Week 1- 9/19
Introduction
I will explain who I am, what tutoring is, and
what we will be doing the next couple weeks
during our sessions. Then I will ask the
student to introduce who they are and if they
have any questions.
Poetry Warm up
We will read the poem:
I’m making a pizza the size of the sun,
A pizza that’s sure to weigh more than a ton,
A pizza too big to pick up and toss,
A pizza filled with oceans of sauce.
I’m topping my pizza with mountains of cheese,
With acres of peppers and peas,
With mushrooms, tomatoes and sausage galore,
With every last olive they had at the store.
My pizza is sure to be one of a kind,
My pizza will leave other pizzas behind,
My pizza will be a delicious treat
That all who love pizza are welcome to eat.
The oven is hot, I believe it will take
A year and a half for my pizza to bake.
I hardly can wait till my pizza is done,
My wonderful pizza the size of the sun.
I chose this poem because it fits with my
theme of pizza.
I will have cut-outs of mini pizzas and mini
pepperoni pieces. On the pepperoni pieces I
will write each word that rhymes on a
separate piece. Then I will have the
students tape/glue the two words that rhyme
I learned that my tutor buddy is a six year
old boy in first grade. This is his first year
doing tutoring but was in the after school
program last year. He is a very outgoing
and energetic child. Commented [1]: It seems like you were able to spend
some quality time getting to know your tutor buddy.
Now you can find ways to incorporate his outgoing and
energetic personality into his learning. :)
My buddy absolutely loved the poem.
When he heard it was about pizza he got
excited because it’s his favorite food.
When we were doing the activity Commented [2]: :)
afterwards I noticed that he was unable to
tell me what words made a rhyme
because the endings were not the same in
most cases. For example, “sauce” and
“toss” don’t have the same ending so he
didn’t think they were rhymes. He was
unable to hear the rhymes he could only
visually see them. This made me realize
that for the next tutoring session I need to
try to find a poem that has rhymes with
the same endings. Even though he didn’t Commented [3]: Nice reflection. I am excited to see
know the rhymes he did make the what rhymes you chose for the next week. Also, since
rhyme is a form of phonemic awareness, a fun activity
connection that they were all at the end of is to challenge students to close their eyes and just
the sentence. I helped him at the HEAR the rhymes, rather than find them visually. Once
he can hear the rhyme, you can show him how they
beginning to highlight the rhyming words
can look different, but still rhyme. :)
but then he figured out the pattern and
was able to make the connection himself.
on each individual pizza.
Read Aloud
I will introduce the book by asking if the
student likes pizza and what their favorite
kind is.
We will read the book “Secret Pizza Party”
I chose this because I think it would be a
good ice breaker since it is a comedic book.
It also fits with my theme of pizza.
Looking at books
I will bring “The Great, Enormous
Hamburger”, “Green Is a Chile Pepper” and
“Pancakes for Breakfast” because they are
all different levels of reading and they
connect to my theme of pizza/food.
And ask the child which book they would
most want to read by themselves and why.
My buddy loved this book. Once again, he
kept reminding me that pizza is his
favorite food and how he wanted to eat it
for every single meal. It was very
interesting to see him engaging with the
book. While I was reading he used a
marker to track the words on the pages. If
I started reading the page without him
tracking he told me to start over. He
wasn’t tracking the right words as I was
saying them. Commented [4]: This is interesting because it shows
that he has some skills in tracking. Maybe encouraging
and supporting more of this next week will help him
figure out how to track the words you are reading with
more accuracy.
I asked my buddy what book he wanted to
read and he said “The Great, Enormous,
Hamburger” because it was the shortest
book. At first he needed my help to read
the book but then a couple pages in he
was able to do it himself because he
caught onto the repeating pattern. He was
using the pictures on each page to help
him decode what the word said. This
made me realize that I should find books
with patterns in the future. Commented [5]: Again, nice reflection. It also shows
how important visuals are for children while they are
learning to read.
Writing
I will explain what this part of tutoring will
looking like (making books), model making a
heart map, and then invite the student to
make one.
I had my buddy do the heart map. I asked
him if he wanted to write himself or have
me write for him. He decided he wanted to
do it himself. Some of the things he wrote
on his heart map were, “I like green” “I like
Cars 3” “I like pizza” “I like my mom” “I
play with friends” “I go swimming”. He
needed some supporting spelling words Commented [6]: I remember watching you help him
but he knew how to write every letter and sound out "swim". He is great at sounding out
phonetically. :) It is nice that you were offering him
he was able to spell “my” and “play” support when he needed it.
without any help.

Joke
Once again, my buddy really enjoyed this
Q: What’s your dog’s favorite kind of joke because he loves pizza. Commented [7]: :)
pizza?
A: Puperoni!

I chose this because it fits with my theme of

pizza.

If time allows…
N/A. Didn’t have time.
I will ask some of the questions from Home
Engagement part I assignment: What kinds
of things do you like to do with your family?
What kinds of things do you like to learn
about? What kind of books do you like? Do
you have a favorite author?

