6 Fun, Entertaining Ways to Practice Speaking Spanish

6 Fun, Entertaining Ways to Practice Speaking Spanish Suzy S. When youre taking Spanish lessons its important to find some fun activities to help you practice, and break up the monotony of grammar lessons and workbook exercises.  Here, Carmichael, CA Spanish tutor  Joan B. shares some fantastic ideas to help you have fun while you practice speaking Spanish   Learning Spanish can be incredibly fun as you harness your ability to express yourself, interact with others, and practice your language skills. The following Spanish activities are fun,  and will help you take your language skills to the next level! 1. Plan a Fiesta Do you know others who are also learning the language, or do you have friends who are Spanish speakers? If so, consider throwing a casual Spanish-themed fiesta. You  can play games like charades in Spanish, listen to Spanish music like the Gypsy Kings or Enrique Iglesias, and chat away in Spanish. This is also a great opportunity to try out some Spanish recipes. You can practice speaking in Spanish while you prepare food with your friends, and you may even discover some new favorite foods! You can also ask your guests to  bring something to share, like a favorite  Spanish poem, a photo from a vacation in a Spanish-speaking country, or anything Spanish related! 2. Play Games If youre looking for some fun Spanish activities, try online games. Playing games is an  effective way to challenge yourself, stimulate your speaking ability, and recall typical conversational phrases and verbs. By repeating after the audio prompts, you improve your vocabulary, fluency, and accent. 3. Go  Shopping Another fun way to practice speaking Spanish  is to go to the farmers market or other locale (like a Hispanic store) where there are Spanish-speaking employees.  You can go shopping, pick up some healthy vegetables, and practice your Spanish at the same time. In addition to asking about prices, you can also ask about the various products (where is this grown? What do you make with this vegetable?). You can also ask questions  about the person youre speaking to (where are you from? Whats your favorite thing to do?). 4. Listen to Music If you like music, this idea will be right up your alley. Put on some Spanish music  as you do  daily  tasks, and sing along. If you dont know the songs, you can look up the lyrics to help you sing or read along. Gather a group of friends and have a Spanish-language karaoke night! Singing along to Spanish songs will strengthen your sense of Spanish syntax and grammar, and you might find the lyrics spilling over into conversation! 5. Try a New Restaurant Grab some friends and head to a local  Hispanic restaurant. When you arrive, ask the waiter if you can practice your Spanish. As you order your food and chat with your server,  youll wow your friends and get some  valuable conversation practice. Dont forget to leave a Yelp review and a generous tip to thank your waiter for helping you practice! 6. Find a Pen Pal Lastly, another great way to  practice speaking Spanish is to find  a Spanish-language pen pal. As you exchange emails, you can also schedule Skype dates so you can  chat about your week, the news, and whatever other information you would like to exchange. This is an ideal way to improve your  conversational Spanish, as it offers a regular opportunity to practice, and you can build on previous conversations. If you do these activities regularly, you will get a consistent amount of  Spanish conversation practice, and you will also have lots  of fun! Before you know it, youll be speaking Spanish like a native. Get started today, find a Spanish tutor here!   Post Author: Joan B. Joan B. lives in Carmichael, CA and has been teaching high school Spanish for more than 18 years. A lover of language, shes studied French, Arabic, and Italian and spent time living in Spain. Joan aims to help students improve on tests and increase their conversational ability when traveling to Spanish-speaking countries. Learn more about Joan  here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

