Organization is Elementary, My Dear Watson

“The cat lying on the remaining space of the desk eclipsed any visible place to work. Bills, documents, books, and crates littered the desk as if an eruption of lava from Mt. St. Helen’s changed the topography of forest where pristine land used to lie. On the answering machine, the red blinking light kept its insistent glare on the woman trying to find focused thought in a land of confusion. Unanswered calls. Misplaced papers. A to do list never done. Does this sound familiar? If so, you are one of thousands who do not have the skills to get organized. And, although a messy desk might not sound so detrimental, think of all of things one could get accomplished if papers were filed correctly, if phone calls were answered because there was no visible confusion on the desk, and all of the checkmarks one may be able to check because the to-do list was the only thing lying visible on the table. Organization is essential in being able to complete everyday tasks. Not losing things, having an area in which you can work, and being able to clearly see what needs to be accomplished through scheduling appointments properly are all things that are the promising effects of getting organization down.” What you see prior to this sentence is a well-developed introductory paragraph to a fictional essay. It includes an enticing opening, a clear thesis, and an organizational sentence. Most of the elements of what is listed are missing in a good majority of student papers. Here are some things to keep in mind when your student is writing an introductory paragraph:

· Starting an introductory paragraph should absolutely not start with the student’s thesis sentence. Think of the best conversation that you’ve had with a good friend: it starts out slowly and steadily, details from each friend are filled in, and then, it builds to a satisfying crescendo where the start, the middle, and the end have all been properly executed.

· There is no place for “wishy-washy” in the introductory paragraph, especially when writing the all-important thesis statement. Graders of essays – English teachers and SAT graders alike – don’t want any guess work in what the student is trying to express. It should be clear and concise. Points are deducted, if not.

· Organization really is key: Although essays are not like stories, where there is a seeming start, middle, and finish, there is an ordered structure to an essay, and it is a criteria for grading.

The best thing you can do for your child is to be aware of what teachers expect. Talk to your child’s teachers, and find out when papers are due, what the expectations are, and what you can do to help. If you do all of these things, the clutter of confusion that surround Mt. St. Academics will be cleared away, and you’ll have nothing but clear skies and sunshine.

Melissa Loukas

Excellence in Academics Tutoring, LLC.

"We work with parents, so their children excel."

http://www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com/

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Is a Rose Nearly Enough?

It turns out that a rose by any other name doesn't smell even half as sweet, and that is why it is important to dig around in the garden looking for the perfect bud ... or in this case, the perfect tutor. "A perfect tutor," you may ask? Well, I'm sure a perfect one is hard to come by, but if you think about the following things, finding a more perfect one is well within your reach. And a strong tutor within reach means that your child is only a hop, skip, and jump away from gaining not just academic success, but gaining learning that sticks to the brain. For English tutors in particular, here are some things you should keep in mind:

If the tutor has a company website about herself and her staff, is it saying anything of value on the English link? I've found that true lovers and students of English really have content that specifically addresses the "nuts and bolts" of English. So, what you should see is stuff like " ... writing for a specific purpose" rather than " ... learning at the child's pace". You should also hear educational phrases rather than sound bytes. So instead of " ... students feeling confident" listen for " ... developing a paragraph with its essential elements" A tutor of English will speak in terms of English - not in terms of politics.

Does the tutor and tutoring company have experience in teaching the aspects of English?

If you don't know, you should feel comfortable in asking. There are many tutors who know the basic concepts of grammar and writing, but I would argue a good chunk of the population also know, or think they know. But even if one has a basic knowledge, is that basic knowledge enough to know what grammatical concepts to teach for tests like the SAT and ACT? Even the big tutoring franchises that specialize in tutoring for these types of tests teach what to study and the strategies, but they neglect the content.

It's fine to say that the SAT tests are big in using pronoun misusage, but if proper tutelage in pronouns doesn't occur, we have a fine example of the blind leading the blind into the oh so troublesome ditch. A student can't identify what the pronoun mistake is if he doesn't know that "anyone" is a singular indefinite pronoun (singular indefinite pronouns are incorrectly connected with plural pronouns and verbs, and the standardized test makers love taking advantage of students not knowing basic grammatical concepts).

How 'bout writing? Does the tutor know the fine details of the ways to build a substantial discussion in the main body paragraphs of an essay? Does she know the rubric by which most of these essays are graded? Can he or she teach the rubric, alongside the aspects of the solidly written paper? If not, it's best to look for a tutor who does.

