Anne - TS #10

TS #10 – Anne

Date/Time:  Wednesday, January 27, 2016, 6:00-7:00

Location:  Lyon Country Library

Topic/Skills:  Reading comprehension; grammar review

Teacher Presentation:  We started with the student’s summary of the first chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird.  She used notes to remind herself of some of the vocabulary.  We looked up some definitions and used them in the context of the story.  The student had a good grasp of the main points of the story and had filled 6 notebook pages with vocabulary.  She said the reading was too hard, even though she could work her way through it.  She probably understood only 65% of the vocabulary.  We agreed we would start with a simpler book, one that she could read to and with her grandchildren.  (She lacks ways of engaging with them and this seemed to be a good way of encouraging her to read, to read aloud with expression, and to ask questions about the story.)  Following the reading, we worked on grammar worksheets she had done on the simple past.  We talked about the ~ed endings to regular verbs and made a list of the common irregular verbs and their past participles.  At the end of the lesson, she asked if we could work on some situational dialogs, e.g., going to the doctor, cooking dinner, taking the grandchildren to the playground, shopping at the supermarket, etc.  I told her I’d find material and we’d start next time with (I asked her) seeing the doctor.

Feedback provided to tutee:  I helped her define words she did not understand and corrected her pronunciation.  I helped her to make her own corrections on the work sheets:  “OK, what’s the verb here?”  “Go.”  “And the girl ____ to the doctor.”  “Went.”  “Yes, the girl went to the doctor.”

Lessons learned:  I’m challenged by the process of finding level-appropriate AND interesting material for this student.  The program director asked me not to use a children’s book for adult learning even though I explained that part of the purpose was to help her find a way to connect with her grandchildren and that she wanted to read the book.  The director asked me to use the book she (the director) provided, but from my perspective, it is way too basic for this student who is not a “foundations” student.  I will use it since I’ve been asked to, but I feel the need to supplement it with other material.  Focusing on what the student wants – dialogs, vocabulary, context for situations – will be a way to “up” the level of learning.