Icebreaker?
Hi Brittney - Your pizza theme is making me hungry! Ha. This looks great. I love the cut-outs
of mini pizzas. What a great idea.
Overall reflection:
Overall, the experience was great. My buddy was very engaged the whole time. I learned a lot
about him that I can take with me and make informed decisions on what activities and books to
bring with me next time.
Week 2- 9/26
Poetry
I will read the poem:
“If I were the color blue,
I’d sing sad songs for you.
If I were the color yellow,
I’d be a happy fellow.
If I were the color green,
I’d grow like a big string bean.
If I were the color brown,
I’d be a chocolate town.
If I were the color pink,
I’d be a lemony drink”
After reading the poem I will have my buddy
highlight the words that rhyme with the color
that corresponds with each rhyme. I chose
this poem because I realized last week that
my buddy needs rhyming words that have
the same ending. This helps him make the
connection that they are rhymes.
As I was reading this poem aloud, my
buddy pointed at the word “green” and
said “that’s green!” He was unable to read
any of the other colors except for green. I
asked him how he knew it said green and
he said “the g! It makes g” as he made the Commented [9]: Exciting literacy connections!
the g sound with his mouth. Last week, he
told me he loved the color green and he
wrote it on his heart map therefore I
wasn’t very surprised when he was able to
identify the word.
My buddy has a difficult time with rhyming
words. He is unable to tell me the words
that rhyme if I ask him but if I ask him if
two words rhyme he is able to tell me
either yes or no. Therefore, he
understands that what rhyming words are
but can’t verbalize it quit yet. He also
caught onto the pattern that the rhyming
words are use the last word in each
sentence. Commented [8]: Thinking back to the awesome visual
you had for last week's poem, I am excited to see what
you created this week!
Commented [10]: He is slowly but surely making
sense of rhyme. Keep practicing with him!
Read Aloud
I will read “The Mixed-Up Chameleon” by
Eric Carle. This book fits with my theme of
colors. Last week my buddy told me that his
favorite color was green. He even wrote in
his heart map “I like green”. Therefore I
decided to make colors the theme for this
week. This book is also engaging and
aesthetically pleasing.
While reading this book, my buddy was
pointing out the different colors and
animals in the book. He knew all the
animals except for the flamingo. At the
end of the book, when it makes
statements like “I wish I could swim like a
fish” I would start the statement and read
it aloud then I would have him finish the
sentence by saying the name of the Commented [11]: Great job incorporating personal
animal. I was very pleased with how connections that the student made last week into this
week's plan.
engaged he was with this book. He
seemed to truly enjoy it. Commented [12]: What do you think it was about this
book that engaged him so well?

Word Work During this exercise my buddy couldn’t

I will work with the sentence “I wish I could
be smart like a fox” from my read aloud
book. We will have just read this book so he
should be familiar with the sentence. I will
have one strip of paper with the sentence
written and one strip of paper that is cut up.
I will have my buddy match the cut up
sentence to the written sentence.
read the entire sentence but he was able
to read “I” “be” “like” “a” and “fox”. He was
able to match up the words very easily.
After I repeated it a few times and he
matched up the words he was able to tell
me what the whole sentence said.
Commented [13]: Matching the cut-up sentence to the
written one is a great place to start with a 6 year old. :)

