Summer is a great time for students to get ahead in a class. Both getting prepared for the upcoming year and finding extra help with a summer class is an excellent summer choice. Study Hut in Redondo Beach offers group and private tutoring over the summer. This summer Study Hut will offer group classes in reading, writing, geometry and algebra. Each of our group classes is small and designed to help students prepare for the upcoming year of class.
Many Palos Verdes school district students are improving their GPA greatly by taking advantage of summer courses. When a student gets a low grade in a required class such as Math or English a counselor will recommend that the student retake the course over the summer. Summer school courses move through material very quickly and students often need help keeping up with the work. Study hut is a great place to come in for extra help. It is especially difficult to focus on studying at home after class because of computers; TV and the various ways kids distract themselves. Study Hut is a great environment to gain the resources needed for your student to excel in their class.
Getting a head start on next year’s classes is a fantastic way to improve performance in those tough classes. AP and honors classes jump right into the difficult material and many students have a hard time keeping up. The Study Hut can help your student be prepared to hit the ground running. Our tutors know what to expect in all the AP classes. We know the teachers and what they want from their students. Aside from the class grade, getting ahead will give your student the best chance of getting a four or a five on the AP exam.
I walked into Study Hut in Manhattan Beach not knowing what to expect as a new tutor going from private in-home tutoring to this local tutoring center. What I found was a team of outgoing, energetic, friendly, and intelligent tutors who loved what they do and did it very well! This was inspiring and exciting because they instantly accepted me into their Study Hut family and made a comfortable environment with all the resources I needed to tutor my students well. I was also welcomed by the home-like setting with comfortable chairs, big tables, art on the walls, and beach-y décor. I found that all the tutors have the same strive and determination to help and see their students grow to achieve their academic goals. It is as important to us tutors that all of our students pass their classes, stay organized, and reach their maximum potential. The one student to one tutor ratio really helped me connect with my students and learn a lot about what their hobbies, likes/dislikes, learning style, and most importantly what their goals are. I met many students from schools across the Manhattan School District and found that they all enjoyed their time spent here. I can tell that they really feel comfortable here as some students reach for candy in the drawer, pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and chat with other tutors and students. The tutors can really relate to the students because sometimes the tutors had the same high school teachers as the students have now. It’s interesting hearing how through the years the teacher is still doing the same assignments and field trips. Study Hut really provides an amazing learning experience for their students and we love to cheer our students on as they continue to succeed.
As AP Season approaches, it’s normal to get a little apprehensive. However, keep in mind that AP Exams in no way define you as a person nor are they the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to college admissions. Sure, a good score can boost your app, but it’s not going to make or break an acceptance. With that in mind, there a couple things you can do to help prepare for the exam:
First, don’t procrastinate. It’s really easy to let AP test prep slip down the ranks on your To-Do list, but doing a little prep everyday is better than spending the weekend before your test cramming a year’s worth of information into your brain. If you haven’t already started, start gathering up the prep materials that your teacher has given you so far and organize them by topic. Pick a topic and give yourself at least an hour or so everyday and start reviewing the material.
Second, don’t do the same type of prep everyday. Change it up. For example, instead of reading through your notes or summaries first, you may want to look at the questions on an old AP exam and see what you remember and what you don’t. That way you can focus on weaker topics and review the stronger ones later. If you need/want more material for your studies, check out the College Board website (may have old exams posted) or go to the library and flip through a couple test prep books (Barrons, Five Steps to a 5, etc.). Study groups are also a great way to motivate both yourself and others!
Lastly, know that you’re not alone in this! The Study Hut is here to help you! The tutors have all been through the AP exam process multiple times and have taken a wide array of subjects. Not only are they familiar with the material and exam structure, but they also know how you feel and what you’re going through and are always here for that extra moral support!
Good news on the high school front: Palos Verdes Unified School District is now allowing some classes to be taken through Brigham Young University for summer school credits! Previously, PVUSD only permitted students to go through their own summer school program or to one of the local community colleges, although Redondo Unified School District and Torrance School District have allowed BYU online summer classes for some time. With this new development, Palos Verdes High School and Peninsula High School students are able to take their classes online and still enjoy their summer breaks. Furthermore, the advent of online classes is a great opportunity for students to learn at their own pace, be it faster or slower than a classroom setting would normally allow. Although the selection of classes allowed by the school district is limited, it is certainly progressive nonetheless.
