Recent Changes

Session # 8
This week was challenging but Anthony did really well. I worked on rhyming with him for most of the lesson. I would give him words and he would make a list of the words that rhymed with them. He could only think of a few words for each one so I gave him letters and had him spell out the word and them use different first letters to make new words. This helped him a lot because he would just try different letters and sound them out to see if they made rhyming words. I also did an activity called tic tat toe rhyming where there were one set of rhyming words that he had to find and draw a line through them just like tic tact toe. This made him more willing to participate because it was like a game. I also read more of the Diary of a wimpy kid with him because he wanted to hear more of the story from the last time that we read.
Session # 9
This week was our last session and it went really well. I did a lot of reading too him and had him retell me the story. He was very interested in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid so he was able to recall a lot. He was also making predictions by himself about the text. He really enjoys the pictures in the text and used the pictures to make predictions. He also read through a book that he brought with him. He said that he only wanted to read it because it was easy and short. His Idea of an easy book is short but the words in the text gave him come problems. He was a lot more engaged in the text when he thought it was easy. He was very confident and actually tried the words that he did not know. Overall I think the tutoring went well and I think the best thing that happened is that he gained more confidence to read.

April 26, 2011
Today was my last meeting with Brett. I really enjoyed all the time I had with him. Today we again worked on reading and on math. Brett was much more interested in working on his math problems but his mom did ask that I help him with his reading. We split the time 50/50. We worked on reading first. He just read a story to me where I again asked him recall questions and again asked him to make predictions. This book also had a few more challenging words for him. He often looked to me to tell him the answer but I would give him strategies to help figure out the word. Strategies I used were picture clues, context clues, decoding, and sounding out the word. If he was still having trouble I would tell him the word but make sure he reread the sentence with the word in it. This way he was applying more meaning to the word and to the sentence as a whole. After that we worked on his math. He really enjoys his multiplication facts. I could tell that he had been working really hard on them. His speed and accuracy has improved greatly since we first began working on his facts. Overall, I have had a great experience with Brett. He was able to teach me many strategies for working with young students. I wish I would have been able to work with him the entire semester to see him grow. However, the times we had together we great. I liked when I would see him using strategies I taught him to either figure out a word or to help with his multiplication facts. This was a great experience to teach me ways in which to work with young students.
April 19, 2011
Today was another wonderful day with Brett. Today he wanted to work on his book report and then review his math facts one more time. First we worked on his math by doing a quick timed test of 25 problems in 45 seconds. This is what he does in school so I was working to prepare him for this test. We wrote down how many he got right and how many he did not finish. Then after that one test we started reading again. The goal for this was to see how he would improve after doing the test. Then we worked on his book report. Brett still had three more chapters to read for his story. He read those stories out loud. Throughout the story I would ask him questions to check for comprehension. If I noticed that his response was either not accurate or I could tell he did not really understand that section I would have him go back and reread to ensure that he was understanding the text. I would also ask him questions to make predictions. This got him thinking about what was going to happen next in the book and it also helped him to answer any questions which he may have had earlier when he was reading the book. We then finished the book because we did not have very many chapters to read. Even though he only read a few short chapters with me I had him fill out a story map. He wrote down characters, problems, setting and solution. This map will then help him later when he goes to write his book report. He will have quick reminders of what happened in the story because he was able to write it down. Following this we had time for one more math test. Again we did 25 problems in 45 seconds. Although he did not get them all finished and correct this time he did show improvement. He answered all the questions correctly he just did not have enough time to finish. I told him that if he just practices with small math tests like this more often he will improve greatly with his multiplication facts.
April 13, 2011
Today with my tutee we worked on his spelling words. He had a full packet full of various activities that involved his spelling words. I had him spell the words before we began the packet. I wanted to see how he improved after writing the words several times throughout the packet. The packet included activities that involved him finding the rhyming word, using definitions, and adding base words, and filling out a crossword puzzle. Some of the activities were difficult for him to comprehend. The rhyming activity was the one which he struggled with the most. Working together though he was able to do it all by himself after I gave various examples to help him understand the concept. After he completed the packet I quizzed him on his spelling words again. He improved a lot from the beginning based off the amount of times he had written the words and the activities which he did.

