Grammar and Literature tutor

About Mel

I love to read. Now, I also am passionate about teaching both children and adults skills which enable them to become more confident and proficient readers. I have been tutoring elementary and middle school students for over 4 years (including those with special needs) and also tutor adults through the Cecil College Adult Education Program.
I am trained in an Orton-Gillingham based method of reading through the Reading ASSIST Institute (RAI) in Wilmington, Delaware. This is a multi-sensory approach to language education which helps to make the sound/letter connection. Their program was recently certified by IMSLEC (International Multisensory Structured Language Institute) and I am now a certified Reading Interventionist through the RAI.

My tutoring always starts with an assessment of phonemic awareness, grapheme knowledge (letters have sounds) and reading nonsense words. The results drive my individualized tutoring plan. Our work is direct, explicit, systematic and intense - but I'm an exuberant person so there is room for fun. My students look forward to earning spelling rewards (The Prize Box!) and playing word/sound games.

As student's progress in school, texts become more complex. Then tutoring might focus not just on the reading itself, but understanding the text and writing about what has been read: grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and making inferences.

The study of virtually every subject starts with reading: history, math, social studies, biology, engineering, nursing, auto mechanics, veterinary science...you get the idea. If you have the tools to decode and comprehend many different levels of text, your learning is more effective, more enjoyable, and will stay with you longer.