This document provides guidance for tutors on how to effectively tutor student writers. It outlines ten commandments for tutoring that emphasize being positive, focusing on long-term writing skills rather than just one paper, and teaching students rather than doing the writing for them. It also gives examples of specific techniques tutors can use, such as having students assess their own writing, use outlines, develop topic sentences, and find thesis statements. Throughout, it stresses the importance of getting students to do their own writing and thinking during sessions.

1. Becoming an Effective
Writing Tutor
LEVEL 2
ABRIDGED VERSION OF THE TASK: A GUIDE FOR TUTORS IN THE RUTGERS
WRITING CENTER

2. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for the day; teach
a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
 Respond to the needs of your “client”
 Listen and pay close attention
 Look at all supporting materials they have brought (assignment question, their draft, or
previous papers with professor’s comments).

3. The Ten Commandments of Tutoring
1) Be positive and do no harm.
Don’t make fun or be overly critical.
Realize baggage student might be carrying from high school experiences. Some teachers use
the red pen all over the paper, while others were not rigorous enough and created a false sense
of self-esteem.
2) Be friendly but don’t “socialize”.
They need your help because you have more advanced skills in this area. They don’t need your
friendship.
3) Cut the talking and get them writing.
The more a tutor talks, the less the student writes (and they will try to keep you talking!).

4. The Ten Commandments of Tutoring
 If the student has made no progress on writing their ideas down, discussion fades. They need
to leave with some tangible results and goals for the next session: notes and pre-writing that
THEY have developed by working closely with a few short passages or areas of the text, some
substantial revisions to one or more paragraphs, or at least, written notes about the direction of
the paper.
4)Think long term and don’t let “paper panic” shape the session.
 Don’t them get sidetracked by grades but rather progress. Emphasize looking at professor’s
comments and how to address those comments in the next paper.
If student is panicking, re-focus on getting something done.

5. The Ten Commandments of Tutoring
5) Keep the tasks authentic – there are no “generic” tasks.
Every student has weaknesses and strengths, so your approach shouldn’t be a cookie-cutter
approach. Identify what is most useful for them and their style, not necessarily some formulaic
writing process.
 You can identify where to focus by looking at professor’s comments, student self-assessment,
and your assessment of the writing itself. Always read what the student has written so far.
6) Don’t try to address everything – think “triage”.
 “Where is the bleeding most severe?” (especially with papers with multiple problems)
7) Supplement and don’t supplant the professor.
 For the most part, your work should complement class, not replicate. There will be times
when you might need to remediate. Professors focus on the whole class; you get to customize.

6. The Ten Commandments of Tutoring
 You can really use teachable moments, so you can break down each moment as much as your
student needs.
Encourage your student to see the professor during his/her office hours and to use the writing
center on campus, also.
Maintain your role as a tutor, not the professor. Don’t challenge the instructor’s methods or
authority.
8) Be their coach, not their savior.
 Sometimes, you are disappointed when the student doesn’t do well, but the paper is the
student’s responsibility, not yours.
Don’t encourage dependence. Make sure they do some writing on their own time, not just
when they are with you.

7. The Ten Commandments of Tutoring
9) Start with ideas, then work on form.
 Don’t waste a lot of time with the thesis statement. “A ‘thesis statement’ is rarely a starting
place for writing. [It] is simply the formal presentation of the writer’s ideas – and those ideas
can only emerge through the writing process” (10).
 Sometimes, the first thing we notice is organization and the need to clean a paper up, but the
problems could be conceptual.
10) Teach the writer, not the writing.
 Your focus should be on building a better writer, not creating the perfect paper.

8. Practices
Have students assess their own strengths and weaknesses.
 Help them to be a little more cognitively aware of their own writing.
 Discuss these points and they can strengthen the weak points and include more of the strong
points.
 This all can be accomplished by having the students go through previous papers, paying
attention to any feedback the teacher has written.
 The better you get to know your students and their writing style, the more you can improve
upon recurrent problems.

9. Practices
Make Lists.
 For students who do not enjoy writing, making lists might help facilitate ideas. You can then
use the lists as a start-up task as a check list.
 Lists can encompass the following areas:
- What they have discussed with their professors
- What has been discussed in class and how it can apply to their paper
- The weakest or strongest parts of their papers
- Specific areas they would like to work on during the session
- Questions about the material they would to answer by the end of the session (18).

