...students, I have worked with students as young as kindergarten and those well into adulthood. For those of you based in the Chicagoland area, I am an experienced Test Prep tutor who has successfully helped several students gain admittance to selective enrollment high schools and highly competitive universities such as the University of Michigan, Georgetown University, Northwestern and the University of Chicago. (I'm also an alum of the University of Notre Dame and the University...
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...grade. I have worked with children of all ages and I've tutored students in all of the core subjects, mostly focusing on math and reading. I've also taught preschool and tested preschool children. I've taught English to refugees from several nations, mostly adults, although children were sometimes in the classes. I love working with students. I love to help them learn and I enjoy getting to know them. My hobbies are reading, cross-stitching, knitting, and...
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...AP Biology, AP Physics, and AP Chemistry for 2 years. I love teaching students HOW to learn, not just WHAT to learn. I always emphasize hard work - because you always get what you work for. I don't care about natural intelligence, because trying your best and being persistent is the key to learning and improvement. My favorite part of teaching is seeing the student understanding a concept for the first time.
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...in writing. The use of visual aides, manipulatives (tangible objects for students to use while learning), and easy-to-learn test-taking strategies are appropriate and highly effective for my students. I truly believe that making education fun and enjoyable for young students is the key to producing self-motivated learners. In my spare time, I love to be outside! I have recently moved to Florida and enjoy running, biking, swimming, and paddleboarding. My husband and I have a...
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...Management and Psychology from the University of Maryland and a Master's of Education degree from Grand Canyon University. I am currently licensed by Nevada for K-5 and teach a first grade class. I am able and willing to tutor other ages. I believe that every child can learn. I further believe in providing appropriate scaffolding and differentiated instruction tailored to each unique student. I strive to provide learning activities that appeal to each individual's learning...
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...experience as a group instructor for reading and mathematics with students who were behind grade level in elementary and middle school and also as a substitute teacher for middle and high school students. I have over 150 classroom hours as a teaching intern in a high school history class at Atlantic Coast High School. I have tutored for over 5 years. When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my son, my dog and...
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I have been an enthusiastic STEM educator for the past 5 years. I have a very strong math and science background. I have experience working with middle school and high school students. I am also able to tutor in test prep as well.
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...I was accepted into the Mentoring and Student Teaching Program for underserved children in Philadelphia. I served as a science and english tutor for three years, while tutoring my peers in Spanish and Biology as well. Having taken the MCAT and excelled on the SAT, ACT, as well as multiple SAT subject tests, I am have extensive standardized testing experience and am confident in my ability to help others in their academic studies. When not...
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...challenges he or she faces. Through student teaching, field experiences, and work positions, I have grown in my passion for education and my desire to help students learn. I approach each day with energy and will consistently work hard towards the success of my students. I believe that each student can improve and learn, and will tirelessly pursue his or her improvement. Throughout my education, certain teachers and mentors have encouraged and challenged me to...
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...genre. I am an expert test taker. In 2005, along with other educators, I assisted the New York City Department of Education in developing curriculum to help teachers improve their own students’ test taking strategies. I know the tricks of how to do well when taking standardized tests. As a tutor, I work on establishing a solid base of fundamental test taking techniques. I have many interests outside of teaching and writing. I love nature,...
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...4 to 17 in subjects like: SSAT Prep, ACT/SAT prep, and general tutoring. I've also worked with students who have been diagnosed with some form of learning difference. Much of my time with the tutoring company included not only me being responsible with administrative duties, but also the tact to help students find their own learning styles. My goal is to give my students the confidence to be risk takers. To take challenges in stride...
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...had two full time student teaching experiences as well as many other experiences working in classrooms. I have experience tutoring in elementary school reading as well as at the college level for students taking biology. All of these experiences have taught me effective, valuable tutoring strategies. I have a passion for learning and teaching which makes a career working with students something I am very excited about. In addition to education, some of my other...
