When the students arrive at Book Mark after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they are given a healthy snack typically consisting of cheese, crackers, & fruit.

Then, they work with their tutor on a couple of reading lessions provided by The Florida Center for Reading Research. This takes about 30-40 minutes. The reading lessons will include word recognition skills*, and  language comprehension**. They also practice reading for fluency with their tutor.

The final activity of the day is Story Time. A tutor or local author reads aloud to the students who engage interactively with the reader.

• * Word recognition skills will be supported through
• phonological awareness,
• phonics, and
• fluency activities targeted to students’ instructional needs.
• **Language comprehension skills will be enhanced through
• interactive reading where the tutor will conduct a read aloud and facilitate a
• discussion about the story to enhance
• oral language and
• vocabulary knowledge.

The volunteer tutors for On Track Reader consist of interested individuals (mostly retired teachers) who want to help children learn to be better readers. Nautical Yarn and Book Mark sponsor the free tutoring program. The tutors who work with children during previous sessions were very caring, diligent, and dedicated to the success of each student. To enroll in Tutor Training, please review the tutor training document (Download) and, then, email info@ontrackreader.com to register for the Fall Tutor Training Workshop.

Ludington Area Schools provides bus service from Ludington Elementary School to Book Mark each Tuesday and Thursday where On Track Reader tutoring sessions are scheduled. 
Parents:

• Please fill out the Transportation Permission Slip (Download) and return to info@onttrackreader.com or drop off the signed Transportation Permission Slip during Parent/Teacher Conferences, October 15 or 16, 2025.
•  Also, please use the PikMyKid app to schedule your child on the bus.
• Parents are expected to pick up their child by 4:45 PM after each session.

Experts say it's important for students to be able to read proficiently by third grade, because that's when students stop focusing on learning how to read and begin using reading to learn. Many states, including our home state of Michigan, hold back students who are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade. Therefore, ON TRACK READER is focused on building foundational reading skills in the early grades, K-3.

Children must be prepared to be self-motivated learners in today's fast-paced world. And to be successful, they must be fluent readers. The goal of ON TRACK READER is to help your child reach his/her full reading potential. Our program will also help you, the teacher/parent, motivate and engage with your student/child with tips and techniques designed by experts in literacy and reading.

We have partnered with prominent experts in education, curriculum, and reading to make the ON TRACK READER program a reality.

We are happy to begin our second year of On Track Reader beginning after Parent/Teacher Conferences in October.  The Parent and Tutor Training Sessions are scheduled for October 9 and October 11, respectively.  Dr. Marcia Kosanovich, who was the team leader for the development of many of the materials used by educators across the country to help children in grades K - 3 learn to read, will conduct the training sessions.  

A Typical Tutoring Session

• The students arrive at Book Mark by bus from Ludington Elementary School.  If a child is home-schooled, it is the parents' responsibility to bring the child to Book Mark.
• The student is served a healthy snack and the tutoring begins.  Fun, game-like activities are directed by the tutor.  Also, the student and tutor read to each other from the On Track Reader library of books.l
• The tutor presents the the student with a "Book Buck" as a reward for diligence and successful completion of tasks.  The "Book Bucks" are saved until the last tutoring session of the season (Fall, Winter, Spring) when they are used to "purchase" a book of the child's choice from Book Mark.  Book Bucks are sponsored by Book Mark and Nautical Yarn.
• Finally, it is StoryTime!  A tutor, local author, or guest read a favorite book to the children.  The children and tutors are big fans of StoryTime.
• Parents arrive to pick students up about 4:30 PM.

Tutors are trained in the Science of Reading by Dr. Marcia Kosanovich. During tutoring sessions tutors will use evidence-based instructional materials including:

• Teacher Guides for Supporting Family Involvement in Foundational Reading Skills for Grades K-3
  developed by the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast and
• Videos Supporting Family Involvement in Foundational Reading Skills for Grades K-3
  developed by the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast and
• Student Center Activities
  developed by the Florida Center for Reading Research and
• Decodable Foundations
  developed by the University of Florida Literacy Institute.

The staff at Book Mark provide healthy after-school snacks for the children who attend the twice-weekly tutoring sessions. Examples include:
Fruit
Cheese Sticks
Crackers
Veggie Sticks