Mathematical concepts are developed with hands on activities using manipulatives. In addition to improving computational skills, students explain their thinking to improve problem solving skills. Students are taught how to show their work and solve problems many ways. At the elementary level, foundational skills like addition and multiplication facts are practiced with math games.
Children need to be able to decode the text they are reading before they can understand it. Phonics skills are taught in isolation, practiced with wordplay, and applied while reading a variety of texts. Phonics skills improve reading accuracy and spelling. Students also practice reading sight words and read passages multiple times to improve reading fluency. Literacy skills are assessed, taught, and reviewed for maximum growth and retention of skills.
Students should be exposed to a wide variety of genres and modalities of writing. Developing the structure, content, and conventions of students’ writing are all areas of focus. Students will learn that writing is a way to communicate ideas and that they have powerful ideas that should be shared with the world!
There are many reasons to read. In tutoring, my goal is for students to practice reading comprehension skills while learning new information related to their own personal interests and to read because it is fun! Students will improve their ability to monitor their understanding as they read, retell, ask questions and make predictions, and to think more deeply about reading material.
While I do believe students should apply newly acquired skills to real life, at times students also benefit from focused test preparation. Time will be spent familiarizing students with the format of the test, developing test taking strategies, and reviewing material covered within the test. Throughout the test preparation process, material will be connected to students’ interests and real world applications whenever possible.
| Subject Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | Elementary Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, etc. |
| Early Literacy | Phonics, Spelling, Fluency, Accuracy, etc. |
| Writing | Essay Writing, Literary Devices, etc. |
| Reading Comprehension | Inferencing, Prediciting, Questioning, Connecting, etc. |
| Test Prep | SSAT, Entrance Exams, Placement Tests, Standardized Tests, etc. |