February 16th, 2015
Kyle comes in to Study Hut for tutoring with his tutor Richard every week. They work on English and math. In math, Kyle was having a lot of trouble with graphing. Kyle and Richard would go through the homework together and make sure that Kyle understood how to get the right answer. They went over homework every week to make sure that Kyle knew exactly what was going on in class. Kyle went into his final confident that he would ace it. He got a one hundred percent and had the highest score in his entire grade!
Richard and Kyle also work on English together. Vocabulary was challenging for Kyle. Richard taught him ways to remember the words, like using the word in context to fully understand the definition, and how not to mix up similar looking words on the test. Richard and Kyle have also been working on improving Kyle’s essay skills. Going from ideas to a strong, well-thought-out paper was incredibly difficult. Richard helped Kyle work on his entire essay writing process. They started with brainstorming. A lot of students skip this step and just jump right into writing their essay, but this leads to them missing out on potentially better topics. Structure was another important factor they worked on. Kyle had great ideas, but was not conveying his message as clearly as he could have in his paper. Thanks to Richard, Kyle got a one hundred percent on his English final and received the second highest grade in his class!
Tags: english, math, middle school, one-on-one tutoring
Posted in middle school |
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February 13th, 2015
By the time you get to high school you have already heard all about the SAT and the ACT. But what about the SAT II Subject Tests? Many colleges require them, but people do not seem to talk about them as much as the other two tests. So, what exactly are the SAT IIs?
The SAT IIs are hour-long tests that focus on specific topics. Most tests are multiple-choice. For the language tests, there is a listening portion. The cool thing about the SAT II is that you can choose which subjects you take. That means that you can pick the subjects you know best and feel most comfortable in. Even if the college you are applying to does not require SAT IIs, they can still be helpful. Getting a great score on an SAT II can set you apart from other applicants applying to the same program. Doing well on certain SAT IIs can also count for placement in higher-level classes than you would be placed in without an SAT II.
You can take up to three SAT IIs in one day, but you may take just one as well. The subjects on the SAT II are covered in a deeper context than on the regular SAT. You will need to fully grasp concepts instead of just having broad overarching knowledge of the topic. Unlike the regular SAT, you should not wait until your junior or senior years to take the SAT II. You should take it after the class you have taken that corresponds with the topic you are picking for the SAT II. That way the majority of the information will be fresh in your head and you have a greater chance for success!
Tags: one-on-one tutoring, sat ii, sat ii tutoring, south bay, Tutoring
Posted in high school, SAT |
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February 11th, 2015
The Capstone Project is a research paper and project that students attending Palos Verdes High School work on throughout their junior and senior years. The Capstone Project requires students to think critically about a topic of their choice. It manifests with the students giving a presentation on their research and work to a group of teachers and parents. The Capstone Project helps students narrow down options for a major and find out if they would be passionate working on their topic long term.
Laura helped her student Olivia with her Capstone Project during her junior and senior years. Olivia was having trouble deciding which topic to pursue for her project. After weighing her different options, Laura helped her decide on examining how documentaries affect public perception of issues. They decided to use the film Blackfish and how it changed the public’s view on captive whales as the basis of Olivia’s paper. She researched the differences between the lives of orca whales in captivity versus in the wild. She worked in the field scuba diving for research and polling people on how Blackfish changed the way they looked at captive whales.
Once she had all of her research completed and data collected for her project, it was time to put it all into an essay. Laura helped Olivia organize all of her data into paragraphs. There was a lot of research, so it took time to narrow down all the facts so that Olivia could prove her initial thesis while still being concise. Olivia was chosen to be part of Capstone Elite where she competed against other selected students as some of the best Capstone projects of the class.
Tags: Capstone, Capstone Project, one-on-one tutoring, Palos Verdes High School, PVHS
Posted in high school, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes High School |
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February 10th, 2015
The start of a new semester is a great time to change any bad habits that were keeping you from earning the best grades you could last semester. Zoning out in class, not turning in homework, and not getting help until it was too late are all bad habits students fall in that keep them from getting amazing grades. Here are some helpful habits to start this semester that will keep you on top of your grades.
