MJ Tutoring
Miss Jaymie
Opening books and minds since 2007
Education is not the learning of the facts, but the training of the mind to think.
-Albert Einstein
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There is no such thing as a child that hates to read. There are only children that have not found the right book.
-Frank Serafini
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Start one on one tutoring for your child now and they will receive:​
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An increase in their grades and confidence in school.
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One on one attention from an expert tutor, paying close attention to all their individual academic needs.
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The ability to read with more fluency and comprehension.
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An increase in their ability to handle rigorous tasks required for state testing.
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The ability to apply what they've learned to new or novel situations within the classroom.
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Skills that facilitate their learning and reduce their frustration within the classroom.
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Click on a section below for more information
SAT Reading/Writing/Language Prep
Get the best score possible!
Time Management
Choosing the Correct Answer
Time management while taking the SAT is of upmost importance. The reading portion is 65 minutes and contains five passages, with a total of 52 questions. This means your teen will have 13 minutes to read a passage and answer approximately 11 questions related to each passage.I can teach your
child how to manage their time wisely, including but
to limited to: scanning the text for key words,
skimming the text for comprehension rather than reading it in its entirety, answering difficult questions last, looking for direct evidence in the passage quickly, and using surrounding sentences to help answer questions.
Avoiding Fact Traps
Students can be easily distracted by an answer choice that is true, but does not answer the question that is being asked. I can help your teen learn to stay focused on what the question is asking so they don't accidentally pick the answer that is factually true, but not correct.
Within the writing and language portion of the SAT, students will be asked to revise portions of a text for accuracy, logic, cohesion, syntax, semantics, punctuation, style and tone. During our tutoring sessions, we will focus on revising passages with specific focus on your teen's
deficiencies within this category. Repeated practice of revision within the writing and language portion of the SAT has shown large gains within tutoring. As we repeatedly visit the rules of the English language and become more familiar with the format of the SAT, your teen will be able to answer the questions with ease.
Practice Tests
Throughout our sessions, your teen will be taking portions of the SAT practice test and the full SAT practice test for reading. We will employ all strategies that have been focused on within our sessions as your teen takes:
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Untimed and open-book practice tests
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Timed and open-book practice tests
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Timed and closed-book practice tests.
When an untimed and open-book practice test is taken, we are able to work without a time constraint and discuss the passage and questions at length, while applying all the strategies learned. When a timed and open-book practice test is taken, we will work together to determine the correct answers to the reading portion, but set a timer and practice the pacing that needs to occur in order for your teen to finish the SAT on time. During a timed and closed-book practice test, your teen will take a portion of, or the entire SAT reading test while a timer is on and we will discuss all the answers that were chosen once the test is complete.
Practicing without time constraints allows for your teen to not feel overwhelmed by a timer and to work in-depth with me regarding their answer choice strategies.
Practicing with a time constraint allows us to simulate test-like conditions and learn the appropriate pacing. Once pacing has been worked on, it builds confidence against the time constraints of the exam and lessens the stress level on the day of the test.
The SAT is very different than the tests your teen has been taking in high school. The reading portion is strictly multiple choice answers. I can help your teen understand the unique types of answers
presented in the SAT reading portion. For example: Within the reading portion of the SAT, a single word can make an answer choice incorrect. Every single word is in each answer is purposely put there by the SAT. I can teach your teen how to
eliminate incorrect answers based on one word, even if the rest of the answer seems correct.
In addition, some of the essays within the reading portion of the SAT are subjective. I teach techniques that help your teen be able to find logical deductions from the evidence that help him/her choose the correct answer for inference questions related to the subjective point of view.
Vocabulary Instruction
Approximately 13% of the reading portion of the SAT requires that your teen can determine the meaning of Tier 2 vocabulary words in context. What are Tier 2 vocabulary words? They are more difficult high frequency words that require explicit instruction and may have multiple meanings depending on context.
Many students may be familiar with the most common meaning of Tier 2 words, but not familiar with a more uncommon definition. For example: A student may understand the meaning of the term "relative" as a word that is used to describe a family member.
However, they may not be familiar with "relative" being used as a comparative term. One of the challenges with Tier 2 words is their limited use in everyday language. I can help your teen overcome this challenge by giving him/her regular exposure to Tier 2 vocabulary. With weekly tutoring sessions, your teen can learn up to 150 Tier 2 words in one year.
A small portion of each session will be focused on building your child's Tier 2 vocabulary for the reading portion of the SAT. I use a variety of techniques, including personalized games, visual representations, explicit instruction, and helping each student relate the new word to their own life.
Here are some examples of Tier 2 words found in the reading portion of the SAT: coincide, facade, disdain, dubious, obsolete, vague, vast, subtle, adept, callous, inherent, trepidatious,
and voracious.
"A special thank you to Jaymie for taking on a challenge to tutor my son for his SAT test. Jaymie has put in countless efforts in building his vocabulary and learning key characteristics in reading paragraphs and passages. This work has translated into other areas of the classroom in which his overall testing has improved dramatically."
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- Debbie from Phoenix