ENGLISH & HUMANITIES

Whether your student is building foundational reading skills or refining a literary analysis, our experienced educators tailor their approach to meet each student’s unique academic needs. At Smith Street Workshop, we offer both ongoing support throughout the school year and focused, short-term assistance for specific tasks like admissions essays or exams. Our English and Humanities tutoring helps students develop a deep understanding of literature and history while fostering critical thinking and analytical skills.

Our team of tutors supports students of all levels and abilities, offering tutoring in the following subjects and concepts:

Early Literacy

  • Phonemic Awareness: Helping young learners recognize and manipulate sounds in words.

  • Reading Fluency: Building speed, accuracy, and expression in reading.

  • Basic Writing Skills: Introducing sentence structure, spelling, and simple paragraph writing.

  • Comprehension Skills: Understanding basic story elements and following directions in texts.

Reading and Comprehension (All Levels)

  • Fiction and Nonfiction: Analyzing themes, characters, and plot in various genres.

  • Critical Thinking: Developing skills in inferencing, comparing, and contrasting.

  • Advanced Reading: Tackling complex texts, including poetry, drama, and essays.

  • Vocabulary Development: Expanding word knowledge and usage.

Writing and Composition (All Levels)

  • Creative Writing: Storytelling, poetry, and narrative skills.

  • Academic Writing: Structuring essays, research papers, and literary analysis.

  • Grammar and Syntax: Mastering sentence structure, punctuation, and language mechanics.

  • Argumentative Writing: Crafting persuasive essays and developing a clear, logical argument.

Humanities Support (All Levels)

  • History and Social Studies: Analyzing historical texts, understanding cultural contexts, and writing research papers.

  • Philosophy and Ethics: Exploring fundamental questions and constructing logical arguments.

  • Cultural Studies: Examining literature, history, and art from different cultures.

Test Preparation

  • Standardized Test Prep: SHSAT, ISEE, SSAT, TACHS, HSPT, SAT, ACT (Verbal Sections)

  • AP Exams: AP English Language, AP English Literature.

  • Regents: English Language Arts, Global History, U.S. History

  • NY State Exams

  • Admissions Essay Writing: Crafting strong responses for application essays and personal statements.

TUTORING OPTIONS

Individual Sessions

Each weekly individual tutoring session runs for one hour and meets at the workshop. Let us know your child’s grade level, needs and interests, and we will pair him/her with the teacher who will provide the best support. 

Small Group Sessions

Often, students need support in similar areas and can benefit from small group work and collaboration to advance their skills. Students in a group tutoring session must be in the same grade and at similar levels in their studies in order for the work together to be productive. Parents may propose a group of 2–4 students, and/or we can help coordinate with other students before matching the best tutor to facilitate the weekly hour-long session.

Online Sessions

Location is no longer a barrier. No matter where you live, we can find the perfect tutor for your child. Once you’ve found that tutor, you can stick with them, wherever you are and wherever they are.



 

PRICING

General Academic Support (K–12)
Individual: $135 • Small Group: $80/ student

Middle and High School Admissions Test Prep (5th-8th grades)
Individual: $150 • Small Group: $90/student

College Admissions Prep
Individual: $175 • Small Group: $110/student

Payments and Scheduling

When you schedule a tutoring session, we will invite you to create an account with our scheduling partner, Teachworks. Through Teachworks, you will be able to see your child’s schedule, review lesson notes, and provide payment information.

Once you’ve created a profile and added your payment information, Smith Street Workshop will automatically debit your card on file for the tutoring sessions attended that week. Providing your credit card information into our system authorizes Smith Street Workshop to charge your credit card for the sessions attended.

If your child cannot attend a scheduled session, please provide 24 hour notice to avoid a full session charge.

NOTE
All prices are hourly and per student. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE A 24 HOUR CANCELLATION POLICY.