From now on I think I will be posting the majority of my reflections to my Weebly blog.
*I have also created a blog on Weebly where I will be posting my tutoring reflections and other information. Right now it is a work in progress, but feel free to check it out! Kylie's Weebly*
Kylie,
You did some wonderful work with your Blog. This will be a great tool for you to use now and in the future to reflect upon your growth. Be very proud of the accomplishments and breakthroughs you are continuing to make with Alex. I can understand why you chose not to implement technology with him. When incorporating technology into Andrew's lesson, alternating keyboarding was a perfect solution!
Even the best made plans sometimes have a way of going awry. I am not surprised that you had a plan B and that the session was still successful even though the battery on your laptop died. :(
And, yes, I completely agree with you in treating him like an equal, not talking down or speaking to him in a non adult way. :) Sometimes people forget that students are very perceptive and know how they are being valued and what is expected of them based on the way "authority" figures communicate with them. My second grade teacher was the first educator I had who talked to me like a person, to our class like people. It was amazing! I remember feeling valued and important. When speaking with adults she used the same communication style, and this made me feel important. As I also conducted my student teaching in her classroom, I realized just how much she valued the individuality and thoughts of all her students.
Best, Natalie
Hi Kylie!
This is fabulous, and I am so proud that you have taken the initiative to create your own blog. Please feel free to keep your updates on your Weebly. You do not have to copy and paste to both spots. I am more than delighted to visit your weebly. Please let me know if you wouldn't mind me posting on your Weebly. If so, you will need to edit the blog page allowing readers to comment. Wherever you feel most comfortable with me making posts, I will glady follow your lead.
Best, Natalie
First Tutoring Session: Alex (February 8, 2011)
I am really happy that Alex and I are still working together this semester! I think we have really started to form a connection and I’m looking forward to trying to aid him in his learning process again. At first, Alex and I just talked. We talked about break and all of the snow we have been getting. I thought this first session was much easier because we already knew each other fairly well.
This was a difficult session for Alex and me. I could not seem to get him focused at all. His attention span was very short this week, but I still tried to do the best I could. I think I still need to work on finding more activities that will keep Alex engaged and interested. This week Alex read a short book and then we also worked on his first journal entry. It was really hard for me to get him to move on once he started drawing his picture. I think he spent about 20 minutes on it and refused to move on. Another goal I would like to have for myself and Alex is trying to find better ways to transition from one activity to another without him getting upset or frustrated. I know that Alex is an extremely talented and creative boy and I would really like to find a good way to help him focus his concentration. At the end of our first tutoring session I read a book aloud to him and then we talked about what happened in the book and what our favorite parts were.
Also this semester, for a half an hour after each tutoring session I volunteered to help tutor Alex in math as well. Last semester, Alex’s mother expressed some concern that Alex was really struggling with math. I told her that I would love to work with him a little to also try to help him with his math skills. I think this will be great experience for me and I hope that Alex benefits from it.
First Tutoring Session: Andrew (February 7, 2011)
My first meeting with Andrew went fairly well. At first, we just talked and got to know each other. He really likes tigers and the Toy Story movies. One thing we both had in common was we both really like to play Wii. We talked about the Mario Kart game and I think this really helped us form a connection. To get an idea of Andrew’s reading level I had him read me a short book, but it was clear it was too easy for him. I was really surprised at how well he read. I must admit I was a little unprepared with my book selections because I did not expect his reading to be so strong.
Then I explained to him that every week we would work on a journal entry. Andrew did need some help in trying to figure out what to write for this week. I helped him think of some ideas about Wii and Mario games that he might want to write into his entry. I really stressed to Andrew that he could write about anything he wanted. I noticed that his spelling was very good. He did tell me that sometimes he had trouble knowing the difference between “b” and “d” because they are both so similar. However, he did not seem to have any errors with this in his writing.
During this first session we also played “Where’s Waldo” with one of the books in the center. We both had a lot of trouble actually finding Waldo, but it sparked a lot of conversation. Alex seemed really eager to talk about little things he noticed in the chaotic pictures. I was really encouraged by this and I am really looking forward to working with him each week!
First Tutoring Session - October 4, 2010
The first session of tutoring went really well. I am working with a little boy named Alex, who is in second grade. When we first met we were just getting to know each other. I found out that Alex really likes to draw and that is his favorite thing to do in school. I think this is something I would really like to incorporate into our weekly lessons while still helping him improve his reading and writing. I also found out that Alex likes to read Scooby Doo books. We talked about his family, siblings and animals and he told me he has a cat and a dog. Then, I read a letter that I wrote to him. I talked about a lot of my favorite things and I told him that I also really like to draw in my free time. I liked that we had this connection and we had a really good conversation about why we liked to draw.
After getting to know each other I had him read me the book “Runaway Bunny.” At first, he didn’t want to and didn’t understand why he had to read me the book, but I told him if he read to me now, then I would read to him later. I could tell this book was a little difficult for him to read and it was obvious that he was struggling a little. I also noticed that Alex was very easily distracted. At one point, in the middle of reading a sentence he just stopped reading and asked me if I wanted to see his socks. So he started to take off his shoes to show me his socks. Thankfully I was able to get him focused on reading again, but I could tell he really did not want to read. I also noticed that while he was reading, he had some trouble recognizing sight words and he would replace the same word with a different one multiple times. For example, he would always say “if” even though the word was “from.” I think next time I would definitely like to practice going over some sight words in the second tutoring session. At the end of the book Alex and I talked about the story and the plot. His comprehension seemed to need a little work and this is another thing I would like to focus on in the future. Even though the book was a little difficult for him, I was very proud of Alex for sticking with it and finishing the story. I think this was a great accomplishment for him.
