• Use a planner : Not just an assignment notebook, but an actual “daytimer” style book with its accompanying techniques, such as those below
• Set a daily plan for homework that includes in-school time .
• Predict time needed and check predictions : For a few days or a week, have student predict how long specific assignments and reviews will take, then log the real time. How close to reality were they? Compare and reevaluate as needed.
• Prioritize and number assignments: Brainstorm options based on the student's style such as: Rotate through different subjects. Choose the one you like least and start with that subject. Choose the one that is the most detail oriented or that takes the most mental effort and start with that.
• Plan interim deadlines:  Look at assignment sheet with the student and model planning ahead.

• Break it down: If it's an essay or paper, plan across several days (or if down to the wire, “weave” steps among other homework that night.)   Plan interim deadlines (see above).  Take 1-2 small manageable steps each time and then move onto something else. Congratulate for completing that step. For instance:

  Step 1: Brainstorm ideas related to essay thesis;

  Step 2: Work on math;

  Step 3: Return to essay. Add or delete ideas and number them in the order to address them

  Step 4: Do history reading

  Step 5 Return to essay. Find evidence … And so on

• Make it okay to turn in something, rather than nothing: This is hard for students who are accustomed to doing well. They are not always aware (or comfortable with the fact) that it is preferable to turn in part of an assignment or one that is less than perfect, rather than turning in no assignment (“perfection or paralysis” syndrome). Even better: Have students turn in incomplete assignment with an explanation on where they got stuck and a request for help.
• Don't work or read in bed: Work or read in a comfortable, but upright position, preferably in a chair at a desk or table. 

• Ask :
  • What's going on inside?Are the students feeling overwhelmed by a particular type of work, or do they have too much work in general? How organized are they? 
  • For a particular student: What is his/her course load? How many classes?   How many frees per day? What are his/her extra-curricular and family commitments? (Student and adviser are great sources for this background information. )
  • Is there parental pressure? Does student pressure him/herself? Is he/she anxious?
  • What are the student's sleep patterns?
  • What is the student's study space like?  Is it cluttered, full of enticing distractions, too noisy or too quiet?
  • How does student get started on homework? Is there a consistent homework time? Is there a definite end time?

• Stress how the student can learn from errors on homework and assignments, if he/she is willing to share them with the teachers
• Stress that it is better to turn in a partial assignment, or one that is not perfect than to turn in nothing at all.

• Have student work near you: Carve out some time, outside of class, to have student work near your desk or office.  This provides a designated work time, plus your input, feedback, clarification and encouragement.  You can be working on something else and occasionally look over the student's shoulder. 
• Set up a small study group:  Provides all the same benefits as above, plus it allows students to help each other.
• Express confidence: Let the student know that you have confidence in his/her ability and that they can do it.

Various weak areas including

weak organization or mechanics,

lack of main points and/or supportive details OR

Essay does not follow assignment directions or criteria

• Use split grades to communicate the value of writing steps to students–
  • ½ credit for paper
  • 20% of credit for outline
  • 30% for drafts
• Use selective feedback for revision (or early turn-ins): Focus on one type of problem at a time - #1: Sentence Structure: fragments and punctuation, #2 Main ideas, #3 Organization, #4 Transition Sentences.

• Provide Rubric and Model “A”, “B” and “C” papers: Have students guess which is which. Have them decide what makes a paper an “A”, or a “B”, etc.

• Journal with volume goals: Set increasingly lengthy goals in pages or time for journaling. If necessary, have students sit and write with you nearby for the first few times. You may need to resist being drawn into conversation until the goal is reached, especially if it's being used as an avoidance tactic. Start by valuing volume of expression over content (and change the emphasis over time).

• Elaboration through questioning: This is best done one-to-one with a student the first time, either before writing starts or between drafts. Coach the student by posing questions that elicit specific information ( What particular traits does character X have?  Prove that character X is courageous.) Or simply ask, “Tell me more.”
• Have the student brainstorm possible questions.
• Ask: What are the students verbal skills? Can student pick out details in text? Does he/she provide details when speaking? 
• Practice with a student's interest or passion:  Have student write a piece on something that they are passionate about or an expert on.  Coach with questions, if needed. 
• Be a "fly on the wall":  Find opportunities to observe among his/her peers? What are the student's social skills?  Is he/she quiet among friends?

