Resources for Tutors


A number of books are specifically designed to help teachers and tutors meet the needs of children who are beginning to read. Topics range from useful tutoring tips to discussions of literacy acquisition and common reading difficulties.

Except where noted, these books are published by the International Reading Association; most are available through the Association's online bookstore, where further information about them can be found. Another helpful list of resources can be found at the Web site of the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement.



Building a Knowledge Base in Reading, Jane Braunger and Jan Patricia Lewis, 1997; copublished with the Northwest Regional Educatinal Laboratory and the National Council of Teachers of English.
Looks at current research on language acquisition, factors affecting literacy learning, and basic understandings about reading and writing.

Emerging Literacy: Young Children Learn to Read and Write, edited by Dorothy S. Strickland and Lesley Mandel Morrow, 1989.
Practical ideas for caregivers, teachers, and curriculum specialists.

Family Literacy Connections in Schools and Communities, edited by Lesley Mandel Morrow, 1995.
Offers an overview of school-based and organization-sponsored programs.

The First R: Every Child's Right to Read, edited by Michael F. Graves, Paul van den Broek, and Barbara M. Taylor, 1996; copublished with Teachers College Press.
Presents current research on teaching all children to read.

No Quick Fix: Rethinking Literacy Programs in America's Elementary Schools, edited by Richard L. Allington and Sean A. Walmsley, 1996; copublished with Teachers College Press.
A practical guide for improving instruction for all children. Case studies are included.

Off Track: When Poor Readers Become Learning Disabled, Louise Spear-Swerling and Robert J. Sternberg, 1996; published by Westview Press.
Presents a series of useful case studies.

The Reading Team series:

The Reading Team: A Handbook for Volunteer Tutors K-3, Lesley Mandel Morrow and Barbara J. Walker, 1997.
Features hands-on information, quick reference tips, and sample tutoring sessions develop within the America Reads framework.

Tips for the Reading Team: Strategies for Tutors, Barbara J. Walker and Lesley Mandel Morrow, 1998.
A companion to The Reading Team, this book includes practical tutoring tips and illustrations to indicate in what part of the tutoring session each strategy is most helpful.

Training the Reading Team: A Guide for Supervisors of a Volunteer Tutoring Program, Barbara J. Walker, Ronald Scherry, and Lesley Mandel Morrow, 1999.
A companion to The Reading Team, this book guides supervisors of a volunteer reading program through each step of a training program. Includes overheads, handouts, and sample forms and letters to help with implementation and evaluation.

So, What's a Tutor to Do?, Cathy M. Roller, 1998.
A complement to Variability Not Disability, this book outlines the tutoring session and suggests strategies for each segment of the session.

Tutoring Program for Struggling Readers: The America Reads Challenge, edited by Lesley Mandel Morrow and Deborah G. Woo, 2000; published by Guildford Publishers.
This edited volume brings together exemplary projects dealing with tutoring and includes both America Reads programs and initiatives such as the Howard Street Model and Book Buddies. One section deals with evaluation studies to indicate the benefits of the program.

Variability Not Disability: Struggling Readers in a Workshop Classroom, Cathy M. Roller, 1996.
Inspirational and informative, the book describes a workshop format that accommodates children with widely varied abilities.

The Volunteer Tutor's Toolbox, edited by Beth Ann Herrmann, 1994.
This guidebook includes sample strategies and activities along with specific advice for tutors.


Return to article



Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted October 2000
© 2000 International Reading Association, Inc.   ISSN 1096-1232