Tutoring Tips

Spelling

One problem with spelling is that it is so visible. Poor spelling distracts the reader from the content. Content is "mushier" to evaluate. Spelling is concrete (either right or wrong). It is much easier to evaluate. Proper spelling, serves to enhance the content by presenting it in a standard way.

Spelling shouldn't be an isolated event. It should be approached in context and learned in context. There is a common thought that if you learn enough of the pieces, (enough spelling words), then you'll be able to recall and use them at any time. This doesn't work. It is much more effective to learn spelling as an integrated part of improving reading, writing and language skills. It must be integrated and incorporated as quickly as possible in order to use it.

Strategies for Students: Keep a spelling log on strategies to use. Keep notes on success with various strategies and what works for you. When a difficult word is spelled correctly determine what strategy was used. Examine sound and letter correspondence and how the word is used in context. When a word is misspelled, compare the misspelling with the standard spelling and identify the difference. Come up with a way to remember the correct spelling. Determine what works and what you can do independently.

Try some of these multi-sensory approaches to spelling:

Look at the word; close eyes and visualize the word. (Visual)
Say the word out loud slowly. (Auditory)
Say the letters out loud. (Auditory)
Write the word while saying the letters out loud. (Kinesthetic/auditory)
Write the word in the air or on a chalkboard. (Kinesthetic)
Write the word with your finger in sugar or on sandpaper. (Tactile)
Repeat the steps that work! (Smart!)

Keeping a Personal Word List:

Use an address book with alphabetized tabs. Write the correct spelling of words you need to know in the book. Write notes to yourself about your spelling strategies beside the words.
For example: I remember the word "separate" is spelled correctly with an "a" in the middle, because a teacher once told me to remember it by saying, "There is 'a rat' in 'separate.'"
Put a check beside the word in the book each time you look it up. How many check marks are there when you look up the word only to find that you've spelled it correctly?

Here are some strategies to use when you want to write a word that you don't know how to spell:

Computer spell check; Ask someone; Use a dictionary or spellers' dictionary; Check other sources where you know the word can be found; Try out different spellings to see which looks right; Break the word into syllables; Sound it out; Use a different word; Consult your personal spelling list; Do the best you can; Leave a blank or draw a line; Think about words that rhyme; Abbreviate.

Vocabulary Building

The following is an activity using the newspaper to build a student's vocabulary. This is a great lesson for both basic Literacy and ESOL students.

Target Skill(s): Recognizing; identifying; categorizing.

Overview: There are special words relating to every topic of interest. Students should begin to build on their basic sight-word vocabulary by learning words that pertain to special topic areas. This lesson will introduce one way to develop a specialized word list.

Procedure: Have your student look through the advertisements in today's newspaper and notice how many different stores are represented. Help students read the names of the stores that advertise and list the various types of stores on a separate piece of paper. The following might be some possible "store" categories: grocery, department, jewelry, furniture, outlet, appliance, catalog, auto parts, linen, and lawn/garden. Discuss the types of stores represented and "shopping" words that may be common to each, such as: customer, sale, save, service, and bargain. Instruct the student to create a list of "shopping" words from words they find in the newspaper advertisements. Have students write the new words in a list or on 3X5 cards. Have them repeat this activity with "food" words, "sports" words, "weather" words, and any other word grouping they may find interesting.

Citizenship/ Naturalization

by Laura Cardea

Naturalization is the process of becoming a citizen. Steps include filing an application, passing the interview & exam, and taking an oath in court. It usually takes between 6 and 8 months to complete the process.

Eligibility:

An applicant must have his/her green card, which is also known as a Permanent Residence Card. A Permanent Resident can file for citizenship after 5 years of being a Permanent Resident or having been married to a Citizen for 3 years. Citizenship is a choice. One could live in the United States as a Permanent Resident forever, but would not have the right to vote or to receive other financial benefits. A Permanent Residence Card must be renewed every 10 years. Unlike Canada and the United Kingdom, the U.S. does not recognize dual citizenship, which means that one would be giving up their citizenship in their home country, and pledging their devotion to the U.S.

