A composition requires the following: title, topic sentence, introductory paragraph, the body and the conclusion. The body requires smooth transitional leads in sentences from one paragraph to another. A composition can require several drafts and may require three days or more depending what grade the student is in. I have written many compositions some as many as 30 pages long and some on a single page. |
Phonics has been at the root of my tutoring experiences. When in doubt sound it out. It is important to be able to sound out words so that the student can increase their vocabulary. I use flash cards and other teaching materials as needed. I use phonics when working with adults that want to learn English. I express to my students that reading can be fun. I look for their areas of interest. |
I tutor students in the following: capitalization, periods, question marks, exclamation points, and commands. They learn the following types of nouns: common, proper, pronoun and subject, as well as predicate and verb. They learn the following types of verbs: present, past and irregular (to be, to have). We learn about sensory adjectives (stinky cheese, salty popcorn). Adverbs are essential, they tell where, when and how something happens. I use tutoring materials that are colorful and geared towards the specific grade level, for example Brain Quest and Spectrum. The students enjoy these immensely. |
When working with my reading students, I purchase materials that have single paragraphs with questions at the end to test reading comprehension. I encourage them to look back and reread the various passages that might have the answer. |