Looking at books My buddy decided to read “Lemons Are

Not Red”. I was surprised by this choice
I am bringing “Flashlight” by Lizi Boyd because last week he wanted to read the
because it is a wordless book that fits the shortest book therefore I thought he
theme of colors. He could create his own would’ve picked the wordless book. The Commented [14]: Children are filled with surprises!
story or tell me the colors he sees on the first couple pages he needed help with Good call bringing a longer book, even if you
suspected he'd be disinterested.
page. I am also bringing “Green Is a Chile some words, but once he saw the pattern
Pepper” by Roseanne Greenfield Thong. I he was able to do it on his own. He was
brought this book last time but he decided able to read this book by using the
not to read it. I am bringing it again because pictures to decode what it said. For
it fits the theme of colors. I think he will need example, if there was a picture of a red
my help reading this book but he will be able apple he would first look at the picture
to identify the colors on the pages. I am also then say “apples are red” or if there was a
 bringing “Lemons Are Not Red” by Laura
Seeger. I am bringing this because it also
fits the theme of colors. The text is also very
simple and I think he would be able to read
it with minimal help.
Writing
I will bring the heart map we made last
tutoring session in case my buddy needs an
idea of what to write about. I will tell him he
can write a book about anything.
Joke
Q: What is a cat’s favorite color?
A: Purrrr-ple!
I chose this joke because it fits with my
theme of colors.
Week 3- 10/2
purple carrot he knew to say “carrots are
not purple”. While he was reading he was
tracking with a marker.
My buddy decided to write about Fast and
Furious 7. He wrote the title then he had
me write in the book as he dictated it.
While he was writing the title I noticed he
was able to spell “is” “the” “and” by
himself. He spent a great deal of time Commented [15]: Leaving the theme of the book open
working on very detailed pictures. to whatever your buddy feels like writing about is a
great idea.
Commented [16]: What are some ideas you have for
encouraging him to write more independently?
My buddy was not very interested in this
joke because he was too focused on
finishing his book he was working on.
Commented [17]: :)
Poetry
I am going to read:
“Families are people who care
about you.
My family is special- your
family is too.
See my family, see them all.
Some are short, some are tall.
Sometimes happy, sometimes
sad.
We love each other and I am
glad.”
Then I will have my buddy try
to read the poem to me
because I think it is simple
enough that he will be able to
do it. Then we will read it one
more time together. After
reading the poem, we will talk
about the rhyming words and I
will have him circle them.
Then, I will let him draw a
quick picture of his family
because I know he is a very
artistic and creative child.
I read this poem to my buddy
then I had him try to read it to
me. He began reading it but
was struggling and asked me
if we could skip it. So I asked
him if we could read it
together. Then we read it Commented [19]: Nice suggestion :)
together. After, I had him
circle the rhymes. He said, “I
know they’re all at the end!”
He has caught onto the
typical setup of a poem.
Then he pointed to the
endings and said “ou, oo”
“all, all” “ad, ad” therefore he
understand that rhymes have
the same endings.
Then I had my buddy draw a
picture of his family. I pointed
at the word family and asked
what it said. He said he didn’t
know but then he pointed at
each letter and said the
name of it. He was able to
correctly identify “f, a, m, i, l”
but not the letter “y”. While
he was drawing a picture of Commented [18]: Connections to family are great! I
his family I noticed that he am sure he will love the poem and drawing his family.
was spelling everyone’s
name with a capital letter. I
also noticed he is able to
write his own name and
“mom”. I also realized that
my buddy is very detail-
oriented. He wanted to add Commented [20]: Lots of observations! :) How are you
every little detail to his photo going to use this information to guide your instruction?
therefore it took a little bit
longer than I originally
thought it would.
Read Aloud
I will read “Let’s Eat” because
it fits with my theme of
“together as a family”. This
book is one of the books in the
family backpack that I chose. I
thought it would be a good
idea to try these books out
with my buddy to see how he
interacts with them before I
pass them around my
classroom. I also decided to
use this theme because the
first session he told me about
all the family members he has
and how much he loves
hanging out with all them.
During the reading I will ask
him different questions about
While I was reading “Let’s
Eat” my buddy was making
connections to his own Commented [21]: Great book!
family. He was telling me
about how he sometimes
eats dinner with his entire
family. He also made a
connection to the part where
they play hide and seek. He
told me that he plays hide
and seek with his cousins.
My buddy was very engaged
with this book and I believe it
is because he was able to
make personal connections
therefore it was meaningful
for him. Commented [23]: Great!
Commented [22]: Again, incorporating what you
already know about him and his interests is a strong
strategy. Nice!

his own family.

Word Work During this activity, I was

about to start writing the
I will work with the sentence sentence but my buddy
“Today we are having pizza” in insisted that he do it. I told
the book “Let’s Eat” it him the sentence we were
repeatedly uses the sentence writing and he asked me to
“today we are having…” and I spell it out for him. I noticed
decided to use pizza because that he used his finger as a
the first session he told me visual to help him put a
that is his favorite food and he space between the words. I
eats it a lot. Therefore I think also noticed that he wrote
he will be familiar with all the the p in pizza backwards.
words. Last time, I had the This is a letter that he needs
sentence already written out a little bit of work on. Also,
but this time I will write it in when he was writing the
front of him so we can talk letter “d” he asked “is this the
about the words and I can way you write it?” because
model it for him. Then I will cut he gets “b” and “d” confused. Commented [24]: This is a great idea because it gives
up a second sentence strip After he wrote the sentence I him a visual of what sentence writing looks like :)
and have him match up the had him match up the cut up Commented [25]: Letter formation is tricky...especially
words. strip I had. He was able to with p, q, d and b. What are your plans to help with
this?
match them with ease.
Looking at books
I will bring the two other books
in the “together as a family”
family backpack. These books
are “We Are Cousins/Somos
Primos” and “You and Me
Together”. Both these books fit
with the theme and are simple
enough that I think he will be
able to read them with minimal
help.
Writing
I will bring the book he started
writing last session and I will
let him finish it.
We unfortunately did not get
to this activity this week.
This week I had my buddy
write in the book himself. He
needed help with spelling but
he was more than capable of
doing it instead of me writing
for him. While he was writing
I noticed that he said “he
drived” instead of “he drove”
therefore he needs more
practice with past tense. I
also noticed that he said “his”
but in the book he wrote “he”.
I realized that my buddy was
able to spell “he” “cars” and
“to” without any help.
Something that has been
reoccurring throughout the
weeks is when he makes a
mistake he puts an X through
it and moves on. Just like the
word work activity, he asked
me if he wrote “d” correctly
because he gets confused. Commented [26]: Again, letter formation seems like
something that is very important to him.
 Joke
Q: Why did the banana go to
the hospital?
A: He was peeling real bad.
Although this joke doesn’t
really go with my theme, I
think my buddy will find this
joke very funny.
Week 4- 10/17
My buddy got such a kick out
of this joke. He answered the
joke with “to get smushed”.
He kept laughing and asked
if he could take the joke
home with him to show his Commented [27]: AHAHA
mom. I let him keep it. Then
he asked me to find a joke
about an apple for next
week.
Poetry
I will read the poem “Big Brother”
“My little eyes are watching
All you say and do
And when I grow up big and tall
I want to be like you
My little ears are listening
To everything you say
I am learning how to grow up
To be like you someday
Since I had a different buddy this week, I
was unsure what his abilities were. During
this activity I realized that I should have
begun with what a rhyme actually is. I Commented [29]: It is great that you realized that and
should not have assumed that he had this decided to teach him what rhyme was in that moment.
Set him up for success!
understanding. It was clear that G didn’t
quite understand the concept of rhyme yet
therefore it was an inefficient task for him.
I tried to explain it verbally and visually,
but he was still struggling with rhyme. This
is something that he just needs to
continue being exposed to and continue
practicing with.

