They understand the story—but miss the questions.
They can often explain what happened but struggle to identify the evidence that supports an answer.
LIVE ONLINE READING COURSE · GRADES 3–8
Rescue Your Child’s Reading in 8 Weeks.
Reading Rescue gives students in Grades 3–8 explicit, step-by-step strategies for understanding stories, finding evidence, analyzing characters and perspectives, comparing texts, and reading nonfiction with greater confidence.
8 Weeks · Live Online · 60 Minutes Per Week · Grades 3–8
Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation See the 8-Week Curriculum ↓EXPLICIT STRATEGIES. MORE CONFIDENT READERS.
David Marrufo, MA
YOUR INSTRUCTOR & GUIDE
20+YEARS TEACHING
COURSE AT A GLANCE
8 WeeksOne connected course
1 Hour Per WeekLive online lessons
One-on-One or Small GroupGroups of up to six students
SEE READING RESCUE IN ACTION
Free Live Reading Class
for Grades 3–8
Before booking a consultation or enrolling, your child can attend a complete Reading Rescue lesson at no cost while you observe the teaching approach firsthand.
FEATURED LESSON: HOW TO TRACK THE PLOT
Students will practice Plot Tracking, Best Evidence, Annotation, and Story Retelling. Parents are welcome to observe, and a parent Q&A follows the student lesson.
Live on Zoom · 60 Minutes · No Cost · Limited to 8 Students
WHEN READING FEELS HARDER THAN IT SHOULD
Many Students Are Told to “Read More.”
Few Are Actually Taught How to Think Through a Passage.
They guess instead of returning to the text.
Answer choices can all seem plausible when a student does not have a clear method for checking them.
They lose track of characters or perspectives.
As texts become more complex, comprehension requires more than remembering events.
Nonfiction feels overwhelming.
Students may understand individual sentences without seeing how the information fits together.
Reading Rescue replaces guessing with a clear, repeatable approach students can use whenever they encounter a new text.
A STRONGER READER AT EVERY STARTING POINT
Designed for Students Ready to Become Stronger, More Independent Readers
Reading Rescue is designed for students in Grades 3–8 who would benefit from explicit reading strategy instruction—whether they are trying to catch up, strengthen an inconsistent skill, or accelerate beyond what they are currently learning in school.
BUILD
Develop a stronger foundation for understanding what a text says.
STRENGTHEN
Turn inconsistent reading habits into repeatable strategies.
ACCELERATE
Give capable readers more sophisticated tools for analyzing text.
HOW IT WORKS
Eight Weeks. One Clear System.
WHO
Students in Grades 3–8
WHAT
A structured 8-week reading course built around explicit reading strategies
WHEN
One live 60-minute lesson each week
WHERE
Live online instruction through Zoom
CLASS FORMAT
Individual 1-on-1 instruction or small groups of up to six students
IN EACH LESSON
Direct instruction, guided practice, immediate coaching, and application to new passages
THE READING RESCUE APPROACH
Strong Readers Don’t Just Read More.
They Know What to Look For.
Reading Rescue teaches students to approach a passage with a purpose. Instead of relying on intuition or choosing the answer that simply “sounds right,” students learn how to identify what a question is asking, return to the text, find relevant evidence, and reason toward an answer.
01Understand the Text
→
02Identify the Reading Task
→
03Prove the Answer
A TOOLKIT THEY CAN KEEP USING
Reading Skills That Transfer From One Passage to the Next
Understand Story Structure
Recognize the important events and relationships that organize a narrative.
Find Textual Evidence
Support answers by returning to specific information in the passage.
Analyze Characters
Understand what characters think, want, do, and reveal.
Track Perspective
Recognize how different people can experience or interpret the same events differently.
Compare Ideas
Identify meaningful similarities and differences.
Read Nonfiction Strategically
Organize important information instead of treating every sentence as equally important.
A STRUCTURED APPROACH
Reading Tutoring with a Clear 8-Week Plan
Families looking for reading comprehension help often find tutoring that changes according to the student’s current homework or assignments. Reading Rescue takes a different approach. It is a live online reading course with a carefully sequenced curriculum designed to build essential reading comprehension skills.
| Traditional Reading Tutoring | Reading Rescue Course |
|---|---|
| Often responds to current homework or assignments | Follows a defined eight-week curriculum |
| Focus may change from session to session | Each lesson builds on previously taught reading comprehension skills |
| Helps students understand the text immediately at hand | Teaches strategies students can apply to unfamiliar texts |
| May continue without a defined endpoint | Has a clear beginning, progression, and conclusion |
| Content depends on immediate school demands | Covers a planned sequence of fiction and nonfiction skills |
Your Child Will Learn a Better Way to Read
Each week introduces a practical reading strategy students can carry into new stories, informational texts, and future schoolwork.
Explore the 8-Week CurriculumTHE 8-WEEK READING RESCUE
A Step-by-Step Path to Stronger Reading
WEEK 1
Story Structure & Textual Evidence
Learn how strong readers organize the events of a story and support their understanding with evidence from the text.
WEEK 2
Story Analysis, Part II
Strengthen story analysis and apply the strategies to more complex narratives.