Then we started what is going to become a weekly journal to practice writing. Alex drew pictures of his pets and family on the cover and then every week he will write a little in this journal. I could tell this was his favorite part of the hour because he got to draw and color with markers. I finished the end of the session by doing a read aloud. I read some funny poems from the book “Where the Sidewalk Ends.” I thought this was the perfect way to end the hour and I would like to make this a regular part of the session. Overall, I think the first meeting went very well and I hope it continues on this path.
Hi Kylie! Sounds like you had a great first session learning about your reader. And, bonus, you were able to see his socks.;) Where was your tutoring session? You may want to try the microlabs if you need to better capture and maintain his attention. I had a student over the summer where when the tutoring session occurred in a spare office in DeGarmo-with windows- his attention towards the activity was completely "gone out the window"-figuratively and literally. Though I enjoyed a room with a view on a sunny day, I found that sitting in the basement in one of the classrooms was much more conducive for my student.
As he enjoys drawing, something you may want to try during a writing exercise is to narrate his illustrations with your writing incorporating from and if into the sentence. As an example, "If Alex comes home from school with..." Or, you can try to incorporate his narrative with the common words he substitutes. There are many Web 2.0 resources you can use as well to create and publish stories.
I enjoyed reading that you are implementing poetry into your sessions! This is a great way to conclude the hour. Also, utilizing poetry will help him with sight words, comprehension, and fluency. I would encourage discussing with his parents taking a trip to his community library to check out the book or to check out the book at school. Bloomington's and Normal's children's library is a gem for both communities.
Thanks for your detailed reflection, I feel as if I was in the session with you.
Best! Natalie
Second Tutoring Session - October 11, 2010
This week of tutoring went pretty well again. At first, Alex and I talked about his week and the things he did. He told me that it was his birthday and he got a Mario backpack. We went upstairs and worked in the conference room again. I think it is best for us to work somewhere with few distractions because he does get distracted very easily. The first thing we did in our session was Alex read a book I had picked out called “My Friend is Sad” by Mo Willems. He read it to me and struggled a little, but we were able to finish the story, which was a good accomplishment. After the story was over I asked Alex what it was about and I realized he had some trouble understanding what happened. He would just repeat one of the last lines he had read at the end of the book.
After this I had Alex work on his weekly journal. He drew a picture of his family and then drew another picture of his brother who was sick this week. I could tell that Alex would much rather draw a picture than read or write. But, after a few minutes I was finally able to convince him to write a little about his sick brother and his birthday. The whole time I just kept encouraging him and reassuring him that if he needed any help, I was here to help him. We were going to get through this together.
After he finished the journal for the week, I read, “My Friend is Sad” to Alex. I was hoping that if he heard this out loud again, then maybe his comprehension would improve. This time, Alex was able to tell me a little more when I asked him about the story, but he still mainly said quotes that he remembered, instead of telling me what happened. However, I still was definitely impressed that him comprehension did improve after reading it the second time.
Next, we practiced sight words. I wanted to help Alex work on recognizing more sight words, so I had found a list of sight words online. I made some flashcards with the words on them. During this session I would hold up a flashcard and have Alex tell me what word was written on it. We went through all of them twice. I noticed that some words he had gotten right the first time, but wrong the second time. This makes me think that he sometimes guesses at what the word is, instead of trying to sound it out. In the future, I would really like to work on this. I also noticed that most of the words he got wrong the first time, he also got wrong the second time, even though we had gone over what the word was before. I think I would like to work on teaching Alex more sight words for a short amount of time each week because I think if we practice them enough, he will be able to recognize them.
At the end of the session I did another read aloud and read some short stories. One positive improvement that I noticed this week was that Alex did not get as distracted as the first week. I also think he is starting to feel more comfortable with me, so hopefully this will help us in our future meetings together.
Third Tutoring Session - October 18, 2010
The first thing I did again this week was have Alex talk about his week. I asked him how school was going and what types of things he was learning. He also told me he has been playing a lot of video games lately including Mario. I noticed that he had some reluctance to leave his mom, but eventually we were able to convince him to come upstairs. Again this week we worked in the conference center. I still think this is the best place for us to work because there aren’t a lot of distractions. The first thing we did was I had Alex read me a book. This book had very few words and was mostly just a picture book. After he was done reading, I asked Alex to go back through the book and describe to me what was happening in the illustrations. I thought this might be helpful for him in order to improve his comprehension.
Then I asked Alex what he would like to do next: read another book or work on his journal for the week? Of course, he wanted to work on his journal. I had him draw a picture of anything he wanted. I noticed that he always really likes drawing his family members and animals during journaling time. He also labels everything in his pictures, which is a real strength of his. He is also really interested in learning how to spell other things. This week, he was labeling all of the members of his family. Then he asked me how to spell my name and my brother’s name. I thought this was really great because Alex really wanted to learn more and was excited when he learned how to spell my name. After Alex was done drawing his picture, I decided we were going to do the journal portion a bit differently. I had him tell me three things about he picture he had just drawn. I wrote down each of the sentences for him, but in each of them I picked one word and had him spell it to me before I wrote it down in the journal. I think he liked this version of journaling better than me having him write out his own sentences.
After the journal I had Alex read another book to me. I thought he did a pretty good job and was able to stay focused for the majority of the time. Then I did a running record with Alex. I had him read a couple of pages and I recorded him while he was reading. However, he really struggled with the passage I chose for him and made a lot of errors. So, I think next week I may chose a different passage that is a little easier depending on the score he gets on this running record. Then I fished reading the rest of the book to Alex. Finally, we ended the session by reading “Olivia,” which Alex said he had at home. We took turns reading the book to each other and then I walked Alex back downstairs to meet with his mom.
