Award-Winning Private English Tutoring in Burbank, IL

The student and I talked about pronouns- specifically how to identify them and what their purpose is in language. We went over 5 of the 8 different types. We took notes on each, including a definition and examples. During this time we also discussed the meanings and roots of these names. The last 15 minutes was spent discussing different types of writing and we talked about how the best writing is writing that is personal, important to the writer, and something the writer is knowledgeable about. We then brainstormed topics about which she felt passionate enough to write a persuasive essay. After narrowing the 5 brainstorm ideas down to 2, we created a chart to determine which topic had more relevant and convincing arguments. Next time, we will continue with this pre-writing exercise and ultimately write a 5 paragraph persuasive essay. This will be followed by an editing and revision process, through which we will fine-tune her mechanics (grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.) while organizing and polishing her writing.

During this session I went over how to write a book report with the student. He has trouble describing things in detail, so I decided to have him practice writing a summary of a story in order to give him some good practice. He read aloud a short story to me and then he wrote a summary on it. I had him break up the summary into three sections: beginning, middle, and end. I also had him tell me what was important and what he learned from the story. After this, I quizzed him on spelling words and assigned him homework before our next session.

Student and I used the outline we previously constructed in order to revise her clinical competency section of her thesis on how her work is pastoral in nature.

I was so proud of the student this morning! I gave him the hardest passage we have ever worked on, and he breezed through it like nobody's business! His fluency was amazing. He should be right on track going into 5th grade!

I worked on reading fluency and comprehension with the student as well as building vocabulary and tools for improving fluency and comprehension. The student demonstrated more interest and confidence in reading and less apprehension. She is to continue the strategies worked on until we meet again.

I worked on the following concepts during the session: Math: adding and subtracting fluency practice and multiplication tables. We also covered Reading: finding word meaning in context. The student has improved greatly in adding and subtracting with some fluency. He is still using touch points, but he is much quicker. With simpler multiplication, he uses repeated addition to calculate the answer. For reading, he reads well with some guidance and is able to recall facts and details. I used the strategy of echo reading to enhance his fluency. For writing, I had him start a new piece about going back to school.