Does everyone have the same bag of tutoring supplies?

We tutor similar to how we would teach in the classroom, but right now the difference is that it’s a one-to-one setting, online, through ZOOM. The supply bags are all slightly different because before we can start instructing any student, we need to gather information about that student immediately through a diagnostic assessment. So whether the tutoring is in reading or in math, it works the same way. Through those results, we find out your child’s strengths and weaknesses in the subject area being targeted. The focus of our instruction is moved to those weaknesses. Filling the holes and helping that student grow to their potential…

That is where choosing the right curriculum and materials comes in, just like at school. If your child is struggling, something similar should be happening at school in the form of small group instruction, differentiated instruction, or a pull-out/push-in intervention. You might have heard the words Tier 2 and Tier 3 being used? This all means that something different is or should be happening on a regular basis to meet the needs of your child at school. In the tutoring supply bag are the materials needed to meet your child’s needs for a hands-on, multi-sensory experience while LIVE and yes, online, through Zoom for the tutoring experience at Southern Instructional Solutions. Although the students are on a screen with us, this is not considered ‘screen time’ as we are interacting LIVE for educational purposes with materials not in a digital context for the entire or even most of the time. The tutor and the student BOTH have an Ipevo document camera for us to see each other’s work… books, writing, hands… anything on the desk! The camera on the computer allows us to see each other’s face!

So on our first lesson together, we have document camera training - which takes about 10 minutes. AND we go through that custom made supply bag. The following is a list of examples of what you may find in it:

Supply Box:

• highlighters: pink, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple

• mechanical pencils

• 4-in-1 color pens

• scissors

• scotch tape

• large post it pads

• small post it pads

• witchy finger for pointing

• goggly eyes for pointing

• colored line reader

• Sharpie black marker

• metal ring to hold index cards

• single hole punch

• stretch worm for stretching sounds

• mirror to look at our mouth shape

• paperclips

• alphabet chart

• Wikki-Stix

• counters

• spacer boy/girl for handwriting support

• 1 minute sand timer
  

Other materials in the bag:

• a composition notebook

• folder with handouts

• phonics reader and/or workbook

• Scholastic magazines

• whiteboard with lines

• clear pocket

• pop-it

• playdoh

• foam balls

• whisper phone

• echo phone

• eight writing paper

• index cards

• envelopes

Depending on the age and the weaknesses, some of these things may be removed and some may be added, but this is a typical reading bag. There is also a math supply bag having math manipulatives which will be discussed in a future post. AND… Yes, there is a supply bag fee which includes either a personal delivery or UPS. This could be reduced for anyone who would like to pick it up in our home office though! We are located in SUNNY South Florida!