scores on standardized tests.

Observable behaviors to be evaluated were: Willingness to read aloud and Showing Comprehension during discussions. These characteristics could be rated 3-significant improvement, 2-modest improvement or 1-no improvement.

Test scores were gathered from schools using leveled reading inventories which measure growth and change in instructional reading book levels over time.

Although JCL did not receive evaluations from all teachers, it considers the data it did receive a representative sample of the students tutored by JCL volunteers. Even though many additional factors influence a child's performance, we accept the general teacher position that having a tutor does make a difference to a child.

The Behavior Inventory produced information on the categories as follows:
(for 163 students)

Willingness to read aloud

• 89% of students observed showed improvement
• 42% showed significant improvement
• 47% showed modest improvement

Comprehension during discussions

• 93% of students observed showed improvement
• 41% showed significant improvement
• 52% showed modest improvement

The Leveled Reading Inventory assigns numerical values to instructional readers being used in each program. The scores indicate the difference in book levels being read by students from fall to spring.

The leveled Reading Inventory for primary grades produced information as follows:

• 91% of students showed advancement in reading levels from fall to spring
• 82% of students showed an advance of 3 reading levels or more.
• The average increase in reading levels achieved was 5.

In addition a Kindergarten inventory recording the number of alphabet letters learned by students shows complete alphabet recognition from fall to spring for the majority of students.

JCL and the teachers involved are pleased with these results. The tutors express great satisfaction from their tutoring activities, and teachers remark consistently that students being tutored become much more responsive to the learning environment. We hope to place more tutors in classrooms around the Bay Area and to continue playing a role that supports reading growth of children in our community.

Committee members:
Andy Coblentz
Barbara Heil
Joan Green

Joan Green on Comprehension

Greetings, tutors, from the Joan Green, JCL Reading Specialist!

In my last article, I explored some issues of Fluency. This time I'm going to concentrate on Comprehension. If you've heard this before, I hope you'll consider it a something of a refresher! I offer two basic statements (mantras in fact) on Comprehension:

1. Reading is a THINKING ACT!

Think about it! Using yourselves as models of proficient, fluent readers, check out the way you question what's going on in a story. How many times do you stop and wonder - why would he say/do that? What's going to happen if she...? Uh-oh! That doesn't look good!

We think about and react to the text all the way through a story when we're reading. Children often don't know that they're supposed to think as they read. We can help set them on the path of being proficient readers if we stop them at important intervals and ask them the types of questions we ourselves ask.

You can illustrate the thinking process and help the children develop and practice their own thinking patterns. It's important and fun to have them guess what's going to happen next, what could have happened if... How would they like it to end?

We also feel for the characters as we read. They become real within the context of the story. Children often don't experience this level of involvement with a story. We can expose them to a range of feelings within a story by discussing it and asking/answering questions about how they feel: Were you sad/happy when...? Were you scared when...? I was worried when...?

2. You're not really "reading" if you don't understand it.

Call it "mouthing", "pronouncing" or when done expressively "reciting", but it isn't "reading" without understanding (Comprehension. Reading, as a thinking activity, can only take place when one understands the text. As a result, building comprehension is a crucial factor in the process of learning to read.

In order for children to read (in my sense of the word) they must have sufficient vocabulary, appreciate the value of words in phrases and understand the word order and structure of the language.

One important way to support the reading process is to build vocabulary. This means working with whole words, represented by an object or picture that the children can recognize, remember and pronounce - not by sounding out in syllables (Phonics), but by absorbing as entities. A picture dictionary is a wonderful tool to use to point out and discuss words.

Phonics has its place in the beginning stages of reading. However, I often hear comments from tutors that the child can read, but doesn't understand anything! I see our role as going beyond phonics. I'm more concerned with the overall process in which children need to read for information and meaning.

Appropriate intonation while reading aids in comprehension. Children need to see phrases, sentences or ideas as a whole and read them with meaningful intonation and understanding. They can do that if they listen to you read first, in small segments in a natural way, and then, asking them to imitate your pattern and repeat what you read. It's important to reinforce your reading and theirs with pictures, gestures and questions/discussion at the same time to enhance their understanding.