It's always a good idea to stop and smell the roses, but make sure the ones you're sniffing come up smelling like authentic roses.

For a truly sweet smelling rose, please visit http://www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com/. Not only will you find flowers, but you'll also find a tutor who knows her English.

The Power of Persuasion ... at Any Age

Everyone has heard the age old maxim, "practice makes perfect." In innumerable cases, this maxim proves its truthfulness, time and time again. However, no one has ever heard this maxim put this way: "practice makes perfect, only at a certain age." That is a bit odd, isn't it? It's also, as Diane Downer Anderson maintains, false, especially when discussing the idea of introducing the genre of persuasive writing to elementary aged kids. In Anderson's essay, "The Elementary Persuasive Letter: Two Cases of Situated Competence, Strategy, and Agency," the argument that elementary aged children don't have the ability to write persuasive texts is felled, and then, Anderson starts to enumerate all the ways in which introducing the persuasive writing genre to elementary school children is successful, as long as certain teaching strategies are in place.

One of the first points that Anderson maintains, in Research in the Teaching of English, is that, "Elementary persuasive writing is a powerful genre because it is a scaffold to argumentative writing in high school and college ...." (271). This is probably the most salient point. As a teacher of nine years, I've witnessed first hand what introducing and practicing a concept does for students. It does not matter so much what age something is taught, as how it is taught, and what tools are being used to drive the concept home. Anderson underlines the importance of this when she states, " ... wrting persuasive letters suggests that teachers who include persuasive writing in their curricula and scaffold such writing through talk, explicit forms, and topics on which children have much to say will find that children dsplay competence in their persuasive thinking and writing" (271).

The idea of introducing a concept and supporting it with things such as graphic organizers, class discussions, outside ideas that have parallels to the topic at hand, and explaining why the particular topic is an important one, are all examples of what Anderson calls "explicit forms," and why these forms should be considered appropriate only at a certain age is hard to understand. I taught high school, and if I did not introduce and practice these forms explicitly, my high school students would have had the same difficulty a third grader might possibly have with persuasive writing. Although the fallacy of persuasive writing at a certain age is obviously wrong, strong teachers with best teaching practices should be given to students of every age.

Persuasive writing should be introduced, made explicit, and practiced many times in elementary school. And knowing that "Persuasive writing is the primary genre on which students will be assessed as writers ... culminating in a written essay on the Scholastic Achievement Test ...." (273), shouldn't we as educators and parents demand that persuasive writing should be in the curriculum long before kids enter junior high and high school? I think so.

For more information on finding an English tutor, in the Scottsdale and Phoenix area, who tutors in the Persuasive genre, please visit http://www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com/.

Lucky Number ... Six?

Writing is not as hard as you might think it is. Really. All it takes is some effort and some know-how. I can help you with both. Teaching and tutoring English for a number of years has given me the opportunity to train with a multitude of methods that all have beneficial effects on a student's writing. As one quickly learns in the area of writing, what seems like an abstract, ephemeral process can be turned into something that is concrete, doable, and most of all, writable. And, that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is where six, does indeed, become your lucky number. Really.
It has nothing to do with games of chance, the same suite of five, or three "sevens" matching across a quarter slot game. It does, however, have everything to do with a thing called the Six Traits of Writing. And what are they? A group of teachers came together and graded many pieces of student writing (hey, some things in life never change). As a result of their collaborative grading, they came up with six traits of writing that strong papers in the pool all had, as a unifying theme: ideas and content, mechanics, word choice, organization, voice, and sentence fluency. What developed out of this collaboration can help your student become a skilled writer. Really.
So, here is the breakdown of the six traits: each trait is graded on a scale of one to six, with six being the highest. What is also given under each score is some written text that exemplies, for better or for worse, what makes a score what it is. There is a total of six numbers, and those numbers are then averaged for a score that ranges anywhere from a zero (the student wrote nothing) to six (highly improbably, but it has happened). Aiming for a total score of four to five is a goal that can be reached. Really. So, how do you get your student there?
Well, hiring a tutor that has a mastery of the English language, but also, who has a mastery of the types of rubrics school districts are using is a step in the right direction. Taking writing step by step, in addition to teaching the traits in chunks, can solidify an exemplary writing model that your student can use in any classroom. Since many students have difficulty with developing and elaborating ideas, I usually start tutoring with the trait of "ideas," and show them with graphic organizers, with the recalling of prior knowledge into other subjects that they know, and with showing them the cause/effect relationships their own ideas have, how to turn a one sentence wonder into a beautifully substantial paragraph with innumerable possibilities for discussion and thought. All it takes is the introduction of the process and some practice.
Really.
For more information about students being tutored in the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas, please visit www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com.

