Award-Winning Study Skills and Organization Tutors serving Spokane, WA

The student is reading a novel and had a graphic organizer to fill out. I also got a copy of the same book so that we could both be on the same page. He worked on completing the sheet. He almost finished at our session. He doesn't have to hand it in until Thursday. He also completed a Spanish vocabulary assignment, using my laptop. I gave him a hand-held hole puncher and a pocket folder insert for a binder.

The student is doing a great job of writing assignments down in his planner. He is still not writing all homework, but he is keeping track of the bigger assignments, specifically on the days he knows he won't see me for help. If we can get this to be consistent across the board, he will really be organized. The first 6 weeks is nearing a close so he has a few big projects that need to be completed. I will check in on those projects when I see him this weekend.

Today was my first session with the student, so some time was dedicated to getting acquainted with her as well as with her class schedule. We discussed each teacher's expectations and routines regarding classwork, homework, quizzes, chapter tests, and other assignments. She has done an excellent job organizing her homework folder, and she is great at taking notes on reading material. Now we need to come up with a strategy that will work for her so she will have all the applicable review materials with her when preparing for a test. Until that time, it was suggested that she bring home her Geography notebook on a regular basis. This is an AP class and seems to be the one she struggles with the most when testing. In addition, I stressed the importance of not turning in any assignments needed to study for a quiz or test until the day of the quiz/test. To help aid in the process of developing an effective strategy, she should bring all of her notebooks, as well as her planner, to our next session. She is a very bright and confident young lady who had a great attitude regarding all my suggestions. I am confident that her success will come easier as time passes.

During our first session, the student and I went over how he normally plans for his homework schedule, how he organizes materials, and what classes pose as challenges for him. Together, we came up with some strategic routines and practical materials that can help him better keep track of his assignments. He took notes during the session of material he'll need and we mapped out how he spends his time after school in completing assignments. We'll use this week to test out how the new school supplies affects his scheduling and ability to stay organized. He's a fast learner and uniquely, very receptive to advice and trying out solutions, so I think he's going to solve this current study skills challenge very quickly!

We met both to discuss how her eighth grade year is going thus far and to prepare for a number of quizzes and tests she has coming up in the next month. I was happy to hear that her year is going quite well. She has earned full marks on a number of assignments, is keeping up with her work, and made flashcards (without my direction) to actively study for a recent English vocabulary assignment which is fantastic! We began by reviewing her English vocabulary. Once again, I was impressed that having made her own flashcards, she knew all but three of the definitions for her vocabulary. For these last words, I provided her with hints and mnemonic devices to be able to better remember then. Having gone through these words and feeling confident in her understanding of them, we moved on to reviewing for her math test. Prior to my arriving, she had completed all of the worksheets relating to her upcoming test. To prepare, I took examples from each of the sections and re-wrote them (altering them slightly) in her math notebook and then had her make her way through these problems. I made sure to include many common "hang-ups" that she might encounter on an exam, such as terms that will cancel out, the difference between multiplying x times x as opposed to adding x + x, and carrying through a negative outside of a parentheses. Additionally, we worked through problems requiring distribution, combination of like terms, and working with fractional terms. While working through each set of problems, I worked to provide her with easier ways to remember certain algebraic tips and tricks. We finished by reviewing her Latin case declensions and ensuring that we were aware of what would be covered on the upcoming exam. I will be creating a practice test for her for her upcoming Latin test based on the material posted on her e-board. I have encouraged her to email me with any questions.

I went through and did a daily as well as a weekly schedule with her. Being that it was a first session I did not want to overwhelm her with too many changes at once. I find kids tend to rebel more when we try to change too much at once. I asked that she get a binder and few folders to help organize her paperwork. This will help me as well with assessing her progress. I suggested she print out a monthly calendar for her binder, which I will take an example for her for the next meeting. But I gave her a pocket monthly calendar organizer for the meantime for her to be able to view the month in its entirety and plan for future projects. I will assess her progress this upcoming Wednesday and see how she felt with the schedule I provided for her and if she felt it was functional with her daily activities as well as needs.