Demonstrate the process of reading to your student by opening a book and reading aloud to the student, explaining each step. Explain the process you use to visualize the images from the book. Break down a few sentences into individual words, asking the student to explain the definition of each word. Engage the student, asking him to repeat the process once he watches you perform the task. Study his responses, and his attempt to read the book. Note any specific deficiencies, such as an inability to understand the words, reading letters in the wrong order or an extreme lack of focus.
Engage the student in an environment away from other students, to avoid peer pressure or social anxiety issues. Instruct the student to read from a book, while you sit across a table from her with an interested but unthreatening posture. Listen carefully to her reading, praising her regularly. Note whether her reading skills improve after the positive feedback, as this is a sign that her reading problems may be anxiety based.
Join the student in a reading session, giving the student a book to read, while you read one of your own. Invite the student to ask you questions, if he is confused about a passage in his book or unsure about the definition of a word. Use this technique to demonstrate that reading is a personal, relaxing skill he can learn to enjoy. After a half hour of reading, engage the student with questions about the book he read, events that happened in the book and about the characters in the story. Avoid complicated questions and focus on the facts and information he remembers from the passage.
Provide additional reading opportunities, allowing the student to select recreational reading materials on topics she enjoys. Include magazines, nonfiction books covering several topics and fictional books appropriate to her age and reading level. Encourage her to read these items during her recreational time, suggesting a few topics to her based on your understanding of her preferences and hobbies.