Papers or essays are not completed; student is overwhelmed by them.

• Plan interim deadlines:  Look at assignment with student, model breaking it down into tasks and planning ahead.
• Ask for student to turn in stages of essays early:  Require outlines and drafts to be turned in 2-3 days before they need to be done.
• Encourage "percolation" of ideas and writing: Suggest that the student leave a day or two between drafts.  This allows ideas to percolate (develop with minimum of effort over time).  It also allows the student to use "fresh eyes" and proofread and revise more effectively.
• Let go of ideas: Have student delete large chunks of a paper if they are not relevant. See if they are willing to let go. 

Poor Mechanics and Sentence Structure (Fragments, run-on's, awkward language, point of view, agreement)

• Read aloud to check for student awareness of problem: Have you or the student read the writing in question aloud. Can they catch their own errors? If so, congratulate them and encourage them to read or listen to their own work aloud for revision. If not, direct instruction on the problem may be needed before they can be more independent.

• Worksheets (yes, they CAN provide focus, clarity and practice if used correctly!)

• Oral proofreading This may include training students to use oral punctuation (tone and pauses to mark and check punctuation. This takes a little training – Ask Rosalyn about it.)

• Pointing: Basic but especially useful in languages : Have students point to words that must be in agreement. Ex: “Find the noun. Find the verb. Do they match?”

• Print it out:  Suggest the student print a hardcopy if they are not catching their errors on screen.

Poor Organization (sequence, missing, irrelevant or repeated ideas, “bloated” writing)

• Thesis and Idea Grid : Before writing the essay or paper, develop a grid (or matrix) with 2-3 of the thesis variables across the top axis and 2-3 areas that you will look for evidence and support down the side. Then fill in the cells with actual support, citations, or citation locations (page and line numbers). It's easy to see if there is a part of the thesis that is under-supported or if the thesis or support needs to be revised.

  Ex: Thesis: “In Romeo and Juliet, the conflicts and responses to them by the teenage lovers, their families, and the audience have commonalities in emotions, expectations, and dramatic impact across the centuries."

  	Romeo & Juliet	The Families	15th cent. Audiences	Modern Audiences
  Emotions/passions	quote, detail	quote, detail	etc....	etc...
  Expectations	quote, detail	etc.
  Dramatic Impact

   

• Reverse outline : To see macro level and address organization, main ideas, bloated writing. Students reread each paragraph and in the margin write the main idea (or what it should be, if it has gotten lost, i.e. what did they mean to say?) They can then find irrelevant or repeated ideas, check idea sequence and add support that is needed.
• Every idea must do work : a caution for “bloated writing” Ask students to explain why they chose to include a particular idea. Ask if the idea has already been stated elsewhere in the writing.

• "Teach" test format: At the time a test is announced (early in year)discuss test format and how to study for that format (study using similar format )
• Add a metacognitive question to the ends of tests – How did you study for this test? How did you prepare for the essays? Did it work? Why or why not? How would you improve your studying next time? What would you keep? What would you scrap?
• Memory techniques: chunking, mnemonics, fold-sheets (see Rosalyn for explanation or additional memory strategies)
• Ask : Is a particular student a native English speaker? What are his/her English language skills? Reading skills? (see adviser, see cumulative file) Learning Style?  Are they receiving help at home? What kind? Is student's writing by hand different from his/her writing on computer?

                                     See also : Time use and Homework completion

Students are missing the main points during reading, note-taking, discussions, essays and tests.

• Practice reflecting about reading and writing: “So what? Why is this important?”  In texts, look for author and text clues to main ideas (highlighting, introductions, summaries)
• Coach students through their notes and help them identify main ideas and distinguish them from details (underlining, color, etc.) or add them if they are missing.

