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Middle School Social Studies

February 27th, 2015

Cooper started coming a few weeks ago to work on his general study skills.  He did well in class last semester, but his grades were beginning to slip this semester due to a lack of interest and effort.  He worked on study skills and social studies with his tutor Sara.

Sara worked with Cooper on pre- and post-reading strategies to help his retention.  A big factor in helping him remember key terms was folding his paper in half at the beginning of his lesson.  He wrote key terms on the left side and then their definitions and any other relevant information on the right side.  He could easily hide either side and quiz himself on the topics.  After this, he would put the large concepts within the section into a concept map.  Sara would have him explain to her why each bubble was connected and how they related.  At the end of a chapter, Sara would also have him summarize and compare the different time periods so he would not get similar periods confused.  He would also go over what the key accomplishments in each time period were, why they were important, and how they came about.

After working together for two weeks, Cooper told Sara that he had gotten a one hundred percent on his most recent quiz!  He thought the quiz was only going to cover the most recent lesson, but it was actually on the entire time period.  All the ways he had been studying with Sara helped him remember all the important information that he needed to succeed!

Catching Up in Online Classes

February 20th, 2015

Online classes can be difficult to keep up with.  Students can go to class when they want, and skip a day or two without any tangible repercussions.  Lack of face-to-face communication with a teacher can be discouraging when topics do not make sense.  Many online schools also have confusing and frustrating homework submission guidelines and processes.  All these factors lead many students to put off online classes until the last possible moment at the end of the semester.

Connor came in over summer to work with his tutor, Laura, on his online United States History class.  The long blocks of text assigned for reading every night were dry, and hard to get through.  Laura was working on getting her teaching credential to become a history teacher, so making history exciting was an easy task for her.  She explained the importance of the events that Connor had to learn about and their lasting effects on society today.  Turning history into something relevant instead of some distant story that happened a long time ago made the material interesting again and much easier to work with.

Being able to tie together the past and present made Connor’s essays a breeze.  Laura helped him research his topics.  They then turned that research into pertinent examples that helped support his thesis.  Laura’s retellings of history also helped Connor to answer and respond to other students in all of his discussion board assignments for each unit.  With all of Laura’s help Connor was able to complete all of his assignments and finish his online class on time!

Falling through the Cracks

September 19th, 2011

It is not uncommon to have your local public schools fill each classroom to the brim. In a sea of 30 plus students, it’s a wonder that kids tend to fall through the cracks. The curriculum is set for each grade and the teacher attacks the lesson plans daily. In the process of introducing materials to students, a few common trends occur. The brainiest of the class rise to the top, and the material is easy for them. The lower regions of the concur phenomenon are lost and require special attention in order to not fall behind. The public school system provides after school programs, tutoring and extra time for the ones who fall behind. So where do the brainiest pupils go? They tend to finish before the class and end up staring at the ceiling, or paper. At times they tend to help other pupils who stare at them in a bewildered stare after given a recent assignment.
As recent college graduates, our tutors have experienced both extremes. We know either one is not preferred and honestly quite extreme. Here at the Hut we accept both types of students. In one corner the brainiest students come in and we push them even further than they thought they were capable of. We do this so well that in many cases they go home pondering how we managed to stump them. A particular student who has recently has been striving to be a better scholarly example is our very own Asher. Having fallen through the cracks at his school, we took this first grader under our wing and amplified his skills with every hour session. We are proud of Asher and are so very content with his improvement over the past few sessions. Upon entering first grade this year, his teacher noticed his improvement in math and has now placed him in the second grade math class! He is rock star here at the Hut!!! Students such as these are the types of students we love to help. I mean after all, we strive to better your student or bust.

Study Hut Tutoring in Manhattan Beach Congratulates Kendall D. for Crushing it at Tutoring

May 16th, 2011

There are some students who come into the Study Hut every week in Manhattan Beach with such a great attitude and work ethic that you have to take the time to give them a shout-out. The Manhattan Beach Study Hut wants to give these students that stand out on a regular basis by attacking their work, staying organized, and accepting challenges with a smile.

Kendall D. is one of the stellar students who happens to also have a very busy life. She’s in a challenging math class. She has club soccer practice twice a week and games on Saturdays. She has family commitments almost every weekend. Coincidentally, she also maintains a planner that most Study Hut tutors only dream about. Kendall’s planner is color-coded, complete everyday, and looks like it was written in Times New Roman. As a Manhattan Beach tutoring student who has many commitments every week and limited time to do homework, she has realized that time-management is her key to academic success (granted, if she is like most students, this may change when she gets to college- but until then, we appreciate her efficiency!).

Not only is she incredibly neat and organized when she comes into Study Hut Tutoring in Manhattan Beach, Kendall is also a very positive, ambitious student. Her recent math assignments have involved complicated logic problems that elicit groans from students young and old (tutors included). Even though this is the most difficult concept that Kendall has encountered in her math class, she tackles every problem with the knowledge that she can conquer it if she works through it methodically. She attacks problems at the end of the hour with as much vigor as the first five minutes and has incredible focus.

All of these stellar qualities make Kendall a pleasure to work with and a Manhattan Beach Study Hut Star. Great job and keep up the hard work!