Application:

To file for citizenship one must fill out an application, have their fingerprints taken, submit pictures and pay a fee of about $300. If the applicant is being recognized by a different name than the one on his/her birth certificate he/she has the option of legally changing it, but for the application process and interview he/she should use their birth name. The desire to legally change one's name should be expressed during the time of the interview because the immigration officer can help with this process for no extra fee.

The FBI runs the applicant's fingerprints. If the fingerprints are rejected the first time the applicant must have them taken again. If they are rejected a second time they must come into the immigration office and sign a sworn statement of having no past criminal history. Once the fingerprints are cleared, the application is sent from Vermont to the local immigration office (i.e. Albany).

There are certain instances that an applicant may apply for a disability exemption. Disabilities must be described by a doctor on a separate form and sent in with the application. If the doctor does not describe the disability in enough detail the application will be sent back and another form must be filled out with additional description of the disability. Filling out extra forms will hold up the naturalization process so it is important the application is filled out correctly the first time.

The applicant should be honest when filling out the application, especially in the area where it asks if they have ever been arrested or have committed any crimes. Their fingerprints will tell all, so they might as well be honest right from the beginning. If the applicant answers" yes" to a criminal record, they must show proof of things like court orders clearing the person's name etc. at the time of the interview. If the applicant needs time to gather the proof, the Immigration Officer will grant some time, but there is a strict deadline. Men between the ages of 18 and 26 must be registered with selective services and should do so before the interview.

The interview examines the applicant's reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills. 20 minutes are allotted for the interview. The Officer will review the application with the applicant, making sure all information is correct and truthful. The interviewer will ask them to read some sentences, write some sentences and speak with them. The applicant is encouraged to communicate with the interviewer, asking them to slow down, speak louder or even give them a minute to think of an answer. At the time of the interview, the officer will ask the applicant questions on history and government.

An applicant gets two tries to pass the interview/exam. If the applicant fails the first time they will be called within 90 days for a second chance. When they take the exam for the second time they will start the exam where they left off the first time. If they fail the second time, they need to file another application (pay the fee again) get re-fingerprinted, new pictures, and the process starts again. If an applicant fails they can appeal, which again will take time. Their case will be reviewed and a decision is made. If the applicant signs a withdrawal agreement after failing, they cannot proceed with an appeal. The good news is that failing or withdrawing the citizenship interview/exam does not affect a person's Permanent Resident status, because as was mentioned before and the immigration office stresses - Citizenship is a choice!

At the time an individual picks up the application they are given a book which explains the rules, exceptions, and procedures.

Copies of the application packet are available at the LV office.

Grocery Flyers

by Claudia Leet

Have you ever wondered how your student does his/her grocery shopping? Has (s)he ever asked you to help shop, or asked you about a certain kind of food? How does (s)he remember what to buy? Can (s)he make a list? Does (s)he really know how to comparison-shop prices/quantities? Can (s)he read ingredient labels? No matter what our culture or educational background, we all find ourselves in the grocery store. But just imagine how much harder it must be for those of us who cannot decipher the newspaper flyers, aisle signs, or price/quantity labels.

This article is the first in a series of tips to help you help your students with this most basic and important our daily tasks. It's not meant to be exhaustive, and we welcome articles from other tutors on how they help their students shop. Being asked to kick things off, I thought I'd start at the beginning for my students…the weekly grocery ads from the newspaper.

My students are in the ESL program, and could read very little English when we began working together. However, I found that when I began bringing over the Sunday newspaper ads, all of a sudden there was this intense interest in the grocery flyers, and lots of questions about what this or that meant. It presented lots of opportunities for conversational English and basic reading skills.