10. Practices
A student who hasn’t read the reading or doesn’t understand it enough will not be able to write
a decent paper. Have students look at the title and subheadings. Skim the beginning and the
end of the reading. Here are some questions to ask to encourage the students to think more
deeply about the reading:
 Why did the author choose this title?
 Why does the author choose these examples?
 What ideas or words are repeated throughout the essay?
 Why would the author include so much description or imagery?
 What is the author’s tone?
If students refer back to the text, have them highlight that area. Probe further if you feel the student
hasn’t answered sufficiently.

11. Practices
Forcing students to refer back to the text is important because:
 it reinforces the author’s ideas;
 it provides a clear opportunity for you to ask them to expand on those ideas with their own input; and
 it allows a tutor who is unfamiliar with the text to see exactly what is being analyzed and how,
preventing students from accidentally misinterpreting the text (20).
Breaking down the text - ask students to find a paragraph they think is important but didn’t understand.
Have them read it sentence by sentence in order to summarize. Have them connect the hard paragraph
to the easier paragraphs they have read and understood.

12. Practices
Attributing Quotes
Often, a student will struggle with an idea the author presents and his/her position on that idea.
Questions to ask the student:
 Who said it? To whom? Under what circumstance?
 Does the author challenge, agree with, or modify the idea?
 How does it relate to the author’s position?
How does it relate to Author B’s position?
 How does it relate to your position (20)?

13. Practices
Relating passages
Sometimes students understand parts of a reading but don’t understand how these ideas fit
together. Pick a few pages of the reading and have your students write a one-sentence
summary of each paragraph. Then ask them to write a sentence to go between each summary
sentence, explaining how they fit together. This could also be used when a student has to
compare two essays (21).
Charting Main Ideas
Have students connect separate paragraphs to the title. They are now looking at the argument
of the paper without knowing it. After they outline the connections, have them write them
down. Then choose ideas to discuss and ask how they relate (What would author B say about
author A’s idea? Why?).

14. Connection Tasks
Clarifying Connections
Sometimes students will pick two quotes and get the connection but not know how to articulate
that connection on paper. Have the student write the two quotes on separate pieces of paper,
then ask them why they want to put these two quotes together. Have them write a few
sentences answering why, then have them use what they wrote to establish connections
between the quotes. Show the students that the “why” needs to be written about, not the
authors themselves or the quotes they selected. This is also a good way to address topic
sentences (22).

15. Connection Tasks
Free-writing with Structure
Put limits on what they can write about. Have them pick out a quote or idea and start writing
why they think it’s important. Then have them do that from another paragraph or a second text.
Then have them free write on the connection between the two. If they can’t connect the two,
have them pick out another quote or idea and repeat.
Drawing concept maps
This is especially good for visual learners. Have student pick a theme from the reading and then
have them branch off with other connected ideas from the reading or their own ideas. If they
have to connect to another text, have them do the same with the other text and then look for
connections.
You can also use key words from the assignment prompt as the starting point (23).

16. Connection Tasks
Creating Construction Columns
Have students divide a blank sheet of paper into two or three columns, each column for a
different author. Then have them pull important quotes from each author’s text and write them
in the column. Then have them look for connections between any quotes. Develop a chain of
quotes. This quote from column A goes with this quote from column B, which goes with this
quote from column C. You want them to develop a “single, unified theme,” which is the
groundwork for their thesis (23).
You can then have them write a sentence the “goes between” every quote, describing the type
of relationship exist between them.
If they have trouble with the quotes, just have them start with ideas, and the go back to the
texts to locate quotes that support the ideas.

17. Quotation Tasks
Some students know how to analyze and interpret quotes but others do not.
Quoting by Example
Again, the best way to evaluate a student’s use of quotes is to look at previous papers with the
professor’s comments. Have the student look at how he/she used the quote, and come up with
a “good” method. Have him/her come up with reasons this method works.

18. Quotation Tasks
Justifying Your Quotes
Have student pick a few important quotes and then have them answer the following questions
for each quote:
1) What does the author mean?
2) What are the implications of what the author has written? (How does it help develop his or
her thesis?)
3) How does the quote connect to the other text(s) you are discussing?
4) How does the quote connect to your position?
Again, if your student hasn’t gotten to the point of selecting appropriate quotes, have them start
connecting ideas and then select quotes to support those ideas.

19. Connection Tasks
Describe the difference between “Fact Quotes” and “Idea Quotes”
Sometimes, a paragraph is simple because the quotes the student uses are just a statement of
fact. Explain the difference between a “fact quote” and an “idea quote”. Idea quotes can be
expanded, analyzed and related to another idea (25).