If you are in a class that is constantly giving you trouble, set up a regular weekly tutoring appointment. A tutor can make sure that you fully understand the concepts taught in class. This way, you will understand your homework and will never feel left behind when you are confused by new material. Many students avoid doing the work for a class when they do not get it, which only exacerbates the problem. The added structure of learning outside of class will help you keep up with the work.
Make sure you take amazing notes this semester! Some students do well with Cornell style notes while other students remember information better with an outline style. Figure out which format works best for you. Make sure that all of your notes are legible. There is no point taking notes only to go back and not be able to read them! While going back through your notes, write additional notes or highlight key terms and important concepts. Going over the material only while taking the notes is not enough for most students, so rereading them and marking them up will leave the concepts fresh in your mind.
Don’t forget to stay organized this semester! You cannot do well in any class if you lose the notes and cannot find the assignments you need to be turning in.
Tags: one-on-one tutoring, one-on-one tutoring south bay, study skills
Posted in high school, organization, study skills |
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February 4th, 2015
AP or Advanced Placement classes are a great option for students who want to take a challenging class that can reward them with college credit! What is an AP class? An AP class is a class offered high schools that is taught at the college level. It all leads up to a national test in May. Every student enrolled in each AP class takes the test on the same day across the United States. There is an assigned test date and time for each subject. For most subjects, there is a multiple choice section as well as free response questions that are essays. For the foreign language APs, there is also a speaking portion of the test.
The APs are a great option for students that think they can handle the work because some schools will accept passing AP scores for college credit. The AP is graded from 1 to 5, where 3 through 5 are passing grades. However, some colleges only accept scores of 4 or 5 to earn credit.
The work for an AP class is comparable or sometimes a tad bit more challenging than an Honors course. There is a lot of content to learn, and students need to know the content like the back of their hand. The course is also taught at an accelerated pace because the final test is in May, rather than in June like regular school courses. However, if you can keep up and put in the hard work, it looks great for colleges, and may get you some credit in the end!
Tags: ap, one-on-one AP tutoring
Posted in AP tests, AP Tutoring, high school |
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February 3rd, 2015
We had a huge day at the Newport Beach Study Hut today, and our top students are all quite eager to hit the ground running with a fresh start second semester.
Mortimer, a diligent and eager-to-learn student, worked on his reading comprehension skills with Rob. They worked on pre-writing essays and the different components that make up an essay. He understands topic sentences, conclusions, and can already write an entire introductory paragraph. This student is already impressively working on various writing prompts for the SAT at the young age of 10!
Another sophomore from Corona Del Mar High School, Mukil, fresh out of a successful finals week, worked on common core math today with the guidance of his tutor. He picked up the brand new concepts taught in class with ease. The new concepts were then drilled by practice problems to reinforce and check understanding. Not only did he get to master previous lessons, but we also helped him prepare and get ahead for his next class. He also worked on Spanish and went over some vocabulary and phrases for his Spanish quiz on Friday.
Lastly, a senior from Mater Dei came in for precalculus tutoring. Although she’s received multiple early college acceptances, she’s not letting senioritis get to her. When she first came in, the packet that her teacher gave as homework made no sense to her. There were lots of blanks and question marks scattered all throughout the packet. However, after just an hour of working through the packet with her math tutor, she ended up fully grasping the points that she didn’t understand an hour ago. Not only did she finally understand it all, but she then demonstrated her understanding by completing difficult practice problems to further enhance and reinforce her learning.
Tags: high school, Newport Beach, one-on-one tutoring, orange county
Posted in high school, Newport Beach |
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February 3rd, 2015
Richard and his student Jarred worked on studying for Jarred’s Psychology final exam together. Jarred is a very good student, but Psychology has a lot of complex terms that sound very similar. Some terms have definitions that are almost the same, but small nuances that can make the difference between a right and wrong answer on the essay portion of the test.
Richard wanted to help Jarred make sense of all the vocabulary and see how they were all related to one another. They went through each word and pieced together how it connected with some of the other vocabulary. Exercises like this made it easier for Jarred to remember each word and what it specifically meant. Richard would see if Jarred knew a word, asked him to explain it, and then use it in an example. Using the vocabulary words and concepts in examples reinforces the meanings and connections for students, and gives them a more comprehensive working definition of them word. For example, Jarred had to know that serotonin and dopamine could be affected by conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and depression. A lot of students have trouble differentiating between serotonin and dopamine because they have similar functions. Explaining how each one was affected by different conditions to Richard really helped Jarred distinguish between the two.
