tutoring Thoughts
Start the School Year with Organizational Skills
One of the best ways that you can help your child start the school year off right is to teach them organizational skills. This is especially important for students who are changing classes for the first time.
Already this week I have had a few students come to tutoring with papers stuffed in their backpack. The first thing that I do is pull all the papers out and ask which papers have been graded. Most elementary students have take home folders with a side for completed work and the other side for papers to return the next day. Once we have the papers in the right section, we can then focus on completing that night's homework. Reviewing your child's daily planner or agenda will help you make sure that your child is completing their daily assignments.
If you can instill these habits at the beginning of the year, your child has a greater chance of staying on course throughout the year.
Helpful Hints for Division
One strategy for division is to look at the last number that your dividing.
- If a number is even, it can be divided by 2.
- If the last digit is 0 or 5, it can be divided by 5.
- If the last digit is 0, it can be divided by 10.
Another strategy is to add the digits in the dividend together and look at the total.
- If the sum of the digits can be divided by 3, then the number can be divided by 3,
- If the sum of the digits is a multiple of 9, then the dividend can be divided by 9.
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Struggling Reader
Does your child struggle with reading? In school, kindergarten-3rd grade is the time that children learn how to read. The building blocks of reading are phoneme awareness (the distinct units of sound that distinguish one word from another), phonics (correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters) and rhyme (corresponding sounds in words or at the ends of words). Once these skills are mastered, reading fluency and comprehension can begin to flourish. For some children, the lack of mastery can lead to struggling with reading and retaining information. This not only affects reading class but the whole curriculum. Reading Rockets is an excellent resource for articles about reading. It gives you a deeper understanding of the parts of reading and how you can help your child. http://www.readingrockets.org/ |
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Building Vocabulary
In the past year, I have been working with young adults who are trying to enter the Marines. In order to do that they must pass the ASVAB exam. The four main components are reading comprehension, word knowledge, arithmetic reasoning and math knowledge. The biggest roadblock for the recruits that I have worked with is their ability to understand the pronunciation and meaning of words as well as comprehend the word problems. When I ask if they like to read they all say no.
Exposure to both written and oral language is vital to the development of a strong vocabulary and success in school and beyond. Language development begins at birth with each interaction that a child has. The more that a child is exposed to words in print as well as new, larger words, the broader their understanding of the world will be. Some ways that vocabulary can be expanded is to have conversations with your child, using new words in familiar context so that they can understand the meaning, as well as reading together.
As children enter school, it is important that reading be encouraged as not just a school activity but as a recreational activity. One way that this can be done is to continue to share reading time, either by reading a book together or by setting aside a family reading time. Children learn from what we do. If they see that we find reading valuable by our behavior, they are more likely to form this same habit. Another way to share reading is to discuss something that you really enjoyed in a book.
Creating lifelong readers is a key to success in all areas of life!
In the past year, I have been working with young adults who are trying to enter the Marines. In order to do that they must pass the ASVAB exam. The four main components are reading comprehension, word knowledge, arithmetic reasoning and math knowledge. The biggest roadblock for the recruits that I have worked with is their ability to understand the pronunciation and meaning of words as well as comprehend the word problems. When I ask if they like to read they all say no.
Exposure to both written and oral language is vital to the development of a strong vocabulary and success in school and beyond. Language development begins at birth with each interaction that a child has. The more that a child is exposed to words in print as well as new, larger words, the broader their understanding of the world will be. Some ways that vocabulary can be expanded is to have conversations with your child, using new words in familiar context so that they can understand the meaning, as well as reading together.
As children enter school, it is important that reading be encouraged as not just a school activity but as a recreational activity. One way that this can be done is to continue to share reading time, either by reading a book together or by setting aside a family reading time. Children learn from what we do. If they see that we find reading valuable by our behavior, they are more likely to form this same habit. Another way to share reading is to discuss something that you really enjoyed in a book.
Creating lifelong readers is a key to success in all areas of life!
Taking Advantage of the Library
Who says the best things in life aren't free? If you have a library card, the whole world is opened to you.
Last night I found myself without a book to read because I had just finished reading The Nightingale, which I highly recommend, and had not had a chance to go to the library. Although I prefer a book that I can hold in my hands, I will read eBooks from time to time.