The Best Way To Learn Chinese

The Best Way To Learn Chinese Everything You Need To Know To Begin Learning Chinese ChaptersHow To Choose Your Chinese TeacherHow Much Does A Mandarin Lesson Cost?How Can You Prepare for Your Chinese Lessons?How To Supplement Your Chinese ClassesThose wanting to learn to speak Chinese often come upon a stumbling block: the difficulty of the language often makes it often necessary to learn with a Chinese teacher who either lived in a Chinese-speaking country or is a native speaker of Mandarin.In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about choosing the right Chinese class for you. their fees are not fixed. This means that private Chinese teachers fix their prices themselves, depending on their experience.Chinese lessons can be expensive - but not if you choose them carefully! Photo by Canadian Pacific on Visualhunt.comBut how much does a home Chinese lesson cost?On average, home tutoring in the UK costs about £25 to 30 an hour.Over 400 Mandarin tutors are available on Superprof throughout the UK. Their prices vary greatly, depending on:Geographic al locationTheir level of MandarinThe level at which they teach (beginner, intermediate, advanced)ExperienceAgeThe number of lessons (some offer reduced prices if you sign up for 10 lessons or more).On Superprof, the prices for a Chinese tutor are as follows:Mandarin Lessons London range from £12 (cheapest) to £50 an hour (most expensive) for a Chinese tutor London.In the rest of England, prices go from £5 (teaching as a hobby) to £50 (Business Chinese).Chinese lessons in Scotland can be as cheap as £10 an hour or as expensive as £40.So, do you have to be rich to take Mandarin or Cantonese classes?Fortunately, there are alternatives if you live in a high-price area.You can take lessons at a language institute or learn Chinese online via webcam.But why would you?A language school will tie you down for eight to ten weeks per course and put you in a classroom with other students.This at least forces you to commit to lessons, allows you to meet like-minded students of the Chinese language, and offers lessons with native speakers from a Mandarin-speaking area such as China, Taiwan, Singapur or Hong Kong.It is also usually cheaper, as the course prices, when broken down into hourly rates, are usually quite low: paying anywhere between £130 to £678 depending on the place and the class level, you will find yourself with an hourly fee ranging from £6.50 to £16.95 - well below the average of £20-30 an hour - and the teachers are just as experienced, if not more!Still too expensive?You might instead try finding Chinese exchange students willing to give lessons in their native tongue.Or try private lessons via webcam - without travel expenses, most Chinese teachers offer Skype courses at advantageous rates.Or simply learn Chinese online with free apps for learning the Chinese language.How Can You Prepare for Your Chinese Lessons?“There is no easy way to learn difficult things.” (Joseph de Maistre, 1753-1821)As we know, learning to read and write Chinese is an arduous task. That’s why it helps to really prepare for your Chinese lessons ahead of time.So what can you do?Listen carefully during the lesson to better memorise itRegularly re-read your lessons (rules of Chinese grammar, Pinyin transcription, the order and direction of the strokes in Chinese calligraphy, vocabulary words, Chinese verbs)Find a quiet moment for revision - the evenings just before going to sleep are bestKeep your brain irrigated: eat well, drink a lot, breathe mindfully, sit correctly with your back straight and your feet parallel to the groundAvoid distractionsMake flashcard summaries: one card per chapter or lessonUse mnemonic devices to help you memorise Chinese grammar or symbols.Learning Mandarin means assimilating sounds and rhythms that are completely different from our Romance languages. Just like a musician, you need to train your ear and activate your lexicographical radar.So how can you immerse yourself in the Chinese language while still in Britain? When learning a new subject, it helps to immerse yourself in the area you are studying. Listen to jazz when learning jazz guitar, read Arabic newspapers to learn the Arabic alphabet or listen to foreign movies in the original when learning a language.It’s the same thing when learning Chinese: you need to immerse yourself in it, to hear Mandarin spoken, for example by watching Chinese movies.Even if you don’t actually understand it at first, a beginner Chinese student will be better able to recognise Chinese characters and improve their pronunciation than if they didn’t do this simple exercise.Practise your Mandarin reading skills by reading Chinese newspapers. Photo by Canadian Pacific on VisualhuntImmersing yourself in the Chinese language means plunging headfirst into the language and its environment. It also means discovering Chinese culture and history, the Chinese way of thinking and functioning. It’s almost like going off to live in China without leaving the UK.To acce lerate your Chinese learning curve, prepare a trip to China or Taiwan - or why not try a language exchange programme?What is a language exchange?It’s a way to learn a foreign language for free by meeting with a native speaker. You learn Mandarin from a Chinese national who wants to learn English: an intercultural exchange, a transfer between first and second languages.How To Supplement Your Chinese ClassesThe tones and pronunciation of the Chinese language can sometimes be so difficult to assimilate that two hours of Chinese lessons a week are insufficient for anyone wanting to learn Chinese fast.So here are a few tools to help improve your command of the Chinese language.Is your Chinese dictionary not enough to become a fluent Mandarin speaker? Try out Chinese learning apps and websites. Photo by Nick Kenrick. on VisualHunt.comWebsites and apps to train your Chinese skillsObviously, it is impossible to list all the tools available to learn Chinese online, whether it be websites o r apps, but here is a selection:Hello ChineseMondlyPlecoSkritterLine dictionaryMandarin MadnessLearn Chinese Mandarin Phrasebook Chinese ToolsMosalinguaThe BBCChinese Learner FluentUThe Chairman’s Bao   ChengyuFinding a Chinese exchange partnerMost sites promising to match people wanting to learn a foreign language to those for whom it's the mother tongue often also offer lesson plans, dictionaries and chatrooms where you can find a conversation partner.My language exchange uses the Cormier method: learn the Chinese language by taking part in linguistic workshops of two to four people. The site allows beginner Chinese students to exchange e-mails and offers video chats for more advanced students. This method is mainly for students at an intermediary level.Conversation exchange is another free site that will help you find Chinese people wanting to learn a European language such as French, English or Spanish as conversation partners.These sites make it possible to learn a language i n a social context. How?By meeting at the local pub, for example, and speaking half the time in your native language to teach it to your language partner, and half the time in your new second language to learn it for free.It’s also a formidable opportunity to learn colloquial expressions and cultural information that you don’t necessarily learn in a language class - discover China’s political system and history, or Chinese food with a native.

