Brooklyn Letters (Online Speech Language Therapy, Literacy & Math Tutoring)
1139 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn
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We were delighted with Christie. First, and most importantly, our son made great strides under her guidance. So great, that we felt he no longer needed help! She was incredibly patient and kind with him and our son really responded to … More her. Christie was also great with me and my wife. She provided thorough and informative updates on our son's progress and which exercises she was using with him, so we could reinforce what she was teaching him. All in all, we had a fabulous experience with Christie and would highly recommend her. -
Our experience with Theo was terrific. Theo was great with my son. He developed a positive relationship with him based on sincerity, respect, trust and a deep personal connection. In their lessons, Theo was encouraging, creative and kind. … More He helped our son understand how to differentiate the sounds he made when he spoke, and gave him great exercises to practice every week between lessons. Our son was sorry to have the lessons come to an end, but recognized that Theo had helped him as much as possible and it was time for him to stop. Theo explained to him (and us) how to keep working to get the last 5%, and encouraged him to keep working on the exercises on his own. I have recommended Theo to another parent who noticed my son's improvement and inquired for her own son.
We are all grateful to have gotten to know Theo, and we greatly appreciate all the work he did to help our son. -
Theo is a wonderful Clinton Hill speech therapist. We were really pleased with him. Our son showed drastic improvement, not only in his speech but in his confidence. -
Alexa has been an enthusiastic, reliable, well prepared and caring teacher for our 6 year old daughter. She has been able to improve and increase our daughter's confidence lesson by lesson with patience and competence; through varied … More and productive didactic practice. Alexa has engaged our daughter in several activities that always kept her motivated and eager to learn literacy. My wife and I, both of us are educators, feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to observe Alexa's pedagogical skills. Alexa has had a big impact on our daughter literacy growth. Thank you Brooklyn Letters! -
We were absolutely DELIGHTED with Marsha's services. She was wonderful. We found her to be kind, fun, engaging, very knowledgeable. She provided us with clear instructions and additional written handouts each week. She engaged our … More son with different techniques and toys, and showed us how to use her techniques when we were interacting with him. I actually just texted her on Saturday - Our son finally said "more" - one of the target words we had been working on with her. It was a total joy to hear, and I had to share it with her - she wrote back immediately to congratulate us. I am so appreciative of her expertise, and wish we could have seen her for longer. I recommended her to another family in our neighborhood who is looking for a speech therapist.
SEARCHING FOR A READING TUTOR IN DENVER?
Meet our Reading Tutor and Specialist, Joanna, who Offers In-person Tutoring in her Office Located in City Park West!
M.S. Ed, Reading Specialist & Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS)
Joanna earned her M.A. in Elementary Education and Literacy from Bank Street College of Education in Manhattan in 2011, and her B.A. in History from the University of Colorado in 2004. Joanna is certified by the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS). Joanna earned this certification through training at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) as well as with the digital, multisensory training program, Lexercise. She also has training with the Orton-Gillingham-based, multi-sensory program Preventing Academic Failure (PAF).
Joanna recently relocated to Denver, CO but is serving students all over the country through remote services. In the past, she worked with dozens of struggling readers, dyslexic readers, and readers needing enrichment across New York City. She continues to work with students who attend private schools, public schools, charter schools, and homeschools, so she understands the challenges students face in dramatically different educational environments. She also works with students who have a variety of educational differences including dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, speech and language disorders, writing issues, and executive functioning issues.
At the beginning of tutoring services, Joanna administers comprehensive assessments to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses. She then creates personalized sessions to target specific areas of need. Joanna focuses on building independence by teaching students to use a toolbox of skills and strategies that they can refer to as they read and write. She has worked with many readers/writers who suffer from poor self-esteem related to their literacy skills, so she constantly strives to build students’ confidence during every session. Joanna has a calm, patient nature and a playful sense of humor that help her to connect with students on a personal level. She believes that interest and motivation are critically important in supporting more thoughtful, engaged reading.