Fourth Tutoring Session - October 25, 2010
This week was a little different from the past few. I felt like the time went by so fast! Before I knew it the session was over, and I felt like I really needed to manage the time better because we didn’t get a chance to finish everything I had hoped. This session I started talking to Alex about Halloween and the things he has been doing in school. I have noticed that he seems to be a lot less shy now than in the first few sessions. The first thing I had Alex do was read a book called “Olivia Saves the Circus.” We had read another Olivia book last week and Alex said he liked it, so I wanted to read another one this week. It took him a long time to get through this book. After every page he would stop to ask several questions about what was going on. I liked that it showed that he was thinking about what he was reading, but he often got really distracted. I kept trying to encourage him to continue reading because he was very close to the end, but Alex had struggled to stay focused. Another thing I noticed is when Alex comes across a word he does not know, he will sometimes just look at the first letter of the word and replace it with another word that starts with the same letter that he had read on one of the previous pages in the story. So, we have been working on trying to phonetically sound out the words or break them into chunks so he does not just guess at the word based on the first letter.
Eventually we were able to finish the reading and I was very proud of him for sticking with the book and completing it. We talked about the book and the main points of it afterwards. Then I decided I would read him a book next, since he really did not want to do anymore reading. The book I read was called “Big Red Lollipop.” After I was finished Alex seemed a lot happier and he actually wanted me to keep reading more books. But it was time for him to work on his journal for the week. Alex again drew his family and his cat and dog. He did an excellent job at labeling everyone in the picture. Then I had him tell me three things about the picture and I wrote down the sentence for him, but in each case I had him help me spell out a sight word, which I then wrote and underlined. He did a really great job at repeating the words and trying to figure out what letter would come next. Then I had him look at the sentences and read them back to me, so he could have a visual of the sentences he had just orally told me.
We finished this week’s session by beginning to read a book called “Buy Me Hats.” We took turns reading pages and I thought this might help Alex so that he does not become too frustrated or distracted like he sometimes does when he reads a whole book by himself. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to finish it, so I told Alex we would keep reading it next week and find out what happens at the end. Then, I walked him back downstairs and met with his mother. Last week, I was talking with his mom about the things we were working on in our sessions. I mentioned that we were going over sight words and she expressed an interest in getting a list of the common sight words. I printed out a copy of 300 sight words that I having been using and gave it to her this week, so that she could practice them with Alex if she wanted to.
Fifth Tutoring Session - November 1, 2010
Today was my fifth tutoring session with Alex. When I first picked him up his mother had a couple questions about how to best teach and practice the list of sight words with Alex. I was really happy that his mother seemed to be so involved in trying to improve his reading. Then Alex and I went upstairs and he told me a story about his cat scratching his dog and he really wanted to keep talking about this. I told Alex we really needed to get started because we had a lot to do today. I was going to start out by finishing the book we had started reading last week, but Alex asked if I could read that to him later instead. I decided that it could wait, so instead we started working on sight words.
I had made some more flashcards with words from Fry’s list of 300 instant sight words. So I went through them with Alex. I would show him a card and have him say the word. If he got it correct I would repeat the word back to him and then move on to the next one. If he got it wrong, I would try to help him figure it out or tell him what it was and then put that card in a separate pile. After we had finished them I would keep repeating this with the ones he got incorrect until he had finished all of them. However, at the end we were left with two words that Alex just could not seem to get correct. He really struggled with being able to recognize the words “clean” and “could.” I used them in a sentence, practiced spelling them with him, and helped him sound them out. But for some reason even after going over them about ten different times, I will still unable to get him to recognize them on the flashcards. This is something I will definitely revisit next week. I thought it was really interesting because just a few minutes later he used a sentence with the word “could” in it. I pointed that out to him and reminded him that was one of the words we had just gone over, so I think he does really know this word.
Next we read an ABC rhyming book. We each took turns reading pages and I think this does really help Alex from getting as frustrated or distracted. This went really well and then we worked on our weekly journal. Alex drew a picture of his cat scratching his dog and then wrote a sentence about it. He also continued to label everything that is in his picture. After this I read the book “Buy my Hats” to him. I decided to reread the entire book because we were not able to finish it last week and it isn’t that long of a book. At the end, Alex and I talked about the book and what happened in it. We had a few minutes left in our session, so I decided to go over some of the sight words with him that he had struggled with before. He did really well with a lot of them, but there were still a few that he really didn’t seem to understand. Next week I really want to go over this same set of words to see how well he remembers them. I think that Alex would really benefit from going over these words on a more regular basis than just once a week. But I believe if we continue to go over them, eventually he will able to have them memorized and then they will become sight words. Overall, I thought this was a really good session. Even though there were times when Alex got really distracted, I was able to keep him focused for the majority of the time. I really tried to keep a positive and happy atmosphere.
Hi Kylie,
You are doing a fantastic job with Alex. I enjoyed reading the variety of activities you are using during your one hour session. I am assuming that mom also has the list of flash cards she is using with him? It is so beneficial too, that he reads and learns new words organically within the context of the reading. By reading to him you are not only helping reduce his frustration of being overwhelmed with too much text to read, you are also acting as a good model reader. When discussing what happens at the end of the story, is he comprehending what he is reading in the text? Also, to help give him respites when reading, you can discuss what is taking place as you read through the text.
I was delighted to read that you are fostering a safe environment for him to learn by creating a positive and happy atmosphere. :)
Keep up the great work!!!
Thanks, Natalie
Sixth Tutoring Session - November 8, 2010
This week’s session went really well again. I first brought in the book “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” by Dr. Seuss. Alex was really excited at first because he thought it was “The Cat in the Hat.” I thought it was great that he knew there was a similarity between this book and “The Cat in the Hat.” So, we talked about how both of the books were written by the same author. Alex said he really liked the book “The Cat in the Hat,” so I agreed that I would bring that book in next week for us to read. Alex started reading “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,” but began to become discouraged towards the middle. I could tell he was getting frustrated with the length of this book. I noticed that when he is frustrated with reading, he is less motivated to genuinely try to read the book. He seems to just glance at the words and guess at what it would be, instead of reading the entire word. Alex said he wanted me to read the rest of the book because he couldn’t read anymore of it. I decided that we would move on to another activity and return to this book later.
