ADVANCED READING COURSE • GRADES 5–8

Future-Proof Your Child's Reading

A 10-week, live, 1-on-1 course that teaches students the advanced reading skills needed to understand increasingly challenging fiction and nonfiction texts.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation
Advanced Reading Strategies
Live 1-on-1 Zoom Lessons
Grade-Level Texts
David Marrufo
David Marrufo
Reading Educator and Creator of the Advanced Reading Course
PREPARE THEM FOR WHAT COMES NEXT

Reading Becomes More Demanding Every Year

As students move through middle school and toward high school, they encounter longer passages, more complex ideas, paired texts, scientific explanations, arguments, and questions that require deeper analysis and stronger evidence. The Advanced Reading Course prepares students for these increasing academic demands before they become reading roadblocks.

More Complex Texts

Students encounter increasingly challenging fiction, science, biography, and argumentative reading throughout middle school and beyond.

Deeper Analysis

Students are expected to compare ideas, analyze perspectives, support conclusions with evidence, and explain increasingly complex thinking.

Greater Independence

As students advance through school, teachers expect them to understand difficult passages with less guidance and greater confidence.

The Advanced Reading Course prepares students for these demands before they become reading roadblocks.

IS THIS COURSE RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD?

Designed for Students Ready to Build More Advanced Reading Skills

The Advanced Reading Course is designed for students who are ready to move beyond simply completing reading assignments and begin developing the advanced reading skills needed for increasingly challenging texts.

Reads fluently but wants stronger reading comprehension

Wants more challenge than classroom reading currently provides

Needs a clearer strategy for approaching unfamiliar passages

Wants to become stronger at understanding fiction and nonfiction

Wants to improve how they support answers with evidence

Wants to prepare for future standardized reading passages

Is entering increasingly demanding middle-school or high-school coursework

Would benefit from personalized 1-on-1 instruction

The Advanced Reading Course does more than encourage students to read more. It teaches the advanced reading skills needed for increasingly challenging texts.

BEYOND WEEKLY HOMEWORK HELP

More Than Traditional Reading Tutoring

Traditional reading tutoring often focuses on the assignment a student needs to complete that week. A tutor may explain a passage, correct missed questions, help with homework, or prepare a student for an upcoming classroom assessment. That support can be extremely valuable, but students may still need the same assistance each time the passage changes. The Advanced Reading Course takes a different approach by teaching advanced reading skills that students can continue applying long after a particular assignment is finished.

Traditional Reading Tutoring

  • Focuses on current homework and classroom assignments
  • Addresses immediate reading questions
  • Often works one passage at a time
  • Provides valuable short-term academic support
  • Students may continue needing assistance as texts become more difficult

Advanced Reading Course

  • Follows a structured 10-week learning progression
  • Builds advanced reading skills over time
  • Uses fiction and nonfiction across multiple genres
  • Adapts instruction to each student's reading level
  • Helps students approach future passages with greater confidence and independence

The goal is not just to help students complete today's passage. It is to teach advanced reading skills that future-proof their reading.

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation
BUILD THE FOUNDATION BEFORE TEST PREP BEGINS

Build Advanced Reading Skills Before Test-Prep Boot Camps

Many test-prep programs begin in Grades 9 or 10 and focus on practice tests, timing, question formats, and strategies for a particular exam. The Advanced Reading Course begins earlier, in Grades 5–8, so students can build stronger reading skills before high-stakes test preparation becomes necessary.

Traditional Test-Prep Boot Camps

  • Often begin in Grades 9–10
  • Prepare students for a particular exam
  • Use practice tests and timed exercises
  • Teach pacing and exam-specific strategies
  • Focus on a defined testing period

Advanced Reading Course

  • Designed for Grades 5–8
  • Builds skills before high-stakes testing
  • Uses fiction, science, biography, and argument
  • Teaches evidence, perspective, and paired-text analysis
  • Builds skills that transfer across classes and assessments
1
Grades 5–8
Advanced Reading Course
2
Grades 9–10 and Beyond
Test Preparation When Needed
3
Future Academic Demands
More complex coursework and assessments

Test-prep boot camps prepare students for a particular exam. The Advanced Reading Course builds advanced reading skills that transfer across passages, genres, classes, and future assessments.

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation
10-WEEK CURRICULUM

A Structured Progression of Advanced Reading Skills

Each lesson builds on the previous one, helping students develop the advanced reading skills needed for increasingly challenging fiction and nonfiction texts.
Week 1

Plot Tracking & Best Evidence

Learn how to follow the important events in a story while supporting answers with the strongest evidence from the text.

Week 2

Plot Tracking & Best Evidence, Part Two

Strengthen both skills using increasingly challenging passages and more complex questions.

Week 3

Facts of the Text & Characterization

Distinguish directly stated information from inferences and describe characters using evidence from the text.

Week 4

Perspective

Analyze how different viewpoints influence events, decisions, and understanding.

Week 5

Scientific Passages

Read scientific texts, evaluate explanations, and critique scientific theories using textual evidence.

Week 6

Paired Scientific Passages

Compare multiple scientific texts and evaluate how they present related information.

Week 7

Argumentative Passages

Analyze claims, reasons, evidence, and persuasive techniques in argumentative writing.

Week 8

Paired Argumentative Passages

Compare arguments, evaluate evidence, and identify similarities and differences between authors.

Week 9

Biographical Passages

Analyze important people, their decisions, challenges, and accomplishments using evidence from the text.