Ask a Law School Admissions Expert Jeremy Shinewald

Ask a Law School Admissions Expert Jeremy Shinewald Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Founder of the prestigious Law School admissions consulting firm, jdMission, Jeremy Shinewald has led countless students to acceptance into the most selective law schools. Also the founder of mbaMission, an elite MBA admissions consulting firm, and a past member of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants, Jeremy is truly one of the most notable experts in the admissions field. He graduated from the University of Virginias Darden School of Business, where he also served as an admissions interviewer, and has been quoted in major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. VT: How much time should one expect to devote to adequately preparing for and completing a law school application? Jeremy: If you include taking the LSATand prep courses alone for the LSAT can take two and a half to three and a half monthsthen the entire process of putting together a rock solid law school application should take about six months or so. The application process for law school is actually pretty straightforward and is fairly consistent from school to school, but gathering recommendations, preparing essays (personal statements, diversity essays and addenda) and completing the other required portions of the application still take time. VT: What would you say is the single most important thing applicants should focus on with this kind of application? Jeremy: Law school applications are evaluated in a fairly scientific manner. Schools publish a lot of data about their students average GPA and LSAT scores, and they also publish information about the range of these scores (i.e., the middle 50% of the class has X LSAT score to Y LSAT score). This is not to suggest that the LSAT is everythingbecause it certainly is notbut it is often the most important piece of the law school admissions puzzle that is still within a candidates control. Oftentimes when clients contact us at jdMission, their GPA, which is also quite important, is already set. They are contemplating law school but of course cannot go back in time and alter their GPA, so the LSAT score becomes the most significant variable that applicants can still actively influence. VT: What is the biggest mistake one can make on a law school application? Jeremy: The biggest mistake that an applicant can make is being over-reliant on his or her scores and believing that this element alone will be enough to guarantee an acceptance letter. Even if your GPA and LSAT scores are comfortably above the published ranges for your target program, you should definitely not assume that you are a shoo-in. Schools reject many candidates with competitive scores every application seasonYale Law Schools admissions director cautions applicants about this frequently on her blog. Candidates often buy into the idea that the LSAT is the only thing that matters and so do not put enough thought and effort into telling their stories in their essays and other portions of their application. The ones who do are typically in for a real rude awakening. VT: What do law school admissions officers look for most in an applicants essays/personal statements? Jeremy: Excellent personal statements are impossible to categorize. I wish I could offer something concrete, but it is very much a know it when you see it phenomenon. Great essays are experientially based and are sincerethe writer is not trying too hard to sound intelligent. Instead, the writer relies on the core experiences related in the essay to make him or her stand out. We have seen candidates write about their life, career and studies with a profound sense of purpose, touching on the expanse of experiences that have ultimately led them to law school, and we have seen others reflect on a single, brief moment in time that may only loosely be connected to the law school experienceif at allbut that still serves to effectively define their character for the admissions committee. The only commonality among the strongest personal statements is that the reader is left knowing that the writer bared his or her soul in a way that was not cloying, but genuine and meaningful. In short, be t rue to yourself and your story, and write what you want to write, not what you think the admissions committees want to hear.VT: Can anything in a persons application automatically disqualify him or her from being considered for a JD program? Jeremy: Candidates do need to be mindful of their target programs LSAT score and GPA averages, as we discussed earlier. If yours are below a schools average, this simply means that you are like half of the programs most recent class and so should not worryafter all, the nature of an average is such that some people are above and some people are below. However, if your statistics are way below a schools averages, then you may need to honestly consider whether applying to law school at this time is truly reasonable for you. Yale Law Schools median LSAT for its most recent incoming class was 173, or approximately 98th/99th percentile, but the school also accepted a candidate at the bottom of this range with a 157 LSAT, which is about a 65th/70th percentile. I can assure you that the individual with this 157 score was not your average candidate, thoughhe or she could obviously claim some remarkable achievements that led the school to choose this applicant over other candidates with far b etter LSAT scores. So, a very low LSAT score can make gaining acceptance at your target programs more