1:1 Literacy Tutoring

Program Overview

GiGi's Playhouse 1:1 Literacy Program is developed to teach individuals with Down syndrome in the way that they learn best. As you begin to think about tutoring students at GiGi's Playhouse, we would like you to reflect on a few ideas:

* First, GiGi's Playhouse 1-On-1 Literacy Tutoring Program is intended to supplement the education students receive at school, not replace or replicate the school curriculum. We have designed this program to be a success-oriented guide to help students gain skills and confidence they can carry-over into their literacy skills at school, home, and in the community.
* Second, we understand that individuals with Down syndrome learn differently; therefore, our aim is to make our program as easy, motivating, and successful as possible by incorporating strategies to help students learn in their "best way".
* Third, each student works at his/her own rate. It is imperative to see each small success as that student's BEST OF ALL for that week. Each week we expect the student to do just a little better than the week before and celebrate his/her accomplishments.
* Fourth, tutors who volunteer with us should also strive to celebrate their own small successes each week and celebrate their BEST OF ALL as they too are learning along with our students.
Our program builds upon each of the Five Components of Reading Instruction (National Reading Panel, 2000) The Five Components of Reading Instruction include the following:
1. Phonemic awareness: Ability to hear, identify and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words (e.g., "c-a-t" or "r-igh-t")
2. Phonics: Relationship between letters (or letter combinations), the written language, and the sounds of spoken language
3. Vocabulary: All the words a student must know to communicate effectively
4. Fluency: The capacity to read text accurately and efficiently
5. Comprehension: The ability to understand what we read
*See Additional Resources Folder in the G Drive for more information about the Five Components of Reading Instruction