20. Outline Tasks
Outlines are great for students with organizational challenges.
Essay Organizer
This focuses on the order, purpose, and length of ideas instead of ideas themselves. So, they can
complete this if they only have some parts of the essay figured out.
1. Topic sentence goes here
2. Transition from topic sentence to set up first quote. This will probably be about three
sentences.
3. Quote A
4. Some analysis. Probably 2 sentences on the quote then one sentence transition into next
quote

21. Outline Tasks
5. Quote B
6. Some analysis where I connect the two quotes. Maybe 3 sentences?
7. Transition into the next idea (26)
When you provide this framework, it allows students to start anywhere.

22. Outline Tasks
Post-Draft (or Reverse Outline)
Ask students to write a brief outline of their paper after they are written. This will give them a
snapshot of their picture and help them to see if they have covered all areas and everything is in
the correct order.
Suggestions:
 Write down your thesis statement. Then copy, in order, as if continuing a paragraph, the topic
sentence of every body paragraph, and end with a one-sentence summary of your conclusion. If
there are any gaps, the paper needs some fixing.

23. Outline Tasks
The Magic Paragraph Formula
Some students struggle with paragraph structure, so here is a basic shell that hopefully most of
your writers will move beyond:
 Sentence one: A topic sentence that makes an original claim.
 Sentence two: Introduction of Quote one (from Author A) by pointing to main you want your
reader to notice or providing background necessary to understand the quote.
 Sentence three: Quote one integrated smoothly into your own sentence.
 Sentence four: Interpret or analyze the first quote.
 Sentence five: A sentence that explains the relationship of the idea from the first author to the
idea from the second author. It is a bridge, transition, or connection between quote 1 and 2.

24. Outline Tasks
 Sentence six: Introduce the second quote (from Author B) by pointing to the main idea you
want your reader to notice or providing background necessary to understand the quote.
 Sentence seven: Quote 2, incorporated smoothly into your own sentence.
 Sentence eight: Interpretation or analysis of the 2nd quote
 Sentence nine: An original claim or idea about the insight you’ve gained from working the two
quotes together.

25. Topic Sentence Tasks
Sometimes students do not use topic sentences and this will definitely affect the structure of
the paper. Often, papers are more confusing when topic sentences are not used properly.
Topic Sentences = Main Idea
Have a student go through their paper and write down the main idea of each paragraph. If they
cannot do this, try having them read the paragraph over again, and then ask why they chose to
include those connections in their papers, or how the relate to the thesis statement. Their
answers should eventually turn into topic sentences (28).

26. Topic Sentence Tasks
Dressing Up Your Topic Sentences
Some students don’t know how to write appropriately for college papers. They might short,
choppy sentences or write a sentence that seems to never end. Topic sentences are a great
place to help students improve their style. Have students write two variations of the topic
sentence, and ask them to choose which one they think is best. Then, challenge them to write
an even better one.

27. Thesis Tasks
“Solving the Thesis” to find “Real” Answers
Break the assignment question down into “real problems”, making it more approachable for
some students. You can ask questions like, “What is the real problem here when we look at
these two essays (or this essay); what real life problem does this assignment want me to solve?”
Articulating Thesis Statements Before, During, After
Very rarely does a student write a perfect thesis on the first try. So, break it down in stages.
Have the respond to the assignment question immediately before writing the essay. Let them
know this “pre-thesis” doesn’t have to be perfect, but make sure you tell them to write a
complete sentence. From there, he/she can start working on his outline, a body paragraph, or
quote selection (30).

28. Thesis Tasks
After your student completes a part of the essay, ask them to write the thesis again, without
looking. He/she might be able to articulate a clearer thesis now.
The “post-thesis” or “final thesis” is a re-writing of the thesis with the pre-and mid-thesis in
mind. Again, this should help clear up any confusion with the thesis (30).
Finding a Thesis in the Conclusion
Sometimes the best thesis is hidden in the conclusion. Have students look at the conclusion to
see if they can find a sentence that would make a better thesis statement.

29. Thesis Tasks
The Anti-Thesis Route
Sometimes, students have a difficult time expressing what they are arguing, so ask them to write
out what they are not arguing. Once they have put a list together of what they’re not arguing,
ask them why they are not arguing these ideas.
This might also help them come up with supporting ideas for their thesis statement. These ideas
won’t be perfect and will need some work, but this method will help generate ideas.

