Dana TS#4

     I met with my Tutee today at CIES for a little more than an hour.  She had not had a chance to practice her IEFLs testing exercise since our last meeting because she has been focusing on her class work.  We reviewed our last discussion about intensive reading, comprehension and test-taking strategies.  We discussed the 8 parts of speech which she wrote down. I also gave her the 5-sentence structure chart which should help her, and me, in understanding the mechanics of English sentence structure.   
     We talked about scanning and skimming both test questions and the reading passage. I explained how it would be much better if she could get the materials in written form because written form would better facilitate scanning and skimming.
     She began the process.  I had her read the test questions briefly to see if she could detect clues about what the passage was about.  Then I had her read the title and the first sentence of each paragraph.  We discussed some words that she did not understand and I asked her to make a vocabulary list because the words in the article were fairly high-frequency vocabulary for her level. I explained the words in layman's terms.  Ha, ha, but she did comprehend.  She says she has a dictionary and I encouraged her to use it, advising her that Arabic/English is fine if it helps her memorize words and meanings. I encouraged her to keep a vocabulary list at her side and a dictionary.
     I then had her read the entire passage and timed it.  She read it in 5 1/2 minutes. We then spoke very briefly and she answered the questions.  I timed it. She finished with 3 minutes (of the allotted 20) to spare. She graded the test and got 12/13 correct.  She said she has never done that well and was very grateful.  I reviewed the skimming and scanning technique again. I encouraged her to practice and perfect these skills. 
     She seemed very relieved, but can see how overwhelmed she is.  I suggested that she could try some mindfulness exercises, and do it every day for 5-10 minutes.  I sent her the app WakingUp.com by Sam Harris. It will also help with listening skills.  She seemed to think it might be a good idea.