Book Club

Attention 5th and 6th graders!!!  We will be hosting our first ever book club here at tutoring in mid-January.  During the last week of tutoring, students will get to take home a book, read it over winter break, and be ready to discuss it during our book club meeting.  This is the book that we will read for our first meeting:

Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.  The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?

Heads up for Third Graders!

A recent study released by the American Educational Research Association, found that students who can't read on grade level by 3rd grade is four times less likely to graduate high school by age 19 than a child who does read proficiently by that time.  When you add poverty to that, than a student is 13 times less likely to graduate on time than his or her "wealthier" peer.

YIKES!!

I find this to be scary, sad, and somewhat true.  I know as a first grade teacher, that reading is EVERYTHING....that is practically all we do in my classroom.  But with large classroom sizes, little to no extra assistance, and many english-language learners, teachers' days are stressful and tough.

BUT, we students have the opportunity to receive extra reading support (like at CGTP), then we need to give them those opportunities as often as possible.  We should be creating more opportunities for students to read even after first and second grade.  When we know there is an at-risk reader on our hands, we must acknowledge that and provide high-success reading experiences for our students, along with reading instruction that showcases a variety of skills.  Skills that we have been testing our CGTP students on with the DORA tests (i.e. phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, etc.).  So, tutors, now that you have the facts (test scores, school grades, etc.), we have the tools at our center (resource room, and myself), let's come face to face with our struggling readers and send them into a reading momentum of success in order to get them to become on-level readers.

HELP!! With Everyday Math

Everyday Math....what is it??  This is a math curriculum designed by The University of Chicago that was designed to focus on real life problem solving that encourages students to explain and discuss their way of thinking.  Okay, so where are the instructions when it comes time to help your student with their math homework???  I have asked the same question myself, because this math series comes with little to no instruction on some of the daily home and study links that students have to complete for homework.  It is hard to know what they have done that day in school because their homework is jumbled with a variety of math problems and that can be confusing for someone who is with them only once a week.  So, I have gathered up some resources on the net to help anyone else out there who feels frusturated when it comes time to help with this particular math homework

http://www1.center.k12.mo.us/edtech/everydaymath.htm
A list of resources related to the Everyday Math curriculum

http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/homework_help/
Home/Study Link help for all grade levels

http://mathatube.com/everydaymath-motheds.html
A wonderful to learn the many methods of this program

http://www.norman.k12.ok.us/155/Math/EverydayMath.htm
Online demos for help with the methods

http://everydaymath.eanes.wikispaces.net/
Overall great website with lots of resourceful help

As I pop in and out of classrooms, feel free to stop and ask any questions you have about the homework or math questions.  I will do my very best to help, but I myself, find that seeking outside resources for this program seem to be a great way to find that extra help you might need.

Great Reading Ahead....

I have been seeing lots of tutors and students using our fabulous library in the resource room.  The books there are certainly for your use during your time at tutoring.  As you begin to get to know your student, guide them to choose books that are a good fit for their reading abilities.  Choosing books that fit their reading level (being able to read a full page without struggling with more than five words) will boost their confidence and comprehension skills.  Let your student choose books that they enjoy as well, and if it is too hard, share reading the parts of the story and take turns reading out loud to each other.  If your student is intimidated by seeing a lot of words on one page, have them use a sheet of paper to cover some words.  This way, they can focus on one area at a time. After looking over the DORA test, comprehension seems to be the category that students are having difficulty with the most.  Remember to always ask questions before, during, and after reading.  Create good conversation and help choose "just right" books and you are sure to see a pathway to great reading.

Sometimes our students need a little push in the right direction, and that direction could help make a significant leap in their reading skills!

Just a Thought

Are you practice good thinking skills habits with your student?  Check below to see if you are:

-Slowing down instruction

-Presenting your student with appropriate level work, not too hard but not too easy

-Sharing your thinking process with your student
-Finding multiple ways to solve problems
-Helping your student apply what he/she knows in new ways

By consistently challenging your student's their thinking process, you will help them to become excellent thinkers and learners.

Do Now

Our time here at CGTP goes by very quickly.  We need to use every minute up the best that we can.  I have noticed that many students are ready to start their homework right away, which is wonderful, but instead of jumping right into completing a homework assignment, challenge your student to a "Do Now" activity.  A "Do Now" activity is an engaging task ready for them the minute they sit down.  Before you talk about how your week is going, or when their next spelling test is, challenge them to a short activity that they can complete independently and successfully.   The activity should take no longer than a few minutes, but make sure it applies to something they are learning in school, or something you have talked about before.  Here are some examples of some "Do Now" activities:

*Correct the grammar of 3 silly sentences
*See how many ways studetns can produce the sum of 25
*Write a math problem and have your student illustrate it
*Give clues about a favorite TV show or movie and have your student guess what the answer is, then switch and you be the guesser while your student comes up with the clues.
*Write mis-spelled spelling words on notecards and hide them around the classroom.  Let your student find the words and correct them.

This is not required by any means, but just a way for you to connect with your student the minute they enter their classroom, a way to get their minds stimulated, so that you can ensure the rest of your evening will be successful and engaging.  Check out the weekly Tabletop News for more quick and fun activities for everyone!

WHAT IS DORA???

Now that the school year is in full swing, we will be asking that your student be tested in our computer lab in a reading (DORA) and math (DOMA) assessment.  We test all students at the beginning of the year and at the end to see the growth made throughout the year.  After your student finishes his/her test, they will come meet you with a report in hand.  That report is for you to go over and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of your student.  Some of you  might be wondering what all those little symbols and letters mean on the  report.  So here is the rundown on the categories being tested on for DORA:

HFW – High Frequency Words: score range is mid Kindergarten to high 3rd grade.
WR – Word Recognition: score range is mid Kindergarten to high 12^th grade.
PH – Phonics/Word Analysis:   score range is low Kindergarten to high 4^th grade.
PA – Phonemic Awareness:   scores as a percentage.
SP – Spelling: score range is mid Kindergarten to high 12^th grade.
VO – Word Meaning Sub-test/Oral Vocabulary:  mid Kindergarten to high 12^th grade.
CO – Silent Reading sub-test/Comprehension:  score range is mid Kindergarten to high 12^th grade.

and for DOMA:

Numbers Skills:   maximum score high 5^th grade.
Fractions Skills:   maximum score high 5^th grade.
Measurement Strand: maximum score mid 5^th grade.

The reports give further explanations on what each skill means and what your student knows and what you should be working on with them.  Use the reports as a tool, let them guide you this fall into setting attainable goals with your student, in hopes of skyrocketing those scores and helping our students become confident and excited learners!