30. Tasks to Avoid Summary
In high school, students often execute a lot of summary writing, so it is a hard tactic to have
them abandon. They can do a little summary, but most students use summarizing as a crutch.
Using Open-Ended Questions
Have students answer the “why?” and “how” questions, rather than the other 4 W’s. They
usually can’t write about “why” and “how” briefly. These usually require expanded answers.
Doing the Balancing Act
For visual learners, us color to differentiate between the separate areas of a paragraph can be
extremely helpful. Have students color everything pertaining to author A (or idea A), yellow,
everything pertaining to author B blue and everything original green. Are there chunks of solid
color, or a nice swirly rainbow? The yellow and blue should appear more than the green and
there should be a nice swirl of colors.

31. Tasks to Avoid Summary
This can also be sued to distinguish summary from quote analysis. In each paragraph, have
students highlight every quote in yellow. Then, have them highlight every line of interpretation
or analysis in pink. Is there at least 2-3 times more pink than yellow (32)?
Separating the Necessary from the Summary
Students don’t always understand to cut down on the summarizing, so have them highlight all of
the summary in the paper. Then go through and ask exactly how and why those sentences are
related to the main idea.

32. Paper-Strengthening Tasks
These are tips for working with decent writers- how to help them turn a good paper into great
paper.
Anticipating Counter Arguments
In a great paper, students anticipate the disagreements with their claims and acknowledge them
in their papers. Have your student write down any possible counter arguments to their thesis
statements. Then, have them write out rebuttals to these counter arguments. Tell them to
include these arguments in their paper.
Making Transitions
Sometimes, a student has produced a draft and has paired quotes, but the connections exist
only in his/her mind, not in the actual paper. When this happens, ask students to write a
sentence or two about the quotes in each paragraph telling why they put those two quotes
together and what they wanted those quotes to help them accomplish in their paragraphs (34).

33. Paper-Strengthening Tasks
You can do the same exercise to help with transitions, which are often trouble spots. If the word
“transition” is causing problems for your student, explain them as connections between
paragraphs, just like connections between the quotes. Have them then execute this task
between paragraphs, but rather than connecting the authors’ ideas, they are connecting their
own (34).
Eliminating Repetition
Sometimes students repeat their thesis statement over and over. Have them highlight every
sentence they think is a connection to the thesis statement. Then ask them to rewrite each
sentence in other terms. How similar are those revisions to the thesis? Trash those repetitions ,
and then help your student find a happy medium between repletion and connection (34).

34. Paper-Strengthening Tasks
Thinking Back to Class Discussion
Ask students some of the following questions:
 What passages were discussed in class that you didn’t include in your paper? Could they be
important?
 How might those passages challenge, support, or extend your thesis?
 Are there quotes you considered but rejected because you didn’t understand them?
Make sure they know that anything they add must relate back to the thesis. Go back to the
assignment question or prompt. Are there questions there on which they could expound?

35. Grammar Tasks
Grammar can be a challenge since you are not allowed to go through and mark up their paper.
That is not your purpose, but helping them to become a better writer is.
Creating a Grammar Checklist
You can use professor’s comments on previous papers to develop a grammar check list. You can
also pick patterns of errors and teach the rule behind it, and then add that to their check list.
Once you explain the rule, have them write a sentence explaining the connection between the
mistake and the rule.
You can ask them what mistakes they think they make the most and then have them check their
papers for those mistakes.
Listening to Your Paper
Have the students read their papers out loud to try to hear their mistakes. If this doesn’t work,
try reading their paper out loud to them and see if they hear their mistakes.

36. Tasks Using Teacher Materials
Teachers can be a great resource. Try to encourage your student to go take advantage of the
professor’s office hours.
Deconstructing the Assignment Question
Sometimes the students need the same type of reading support for the question as they do the
text. Guide them in deconstructing it. Help break down the relationships among its parts.
What’s the point? Have them define any words they do not already know, answer any
supplementary questions, or rewrite the assignment in their own words so that they understand
it.
Charting the Supplementary Questions
Have students develop a 3-column chart of responses to supplementary questions. Each column
would have a question. You could set it up so that they are asking themselves what each author
might say and what they would say. Then they could write sentences explaining the relationship
between the columns.

37. Grammar Tasks
Going on a Grammar Hunt
If students think their paper is perfect, but yet you can see plenty of errors, circle a paragraph,
count the number of errors that you can find, and write the total in the margin. Ask them to
find the errors. Your numbers will probably never match, but they will get used to proofreading
their paper.