Cure Senioritis in 4 Steps
When was the last time you got a case of senioritis? What is senioritis and how can you cure senioritis? Senioritis is defined as a decrease in motivation and academic performance at the end of the senior year of high school when the college acceptance letters and final exam exemptions begin arriving. We all know that it’s much broader than that and senioritis strikes older and younger students alike. Even teachers and parents can get a case of the “I don’t care anymore” attitude when the summer vacation or job change is just around the corner. Spring fever is a similar attitude where students lose focus in the classroom because they can’t wait to get outside and enjoy the longer days. They have a “let’s just get this done quickly” mentality. Here are 4 steps to cure senioritis and spring fever and finish the school year strong, plus more resources for additional reading. Go outside This is a game-changer. Did you know that spending 20 minutes a day outside will make you healthier, more productive, and lower your stress level? Whether you are the student, the teacher, or the parent, take some time to go outside each day. Put a…
Collecting Useful Tutoring Resources
Looking for tutoring resources to use with clients? Need online tutoring resources? Just getting started tutoring? Only have materials at one grade level? Want resources for summer learning or homeschooling? Don’t worry! I’ve got tutoring resources, freebies, and tips for organizing your resources. Invest in quality materials Whether you are just setting up your tutoring business or you are looking for more materials, invest in quality materials you can use for multiple clients. Investigate the internet for low-cost or free tutoring resources such as worksheets, printable reference sheets, online review games, and tutorials, but also be willing to invest in your business and your clients. Sometimes paid products can save you time and money and are worth the investment. Look at online market places like Teachers Pay Teachers or Etsy or use search engines like Pinterest. Did you know that TPT shops all list at least 1 free resource? Invent a reference system Invent a list of tutoring resources by subject or grade level for quick reference. Old school was a tall file cabinet. Now it’s a slide in your Google slide deck or a basket of supplies for your tutoring desk. However you store them, I suggest keeping…
Benefits of Sustained Silent Reading
When was the last time you read silently for enjoyment? Whether your child has a love of reading or not, there are many benefits of sustained silent reading including developing a love for books and an increased ability to maintain silent reading for the length of time needed for end-of-year testing. Plus, reading takes the reader on adventures and increases knowledge. It’s never too late for someone to become a reader. In my experience, reluctant readers spend more time practicing test-taking skills but not enough time practicing sustained reading for the length of the end-of-year tests. They lose stamina part way through the test and things go downhill from there. Our culture is quick and on the go and when a reading passage is more than a page long, students groan. If it’s several pages long, they tune out after the first one or just skip to the questions and then spend time hunting for answers in a passage they never read, missing the nuances of the test and the complexities of comprehension. Does this sound like a child you know? Whether it is called DEAR (Drop Everything and Read), SSR (Sustained Silent Reading), Quiet Time, or DIRT (Daily…
4 Games for Multi-Step Direction Practice
How often are you frustrated that your child cannot remember all the things you asked them to do at bedtime or breakfast? Skills for Following Directions Multi-step direction practice can positively impact the skills needed to follow directions. Executive functioning development begins at a young age and continues into the 20’s and 30’s. Executive functioning skills, simply put, are the ones that work together to help people process and follow directions to complete simple and complex tasks in daily life. These skills include working memory, attention, planning, and time management. It is very normal for children to have difficulty remembering multi-step directions, especially if their attention is focused elsewhere including another task they are working on. There are a few activities you can do to make a game of improving a child’s ability to follow short verbal multi-step directions such as getting ready for bed or following the steps to complete an assignment in the classroom. Verbal Directions Some verbal directions are simple (hang up your coat and wash your hands) and some are more complex (for your homework agenda – your test is on the 19th and your book report is due the following Friday). Playing games to…
10 Analogy Types to Improve Thinking
How would you finish this analogy – roots are to trees as _______ is to learning? Analogies provide a good way to practice critical thinking, but knowing the common analogy types will help you avoid just guessing the answer. Analogies focus on word relationships to explain two things by showing how they are alike. Analogies can help map familiar relationships with new information. There are numerous types of relationships, but the most common 10 analogy types are antonyms, synonyms, part/whole, cause/effect, tool/action, category/example, intensity, characteristics, pairs, and object/user. The benefits of understanding analogies are developing flexible thinking skills, enjoying the powerful nuances of literature, and excelling at job interviews and homework help. Below are 10 common analogy types and examples. Analogy Types and Examples Antonym – hot : cold :: wet : dry Synonym – nice : kind :: mean : bully Part/Whole – leaf : tree :: petal : flower Cause/Effect – stove : burn :: rain : flood Tool/Action – keyboard : type :: phone : call Category/Example – clothes : shirt :: silverware : spoon Intensity – freezing : cool :: boiling : warm Characteristic – fish : water :: bird : air Pairs – salt…
