LITERACY PLUS
a Literacy Plus Council website
TUTOR TIPS
Lesson Planning Tips and Tools
Roles & Goals
The Roles & Goals form gives you a guideline for what your learner wants to work on. Select or modify activities according to your learner's short-term and long-term goals.
Lesson Plan
With the Lesson Plan form you can create an outline for the different activities you want to cover in a session. Try to incorporate goal-directed work (filling out a form, studying for driver’s license), word study, reading, and writing in each lesson. Often, these elements will go hand in hand. Prepare the material prior to the session. Think about activities you can use before, during, and after the reading and writing. Make notes about specific words, concepts, or questions that you want to make sure to teach.
Always have a back-up plan ready, for example, games or a funny story.
Learning Style Quiz
Use the Learning Style Quiz to determine how your learner learns and try out activities yourself before you ask your learner to do it. What looks good on paper doesn’t always work well in practice. Get feedback from your learner!
Tutoring Resources
The Literacy Plus office has a variety of materials that you can check-out and use for your tutoring. From flashcards to games to books to letter tiles —there’s something for every learning style. You can come up any time during library hours and browse the check-out section in the front of the office.
If you need workbooks for your learner, please call Frie at (510) 881-7912 and make arrangements to pick them up. Workbooks are considered as "consumable" and can be kept by your learner.
Monthly Report
The Monthly Report form lets you reflect frequently on your learner’s challenges and successes. It is also a way of communicating and sharing with the Literacy Plus staff about progress, resources, attendance issues, concerns, and successes.
Language Experience Story
This activity is based on the language experience approach (LEA) that teaches reading and writing through the use of personal experiences and oral language.
It is great for reluctant or beginning to intermediate writers.
Find the instructions and worksheets here.
Tutor Learning Log
Use the Tutor Learning Log to keep track of things you have done. Go back and review lessons with your learner. Make notes about your learner’s questions, comments, challenges, and interests for future lesson planning ideas.
Learner Learning Log
Encourage your learner to use the Learner Learning Log to track his/her extra study time outside of your sessions. This can be reading and writing at home, attending a class, helping their child with homework, following instructions for a recipe, etc. It will motivate your learner to write, be in charge of their progress, and recognize learning in daily life. If your learner is not comfortable with it, include a discussion about extra study in each of your sessions and keep track of it for your learner.