The first session focuses on understanding your child's current reading level, strengths, and specific challenges. A tutor will assess phonics skills, fluency, comprehension, and confidence to create a personalized learning plan. This foundation ensures that all future instruction is tailored to your child's needs rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.

Fluency and comprehension work together—students who read smoothly with proper pacing and expression understand better. Tutors use guided reading practice, repeated reading strategies, and comprehension questions to build both skills simultaneously. With personalized feedback on pacing and expression, students develop the automaticity needed to focus mental energy on understanding rather than decoding words.

Yes. Personalized 1-on-1 instruction is especially effective for students who are behind, because tutors can meet them exactly where they are and build foundational skills without the pressure of keeping up with a classroom. Many students benefit from explicit phonics instruction, repeated practice with high-frequency words, and confidence-building activities tailored to their interests and learning style.

Early elementary (K-1) focuses on letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and decoding simple words. By 2nd-3rd grade, students should read simple sentences fluently and answer basic comprehension questions. Upper elementary (4th-5th) emphasizes fluency with grade-level texts, understanding main ideas and details, and beginning to analyze characters and themes. If your child isn't meeting these benchmarks, a tutor can provide targeted support to close gaps.

Vocabulary is foundational to reading comprehension—students who know more words understand more of what they read. Elementary tutors use multiple strategies to build vocabulary, including context clues, word families, and repeated exposure in meaningful contexts. Personalized instruction allows tutors to focus on words relevant to your child's reading level and interests, making learning stick better than generic word lists.

Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who specialize in elementary reading and understand Madison's school curricula. You'll provide information about your child's grade level, current challenges, and learning style, and we'll match you with a tutor who fits your needs. From there, you can schedule personalized sessions that work with your family's schedule.

Absolutely. Many struggling readers develop anxiety or frustration around reading, which can actually worsen performance. Personalized tutoring in a low-pressure, one-on-one setting allows students to practice without fear of judgment, celebrate small wins, and see real progress. As comprehension improves and fluency increases, confidence naturally follows—creating a positive cycle that extends beyond tutoring sessions.