Next, Alex did his journal for the week. Since Halloween was just a week ago, Alex really wanted to talk about that in his journal. He drew a picture of a pumpkin and himself in a costume. Then we worked on the written portion. Alex told me six things about this picture and what he did on Halloween. I wrote down the sentences for him, but in each sentence I asked him to help me spell out one of the words. Alex was ecstatic when he knew how to spell the word “pumpkin.” He had learned how to spell this word in school and did a great job remembering it. I was so happy to see him so excited about this. After all six of the sentences were finished I had him read them all back to me. I have found that this journaling process works much better with Alex than having him write his own sentences, but eventually I would like to work more on this.
After Alex was finished with his journal entry, we began practicing sight words again. This week I decided to try something different to help him become more familiar with sight words. In the past, I have written the words on flashcards and practiced them with Alex. This week I decided to write out sentences using some of the sight words we had went over last week. In each sentence there was a sight word that was highlighted. Alex read each of these sentences and we went over them until he got read each of the highlighted words correctly. After this, I asked Alex what he thought of this activity. Alex said he like the flashcards better than the sentences. I thought it was great to get this feedback from him, so in the future I will stick to using flashcards if that’s what he prefers. Then we had about 10 minutes left in the session, so I decided that I would finish reading “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” as a read aloud to Alex.
Seventh Tutoring Session - November 15, 2010
This week was probably the most difficult session I have had so far. When I first met Alex for this week’s tutoring session he just kept telling me he was tired and wanted to go home. I have found that it is really difficult for me to find an effective way of motivating students or children I tutor, when they have no desire to be there. This is something I think I have struggled with the past and is perhaps one of my biggest weaknesses when dealing with it in a session. I have tried many different things to make the material fun and interesting, but I find that it is very hard to help someone who does not want to be helped. I know this is something I will probably struggle with again in the future. So I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how they have dealt with this problem in the past? In this particular situation I really tried to encourage Alex that he was doing a great job and I let him choose the order of the activities I had planned to do in this session. However, it was really difficult for me to get him to focus at all. I could tell Alex was guessing at a lot of the words and not putting forth his best effort. He kept stopping in the middle of sentences to tell me something off-topic. Despite this I tired to remain enthusiastic about the material and tried to get him excited and focused on the reading.
Alex said the first thing he wanted to do in this session was have me read a story to him, so I read “Where the Wild Things Are.” Then, Alex agreed that he would read “The Cat in the Hat.” Alex had mentioned last week that he wanted to read this book, so I brought it in. However, after 10 pages Alex did not want to read anymore. I asked him why he did not want to read this book and he said that it was too long and hard for him to read. After trying to encourage him to continue, he still refused. I knew that he would not be motivated to try to say the words correctly. I think I would maybe like to bring this book in each week and have Alex read part of it every week because I do not want him to give up on a book because it is a little more challenging. This may help it may seem less intimidating to him.
After this, Alex worked on his journal for the week. He wrote about the things he was asking Santa to bring him for Christmas. His picture was adorable and I could tell that this drawing was something he was actually really enjoying. We also worked on writing sentences about his picture as in previous weeks.
In the last session, Alex had also mentioned he preferred using flashcards to learn sight words. Today I brought in more flashcards with sight words on them and we practiced them for the remainder of the time. I thought he put in a lot more effort when reading the flashcards in comparison to when we were reading books. In addition, every time Alex would see a word on a flashcard that he knew, his face would light up and he would get really excited. The more time I spend with Alex, I have realized that he loves to talk about the things that he knows. He really likes to talk about things and repeat facts that he is sure of. But, when he comes across something he doesn’t know that is when the frustration builds and he does not seem to have the same kind of motivation to learn it. So, this is something I would like to try and work on with him in the future.
Eight Tutoring Session - November 29, 2010
I felt that Alex and I had a great tutoring session this week. I asked Alex if he wanted to continue reading “The Cat in the Hat” a little bit each week. He said that it was too long for him to read. I was confused because Alex said he had read this before and liked it, but I did not pressure him to continue reading it. I think I have learned that in the future, I will really have to look for shorter books for Alex to practice reading because otherwise he becomes too discouraged. When I first met Alex this week we were talking about the weather outside because it was cold and rainy. It just so happened that the first book I selected for him to read was called “The Wind and the Sun.” Alex and I talked about different kinds of weather and he began reading. With this book we focused on comprehension. After each page we stopped and went over what had happened. I asked Alex questions about the content and helped him understand the plot of the book. Although, I did have to explain it a few times in order for him to understand. He also asked me a lot of questions about the illustrations, which I thought was a good sign. It showed me that he was interested in this book and wanted to know more about it. This was a 2nd grade level book and Alex did a great job at reading it. I could also tell that he was very proud and confident after reading this book.
Then I read a book to Alex called “The Roly-Poly Spider.” After this book we also worked on comprehension. Alex told me things that he remembered from the book. I noticed again that he does need to work comprehension. It seems that he will just repeat a couple of lines he remembered hearing. I think this is something he has improved upon, but I would still like to continue working on having him do more explaining when talking about a story.
Next we worked on the journal for this week. Alex knew he wanted to draw Santa, a Christmas tree, and lots of presents. His drawing was beautiful and very colorful! Then we worked on writing sentences together. I asked him to tell me three things about his picture and then I wrote them down, but in each case he helped me spell out one of the words.We ended this week’s session by practicing the same sight words as last week. He did much better then he did in the last session, but he did still have some problems with a few particular words. I would like to keep doing this activity with the flashcards. I feel like repetition will really help Alex to know these words well. In addition, Alex’s mom mentioned that she would like to know how many words Alex can read per minute and what grade level he is reading at. This is something I would like to look into and I’m hoping I will be able to tell her more about this in the future.