                              See also : Note-taking Skills

• Open note quizzes with a portion of the grade going to the submission of notes.*

Not catching the important information OR taking verbatim notes but not understanding the material

OR not distinguishing between main ideas and supportive details

• Format and Reflection: Leave 1/3 of the page blank on the left side (having students fold their page helps.) Return to notes and use margin to signal or rewrite generalizations and main ideas.
  • Review notes and select out main ideas by highlighting or starring them
  • Leave 1/3 page blank and answer “So what?” (i.e. why is this important?) adjacent to the details but assign them to return to the notes to summarize and check for main ideas and relevant details
• Have students take fewer notes, .
• Practice “distilling” notes – reviewing them by making them briefer and briefer, but more to the key points. An option: Allow only the distilled notes to be used on the open-note test
• Ask: What is this student's developmental cognitive stage?  Is he/she still concrete/literal? 
• Make details explicit:  If the student is getting just the main points, assume that he/she is getting from somewhere. 
• Be graphic:  Have student use color coding for main ideas vs supportive details.  Have student use mind maps - hand-drawn or using a program such as Inspiration.

                        See also: Seeing the Main Point

• Condense:  Model and then have students practice condensing 3 pages of notes into a 1/2 page.  Check for key ideas.

Unable to solve new iterations or applications of familiar problems

• Change!: Take familiar homework problems that students feel secure with – change one given and have students rework the problem. Move to progressively more difficult problems
• Start with steps: Rather than presenting the analytical rules, start with the steps. After solving several of the same type of problem, guide students through the question, “What one idea (or ideas) will help you solve all of them?” In other words, converge to a rule or process.
• Work backwards: Take a familiar problem and work backwards through it.
• Paraphrase – Students say what they are doing and why aloud
• Parallel problem solving – You solve at the same time as students on your own paper, and then compare process and answers. Yours serves a model and a diagnostic method. Be prepared to be wrong occasionally!
• Wean! After students gain in confidence and skill, back off. Only answer questions initiated by students.
• Focus on patterns among problems:  Push students to see generalizations.  Ask: What is the same in these problems?
• Provide solutions with problems:  ...but require students to show solution steps.
• Present problems without a way to solve: ...but have students work in cooperative pairs or groups.
• Use the "real world":  Pair the math term or algorithm with the real world meaning or application (What is "slope"?  Why would you look for it?)
• Be graphic: Present a visual and use it to discuss the term. For instance, "How does negative slope look different from positive slope?"
• Push the learning edge:  Do this in a safe setting - for instance, in a cooperative learning situation with students working together. Be open to alternative solution.   Preferably do not push the learning edge on tests until there is more confidence.  If "pushing" on a test, consider allowing corrections for credit.

Inadvertent Errors or inability to spot errors

• Oral checking:You or the student reads the completed problem aloud
• Explain or paraphrase: Have student explain: "What are you doing and why?"
• Solve backwards, starting at solution
• Ask: “Does this make sense?”
• Allow time and space:  Instruct students to take time to look over assignment, a few hours or the day after it is completed and before turning it in to see it with "fresh eyes".
• Allow students to compare answers with friends:  If different, compare solving steps.

• Skip problems: In a text with review problems at the chapter or “book end,” do every third or fourth problem. Once one is missed, go back and refer to model and practice just those.

• Slow down: Stress that it is better to get 3/4 right, then 1/2 wrong.
• Plan beforehand: Try using Verbal Math Problem Solving

• Use models: Provide a several models, which are good but span different writing styles.
• Provide Rubric and Model “A”, “B” and “C” papers: Have students guess which is which. Have them decide what makes a paper an “A”, or a “B”, etc.

See also:  Essay Writing

Difficulty retaining details

• Coach before and after test : Example: for a quotes test this can be done by discussion or event mind maps and bubbles to connect the quote, connotations and contexts
• Get the Context: Look at quote and brainstorm about the context (Where in story? What was happening? How did this advance the story?)
• Connotation: Identify what is meant
• Reverse: Look at quote and brainstorm about the connotation (what it means) and then connect it with the context of the story
• Format Preview:  At the time tests announced (early in year), also discuss test format and how to study for that format
• Student-created Mock tests: Students should be studying using test-like formats. Ex: practice short answers questions for multiple choice, fill-ins, etc. Creating and answering essays questions (in outline form)
• Add metacognitive question to the tests – How did you study for this test? How did you prepare for the ID's, the essays?
• Memory techniques: chunking, mnemonics, fold-sheets (see Rosalyn for explanation or additional memory strategies)

