Huntington Learning Center

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Tips to Prepare High School Students for College-Level Reading

Contact: Dr. Dennis Shaw, Center Director
Huntington Learning Center of Ankeny
515-965-3860
ShawD@HLCmail.com

Ankeny.HuntingtonHelps.com

Tips to Prepare High School Students for College-Level Reading

Ankeny, Iowa. February 2918 – As students mature, they learn how to study effectively and build those ever-important test-taking strategies for high school. By the time strong students begin thinking about how to study for the SAT or ACT, they’ve acquired many of the subject skills they need to perform well, but a good SAT or ACT score is not a guarantee of college success. As Dr. Dennis Shaw of the Ankeny Huntington Learning Center explains, high-achieving high school students often struggle to adapt to the rigors of college right away—especially when it comes to reading. “College is a whole new ballgame in terms of expectations and workload, and one of the biggest differences is the way students are expected to read and study material,” he says. How can students prepare for college-level reading? Dr. Shaw offers these tips:

Think critically while reading. In college, professors expect students to have a variety of reading strategies in their skillset toolbox. Examples include reading for information, reading to form an opinion, reading to recall facts, and reading to summarize or understand the big picture. It’s essential that high school students strengthen their critical thinking skills while reading so that they can analyze that which they read in different ways.

Expand the vocabulary. The more high school students read, the better. Reading a wide variety of materials—from books to essays to newspapers to blogs—helps students acquire new vocabulary, which will help them in college. It’s also important for students to learn to embrace the dictionary and the thesaurus, which will help them get into the habit of looking up unfamiliar words and different word choices for common words.

Interpret. There’s no place for passive reading in college. Students should strengthen their analytic reading by breaking down complex passages. They must practice figuring out an author’s purpose and drawing their own conclusions. When reading, students need to think deeply about how they feel about texts and how an author’s approach does or does not influence their feelings and opinions.

Read with depth. In college, students are expected to read with depth so that they have a strong understanding of texts and can talk intelligently about them. Students should read to understand and reread if necessary to ensure they are able to share their opinions on the text, predict what might happen next, summarize the main points, and more.

If you are concerned about your teen’s ability to keep up with college-level reading, call Huntington. We can help assess where your teen is falling short and help him or her develop reliable strategies to read complex texts, analyze thoroughly, maximize comprehension and excel in classes.

Huntington also offers an Advanced Study Skills program for students at the high school and college level. Study skills are key! In order to be successful, students must have the tools necessary to effectively acquire, retrieve, analyze, and communicate information. Huntington will teach students higher-level strategies and concepts that are necessary to study efficiently and effectively. Your child will focus on a range of study skills while learning how to apply these skills to study independently at home.

Call 1 800 CAN LEARN to learn more about how we prepare high school students for college and career success in reading and all subject areas.

About Huntington

Huntington 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 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. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com.

©2017 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center®, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN® are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.

Building Children’s Confidence in School

Building Children’s Confidence in School

School doesn’t come easy for every child. It can be a challenging experience, and one that requires persistence and patience. Unfortunately, however, when school work becomes overly difficult, many children lose faith in themselves as students. Left uncorrected, this can have a lasting detrimental effect on a child’s performance in school and overall attitude and demeanor. To pave the way for school success, parents should work to build their children’s self-confidence. Confident children do not shy away from hard work and will generally see failure as an opportunity to make changes and try again. How can you develop your child’s confidence? Here are several tips:

Be supportive. Children typically trust what their parents say as the truth, so it’s essential that parents regularly let them know that they believe in their abilities. To grow into capable, confident students, children need to feel supported by parents, not controlled. Let your child take the reins on homework and school and be on hand for help.

Work together on goal setting. The process of goal setting helps children take control of their success, resulting in a greater willingness to attempt hard things and increased confidence that their efforts will yield good results. Encourage your child to lay out what he or she wants to achieve and the barriers standing in the way, as well as a plan to work around those obstacles.

Foster independence. Whenever possible, parents should offer their children the chance to make decisions for themselves. Set high but achievable expectations, then put trust in your child to tackle tasks on his or her own—from homework to household chores. This will cultivate your child’s sense of responsibility. Every accomplishment, however small or routine, gives your child the assurance that he or she is capable.

Encourage doing new things. Parents who nudge their children to put themselves out there to try things—from joining a new club to taking challenging classes—are helping them grow and adapt to new situations. Always support your child’s attempts to acquire new skills and learn from challenging endeavors.

While parents cannot simply make their children confident, they can take note of their children’s strengths and encourage them to work hard, take initiative, persevere, and learn from their mistakes. These types of actions inspire children to go for what they want and strive to improve themselves as students and people, taking calculated risks along the way. Confidence, after all, is one of the building blocks for academic achievement. By making your child feel empowered and skilled, you are equipping him or her with the tools for lifelong school and career success.