Kylie's Page
From now on I think I will be posting the majority of my reflections to my Weebly blog.
*I have also created a blog on Weebly where I will be posting my tutoring reflections and other information. Right now it is a work in progress, but feel free to check it out! Kylie's Weebly*
Kylie,
You did some wonderful work with your Blog. This will be a great tool for you to use now and in the future to reflect upon your growth. Be very proud of the accomplishments and breakthroughs you are continuing to make with Alex. I can understand why you chose not to implement technology with him. When incorporating technology into Andrew's lesson, alternating keyboarding was a perfect solution!
Even the best made plans sometimes have a way of going awry. I am not surprised that you had a plan B and that the session was still successful even though the battery on your laptop died. :(
And, yes, I completely agree with you in treating him like an equal, not talking down or speaking to him in a non adult way. :) Sometimes people forget that students are very perceptive and know how they are being valued and what is expected of them based on the way "authority" figures communicate with them. My second grade teacher was the first educator I had who talked to me like a person, to our class like people. It was amazing! I remember feeling valued and important. When speaking with adults she used the same communication style, and this made me feel important. As I also conducted my student teaching in her classroom, I realized just how much she valued the individuality and thoughts of all her students.
Best,
Natalie
Hi Kylie!
This is fabulous, and I am so proud that you have taken the initiative to create your own blog. Please feel free to keep your updates on your Weebly. You do not have to copy and paste to both spots. I am more than delighted to visit your weebly. Please let me know if you wouldn't mind me posting on your Weebly. If so, you will need to edit the blog page allowing readers to comment. Wherever you feel most comfortable with me making posts, I will glady follow your lead.
Best,
Natalie
First Tutoring Session: Alex (February 8, 2011)
I am really happy that Alex and I are still working together this semester! I think we have really started to form a connection and I’m looking forward to trying to aid him in his learning process again. At first, Alex and I just talked. We talked about break and all of the snow we have been getting. I thought this first session was much easier because we already knew each other fairly well.
This was a difficult session for Alex and me. I could not seem to get him focused at all. His attention span was very short this week, but I still tried to do the best I could. I think I still need to work on finding more activities that will keep Alex engaged and interested. This week Alex read a short book and then we also worked on his first journal entry. It was really hard for me to get him to move on once he started drawing his picture. I think he spent about 20 minutes on it and refused to move on. Another goal I would like to have for myself and Alex is trying to find better ways to transition from one activity to another without him getting upset or frustrated. I know that Alex is an extremely talented and creative boy and I would really like to find a good way to help him focus his concentration. At the end of our first tutoring session I read a book aloud to him and then we talked about what happened in the book and what our favorite parts were.
Also this semester, for a half an hour after each tutoring session I volunteered to help tutor Alex in math as well. Last semester, Alex’s mother expressed some concern that Alex was really struggling with math. I told her that I would love to work with him a little to also try to help him with his math skills. I think this will be great experience for me and I hope that Alex benefits from it.
First Tutoring Session: Andrew (February 7, 2011)
My first meeting with Andrew went fairly well. At first, we just talked and got to know each other. He really likes tigers and the Toy Story movies. One thing we both had in common was we both really like to play Wii. We talked about the Mario Kart game and I think this really helped us form a connection. To get an idea of Andrew’s reading level I had him read me a short book, but it was clear it was too easy for him. I was really surprised at how well he read. I must admit I was a little unprepared with my book selections because I did not expect his reading to be so strong.
Then I explained to him that every week we would work on a journal entry. Andrew did need some help in trying to figure out what to write for this week. I helped him think of some ideas about Wii and Mario games that he might want to write into his entry. I really stressed to Andrew that he could write about anything he wanted. I noticed that his spelling was very good. He did tell me that sometimes he had trouble knowing the difference between “b” and “d” because they are both so similar. However, he did not seem to have any errors with this in his writing.
During this first session we also played “Where’s Waldo” with one of the books in the center. We both had a lot of trouble actually finding Waldo, but it sparked a lot of conversation. Alex seemed really eager to talk about little things he noticed in the chaotic pictures. I was really encouraged by this and I am really looking forward to working with him each week!
First Tutoring Session - October 4, 2010
The first session of tutoring went really well. I am working with a little boy named Alex, who is in second grade. When we first met we were just getting to know each other. I found out that Alex really likes to draw and that is his favorite thing to do in school. I think this is something I would really like to incorporate into our weekly lessons while still helping him improve his reading and writing. I also found out that Alex likes to read Scooby Doo books. We talked about his family, siblings and animals and he told me he has a cat and a dog. Then, I read a letter that I wrote to him. I talked about a lot of my favorite things and I told him that I also really like to draw in my free time. I liked that we had this connection and we had a really good conversation about why we liked to draw.
After getting to know each other I had him read me the book “Runaway Bunny.” At first, he didn’t want to and didn’t understand why he had to read me the book, but I told him if he read to me now, then I would read to him later. I could tell this book was a little difficult for him to read and it was obvious that he was struggling a little. I also noticed that Alex was very easily distracted. At one point, in the middle of reading a sentence he just stopped reading and asked me if I wanted to see his socks. So he started to take off his shoes to show me his socks. Thankfully I was able to get him focused on reading again, but I could tell he really did not want to read. I also noticed that while he was reading, he had some trouble recognizing sight words and he would replace the same word with a different one multiple times. For example, he would always say “if” even though the word was “from.” I think next time I would definitely like to practice going over some sight words in the second tutoring session. At the end of the book Alex and I talked about the story and the plot. His comprehension seemed to need a little work and this is another thing I would like to focus on in the future. Even though the book was a little difficult for him, I was very proud of Alex for sticking with it and finishing the story. I think this was a great accomplishment for him.