• Use a stepped approach
  • Have student pause before starting the test
  • Teach student to treat directions or problem as a reading to be highlighted.  Have student circle and number specifics or givens.   Have them underline and number what they need to find or do.  (Or use color-coding)
  • Have them make a plan or structure (if an essay, use a brief outline)
• Pace yourself:  If student appears to hurry, have them pause briefly before starting and estimate how much time they need and how to fit it into the time they have.  Check clock periodically and slow down, if necessary.
• Check it over: Make checking over test a regular part of taking it.  This may mean making the test a little shorter or allowing a student a little extra time.

• Get graphic: Take a historical event, piece of literature, etc – respond to it using a drawing, a sculpture, a video, a collage , and then write a commentary on the piece of art which includes historical context.
• Use a poem or quote: Put it in the middle of the page and have the students respond to and draw around it – can be one picture or many smaller responses.
• Ask : What kind of assessments has this student been used to last year or in last school (Rote and multiple choice? Less analysis, application or novel problem-solving?) What are his/her memory abilities? For instance, what is his/her ability to recognize vs. retrieve information? (the difference between matching/multiple choice vs. fill-in and identification)

Student has trouble evaluating own work or knowing how well she/he has mastered material

• Journaling: Any subject, including math. Done after homework or tests. Student writes what he thinks about how the assignment or test went. Which problems easy? Which hard? Any revelations, anything new learned. After several weeks, the teacher reads this and gives feedback or asks student for clarification. Teacher confirms student's relevant and sound logic.

                                             See also:

               Essay Writing: Rubrics and Models “A”, “B” and “C” papers,

               Oral Proofreading

               Problem Solving: Math and Science

               Test Prep and Test Taking: metacognitive questions

               Mock tests

• Ask questions.  Here are some possibilities:
  • What is this student's learning style or study pattern? What is this student's processing and production rate?  How does it compare with his classmates?  Your pace? Your expectations?
  • What is this student's developmental cognitive stage?  Is he/she still concrete/literal? (Allow time. Student might be more ready during the second semester)
  • What was she/he been accustomed to or expected to do in last school or with last teacher (Rote and multiple choice? Analysis? Application?)
  • What are his/her memory abilities? (Recognition vs. full recall?)
  • Is this student a native English speaker? What are his/her English language skills?
  • What are his/her reading skills? Math skills? Problem solving skills?
  • Is this student using verbatim language as a crutch? Is it getting in the way of original thinking?
  • Is the student feeling confident in this setting? What motivates this student?

• See adviser, cumulative file and Learning Resource coordinator

• Talk with student about their own level of satisfaction with work. Ask him/her what he/she wants to get from the class?  Find out if this class has a lower priority than other things in the student's life.
• Check in with former teachers, advisers, and middle school staff if applicable
• Consult with colleagues!

Case Study 1: Student A is a 9th grader who is new to Lakeside and anxious to do well. She says that math and science have always been her favorite subjects. She is not doing as well as expected on tests or essays, particularly in history, language and biology. She's ok on multiple choice and matching questions, but tends to miss the important facts on identifications and short answers. She has even more difficulty on essays (English and history) and lab reports, which tend to be disorganized, incomplete, and repetitive. Her paragraphs often lack main points and transition sentences. They also seem to have a fair number of sentence fragments. Finally she had admitted to you that she is stressed and tends not to do her work until the night before it's due, even if she has been given a lot of lead time. She also tends to make her writing assignments the last thing she works on at night. Math is what she does first and so it tends to come in, but sometimes it's hastily done with inadvertent errors. In language, she's fine at translations (Spanish to English, and vice versa), but in conversation she uses only the simplest grammatical constructions.

She has asked you to help. You are her ______ teacher (adviser). What strategies can you give her?

