Award-Winning Science Tutors serving Birmingham

The student and I focused on spelling, science and math today. We went over her new spelling words, we then went over her new unit in science. We discussed heredity and key vocabulary. We then moved on to math and discussed three dimensional shapes.

The student and I studied for his Biology test by reviewing worksheets, looking through the chapter, making flashcards and discussing some subjects. I gave him some study tips as well. Afterwards, we went over his Grammar homework and, discussed subject verb agreement, with compound subjects and more irregular subjects, such as: groups of people, teams, works of art or literature, and subject- verb agreement in passive construction of sentences. He seemed to grasp all the subjects well.

Went over study guide and optional match-up quiz for science test to prepare for Monday. The student was productive. He said he would talk to his teacher before class to make sure he had all the answers correct.

Reviewed Newton's laws, with special emphasis on the concept of inertia. Practiced problems using the equations for acceleration (F=ma and a=dV/t). Worked through different inertia situations (e.g. dropping a penny while in an airplane) together until the student was solid on the concept. Spent last 20 minutes on Spanish (chapter 4 vocabulary, and reviewing conjugation of -ar verbs.)

We spent the session reviewing for the student's Physics test, which will be tomorrow. He had already had a test on Chapter 12, which encompassed Newton's 3 Laws and Momentum. We reviewed his test and the corresponding material, focusing on the differences between elastic and inelastic momentum. We did practice calculations, as he had trouble with the extra credit momentum problem on the test. We spent the rest of the session going over material from Chapter 14, which details Work, Power, and Mechanical Advantage. Michael had little trouble understanding work and power, and we did practice problems and discussed the importance of knowing the units for the variables in question. We spent a good deal of time talking about Mechanical Advantage and machines, and I explained how machines make our lives easier by allowing us to use less or more force to move things farther or shorter distances. We finished by discussing the simple machines (lever, pulley, wheel and axle, etc.).

Yesterday, the student and I went over her most recent Science unit, Ionic and Covalent bonds, in preparation for her test today. I quizzed her on the names and chemical formulas of various ionic and covalent compounds, and also went over concepts such as electro-negativity, ionization energies, and general definitions (poly-atomic ions, etc.).