The first session focuses on understanding your child's current reading level, strengths, and specific challenges. A tutor will likely have your student read aloud or silently, ask comprehension questions, and discuss what strategies they're already using. This assessment helps create a personalized plan—whether your child needs help with phonics, sight words, fluency, or understanding stories—so every session after that targets exactly what they need.

Strong comprehension comes from active reading—asking questions before, during, and after reading, connecting new information to what you already know, and visualizing scenes. Tutors teach students these strategies and practice them together with books at the right level, so reading feels less like a chore and more like discovering a story. With personalized feedback and guided practice, students build confidence and understand what they read more deeply.

Kindergarten and first grade focus on letter recognition, phonics, and decoding simple words. By second and third grade, students should read simple sentences fluently and answer basic questions about stories. Upper elementary (grades 4-5) emphasizes reading longer texts, identifying main ideas, making inferences, and understanding character motivations. If your child is falling behind these benchmarks, a tutor can help close gaps and build confidence before skills gaps widen.

Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors who have strong backgrounds in elementary education, reading instruction, or related fields. Many have teaching experience, certifications in literacy coaching, or expertise in phonics-based and comprehension-focused methods. When you connect with a tutor, you'll learn about their specific experience with elementary readers and can discuss your child's needs to ensure it's a great fit.

Yes. With 22 school districts across Dallas serving over 207,000 students, reading approaches can vary—but the fundamentals of phonics, fluency, and comprehension are universal. Tutors work with your child's specific curriculum and materials, whether that's guided reading groups, leveled readers, or district-adopted programs. This personalized approach means tutoring complements what's happening in the classroom and fills gaps quickly.

Consistent practice is key—research shows that regular, focused reading instruction combined with independent reading practice produces the strongest gains. Most students benefit from tutoring once or twice a week paired with daily reading at home, even if it's just 15-20 minutes. A tutor will suggest books at the right level and strategies to make home reading productive, so improvement happens both in sessions and between them.

Struggling readers often need a slower pace, more repetition, and confidence-building—things that are hard to provide in a classroom with a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. A tutor works one-on-one, choosing books and strategies that match your child's level, celebrating small wins, and adjusting the approach if something isn't working. Over time, this personalized support builds both skills and a positive attitude toward reading.