For more information about the six traits (now Six Traits +1), please visit www.nwrel.org.

What You Should Know about Tutoring

Two weeks ago, I had an enlightening conversation with a woman to whom I had been describing my business. She asked me what kind of services I provided for the students I tutored, and as I ticked off a myriad of situations in which a student might benefit from the use of a tutor, she was quiet for a moment, and then replied, "I always thought tutoring equalled trouble!" It was then that I had an epiphany. As a teacher that is "true blue," and as a tutor who understands all of the ways tutoring can help children, I was flabbergasted to realize that, maybe, a good chunk of the population believed the same way that my lunching companion did. If that is the case, then please allow me to make my case for illustrating the innumerable ways parents can benefit their children by hiring the likes of me (your English and reading specialist, extraordinaire):

• curriculum enrichment: Think of tutoring as preventative maintenance on your child's knowledge for the school year - tutoring can reinforce, supplement, and assess what is being done at his school, and also provide additional knowledge to widen the child's knowledge base.
• specific academic goals that need to be met: Whether your child needs to get an "exceeding" or "meets" on her English portion of the AIMS test, whether your child is gearing up to write her senior research paper, or whether your child needs to learn the "ins" and "outs" of the library in order to do proper research, tutoring can help with all of those tasks.
• literature enrichment: Would you like to improve your child's analytical, higher-level thinking skills? Would you like to see your child make connections between the literature he's reading in school and with happenings that are taking place on a national and global level? How about having your child make connections between the literature and himself? (by the way, those are all ideas that are listed in the state standards of this beautiful state, of ours). Well, proper tutoring done by an expert can help develop those critical thinking skills that each teacher, nationally, wants to see in their students' work.

The point here is that there is always a reason to hone and develop your child's writing, reading, and analytical skills. The point is that not only does learning never go out of style, but that this schematic building of knowledge will enhance the child's worldview, and, as an adult, will line his wallet. Knowledge makes you rich mentally, spirtually, and in this earthly world, financially.

For more information about tutoring in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona, please visit http://www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com/ for services that will assist your child in being a standout, but also, a child that stands apart from others.

Kids Need the Skills to Help Them Study

My report card for science had a glaring "D" marked offensively on the page, and I remember being as shocked as my mom, when I saw how poorly I did. It has stuck with me, so much, in fact, that I can remember the incident, clearly, even now, as an adult. The funny thing about it is that I had no idea I was doing poorly in science. It really came as an unpleasant surprise.

As a business owner of a tutoring company, and working with kids with their own studying habits, it comes as a bit of a shock that I didn't put my own experience together with what some of my students struggle with, at the present time. It did not take me long to figure out that almost as much as poor grades result from lacking the comprehension of a particular subject, another major factor in not achieving the highest grades in school is due to a lack of a structured environment at home, that consists of a schedule as regimented as the school day itself. No reason anyone should feel bad about this, as it takes discipline, even from the most Spartan of individuals, to daily plan out his days. However, keeping a few things in mind will help get your student on the right track (and most importantly, the right grade).

1. Students should always carry an agenda book with them, that not only are they responsible for, but that the parents and tutors are responsible for, too. Having teachers contact the parents and tutors about what's on the agenda for homework and major assignments is beneficial, especially when signatures are required from a parent or tutor. Having all the key players involved really makes it foolproof for the most lackadaisical student to go through her academic career with blindfolds on. It might not always take a village to raise a child, but having a few extra pair of eyes always keeps straying ones from roving too far from the academic objectives, at hand.
2. Parents or people that work closely with the student should help their student by creating a daily agenda, in which homework, time for major assignments, time for studying for tests, and even chunks of time that are planned for fun, are all written down on a weekly basis. This daily agenda can be written on a calendar, or even a makeshift one that the student creates himself. There are very few things that help a student internalize her responsibilities more - having her write what not only the things she's accountable for, but scheduling in free time, or activities that come as a reward, will also give the student the power over the academic reins, and that is what we want.
3. Students should have support not only from parents, but from teachers and tutors, as well. Teachers and tutors can supplement the child's knowledge with the content that they need, but also, with the knowledge of what is needed to pass the next test, or to earn the next "A" on the child's paper.
4. Giving students "tricks for the trade" also help tremendously with study skills. Making games out of vocabulary that will be on the test, testing students on the material that will be tested, and giving them an ample amount of practice with assignments that reinforce the academic objectives that are being taught, are all invaluable ways of ensuring success.