I'm so excited to share with you what I found that your children will really enjoy. If you go to the Greater Phoenix Digital Library, they have a kids digital reading room. They have a great variety of books, some which are read-alongs. You can pick books based on Lexile score, grade level or interest.
Also, if you click on the eLibrary eBooks section on the main library page, you can access TumbleBooks. They offer a variety of books in different formats.
Enjoy!
Who says the best things in life aren't free? If you have a library card, the whole world is opened to you.
Last night I found myself without a book to read because I had just finished reading The Nightingale, which I highly recommend, and had not had a chance to go to the library. Although I prefer a book that I can hold in my hands, I will read eBooks from time to time.
I'm so excited to share with you what I found that your children will really enjoy. If you go to the Greater Phoenix Digital Library, they have a kids digital reading room. They have a great variety of books, some which are read-alongs. You can pick books based on Lexile score, grade level or interest.
Also, if you click on the eLibrary eBooks section on the main library page, you can access TumbleBooks. They offer a variety of books in different formats.
Enjoy!
Informative Article About Math Education
I just read this very interesting article about the myth, "I'm just not good at math." It makes some very important points about how our thinking limits our ability to learn. Math skills, in this increasing technological age, can affect our ability to get better paying jobs. The authors also compares the athletic ability of a person born with some skills who can improve their performance with hard work and perseverance. When students were told that their brain was malleable and that they could improve their math scores through hard work, they were able to improve their grades and understanding of math concepts.
Here is a link to the article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/the-myth-of-im-bad-at-math/280914/
New School Year
Welcome back to school! Make this a great year by staying on top of what your child is doing in school. The first few days are always a flurry of papers to complete and return to school as well as as establishing routines.
Creating a place at home for school work and information is a great way to start. At the end of the day, have your child go through their backpack. Label a bin or organizer with papers that need to be signed and returned to school. Have another place where they can place homework that needs to be completed for the next day.
Establishing homework routines at the beginning of the school year can save a lot of frustration. It really doesn't matter whether homework is done when your child comes home from school or later in the evening after some down time. What's important is that an agreed upon time is set aside to complete assignments that will minimize nightly debates.
Have a great year! And remember, Mullins Tutoring, Inc. is here for all your tutoring needs.
Summer Tutoring
With the end of the school year at hand, it's important to remember that learning is a year round job. Private tutoring is a great way to ensure that your child does not lose the gains that they've made during the school year. This is a great time to not only for building skills and remediation but to also get a jump on next years curriculum. Mullins Tutoring, Inc. is here to serve your child's year round educational needs. Contact Jennifer Mullins @ 623-693-5233 for more information.
According to www.summerlearning.org, here are some of the effects of time off from school:
* All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer.
* Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Low-income students also lose more than two months in reading achievement, despite the fact that their middle-class peers make slight gains
The following links are great resources for math and reading.
http://www.mathplayground.com/summermath.html
http://az.readsquared.com/Default.aspx?PID=102
Mullins Tutoring, Inc. Awarded Best of 2014 on Kudzu
Voted by the Kudzu Community as a Top Arizona Tutoring Service
Phoenix, AZ – January 12, 2014 – Mullins Tutoring, Inc. was named “Best of 2014” winner of Arizona for Tutoring Services on Kudzu.com, a leading source for local business information and consumer reviews.
Over 5 million local businesses competed across a wide range of categories including home, auto, health and professional services. Winners were determined based on votes from consumers in the Arizona Kudzu community. Mullins Tutoring, Inc. received the top honor and will be recognized with a “Best of 2014” badge displayed on their Kudzu business listing.
Mullins Tutoring, Inc. has been serving the North Phoenix area of Arizona since 2002. We offer personalized services to meet each student’s unique needs. Individualized tutoring in math and reading, without the distraction from other children allows for the most growth in confidence and skill. In 2012, Mullins Tutoring, Inc. expanded its services to assist Marine recruits in passing the math portion of the ASVAB exam.
“We are proud that our customers and Kudzu users voted us as one of the best Tutoring Service companies in Arizona for a second time,” said Jennifer Mullins, president of Mullins Tutoring, Inc. “Winning this award from Kudzu only strengthens our commitment to our customers.”