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...taught 8th Grade English and Social Studies in Philadelphia, and then moved to New Jersey. I started teaching Kindergarten through Fifth Grade ESL in a Title 1 school, as well as adult ESL as an adjunct at various community colleges. Later, I earned a Master's Degree from Monmouth University in Educational Leadership/Principal/Supervisor. For the past 23 years I have been teaching various elementary grade levels. I love the students. My greatest joy is watching the...
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My name is Sharon, and I have been an educator for over fifteen years. I am passionate about education. I enjoy using innovative techniques to incorporate skills that will be useful to my students. My goal is to enhance each student's learning and help them rise to a higher level. Some of my hobbies are cooking (I'm a foodie), reading, and going on nice walks or scenic drives.... My teaching philosophy is that every student should...
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...Master's in Speech Pathology. Before moving to Florida, I had quite a bit of classroom experience in a variety of subjects from music to English as a second language. However, I ultimately found it most rewarding to tutor students one-on-one; not only was I able to individualize lesson plans to their specific needs, but it was gratifying to clearly see my student academically grow. My favorite subjects to tutor would be Math and Languages. I...
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...knowledge in General Chemistry and Math to tutor others who are having difficulty with these subjects. I am currently attending the University of Maryland at Baltimore County for Math and Chemical Engineering B.S. degrees. I have been tutoring for over two years and absolutely love it! My teaching style depends on the student I am teaching. I am comfortable with any type of student and all learning styles and tailor my tutoring sessions based on...
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...through Ball State University, and have completed 15 hours towards my Master's Degree. I have 10 years of classroom teaching experience at the elementary level, and experience working with children aged 5 to 15. I've also taken on many tutoring opportunities throughout my ten years of teaching, mostly centered around reading and math. It is my strong belief as an educator, as well as a stakeholder in the public school system, that every child can...
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...been an absolute pleasure and honor to facilitate my students' achievement of their goals. It is also a joy to witness the boost in confidence my students get as they become increasingly aware of their accomplishments along the way! I have successfully worked with diverse students with a multitude of learning styles and needs including children who are gifted, twice exceptional, dyslexic, dysgraphic, dyscalculic, ADHD, ESL learners, and students along the autistic spectrum. As a...
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...and English Literature. In the two years post college, I taught in two different school districts through AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps. Last year,I taught K-5 grade in small group settings and managed a homework club. This year, I advise high school students on the college admissions process. I enjoy working with students and helping them achieve their personal best! I look forward to tutoring students this year and assisting them in their studies.
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...been healthily exposed to a wealth of different educational philosophies, from which I've condensed my favorites to pass on to you. Moreover, I've sat through hours of standardized test prep, and am well situated to help you get through those (let's be honest, filling in bubbles is only fun for the first five minutes). I LOVE biology, and would be more than happy to talk about it! I'm fluent in Mandarin and English, and conversational...
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Receive personally tailored ISEE- Lower Level lessons from exceptional tutors in a one-on-one setting. We help you connect with the best tutor for your particular needs while offering flexible scheduling to fit your busy life.
ISEE- Lower Level Tutoring FAQ
The Independent School Entrance Exam (or ISEE) is an accurate and widely accepted assessment available in Lower, Middle, and Upper levels. All forms of the exam include multiple-choice questions and a writing assignment. The number of questions and the amount of time a child has to finish the test varies by level. Varsity Tutors can help you connect with an experienced tutor who can help your child with all areas of the ISEE Lower Level exam.
The ISEE Lower Level is for students who are entering fifth or sixth grade. Your child will have two hours and 20 minutes to complete the exam. The test itself is made up of five different sections, including Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and the essay.
The Verbal Reasoning portion of the exam is broken down into two types of questions: sentence completion and synonyms. Both are designed to test your child's vocabulary knowledge and ability to reason. There are 34 questions in this section of the test, and students have 20 minutes to complete it. Your child's ISEE Lower Level tutor can work with your child to determine if his or her verbal reasoning skills are at or above grade level. If they are not, your child's tutor may use flashcards or word games to improve his or her ability in this area.
