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Learning rhythms will emerge during the tutoring sessions. Does a student go strong for 15 minutes and then feel restless, or does she have a hard time settling down? After a few sessions, this knowledge can help structure your work time. A warm-up conversation about a news event, a school issue, or a recent movie usually creates a good beginning, especially if you convey personal interest. Good language skills are modeled when you ask questions, listen carefully, and give clear responses, creating an easy but meaningful give and take.
If your student’s attention flags mid-way in the session, take a break and work on something fun that relates to language. Some possibilities are: creating a dictionary of local slang, playing word games for ten minutes, or exchanging stories about something that happened to you during the week. Each of you might write a short poem or reflection on the same subject to read aloud, reinforcing the connection between reading and writing. Or play “story starters,” where one person writes a sentence and the other adds to it, passing it back and forth to create a story.
Sleepy? Wake up with a short walk outdoors or down the hall, where you can build a conversation around a topic that your student chooses. Asking about favorites often unleashes opinions (favorite movies, hangouts, CDs, or types of music). Following up with open-ended questions, such as “What do you like (or think) about. . .” spurs students to use their language skills to support their opinions.
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