Privately Tutoring 6yr old - Help needed
 

Hello everyone,

I am brand new to this site so let me start by introducing myself. My name is Jacqueline, I'm 23 and Scottish, but working and living in Poland. I have been working in an English based pre-school here, but now taking conversational classes for kids and young people.

I have just taken a job with another school. They want me to privately tutor a 6 year old Polish boy, which I thought was all good as this is the age I am used to. However, looking at the school's website, I was sure that they had their own teaching methods and materials, but then I find out today that I am expected to plan every lesson myself! I did a bit of this with the pre-school, but it was always for large groups and mostly games, which obviously won't work with just one kid. Can anyone give any tips on how to get started and where to look for materials?? First lesson is this saturday!

Also, has anyone else come across this problem? This family are hiring me through the school to tutor their son. But as I've said, the school provide no materials to me, no training, no help at all. So why then do the school take payment??? For finding me on gumtree??? Obviously I need to start my own school!!

Any help will be much appreciated
Jacs :)

Re: Privately Tutoring 6yr old - Help needed
 

Hello,

I actually had a similar situation when I taught at a middle school, but with a different language. I was teaching ESL, but I also speak Spanish. One of the teachers in my school had a daughter and she wanted me to privately tutor her. I agreed, but like you, I didn't have any materials.

Like you mentioned, it is more difficult with one student. The games don't work as well, if they work at all. That being said, there are a few games that I did use with this one student. If you are presenting vocabulary, you can make a game of concentration for the child to play. On one card you would have the vocabulary word, and on the other you'd have a picture of the word. Have the student make the picture of the word.

You can write out sentences that include the target vocabulary and grammar that you are covering and cut out each word. Mix up the words and have the student put the sentence in order. Take a reading passage (it can be very basic) and white out some of the words. Have the student guess what the missing word should be. Give him the options on the board.

Having just one student is tough, but it is doable. Thanks

Re: Privately Tutoring 6yr old - Help needed
 

Try to come up with a course plan for the kid. As for the level you will need to determine that yourself. For example what can the student do beyond ABC?
I have tried to solve this problem of levels by putting materials on my ESL kids site according to stages of development.
Present vocabulary in simple sentences using the flashcards. Use the same flashcards to play games. Guessing games always work for me. I hold the cards to my chest and ask the student to guess which card I am about to take out. If the student guesses correctly, I lose a point and he/she wins. Also with the small-sized flashcards you can turn a number of pictures face down in random order. Ask call out a word or make a sentence with a word and ask the student to guess which card facing down has that word. For example if you are teaching fruits you could say: "I like red apples." There are about 5 fruit cards on the table face down. The kid takes a guess and turns one of the cards. If it is an APPLE - Yeah! The kid wins and you lose. Try to always lose when you play these teacher vs. student games. I forgot to say you can find the flashcards on the site.
These games help listening and vocabulary development.
For reading, get a few sentences you want to teach for the day and make cards of each word in the sentence. For example: " I like apples." - That will be 3 cards. Say this sentence with the cards showing the sentence in the wrong order, for example: apples, like, I. When you say the sentence: I like apples, the kid rearranges the cards in correct order.
These are just a few ideas. Look around the site for more.

Re: Privately Tutoring 6yr old - Help needed
 

Hi there,

I have just the thing for you - check the video demo out here of me teaching a six year old, and also an eleven year old (separately).

How to teach a child to speak English

That video will give you the idea of how to go about things.
There are free games you can receive by email to use one on one.

Then there are also plays and skits that are ideal for that age - there's a free on one my plays page that you are welcome to.

You've got to keep your approach light and fun and correct pronunciation v. carefully and not obsessively as at this stage you REALLY don't want to put them off!!

All the best

Re: Privately Tutoring 6yr old - Help needed
 

Hello Jacqueline,
my name is Kadja, I`m from Poland. I work as a teacher and I understand you problem with a school in my country. What can you do? I think, first you should find a schedule for children. There are some in Polish educational sites. In Poland they are called "Program nauczania języka angielskiego". There are some information what you should teach. But the materials you have to find yourself, eg. in Internet.
Good look!

Re: Privately Tutoring 6yr old - Help needed
 

By any chance did you live in Japan? I knew a woman from Scotland who was a piper in the Tokyo Pipeband who was an English teacher with the same name.
If you have a young learner, try the Magic Time 2 series or English Time 1 from Oxford University Press. They have nice lessons and a picture card book which would help the little guy out.
Good luck.

Re: Privately Tutoring 6yr old - Help needed
 

Be sure to check out Mark's website:
Free Printables for Teachers - Free flashcards, printable games, free worksheets, printables, phonics, clipart, projects, ebooks and other resources
He has tons of materials!
Also, remember to use hands-on and visual activities heavily.