Wednesday April 27, 2011
next Tuesday.
Wednesday April 20, 2011
This week Jake and I completed the word wall. We focused on the letters Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z. Jake and I also did a word exploration and I have him the opportunity to write down every work he knew how to spell. In 5 minutes he wrote down about 7 words, cat, ball, Jake, dad, hop, and a few others. He needed help with some words, but for the most part he is doing really well figuring out how to spell. I had him focus on prefixes and we read through many books from the prefix basket. He did really well once he noticed a pattern. I covered the pictures and had him look at the word first and make a good guess if he did not know. He has little practice with phonics and so we practiced some phonetic sounds.

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Wednesday April 27, 2011
Today we re-read I am a cat. Jake has practiced this book at home and he is doing surprisingly well. I mixed up the pages and had him read the words, I did this to see if he had memorized the book. He was able to identify most of the words in the book and he is starting to read with some fluency. We focused sometime on G, B, D and he did a great job coming up with words that fit each letter with less mix-ups than previously. We are doing one more session next Tuesday.
Wednesday April 20, 2011
This week Jake and I completed the word wall. We focused on the letters Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z. Jake and I also did a word exploration and I have him the opportunity to write down every work he knew how to spell. In 5 minutes he wrote down about 7 words, cat, ball, Jake, dad, hop, and a few others. He needed help with some words, but for the most part he is doing really well figuring out how to spell. I had him focus on prefixes and we read through many books from the prefix basket. He did really well once he noticed a pattern. I covered the pictures and had him look at the word first and make a good guess if he did not know. He has little practice with phonics and so we practiced some phonetic sounds.
{word_wall.jpg}
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Wednesday April 13, 2011

Kim's Page
(4/21/11)
Zach and I are almost done with the book that we are reading. His comprehension has improved and he seems to like a lot of the activities that we have been working on since Natalie and I met. She gave me a lot of helpful ideas about comprehension. Both Zach's parents and I have noticed an improvement with Zach's comprehension and grades in school since we started tutoring. :)
Hi, Kim, I look forward to working with you this Thursday 24th. I'll meet you at 6:00 in the library!! Your documented information helps. Comprehension is one of the essential components for reading, yet is challenging, and multifaceted. I will go over some strategies with you. :)
(3/3/11)

On Wednesay Apirl 27th 2011 Dayvia and I had our last session together. It was really bittersweet. In stead of playing a game Dayvia wanted me to read to her. I read CInderella which was around a fourth or fifth grade reading level so I explained difficult words through out the story that she might of not understanded. Then I let dayvia pick out a book from Doctor Crumpler's collection to read to me. The book she choose was too difficult for her but she worked hard and finished it. I brought in a special gift for dayvia I brought her a bag that she can use when going to the library to put her books in and then a hello kitty book and some earsers. I also bought a card that I wanted t be her final copy of her letter writting process to her mom. She wrote a nice letter to her mom. I was very proud of Dayvia's effort this semester. I complied all of Dayvia's work and put it in a folder to give to her mom to see her progress. I also suggested some activites to do during the summer to help Dayvia keep up with her reading and writting. I would love to work with Dayvia again in the fall and to keep see her improving. I was very thankful for this oppurtunity to see literacy in action.
On Wednesday April 20th 2011 Dayvia was a little late but we hurried to complete our whole lesson. Dayvia brought a book that she wanted to read to me from school. The book was The Josefina Story Quilt. The book was a lot harder reading level that we have reading recently. I think she often comes and is lazy and does not want to work. We took turns reading one page and switching off. Then Dayvia read a book on starfell.com For our writting activity we looked at our sloppy copies from our previous sessions on writting letters. Dayvia completed one last sloppy by her request of what she wants to do on easter with her family and then we editied togather. I really enjoy working with dayvia on her reading and writting skills. She refueses to type so i am going to type her sloppy copies and put it in a folder with the rest of her work so she can see her progress. Next week is the last session and we will play a game.I am so glad i had the chance for this experience I really enjoy working Dayvia each week.
On Wednesday April 13th 2011 Dayvia didn't feel well. We spent half the session in the bathroom because she had a tummy ache. She said she ate dinner too quickly. Even though this was a setback because I knew we were not going to be able to get through our entire lesson I also saw something positive in this experience. As a future teacher I am going to have to have patience and be able to work with any situation that arises. Dayvia eventually felt okay to work on some reading. I didn't want to push her too hard so we had a laid back modified version of my lesson because of her tummy. Dayvia read first reading panda panda bear what do you see, I wanted her to read this text because it has unfamiliar words that in introduced in a picture walk. She did okay, having few errors but were graphically similar. After Dayvia reading, I read to her and then we edited her sloppy copy letter to her my from last week. Dayvia seemed to like being the teacher and correcting her work. I think we should start putting a dictionary together for her to put new and unfamiliar words in next week so she can use for spelling and meaning at home. We didn't have enough time for the rest of my lesson unfortunately. We still plan on making a final copy of her letter to send home. I am getting sad that there are only a few sessions left, I think the last half of the last session dayvia and I will play up words Jr to work on spelling and vocabulary.