The Quantitative Reasoning portion of the exam has 38 questions that students must answer in 35 minutes. The specific mathematical concepts that are tested are designed to determine your child's understanding of math and problem-solving. It does not assess the amount of math he or she has learned, but instead how well he or she is able to think in a mathematical context. To help improve your child's score in this area, your tutor will help him or her with test-taking strategies such as reading questions carefully and identifying exactly what information is being asked for, along with crossing out information that is irrelevant.
The Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement portions of the exam measure your child's ability to correctly answer grade-level appropriate curriculum-based concepts. The Reading Comprehension section has 25 questions, and students are given 25 minutes to answer them. The Mathematics Achievement section has 30 questions, which students have 30 minutes to answer. Your child's tutor can work with him or her to develop reading strategies and proficiency in mathematical operations in preparation for the test.
The final portion of the test is an essay question. Your child will be given a writing prompt that is appropriate for his or her grade level. ISEE does not score this portion of the test; it is sent to the designated school(s) along with the scores for the rest of the exam. Your child's personal tutor can work with him or her to develop writing strategies and the ability to quickly and concisely write responses.
The Varsity Tutors live learning platform enables you to schedule your child's private ISEE Lower Level tutoring session at a time and place that's most convenient for your schedule. Sessions can be held in a virtual environment or in person. Varsity Tutors can help you connect with an expert ISEE Lower Level tutor who is able to work with your child. To get started, contact Varsity Tutors today.
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Recent ISEE- Lower Level Tutoring Session Notes
Today we continued where we left off after skipping our session last week. The student's score on the practice test was great. His only real avenue for improvement is the vocab and essay sections of the test. Today we primarily worked on the essay portion. I decided to work on some prompts together in session. I want to get him to a point where he feels utterly comfortable and actually has fun with the essay. For homework I assigned one essay.
The student has shown how bright he is, so we are working on the best strategies for him to avoid making simple mistakes and how to go from "educated guess" to undoubtedly correct answers. Each section is very solid right now so it is just a case of building on a solid foundation and having him be prepared for anything that might get thrown his way.
Today we worked on sentence completions, synonyms and reading comprehension. The student is doing well practicing these sections of the test and we are continuing to work on learning new vocab words. We also started working on finding percentages of numbers and he is doing very well with this concept.
The student and I spent our time going over some concepts from the quantitative section of the test. He was very strong in his recollection of simplifying fractions. We built on this to go over ratios and proportions, which he picked up very quickly. We also discussed measures of central tendency. He needed a reminder about the formula for mean, but after this, he had no trouble finding mean, median, mode, or range. We finished by looking at some simple algebra problems and went over ways to solve these by substitution or estimation on the actual test. Next time we meet, we'll go into more detail about algebraic word problems and will reintroduce the verbal section.
This was my first session with this student, and I thought it went very well and ended up being even more productive than I had hoped for. Initially, my plan was to simply introduce him to the concepts, format and overall structure of the test so as to open his mind up to what sort of things he was going to be dealing with. After explaining the five sections and essay portion of the test, and what will be expected for each of them, I decided I could go ahead and go through some sample questions from each section with him. It gave him a clear snapshot of what the exam questions will look like, and he was very receptive to the information and took it in very well. We went through each question and I explained the answer and the reasoning behind it in detail so that he could see why the test material is the way that it is, in a sense.
I also had the student write a paragraph or two -- just about what his favorite thing he did over the summer was -- to gauge how he writes and see some of the areas he may need more attention with. I also spent some time asking him what are his strengths and what are his weaknesses to see what he said with regards to that. We discussed how to proceed best and what he would need support in with respect to any subject/ curriculum/ test-taking areas. I look forward to subsequent sessions with this student. He takes in information very well, so next week I feel I can begin assigning more practice work and doing more practice tests.
We went over basic math and algebraic concepts. We went through fractions, decimals, multiplication, addition, and subtraction. I look forward to our next lesson. We will review any homework given and move on to the next portion to assess his skills in the next category.
