This article presents summaries of research on 13 core understandings about learning to read, from "Building a Knowledge Base in Reading" (Jane Braunger and Jan Patricia Lewis). In the article, each core understanding is followed by activity ideas and strategies useful for tutors--these activities were created with one-on-one tutoring in mind but can be adapted to other projects. The article outlines the following 13 core understandings: (1) Reading is a construction of meaning from written text--it is an active, cognitive, and affective process; (2) Background knowledge and prior experience are critical to the reading process; (3) Social interaction is essential to learning to read; (4) Reading and writing develop together; (5) Reading involves complex thinking; (6) Environments rich in literacy experiences, resources, and models facilitate reading development; (7) Engagement in the reading task is key in learning to read; (8) Children's understandings of print are not the same as adults' understandings; (9) Children develop phonemic awareness and knowledge of phonics through a variety of literacy opportunities, models, and demonstrations; (10) Children learn successful reading strategies in the context of real reading; (11) Children learn best when teachers--and tutors--employ a variety of strategies to model and demonstrate reading knowledge, strategy, and skills; (12) Children need the opportunity to read, read, read; and (13) Monitoring the development of reading processes is vital to student success. Includes "terms to know." (NKA)