Case Study 2 : Student B is a 10th grader who attended our middle school. He is an enthusiastic participant in class discussions. His homework is always done with care, in on time, and usually shows adequate understanding, although he may not always be able to use concepts in math, bio or history for new applications or novel thinking. His class notes are “verbatim” and his reading notes are exceptionally complete, though the main ideas and supportive details are not always obvious. In language, he really knows his vocabulary, but is less sure of his grammar concepts and it shows in his translations and oral exercises. He believes his biggest problem is that he does not do well on tests whether identifications, objective or essay and he's getting discouraged. He also claims that the questions on math and physics tests contain “twists” from what he does on homework or that he knows the information in class and before the test, but doesn't always recognize what is being asked for on the test. In English, he recently took a quotes test on which he was able to identify the speaker and explain literally what the quote meant, but was not always able to explain it's relevance in the story. When he has met with you in the past, he is very attentive, but tends not to know what his questions are.

He has asked you for help. You are his _________ teacher (adviser). What strategies can you offer?

Case Study 3: Student C, a 10th grader, is quiet in class. In math and physics, his homework indicates that he has an adequate understanding of the material though he tends to be a “minimalist” and not show his work. He is also a “minimalist” on note-taking and written work in history and English annotating and essays. It is usually apparent that he gets or has a main point, but he does not include detail or stylistic elaboration. He does adequately well on tests, especially short answer questions and problem solving. In language, his workbook assignments are stronger than his translations. His vocabulary and grammar tests are just middling. Essays and lab reports show hints of deep and original thinking, but they do not contain supportive evidence or explanation. He will come in for 1:1 or small group sessions when asked but does not initiate requests for help even though you suggested he come to you if he has questions. When you have met with him, he seems to know more than he demonstrates in class or on tests.

You are his ______________ teacher / adviser. You have asked him to meet with you for help. What strategies will you offer?

Case Study 4: Student D, a 9th grader, is an active and particularly articulate participant in class. Still, sometimes her volunteered responses show that she has not understood what is going on. Her essays and lab reports are often the longest and most detailed in class but they sometimes are missing important sections. Her homework is occasionally late or not turned in. She says that this is because she has so much that she can't always complete it. She is doing well on short answer tests such as vocabulary, and well on quizzes unless they are “pop”. She sometimes has difficulty completing tests and may misread the directions. Math homework and tests tend to have inadvertent errors or show that she seems to have forgotten something she knew earlier. If you had to characterize her work it would be “inconsistent” - flashes of brilliance, hints of confusion. She is determined to do better than she did during the last comment period and has asked you what she can do about it.

You are her ______________ teacher / adviser. What strategies can you offer?

Case Study 5: Student E is a 9th grader who is sincere and involved in class. She keeps up with her readings in all subjects. She is able to support her thoughts and concepts with evidence and examples, but has a harder time when she needs to explain a concept without using a concrete example. She does just ok on the note-taking and questions on the readings in history and biology, but she tends to use vague language rather than the correct terminology or concept labels. When called on during class, again her answers are somewhat vague so you're never sure whether she's really got the concept. Sure enough, her tests show that her concepts are shaky. She has trouble on matching and multiple choice questions where her grasp of the critical attributes of concepts is not strong enough for her to make good choices. Her test essays sometimes miss the mark. Her strongest performances have been on algebra, vocabulary tests, the genetics unit in biology, and in creative writing. In language, her vocabulary knowledge is strong, but her grasp of grammar is weaker.

She is confused about why she's not doing better and says that she wants to improve, but has not initiated coming to see you. You are her ______________ teacher / adviser. What strategies can you offer?

Case Study 6: Student F is a 10th grader who is motivated and hard-working. He keeps up with his homework and it's generally well done. Still, he is often surprised by low tests scores because he feels that he knows the material going in. This is particularly true in math, physics, history and Chinese. He is particularly frustrated by inadvertent errors math and language tests. His handwriting is pretty small and poorly spaced and can sometimes be difficult to read. He does ok on written translations Chinese to English and less well English to Chinese for homework. His essays in English and history are generally well organized and show sound and creative thinking, but the mechanics are a bit awkward and spelling is a little shaky. He is apt to mix tenses and points of view. He has asked to meet with you for help.

You are his _________ teacher/adviser. What strategies will you offer?