challenging, but there is no clear cutoff that would definitively disqualify you. VT: In what ways does the law school admissions process differ the most from the undergraduate admissions process? Jeremy: The law school application is the fraternal twin of the undergrad applicationthey are from the same family but look a little different. So, for both, you must complete a standardized test, but for law school, this is the LSAT rather than the SAT; for both, you must submit recommendations that are academic in nature, but the law school applicant would ask a college-level professor, rather than a high school teacher. Although your test scores and GPA are important, once you are in the mix, you need to make an impression on the admissions committee through your personal statement/essay. So, the two kinds of applications exhibit a lot of similarities overall, which means the recent college graduate who experienced a rigorous undergraduate application process should find the law school application process pretty familiar. VT: What kinds of things (experience, grades, etc.) might a candidate lack that would lead you to advise him or her not to apply? Jeremy: With law school, we just want to see that a candidate really knows what he or she is getting into. A lot of recent graduates decide to enter law school by default, but simply not having a better option in mind is a terrible reason to commit three years of your life and several hundred thousand dollars in tuition, living expenses and opportunity cost to a specific path. We ask clients all the time, Do you want to know what being a practicing lawyer really means? We regularly find that many applicants actually do not know what working day-to-day at a law firm entails or understand exactly what lawyers do. Many have an impression built from TV depictions of freewheeling lawyers who cleverly force confessions from guilty people on the stand. However, such scenarios really only exist on TVthe vast majority of cases never even go to trial! (They settle.) We never want to advise someone to pursue a path that may not be the right choice, so we often send candidates out to do some mor e research on their options. I actually did this with a client who came to us earlier today, after prepping for the LSAT for three months! No one had yet asked her, Why law school? and when we did, she had no good answer. VT: Is there anything you might see on a candidates application that would quickly put him or her ahead in the running? Jeremy: The qualitative factors involved in a law school application should never be underestimated. I go back to my earlier comments about applicants who take for granted that they will get into their target programs simply because they have high LSAT scores and/or GPAs but are ultimately rejected, while candidates with less impressive statistics are accepted. If the admissions process were purely scientific, Yale Law School would not have let in that candidate with the 157 LSAT. That 157 applicant was accepted because of an exceptional professional and academic track recordand I mean exceptional. I wish I could say, do this and offer our readers something very specific that would be guaranteed to help. Instead, I can only say that candidates need to own their experiences and present them honestly and in a compelling manner. They cannot manufacture good stories where none truly exist, but they can put themselves in positions and take advantage of opportunities that will allow them t o have standout experiences. For many people, this means being active in their extracurricular and community lives, so that they maximize their chances of having an impact on others. VT: What advice do you have regarding LSAT test prep? Jeremy: We encourage the use of such services and strongly recommend Manhattan LSAT. We know the leadership team very well, and we likewise know the instructors very well. Over the past few years, Manhattan LSAT has established itself as the most rigorous LSAT prep firm on the market. The firm invests so heavily in its staff and curriculum that it is not yet making a marketing splash, but it is only a matter of time until word of mouth takes over. We are confident that a tipping point will come soon, and Manhattan LSAT will become the brand of choice. The companys curriculum is just that much better than that of its competitors. I am not here to shill for the firm, thoughcheck out the online reviews for yourself! VT: What do law school admissions officers look for in recommendation letters? Jeremy: Recommendations are best when they are anecdotally driven, because anecdotes lend weight to what the writer is expressing. Too many letters are filled with empty praise and offer no useful details: Jeremy is the best student I have ever had. He is so awesomely spectacular, I cant believe it! Okay, that may be an exaggerated example, but it is not a wild exaggeration. To be effective and truly helpful to the candidates they are supporting, recommenders need to skip the superlatives and show the admissions committees how the applicant stands out from others by relating relevant stories of his or her actions and accomplishments, with detail, thereby revealing exactly what the individual has done to earn praise. If your recommender can achieve that, you are on your way to having a strong and credible recommendation that the admissions committees will appreciate. Visit jdMission.com to get a thorough look at all the services Jeremy and his team have to offer.The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Steps to Managing Video Gaming in Kids with ADHD