Reading is more than just learning to pronounce words. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, children who are read daily from birth have a vocabulary that is twice as large (by age five) as children who are not.
Adding to that, by age three, reading to children allows them to have better verbal skills and score higher on tests. Reading tutoring can help bridge the gap for children who do not have access to quality books or parents who do not read to them.
A reading tutor is an educator who specializes in helping students improve their reading and comprehension abilities. They typically work with students one-on-one or in small groups, focusing on improving the student’s ability to read, comprehend, interpret and analyze texts.
Reading tutors also help students practice their fluency and pronunciation when working with unfamiliar words or difficult language.
What are the five pillars of reading?
Reading is a fundamental skill that children must develop to succeed in school and life. There are five key pillars of reading instruction that teachers must address in order to ensure that their students become proficient readers. Moreover, reading specialists also make sure to work on developing these five pillars of reading in children.
Fluency
Reading fluency is an important part of a student’s reading ability. It refers to the speed, accuracy, and expression with which they can read text aloud. Developing strong fluency skills is essential for students to gain full comprehension of a piece of writing.
Fluency helps readers recognize words quickly, allowing them to focus more on comprehending what they are reading rather than decoding it. When students understand how language works, it helps them become better readers overall.
Vocabulary
The third pillar is vocabulary development. A child who knows more words can read with greater comprehension than one who does not.
Comprehension
Comprehension is essential to reading, as it allows readers to engage actively with the text and understand its message. Without comprehension, readers are simply skimming through words on a page without gaining any of the intended knowledge.
Through comprehension, readers can develop an increased understanding of written material; this includes comprehending narrative texts, such as stories, and factual texts, such as manuals or scientific research.
Phonemic Awareness
The first pillar is phonemic awareness or the recognition that spoken words are composed of individual sounds or phonemes. This is a critical foundation for reading, as it helps children break down words into their component parts and sound them out.
Phonics
The second pillar is phonics, the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent. Once again, this helps children to sound out words as they read them. However, it also teaches them how to spell words correctly.
Why is it important to have a reading tutor?
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, two-thirds of fourth graders need to read proficiently. This is a problem because reading is the foundation for all other learning. Once a child needs to catch up in a reading, they may also need help understanding different subjects.
Reading tutoring can help close the achievement gap by providing one-on-one attention and tailored instruction. A tutor can assess a child’s individual needs and target areas that need improvement. Reading tutoring can also help build confidence and make learning fun.
It’s important to get help early on if your child is struggling with reading. A tutor can provide the extra support needed to improve reading skills and help your child succeed in school.
How to choose a reading tutor
There are a few things to consider when looking for a reading tutor for your child. You want to ensure the tutor is experienced and has a good track record of helping students improve their reading skills.
The child’s personality is also an important aspect to consider. Every child is unique and would get comfortable with a tutor that teaches them in an easy-to-go style.
Finally, you need to make sure the tutor you choose is available when it’s convenient for you. You don’t want to have to work around someone else’s schedule.
Remember these things when choosing a reading tutor in Denver for your child, and you’ll be sure to find someone to help them improve their reading skills.
Conclusion: The Importance of Finding The Right Reading Tutor
In addition to teaching essential literacy skills such as phonics, decoding, and spelling, reading tutors can also help build students’ confidence in their reading abilities by providing them with a supportive learning environment.
A successful reading tutor must be able to assess how well a student understands given material, modify instruction accordingly, and use positive reinforcement techniques to motivate the student throughout the process.
At Brooklyn Letters, we find a tutor that caters to your child’s reading level. We have a reading tutor in Denver, Colorado, that could be the right fit for your child. Get in touch with Brooklyn Letters to learn more about helping your child read proficiently at their elementary grade level.
Please visit Joanna in her office at City Park West for in-person reading tutoring. Contact us to learn more about which Denver neighborhoods we travel to.
