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WHAT BOOKS TO READ IN THE SEVENTH GRADE? A list of popular books recommended by a tutor

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To recommend a specific book for a teenager is always a challenge. Kids are different, and the same book that makes one reader thrilled leaves another absolutely indifferent.

In my reading class I never force studenst to read a book which does not interest them, even if I think that the book is great. Instead, I provide recommendations and let  students choose and decide what to read and later explain their preferences. When given a free hand, a young reader becomes more involved in the process of preliminary discussion and making a proper choice.

Here are some books that are especially popular among my seventh graders:

“The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins.  When asked why they like those books so much, the students give various reasons such as unforgettable characters and unusual plot. Although the story abounds in cruel episodes and an impossible choice between love and life, the younger readers are not negatively affected by the omnipresence of “Death.”

“The Scythe” by Neal Shusterman.  Similar to The Hunger Games, this book does not leave any of my students in the reading club indifferent. The utopian future created by the author seems so real that the kids retell the events as if they were details of their own lives.

“The Giver”, a young adult dystopian novel by Lois Lowry.  I would recommend this book for younger students.

Although many teenagers prefer fantasy and mystery, realistic fiction also remains popular. Here is a book that most of my students, both boys and girls, adore:

“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher.

Of course, this is a very short and “personal” list of recommended books. Every young reader is unique, and although I know the tastes of my students, I can only suggest a book and guess whether they would like it or not. 

Writing Can Be Fun!

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I have a few students who want to learn how to write fiction. As a rule, they are voracious readers with great vocabulary and strong desire to write. They come to my class hoping to get a professional advice and/or motivation to develop their skills. It is enjoyable to read and discuss their short stories and see how their daily experience is reflected in their writing. However, most of my students have never thought of creating something of their own. For them, “writing” is associated with school assignments, something mandatory, difficult, and tedious.

As a tutor, I try to show to those students that writing can be fun!  Usually we start with something short and not overwhelming. What is it? Poems! Yes, writing poems is a great practice in creativity and a source of joy, but prior to an actual writing the students need to see the  difference between poetry and prose. The difference is not as obvious as it seems, especially for younger students. When assigned to write a poem at school, the fifth-graders do not hesitate to jot down several sentences on the suggested topic and pass their work to the teacher. Usually, these “poems” do not differ from their stories written in prose. However, if to ask a student to read and analyze poems written by great children’s poets, the difference becomes clear. First hesitantly, the children read the lines and find examples of  personification, metaphor, and simile.  Then they try to rewrite their own poems adding “decorative elements.” For some, this simple activity turns into an adventure.

Here is a poem, which has a lot of examples of personification.

APPLES ARE LAUGHING IN THE GARDEN

Apples are laughing in the garden.

A pair of grinning boots is running to work.

A flock of leaves is flying by,

Cackling and giggling.

Here is a smiling umbrella!

A newspaper is chuckling in the mailbox.

Clouds in the sky are roaring with laughter.

Raindrops jump into the puddle and –

PLOP!!! –

Happy splashes everywhere!

An old hat is sitting on my head,

Beaming with joy!

 

 

 

 

WHAT DOES LACK OF INTEREST IN HOMEWORK INDICATE?

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Lack of interest in homework may clearly indicate that a student has problems with his/her work assigned for home. Perhaps, earlier a child missed his teacher’s explanation and as a result does not clearly understand how to approach certain math/science problems.

Once I had a new private student whose parents were concerned about her low grades in Math. In fact, Victoria did not know how to solve linear equations. It seemed strange because according to her parents, Victoria was a very diligent student who was always good at Math. Later I found out that three weeks ago the girl had missed a few classes. When she came back to school, the teacher was introducing  a new material using the words “collect like terms.” Everybody but Victoria knew what it meant. Unfortunately, the girl was shy to ask the teacher a simple question, and her next test was a complete disaster. Eventually, Victoria lost confidence and interest in Math.

The second reason that a child may lose interest in school is boredom. When advanced students deal with easy tasks, they become bored very soon. Paradoxically, lack of challenge causes lack of interest even faster than too much demands.

In both cases, individual classes can make a great difference. For a student who is behind the class, an explanation of a certain problem encourages a child and bolster his/her confidence. As for advanced students, an individual program motivates them to work harder. It is amazing how excited a child can be when instead of a familiar task he has to deal with a real challenge.

As a Math tutor, I always try to figure out what causes lack of interest in homework and adjust my program. It is exciting to see that small changes can motivate children and make them love Math!

 

 

 

 

MATH TUTORING: OPERATIONS WITH INTEGERS

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MATH TUTORING

OPERATIONS WITH INTEGERS: EASY WAYS TO DEAL WITH “NEGATIVE-POSITIVE” NUMBERS

Victoria is an 8-th grader. At the moment she is struggling with calculating the slope of linear equations. Although Victoria knows how to find the slope, she experiences difficulties in pure calculations. Every time she has to subtract a negative number from a negative she gets the wrong result. At first I thought that my student was just not paying attention; however, when the same miscalculation happened three times in a row, I realized that we had to put aside the slope and focus on a very important topic: Operations with integers.

The rules for adding or subtracting integers are simple:

The same sign: ADD!!! If both integers are positive, the sum is positive. When both numbers are negative, the result is negative.

2 + 3 = 5                                                -4 – 3 = -7                                                                                                      

-2 + – 3 = -5                                          -2 – 2 = -4

-4 + -6 = -10                                        -4 – 6 = -10

-5 + -9 = -14                                        -10 – 3 = -13

Opposite signs: SUBTRACT a smaller number from a bigger one! If a bigger number is positive, the result is positive. If a bigger number is negative, the result is negative.

– 2 + 1 = -1

-8 + 4 = – 4

-2 + 2 = 0

-4 + 4 = 0

-8 + 6 = -2

-10 + 10 = 0

Remember: two negatives in a row turn into positive!!!

10 – ( – 5) is the same as 10 + 5

10 –( – 5) = 15

10 –(- 10) = 20

12 – -11 = 23

1 – -2 = 3

Now, time for practice! (After you are done, check your answers and calculate percent. I hope you’ll get 100%)

Test #1

  1. -5 + – 12 =                                                            10)  -144 – 6 =
  2. -7 + -7 =                                                               11)  -1 – 2 =
  3.  -1 + – 8 =                                                              12)  -0.5 – 1 =
  4.  2 + 100 =                                                             13)  -4 – 100 =
  5.  -2 + – 100 =                                                          14)  -30 – 70 =
  6.  13 +(- 7) =                                                            15)  -7 – 13 =
  7.  -3 –( – 2) =                                                            16)  -7 – (-11) =
  8.  100 + -100 =                                                        17) 102 – (-100) =
  9.  -9 – (- 1) =                                                            18)  -15 + 2 =

Answers:

  1. -17;   2) -14; 3) -9; 4) 102; 5) -102; 6) 6; 7) -1; 8) 0; 9) -8;
  2. 10) -150; 11) -3; 12) -1.5; 13) -104; 14) -100; 15) -20; 16) 4; 17)202; 18) -13