Literacy tutor specializing in reading comprehension and writing

I graduated from the University of Maryland in 1969 with a major in anthropology and a minor in English and linguistics. I had studied French and Latin in high school, and have a particular interest and strength in languages and in English grammar and vocabulary. I have a Master's Degree in education of the Deaf, and taught at the RI School for the Deaf for 28 years before retiring last year. I also worked as a sign language interpreter at the Community College of RI for 8 years.

At the school for the Deaf I taught in the middle school and high school. I taught Introductory Latin and Roman Civilization, Developmental Reading, English Language Arts, and Writing. I have worked with small groups as well as one on one. As a member of the IEP team for each student, I had responsibility for assessing students' strengths and needs in literacy, and designing English Language Arts curricula to meet their interests and needs. In addition, I have administered individual reading and writing evaluations. I also worked as an English teacher with a home-bound deaf student, and after she graduated I tutored her in preparation for the ACT English and Reading sections.

Since retiring I have worked at an after-school program at an inner-city elementary school, teaching reading comprehension. I especially enjoy working one on one, and am looking forward to providing literacy tutoring tailored to the individual student's reading level, interests, and literacy gaps.

Sheila's Subjects

English:	ACT English, ACT Reading, English, ESL/ESOL, grammar, proofreading, reading, SAT reading, SAT writing, vocabulary, writing
Test Preparation:	ACT English, ACT Reading, GED, SAT reading, SAT writing
Language:	ESL/ESOL, sign language
Special Needs:	hard of hearing
Elementary Education:	elementary (k-6th), elementary math, grammar, reading, spelling, study skills, vocabulary
Corporate Training:	ESL/ESOL, grammar, proofreading, sign language
Homeschool:	elementary (k-6th), English, ESL/ESOL, reading, SAT reading, study skills, writing

Vocabulary

I have been a voracious reader of novels, biographies, historical fiction, and newspapers and magazines since junior high school. From this wide variety of reading I have greatly enhanced my vocabulary. Also, as a Latin teacher, I have fostered vocabulary development in my students by focusing on English vocabulary from Latin roots. In particular, I stressed sets of words from the same root (e.g. convene, convention; intervene, intervention).

Grammar

My background in linguistics and language development, as well as my many years of teaching students who are in the process of mastering English, has given me a special competence in teaching English grammar.

Reading

A lifelong love of reading has prompted me to teach students to develop their reading comprehension skills in order to read for enjoyment as well as knowledge. My entire teaching career of 28 years has been focused on providing the supports to enable students to increase their reading fluency, comprehension, and analysis. During a sabbatical year I did library research on the reading process and the teaching of reading, and developed a reading interview which evaluates students' use of cohesive... Read More

Writing

I have taught courses in writing at the high school level, focusing primarily on writing research papers, persuasive essays, book reports, and personal essays. I emphasize intelligibility of writing, logical consistency, coherence, and appropriate use of transitions, as well as the mechanics of punctuation, spelling, capitalization, word usage, and grammar.

English

As a student I consistently achieved at a high level in English classes. As an undergraduate I minored in linguistics and English. As an English Language Arts teacher of the deaf for many years, my goal was to enhance my students' English language and literacy mastery. As a Latin teacher, I focused on sentence structure and vocabulary building. I am an avid reader and also have a strong grasp of English grammar, vocabulary, and usage, as well as of the essential aspects of writing standard English... Read More

ESL/ESOL

I am a retired teacher of the deaf. For over 25 years I worked with middle school and high school students who struggled with conversational English and English in print. Even though English was the language of the home for many of the students, their hearing loss blocked full access to English, so they needed to be taught English developmentally and comprehensively. I have a strong background in English grammar, vocabulary, and usage, as well as many years teaching reading comprehension and writing... Read More

Proofreading

As an English teacher for many years, I have had ample opportunity to hone my skills at noting errors! I have a strong sense of English grammar and vocabulary, and a particular aptitude for editing for mechanics as well as intelligibility.