Steps to Managing Video Gaming in Kids with ADHD Last weeks post was dedicated to new research about ADHD and risk for video game addiction. While research in this area is still emerging, the finding that we have already are enough to cause parents, teachers, and therapists to be concerned. Up to 90% of kids and teens spend time playing video games,1 making it very difficult for parents to eliminate video games from their childrens lives altogether. This is especially true for kids and teens who have been playing video games for years with very few limitations. That said, even without eliminating video games, there are many things parents can do to help their kids develop healthy gaming habits. Recognize that kids and teens with ADHD may need more video game limits than kids without ADHD. When parents try to set limits on anything fun (including video games), kids and teens will inevitably point out that all of their friends get to do it, so they should be allowed to as well. Its important to realize that kids with ADHD need firmer limits and structure around certain activities than kids without ADHD and video games fall into this category. Just as children who are at high risk for developing Type 2 diabetes need more structure and support around healthy eating, kids with ADHD who may be at high risk for developing problematic video game use need more structure and support around their gaming time. So, dont give in to the everyone else is doing it argument when it comes to video games. Keep screens out of the bedrooms. Perhaps the number one most effective strategy for preventing excessive video game use is to keep all screens (tablets, phones, televisions, and computers) out of a child or teens bedroom. When screens are in kids bedrooms their screen time is much less likely to be monitored, and they are much more likely to be playing video games when they should be sleeping instead. If you have a teenager who is used to having phones and tablets in his or her room, have him or her put the devices on a charging station that is in the kitchen, the parents bedroom, or even in a cabinet that is locked by his or her parents before bed. The change will be hard for your child at first but will get easier over time. Fill their time with other activities. If your child or teen is busy with activities that are not screen-related, he or she will simply have less time to play video games. If you have a child who loves playing video games more than he or she enjoys doing anything else, then that is a sign that the child needs your help (or the help of a therapist or school counselor) to find other activities that he or she will find rewarding. Some kids with ADHD dont enjoy group activities like sports or drama club, and thats okay. There are other activities out there! Try individual sports (swimming, gymnastics, karate, etc.), art or craftsman classes, or clubs where kids can share in their love of robots, rockets or even frogs! Not all of the activities in a child or teens day need to be extracurricular. Teens can work at a part-time job (paid or volunteer), and homework and academic support need to be part of the mix. The main thing is to limit the amount of time that he or she can spend sitting in front of a screen, while also making sure that he or she has at least some fun and social activities in the day. Set limits and be consistent. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that elementary school children have no more than one hour of screen time each day, and that middle and high school kids have no more than two hours of screen time daily. This includes time spent in front of screens doing research for academic projects or playing educational games. Make a plan with your child or teen for the amount of video game time that will be allowed each day during the week and on weekends. Remind your child of these limits and have him or her set a timer whenever he or she starts gaming. Reward your child or teen for sticking to the limits. Changing behavior is hard and it helps to have some extra incentives when were working on establishing new habits. Talk with your child or teen about rewards they can earn for sticking to the new video game plan. Make sure the rewards are something your child will be motivated to earn and are things he or she can earn quickly (on a weekly basis at the very least). Kids with ADHD struggle with delayed rewards, and even if they think they will be able to work toward earning something over the course of a month or longer, they will quickly lose motivation when they feel like the reward is too far out of reach. Helping kids and teens develop healthy video game habits isnt easy. Sometimes, its harder on parents than it is on the kids! However, for kids with ADHD, limits around video gaming are important and worth the effort. If you are struggling to set limits with your child or teen, seek out help from a therapist who specializes in problematic videogaming or behavioral interventions for kids and teens with ADHD. 1https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/91-percent-of-kids-play-video-games-says-study/ ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