Session # 6
This week went really well. We went outside because it was so nice which put him in a good mood and more willing to work with me. I had him read me a book that I had brought for him. First I gave him an easier book to read to build his confidence a little and then I gave him a more instructional book. He had only a couple of problems but it did take us a long time to get through the book. He has been having problems with directionality so I made him a Popsicle stick with a googely eye on the end so that he could point to each word as he reads so that he does not get distracted by the pictures as much. I also had him read me a list of high frequency words to see which ones he did not know because I have noticed that he is not good with word recognition especially high frequency words. He did okay with the list but I could tell that I need to work with him on the high frequency words. I had previously made flashcards for him with the words on them and we went through some of the words together and made a pile of words he knew and did not know. He has more flashcards in the pile of words he did know so that encouraged him to try the other words. I gave him the flashcards to take home with him because he said he really liked them and wanted to take them home. I think the next lesson will focus on high frequency words again so that he can be more comfortable with the words when he reads.
Session # 7
This week went really well. We went through some high frequency words again and practiced using them in sentences. I would write a sentence out and he would have to fill in the blank with the appropriate word that made sense with the sentence. We also read through a predator book because he is really interested in wild animals. I had him make up his own predator and write a couple of sentences describing it and he drew a picture of the predator. He really enjoyed making his own predator, which made him write more than he usually does. I also did not have to prompt him on what to write because he was excited to write about it. I also started reading The Diary of a Wimpy Kid to him because he really likes those books but he cannot read them yet. Next week I am going to do some rhyming activities with him to get him to see some patterns in words.
Session # 8
This week was challenging but Anthony did really well. I worked on rhyming with him for most of the lesson. I would give him words and he would make a list of the words that rhymed with them. He could only think of a few words for each one so I gave him letters and had him spell out the word and them use different first letters to make new words. This helped him a lot because he would just try different letters and sound them out to see if they made rhyming words. I also did an activity called tic tat toe rhyming where there were one set of rhyming words that he had to find and draw a line through them just like tic tact toe. This made him more willing to participate because it was like a game. I also read more of the Diary of a wimpy kid with him because he wanted to hear more of the story from the last time that we read.

5thuesdayTuesday April 5th, 2011t19th, 2011
This was my last meeting with Owen. Since they were not present last week, I had to conduct my running record this time. After speaking with Natalie, she said that I could tell his Mother I will be emailing her the final letter upon completion. We read the same book again, and only had a few chapters left. I wrote down the name of the book for him, and I hope he checks it out at his local library. Upon the running record, I found most of Owen's errors still carry meaning. I have seen him grow this semester. He now reads with more expression. Also, he does a better job of stopping at periods. Sometimes, I feel as if he couldn't possibly be comprehending what he is reading as he flies past the periods. However, he is always able to summarize the story to me. Especially this story! He really loved it. This story was great to read with him! I felt as if this book was great for his grade level, but could also be used with older grade levels as well. There were many ads throughout the book. That was part of the plot, as this is why the aliens wanted Micheal K. Since the cereal box said that, "He can do anything!" Owen understood some of the slogans, and understood that this is why the aliens wanted Micheal K. He didn't catch on to every single slogan though, but it did not affect his comprehension skills. I thoroughly enjoying working with Owen, and the literacy center this semester.
Tuesday April 12th, 2011
Owen was not present. :(
Tuesday April 5th, 2011
When Owen came to tutoring today, before he even said "Hello," he asked if I had the Spaceheadz book. Of course, I had it. I told him I forgot what had happened though, and asked if he could remind me. He excitedly told me all of the main characters and how the aliens are trying to turn Micheal K into one of them. The book reached a turning point, in which we found out why the aliens wanted Micheal K. He was on a cereal box when he was younger, and the slogan was something along the lines of you can do anything with this cereal. The character's picture was on the front. I told Owen, "Well, now it all makes sense. It's because he can do anything." Owen told me that he really couldn't do anything, but that's just what it says. Throughout this whole book, slogans are mentioned. It's really interesting to see all of the pop culture references. It makes me smile when I see Owen notice one of them. Or, if I point it out he is able to recall the commercial.

