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Math with Mira: Determination

April 17th, 2015

Mira began coming to Study Hut for Chemistry and Algebra 2 midway through her sophomore year. She had a decent handle on both classes, but the content was beginning to get much more challenging. She showed determination and found some extra help to make keeping her A that much easier. She worked on math and chemistry with her tutors Charlsey and Maher.

Maher and Mira worked together on her difficult chemistry homework. He taught her when to use different gas laws, and easy tricks to help her remember which was which. He also helped her through the tricky steps of finding the empirical formula for different types of chemical equations.

While Mira mostly got amazing grades in math, she bombed one of her tests on probability and permutations. It was difficult for her to determine when to use a permutation versus a combination. She was determined to ace her retake while learning her new material on sequences at the same time. She and Charlsey worked on memorizing the different sequence formulas and how to tell whether a sequence was geometric or arithmetic. Sequences were super easy for Mira, so they spent more time reviewing permutations, combinations, and other probability problems. They focused special attention on what words to look for in word problems that would signify whether Mira should use the formula for a permutation or combination. On top of that, she had to figure out when she would be dealing with repetition or not. The countless practice sheets and determination paid off, because Mira received a 95% on her make up probability test and a 97% on her sequences test!

Math Tutoring

February 25th, 2015

Britt comes in for tutoring at Study Hut once a week. She works on Algebra 2 with her tutor, Chris. Britt has excellent grades in all of her classes, but sometimes needs help working through the more difficult problem sets that her teacher assigns.

The graphs of conic sections and their transformations were challenging. It was hard to remember what the parent function looked like, and how each number in different spots could transform the graph. Chris and Britt worked on making parent function flashcards. They made sure to include how to find the vertex, directrix, focii, radius, and any axes the graph might have. Then, they went through many practice problems. Chris made Britt do problems until she was able to solve them quickly and correctly. Comparing her graphs to the graphs of the parent function also helped Britt gain a better understanding of how each transformation affected the graph’s shape and size.

Britt got a ninety-two percent on her Algebra II exam. She was selected by her high school to compete in a math competition against students from other high schools. She was given a set of problems and had a limited time to complete them. She wanted to prepare because some of the practice problems dealt with math she had never even seen before. She learned some concepts in Pre-calculus and Calculus so that she would be able to compete as best she could against her older peers. We cannot wait to hear what she placed in the competition!

The Rigors of PV Curriculum from a USC Alum

April 1st, 2014

The Rigors of PV Curriculum from a USC Alum

As a former student at Palos Verdes High School ( www.pvhigh.com ), I have found that the Study Hut curriculum for PVHS Math, Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, and English are perfect for the PV High curriculum. The PV school district’s expectations for Math classes, ranging from Geometry to Calculus, are very high and the homework and study workloads show this. At Study Hut ( www.studyhut.com ), I give one-on-one tutoring to help students understand and manage their challenging Algebra, Algebra 2, and Geometry workloads. Adding to this, most students are required to take Biology and Chemistry. From my experience as a Natural Science major at USC ( www.usc.edu ), I can personally attest to the very high level and challenging requirements that Palos Verdes high school students face.

At Study Hut, I help students in understanding the difficult materials, as well as in preparing for their tests (whether they be finals, AP, SATs, or SAT 2). Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 are also requirements for PVHS students and during my time at PV High, I remember that many students also take Spanish 3 and Spanish 4. These classes can be especially problematic for students who have never taken Spanish before or are not used to the verbal and written demands of the classes. At Study Hut, I really enjoy helping students improve their Spanish vocabulary, as well as their grammar and pronunciation. With all of these subjects, it really works to my benefit that I have taken the classes that I tutor at PV High (a lot of times with the same teachers), so I have a good understanding of the expectations and style of work that PVHS requires for a good grade. Adding to this, the atmosphere and tutoring style encouraged at Study Hut meshes well with Palos Verdes High School students and generates very positive results.

Algebra and Chemistry tutoring for RUHS

March 27th, 2014

I’ve been tutoring Kelsey from Redondo Union High School (http://www.redondounion.org/) for about three weeks now. After briefly talking about Kelsey’s day, we discuss how she thinks she did on her most recent quizzes or tests, what assignments she needs to work on in that moment in time, and how we can prepare for her upcoming quizzes or tests. Kelsey mainly comes into Study Hut to get tutoring for Chemistry and Algebra 2. My goal is to help Kelsey overcome her struggles in these two subjects by accommodating her with tutorials that will help her retain information efficiently, develop excellent study habits for any of her future assessments, as well as motivate her to be the best student she could be.