So be careful how you teach me

To be the person that you are
You’re a knight in shining armor
You’re my bright shining star”

I will read this because I know my buddy is

about to become an older brother and he is
extremely excited about it. After reading the
poem we will discuss the rhyming words. He
doesn’t seem to hear rhyming words he can
only identify them from looking at the
endings therefore we will spend time
listening to the rhymes and I will support him
with being able to hear them. Commented [28]: It is great that you are continuing to
focus on rhyme...introducing it and exploring it in
different ways will help guide you in discovering the
best way to teach your buddy rhyme.
Read Aloud This book helped expose G to the concept
of rhyme. After the explanation I gave
I will read “Llama Llama Red Pajama”. First, during the poem he began pointing out
this book is a rhyming book. This is a similar endings in the book. For example,
concept that my buddy still needs some he would point to “mama” and “llama” and
practice with therefore I think this book say “there’s an m” as he points to the m in
would be a great way to help him be more mama then say “there’s an m” and point to
exposed to rhyming. Another reason I chose the m in lama then he would do the same
this book is because it is about a newborn for the a’s. This made me realize he
and his mother. My buddy told me that his understood that some rhymes have the
mother is expecting and there is going to be same endings but he wasn’t able to hear
a newborn in his house very soon. So, I the rhymes. If I asked him if two words
think my buddy will be able to relate to this rhymed that didn’t have the exact same Commented [30]: Great personal connection!

story. ending he would say no. Commented [31]: This reminds me of the child you
had in previous weeks, when we were in the JVYC!
Word Work While doing this activity I noticed that G
knew that the first word in a sentence is
It has been very easy for my buddy to match capitalized because he put the “Llama”
up the cut up sentence to the written out with a capital “L” at the beginning. He also
sentence therefore I think it is time to extend knows a sentence ends with a period. He
his learning. This week I will write the put “mama.” at the end of the sentence
sentence, “Llama llama red pajama reads a because he saw the period. I also noticed
story with his mama” then I will cut it up and that even though he couldn’t read the
have him put the words back together to words, he was able to identify the words
make this sentence. I am anticipating a bit by the first letter in them. If I would say
of a struggle here but I will support him and which word is “red” or which word is Commented [32]: It is always great to challenge your
help him be successful. “pajama” he would know because he students and keep their ZPD in mind. Excellent idea.
knows the letter and sound of “r” and”p” Commented [33]: Lots of great observations! What is
your next step?

Looking at books G said he didn’t want to read a book to me

at all. Therefore I told him we could read it
I will bring “Quest” by Aaron becker because together to make him for more
it is a wordless book about two friends going comfortable. Then he picked to read “We
on a journey together. I think this would be a are Cousins” so we read it together. He
good book for my buddy because he is very was looking at the pictures and making
creative and imaginative and he could personal connections. Commented [35]: Did he enjoy the book?
create his own story. Also, my buddy kept
talking about how he and his newborn
brother are going to best friends when they
grow up. Therefore I think he would be able Commented [34]: AWWWW
to put himself and his brother in the shoes of
these two friends. I am also bringing “We
are Cousins/Somos Primos” because I
brought this book last week but we didn’t get
to this activity. My buddy lives with his
cousin therefore I think he would be able to
personally connect to this book. It might be
a little above his reading level but with
support I think he could do it. I will also bring
“My New Baby” which is a board book. It is
a simple book and he would definitely be
able to personally connect.
 Writing
I will bring the book we have been working
on for him to continue creating it.
Joke
Q: What did the apple say to the almond?
A: You’re Nuts!
I decided on this joke because my buddy
specifically asked me to bring a joke about
an apple.
Week 5- 10/24 (using the same lesson plan as last week because my buddy was absent)
G decided to make his own book about
Transformers. He asked me to write his
dictation on the pages. I wrote as he drew
detailed pictures. Commented [36]: Do you have plans for encouraging
him to write more independently?
We did not get to the joke this week.
Commented [37]: Ha! I hope he likes it.
Commented [38]: Thanks for letting me know. :)
Poetry
I will read the poem “Big Brother”
“My little eyes are watching
I am still working with my buddy on
rhyming. When we first did the poem he
was still unable to hear rhymes. I asked
him if “you” and “do” rhyme and he said
no because visually they have different
Commented [40]: I found a book that might help!! It's a
Mo Willems book called, "Nanette's Baguette". I'll bring
it Tuesday if you'd like :)
Commented [41]: I would love that! Thank you :)