Get Detailed Steps To Start A Small Business
What is stopping you from starting the business you have been dreaming about? Are you afraid it is too much work to start a business or that you don’t know what to do to get started? I’ve got the solution. Got a friend who would be SO good at teaching lessons or coaching others but hasn’t made that leap yet? I’ve got a business course and a tutoring workshop. Ready to work for yourself but not exactly sure what line of business to choose? Consider private tutoring or coaching. I’ve got the steps to start a small business. Immediate Access to Course and Checklist Starting your own business IS a lot of work, but fortunately, many of those tasks and decisions can be made once and you will soon be on your way to working for yourself. In my course “Business Basics” I walk clients, just like you, through the main steps of setting up a small business including checklists and lots of little questions for you to consider and make notes about. I spent many hours researching and writing detailed notes about all the things I needed to do to start a business, build a website, get customers, and…
Free Printable Agenda Page
How many late or missing assignments has your child had this week? How could a free printable agenda page help you? I’m a huge fan of agendas, but I also know that many kids struggle to use them. Recently I wrote a post about using Google calendars as digital agendas, but there are plenty of kids and families who just need a printable agenda page. I’ve got one for you! Whether you have a 5 subject day or 8, I’ve got a sheet for you. You can simply use the extra rows for notes, extracurricular activities, work, etc. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or tutor, this free printable agenda page is for you. Print this free printable agenda page and help your child get back on track. I suggest printing it on colored paper, but not so bright or dark that your child can’t write on it with a pencil. A nice fluorescent green, yellow, or orange helps kids find their printable agenda page in the folder crammed with worksheets, handouts, and missing homework. Take time at the start of the week to write in as many assignments as the teachers have posted online or are predictably due each…
10 reading questions to ask your child
How can parents ask good questions without reading the book? Every parent wants to ask good reading questions to help their child stretch their reading comprehension but who has time to pre read all the books and come up with good questions? This list of 10 reading questions will help you support your child’s literacy development and start critical thinking discussions. Whenever I ask critical thinking reading comprehension questions of students, I always expect them to tell why they think that. Teach your child to answer the question and tell why. I reassure students that there may be more than one right answer and telling why or giving proof from the text will help their answer to be understood better. Here are 10 reading questions you can personalize and use to ask your child about what they are reading regardless of the book or their school grade level. Ask one or two of these at a time and give plenty of thinking time if needed. What made you select this book? What character are you most/least like? Would you be friends with the main character if they lived next door? What is the crisis in the story and how…
Back to School for you – for free
What do you wish you could go back to school to learn? Everyone can teach or tutor something. What skill or hobby are you good at? What academic subject do you enjoy talking about? What do your kids or neighbors ask you for advice about? Being a subject expert will help you grow your confidence in tutoring, but honestly, tutoring is just coming alongside someone to help with their academic or skill learning. Almost anyone can do that, especially with a free tutoring workshop. Here’s a little free vocabulary lesson. Teaching is a subject matter expert giving instruction. Tutoring is helping students with academic learning and study skills. It is remediating or enriching a particular subject or school year. Coaching is helping students with problem-solving strategies to improve productivity or effectiveness both now and in the future. Now is the perfect time to get set up to start tutoring this fall. My short free workshop Tutor Toolkit will give you the tools needed to design tutoring sessions no matter what you want to tutor. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to tutor, teach lessons, or coach clients. What’s in the FREE workshop Tutor Toolkit? In this workshop, I lay…
Free easy way to improve reading achievement
What is one free and easy way to improve student reading achievement? Many parents want a quick fix for reading achievement and seek tutoring for students who are below reading level. While tutoring is a great option and I can remediate phonic, teach syllable patterns, practice oral reading fluency, and evaluate comprehension, what students also need is daily reading practice to improve student reading achievement. It’s free and easy and yet many parents do not see the value of it. Daily reading of 15-30 minutes can help improve reading achievement significantly. Check out this report for some shocking statistics. According to studies by Renaissance Learning on K-12 reading, “the majority of students spend fewer than 15 minutes per day reading, but increasing their daily reading time to 30 minutes can improve comprehension and boost student achievement.” Summer is a good time to set aside daily reading time where families read a variety of materials and model good reading habits. Do not miss out on the benefits of daily reading to improve student reading achievement. Reading should not be confined to fiction! Read an instruction booklet with your child or a travel guide. Read online reviews for a restaurant or a…