Monday, July 26, 2010

Tutoring Day 1

How often do we know we are missing a key to learning?  This is like trying to make a cake without a bowl.  If we cannot keep the ingredients together, the cake will be a mess.  Sometimes, so is a student's mind when they do not have the skills to organize what they are trying to learn.
The child could put her thumb on each finger. It was a struggle and not smooth.  She also had to concentrate to do this.  We will work each time to see how quickly this smooths out.  She wants to learn.  She thought we would go get a book and read.  After all she is there to learn to read better so why are we touching our fingers with our thumb.
Next, we used the rocket phonics cards.  We used all the vowels and letters t,n,m,l, and s. She knows her letters well but does not sound out the sounds.  We played concentration and said the letter sounds as we turned over the cards. She was quick to say n is made a sound kind of like m.  I told her she was right and to watch my mouth.  I said m and then n.  She understood, I think.  I will have to see if she retains the information. I will have to keep on my toes to stay ahead of her.  I made words like it, sun, and is from the cards.
It took some time to teach her how to make sets from the cards with different sizes, shapes and colors.  She is used to there being a very limited number of answers so having several choices was a little confusing at first.  When we played it the second time, she was excited to find the sets.  It will be fun to show her advanced play with more choices as we learn. 
We played with the Ideal brand Tangram Pattern Cards.  I had her do the A 1 card to see how she could do.
Then I had her do it again as I tapped gently on the table.  At first, she watched me tap but I told her; I would just gently tap while she put the shapes on the card.  She looked puzzled but soon had the shapes on the card.  Then we did the A2 card as I tapped.  The tapping helps learning.  Another place to do the tapping and activity is the Brain A
ge game and Big Brain Academy on the DS player. 
Finally, we went and got a book.  I think the student was relieved.  Finally, we were going to read.  I asked if she had read the Pokey Little Puppy.  She said no, so I chose it.   I  read a little and then asked what was going to happen next.  We will finish the book next time.

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