Entries from March 1, 2017 - March 31, 2017

Wednesday
Mar 29 2017

New Summer SAT Test Date Announced by College Board

Times are changing! College Board has announced that there will be a summer SAT test date for 2017.  Students will have an extra testing opportunity on August 26 th .  This leads to many questions, such as opening schools early, air conditioning, cleaning classrooms, etc.   However, this bodes well for many juniors and seniors. 

Here is a list of the three main advantages for high school students.

1.   Early Decision/Early Action:The August SAT allows seniors one more test date that can be applied to early decision and early action applications. Yay! According to the Atlantic , “ Students will now have two shots at the SAT in their senior year before early-application deadlines, and College Board will no longer have to deal with the annual headaches caused by the January exam.

2.   Free of School Demands:I hear it every day at Think Tutoring. “Ms. Kim, my schedule is too overwhelming…I’m so tired.” My students tell me all of the demands of their junior year.  Demands include PARCC, SAT, ACT, midterms, final exams, SAT Subject tests, clubs, sports, a job, and more.  The August SAT test date provides students an opportunity to take the exam in a less pressure pact season.

3.   More Test Prep Time:The August 26 th SAT allows for students more time to prep at a tutoring center or home.  This gives students the opportunity to show their full potential rather than cramming for the June test.  More prep time equals better scores.  Enough said.

Summer is a great time to prep for SAT.  Think Tutoring offers both morning and afternoon hours for individualized tutoring.   We are also offering introduction SAT strategy classes for students that just need a little prep before the test.  Lastly, Think Tutoring is even offering Free SAT practice tests in April and July .  Call 973-593-0050 or email Think Tutoring at info@thinktutoring.com to register.

Thursday
Mar 16 2017

Students Weak in Reading: What is an Inference?

As a tutor for nine years, I get this question a lot.  One of my students will always ask, “What is an inference?” 

If I gave the textbook definition, “a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning,” the student would look at me as if I had two heads.

Students need to infer in every subject area: reading , math (word problems), science (experimental outcomes), and social studies.  It allows children and even adults to a find a deeper, hidden meaning in the stories we read.

Instead of giving the textbook definition, I go through these simple steps during a tutoring session.

1. Relate to the Student 

Question:If your best friend (Insert Name), comes to school with you one day and he is holding his stomach, sweaty, pale, and didn’t come to school with you the next day, what can you infer?

Answer:He is sick!

2. Relate to Life

Question: What necessary skill does a detective need to solve a crime?

Answer:He needs to infer!

3. Relate to Reading

An inference is an educated guess.  As a student, your job is to take all the clues in the passage just like a detective and come up with the best answer.

4. Practice

Now, it is time to start reading passages and practice inference questions.

I also remind students that inference questions can look different. Be on the lookout for other words such as conclude , imply , guess , assume , predict , suggest , and even analogous .

At Think Tutoring, our students learn and master inference skills starting in Pre-K and work on this comprehension skill until our students leave Think Tutoring in 12 th grade.  Think Tutoring is offering 15% off our reading programs for the month of March. 

Call 973-593-0050 for more information. Exclusions apply.

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