Week 10

Paired Biographical Passages

Compare the lives, perspectives, and achievements of two historical figures.

Learn how to follow the important events in a story while supporting answers with the strongest evidence from the text.
Strengthen both skills using increasingly challenging passages and more complex questions.
Distinguish directly stated information from inferences and describe characters using evidence from the text.
Analyze how different viewpoints influence events, decisions, and understanding.
Read scientific texts, evaluate explanations, and critique scientific theories using textual evidence.
Compare multiple scientific texts and evaluate how they present related information.
Analyze claims, reasons, evidence, and persuasive techniques in argumentative writing.
Compare arguments, evaluate evidence, and identify similarities and differences between authors.
Analyze important people, their decisions, challenges, and accomplishments using evidence from the text.
Compare the lives, perspectives, and achievements of two historical figures.
HOW THE COURSE WORKS

A Personalized Learning Experience from Beginning to End

Every lesson is taught live in a one-on-one setting and is adapted to your child's current reading level. Each week builds on the previous one, helping students develop stronger reading habits and greater confidence through guided practice and personalized feedback.
1

Assess

Begin by understanding the student's current reading strengths and identifying areas for growth.

2

Teach

Introduce advanced reading skills through carefully selected fiction and nonfiction passages.

3

Practice

Apply each skill using increasingly challenging texts with personalized guidance and feedback.

4

Grow

Build confidence and independence as students apply their new reading skills across a wide variety of passages.

Every lesson builds on the previous one, helping students develop reading skills they can continue using long after the course is complete.

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation
STANDARDIZED READING PREPARATION

Build the Reading Skills Behind Strong Test Performance

Standardized reading assessments present students with unfamiliar passages and require them to analyze ideas, interpret evidence, compare texts, and support their thinking. Rather than teaching students how to take a particular test, the Advanced Reading Course develops the reading skills that transfer naturally to these assessments.

Analyze Unfamiliar Passages

Learn to approach new fiction and nonfiction texts with confidence.

Support Answers with Evidence

Identify and explain the strongest evidence from the text.

Compare Multiple Texts

Analyze relationships between paired passages and multiple viewpoints.

Think Critically

Evaluate ideas, perspectives, and arguments using careful reading and reasoning.

Students who develop strong reading skills are better prepared for standardized assessments because they understand how to analyze, interpret, and support their thinking across many different types of passages.

STUDENT OUTCOMES

What Students Take With Them After the Course

By the end of the Advanced Reading Course, students leave with stronger reading habits, greater confidence, and a set of transferable reading skills they can continue applying in school for years to come.

Read More Challenging Texts

Approach increasingly difficult fiction and nonfiction with greater confidence.

Find Stronger Evidence

Support answers using the most relevant information from the text.

Think More Critically

Analyze ideas, perspectives, arguments, and multiple texts with greater depth.

Read More Independently

Apply effective reading strategies with less teacher or parent support.

Communicate More Clearly

Explain ideas using organized thinking and evidence from the passage.

Prepare for Future Success

Build reading skills that support middle school, high school, college-ready coursework, and future standardized assessments.

The goal isn't simply to complete a 10-week course—it's to build reading skills that continue supporting students long after the final lesson.

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Over 20 Years of Helping Students Become Stronger Readers

David Marrufo has spent more than two decades helping students strengthen their reading comprehension through structured, individualized instruction. The Advanced Reading Course brings together the strategies and teaching experience he has refined over years of working with students across a wide range of reading abilities.
David Marrufo
David Marrufo
Reading Educator and Creator of the Advanced Reading Course
Over 20 years of teaching experience
Personalized live 1-on-1 instruction
Structured lessons that build lasting reading skills
Focus on long-term academic growth rather than short-term memorization
Every student learns differently. That's why every lesson is personalized to the student's current reading level while following a structured progression of advanced reading skills.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation

ENROLLMENT

Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Consultation

Every student is different. During your free consultation, we'll discuss your child's current reading strengths, your goals, and whether the Advanced Reading Course is the right fit. There is no obligation to enroll.

What We'll Discuss

  • Your child's current reading strengths and challenges

  • Your academic goals for your child

  • How the Advanced Reading Course is structured

  • Whether the course is the right fit for your family

The consultation is designed to help you make an informed decision—not to pressure you into enrolling.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Common Questions from Parents

Here are answers to some of the questions parents most often ask before enrolling in the Advanced Reading Course.
The Advanced Reading Course consists of ten live, one-on-one lessons taught over ten weeks.
The course is designed for students in Grades 5–8 who are ready to build stronger reading comprehension and prepare for increasingly challenging academic texts.
Yes. Every lesson is taught live and adapted to each student's current reading level while following the course's structured progression.
The course develops the advanced reading skills that naturally transfer to standardized reading assessments, classroom reading, and future academic work.
No. The course is designed for students who want to strengthen their reading skills before academic reading becomes more demanding.
We'll discuss your child's current reading strengths, your goals, and whether the Advanced Reading Course is the right fit for your family.

Still have questions? Schedule a free consultation and we'll be happy to answer them personally.

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation
PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR WHAT COMES NEXT

Future-Proof Your Child's Reading

Give your child the advanced reading skills needed to approach increasingly challenging fiction, nonfiction, paired passages, and future academic assessments with greater confidence.

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation

No obligation to enroll. The consultation is a simple conversation about your child's reading strengths, goals, and whether the course is the right fit.