All you say and do endings. He said that “so” and “to” rhyme
And when I grow up big and tall because they have the same ending and
I want to be like you was unable to hear that they don’t. He
also was highlighting the same words and
My little ears are listening saying that they rhyme. For example,
To everything you say “you” and “you”. Therefore after practicing Commented [42]: Which is a great decoding skill as
I am learning how to grow up the rhymes together I decided to give him well, because it shows that he can differentiate
between different letters and words on a page. :)
To be like you someday a mini lesson on what it means to be a
rhyme. Since he is still only visually Commented [43]: Great!!
So be careful how you teach me seeing rhymes I visually showed him how
To be the person that you are to change the first sound and keep the
You’re a knight in shining armor last sound the same to make rhymes. For
You’re my bright shining star” example I gave the word “map” then
changed it to “lap” to show him that those
I will read this because I know my buddy is make a rhyme. Then I had him change the
about to become an older brother and he is first sounds on his own to make more
extremely excited about it. After reading the rhymes and he was able to do it! We did a Commented [44]: This spontaneous and wonderful
poem we will discuss the rhyming words. He few of these as practices and it really decision that you made seemed to have helped! I am
looking forward to seeing if he remembers anything
doesn’t seem to hear rhyming words he can seem to spark a lightbulb in his head. I about it next week.
only identify them from looking at the guess we will see next week….
endings therefore we will spend time
listening to the rhymes and I will support him
with being able to hear them. Commented [39]: It is great that you are continuing to
focus on rhyme...introducing it and exploring it in
different ways will help guide you in discovering the
best way to teach your buddy rhyme.
Read Aloud I used this book as another opportunity to
explore rhymes with my buddy since it is a
I will read “Llama Llama Red Pajama”. First, place where he needs more support. We
this book is a rhyming book. This is a talked about the rhymes in the book and I
concept that my buddy still needs some had him point to the words that rhymed in
practice with therefore I think this book the book. Once again, he was using visual
would be a great way to help him be more cues to find those rhymes. I made sure to
exposed to rhyming. Another reason I chose stop and talk about the rhymes that don’t
this book is because it is about a newborn have the same endings so he could
and his mother. My buddy told me that his realize that rhymes don’t ALWAYS have
mother is expecting and there is going to be the same endings. He also learned a new Commented [46]: It will take lots of practice, but I feel
a newborn in his house very soon. So, I vocabulary word, “fret”. confident that with all of your help, he will continue to
learn and grow.
think my buddy will be able to relate to this
story. Commented [45]: Great personal connection!
Word Work While doing this activity, he was able to
recreate the sentence. He said “I need to
It has been very easy for my buddy to match find the one with the uppercase” therefore
up the cut up sentence to the written out he has the understanding that sentences
sentence therefore I think it is time to extend begin with an uppercase letter. Then he
his learning. This week I will write the said I need to find “r” and looked for red
sentence, “Llama llama red pajama reads a because it starts with the letter r then he
story with his mama” then I will cut it up and did the same for pajama. Even though he
have him put the words back together to can’t fluently read the sentence or some
make this sentence. I am anticipating a bit of the words he is able to use his
of a struggle here but I will support him and knowledge of sounds and letters to help Commented [47]: It is always great to challenge your
help him be successful. him. students and keep their ZPD in mind. Excellent idea.
Commented [48]: And as he continues to learn, his
fluency will continue to improve as well :)

