Last year, I left the classroom to become a private reading tutor, and since then, I’ve had the chance to rethink and streamline how I organize my materials, especially as a traveling Wilson Reading System teacher. As a dyslexia interventionist working with students in my local library, my rented office space, and in co-op settings, I’ve learned what tools are truly essential and which storage solutions actually work for on-the-go traveling reading teachers!
In this post, I’m sharing my favorite supplies for structured literacy teachers, including portable teaching tools, smart storage ideas, and travel-friendly materials that make reading tutoring on the go easier to manage. Whether you’re just starting your tutoring business or looking to refine your setup, these time-tested recommendations (with links!) will help you stay organized and prepared wherever you teach.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission.
Storage Ideas for Wilson Materials
Let’s start with storage ideas for Wilson materials because finding a system that works for you often takes some trial and error. When I first began using the Wilson Reading System, I used to carry one of each type of card in my purse so I could check if they’d fit into cute storage containers I came across in stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx. To make things easier for you, I’ve created a guide to Wilson card sizes that you can save to your phone and refer to while shopping. No more digging through your bag for demo cards! Just pull up the image below whenever you’re browsing Amazon or standing in front of a promising container in-store. I’ve also linked products similar to the ones I use and love, in case you’d rather skip the guesswork and grab something that’s already a good fit.
There are a few different ways to store your Wilson Reading System cards.
In my home office, I have my cards sorted by substep and held in various containers that are just the right size for each card. I also choose a container based on how often I need to access them and whether or not I travel with them. Here are some options for you to consider:
- Crayon boxes are an ideal size if you want to store phonetically regular word cards. These are stackable, which helps me save space.
- 3×5-inch index card boxes are a good fit for syllable cards and word element cards. You can also grab a stackable set.
- Two 4×6-inch index card boxes will accommodate all of the high frequency word cards from Steps 1 through 6.
While these containers are the right size for each type of card, you might not like having varied sizes of containers. If you’d prefer fewer types of containers (whether for storage reasons or aesthetic reasons), I suggest two 4×6 index card boxes for the high frequency words, but photo boxes for everything else. Details about the photo boxes are below.
Want to store your phonetically regular word cards on your desk for easy accessibility?
Drawer organizers are the perfect size for phonetically regular word cards. The substep dividers in the image below were made from index cards, cut to size. I purchased drawer organizer at Target, but this option from Amazon is the same size. Shopping elsewhere? Look for an organizer that is 8″x4″x2″ inches.
Why Photo Boxes are the Perfect Solution for Organizing Your Wilson Materials
Photo boxes are a colorful and compact way to store most of your Wilson cards. You can use them in two different ways:
- to store the phonetically regular word cards, syllable cards, and word element cards you’re not currently using
- to store all the cards each specific kid is currently using
If you want to use a photo box for each student/group, they are just the right size for both a small stack of high frequency word cards and some phonetically regular word cards. You’ll need to put the high frequency word cards in at an angle, and there is a limit to how many will fit. However, I find that they are the perfect size for one student or group. I keep 30-40 phonetically regular word cards and up to 15 high frequency word cards in each box.
If you want your storage containers to match or fit in a tight space, I recommend investing in photo boxes with carrying cases. All of your cards (except the high frequency word cards) will fit inside. You may need multiple sets of boxes, but that’s a minor problem for teachers who simply need their supplies to match. And for the traveling reading teachers who choose to keep supplies in their car, the carrying cases will be easier to fit in your car than a pile of various-sized containers.
Storage Idea for Wilson Magnet Tiles
A large bead storage box is the perfect solution for storing extra magnet tiles. I have about eight magnetic journals in my collection, which means I have hundreds of tiles to keep organized! My magnet tiles are loosely sorted by substep: single letters a through z, digraphs, all, am, an, suffix tiles, and so on. When a student reaches a new substep, it’s a painless process to get the storage box and grab the new magnets I need. My box, which is not available on Amazon, has 48 compartments and measures 14″x9″x2″ inches.
Looking for the perfectly organized tutoring bag for traveling reading teachers?
You’ll love my rolling storage cart, which is actually a sewing machine cart! More details are below.
Storage Ideas for Traveling Reading Teachers
No matter which program or approach you use, the next items will solve common problems for traveling reading teachers. When I left the classroom to become a private reading tutor, I had 18 years’ worth of teaching materials in my garage, my attic, my home office, and the back of my car. Yikes! Over time, I figured out what I needed regularly and what could be stashed away in the attic.