This or That Video and Exercise

This or That Video and Exercise The words this and that are often confusing for people learning English, because they seem very similar. Both are demonstratives, but there are important distinctions between them. Learning when to use the correct one will make your English much easier to understand.Watch the video below to learn more about the differences between this and that, then try the exercises below. Choose the correct word in the dialogue below.1. Bill: Hello Jim, have you seen (this/that)?2. Jim: What is (this/that) in your hand?3. Bill: (This/that) is a pequi fruit.4. Jim: Where did you get (this/that)?5. Bill: (This/that) fruit comes from Brazil.Choose the correct word in the sentences below.1. My daughter was born in 2011. (This/that) was a great year.2. I hurt my knee in February, and fell off my bike in April. (This/that) hasnt been a good year.3. (This/That) month, I will start running again. Sheik Very usefull Fernando 1. Bill: “Hello Jim, have you seen this? (this/that)? 2. Jim: “What is th at (this/that) in your hand? 3. Bill: “(This/that) This is a pequi fruit.” 4. Jim: “Where did you get that? (this/that)? 5. Bill: “(This/that) This fruit comes from Brazil.”Choose the correct word in the sentences below.1. My daughter was born in 2011. (This/that) That was a great year. 2. I hurt my knee in February, and fell off my bike in April. (This/that) This hasn’t been a good year. 3. (This/That) This month, I will start running again

Irvine Test Prep Tutor 5 Ways to Prep for the ACT

Irvine Test Prep Tutor 5 Ways to Prep for the ACT Tips from a Private Irvine Test Prep Tutor: 5 Ways to Prep for the ACT Tips from a Private Irvine Test Prep Tutor: 5 Ways to Prep for the ACT Some students will be coming back from break with acing the ACT in mind. There are plenty of great ways to study for the ACT, but consistency is the key to success. Students who sit down and work on test prep on a regular basis will have a much better chance of finding success on test day. Whether students are studying through an online program, with a private tutor, or in a study group it’s a good idea to get organized, set goals, and keep those study sessions consistent. 1. Work with a group Sometimes working solo isn’t enough motivation to get started with intensive ACT practice. A great way to push through and be motivated is to work as part of a group. Students can get together with a few friends from school who have a similar level of motivation and are ready to start setting goals and meeting deadlines. Students who work as a group can also help each other with areas of the exam that seem more difficult than others. An ideal study group would consist of students who have strengths in different areas and can help each other out. 2. Get help from a private Irvine ACT tutor One of the benefits of working with a private tutor is that the student will get undivided attention from an expert in the field. ACT tutors can help a student identify which area of the test needs the most improvement and help them reset their study habits to align with what is needed to reach their specific score goals. Tutors also help reinforce consistency and hold students accountable when it comes to completing homework and self-study. Some students will simply need a tutor to get them started while others will require long-term guidance leading up to the exam date (READ: Cracking the ACT Science Section). 3. Use online tools Online tools can be very helpful when it comes to consistent study. Test prep students can now get guidance directly from the makers of the ACT and work on a strategic plan based on the student’s upcoming test date. ACT Online Prep offers students new learning content that goes over all sections of the test and has a full-length practice test to help students learn what it’s like to focus their concentration for an extended period o time. Additionally, students can take an abbreviated version of the test to get an idea of what their final score might be so they can direct their study in a certain direction. Students can check out these tools at: http://www.actstudent.org/onlineprep/ 4. Practice, practice, and more practice The most important thing for students to do is simply practice and then practice some more. The sooner they get started with ACT prep the more time they will have to really get a feel for what they will need to improve. Although the more time students spend on preparation the better, even students who are studying somewhat last minute can still pick up some great tips to help improve their overall score. Students are encouraged to take a practice exam (or a shortened version thereof) once a month or so to track their progress. This way they can work with their group or their tutor to improve on any persistent weaknesses or difficult concepts (READ: ACT tips from a private Irvine tutor). 5. Identify strengths and weaknesses Another really important thing for students to do is to identify any particular personal strengths or weakness they have. Each student is an individual learner and is encouraged to streamline their study sessions to meet these needs. Although students should review all concepts leading up to the exam date, they should spend the majority of their efforts on areas they need the most improvement in. Sometimes a student can identify these areas when taking an online practice exam and other times they will need the help of a tutor to access specific questions with which they struggle. Its never too early to book your private Irvine ACT tutor. Call us today for more details. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

