Interested in learning more about private tutoring services?
Please click HERE to submit an inquiry form and get more information.
Laura Utz, M. Ed. - Indiana Dyslexia Reading Specialist
- Effective professional educator with over 16 years of teaching experience, ranging from early childhood through grade 8 and a former 5th grade classroom teacher.
- Current Reading Specialist teaching a comprehensive Orton-Gillingham based multi sensory, systematic, explicit Structured Literacy program to struggling readers in grades 1-3 in South Bend, IN.
- Creative, energetic, detail-oriented individual with excellent communication and social skills.
- Offering personalized tutoring service of the highest quality.
- Giving children the necessary foundation and confidence to empower them to grow & succeed!
READING:
Success is school starts with reading. Teachers are passionate about helping students succeed, yet too often, we see some students slip through the cracks and they do not become skilled readers: students who are able to read words in isolation instantly and accurately. It's common for children to depend on their memory and store the visual images of words in their minds. But when these students come across a word that is not in their visual memory, they often look at the first letter of the word and then "guess" a word that begins with the same letter that will hopefully make sense. Reading is exhausting for these kiddos! Fortunately, cognitive scientists' research is now available that suggests how to give students like these a great start to become a skilled reader. This research found that ALL students benefit from the successful teaching approach that dyslexic or struggling readers need. The reading curriculum that I use systematically and comprehensively instructs students in phonemic awareness, phonetic and nonsense sight words, which contribute greatly to fluency. All of these components are critical of the successful development of reading comprehension.
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has found the following information:
5% of students enter kindergarten reading.
35% of students find learning to read relatively easy.
42% of students find learning to read to be challenging.
18% of students find learning to read to be extremely difficult.
I begin with a thorough assessment to evaluate students' higher level thinking skills, phonological awareness, phonics skills, and comprehension, which will determine their Fountas & Pinnell independent reading level. I then use this information to tailor my instructional plan.
5% of students enter kindergarten reading.
35% of students find learning to read relatively easy.
42% of students find learning to read to be challenging.
18% of students find learning to read to be extremely difficult.
I begin with a thorough assessment to evaluate students' higher level thinking skills, phonological awareness, phonics skills, and comprehension, which will determine their Fountas & Pinnell independent reading level. I then use this information to tailor my instructional plan.
copyright 2021 | laura utz
