Services

Services_Tutoring

Teaching has always been my passion, and I really enjoy working with students one-on-one. Being able to see a student’s growth is what I love best about what I do.

Something that makes me different from other tutors is that for every hour I spend tutoring a child, I spend on average an hour in preparation time. I love to create lessons based on a student’s individual needs.

I am available for tutoring in the following areas:

PSAT/SAT writing and reading
writing (academic and creative)
reading (analyzing and responding to difficult texts)
grammar (identification and incorporation of grammar skills in writing)

Please be advised of my cancellation policy:

If you or your child must cancel a session, please do so with a 24-hour notice.
If you or your child must cancel a session with less than a 24-hour notice, you will have to pay for that session.
Excessive cancellations will result in your child being moved to the primary list to the waiting list.

To schedule a tutoring appointment, please contact me at mrskarenotto@gmail.com.Limited tutoring slots are available per year.

Services_Camps

The focus on state tests has left kids with a very formulaic writing style and has hindered the basic writing process. As a result, many kids do not understand how to transfer their writing skills to real-world applications. This leaves parents frustrated and students overwhelmed by the demands and expectations of an advanced writing curriculum.

High school students are expected to read and respond to difficult texts by writing essays and short answer responses. In these written assessments, students must provide insightful commentary, show their stylistic maturity with concise and elevated word choice, and organize their ideas in a logical and sophisticated manner. A strong foundation of writing skills is imperative for success and achievement in high school and beyond.

As a way to help strengthen students’ writing, I offer two summer writing camps.

Writing Boot Camp

A writing camp for incoming freshman only. Click for camp flyer: Freshmen Writing Boot Camp_2015

High school students are expected to read and respond to difficult texts by writing essays and short answer responses. In these written assessments, students must provide insightful commentary, show their stylistic maturity with concise and elevated word choice, and organize their ideas in a logical and sophisticated manner. This boot camp will enhance and build upon each student’s current writing ability.

Students will build writing muscle by learning:

Brainstorm and organize ideas in a consistent and proven manner;
Craft thesis and topic sentences;
Select and smoothly integrate textual support;
Move beyond surface understanding and literal interpretation to insightful, original thinking’
Use creative writing skills when writing more academic style essays required in high school’
Revise for content and say more with less in order to produce original written responses;
Write with stylistic maturity using effective command of sentence structures and diction.

Writing Workshop

A writing workshop for fall classification sophomores and juniors. Click for camp flyer: Sophomore and Junior Writing Workshop_2015

Students will be guided through the foundational elements of the writing process so that they understand the steps and techniques of effective writing. Students will participate in mini-lessons on specific content and editing strategies. Models of effective writing will be shown, discussed, and imitated. Time for drafting and revising, peer response, and teacher conferencing will also be incorporated in every session. This writing workshop will encourage young writers to discover their own style, voice, and potential, ultimately, helping students grow and build self confidence in their writing abilities.

Students will focus on: