So many people struggle with history in school! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had students come in struggling in their history class and in search of help. As a Manhattan Beach history tutor, I hate hearing this from new students and do everything I can to make the class more enjoyable. I do my absolute best to bring a level of excitement to the subject that they clearly are not getting from their teacher.
Many people see history as nothing but a bunch of meaningless facts that only vaguely relate to one another. As a Manhattan Beach history tutor, it is my job to string all of these “meaningless facts” together into a cohesive story that the student can become engaged in. I find that even if the student does not end up loving history as much as I do, they generally find the class much easier and are able to do well in the class. All of this begins to happen when the students begin to realize that all of those little facts that they found so frustrating before beginning tutoring simply make sense once integrated into an engaging story. Sometimes getting to this point is more difficult, but from my experience just about everyone can do very well in history as long as the information is presented in an engaging manner.
Over the past two years that I have been working as a Manhattan Beach history tutor I have helped countless students overcome the seemingly insurmountable task of receiving an A in their history class or achieve a 5 on their AP exam. Seeing my students succeed in their history classes is a wonderful feeling but the best is when I can inspire some appreciation of the truly delightful subject that is history.
Getting started with AP exams requires a free practice test>. Diagnostic testing is an essential first step to any training program. After the student takes a diagnostic AP exam to get a baseline score, we will meet with you and your son or daughter to go over the results. This meeting will lift the veil on where you stand now, what needs to be done to get where you want to be, and set a road map for how we can get you there. We will break down the entire test with an accurate score report, complete with statistical analysis of your best and worst sections.
Before we can attack this monster of a test, we will want to make sure everyone is on the same page. At this free consultation we will address your fears and expectations leading up to the real test. Once you understand what the test entails we can develop a study plan designed just for you, focusing on boosting your strengths and reinforcing your weaknesses.
We will then set up a recurring time with one of our expert tutors. Being with the same tutor every time maximizes efficiency and ensures your best results. Our tutors are not only masters of that subject, but also know the test backwards and forwards, so you are sure to get the very best instruction.
We also recognize that the life of a high school student is already packed with activities. Study Hut does all one-on-one training for AP tests, and is open seven days a week until 10pm. We are flexible, and will match you with a schedule that works for you!
To begin the process of getting started with AP exams, just fill out the contact form below. Your information will be sent to the branch nearest you, then the manager will call to set up a time that works best for you!
The first step in your AP test prep process is to take a Free Diagnostic Test>. Practice AP tests are offered every week at Study Hut for your convenience. After taking the test, we encourage all of our students to come in for a Free Consultation in order to discuss current strengths and weaknesses. Once properly assessed, we pair each student with a specialized tutor in the given content area as well as create a personalized curriculum tailored to each students’ needs.
Once the curriculum is designed, you will work with you tutor on AP Test Prep. We start by first brushing up on key concepts before diving into one-on-one focused sessions of areas of that need improvement. Because all of our tutors have great experience and familiarity with the structure and commonly tested content, we devote crucial time to teaching test taking strategies.
For best results, we recap lessons and we move through practice questions. If needed, we support the lessons with take-home work. Throughout the tutoring process, we frequently administer practice DBQs, FRQs, and Multiple Choice sections. All homework is reviewed during the next lesson to make sure the lesson sinks in. Once you can demonstrate mastery, we move onto the next concept.
Next we track your progress through regular full-length practice tests. These also ensure that you will have experience in executing the strategies and content proficiency that you will develop during your tutoring sessions. We hold them here in our office twice a month on Saturday mornings. Taking them in a simulated testing environment like that ensures an accurate timing schedule, and the added stressor or not taking it in the comfort of your own home. Our primary goal is to make sure that you go into your AP test with the confidence, knowledge, and experience to achieve the high score you deserve.
The four weeks between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday break can be the toughest lap of the academic race for many students. Everyone loves to buckle down and cram for the “last lap” before Finals in January, but this “second-to-last lap” in December is brutal. With tons of distractions, from family coming into town, holiday shopping, and making sure to enjoy the holiday spirit, it comes as no surprise that many students have a tough time focusing on their tests and assignments.