This is a time consuming process, but very fruitful when you realize that the children are reading more smoothly and following the text as you read. In addition they are learning the thought process that accompanies reading the story itself, and what it means to be a reader.

Please remember that I'm available to work with you on any questions or concerns about tutoring. Don't hesitate to contact me by phone (415) 751-4992, or e-mail at jfgreen2@aol.com.

Tantalizing Tutoring Tales & Tips

As part of the JCL Annual Conference tutors convened to troubleshoot, share suggestions, and trade experiences. During these interactive round-table discussions here are a few of the ideas generated:

Behavior issues

• When tutoring in a large open setting where other children are doing their homework and other activities (snack, playing, etc.), I work with that child on focusing on what they are doing to ignore the noise and distractions. This skill helps them concentrate on their homework at home when their sibling wants to watch TV or their parents are in the kitchen where they are working.
  -Peter Deutsch, Peninsula
• Physical exercise! After sitting for 3-6 hours before I meet with him, my 7 year-old needs to move. We spend 15 minutes running or having a catch outside the school.
  -Richard Kolbert, East Bay
• Take time to "check in" with the child to see where their mental state is. Often behavioral problems can be attributed to a lack of communication with a caring adult.
  -Travis J. Jackson, San Francisco

Activities and Games

• Whenever possible, give a child the choice between two or more acceptable subjects/tasks/games, etc.
  -Mona Milam, San Francisco
• Discuss different foods to relate to different subjects (mandarin oranges/blue chees/petit four/Italian breadsticks); crosswords - play games, something physical to relax; postcards that are intriguing. "Break the Ice" - used with my mentee when she was 10 years-old: mentor and mentee both draw 3 pictures each (simple stick figures) of 3 experiences. Each tries to guess what the other's pictures mean. Each then tells the other what the pictures really mean.
  -Ronnie Zuckerberg, San Francisco
• I bring in newspaper puzzles, articles on sports or other things that interest them for the end of each session. I have a number of puppet dolls that I use with fairy tales, like "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Pinocchio"
  -Betty Bernstein, Peninsula

Comprehension - writing

• We make up a story based on the book we just read. I write it down using the child's name as the main character. Later, I type it and we read it again and make any needed changes.
  -Jane Vincent Corbett, San Francisco
• I'm a first year tutor. I realized that my student needed work in comprehension and writing. I started writing a chapter story with five questions after each chapter. The students need to write the answers after reading the chapter. I will start having them write the story.
  -Ellen Sirbu, East Bay

English Language Learners

• I had a very beginning ELL student. She spoke no English. I identified objects from the moment I picked her up  for example: we are walking, talking, hands, feet, open door, etc. Also, play a game of matching words where she has an equal chance at winning.
  -Beth Wolinsky, East Bay
• Easy bilingual books - can use with all ages and levels; flash cards - we make on 3×5" cards and make "memory games;" bring many choices of books and let student choose the one to read; do research on the internet of something of interest to tell the child and bring it to read together; blackboard - write, games, great for ADD kids; Franklin translator - electronic (Spanish/English), look up words, spell.
  -Judy Zollman, East Bay

Vocabulary check

• I keep a list of the words my student has trouble with and go over them the next time we meet. I also use stickers as a reward at the end of our session.
  -Betsy Key, East Bay

Group tutoring

• When I work with more than one student, there is usually one who can answer questions more quickly. In order to give each student a chance to respond and provide more spelling and writing practice, I use quick-response exercises with phrase strips and dry erase pens that have small erasers on their tips. I found these eraser tips (which cost about $1 a piece) at a teacher supply store. These products are made by a company called KleenSlate Concepts. Their website is www.kleenslate.com and the phone is 866.313.7273. The erasable phrase strips are available at Lakeshore Learning or online at www.trendenterprises.com.
  -Peggy Martin, East Bay
• Relax and enjoy the time spent with your student!
  -Jerilyn Gelt, San Francisco

Jewish Coalition for Literacy
415-957-1551