Bobby_TP_#16

Last Monday I tutored P.J. for the last time this session. We didn’t have any of the usual articles or homework to go over like we usually did, so we just read a story from his reading book about a boy, his grandfather, and a family of seals. P.J. read well, as usual, but still reading comprehension poses a problem. I stopped after every page to ask him comprehension questions about what he had read. He could usually answer the questions I asked based on information readily presented in the text, such as “What did Ben and his grandfather see at the harbor”, but questions like, “Why do you think Ben enjoys going to the harbor with his grandfather”, were more difficult for him to answer. For questions like the latter I tried to guide him toward answers based on questions about his own experience, such as “Do you have anything special you like to do with your parents/grandparents/relatives?” Sometimes instead of answering the question to the point of the story he would go on a tangent and I would have to reel him back in toward the topic. I think the key to helping him with his reading comprehension is teaching him how to think about what he’s reading to make inferences that could most likely be true. When asked to answer questions that don’t immediately correlate to what he’s just read he seems to make wild guesses.

Craig_TP_#14(C)

Today I tutored Yunseo at the public library. We started a 'Tangled' universe book, where Merida and a suitor from a friendly clan steal emeralds that make some nearby springs clear. After the emeralds are taken the springs turn from clear water to dark, murky water. The main characters are either Irish or Scottish so we discussed: kilts and why people wear them, what clans are and why it is important to the story, what lochs are, and some general archery terms.

Thoughts: Yunseo is a great student and I believe she is very representative of children who are students. She's usually very fidgety and enthused about coloring and interacting. She is also easily distracted by noises in the library and sometimes(not often) I have to tell, not ask, her to read.

Craig_TP_#13(C)

Tonight I tutored Yunseo at the public library. we read mostly fun books today including one where the main character was traveling through the desert and picks up friends on the way to a story telling competition. We also read a Curious George story with the man in the yellow hat takes George to the beach.

After these stories we went back to The Great Mouse Mistake, where Gus and Cinderella go into town to buy Lady Tremaine new flowers. In the village, the people are preparing for a big fair and everyone is very excited. Gus sees a big cake and cannot control himself from having a small nibble. He knocks the cake over and Cinderella is blamed. Cinderella then promises the baker to fix the trouble she's caused. She gets all her animal friends to help her make a lot of tiny cakes and gives them to the baker who is very satisfied.

Craig_TP_#12(C)

Today Yunseo and I finished the Great Mouse Mistake, a cinderella princess story about mice in Cinderella's house and the hijinx they get into. In the story Cinderella meets and takes in a mouse who means well but often causes trouble. The mouse(gus) wants to do something nice for Cinderella so he cuts down some flowers. He does not realize that the flowers are very important to Cinderella's stepmother, Lady Tremaine.

Thoughts:

I usually give Yunseo a coloring sheet and crayons before we start to keep her busy while i'm reading. We have kind of an agreement that i'll read the longer pages and she reads the shorter pages. We also sometimes switch it up by me reading the dialogue and Yunseo reading the non-dialogue passages. 

Craig_TP_#11(C)

Tonight I tutored Yunseo at the public library. We started to read a book called Cinderella: The Great Mouse Mistake.

This book, basically a spin off of Cinderella, which is French in origin. Therefore there were a lot of French words(maison, madame, tete). We also discussed new English words(courtyard, step sister, stepmother). I think Yunseo in generally interested in learning so it's very easy to teach her. I think that this is a trait mostly found in children. This is something to watch out for once learning becomes something mandatory instead of something intrinsic. I think it could be a challenge to motivate students who are forced to be in extra after-school programs against their will.

Craig_TP_#15(C)

Tonight I read with Yunseo at the public library and we read a bit more of the book about the Emeralds. We discussed some of the stories smaller points such as Merida's relationship with her mother. Yunseo really enjoys Disney princess stories.

Thoughts:
Tonight I found out that my tutee's father( Mr. Shin) used to work for the Department of Education in S. Korea which is one of the places i'm most interested in going. They also gave me a very thoughtful card and a gift certificate to Starbucks. This is my second to last tutoring session and I think i've come a long way from the beginning. Yunseo seems to understand what is expected of her and it seems that she enjoys our time together.

Craig_CO_#3

Today I observed Ms. Jerry's Group 2 Listening class. One of my conversation partners was in the class, Fahad and we spoke briefly before class. Priya had a much different approach to teaching that either Ms. Kim or Leslie. Priya let a lot more slide than either of the two other teachers.

The main topic of priya's class was driving. To introduce the lesson she show a public service announcement about the death of a teenage boy who was killed by a driver who was distracted. She showed the video and asked some follow up comprehension questions( how old was he when he died, what was the other driver doing, etc.)

Then Priya shifted the lesson to a discussion based activity where students were placed in small groups of 3-4 and asked if men are better than women in relation to driving. Each student was allowed to speak their mind and follow up questions were asked to students who needed to develop and articulate their opinion very.

Thoughts: All in all, I liked Mrs. kim's class the best and this class the least. It could be related to the level of the students, or possible the activities involved. I didn't particularly care for the way Priya managed students speaking out of turn. This is a very difficult area because students need to learn how to handle themselves and practice speaking, but, at the same time, the class needs to be structured and there needs to be some sort of instructing going on.