Lastly, maybe the most important thing to keep in mind is balance. I remember that after the upset with the science grade, I worked so hard to bring it up, that all of my other content areas fell behind. Everything in moderation!

Everyone Should Practice What He Preaches

In a commentary in Education Week, Joseph Renzulli passionately--and somewhat patronizingly--argues that "Engagement is the Answer." In fact, he maintains this so vehemently, it is the title of the commentary itself. Although there are some issues he raises that ring with some truth, the truth is only perceived with one angle. Two points of Renzuli's article will be introduced, and then examined.

Point One: Renzulli lists the implied evils of what education has done in the name of narrowing the chasm of achievement between advantaged and disadvantaged students: smaller schools, year-round schools, single-sex classes, charter schools, merit pay for teachers, and a long list of other plans that imply failure. He states, "...these structural changes have focused too much on low-level, highly prescriptive pedagogy intended to improve standardized-test scores" (www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/07/16/43renzulli.h27.html?print=1).

There are at least two major problems with this argument. What Mr. Renzulli doesn't do when he implicitly states that public education, as a whole, is a failure, is list or research its successes. Research in the field of education is an evolving body of knowledge, and this evolving body of knowledge does give proof that year-round schools and single-sex classes do have positive, quantifiable research that offer benefit to why these types of schools and classes exist. And these are only two examples. Granted, it does not mean it is the only answer for narrowing the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, but to say that engagement is the only answer, too, is short-sighted.

The other problem is that this "prescriptive" pedagogy that Renzulli speaks of is not for the sole result of improving standardized testing. What schools and their districts are trying to do is not only improve testing scores, but show a quantifiable improvement in learning and comprehension. It is not solely the onus of public education that has made it the puppet of forces higher than it. Namely, the government. When state and national legislation involve themselves into things that are not in their field of expertise, public education has to bend itself to their latest demands and whims.

I am not, also, saying that public education is perfect. There are many fissures in its system, but being within that system for many years has shown me firsthand that schools are improving, and that student learning is occuring. Renzulli's use of the word "prescriptive" is almost said as if it were a curse word. It is insulting to true educators to have a word that is connected to the ideas of structure and method, which by the way, are connected to student success, to be bandied about like it is a taboo.

Point Two:
Mr. Renzulli states that alternative, even counterintuitive, approaches should be taken when talking about bridging the distance of achievement between advantaged and disadvantaged students. He lists some of the following ideas as to what contributes to the bridging of the gap, but also, to how it relates to the idea of student engagement: monitor understanding and the need for additional information; identify patterns, relationships, and discrepancies; draw comparisons to other problems; transform factual information into usable knowledge; and finally, extend one's thinking (www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/07/16/43renzulli.h27.html?print=1).

It is ironic how listing these truly wonderful objectives are labeled by Renzulli as "counterintuitive," because, guess what? Any teacher who has been teaching in the public education system will tell you that the language and ideas he thinks are counterintuitive are found in the state standards, the standards by which districts, schools, and teachers form and monitor how students are taught!

Not only have I taught all of my years as a teacher with the standards in the forefront of my mind, but I have also performed contracting work aligning state objectives and the state standards. I have done this for several states, and all of these states are states in which I have not resided. I remember being proud that the standards were unified in idea, whether we were discussing North Carolina, Arkansas, or Arizona. And these unified ideas are inculcated into teachers in every teaching college across the nation. So, are the colleges producing teachers that are brainwashed and beaten, like Renzulli's idea of what today's students are, or are the ideas from public education that have been inveterate very similar to Renzulli's "counterintuitive" ones? I vote for the latter.

Mr. Renzulli does bring into light some valid concerns that our society is facing with the problems of public education. However, "engagement" is not solely the answer. Bridging the reality of today's classroom with the teachers and the teachers' support systems--parents and tutors, namely--are also key factors into what will bridge the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.