Certified Tutors From Southern Maine Community College

The student finished reading Ch. 4 and doing the Ch. 3 practice exam last week. We went over her questions at the beginning of the session. We then worked through almost all of Ch. 5 together. I asked the student to finish Ch. 5, start Ch. 6, and do the Ch. 4 practice exam for next week.

This session, the student and I worked a lot on short vowel sounds. We started with some "easier" consonant exercises (beginning "p" sound and ending "n" sound). Then we talked about beginning vowel sounds and then made the transition to middle vowel sounds. She was picking up on it really quickly -- she's especially good at identifying "a" and "o" sounds, and knows how to spell "cat" and "dog" with no trouble at all! She's really improving her reading -- she can sound out many three-letter words and is starting to identify rhyming words on her own as well!

The student and I continued working on ACT prep in a variety of sections. She continues to do well in math, and the reading strategy we've been trying seems to work for her. In the future, we would probably do well to focus on English in the future.

Today the student and I started covering Organic Chemistry Topics. We were able to discuss types of bonds, different types of isomers, laboratory equipment and workings, and we discussed hydrocarbons and alcohols. We are focusing on the most important aspects of each topic. We also were able to practice some organic chemistry questions.

We wanted to make sure the student was comfortable with the material for her test on Monday. I wrote many worksheets and practice problems, and she was doing extremely well by the end.  

The student did a practice reading section.  We reviewed ways to skim the paragraph and to match the tenses in the rest of the sentence to figure out the answer.  The student also started a practice science section she will finish on her own.