As for students who may need extra help with their online classes, the Study Hut offers one-on-one sessions and supplemental lectures to assist students in passing with the highest marks possible, as well as administering practice tests. The Study Hut is open for summer hours seven days per week with tutors specializing in every subject. Also, when it comes time for the final exams for these classes, the Study Hut is an officially licensed exam sight with professional exam proctors. These classes can be used to repeat classes that students may have failed during the regular school year or just to get ahead of the curve for the following school year. By knocking out a class or two over the summer, students may have the option to take a lighter course load during the main school year, which could contribute to better overall grades. Also, with basic necessities handled over the summer, students can take elective classes that they find interesting during the year. For students who have failed even a semester of a class during the year, this program gives them a chance to move ahead with the rest of their class instead of falling behind in a subject simply because the results were not ideal on the first go-around. Overall, the addition of BYU summer school classes for PVUSD students will allow greater flexibility and opportunities for success.
In the most recent informational survey conducted on the average income of Americans, the difference between those who only graduated high school and those who graduated with a bachelor’s degree was well over a million dollars over the course of a career. For most of us, that is a whole lot of money! With that in mind, it is definitely worth it to go to college. However, getting into college takes some work: students have to get good grades to keep a decent grade point average, participate in extracurricular activities, and do as well as possible on the SAT or ACT. The latter, of course, is the most difficult for most students because they have no clue how to prepare for these dreaded exams. The solution: ACT or SAT prep classes!
Students who attend preparatory classes tend to score substantially higher on both the SAT and the ACT than those who study on their own. Small group classes are the best way to improve a student’s confidence and target his or her specific problem areas before the test. The ACT can be particularly intimidating because it tends to favor math and science over reading comprehension, and most students could use a little extra help with these two subjects. When seeking out an ACT class, make sure the student-to-instructor ratio does not exceed 10:1, the course includes plenty of homework, and there are full-length proctored mock-ACT tests. The smaller the class size, the more attention each student will receive, which ultimately makes pinpointing his or her weakest areas much easier and more specific. Homework provides the additional practice kids need to stay on top of the material and uphold the information between classes, as well as gives a bench mark to the instructor. Practice tests, naturally, are the most important of all in preparing for the ACT! They are the single best way to gage progress. With all of these components, odds are your student will greatly improve their ACT score!
The best way to meet a long term goal, whether it be school related or not, is to set bench marks and short term goals along the way. It was Arnold Schwarzenegger who said, “Set an impossible goal and achieve it.” He’s pretty much owned that quote through showing the world that an immigrant body builder can become the world’s most famous movie star and be elected Governor of California.
At Study Hut Tutoring in Manhattan Beach, students from all the schools in the area (Mira Costa High School, Loyola High School, Redondo Union High School, Chadwick High School, Vista Mar High School, Manhattan Beach Middle School, Grandview Elementary School, Pacific Elementary School, Pennykamp Elementary School, Meadows Elementary School, and Robinson Elementary School) set goals using their daily planner. The first step is to make an appropriate and attainable short term goal that fits within your larger goal. If one desires to “earn a 4.0 GPA,” then setting a monthly goal of missing zero assignments is a great first step. At that point it comes down to writing everything down, and crossing everything off, each and every day, every time a task is completed. When there are tasks left wide open, and laziness was not a factor, then some closer time allocation and planning is required.
Study Hut Tutoring students dig in with their daily planners each and every hour they are here. It’s a major component in staying in the game and achieving goals.
Elementary school tutors show students some simple first steps in the planning process, laying the groundwork for future success. Students from Mira Costa High School are rewarded with positive grades and feedback when goals are set, and intermediate goals are completed each and every week.
It’s wonderful to see students dominate using the planner.
As we all know, the begining of May marks the start of AP tests. While this can be a very stressful time for many students, proper preperation can make the testing period a breeze. Although two months may seem like a long time, it is important to begining reviewing as early posssible as these test cover such a wide range of knowledge and are designed to make sure students have a college level understanding of the subject matter.
Many teachers offer review sessions in the weeks leading up to the AP tests. These are often a great place to get started and organized on your studies, however you will need to dedicate some time each week to study on your own. Here at the Study Hut we offer one-on-one tutoring in a wide variety of AP subject tests. Whether you are taking AP math and science course or english and history, we will be sure to have a subject expert to help you. Many of our tutors took AP courses at local high schools, such as Redondo Union High School and Palos Verdes High Shool.