Looking at books My buddy decided to read the wordless

book “Quest”. He was using the pictures
I will bring “Quest” by Aaron becker because and pointing to them while he created his
it is a wordless book about two friends going own story. His story made logical sense
on a journey together. I think this would be a according to the pictures. In a few of the
good book for my buddy because he is very pictures the characters were riding on
creative and imaginative and he could flying dragons and he sang “I believe I can
create his own story. Also, my buddy kept fly!!” Therefore he was using his own Commented [50]: HAHA
talking about how he and his newborn personal experiences while narrating this
brother are going to best friends when they book. Commented [51]: So what were you able to infer
grow up. Therefore I think he would be able about all of this information?
to put himself and his brother in the shoes of Commented [52]: He understands that illustrations
these two friends. I am also bringing “We play a major role in a story. He also understands how a
story should sound and how to be a storyteller. He
are Cousins/Somos Primos” because I used different tones of voice and ended it with "the
brought this book last week but we didn’t get end". It also made me realize how thoughtful I must be
when selecting books for him because he is more
to this activity. My buddy lives with his engaged when he can personally connect!
cousin therefore I think he would be able to
Commented [49]: AWWWW
personally connect to this book. It might be
a little above his reading level but with
support I think he could do it. I will also bring
“My New Baby” which is a board book. It is
a simple book and he would definitely be
able to personally connect.
 Writing
I will bring the book we have been working
on for him to continue creating it.
Joke
Q: What did the apple say to the almond?
A: You’re Nuts!
I decided on this joke because my buddy
specifically asked me to bring a joke about
an apple.
Week 6- 11/7
I noticed that my buddy knows a lot of
sight words. He is able to spell “to” “and”
“the” “he”. I also noticed that he once
again used his own personal experiences
to guide his narration. He talked about
McDonalds and drew a very accurate
McDonald’s sign. He also was able to
draw a very accurate stop light sign.
These signs are a form of literacy that he
experiences every day! Commented [53]: He is comfortable writing using
environmental print! I wonder what you can do with this
information...maybe a book with environmental print
somehow??
At first, my buddy didn’t know what an Commented [54]: That would be interesting to see! I
almond was therefore he didn’t really will search for one for an upcoming week!
understand the joke. But after I explained
to him that an almond is a type of nut and
I reread the joke he loved it and couldn’t
stop laughing!
Commented [55]: Ha! I hope he likes it.
Poetry
“Attention all scamps,
All rascals, and fools!
For forty-nine years
I’ve visited schools.
I’ve collected some tales
Whose lessons are grace
About boys and girls
Who didn’t behave.
They’ll give you the goosebumps.
They’ll shiver your skin.
Now pay strict attention:
It’s time we begin!”
I will read this poem because it is at the
beginning of the book that I am going to
read for the read aloud “substitute
creacher”. Then we will have another
conversation about rhymes and do more
practice with the rhymes in the poem and
other rhymes.
Read Aloud
I will read “Substitute Creacher” because my and those seemed to be distracting him. I
buddy said he wanted to read books about
school because he loves being at school.
Therefore I decided on this book because I
think it would be very engaging for him since book. To get him even more involved I
it is very humorous and my buddy is
hilarious. Some of the characters in the
book actually remind me of him (lol!) This
book also has a lot of rhyming words, which sandwich he held was of hamster and…..”
is an area that he still needs practice with. then I paused and had him say “cheese!” I
After reading the poem I asked my buddy
to circle the rhyming words. I asked him
what a rhyme is to see if he retained what
we discussed last week. He said “rhymes
have the same endings”. This was huge
for him because this is an understanding
that he did not have at the beginning of
tutoring. He is continually progressing
throughout this process and it is great to
see. Although he is progressing there are Commented [57]: It always feels so rewarding when
things he still needs practice with. When you can see students' growth. Nice job Brittney!
he began circling the rhymes he only
circled the last letter in the words. For
example he circled ‘s’ in scamps and the
‘s’ in fools. Therefore I covered up the
words and said them verbally and I asked
if they sounded like they rhymed. He told
me they did not. Then I verbally said
“fools” and “schools” and asked him if Commented [56]: Great book!! One of my faves :)
those sounded like rhymes and he said
yes. Therefore he is beginning to hear the
rhymes!
My buddy wasn’t very interested in this
book. He had toy cars with him this week
asked him to put them on the side of the
table and play with them after. Once he
did that he was more engaged with the
Commented [59]: Having him move his toys to a less
had him jump in at certain points. For distracting place was a great idea. It is also okay to
remind him that toys are great for after tutoring is over,
example I read “and no one else noticed so maybe he can leave them in his backpack! This
in time to shout “freeze!” that the would help if he continues bringing toys and playing
with them in the future.
Commented [58]: I was thinking the same thing! Ha
And you're right, there's lots of rhyme. Try to have him
realized that he was using the illustrations just HEAR the words as much as possible, rather than
and his knowledge of rhymes to decode always looking at them (I know he gets caught up in the
that is said “cheese”. spelling)
Word Work
I will use this time to work on more rhyming
with my buddy. I will do an activity to help
him learn auditory what rhymes sound like. I
will have three words to say and two will
rhyme and one will not. I will ask him what
words rhyme and see if he can identify
them.
Looking at books
I will bring “Pete the Cat Rocking in My
School Shoes” because I think the repetitive
nature of this book will help my buddy in
being successful in reading this book. I will
try to activity where I put a symbol next to
certain words that I want him to say
therefore he doesn’t feel intimidated to read
the entire thing on his own.
This activity worked really well with my
buddy. He was able to pick the two words
that rhymed. Something I noticed was he
would sometimes pick the two words that
had that began with the same letter. When
he would do this I would repeat those two
words back to him and ask him if they
rhymed. Each time he was able to identify
that they actually weren’t rhymes. Then I Commented [60]: Great! It may be beneficial for you to
gave him the three words again and pre-plan those word sets out now (write them on your
lesson plan ;) so that you have them as a reference
asked him to tell me the two that did tomorrow).
rhyme. After thinking about it again, he
was able to successfully pick the two
words that do rhyme. He is beginning to
really understand what rhyming sounds
like. Commented [61]: :) So what are your next steps with
rhyme?
I had my buddy read the song portions,
the answers to “where is pete?”, and the
“does pete worry? Goodness, no!” parts.
For the song portions, he was using the
pictures to decode what the words said.
For example, when it was “i’m reading in
my school shoes” he looked at the picture
and saw that pete was reading so he
knew that’s what the song said. For the
answers to “where is pete?” he used Commented [62]: With this book, he can probably
context clues to read it. For example, I read the entire song portions! "I'm rockin' in my school