Then we started what is going to become a weekly journal to practice writing. Alex drew pictures of his pets and family on the cover and then every week he will write a little in this journal. I could tell this was his favorite part of the hour because he got to draw and color with markers. I finished the end of the session by doing a read aloud. I read some funny poems from the book “Where the Sidewalk Ends.” I thought this was the perfect way to end the hour and I would like to make this a regular part of the session. Overall, I think the first meeting went very well and I hope it continues on this path.
Hi Kylie!
Sounds like you had a great first session learning about your reader. And, bonus, you were able to see his socks.;) Where was your tutoring session? You may want to try the microlabs if you need to better capture and maintain his attention. I had a student over the summer where when the tutoring session occurred in a spare office in DeGarmo-with windows- his attention towards the activity was completely "gone out the window"-figuratively and literally. Though I enjoyed a room with a view on a sunny day, I found that sitting in the basement in one of the classrooms was much more conducive for my student.
As he enjoys drawing, something you may want to try during a writing exercise is to narrate his illustrations with your writing incorporating from and if into the sentence. As an example, "If Alex comes home from school with..." Or, you can try to incorporate his narrative with the common words he substitutes. There are many Web 2.0 resources you can use as well to create and publish stories.
I enjoyed reading that you are implementing poetry into your sessions! This is a great way to conclude the hour. Also, utilizing poetry will help him with sight words, comprehension, and fluency. I would encourage discussing with his parents taking a trip to his community library to check out the book or to check out the book at school. Bloomington's and Normal's children's library is a gem for both communities.
Thanks for your detailed reflection, I feel as if I was in the session with you.
Best!
Natalie
Second Tutoring Session - October 11, 2010
This week of tutoring went pretty well again. At first, Alex and I talked about his week and the things he did. He told me that it was his birthday and he got a Mario backpack. We went upstairs and worked in the conference room again. I think it is best for us to work somewhere with few distractions because he does get distracted very easily. The first thing we did in our session was Alex read a book I had picked out called “My Friend is Sad” by Mo Willems. He read it to me and struggled a little, but we were able to finish the story, which was a good accomplishment. After the story was over I asked Alex what it was about and I realized he had some trouble understanding what happened. He would just repeat one of the last lines he had read at the end of the book.
After this I had Alex work on his weekly journal. He drew a picture of his family and then drew another picture of his brother who was sick this week. I could tell that Alex would much rather draw a picture than read or write. But, after a few minutes I was finally able to convince him to write a little about his sick brother and his birthday. The whole time I just kept encouraging him and reassuring him that if he needed any help, I was here to help him. We were going to get through this together.
After he finished the journal for the week, I read, “My Friend is Sad” to Alex. I was hoping that if he heard this out loud again, then maybe his comprehension would improve. This time, Alex was able to tell me a little more when I asked him about the story, but he still mainly said quotes that he remembered, instead of telling me what happened. However, I still was definitely impressed that him comprehension did improve after reading it the second time.
Next, we practiced sight words. I wanted to help Alex work on recognizing more sight words, so I had found a list of sight words online. I made some flashcards with the words on them. During this session I would hold up a flashcard and have Alex tell me what word was written on it. We went through all of them twice. I noticed that some words he had gotten right the first time, but wrong the second time. This makes me think that he sometimes guesses at what the word is, instead of trying to sound it out. In the future, I would really like to work on this. I also noticed that most of the words he got wrong the first time, he also got wrong the second time, even though we had gone over what the word was before. I think I would like to work on teaching Alex more sight words for a short amount of time each week because I think if we practice them enough, he will be able to recognize them.
At the end of the session I did another read aloud and read some short stories. One positive improvement that I noticed this week was that Alex did not get as distracted as the first week. I also think he is starting to feel more comfortable with me, so hopefully this will help us in our future meetings together.
Third Tutoring Session - October 18, 2010
The first thing I did again this week was have Alex talk about his week. I asked him how school was going and what types of things he was learning. He also told me he has been playing a lot of video games lately including Mario. I noticed that he had some reluctance to leave his mom, but eventually we were able to convince him to come upstairs. Again this week we worked in the conference center. I still think this is the best place for us to work because there aren’t a lot of distractions. The first thing we did was I had Alex read me a book. This book had very few words and was mostly just a picture book. After he was done reading, I asked Alex to go back through the book and describe to me what was happening in the illustrations. I thought this might be helpful for him in order to improve his comprehension.Then I asked Alex what he would like to do next: read another book or work on his journal for the week? Of course, he wanted to work on his journal. I had him draw a picture of anything he wanted. I noticed that he always really likes drawing his family members and animals during journaling time. He also labels everything in his pictures, which is a real strength of his. He is also really interested in learning how to spell other things. This week, he was labeling all of the members of his family. Then he asked me how to spell my name and my brother’s name. I thought this was really great because Alex really wanted to learn more and was excited when he learned how to spell my name. After Alex was done drawing his picture, I decided we were going to do the journal portion a bit differently. I had him tell me three things about he picture he had just drawn. I wrote down each of the sentences for him, but in each of them I picked one word and had him spell it to me before I wrote it down in the journal. I think he liked this version of journaling better than me having him write out his own sentences.
After the journal I had Alex read another book to me. I thought he did a pretty good job and was able to stay focused for the majority of the time. Then I did a running record with Alex. I had him read a couple of pages and I recorded him while he was reading. However, he really struggled with the passage I chose for him and made a lot of errors. So, I think next week I may chose a different passage that is a little easier depending on the score he gets on this running record. Then I fished reading the rest of the book to Alex. Finally, we ended the session by reading “Olivia,” which Alex said he had at home. We took turns reading the book to each other and then I walked Alex back downstairs to meet with his mom.