WEEK 3
Textual Details
Learn to locate, distinguish, and use the specific details that matter most.
WEEK 4
Characterization
Analyze characters through their actions, words, motivations, relationships, and changes.
WEEK 5
Perspective
Understand how a character’s or narrator’s perspective shapes the way events are experienced and described.
WEEK 6
Compare & Contrast
Identify meaningful similarities and differences between characters, events, ideas, or texts.
WEEK 7
Reading Informational Texts
Transfer the strategies to nonfiction and organize important information from informational passages.
WEEK 8
Reading Biography
Apply the complete Reading Rescue toolkit to nonfiction texts about real people, experiences, challenges, and accomplishments.
WHY EIGHT WEEKS
Focused Enough to Make Progress.
Short Enough to Start Now.
Reading Rescue is intentionally designed as an eight-week course. Each week builds on the strategies introduced before it, giving students enough time to practice a coherent system without committing to an open-ended tutoring program.
8 Weeks
→
8 Focused Skills
→
One Reusable Reading Toolkit
WHAT A LESSON LOOKS LIKE
Students Don’t Just Watch. They Read, Think, and Practice With Me.
01 — Direct Instruction
A new strategy is explained clearly and concretely.
02 — Guided Reading
Teacher and student work through a passage together.
03 — Active Practice
Students identify evidence, explain their reasoning, and apply the strategy.
04 — Immediate Feedback
Misunderstandings are corrected while the student is still working through the text.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Twenty Years of Teaching Reading, Comprehension, and Critical Thinking
David Marrufo, MA
David Marrufo has spent more than twenty years teaching English, reading comprehension, tutoring, and standardized-test preparation. He also taught third-grade humanities, giving him firsthand experience helping elementary-age students build stronger reading habits and comprehension skills.
He earned a B.A. in English with Highest Honors from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.A. in Philosophy from San Francisco State University.
Reading Rescue grew out of his belief that students make stronger progress when reading strategies are taught explicitly, practiced deliberately, and applied repeatedly to unfamiliar texts.
Teaching reading, English, comprehension, and tutoring
Highest Honors
Elementary and middle school reading specialization
FROM GUESSING TO REASONING
The Goal Isn’t Just Better Answers.
It’s Better Reading Habits.
BEFORE READING RESCUE
AFTER READING RESCUE
“I think it’s B.”
“I chose B because the text shows…”
Rereading the entire passage
Returning to the relevant part
Guessing what a question wants
Identifying the reading task
Remembering isolated details
Seeing how details fit together
Getting stuck on unfamiliar texts
Starting with a repeatable strategy
ENROLLMENT
Choose the Format That Fits Your Child
MOST PERSONALIZED
1-on-1 Reading Rescue Course
$797
Complete 8-Week Course
Or 4 interest-free payments of $199.25 with PayPal Pay in 4.
- Eight live 60-minute lessons
- Individualized instruction
- Immediate coaching and feedback
- Instruction tailored to your child’s needs and pace
LEARN TOGETHER
Small Group Reading Rescue Course
$277 / student
Complete 8-Week Course
Or 4 interest-free payments of $69.25 with PayPal Pay in 4.
- Eight live 60-minute lessons
- Small groups of up to six students
- Guided instruction and collaborative practice
- Same Reading Rescue curriculum
LIVE ONLINE · PACIFIC TIME
Available to Families Across the Pacific Time Zone
Reading Rescue is a live online reading course available to families across the Pacific Time Zone, including the San Francisco Bay Area and communities throughout California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada. All classes are scheduled in Pacific Time.
READY TO GET STARTED?
See If Reading Rescue Is Right for Your Child
Tell me a little about your child’s grade level, reading experience, and goals.
I’ll review your answers before we speak so the consultation can focus on your child rather than generic information about the course.
- FREE
- 15 MINUTES
- NO PRESSURE
CONSULTATION REQUEST
READING RESCUE
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YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
A Little More Clarity
Is Reading Rescue only for struggling readers?
No. Reading Rescue is designed for students who would benefit from more explicit reading strategy instruction. That can include students who are catching up, building consistency, or ready to accelerate.
What grades is the course for?
Grades 3–8.
How long is the course?
Eight weeks, with one live 60-minute lesson each week.
Is the course online?
Yes. All classes are conducted live through Zoom.
How large are the group classes?
Up to six students.
What kinds of texts will students read?
Students work with narrative and informational passages, including biographies.
Does my child need to prepare before class?
No advance preparation is required. Students will regularly encounter texts in class so they can learn to apply the strategies to material they have not already rehearsed.
What is the difference between Reading Rescue and regular tutoring?
Reading Rescue is a structured eight-week course rather than open-ended homework help. Each lesson teaches a specific reading strategy that builds on the previous weeks.
Where is Reading Rescue available?
Reading Rescue is a live online course available to families across the Pacific Time Zone, including California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada. Classes are scheduled in Pacific Time, and students participate online from home.
Can I split the tuition into payments?
Yes. Eligible purchases can be divided into four interest-free payments through PayPal Pay in 4 at checkout. Availability and approval are determined by PayPal.