shoes, I'm rockin' in my school shoes...". just follow
read “check out pete. He’s ready to eat in along with your finger while he reads!
a big noisy room with tables and seats.
Where is pete?” and my buddy read “The
lunchroom!” This strategy was very
effective for my buddy. He usually says
that he doesn’t want to read and becomes
discouraged during this part of tutoring
since he can’t fluently read yet. But, this
activity really helped boost his confidence
because he was able to do it successfully
yet it still provided a challenge for him. It
was the perfect combination of the both. Commented [63]: I could see that he really enjoyed
this portion of the lesson! What will you do to continue
boosting his confidence in this area?
 Writing
I will bring a new book for my buddy and
hopefully we can begin working on a new
book. But, I have a feeling he is going to
want to continue his book from the first
week so I will still bring that just in case.
Joke
Q: Why did the broom get a poor grade in
school?
A: Because it was always sweeping during
class!
I chose this joke because it goes along with
my theme of school.
Week 7- 11/14
My buddy wanted to continue working on
his fast and furious book. Something I
noticed this week is that my buddy is
being more independent with his writing
and using inventive spelling. Before this
week, if he did not know how to spell a
word he would automatically just ask me
and not even try to sound it out himself.
Therefore it was very exciting to see him
beginning to do this. Some examples
where I saw him using inventive spelling is
when he wrote “wef” for “with” and “ras”
for “race”. Once again, it is great to see
my buddy growing throughout this entire
process! Commented [64]: How exciting! Continue encouraging
his phonetic spelling :)
My buddy was close to guessing the
answer to this joke. He answered the joke
saying “because he didn’t sweep”.
Commented [65]: Ha!
Poetry
I will read the poem Five Little Turkeys:
Five little turkeys standing at the door,
One waddled off, and then there were four.
Four little turkeys sitting near a tree,
One waddled off, and then there were three.
Three little turkeys with nothing to do,
One waddled off, and then there were two.
Two little turkeys in the morning sun,
One waddled off, and then there was one.
One little turkey better run away.
For soon it will be Thanksgiving Day.
I will read this poem because Thanksgiving
is coming up and he continues talking about
eating his turkey. After we read this poem
we will discuss the rhyming words. Then I
will have my buddy write down the things
that he is thankful for to bring home to get
him even more engaged with the poem.
Read Aloud
I will read Nanette’s Baguette (thank you :))
to my buddy. This book is another way to
expose my buddy to different rhymes. By
reading this book aloud it will help him to
hear rhymes which is something we have
been working really hard on. Mo Williems
illustrations and stories are very fun for
young children therefore I think my buddy
will enjoy this book. This is important
because if my buddy is engaged he will be
more attentive and learn even more.
The biggest thing that I noticed with the
poem this week is that my buddy still gets
tripped up on rhyming words that don’t
have the same exact endings. He will say
that door and four don’t rhyme is he is
looking at the words but he will say they
do rhyme if I cover them up and say them
aloud. During the activity after the poem,
My buddy used a lot of phonetic spelling.
Something I noticed is that he gets his “o”
and “a” sound mixed up and his “e” and “i”
sounds mixed up. This is something that I Commented [67]: It is great to take note of wanting to
will address and practice with him within work on vowel sounds. I know this is an area where
my daughter (1st grade) still has a hard time with as
the next couple weeks. well.
Commented [66]: Hopefully we see some more
phonetic spelling here :)
This book was great for helping my buddy
rhyme. On each page he was able to point
out multiple words that rhymed. Some that Commented [68]: I hope he likes it and is able to find
he pointed out were suzette, nannette and the many, many rhyming words in the book!
georgette. He also pointed out yet, get
and bet. It gave him a lot of exposure to
what rhyming sounds like since almost
every other word was a rhyme. He also
enjoyed the storyline of the book and was
cracking up. Thanks again for the Commented [69]: I am glad to hear that! Learning
suggestion! about concepts (especially those that are challenging
to the individual) is best learned in a fun and non-
threatening way :)
Word Work
I will do the same activity as last week. I will
give my buddy three words and ask him to
tell me the two words that rhyme. This
worked really well last week. I want to
continue building up his knowledge of
rhymes. I will use some of the same
combinations as last week to see if he has
mastered them but I will also add new ones
for him to continue growing.
The words combinations I will use are:
-pot, hot, kid
-book, cook, cup
-bee, three, frog
-pig, wig, read
-get, let, rip
-light, bright, bat
-hit, mit, cat
-car, far, mad
Looking at books
I will bring “Pete the Cat I Love My White
Shoes” for my buddy to read. I will use the
same technique as last week where he
reads the words when he comes across a
picture of a shoe that I taped strategically strategy that works very well for my
throughout the book. This strategy worked
very well last week therefore I decided to
use it again this week and give him even
more parts of the book to read. This strategy me what that meant. I explained the
is really helping my buddy become more
confident in reading and not as intimidated. fret was in this book and he said “hey! I
Something I noticed this week during this
activity is he has a hard time picking out
the rhymes when I put the word that
doesn’t rhyme in between them. It seems
like he has a hard time remembering what
the three words wore so he just says the
last two words he hears. Therefore when
he does that I repeat the two words that
he said rhymed for example “read and
pig” and I will over enunciate them and
ask him if they do rhyme. He is able to Commented [70]: This is a great example of
immediately tell me that they do not scaffolding your buddy's learning, as well as assessing
his understanding!
rhyme. Then I asked him if “read and wig”
rhyme and he told me no. Then I asked if
“pig and wig” rhyme and he immediately
says yes. Although this activity worked
very well for him last week, this week it
didn’t go the same. Therefore I think for
next week I need to change it up so it’s
not confusing him. Commented [72]: I wonder what made it more
confusing for him this week? I am looking forward to
how you plan to change it up :)
This strategy worked very well for my Commented [71]: Thanks for writing them out here :)
buddy again. This week I gave him even
more sections to read and he was
successful in doing so. I noticed once
again that he is using the pictures to
decode the words on the page. This is a
buddy. Something that was interesting is
that a few weeks ago the word “fret” was
in one of the books we read and he asked
meaning to him. Then this week the word
remember that word”. This was a proud
moment for me because it shows that he
is expanding his knowledge and truly
learning. Commented [73]: AWESOME! Was he able to tell you
what it meant? I love those moments as a teacher!
 Writing We didn’t have enough time to get to write
this week.
My buddy finished his book that he has
been working on therefore I will bring
another book for him to begin. This time I
will bring a variety of materials for my buddy
to use such as: markers, crayons, water
colors, and scissors. This will allow him to Commented [74]: Inviting him to use a variety of
become more creative and have the materials and tools is a great way to encourage his
creativity :)
freedom to create something he wants.