mlbuss@ilstu.edu
jjwerde@ilstu.edu
217-597-2574 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 217-597-2574 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
847-528-1166 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 847-528-1166 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
John
Clayton
Kylie M
kjmeek@ilstu.edu
847-212-6217 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 847-212-6217 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Andrew
1st
Megan M
mnmcall@ilstu.edu
630-235-4027 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 630-235-4027 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Kegan
4
M: 5:30-6:30 Campus
Erica R
emreisch@ilstu.eduemreisc@ilstu.edu
708-837-1590 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 708-837-1590 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Jillian
2nd
keurban@ilstu.edu
bmheneg@ilstu.edu
708-679-4724 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 708-679-4724 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
773-733-9032 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 773-733-9032 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Jonathan F
Kashijion
Kylie M
kjmeek@ilstu.edu
847-212-6217 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 847-212-6217 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Alex F
2nd
Jordan W
jlwils3@ilstu.edu
815-258-1755 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 815-258-1755 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Owen
3rd
Melissa J
mmjanda@ilstu.edu
708-910-4331 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 708-910-4331 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Davia C
K
Valerie L
valemme@ilstu.edu
708-516-2575 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 708-516-2575 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Cheyenne
3rd
Valerie L
valemme@ilstu.edu
708-516-2575 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 708-516-2575 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Jake
K
Heather J
hmjones@ilstu.edu
630-863-4622 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 630-863-4622 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Anthony
1st
Sarah J
sdjedli@ilstu.edu
708-910-4331 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 708-910-4331 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Kadin
1st
Michelle B
mmbauer@ilstu.edu
630-715-7242 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 630-715-7242 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Xavier
K
Alison
akwood@ilstu.edu
630-212-9180 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 630-212-9180 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Mira
K
Colleen
cclesch@ilstu.edu
630-862-4177 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 630-862-4177 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Zander
2nd
Natalie Z
njzook@ilstu.edu
(c)314.757.0612 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 314.757.0612 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
(h)309.963.4450 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 309.963.4450 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Erika
3rd
Katie M
kemeers@ilstu.edu
815-289-3713 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 815-289-3713 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Camden
1st
Kaitlin U
keurban@ilstu.edu
708-679-4724 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 708-679-4724 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Lee Landa
5th
Kim E
knerick@ilstu.edu
847-321-1988 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 847-321-1988 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Zach
5th

April 26,25, 2011
Today was the last day of tutoring. Jillian came in with a bag full of books to give to me. It was so sweet and thoughtful. She was sad that it was our last day. I decided to start off the session by reading a book to her. It was full of descriptive language, which I thought would be a great, fun way to end our semester of tutoring. After we read the book, I had Jillian create an animal and use words to describe it, just like the book. She came up with "a purple, plump horse." She definitely needs to continue to work on reading fluently, using word chunking strategies to help with her graphophonic cueing system, as well as using appropriate strategies for finding words that will make sense with the text for her semantic cueing system. To end the session, I read a book of poems with Jillian. To work on her semantic cueing system and choosing appropriate words that make sense within each poem, I hid words and she would have to make them up, so that they made sense with the rest of the poem. She enjoyed this and often find a great rhyming word that worked perfectly with the poems! I gave her the dialogue journal that we had been using this semester to write back and forth to each other, and told her to continue to write in it.
April 18, 2011