Early Elementary
2025-26 School Year
Learning to Read
Paisano Tutoring’s Philosophy of Education Regarding the Age and Grade Level for Teaching Reading
At Paisano Tutoring, students begin a formal reading program at age five, six, or seven, based on the age that the parents choose for their child. At Paisano Tutoring, children learn to read in their first year of formal schooling, which we always label as their kindergarten year, regardless of whether that year begins when they are age five, six, or seven.
At Paisano Tutoring, the philosophy and pedagogy for when and how children are taught to read are fundamentally different from that of the local Orthodox school. Paisano Tutoring supports learning to read at a later age, but also maintains the position that most children can learn to read over the course of one year and that this “learning-to-read year” should be labeled as the child’s kindergarten year, regardless of whether that “learning-to-read kindergarten year” takes place at age 5, 6, or 7. To label a child as a 1st or 2nd grader the year that they are taught to read puts the child at an unfair, unnecessary academic disadvantage if the child is ever to take assessment tests or a placement test for integrating into a conventional school. To understand our position on this issue, please read the following scenarios.
To learn more about our “Learn-to-Read in Kindergarten Guarantee,” to see our Early Elementary Story-Time book lists, or to hear a sample of the Paisano Tutoring First-Graders reading aloud, please scroll down.
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Scenario #4: A child is enrolled in a non-academic kindergarten (pre-school designed for 5-year olds) at the age of 5, and then the following year is enrolled in a “Learning-to-Read First Grade class” at the age 6.
Result: The child is the same age as those in the corresponding grade level in conventional schools, but is academically one year behind those in the corresponding grade level in conventional schools, because state standards are to teach reading in kindergarten.
Why this scenario is a disadvantage: If the child ever takes a standardized assessment test or placement test to enter into a conventional school, the assessment will be given according to the child’s designated grade level, and not according to the child’s age. The child is therefore at an unfair disadvantage because test results will be based on a comparison of the scores of those in the same grade level, but who are one year ahead academically. Families who attend an elementary school where the academic standards are a year below the conventional schools generally find it necessary for students to have a “catch-up year” of private tutoring before integrating into a conventional middle school or high school OR they find it necessary to drop back one or two grade levels in order to integrate into a conventional school setting that matches their child’s academic level.
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Scenario #3: A child is enrolled in a non-academic kindergarten (pre-school designed for 5-year olds) at the age of 4 (because the parents actually want him to learn to read at the age of 5), and then the following year is enrolled in a “Learning-to-Read First Grade class” at the age of 5.
Result: The child is academically one year behind those in the corresponding grade level in conventional schools, because state standards are to teach reading in kindergarten. In addition, the child is one year younger than those in the corresponding grade level in conventional schools.
Why this scenario is a disadvantage: If the child ever takes a standardized assessment test or placement test to enter into a conventional school, the assessment will be given according to the child’s designated grade level, and not according to the child’s age. The child is therefore at an unfair disadvantage because test results will be based on a comparison of the scores of those in the same grade level, but who are one year ahead academically. Families who attend an elementary school where the academic standards are a year below the conventional schools generally find it necessary for students to have a “catch-up year” of private tutoring before integrating into a conventional middle school or high school OR they find it necessary to drop back one or two grade levels in order to integrate into a conventional school setting that matches their child’s academic level. In addition, the child will be exposed to social interactions and conversations that are more socially mature (and possible socially inappropriate) since the child is a year younger than his grade level peers. This is especially detrimental for boys who mature later than girls.
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Scenario #2: A child is enrolled in an academic “Learning-to-Read Kindergarten” at the age of 5 and learns to read in that kindergarten year as a 5-year-old kindergartener.
Result: The child is academically on par with or ahead of those in the corresponding grade level in conventional school and is the same age as those in the corresponding grade level in conventional school.
Why is this an advantage: If the child in this scenario ever takes a standardized assessment test or placement test to enter into a conventional school, the assessment will be given according to the child’s designated grade level, and not according to the child’s age. The child will therefore score more competitively on assessment tests because he will be academically on par with or ahead of those in conventional schools for his grade level and will most likely have the ability to integrate into conventional schools later on without needing to drop back a grade level.
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Scenario #1: A child is enrolled in an academic “Learning-to-Read Kindergarten” at the age of 6 and learns to read in that kindergarten year as a 6-year-old kindergartener.
Result: The child is most likely academically ahead of those in the corresponding grade level in conventional school because a child who starts reading at an older age, learns faster and with less challenges because his brain is more developed. A child in this scenario is a year older than those in the corresponding grade in conventional school.
Why is this an advantage: If the child in this scenario ever takes a standardized assessment test or placement test to enter into a conventional school, the assessment will be given according to the child’s designated grade level, and not according to the child’s age. The child will therefore score more competitively on assessment tests because he will most likely be academically ahead of those in conventional schools for his grade level and will have the ability to integrate into conventional schools later on without needing to drop back a grade level. A child in this scenario will also likely have the social advantage of being older than everyone in their grade level which is beneficial for social interaction and also for sports. This scenario puts children at an advantage in cases where families intend to integrate their children into conventional schooling in later years.
When We Teach Reading
Paisano Tutoring’s
Educational Philosophy and Policy on
When a Child is Taught to Read:
At Paisano Tutoring, students begin a formal reading program at age five, six, or seven, based on the age that the parents choose for their child. At Paisano Tutoring, children learn to read in their first year of formal schooling, which we always label as their kindergarten year, regardless of whether that year begins when they are age five, six, or seven.