Fourth Tutoring Session - October 25, 2010
This week was a little different from the past few. I felt like the time went by so fast! Before I knew it the session was over, and I felt like I really needed to manage the time better because we didn’t get a chance to finish everything I had hoped. This session I started talking to Alex about Halloween and the things he has been doing in school. I have noticed that he seems to be a lot less shy now than in the first few sessions. The first thing I had Alex do was read a book called “Olivia Saves the Circus.” We had read another Olivia book last week and Alex said he liked it, so I wanted to read another one this week. It took him a long time to get through this book. After every page he would stop to ask several questions about what was going on. I liked that it showed that he was thinking about what he was reading, but he often got really distracted. I kept trying to encourage him to continue reading because he was very close to the end, but Alex had struggled to stay focused. Another thing I noticed is when Alex comes across a word he does not know, he will sometimes just look at the first letter of the word and replace it with another word that starts with the same letter that he had read on one of the previous pages in the story. So, we have been working on trying to phonetically sound out the words or break them into chunks so he does not just guess at the word based on the first letter.
Eventually we were able to finish the reading and I was very proud of him for sticking with the book and completing it. We talked about the book and the main points of it afterwards. Then I decided I would read him a book next, since he really did not want to do anymore reading. The book I read was called “Big Red Lollipop.” After I was finished Alex seemed a lot happier and he actually wanted me to keep reading more books. But it was time for him to work on his journal for the week. Alex again drew his family and his cat and dog. He did an excellent job at labeling everyone in the picture. Then I had him tell me three things about the picture and I wrote down the sentence for him, but in each case I had him help me spell out a sight word, which I then wrote and underlined. He did a really great job at repeating the words and trying to figure out what letter would come next. Then I had him look at the sentences and read them back to me, so he could have a visual of the sentences he had just orally told me.
We finished this week’s session by beginning to read a book called “Buy Me Hats.” We took turns reading pages and I thought this might help Alex so that he does not become too frustrated or distracted like he sometimes does when he reads a whole book by himself. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to finish it, so I told Alex we would keep reading it next week and find out what happens at the end. Then, I walked him back downstairs and met with his mother. Last week, I was talking with his mom about the things we were working on in our sessions. I mentioned that we were going over sight words and she expressed an interest in getting a list of the common sight words. I printed out a copy of 300 sight words that I having been using and gave it to her this week, so that she could practice them with Alex if she wanted to.
Fifth Tutoring Session - November 1, 2010
Today was my fifth tutoring session with Alex. When I first picked him up his mother had a couple questions about how to best teach and practice the list of sight words with Alex. I was really happy that his mother seemed to be so involved in trying to improve his reading. Then Alex and I went upstairs and he told me a story about his cat scratching his dog and he really wanted to keep talking about this. I told Alex we really needed to get started because we had a lot to do today. I was going to start out by finishing the book we had started reading last week, but Alex asked if I could read that to him later instead. I decided that it could wait, so instead we started working on sight words.I had made some more flashcards with words from Fry’s list of 300 instant sight words. So I went through them with Alex. I would show him a card and have him say the word. If he got it correct I would repeat the word back to him and then move on to the next one. If he got it wrong, I would try to help him figure it out or tell him what it was and then put that card in a separate pile. After we had finished them I would keep repeating this with the ones he got incorrect until he had finished all of them. However, at the end we were left with two words that Alex just could not seem to get correct. He really struggled with being able to recognize the words “clean” and “could.” I used them in a sentence, practiced spelling them with him, and helped him sound them out. But for some reason even after going over them about ten different times, I will still unable to get him to recognize them on the flashcards. This is something I will definitely revisit next week. I thought it was really interesting because just a few minutes later he used a sentence with the word “could” in it. I pointed that out to him and reminded him that was one of the words we had just gone over, so I think he does really know this word.
Next we read an ABC rhyming book. We each took turns reading pages and I think this does really help Alex from getting as frustrated or distracted. This went really well and then we worked on our weekly journal. Alex drew a picture of his cat scratching his dog and then wrote a sentence about it. He also continued to label everything that is in his picture. After this I read the book “Buy my Hats” to him. I decided to reread the entire book because we were not able to finish it last week and it isn’t that long of a book. At the end, Alex and I talked about the book and what happened in it. We had a few minutes left in our session, so I decided to go over some of the sight words with him that he had struggled with before. He did really well with a lot of them, but there were still a few that he really didn’t seem to understand. Next week I really want to go over this same set of words to see how well he remembers them. I think that Alex would really benefit from going over these words on a more regular basis than just once a week. But I believe if we continue to go over them, eventually he will able to have them memorized and then they will become sight words. Overall, I thought this was a really good session. Even though there were times when Alex got really distracted, I was able to keep him focused for the majority of the time. I really tried to keep a positive and happy atmosphere.
Hi Kylie,
You are doing a fantastic job with Alex. I enjoyed reading the variety of activities you are using during your one hour session. I am assuming that mom also has the list of flash cards she is using with him? It is so beneficial too, that he reads and learns new words organically within the context of the reading. By reading to him you are not only helping reduce his frustration of being overwhelmed with too much text to read, you are also acting as a good model reader. When discussing what happens at the end of the story, is he comprehending what he is reading in the text? Also, to help give him respites when reading, you can discuss what is taking place as you read through the text.
I was delighted to read that you are fostering a safe environment for him to learn by creating a positive and happy atmosphere. :)
Keep up the great work!!!
Thanks,
Natalie
Sixth Tutoring Session - November 8, 2010
This week’s session went really well again. I first brought in the book “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” by Dr. Seuss. Alex was really excited at first because he thought it was “The Cat in the Hat.” I thought it was great that he knew there was a similarity between this book and “The Cat in the Hat.” So, we talked about how both of the books were written by the same author. Alex said he really liked the book “The Cat in the Hat,” so I agreed that I would bring that book in next week for us to read. Alex started reading “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,” but began to become discouraged towards the middle. I could tell he was getting frustrated with the length of this book. I noticed that when he is frustrated with reading, he is less motivated to genuinely try to read the book. He seems to just glance at the words and guess at what it would be, instead of reading the entire word. Alex said he wanted me to read the rest of the book because he couldn’t read anymore of it. I decided that we would move on to another activity and return to this book later.
