ACADEMIC TUTORING

Academic tutoring is growing rapidly at Ames Seminars as people hear about our philosophy, experience great results, and tell their friends.

Our goal is to help students get good grades and, most importantly, learn the material. At Ames, students ALWAYS have the same tutor: NEVER does a student walk in and find a different tutor. Having the same tutor ensures that there is a relationship, an understanding and a personal commitment between students and tutors.

Our tutors are smart, experienced and compassionate. Students consistently report that they are impressed with how much their tutors know and how clear they explain the concepts and material. Often they are surprised how much the tutors follow and celebrate their progress. Meet our staff.

Subjects we tutor:

• Math: Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, all levels of Calculus and Statistics
• Science: Biology, Chemistry, Physics (regular and AP)
• History: US and Euro (regular and AP)
• English: all levels of English. We help students learn to write all types of essays.

Tutoring is available at Ames Seminars in Lafayette after school and on weekends.

Summer Academic Prep Courses

Reading and Writing

Express yourself! This intensive course will help you learn how to plan, structure, write, and edit superior essays.

• Outline your ideas
• Develop and support thesis statements
• Transition from one idea to the next with logic and grace
• Leave with a writer's toolkit (helpful for any writing assignment)
• Practice the same types of essays assessed by CST tests and the SAT and ACT.

Includes 1 hour tutoring session: Get help structuring and revising any writing assignment.

To be announced in the Spring

Reading to Learn. The ability to learn from reading is the foundation of academic success. In this class, you will develop excellent critical reading skills for both literature and non-fiction texts.

• Discover which reading comprehension strategies match your style as a reader and a student
• Learn how to monitor your own comprehension and use fix-up strategies when you feel confused
• Become and engaged reader of any text - even ones that might have seemed boring to you in the past

Includes 1 hour tutoring session: receive guidance on any reading assignment during the school year.

To be announced in the Spring

The ability to write clear, organized essays is a critical skill for success in both high school and college. In our small class you will write often and receive rapid feedback. This intensive course will help you learn how to plan, structure, write, and edit superior essays.

• Plan well-organized multi-paragraph essays
• Develop strong thesis sentences
• Support opinions with specific details and references
• Conclude essays in a logical, decisive manner

Includes 1 hour tutoring session: receive guidance and support on the organization and revision on any essay.

To be announced in the Spring

I or me? That or which? Less or few? If you've ever wondered which word to use, our Grammar seminar will teach you the rules that govern such choices. While many students have learned to hate grammar- or not learned it at all- when it's taught well, grammar can be fun, easy, and even interesting. Come learn the rules that will make you a better writer. Once you learn the rules, they will be yours forever and you will use them every day of your life.

Includes 1 hour tutoring session: get tailored support on the grammar you find most difficult.

To be announced in the Spring

Decoding meaning, not just words! Even strong readers struggle with complex literature or dense academic writing, but the skills and confidence to tackle the toughest texts are a necessity for college-bound students. If you have ever found yourself at the end of a long and difficult page of text with little or no idea what you have just read, this is the course for you.

• Intensify your reading practice so that you become more aware of the author's intent
• Identify and interrogate an author's tone, purpose, structure and rhetorical style
• Learn strategies to clarify your own questions

Includes 1 hour tutoring session: let us help you with your toughest literature or non-fiction assignments

To be announced in the Spring

Math

This intensive series of math courses is designed to help students of all levels strengthen core concepts and skills from previous math classes and preview the content for the upcoming year’s course. Instructors will continually assess your knowledge to make sure that you receive the proper mix of reinforcement, skill-building and enrichment.

• Review and strengthen your math foundation
• Learn essential concepts and skills for your upcoming math course
• Increase your speed, confidence and ability to work both individually and with others on tough math tasks
• Prepare to start the year strong with confidence, knowledge, and ability

Includes 1 hour tutoring session: Receive support on fall math homework, projects or tests

Review: operations of rational numbers, probability, ration and proportions, geometric shapes, and simple equations

Preview/Learn: exponents, Pythagorean Theorem, volume and surface area, multi-step algebraic equations, graphing linear functions, slope

To be announced in the Spring

Review: operations of rational numbers, exponents, multi-step algebraic equations, graphing linear functions, slope

Preview/Learn: simplifying expressions, solving and graphing equations and inequalities, solving systems of equations, basic factoring of quadratics

To be announced in the Spring

Review: coordinate plane, slope, area, circumference, volume, Pythagorean theorems, equations

Preview/Learn: proofs, congruent and similar triangles, regular polygons, distance, special right triangles, basic trig functions

To be announced in the Spring

Review: equations, inequalities, factoring quadratics, systems of equations, trigonometric functions

Preview/Learn: absolute value equations, polynomials, exponential and logarithmic functons, complex numbers, shifting graphs

To be announced in the Spring