italki Language Challenge Week 3 Goal Ai Se Eu Te Pego

italki Language Challenge Week 3 Goal Ai Se Eu Te Pego Lindsaydoeslanguages is blogging about her World Cup Language Challenge and we’re reposting here to share with the entire italki Community. This blog post  originally was posted  on  Lindsaydoeslanguages.com  website. Wow! Three weeks in already! Crazy stuff. This week’s goal, as you may remember, was to learn the lyrics to Ai Se Eu Te Pego. Well, it turns out there’s actually not that many lyrics and I must have listened to it so much that I knew most of it! Not wanted to do something too easy (you gotta keep challenging yourself!) I decided to add another song in there to learn â€" Balada Boa by Gustavo Lima. The most arrogant song ever. This week’s video was a lot of fun to film â€" because I had people with me! My friends Hannah and Gabi joined me to check I was saying everything right. Gabi is actually Brazilian and was staying with us over the weekend so that was pretty perfect! Thanks for helping Gabi and Hannah! I had a great lesson this week with one of my tutors Fernanda and we talked all about the subjunctive! So for next weeks goal, I’ll be including lots of subjunctive in my video. Eeek. Are you doing the italki World Cup Language Challenge? How is it going? I’d love to know in the comments! italki Language Challenge Week 3 Goal Ai Se Eu Te Pego Lindsaydoeslanguages is blogging about her World Cup Language Challenge and we’re reposting here to share with the entire italki Community. This blog post  originally was posted  on  Lindsaydoeslanguages.com  website. Wow! Three weeks in already! Crazy stuff. This week’s goal, as you may remember, was to learn the lyrics to Ai Se Eu Te Pego. Well, it turns out there’s actually not that many lyrics and I must have listened to it so much that I knew most of it! Not wanted to do something too easy (you gotta keep challenging yourself!) I decided to add another song in there to learn â€" Balada Boa by Gustavo Lima. The most arrogant song ever. This week’s video was a lot of fun to film â€" because I had people with me! My friends Hannah and Gabi joined me to check I was saying everything right. Gabi is actually Brazilian and was staying with us over the weekend so that was pretty perfect! Thanks for helping Gabi and Hannah! I had a great lesson this week with one of my tutors Fernanda and we talked all about the subjunctive! So for next weeks goal, I’ll be including lots of subjunctive in my video. Eeek. Are you doing the italki World Cup Language Challenge? How is it going? I’d love to know in the comments!

7 Ideas for Easter Family Fun

7 Ideas for Easter Family Fun Spring is a special time of a year and its arrived. Spring always filled with renewal and rebirth. It brings us sunny warm days, flowers in bloom, rainbows and more importantly Easter right around the corner. Easter is a celebration of hope, new life and faith. Whatever you do, leave the cell phone behind and celebrate Easter with your family. Take advantage of your time together by making memories as a family. Focus on your children, keep the magic alive for them by doing these fun activities: Put some carrots in the mailbox for the Easter Bunny. Dont forget to leave some bite marks on them. Get whole family involved in Easter decorating. For instance, let the kids decorate a tree with plastic Easter eggs, paper flowers, ribbons or other spring decor. Dyeing and decorating eggs is an Easter tradition. Take your eggs one step further with different fun decorating techniques like drawing funny mustache onto eggshell. Another way for kids to get creative is to create Easter Crafts. Let your kids make some fun bunny ears for all to wear or lovely decor for your Easter table. Plant seeds in egg cartons which you have plenty after dyeing eggs. Kids have natural curiosity and would love to see the new plants growing up. Plan an Easter egg hunt. To make it more interesting add letters to each egg and then give extra Easter prize to the kid who makes the longest word. To give your kids some hints about where the eggs are hidden make bunny footprints near concealed Easter egg. Teach your children about kindness having them to perform a random act of kindness for an elderly neighbor or relative. It seems like a simple way to relate the meaning of Easter to serving and giving our time to others. In case you want to learn more about the history of Easter, ask one of  History tutors  on TutorZ.com. Our tutors would be happy to help you with this! Happy Easter to you and your family. Remember the real reason for Easter is celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and not the candy and egg hunt. May this special day be blessed with joy and happiness!