Tutoring Resources

The very popular and extremely useful 'Adults Only Spelling and Phonics' handbook is available to current Read Write Now tutors - please login to your Tutor Portal to access the online version. 

There is a vast range of adult literacy sites on the Internet, however you need to be a little discerning (as with all things offered on this medium) as to how you and your student could benefit from the information. 

Some of the things to look out for when searching for suitable websites for students include:

• ease of navigation suitable for new computer users and readers
• pictures and symbols that clearly communicate information about the site to the user 
• avoid pages that are overloaded with print and can be confusing 
• sites that contain a large number of downloads (text and photos) can be very slow to load
• beware of external links to sites that are unsuitable or innappropriate

The literacy and numeracy links provided have been sourced to assist tutors and students. They are checked on a regular basis but some may change. 

Read Write Now takes no responsibility for the content changes of external links.

Some local libraries do have specific resources appropriate for adult learners.  Please ask library staff.  Read Write Now and the State Library of Western Australia entered into a partnership in 2000 to make it easier for adult learners to locate appropriate materials in the Library.

At the beginning and end of each year the University Bookshops are particularly good for 2nd hand ESL dictionaries.  Also you and/or your student could look in Op shops or market stalls for readers.

Students may own books and other materials they would like to use, but do not rely entirely on them remembering to bring them to tutoring sessions. Students' own experiences can be used to develop a range of language experience activities that are relevant and meaningful.

Print media can be utilised in tutoring sessions.

Examples of print media include:

• Newspapers - The West Australian and local community newspapers
• Newsletters - school and club
• Magazines - special interest such as fishing or fashion
• Journals or Periodicals - academic and industry publications
• Brochures - travel and information
• Junk Mail - local shopping and services

The Phonics Assessment may help if your student is unsure how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters. This handout will assist you to identify any gaps in their phonics knowledge.

If your student knows all the words found on the Word Frequency Use handout, they know the majority of words that they are likely to read.

The Grammar handout includes topics such as important verbs, tense, irregular verbs, useful terms and facts about sentence structure. The sheet is simply written and easy to follow and particularly useful if you are tutoring a CaLD student.

When developing lesson plans for your adult student, a list of Practice Activities can certainly come in handy. Go through this list for ideas and prompts on reading, writing and speaking activities to ensure these are covered in your tutoring sessions.

Do you need a blank Lesson plan framework as a guide to developing your plans each week? This is a Word document so you will be able to download it and enter the lesson plan for your student.

Spelling Hot Tips 2018 has been developed to provide a quick reference guide for assisting your student with their spelling. Ideas, tips and a couple of websites are listed.

A Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check sheet is available to help your student with their spelling.

An Alphabet Worksheet showing how to print both the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. This also shows where to start and the direction to follow.

Have you looked at the new resources that can be found in your region's resource cupboard? These resources can be borrowed for use in tutoring sessions. For a short summary of each book and the level of student they are best suited to, click Recommended list of resources and remember there is a much larger range in each group's collection for you to choose from.

Practice Reading and Writing Tasks for CERTIFICATE III IN SPOKEN AND WRITTEN ENGLISH by Shirley Haak and Katherine Seal is a photocopiable resource for teachers AMEPCertIIISpokenWrittenEnglishPracticeTasks This is a large file so only print off what you believe to be relevant to your student.

Friend of the RWN program, Clare Harris, produced a wonderful spelling book some years ago when she and her friend could not find the one they wanted. "SpellingWorks: A workbook of spelling strategies is a self-study spelling workbook for adults and young adults, in graphic format. Written by Maureen Hague and Clare Harris, it’s for people who ‘get stuck’ spelling certain words, or feel their spelling is hopeless, and it offers long-term strategies for improving spelling."   Although out of print now, you can download the book for free here.
Clare's website Englishy Things has a number of resources, worksheets and ideas for teachers and tutors of ESL students. Look for her books too!

Knowing the correct Cultural Etiquette for various countries can be helpful to tutors working with CaLD students. This handout covers China, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The document also contains a link to the cultural etiquette of other countries.

Need some ideas for FUN ways to end your tutoring session? Try these Fun Activities.

Lined Paper can be downloaded from a number of internet sites but in the meantime if you are in need of some try Printable Paper.

Events such as ANZAC Day can be made a part of lesson plans. A short text either written at the appropriate level of your student or written as part of a Language Experience exercise can introduce the student to vocabulary relating to the topic. Then, a range of activities can be designed by you to assist your student. For examples, look at these Anzac Day worksheets.

The Reading Writing Hotline has a great section of resources for tutors and to celebrate International Literacy Day 2021 made available their most popular beginner's workbooks. The workbooks are free to download and print out for individual use, or with a tutor. There are also videos with teacher instruction to help those working individually. The workbooks need to be used as a hard copy, not online. Subjects include Garage Sales, Going to the Doctor, Books and Babies, On the Road, and Trucks.

In this ever increasing competitive job market, a concise and informative resume is a key document to have in your folio. There are thousands of examples on the internet, but this template - used with TAFE students - should get you started.

A good article to read can be found here:

https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/article/resumes-the-good-and-the-bad