When taking AP tests, it is important to have good understanding of the structure and timelimits for each test. It is very important to pace yourself during the test, to ensure you have enough time to attempt each question. Be sure you read the directions throuroughly and understand what the question is asking before attempting to answer it. Another important part of test preperation is to make sure you are well rested and have healthy balanced meal before the test. Being well rested has been proven to increase brain activity. This is another reason why it is important to begin studying as soon as possible, so that you dont have to pull all-nighters test week.
So be sure to see your Study Hut tutor soon and good luck to all the students taking AP tests this May.
The second semester can be an excellent time for a fresh start in any subject
area, however it’s also the time to build upon the knowledge learned from first
semester courses! Many subject areas, particularly the higher level subjects
such as chemistry, get more in depth during the second semester, and it becomes
imperative to recollect the knowledge you have already learned. Study Hut tutoring
offers one on one tutoring sessions that not only address the weekly assignments
and academic standards covered in a course, but also focus on reviewing key
concepts that students must practice in order to keep up with the new lessons
introduced daily! Flashcards and review quizzes are part of every tutoring session.
Flashcards are imperative in the process of helping students remember content,
and reviewing it before the big exams is an instrumental part in success. Subject
areas like Chemistry are filled with difficult vocabulary and formulas. Making
and retaining flash cards for review purposes helps students not only learn
new content but also helps them review previously learned content, that will be
needed in order to understand new material. Flash cards at Study Hut tutoring
are a daily ritual in many tutoring sessions that require the mastery of difficult
content, and the key to success in content areas such as Chemistry and Physics
where memorization of heavy academic content is a must! Review quizzes are
also a crucial tutoring strategy utilized at Study Hut tutoring to help students build
upon their foundational knowledge of an academic subject. Review quizzes are
tutor generated quizzes that draw upon newly learned content as well as past key
concepts in an intricate manner that begs the student to use their knowledge base to
connect between their acquired knowledge and newly introduced content. Review
quizzes not only provide practice with content but also help students connect the
dots in their academic study area in a profound manner that makes the entire
subject area clearer in comprehension!
One of the best ways to improve your chances of getting into an ideal university is to improve your standardized testing scores. Study Hut offers an incredibly helpful ACT group class starting in March. Students enrolled in the class come twice per week in the evenings (Mondays and Wednesdays from 7-9pm) and work on test-taking strategies as well as take full length practice tests to determine their improvement. The group classes are very small (Maximum of 10 students) and students raise their scores significantly because of the hard work they have put into the class, as well as the individual attention. The effort that students put into the course is directly reflected in their test score improvements. In fact, during Study Hut’s last SAT group course, the average improvement was 200 points. SAT and ACT scores play a very important role in determining a student’s eligibility for universities.
The first step to preparing for the real SAT or ACT exam is to come to Study Hut for a full length practice test. We proctor them every Sunday at 9am, and all we need is a couple of days notice so we can prepare for you. Next, one of our specialized tutors will explain what your score means and discuss what universities appeal to your student’s academic goals. You will then receive an individualized strategy that will prepare your student for the success they need on the real SAT or ACT. I cannot stress the importance of high SAT and ACT scores in college applications. Many of our students in Study Hut’s group class are juniors at South Torrance and Palos Verdes High Schools. The Study Hut’s group classes can often be the difference between any university and the school of these students’ dreams; with the preparation they receive, they will be well on their way to brilliant academic careers.
With the beginning of a new semester, it is important to stay focused and keep grades high to kick things off the right way. Frequently students are worn out from tests and projects that closed the previous semester, so it is easy to slack off and let small assignments fall through the cracks. Eventually, the problem builds, and subjects like math become increasingly difficult and overwhelming. However, there is an easy fix to this common problem: short intervals of homework every day with frequent breaks.
Often, students think that to do their homework, they have to post up at their desks for hours on end and knock it all out in one sitting. Thus, they dread homework and just do not do it. If, instead, they try studying for fifteen to thirty minutes at a time, they would likely have a higher success rate of completing all their work and retaining the information. When a student practices math problems every day, even if just a few, he or she becomes fluent and comfortable with the subject and eventually stops dreading study time. Whenever students find their minds drifting or their eyes getting heavy, they should stop and walk away from the homework for a few minutes, just to refresh themselves and give them added staying power. Of course, this tactic is great for all subjects, especially the ones each student enjoys the least. With this homework strategy, students should be able to manage studying and still never feel like all they do is homework. Grades will go up and the new semester will be under control nearly effortlessly!