Paisano Tutoring’s Guarantee for Learning to Read in the Kindergarten Year
Our guarantee for learning to read in kindergarten: Paisano Tutoring offers a “Learn-to-Read Kindergarten class” that students can take as early as age five and as late as age seven. It is up to the parents to determine the age at which their child will begin. Paisano Tutoring never puts pressure on a child to read ahead of his natural ability. Paisano Tutoring is committed to a “learning-to-read experience” in which the child has joy, is stress-free, and feels emotionally safe (without fear of comparison or judgment by other students). Paisano Tutoring maintains that the majority of all children will learn to read with us in their kindergarten year (whether age 5, 6, or 7). If a child attends at least 160 of the sessions in the academic year of their “Learn-to-Read Kindergarten school year” and does not learn to read by the end of that year, Paisano Tutoring will offer free tutoring throughout the summer following their kindergarten year so that they can move forward into first grade at Paisano Tutoring as a confident reader.
We do not accept 4-year-olds into the “Learn-to-Read Kindergarten class,” as we believe there is no advantage and quite possibly a developmental disadvantage to beginning a formal reading program earlier than age five. However, we do allow 4-year-olds to enroll in the story-time portion of our early elementary class.
Paisano Tutoring First-Graders Read Aloud in a Group Setting as a Part of Their Education
Oral Reading in our Early Elementary Class, beginning in First Grade: At Paisano Tutoring, children who have completed kindergarten as competent readers begin reading aloud in a group setting in first grade. This is done in a way that all children are made to feel socially and psychologically safe from fear of comparison or judgment by other students. Children who are uncomfortable with reading aloud are never forced or pressured to do so; however, reading aloud to the group is generally perceived in our class as something fun and desirable.
Benefits of Reading Aloud: This practice of having the students read aloud helps them pay more attention and better retain the information in their memory. In addition, reading aloud to a group of peers fosters fundamental literacy, social, and cognitive skills, including fluency (expression/pacing), comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and confidence. It fosters social-emotional growth through empathy and active listening, while building attention spans, leadership skills, and encouraging interaction with literature.
Regarding Delayed Readers: If a child transfers to Paisano Tutoring from homeschooling or from another school and does not yet have the reading skills or confidence to read aloud to the group, they participate in the “read-aloud group story sessions” as an active listener until they acquire the needed reading skills to participate as an oral reader.
Participation of Preschoolers and Kindergarteners in the Paisano Tutoring Story Time: The students enrolled in our “Learning-To-Read Kindergarten Class” participate in the Read-Aloud Story-Time as active listeners rather than as oral readers. This is highly beneficial for cognitive development, the strengthening of social skills, and the lengthening of the attention span. We also allow 4-year-olds from the community to enroll for the Story-Time portion of the Early Elementary class, for whatever number of days per week is appropriate for that child, with the understanding that they are not in a formal reading program, but are benefiting by listening to the stories and interacting with the other children.
What Our First-Graders are Reading
On Fridays:
The Upcoming Sunday Gospel
(plus stories from the Lives of the Saints
or the Upcoming Feasts of the Church)
The students of our Early Elementary Class read the upcoming Sunday Gospel every week on Friday. All of the students, first grade and up, participate in story-time as oral readers. If kindergarteners or preschoolers are present at the “Gospel Read-Aloud,” they participate as active listeners rather than as oral readers. We are using the translation that is posted on the goarch website, as this is the translation that most of them will hear if their family attends an English-speaking service for the Divine Liturgy.
Sample Recording: Posted below is a recording of our Early Elementary class reading aloud the upcoming Sunday Gospel for that week. Please understand that the reading on this recording was not rehearsed. The children in this recording are seeing the text of the gospel for the first time just moments before beginning to read aloud. On the recording posted below, both of the boys are in the third month of their first-grade year. All of the students in the recording learned to read at Paisano Tutoring during their kindergarten year and began reading aloud to the group in their first-grade year.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays:
Science Class
Read-Aloud Story-Time
Please visit our “Early Elementary Science Class” webpage for a full book list of what we read and a description of the class format.
On Mondays and Wednesdays:
History & Geography Class
Read-Aloud Story-Time
For Church History on Mondays and Wednesdays, we read from the Friends of Christ series by New Rome Press, as well as Potamitis books and other Orthodox children’s books. Only the more advanced readers help with the oral reading from the Friends of Christ series; however, all students, first grade and up, help with the oral reading of the Potamitis books and other Orthodox children’s books.
For American History on Mondays and Wednesdays, we are reading the Little House series. We are currently reading On the Banks of Plum Creek. We have enough copies of the book for each child, 1st grade and up, to hold a copy of the book and follow along in the text. All of the students, first grade and up, participate as oral readers, reading aloud to the group. If kindergarteners or preschoolers are present at the “History Story-Time,” they participate as active listeners rather than as oral readers.
For Geography on Mondays and Wednesdays, we are reading and mapping the Holling C. Holling series, with minor edits and adaptations. We are currently reading Paddle to the Sea.
The Paisano Tutoring Library
Paisano Tutoring’s Library
is Available to All Paisano Tutoring Students
At Paisano Tutoring, students are welcome and encouraged to check out books from our library to read at home.
The book list for Early Elementary Science, most of which are available for check-out, can be viewed here:
paisano-tutoring.com/early-elementary/scienceA complete book list of our entire library is currently under construction. We hope to have our elementary book list for American History posted by the end of March.