But this is not the time to be distracted. In fact, this is the most crucial season of all. These four weeks are a perfect time for teachers to play catch up. Oftentimes, teachers will try to cram in two full chapters or units during this brief period, and the effects on students’ grades can be tremendously impactful. Some students will be distracted and choose to focus time and energy on interests other than school. These students will pay the price come January, and many grades will be far too low going into the break to be brought up. Other students will realize the incredible opportunity in front of them. They will buckle down, hit the books, and earn excellent grades on the tests, quizzes, and assignments offered.
For math classes, including geometry, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus, the methods and concepts discussed this month will probably be the toughest content you will see on your first semester Final Exam. Keep this in mind, even if you are feeling overwhelmed by the material. If you can master these tough concepts now by studying in advance and working with your tutor, your holiday break will be significantly less stressful, and your Finals preparation in January will be a much easier process. This holds true for other classes too, including history, Spanish, English, biology, chemistry, physics, and even your elective classes.
Taking Advanced Placement (or “AP”) classes in high school are very important to completing lower division requirements in college, yet they move at a fast pace and try to cover dense material as quickly as possible. AP History classes, such as U.S. History (APUSH), European History (EHAP), World History (WHAP), and Art History provide a very unique set of difficulties since they are all covering such a broad and substantial amount of information. Here are some good study tips that might make your life a little easier in these classes:
Make a timeline – a list of dates or a timeline written in chronological order will help keep track of important events, the key players and the significance of the event.
Keep multiple lists – This is a great way of keeping track and studying the various leaders, governments and political movements that occur. Write a small paragraph under each word to have short and easily memorable ideas that are easy to understand for complex essay writing assignments.
Print out maps – both from the time period you are studying and the present. Coupled with your timeline, this is a great start to visually understanding connections between countries of the past and now. Everything will make more sense!
Keep a record of vocabulary, chapter by chapter – A small vocabulary list is also important for quick studying, so when test time arrives you have cumulative, yet specific, information to look over instead of a huge textbook.
Skim through the chapter first – This will give the overall sense of what the main purpose is, then you can go back to the beginning of the chapter and read it with that purpose in mind. For instance, if the main purpose of the chapter is Neolithic civilizations in Africa and their significance to archeology and present day African civilizations, then you know to read for types of Neolithic African civilizations, their region on a map, their artifacts, their religious beliefs, their language, etc.
Although history has a bunch of memorization, try not to think about it in that way. Understanding the concept is the most important thing. History is a story of the past, so when you read pretend it’s a story instead of a bunch of dates, names and facts. Furthermore, learning about history is really about understanding the significance of events to both the time period you are studying and the present day; when you read and take notes, always write the significance.
Study Hut tutors could not be more excited for the big Finals push. We have students from AVID coming in for private tutoring all week, but we also have a huge event scheduled for Saturday. As in years past, we will be hosting an all day tutoring and study session on campus at Palos Verdes High School. We will have access to multiple different classrooms, and tutors will get to go into different rooms and help students with the specific subjects they need most help with.
This year, there will undoubtedly be math tutoring, science tutoring (including biology tutoring and chemistry tutoring), history tutoring, from World History and EHAP to U.S. History, Government, and Economics tutoring. Math tutoring will include algebra tutoring, geometry tutoring, algebra 2 tutoring, pre-calculus tutoring, trigonometry tutoring, and maybe even some calculus and FTS tutoring.
We will also, of course, have English tutoring, writing tutoring for students with an upcoming final paper, Spanish tutoring (all levels), and probably a few other subjects as well.
The event is free (and required!) for all AVID students, and speaking from past experience, it is an extremely productive event for all students involved. The teachers always come to support, supervise, and offer their knowledge as well.
And best of all, we are getting El Taco Man ordered, so he will be showing up with his cart, and all the tacos any young man or woman can eat. Does it get any better than this? I think not. See you on Saturday.