Jarred was a little worried about his final. However, after studying with Richard he felt confident and more prepared for his test. He was now armed with relative examples and real connections between the vocab to ace his final and destroy all the essay questions.
Tags: one-on-one psychology tutoring, one-on-one tutting, psych, psych AP, psychology
Posted in Finals Tutoring, high school, Learning, local tutoring, Senior Year |
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February 3rd, 2015
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School had their Open House Night for prospective incoming freshmen last month. Interested students and parents were able to walk around and tour the campus, learn about all of the academic and extracurricular programs, and get a feel for the overall vibe of the high school. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School is a great school, just like its rival at the bottom of the hill, Palos Verdes High School.
Here are some statistics on Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. They were ranked tenth in all of Los Angeles by LA Magazine. They came in as fifty-fourth in the entire country by Daily Beast. Unlike Palos Verdes High School, who follows a block schedule, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School follows a regular class schedule where every class meets every day for about an hour. This type of schedule may work better for the students who want to go to here rather than meeting every other day for each class like at Palos Verdes High School. The average on every SAT II Subject test was above a 600, except for World History which was a 598. Peninsula’s average ACT score is 5 points above the state average and 6 points above the national average. The school offers 22 Honors or Advanced courses and 29 AP or Advanced Placement courses. They offer Speech and Debate, Model United Nations, a weekly newscast (“Eye on the Panther”), Mock Trial, “La Pantera” yearbook, as well as a cyber defense competition.
No matter what school they choose, students are sure to get an amazing education at either of the Palos Verdes schools.
Tags: high school
Posted in Palos Verdes, Peninsula |
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February 3rd, 2015
Wednesday January 28th, Palos Verdes High School held their Open House night at their campus from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School hold their Open House nights annually so that incoming freshman can decide which high school they would like to attend the next school year. Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School are extremely competitive because they are both great schools, so the Open house nights really help them show off their strengths. From 6 to 7 PM, there was a presentation on academics, athletics, and clubs at Palos Verdes High School in Sea Kings Park and the MPR. Afterward, there was a Live From 205 presentation and the premiere of the 2015 Palos Verdes High School lip dub in the gym from 7 to 8 PM.
Here are some quick statistics on Palos Verdes High School. Last year 98% of Palos Verdes High School students went on to either a four or two year college. They are currently offering 29 Advanced Placement (AP) classes as well as 19 different Honors Placement classes. The average ACT score is 5 points above the California state average. The average score on all SAT Subject Tests was above 600 points on each. There are over thirty different athletics teams. Palos Verdes High School also offers various extracurricular activities such as the The Triton yearbook, Trade Winds literary magazine, The Point newspaper, Live From 205 television show, and Model United Nations.
Posted in Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes High School |
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January 27th, 2015
A lot of younger students may not need as much regular help with homework and assignments as high school students, but enrichment can be just as important. Enrichment helps students solidify the concepts that they learned in class. It also helps them get ahead of their classmates so they are more prepared for the next step.
Tutors will always go over any of the current homework the student has by going through problems that they have not solved with them and checking the student’s work on problems they have already finished. Reviewing the material makes sure that the student has a full grasp on the concepts that they are expected to know in class. Next, they try more difficult problems that take their concepts to the next level. Doing more challenging practice problems boosts student’s confidence and makes the problems they have been doing in class seem like a piece of cake.
Many students also work ahead with their tutors. This is especially helpful for student’s whose learning styles do not mesh with the teaching style of their teacher at school. They will go through the lesson and do example problems as well as a few practice problems. Learning the content before the material is presented in class gives students the confidence they need to participate in class discussions without being afraid of getting a wrong answer. It also makes sure that the student has someone one-on-one guiding them to make sure that they completely understand the key concepts they need to succeed.
Tags: california common core, elementary enrichment, one-on-one tutoring, South Bay tutoring
Posted in Comprehension, focusing, General, Learning, local tutoring, Self esteem |
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