About Huntington

©2018 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center®, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN® are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Tips to Reinvigorate Your Child’s School Attitude Over Holiday Break

Contact: Dr. Dennis Shaw, Center Director
Huntington Learning Center of Ankeny
515-965-3860
ShawD@HLCmail.com

Ankeny.HuntingtonHelps.com

Tips to Reinvigorate Your Child’s School Attitude Over Holiday Break

Ankeny, Iowa. December 2017– It’s holiday break, a welcome pause from school and extracurricular responsibilities for your child. While most children look forward to the chance to relax and unwind, Doctor Dennis Shaw of the Ankeny Huntington Learning Center reminds parents that holiday break is also a good time to gear up for a great second half of the school year. “If your child has gotten off to a rocky start or just wants to maintain momentum in the spring semester, holiday break is the time to reset and refresh,” Dr. Shaw says. How can parents help their children “recharge their mental batteries” and finish the year strong? Here are several tips:

Look back at goals set in the fall. If your child established goals at the start of the school year, revisit them now. Is your child on track to achieve some of the things he or she set out to do at the start of the year? What has gone well and what could go better? Talk about any previously set goals that need adjusting.

Set new goals. A new semester might mean new classes and certainly means new opportunities for your child to develop and learn. Have an open discussion about what your child wants to achieve in the remainder of the school year. Raise a grade? Work on his or her organization? Procrastinate less? Whatever the goals, encourage your child to lay out how he or she intends to work toward them.

Ask, “What have you learned?” Talk about what challenges arose in the fall semester and how your child overcame them, and any other meaningful experiences that had an impact. Remind your child that every failure means your child has learned something important. Where did your child become stronger as a result of overcoming something difficult?

Fine tune any study habits. Many children take a little time to acclimate to a new school year, so now that you’re several months in, consider what your child could use to improve any study or organizational habits like planner maintenance or the morning or homework routine.

This holiday break, make sure your child enjoys time with family and catches up on some relaxation, but don’t forget to take time to reflect on the last few months and set a positive tone for the rest of the year. “The start of a new year is an ideal time for both parents and children to get into a good frame of mind to make necessary adjustments,” he says. “If your child has things he or she wants to fix or just wants to stay on the same upward trajectory, sit down and make a plan together wherein your child takes initiative and you offer your support.” For more tips on how to keep your child on a positive path for the remainder of the year, contact Huntington at (5150 965-3860.

About Huntington

Huntington Learning Center Offers Tips for Polishing the College Essay This Holiday Break

Contact: Dr. Dennis Shaw, Center Director
Huntington Learning Center of Ankeny
515-965-3860
ShawD@HLCmail.com

Ankeny.HuntingtonHelps.com

Huntington Learning Center Offers Tips for Polishing the College Essay This Holiday Break

Ankeny, Iowa. December 2017– If your senior is preparing application packages for college next fall, holiday break is a great opportunity to put the finishing touches on some of the more personal elements—like the application essay. The college application essay is easily one of the most important pieces your teen will ever write, and Doctor Dennis Shaw of the Ankeny Huntington Learning Center says that students should give it the attention and care it deserves. “Essays that are well written and sincere give admissions officers a glimpse into who an applicant is ‘off paper’,” he says. As teens prepare to send in their applications in the New Year, Dr. Shaw encourages them to use the downtime of holiday break to polish their application essays. Here are several tips as they do so:

Make sure the essay addresses the prompt. The essay is your teen’s chance to share something about him or herself that isn’t addressed elsewhere in the application package. Be sure your teen clearly and thoroughly answers the essay prompt and offers supporting information that shows why your teen is a strong candidate for admission.

Evaluate the “unique factor.” Many students have strong academic backgrounds and impressive resumes, but the essay is your teen’s chance to shine. The essay must be thoughtful, personal and genuine. It is the appropriate place for your teen to express who he or she really is. Have your teen read any essay draft through the lens of an admissions officer. What stands out? Does the essay poignantly reflect an experience your teen had or does it sound too generic?

Edit. By now, hopefully your teen already has a working draft of the application essay and a teacher or guidance counselor has offered comments. The break is a good time for your teen to address any suggestions to strengthen the essay and do his or her own self-edit. After each new draft, encourage your teen to set the essay aside for a day, then review to ensure it is honest, vivid and expressive, and that the topic is meaningful and appropriate and paints your teen as someone capable of succeeding at college.

Proofread. Careless errors say a lot to an admissions officer about an applicant. When your teen gets to a final draft that he or she feels good about, it’s important to print and proofread the entire essay a day or two later. Fresh eyes will help ensure your teen doesn’t gloss over words he or she has written and read several times. You can proofread a draft as well, and your teen should consider bringing the final draft to an English teacher as soon as school resumes.

The college application essay could bolster your teen’s overall application package—encourage him or her to work on making it as great as it can be over holiday break. For more information about how to craft a strong application essay and improving your teen’s writing skills, contact Huntington at (515) 965-3860.

About Huntington