Award-Winning English Grammar and Syntax Tutors serving Portsmouth

Today we finished writing the essay on cats. We went over writing techniques. The student is doing a great job! We will start reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and I will have essay questions.

Today the student and I worked on some error correction tests so that I could further gauge his skill level with grammar. The tests focused mostly on comma placement, but broadened into other regions as well. He took to the lesson very well and was breezing through the tests by the end of the session! I have given him his first assignment-- a reading reflection on an assigned group of short stories. We will meet again and analyze his work to continue to develop these skills!

The student and I worked on Johnny Tremain, an historical novel that was given as a summer reading assignment for the upcoming school year. We analyzed the characters we have encountered so far, themes, and possible outcomes/ possible story plots that we will encounter in the coming chapters. He is doing a better job retaining and recalling information in the novel. He is now reading to understand instead of reading just to complete.

Today we did our final editing of the student's bio paper. He said that his mom helped him at home which is great - support during his homework is something he greatly needs, and will help him in the long run to become more independent. He will type his final draft at home and bring it on Thursday. He also has his spelling homework for the week, which he needs to remember to do neatly, underline the spelling word in his sentences, and number everything. We started research on the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 to write a small essay this week about the topic. He likes to work on the computer, and we discussed reputable websites and how to use the Internet for research, a much needed skill in today's world.

The student and I worked on using modifiers in sentences, which is something I have noticed her struggling with in her writing. She completed a worksheet and we discussed her answers, and I feel confident that she has successfully grasped this concept. We continued our work on finding and identifying errors in writing.

The student is a somewhat competent writer who was never taught structure. She struggled with planning and focus and tended to have her answers roam and change subject. We went over proper structure for writing answers, how to write an outline, how to plan an argument, and what kind of strategy to approach questions with. I suspect that writing a proper outline will help her immensely: most of her problem seems to stem from her difficulty staying on topic and properly planning. I gave her some guides and suggested that she practice answering some prompts and writing outlines that we could look over next time.