Joke My buddy got a kick out of this joke! He

looks forward to hearing them every week.

Q: Why did they let the turkey join the

band?
A: Because he had the drumsticks Commented [75]: haha

Week 8- 11/21 (I will absent this week. Andie is going to work with my buddy. She will use Commented [76]: Thank you for letting me know.
her lesson plan.)

Week 9- 11/28

Poetry My buddy loved that the theme this week

was cars. This is something he is very
Five Little Cars familiar with so he was interested in the
activities. My buddy was able to read most
One little car, of the simple words in this poem and the
Going to the zoo, numbers. For example, “car” “zoo” “one”
Met another car, “two” “out” “by” etc. He needed a little bit
Then there were two. more support reading the entire poem
through.
Two little cars,
Driving by the sea.
One drove up from the beach,
Then there were three.

Three little cars

Driving by the store,
Another pulled out,
Then there were four.

Four little cars

Out for a drive,
Another car joined them,
Then there were five.

I will read this poem aloud first then I will

ask my buddy to read it along with me. I
think this poem is simple enough that he will
be able to read it with some help. I also
decided on this poem because it is about his
favorite topic- cars.

Read Aloud I actually changed the book to

“Supertruck” because I was unable to get
I will bring the book “Hot Rod Hamster” to “Hot Rod Hamster”. My buddy wasn’t too
read to my buddy. For our last session I engaged with this book. I think it was too
wanted to choose a topic I know my buddy simple and didn’t have as much a
is very interested in - which is cars. storyline as my buddy would like.
Therefore this book is a very fun way to
incorporate cars into the session. I think he
will have a lot of fun listening and engaging
with this book.
Word Work We did this during our writing time.

This week we will spend time working on

our performance for the party. He wants to
read both the books he has created
therefore we will practice reading them
aloud.

Looking at books This is the first time I saw my buddy

genuinely excited to read a book! Last
I will bring the elephant and piggie book week, he read an elephant and piggie
“Today I Will Fly”. I will also bring the finger book with Andie therefore he was familiar
puppets I have that go along with the book. I with the book I brought this week. I think
will have my buddy choose either the this really boosted his confidence because
elephant or the biggie parts of the book. I he knew what to expect and he knew
will have him read the parts of the character these books were enjoyable to him. It also
he chooses and I will read the other parts. really helped having the finger puppets for
We will use the puppets to act out the story him to use. He was very engaged with the Commented [77]: What a nice idea! I am glad he
as we read. This book is simple enough that story and using the puppets along with it. enjoyed the story and the puppets!
I think he will be successful in reading it and Sometimes he got a little too focused on
it will help build his confidence. Using the the puppets and not so much the words
puppets is a fun way to get him to interact on the pages therefore I had to direct his
with the book even more. attention back to the book.

Writing We used this time to practice what he was

going to do for the performance party. I
I will let my buddy add and revise his two wish we had a little bit more time because
books so they are ready to share for the I am not sure if he is 100% ready… I
performance party. guess we will see :) Commented [78]: He will do great!! :)
Joke My buddy was actually able to guess the
answer to my joke this week. He loved it!

Q: What part of the car is the laziest?

A: The wheels, because they are always

tired!

This joke goes with my theme of cars.