The system I came up with was to keep a file box in my car for things I might need at the last minute, and two file boxes in my basement for things I need regular access to. What you keep in each box will depend on your planning style. I don’t keep much in my car because I tend to plan my lessons at home at my desk. My file box at home includes master copies and extra copies of Wilson essentials (dictation pages, vocabulary pages, blank lesson plans). It also includes UFLI printables filed by lesson number, including a roll & read, decodable passage, and homework assignment for each lesson.
My file boxes are full of repurposed, mismatched hanging files from my years in the classroom. I would love to replace them one day with matching hanging files in a preferred color!
If you think you need multiple file boxes, you can also consider purchasing a traditional filing cabinet instead. I purchased a lightweight one from Big Lots over a decade ago, and it has stood the test of time.
This rolling storage cart was the perfect solution when I began working at two different locations. It is intended to be a sewing machine caddy, but I’ve found it to be the perfect tutoring bag for traveling reading teachers. It has a large main compartment plus several zippered and pocket compartments that will neatly store your writing utensils, whiteboard erasers, colored pencils, and more. I added some sturdy cardboard boxes to the center compartment to help my materials stay in place.
Student-Favorite Tools for Structured Literacy Lessons
As a traveling reading teacher, I have favorite materials to use with students, no matter which program or approach I’m using. These travel-friendly phonics teaching tools will engage your students and help you stay organized.
Frixion erasable gel pens are a great way to engage your students during dictation practice. They come in a rainbow of colors, they write smoothly, and they erase cleanly. When the ink runs out, you can be kind to the earth by buying refills, either name brand or off-brand.
After a couple of weeks of picking various supplies out of the pockets of my rolling storage cart at the start of each lesson, I realized that I needed a pencil caddy. It helps me keep all of my portable supplies for reading intervention lessons in one place. When I arrive at my tutoring location for the day, I simply place the caddy on the table and everything we need (besides the lessons and the books) is within reach. My caddy includes pencils, erasable gel pens, dry erase markers and erasers, colored pencils, dice, and sticky notes.
I linked a similar pencil caddy, but mine in the photo above is from Dollar Tree. I like my Dollar Tree caddy because of the separation in the middle, which makes it easy for me to rest it on the edge of the separators I use inside my rolling bag.
My Dollar Tree cookie trays with magnetic foam letters are a part of each UFLI lesson. The trays easily fit in my rolling storage cart. I place them in the back of the cart with the letters facing the cart’s wall, which prevents the letters from becoming jumbled.
Dice are a quick and easy way to add a little excitement to your structured literacy lessons while still maintaining fidelity to your program. In my Wilson lessons, we will roll a die during Part 5 to choose the order in which the student will read the sentences. We also use them in UFLI lessons if we complete a roll & read.
Must-Have Supplies and Digital Tools for Online Reading Tutors
Approximately a quarter of my lessons are delivered online, so I’m slowly learning more strategies for effective online tutoring sessions.
A document camera is a game-changer for virtual sessions. It has saved me many times when clients ask to switch to a virtual session with little notice. Perhaps Billy woke up with a cough and he feels well enough to work, but his mom is worried about sharing germs. We can switch to a virtual session with no sweat, thanks to my document camera! There’s no need to make complicated slideshows or digital versions of my materials because I can simply display my physical materials with the document camera.
Sheet protectors have also proved invaluable for online sessions, both as a problem-solver and a way to be more kind to the Earth. Online, it can be challenging to guide students through written activities when you can’t reach through the computer and point at their paper. I could complete my own copy of the work and show it with my document camera, but then I’d use up a piece of paper that just gets tossed after the lesson. With a sheet protector, I can slip a blank copy of the page inside and complete it with my student, then erase and reuse the page with another student or on another day. I often use a dictation page in a sheet protector with newer Wilson students who don’t know their way around the dictation page yet. Want to write on a book or a notebook rather than on a single sheet of paper? Clip the sheet protector onto the notebook with a binder clip and use the same strategy: write, erase, and use again!
As a traveling reading teacher, what else are you shopping for?
Send me a message on Instagram or email me at hello [at] keepreadingandlearning [dot] com. If I have a suggestion for you, I’ll share it. And if you have more ideas to add to my list of supplies for traveling reading teachers, send them my way!
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This post is an independent product and is not affiliated with, nor has it been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Wilson Language Training Corporation. WILSON®, Wilson Reading System®, Fundations®, Just Words®, and Wilson Fluency® are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the Wilson Language Training Corporation.
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