High school is a fun, challenging, and decisive point in one’s life. Academically, it’s the first time that your performance in classes will follow you and affect your future. It is also a time of great personal growth, and a time of starting to accept one’s responsibilities as a young adult. Because of all these rapid changes in an adolescent’s life, high school can be quite challenging. Through practicing with a sports team, hanging out with friends, and finding new hobbies and muses, finding the time and direction to do well in the often difficult classes packed into the four years can be quite challenging. This is where the Study Hut comes in. All of us tutors have gone through high school—we know what those years were like, even if it seems as though we’re too old to remember. The Study Hut is also a very community based organization, and the founders Rob and SP who grew up around Manhattan Beach, and many of tutors, know the greater Manhattan Beach area and its schools very well.
So Mira Costa high school students—let us help you get through these fruitful and challenging years. Study Hut has tutors proficient in everything from the mandatory mathematics of high school, to the more advanced AP courses of the sciences. Let us help you organize your planner, and make sure you’re armed with the best knowledge possible to do well in your classes and ace your tests.
High school is also the time for the SAT and ACT—those scary three lettered standardized tests which colleges and universities use as criteria for acceptance into their schools. At the Study Hut, we’ve got you covered. There are personalized SAT and ACT courses designed to teach you the fundamentals of test taking, so you know exactly what you’re going to get, and how to handle it during the test. Although challenging, there’s a method to these tests, and you too can learn to ace it.
So Mira Costa—come to the Study Hut… you’ll be happy you did.
Finals are around the corner and to best aide in tackling these challenges is to know your test taking strategies and to be well prepared. Make sure you study the material, get help if you need it (a Study Hut Tutor can save you from stress!), and follow these steps to approaching your exams.
Know how to approach essay questions. Carefully read each essay prompt and start with the easiest one. This will help build your confidence and get you to start relating your ideas to the topic. Once you have a starting point, brainstorm keywords and topic sentences. Next formulate a plan or rough outline and start writing. Use complete and clear sentences, and make sure you follow the standard essay format by introducing your topic, present supporting ideas with facts and examples, and summarize the main points.
Improve your math score. When studying math in Homework sets or performing on test make sure you are clear, complete, and thorough. Always write down the equation you need for the problem before you start the problem. Always label your vertices, axis, variables, and answers clearly. When studying for the final go back through the chapters in the book and study the examples at the beginning of each chapter taking notes on key points. Always draw a picture or diagram when you can and always show all of your work when writing the solution to a problem.
Always check your answers. Even if you know the answer is correct double check. All it takes is a incorrect sign on the front of a number to be the factor between an A and a B on a test. You may have read the question wrong or made a careless mistake.
Go over all returned tests. If teachers are courteous enough to return your previously graded tests they can be a great opportunity to acknowledge and correct your previous mistakes. Go over the questions you missed, write down the correct answer, and study related material. You never know if you’ll see the same question again on a midterm or final exam.
From 3rd graders to high schoolers to college students, there seems to be a major misconception about what it truly means to “study for a test.” The common definition seems to be “that thing you do the night BEFORE you actually take a test.” And you know what? Sometimes that works. If you’re studying spelling words, or memorizing a list, studying close to the test is definitely beneficial. But let’s face it, high schoolers and collegiates: you’re not studying for spelling tests any more. The subjects you’re working on are harder, and the ideas you’re learning are more complex. The material has changed, so the way you’re studying for it has to change too.
Here at the Study Hut, we try to find out tests dates as soon as is humanly possible. Most tests require AT LEAST a week of prep time to be truly prepared (especially if you’re in an AP or Honors class). Some tests require more, some less. Of course, as the class goes on, you’ll discover how much time you need to prepare. But that amount of time is NEVER one evening. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t guarantee a good grade off one night of studying.
My most successful students are the ones that make a plan, and follow through with it. For example, I recently had a student who had a Social Studies chapter test coming up. He wasn’t doing particularly well on tests, so we set up a plan. We set aside a certain amount of time each night so that he’d be studying only one section at a time. That way, the night before the test, HE HAD ALREADY STUDIED THE WHOLE CHAPTER! All he had to do that night was review the concepts he was having trouble with and strengthen his understanding. No cramming, no headaches. And he did markedly better on his test! He broke the work down into manageable bits over the course of a week, instead of stuffing everything into his head the night before. And it made all the difference.