GED

I have worked with middle school and high school students for more than 25 years. Many of them have struggled with English and with literacy skills. I have developed strategies to help them to develop and to master the skills they need to read with understanding, and to write intelligibly. These are some of the basic skills that the GED assesses. My liberal arts background from my undergraduate studies, which included science and mathematics, and my love of reading across many fields of knowledge... Read More

SAT Reading

Throughout my own school and college career, I was highly proficient in the grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension and analytical skills that are emphasized in the SAT Reading test. I taught struggling middle school and high school students in introductory Latin and in English Language Arts, and am familiar with the difficulties students have in these areas, and how to address them. While it is important for students to practice the format of the college entrance tests, the foundational... Read More

SAT Writing

I have taught high school students (in both small groups and one-on-one) to develop their informational writing skills through attention to organization/logical consistency, supporting assertions with valid evidence, precise word choice, and mechanics of standard English, as well as creativity. These are the skill areas that I will emphasize in my tutoring.

Spelling

From my earliest days in school I have had a special knack for spelling. As an English teacher for many years, I am familiar with the difficulties many students have with spelling, particularly because many English words are not spelled as they sound, and English spelling rules do not account for the spellings of many words. Knowledge of grammar also helps with spelling, and this is an area of strength for me also. As a Latin teacher for many years, I emphasized the large number of English words... Read More

ACT Reading

My background in teaching English Language Arts, Reading, and Latin at the high school level has prepared me with a knowledge base from which to coach students on the most efficient ways to approach the types of questions found on the ACT Reading and English sections. I have provided ACT prep for the Reading and English sections to students on an individual basis. I am very familiar with the format of the ACT, general tips for taking the ACT, tips for the specific sections, and online practice... Read More

ACT English

Elementary Math

Although for most of my professional life I have focused on the development of reading comprehension in my students, I have retained strong skills in math from my high school and college studies. I took calculus in high school, and received a math award to study advanced mathematics in college. I decided not to continue with my math studies, but am confident that I can apply my teaching skills to benefit elementary students struggling with math, particularly to provide practice handling math word... Read More

Elementary (K-6th)

As a recently retired teacher of the deaf, most of my teaching years were spent with middle and high school students at the RI School for the Deaf. Many of these students were struggling and reluctant readers, so I am very comfortable with teaching students who are reading at elementary reading levels. I have taught English Language Arts, including English grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. As a Latin teacher, I also taught an introduction to Roman Civilization, and am comfortable... Read More

Study Skills

I worked with middle school and high school students at the RI School for the Deaf for 28 years. My focus was on English Language Arts, and I also taught introductory Latin, English vocabulary from Latin roots, and Roman Civilization. In addition to teaching the content of the courses, I put a great deal of emphasis on the meaningful practice necessary to master the material. I incorporated strategies for understanding and retaining the material in my class activities and home assignments.

Sign Language

I was granted Interpreter/Transliterator certification by the national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf in 1980, and interpreted at the Community College of RI from 1977 to 1985. I have a Master's Degree in Education of the Deaf from Gallaudet University, and taught in the middle school and high school of the RI School for the Deaf for 28 years. I have taught introductory sign language classes at the RI School for the Deaf and at RI Hospital. In June of 2008 my performance on the Sign Language... Read More

Hard Of Hearing

I have a Master's Degree from Gallaudet University in Education of the Deaf. I taught at the RI School for the Deaf for 28 years, in the middle school and high school. I also worked as a sign language interpreter at the Community College of RI for 8 years before teaching at the school for the deaf. I was certified as an interpreter/transliterator by the national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

Read all subject qualifications »

Education

University of MD at College Park University of Kentucky (Graduate) (Graduate Coursework) Gallaudet University - Special Education/Deafness (Master's)

Hourly Fee

Standard Hourly Fee: $35.00

With Prepaid Discount: $29.75 - $33.25

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Travel Policy

Sheila will travel within 10 miles of Providence, RI 02905.

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Sheila R.