Certified Tutors From Boston College

Today we studied for the student's English and Science exams, did his math homework, and did his French homework.  He concentrated very well, and is well-prepared for both exams.  He also told me that he received a 106 on the Math test that we studied for last week.  That will raise his Math grade.  I am looking forward to seeing continued progress!

Basic introduction to what progress the student made last year, what she is studying, what reading she does on her own, her interests, what subjects are easy for her, how she learns best, in what subjects she may need help. After this talking-through introduction, I had her do her homework for me out loud, saying what she was thinking and how she would answer each question. I then worked with her on three main strategies to use when answering questions in the math textbook: 1) using key words in the question to find the answers in the text, including previous chapters; 2) ensuring that answers corresponding to graphs always include information about the y-axis, the x-axis, and the unit; 3) using synonyms from key words in the question when answering the question, to better show the teacher she understand what the question is asking.

Today we worked on finishing up the questions at the end of chapter two, including questions on frictional forces on an inclined plane and concepts related to tension, and then also finishing chapter three. We worked a lot on torque problems and reviewed how to choose the point of rotation, how to calculate torque, and how to balance the clockwise and counter clockwise forces. We also reviewed the difference between dynamic and static equilibrium and emphasized Newton's second law which states that there must be a net force for an object to accelerate. We reviewed concepts of energy, including spring and gravitational potential and as well as several equations used to calculate work.

Met with the student for the first time. We talked about her experience with the exam and how we will use up our time. Today we just talked about the English section and what to look out for. In particular we looked at comma usage and when to include or exclude them. She was sort of familiar with the rules so we went over the basic grammar rules briefly as a refresher. We will have to work on timing later when she becomes more comfortable with the rules and how to apply them.

The student did an awesome job today. Today we talked more about derivatives. We talked about finding the derivative by using different rules such as power rule, quotient rule, and chain rule. Next we will be talking about implicit differentiation. She is doing better in her calculus courses.

Covered distance, velocity, acceleration and how they are related to one another. Analyzed position vs time graph and the significance of slope (positive, negative, and zero) in this particular graph. Covered constant acceleration kinematics equations and how to decide which one to use in specific problems. Worked a bit on rationalizing denominators in preparation for her trigonometry class.