Step Up With Reading!

Here at CGTP, we have many opportunities for and your student to read together.  We have a wonderful NEW library in the resource where you can check out books together, and build up your reading log.  If you don't know where your reading log is, you can find one on the small rolling cart outside of your classroom.  They are in a folder labeled "Reading Logs".  Logging the books your student reads is important in understanding what he/she is reading, and what kind of books they are choosing.  Is your child choosing books too easy, or hard for them?  Are they choosing books for certain interests?  Learning about your student's reading styles and interests will help better your understanding of their skills, as well as create better questions for you to ask them while they are reading.

Our library is organized by book genres.  We have three different color bins:  RED, which holds chapter books, BLUE, which holds Fiction books, and GREEN which holds non-fiction books.  Each bin has a label on the front of it with a code.  The code will help you find books and put books away in their proper places.  They look like this:

You can check out the books and take them back to your classroom, or find a special reading spot on our floor, but please make sure you sign the books in and out on the clipboards attached to the games bookcase.  This will help all of us keep track of who is borrowing the books.

Now that you have chosen a book to read, start reading with a positive attitude.  It is great to suggest books that match his/her reading skills.  But let your student pick what to read, even if it seems "too easy".....we want them to enjoy what they are reading.  And if your student is bored with a book, don't make them finish it, go and choose another story.  Also, link books to other interesting materials, including magazine and newspapers.  If you read a story about dogs, bring in an article about dogs from the paper.  That will spark their interest even more and relate their reading to real-life experiences.  Help your child build comprehension by asking questions about the story, before, during, and after reading.  Show interest in your child's answers and opinions.

If you have any questions about our wonderful library, choosing books, or helping your student with a specific reading skill, please come find us, that is what we are here for!

Aim High

I have recently been reading an educational book about different techniques that put students on the path to college.  I don't usually pick up books like this to read, but as I was reading, I came across a few techniques that strive to promote higher levels of student acheivement.  

You have been setting expectations with your students since your first session with them.  Setting high expectations is key for high student achievement, even for those who do not show successful achievement.  So how do you demonstrate high expectations if you haven't already?  Take a look at these techniques that will help you do so and create a more challenging learning environment for your student:

1.  Don't Opt Out:  Don't let your student say those three ugly words to you, "I DON"T KNOW".  That is not going to cut it here at CGTP.  Your student is trying to avoid what he/she thinks they don't know.  If you let your student get away with an "I Don't Know" kind of answer, then they are going to expect to get away with that.  This technique works best when working with more than one student, but once a student knows the right answer, have them repeat the answer back to you, to ensure they were listening.

2. Right is Right:  Okay, so you've got your student answering questions and they are "almost right" but not 100% correct.  We want to get our students used to answering with an all the way RIGHT answer.  You can help them do that by saying things like " I like most of that" or "Can you develop further?" or "That's a great start but there's a bit more to it than that".  Using positive language to get your students a few steps further in their understanding will lead to much greater success.

3.  Stretch It:  When students get an answer all the way right, you can STRETCH it even further. 
Ask how or why, ask for another way to answer, ask for a better word or some evidence as to how they know that.  Learning doesn't end with a right answer, reward these answers with follow-up questions that extend knowledge.

4.  Format Matters:  They are learning to write in complete sentences, but they aren't always speaking them.  Yes, this can be a touchy subject, but what are your students going to do when they have job interviews or college applications to fill out?  Correcting slang, syntax, and grammar is a must and you can practice this by having your students use complete sentences when speaking answers to you.  It's not what students say that matters, but how they communicate it.

Be a leader who expects great things, and great things you will see!

These techniques comes from the book "Teach Like A Champion" by Doug Lemov.

MOTIVATION

"For what is the best choice, for each individual is the highest it is possible for him to achieve." -Aristotle

Does your student ever say the words, "I'm not interested"??  Maybe they don't actually say that, but their actions might.  Lack of motivation makes students hard to understand, reach, and teach, which can make us feel angry and helpless.  What can you do, as their tutor, to influence them and guide them out of this "uninterested" state?

These students might believe they can't succeed, which is why unmotivated students choose to do nothing.  To reach these students we must find a way to help them experience success and feel that they belong.  Doing so, will require much insight and patience, because it will not be a fast change.

First off, you must believe that these students are motivated, because all students are, in their own way.  Thinking they are lazy is not going to help get the results you want.   Maybe they really believe that they cannot perform the task being asked.  They are more likely to change if you can show them that they can by providing them opportunities to prove you right.  The more they see themselves succeed, the quicker their motivation will change.

Secondly, get to know what your students' interests and strengths are.  You must determine how you will gain the students respect and trust and understand where they are coming from.  Talk to them, ask questions about school, their friends, and LISTEN.  Bring in articles about topics that they might be interested in.  That can lead to great discussion and allow them to feel comfortable opening up to you.

Third, less is more.  Don't move through a subject or school topic too quickly, you will lose the student and that could result in frustration.  Make changes to assignments to fit the curriculum to the student.  Forcing the student to always fit the curriculum makes changing the behavior more difficult. Maybe its only doing half of their math homework and coming back to the rest at a later point in the evening.  Spending too much time on one topic can create anxiety and aggravation, and not to mention boredom.

Lastly, do not think their behavior is anything against you, it has all to do with the student.   With perseverance from you, reinforcing your belief that they CAN succeed, and some patience, you will see that change is right around the corner.

So, to go with the theme of this entry, the word of the week is......

MOTIVATION

  ambition, inspiration

Eat Your Words

Each week I will be attaching the word of the week to a blog posts on Monday. 

Learning new words will help build vocabulary, brighten reading skills, and even stimulate higher order thinking.  Words of the Week can also offer up many activities for you and your student to partake in together:

-Use the word of the day to build discussion together

-Write a paragraph about what that word means to you

-Keep a tally and see how many times each of you can use the word throughout your tutoring session

-Look up the antonyms and synonyms for the word

-Write each WOTW (word of the week) on a notecard, hole punch, and put on a key chain.  Keep the words in your student's folder and review each week. 

-Once you have collected all of these fabulous words, get online and create a WORDLE together.  Print in the computer lab and save it as a "word" of art!  Check out my wordle below:

So, for our very first WOTW, our first word is:

superfluous

  going beyond what is enough or necessary : extra

For You

Hello All!  And welcome to our brand new CGTP tutor blog.  This blog is intended to be a great place for you to come and gather tips, resources, and advice for you and your student.  Now that the holiday season is behind us, and there are still many snowy, cold days ahead, I feel that it is necessary to provide your student with as many engaging learning opportunities as possible.  Because there are so many resources out there, I hope to narrow down that search for you and provide you with some great support that is geared specifically for our program and our students.  Remember, you are a super hero, you are making a difference in these children's lives, so make the most out of your time here with them. This blog is FOR YOU, and I am excited to introduce you to some exciting learning opportunities ahead.  I plan on posting about twice a week, so press the follow button to the left, add us to your blog list, and enjoy the blog!

~Amy