Lesson Links - SEPTEMBER 2003

Hello!
It’s me, Irv Leskowitz, stepping into the space left by Karlene Ball’s departure and trying to do the best I can to follow in her footsteps. You can help me do that by your feedback – comments, critiques, suggestions, and lessons you’ve created. I expect to learn a lot doing this. I hope you’ll learn some useful things, too.

(Note: In all of the exercises below, the choice of words and activities should, as usual, take into account the literacy level of your student.)

VERB ENDINGS

Practice with verbs ending –s.
We use the –s ending for action words after he, she, or it or any other word that can take the place of he, she, or it. Use the exercise below, or a similar one. If your student has difficulty with any of the items, ask her/him if he, she, or it can be substituted for the words that tell who.

Joe (listen, listens) to music all day long.
I (walk, walks) at least one mile every day.
Mr. Jones (work, works) at the local fast food place.
Nancy (help, helps) her sister with her homework.
Frank and Frances (live, lives) in the house on the corner.
Mrs. Smith (write, writes) to her son once a week.

COMPOUND WORDS

Have your student select a word in column B to combine with a word in column A to make a compound word (a word made up of two or more smaller words) and then write the words in column C.

SCRAMBLED WORDS

Unscramble the following words:

COMPREHENSION

Comprehension is crucial to learning. Assessing a student’s grasp of material that he has read or had read to him should be an ongoing task for every tutor. Here’s a way you can assess your student’s comprehension:

Have your student read this passage, or, if the student is unable to read it, read it to him/her.

Promptly at 5:30 p.m., a young woman in a gray outfit came into a small, quiet park and sat on a bench, opened a book, and started reading it. She had done this many times, always at the same time and always at the same bench. The young man watching her knew this. From behind a large tree he stood, waiting. Then, what he had been hoping for happened.

In turning a page of the book, it slipped from the young woman’s fingers and fell a short distance from her. Before she could move, the man pounced on the book and returned it to the girl with a flourish.

When the woman thanked him, the man made a trivial remark about the weather and stood for a moment awaiting a response.

At the conclusion of the reading, you can assess her/his comprehension by asking questions. Some questions may refer to the sequence of events described. Some may look for details of character descriptions. Still other questions could deal with meanings “between the lines.”

Why had the man come to the park?
What happened first?
What happened next?
Which character was in the park first?

From this segment, you could develop other lessons:

Ask the student to finish the story (orally or in writing).
Give sight word instruction for unfamiliar words in the text.

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

From words that you provide, have the student make a list of synonyms and matching antonyms. Here’s an example:

WORDS: safe charitable remove humble preserve risk raise boastful ornate lower selfish plain

Fancy and ornate are antonyms for plain.
Elevate and (synonym) are antonyms for (antonym).
Generous and (synonym) are antonyms for (antonym).
Secure and (synonym) are antonyms for (antonym).
Discard and (synonym) are antonyms for (antonym).
Proud and (synonym) are antonyms for (antonym).

To Tutors: If you have questions about your tutoring and would like some guidance, these people are available to help. You will recognize the names from your own training classes:

back to top