Some of the things we used the ads for are:

Finding the date of the flyer-when are the items on sale?
Looking at the pictures-what's really in there that the student wants to buy? Asking them if they know some things they don't buy. What is an artichoke, avocado or asparagus anyway? Inquiring minds want to know.
Naming the items-particularly for ESL students, do they know the English word for the item?
Reading the names of the items, finding the name of the item in the ad, if it's there, and if not, writing it down. In either case, you can make up cards with the common food/product names, and use them as flash cards, so the student learns to recognize the item, whether or not the flyer or ad has a picture.
FREE; Buy 1, Get 1 Free, etc.-what's the real deal? Do you have to buy a certain size, use a coupon, show a store card? Learning to recognize that the fine print surrounding the word FREE may or may not make the item attractive, and trying to decipher what the conditions are.
Price vs. size-I can't tell you how often students go for the 12 rolls of toilet tissue, instead of the 6, when a roll of the 12 pack has less than half the sheets in a roll of the 6 pack. The flyer can be used to start getting students familiar with quantities, so they can make better choices when at the store. I've brought measuring spoons, cups, weights, etc. to try to give students a sensory feel for what it is that's being described in the ad…also, what the abbreviations (oz., lb., doz., etc.) mean.

You can probably think of many more ways to use the ads with your students. If you haven't tried it, just bring the Sunday ads over sometime and spend the "lesson" finding out what kind of questions are asked. It will probably give you a number of tutoring opportunities, and you may be helping your student more than you know. You are a "safe" person of whom they can ask questions, and you will probably come to know a lot more about your student's needs than you otherwise would. Go on, take a flyer!

ESOL Writing

For use with Intermediate and Advanced ESOL Students.

Here's an activity to help ESOL students use their writing and reading skills to improve their speaking. The write-before-speaking technique is especially useful for students who already know some English but who speak with errors ? in other words, those whose writing is better than their speaking. Writing the conversation first helps them to slow down, reflect carefully, and correct errors first before beginning to speak.

Try this:

Tell the student that for the next ten minutes (or more) neither of you can speak.
On the top of a sheet of blank paper write a message to the student, something like "We can write messages, but we can't speak. Do you want to ask me a question?"
Hand the paper to the student and give him or her a chance to respond. Keep trading the paper as you both write.
After the time has elapsed, announce that you both can speak again. Now take turns reading the conversation aloud.
Turn over the paper and try to repeat the conversation without reading (but peek if you need to!).

Ten Tutor Tips

by Melinda Burns

As a tutor, I'm always on the lookout for great new tips that help me work more effectively with the adults we serve. These are Top Ten Tips that have worked very well for me over the years. I would also encourage you to share your tutor tips to include here.

"Through sharing we learn more and better."

1. Be organized and ready for anything. As tutors, we always follow the lead of the student. Be prepared to follow that lead. Learning is much more productive and meaningful for the student.

2. Have tons of material ready to go. Be familiar with as many different types and levels of materials as possible. Some you can read aloud, some can be for your student to read. Gather or borrow materials on as many topics as possible. The more variety in your materials, the better.

3. Review learning goals at least once a month with your student. These should be dated and in writing. Also list with the goals the measurement of achievement. How will you and the learner know he/she has achieved each goal? KISS (Keep It Simple, Silly) is good to keep in mind here.

4. Structure each lesson with the student. Three major areas are usually plenty for a one-hour session. Doing this right at the beginning of each lesson helps bring a clear focus to your time together. Write down the three main topics of the lesson and then follow it. Graphic organizers work very well for this step, especially with individuals with disabilities. (More on graphic organizers in a later article.)

5. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Repeat anything you teach in as many ways as possible, with as much application to as many different situations as possible.

6. Use the Toolkit. The toolkit materials, available through our LVA library, provide a wealth of multi-sensory materials that are real-life and age appropriate.

7. Keep it fun! Reading is serious business, but more fun within the lesson helps keep it lighter and easier to remember.

8. Discuss to regularly check on reading comprehension. Oral dialogue is essential to find out what the learner is actually understanding when they read silently or out loud. Open-ended questions will stimulate the most thinking and help the reader make connections to the text. e.g. "Why do you think the character did that in the story?"

9. List what the student knows and needs to know. Lists provide a quick and easy visual reference to the content of your lessons. Include a title for and date each list. For example, a periodic, quick 2-minute listing by the student of all the words he/she knows will help you assess how learning is progressing.

10. Attend more LVA training sessions. Training updates your skills, gives you new ideas, offers tremendous support and affords you the opportunity to talk with other tutors.

Happy tutoring!