Mission
At Grove Tutoring, we strive to create an environment that allows learning to be cultivated to support each student. Like groves of trees provide growth, shelter, and support, we hope to do the same for each and every student we engage.
Orton-Gillingham Tutoring
As an Orton-Gillingham Structured Literacy tutor, I offer an individualized approach (scope and sequence) for each child. Each session is tailored to fit the student’s needs, current skills, personality, and interests. There are five pillars of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Orton-Gillingham approach includes all five pillars along with these teaching principles:
- Diagnostic and Prescriptive
- Individualized
- Language-based and Alphabetic/Phonetic
- Mulitsensory
https://www.ortonacademy.org/resources/og-approach-principles-2/
Offerings
- Orton-Gillingham Structured Literacy reading tutoring
- ACT/SAT/SSAT English prep
- Homeschool Support for Language Arts, Writing, & Grammar
Deborah Holcombe, M.Ed. Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP), Associate Level, Orton-Gillingham
Before we had our four children, I spent a few years teaching high school English in a rural county in Georgia, as well as teaching adults to read in another rural county in that state. But, with a move out of state and a house full of children, I was fortunate to be a stay-at-home-mom (and a brief homeschool mom), working closely with the differences in each of my children’s educational journey. Eventually, a move out of the country led me to teaching reading to children of asylum seekers in Hong Kong, as well as working with adoptive parents in Hong Kong whose children were experiencing struggles in their education journey.
Since our move back to the US in 2021, I have continued to tutor struggling readers, teach students who need a full English curriculum for their homeschool year, and work with students who need preparation for the ACT, SAT, or SSAT.
These diverse experiences demand that I personalize my teaching, allowing me to regularly assess the progress of each student, to construct a scope and sequence that is personalized to each student, and to adapt my teaching methods accordingly to ensure each student’s learning style is honored. With the training and experience and commitment to professional development, I am able to attend to the continuous improvement of each student.
Along with a Master’s in Education, a BA in Speech Communications, and BS in Secondary English Education, Deborah is certified by the Orton-Gillingham Academy and ALTA. She is also certified in Self-Reg and TESOL.
Contact Us
Better yet, see us in person!
Every student has unique needs for support. Tell us more about what you are hoping a tutor can do for you, and we will start on a plan to help you get what you need.
Hours
Today | By Appointment |
Learn more on the Science of Reading
The goal of reading is understanding what we read, but research proves reading is a constellation of complex skills that must be explicitly taught. While some children pick up reading seemingly quickly, one in five children struggle with this complex task.
Dr. Louisa Moats author of LANGUAGE! Live® and LETRS https://louisamoats.com/debunking-5-popular-myths-about-dyslexia/
Dr. Tim Odegard (MTSU) on being dyslexic https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2520060868073994
Science of Reading
Over twenty years ago, to address the concerns over reading achievement in our country, the National Reading Panel identified five pillars of reading that should be included in every reading program: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The science behind the research informs us about what children need in order to learn to read, but it doesn’t fully inform us on how to teach those learners to develop into proficient, engaged, and lifelong readers. Thankfully, there are some great scientists and teachers guiding us toward the teaching of all readers, especially those struggling readers.
https://www.thereadingleague.org/media/what-we-have-learned-from-50-years-of-reading-science/
https://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/what-is-the-science-of-reading-1
How we read
Oral language is natural. When a child has exposure to oral language, a child can internalize and mimic it, but this is not the case for reading. Reading is not natural; it must be taught. Reading is a complex behavior, subserved by multiple systems in the brain that integrate and inform each other. Decades of research in literacy and neuroscience have determined that the human brain is not hardwired for reading. Humans must be explicitly taught the codes of many languages by understanding and internalizing the relationship between the sounds of a language and the symbolic representation of those sounds.
https://sarahsnippets.com/reading-and-brain/
Dr. Timothy Rasinski (Kent State) Reading Fluency https://therobbreviewblog.com/uncategorized/making-kids-read-fast-is-not-the-goal-of-fluency-instruction-making-meaning-is-2/
Podcasts
Science of Reading Podcast by Amplify
Reading Road Trip Podcast by IDA Ontario
Reading Road Trip Podcast by IDA Ontario
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/science-of-reading-the-podcast/id1483513974
“Science of Reading: The Podcast delivers the latest insights from researchers and practitioners in early reading. Each episode takes a conversational approach and explores a timely topic related to the Science of Reading.”
Reading Road Trip Podcast by IDA Ontario
Reading Road Trip Podcast by IDA Ontario
Reading Road Trip Podcast by IDA Ontario
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reading-road-trip/id1691166511
“In each episode of Reading Road Trip from IDA Ontario, host and classroom teacher Kate Winn explores evidence-based literacy instruction with a fabulous guest. From researchers and authors to educators and advocates.”
Sold a Story Podcast by Emily Hanford
Reading Road Trip Podcast by IDA Ontario
Sold a Story Podcast by Emily Hanford
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sold-a-story/id1649580473
“Millions of kids can't read well. Scientists have known for decades how children learn to read but many schools are ignoring the research. They buy teacher training and books that are rooted in a disproven idea. Emily Hanford investigates four authors and a publishing company that have made millions selling this idea.”