ELA 4th grade tutoring troubles

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ELA 4th grade tutoring troubles
By Debra

Hi Jamie,
I don't know if your "bored" tutee with light up with this idea but it's worth a shot. Try reading Aesop fables (most kids - adults,too - love them!!) to her and then give her choices as to what is the best
lesson to be learned from each. Your answer choices may be the sort where both are right and either can be supported with details from the material. Thus, you will be entertaining and engaging her, and finding out if she can apply abstract concepts to inferential material with success. At the very least, you will be opening her up to this valuable genre and with continued practice she

may begin to catch on. Many children act bored because they have not yet caught on and therefore feel unsuccessful. The fact the she needs tutoring says that she has not had enough of this success. She may be a concrete thinker. That's hard to turn around, but not impossible. Try the Amelia Bedelia books which demonstrate the "danger" of taking everything too literally.
Options Publishing #1-800-782-7300 publishes the Comprehensive Reading and Writing Assessment which has good quality selections for all areas covered by the ELA.
If all else fails try some positive behavior mod to motivate her. Make it attainable, not too hard or easy. Good luck!! You will figure it out as you go. Remember, you're smarter than her.