Next, Alex did his journal for the week. Since Halloween was just a week ago, Alex really wanted to talk about that in his journal. He drew a picture of a pumpkin and himself in a costume. Then we worked on the written portion. Alex told me six things about this picture and what he did on Halloween. I wrote down the sentences for him, but in each sentence I asked him to help me spell out one of the words. Alex was ecstatic when he knew how to spell the word “pumpkin.” He had learned how to spell this word in school and did a great job remembering it. I was so happy to see him so excited about this. After all six of the sentences were finished I had him read them all back to me. I have found that this journaling process works much better with Alex than having him write his own sentences, but eventually I would like to work more on this.
After Alex was finished with his journal entry, we began practicing sight words again. This week I decided to try something different to help him become more familiar with sight words. In the past, I have written the words on flashcards and practiced them with Alex. This week I decided to write out sentences using some of the sight words we had went over last week. In each sentence there was a sight word that was highlighted. Alex read each of these sentences and we went over them until he got read each of the highlighted words correctly. After this, I asked Alex what he thought of this activity. Alex said he like the flashcards better than the sentences. I thought it was great to get this feedback from him, so in the future I will stick to using flashcards if that’s what he prefers. Then we had about 10 minutes left in the session, so I decided that I would finish reading “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” as a read aloud to Alex.
Seventh Tutoring Session - November 15, 2010
This week was probably the most difficult session I have had so far. When I first met Alex for this week’s tutoring session he just kept telling me he was tired and wanted to go home. I have found that it is really difficult for me to find an effective way of motivating students or children I tutor, when they have no desire to be there. This is something I think I have struggled with the past and is perhaps one of my biggest weaknesses when dealing with it in a session. I have tried many different things to make the material fun and interesting, but I find that it is very hard to help someone who does not want to be helped. I know this is something I will probably struggle with again in the future. So I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how they have dealt with this problem in the past? In this particular situation I really tried to encourage Alex that he was doing a great job and I let him choose the order of the activities I had planned to do in this session. However, it was really difficult for me to get him to focus at all. I could tell Alex was guessing at a lot of the words and not putting forth his best effort. He kept stopping in the middle of sentences to tell me something off-topic. Despite this I tired to remain enthusiastic about the material and tried to get him excited and focused on the reading.
Alex said the first thing he wanted to do in this session was have me read a story to him, so I read “Where the Wild Things Are.” Then, Alex agreed that he would read “The Cat in the Hat.” Alex had mentioned last week that he wanted to read this book, so I brought it in. However, after 10 pages Alex did not want to read anymore. I asked him why he did not want to read this book and he said that it was too long and hard for him to read. After trying to encourage him to continue, he still refused. I knew that he would not be motivated to try to say the words correctly. I think I would maybe like to bring this book in each week and have Alex read part of it every week because I do not want him to give up on a book because it is a little more challenging. This may help it may seem less intimidating to him.
After this, Alex worked on his journal for the week. He wrote about the things he was asking Santa to bring him for Christmas. His picture was adorable and I could tell that this drawing was something he was actually really enjoying. We also worked on writing sentences about his picture as in previous weeks.
In the last session, Alex had also mentioned he preferred using flashcards to learn sight words. Today I brought in more flashcards with sight words on them and we practiced them for the remainder of the time. I thought he put in a lot more effort when reading the flashcards in comparison to when we were reading books. In addition, every time Alex would see a word on a flashcard that he knew, his face would light up and he would get really excited. The more time I spend with Alex, I have realized that he loves to talk about the things that he knows. He really likes to talk about things and repeat facts that he is sure of. But, when he comes across something he doesn’t know that is when the frustration builds and he does not seem to have the same kind of motivation to learn it. So, this is something I would like to try and work on with him in the future.
Eight Tutoring Session - November 29, 2010
I felt that Alex and I had a great tutoring session this week. I asked Alex if he wanted to continue reading “The Cat in the Hat” a little bit each week. He said that it was too long for him to read. I was confused because Alex said he had read this before and liked it, but I did not pressure him to continue reading it. I think I have learned that in the future, I will really have to look for shorter books for Alex to practice reading because otherwise he becomes too discouraged. When I first met Alex this week we were talking about the weather outside because it was cold and rainy. It just so happened that the first book I selected for him to read was called “The Wind and the Sun.” Alex and I talked about different kinds of weather and he began reading. With this book we focused on comprehension. After each page we stopped and went over what had happened. I asked Alex questions about the content and helped him understand the plot of the book. Although, I did have to explain it a few times in order for him to understand. He also asked me a lot of questions about the illustrations, which I thought was a good sign. It showed me that he was interested in this book and wanted to know more about it. This was a 2nd grade level book and Alex did a great job at reading it. I could also tell that he was very proud and confident after reading this book.
Then I read a book to Alex called “The Roly-Poly Spider.” After this book we also worked on comprehension. Alex told me things that he remembered from the book. I noticed again that he does need to work comprehension. It seems that he will just repeat a couple of lines he remembered hearing. I think this is something he has improved upon, but I would still like to continue working on having him do more explaining when talking about a story.
Next we worked on the journal for this week. Alex knew he wanted to draw Santa, a Christmas tree, and lots of presents. His drawing was beautiful and very colorful! Then we worked on writing sentences together. I asked him to tell me three things about his picture and then I wrote them down, but in each case he helped me spell out one of the words.We ended this week’s session by practicing the same sight words as last week. He did much better then he did in the last session, but he did still have some problems with a few particular words. I would like to keep doing this activity with the flashcards. I feel like repetition will really help Alex to know these words well. In addition, Alex’s mom mentioned that she would like to know how many words Alex can read per minute and what grade level he is reading at. This is something I would like to look into and I’m hoping I will be able to tell her more about this in the future.