Award-Winning Reading Comprehension Tutors

Reading comprehension is one of the main components of reading. By reading the text, your child will call on various components that are related to the English language and reading such as how words sound, phonics, and the deep connections between letters and words. Other important components of reading comprehension include understanding vocabulary and overall comprehension of the story or work they are reading. When your child doesn't understand what something means, they struggle with the overall story or theme. Having a clear comprehension can avoid such problems. These are some of the common reading comprehension topics that your child will come across during their studies:

Reading Comprehension Topics

• Understanding the main point of a reading passage
• Author's purpose
• Drawing connections
• Inference
• Drawing conclusions
• Summarizing
• Synthesizing information
• Building vocabulary
• Understanding words and phrases in context
• Increasing reading speed and accuracy
• Connecting related and supportive images, graphs, etc., with a passage

Reading comprehension tutors work with your child to focus on improving their current skill set and increasing their abilities. For young students just starting out, having reading comprehension tutoring sessions ensures they understand the basics of reading. This allows them to delve deeper into their studies as they get older, getting a better understanding of reading different types of material. One of the benefits of working with a reading comprehension tutor is choosing a flexible schedule for your child, and it makes reading comprehension tutoring a useful addition to any study plan.

Learning Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension tutoring is helpful for students at all grade levels if they're having trouble with the subject. Reading begins at a young age, normally preschool, when children are read stories by their teacher. They'll progress on to learning the alphabet, how to identify their name, and eventually begin reading short stories in kindergarten. Students will truly jump into reading comprehension by the time they're in elementary school. This will continue for the rest of their educational career and adulthood as they apply reading to textbooks and work. Here is an example of the Common Core Reading Standards for Grade Three:

Common Core Reading Standards - Grade 3

• Ask and answer questions to show an understanding of a text, referring to the text for answers
• Identify the main idea and how key details of a text support it
• Describe relationships in a text of events, steps, or concepts with language that articulates time, sequence, and cause and effect
• Grade-level-appropriate ability to understand words and phrases in context
• Ability to use search tools and test features to find relevant information
• Ability to articulate a point of view independent of the author
• Ability to draw on a text and accompanying illustrations to understand it
• Know how sentences and paragraphs in a text connect logically
• Compare and contrast the main points and details of two related texts
• Ability to read and understand grade-level-appropriate texts covering texts that are scientific, technical, or historical/related to social studies.

If your child is learning about reading comprehension in elementary school, reading comprehension tutors can help by assessing their skills and seeing where your child is struggling. Because the study sessions happen in a one-on-one environment, the reading comprehension tutor can consider what your child needs for success, and make that the focus of the lessons. For example, if your child is having issues with compound words, the tutor can set aside time to break them down and explain how to identify them, rather than simply covering material that your child already understands.

Reading Comprehension and Testing

Reading comprehension is found on a large number of tests, including standardized exams. Your reading comprehension tutor can help you prepare for these types of exams in a number of ways. First, they can conduct a thorough review of all the material that will be tested. Of course, it's important to practice these skills.

However, there are a number of other ways you can prepare for standardized exams. For one thing, your private instructor can introduce you to the entire exam, its sections, and the types of questions that you will be required to answer in each section. Becoming familiar with the test could help alleviate test anxiety, so it's a beneficial aspect to spend some of your test prep time on.

Test-taking strategies like proper time management, relaxing when you feel yourself becoming anxious, and reading the questions carefully are some of the things your tutor can help you practice. They may provide practice tests or test sections and monitor how you answer questions. This could give them an idea on how you could improve your pace, better understand confusing questions, and learn what to do to help your score if you don't know the answer to a particular question. Hint: it's not the same for every test.

The following standardized exams have strong Reading Comprehension components:

• ISEE Upper Level Reading Comprehension – The ISEE, or Independent School Entrance Exam, is taken by students in grades 1-11 who are planning to apply to a private or independent school for the following year. The Upper Level exam is for students going into high school grades. The Reading Comprehension section evaluates students on their ability to summarize material, discern the author's purpose for writing a piece, determine the tone or mood based on author's word choice, and find evidence in the text to back up claims.
• AP English Language and Composition – AP classes allow high school students to take entry-level college courses while still in high school and potentially earn credits. This can allow them to save time and money once they get to college. Subjects tested include close examination of how an author supports their claim with text in a written piece, finding cause-and-effect relationships, identifying different perspectives within a piece, and much more.
• CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature – CLEP exams are like AP exams in that they allow a student to bypass certain classes, but they test out based on the knowledge they've gained either in school, business, or other life experiences. Skills assessed include the ability to read and understand prose, poetry, and drama; the ability to analyze literary elements in a passage and identify their purposes; and the ability to interpret metaphors and perceive relationships between parts and wholes within a written passage.

The Growing Importance of Reading Comprehension Education

Reading comprehension is one of the most basic topics that all young people learn about early on in school. Reading is something your child needs not only to have a successful school career; having this knowledge can shape their future. Students with strong reading comprehension skills can go on to have almost any job they want, ranging from a politician or doctor to a teacher. All careers, even low-level ones, require being able to read and understand what something means. Lacking this skill makes it harder to get a job of any kind, not to mention survive in the world, since reading is a huge part of everyone's life. Here, you'll see a table for NAEP Reading Scores by US Region:

NAEP Reading Scores by US Region

This information shows that reading comprehension is something necessary for success, both inside and outside the classroom. That's why "reading comprehension tutoring near me," is a popular term many parents search for. If you're looking for a "reading comprehension tutor near me," you know it's important for your child to get off to a good start in their studies with the help of a quality tutor who can help them understand topics they're having issues with in school.

Why Work With a Tutor?

Signing your child up for "reading comprehension tutoring near me," means they have the chance to increase their skills not only in basic studies of reading but also work on test-taking. A reading comprehension tutor can assist your child in learning about techniques that are helpful when they need to take an exam and feel nervous. They can set your child up with an environment that is conducive to learning, so your child can find out how to get rid of distractions and use their time wisely to study. These are skills that will work for any subject your child studies, not just reading.

Having a private tutor for your child means they're allowed to work within a flexible schedule that makes sense for them. Your child can still go to school and enjoy normal after-school activities while learning during a time that works best for their needs. Having a private reading comprehension tutor ensures your child not only focuses on a subject that might be difficult for them but shows them the right way to study to make the most of their time and resources.

Reading comprehension is crucial when it comes to the basic components of learning. Reading is used not only in work and school but also in daily life, from reading a recipe to a letter that comes in the mail. Reading comprehension is used in all professions, no matter what they are. Reading comprehension can be frustrating when your child is having problems with a specific topic, such as phonics or vocabulary. Not having a clear understanding can cause more problems as they advance onward in their studies. Reading comprehension is also something they'll get quizzed on, from elementary school all the way to college and beyond.

These are all important reasons why working with a private reading comprehension tutor can make a difference outside of the classroom. If you believe your child would benefit by working one-on-one with a tutor in this area, then get in touch with Varsity Tutors. Instead of searching for a "reading comprehension tutor near me," see how we can help. We can connect you with the right tutor for your child's needs, allowing them to get started on working toward improving their skills and discover the joy in reading. Contact us today, and see how we can help you and your child get on the road to a better understanding with a reading comprehension tutor.