The first day I worked with her we completed her review packet for her upcoming Chemistry test. At the time, Kelsey was learning about specific heat capacity and how to find the missing variable, whether it was the amount of heat gained or lost, specific heat, or final or initial temperature. Kelsey came into Study Hut confused about the basics of this particular subtopic in Chemistry, so I went over the fundamentals by breaking down every significant piece of information she had to know.
The second day I worked with Kelsey, we reviewed for the Algebra 2 test she took last week. Kelsey was being tested on her knowledge of conics, including parabolas, hyberbolas, circles, and ellipses. Kelsey was confused about the difference between each of the conics, how to go about finding the different types of points for each type of graph, how to formulate an equation when given specific points on the graph, and lastly, how to graph each type of conic. I went over the details of each graph and provided her with simply strategies on how to memorize the specifics of each graph.

 

Graduation!!!

June 20th, 2013

The year is finally over! Congrats to everyone who finished their finals this week and are officially on summer vacation! We have had a great Spring semester and hope to see many of you during the summer here at the Study Hut. 

The schools around the neighborhood have all held their commencements and we want to congratulate all the students!! To those going from 8th grade to High School or those going from High School to College, have a wonderful summer and we know you will continue to do well and succeed!

Here are the schools that have held graduation in the area:

Redondo Union High School: Friday June 14th @ 2pm

Mira Costa High School: Thursday June 20th @ 5-6pm at Waller Stadium

Palos Verdes High School: 2pm Graduation on Wednesday June 5th 

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School: Wednesday June 12th 

Manhattan Beach Middle School: Wednesday June 19th @6:30pm-9pm at the Gym/MPR

For those starting summer school – Keep in mind:

Besides our normal $45/hr tutoring and our SAT tutoring… we have 4 different programs you can sign up for. We have an Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and summer reading class!

We have many great summer programs that we are offering this summer so here is all the important information you need to know! If you don’t need to sign up for a class – we also have normal one-on-one tutoring for summer school. 

The summer courses all take place between July 8th and August 8th – it’s a 5 week program – 20 hours a week – and it costs $495. 

We are going to cap the classes at 10 students each so sign up now to make sure you get a spot! 

The Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry classes are prep classes to help students prepare for the course that they’re taking in the fall. These classes will be taught by our same tutors that work here, and will either take place on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.

For the summer reading, get ahead this summer! We have experienced tutors for all the reading levels and for every book on the summer reading lists! Learn to annotate and analyze literature and practice quizzes included!!

If you are interested, you can call the Study Hut!

For Manhattan Beach Location: 

Manhattan Beach: (310)546-2408 or you can e-mail: Samantha@studyhut.com

For Redondo Beach Location:

Redondo Beach: (310)540-5888 or you can e-mail: Justin@studyhut.com

Summer at The Hut

May 15th, 2012

The beginning of a school year can come with many exciting twists and turns. From seeing old friends, to meeting different teachers and immersing oneself in a new world, each year comes with a hand full of differences. For the most part these new aspects of life aren’t very different or difficult, in fact most are pretty exhilarating. However one area which each year comes with added difficulty for most students is math. Whether it’s geometry, algebra, or even algebra 2, each new math comes with it’s own twists, turns, and potentially difficult new material. It is imperative that most students hit the ground running in math classes because the pace at which they move only speeds up, and if someone get’s lost early on, it’s very difficult to catch up as the material adds upon itself.
That’s why the tutors here at the Study Hut of Manhattan Beach feel that the best way not to fall behind is to prepare for coming challenges. That’s why we are currently offering summer prep courses for algebra, geometry and algebra 2. From July 24-August 23, come in for 5 weeks, 20 hours, of tutoring. During the course students will get the opportunity to be exposed to much of the material which will be coming in the next year. As boring as math might be for many students, it is a skill which one can only improve by exposure and practice.Therefore these summer prep courses put students in the best position to excel in math, often the most difficult subject of the year. Studies have shown that prior exposure to a subject, even if it’s not memorized or fully retained, can DRAMATICALLY improve one’s performance and understanding of the material upon second exposure. So don’t delay, and put yourself or your child through one of the finest tutoring facilities in the south bay area this summer to make sure that math is a problem of the past.