Tutor profile: Stephanie H.

How do I eliminate the passive voice in my writing?

To eliminate the passive voice, you need to be able to comfortably write in the active voice. The town was smashed by Godzilla is passive. Godzilla pulverized the town is active. The passive voice is often associated with academic writing and has a tendency to be very dry. It relies heavily on the past tense of a verb combined with forms of "to be" such as was, were, or has and places the object of the sentence in the place where the subject should be. In English, subjects typically go at the beginning of a sentence and are followed by the object they act upon. The passive voice reverses this order.

How can I learn to read homonyms correctly? Words like bow and bow are very difficult for me.

Practice and language immersion are the only ways to conquer multi-meaning words. All languages have homophones and homonyms, and all language learners struggle with them. Using context clues and reading the text aloud are two strategies that can lessen confusion and increase fluency. You could also create a list of homophones/homonyms in both English and your native language to help contextualize them.

How can I use data to differentiate small group instruction?

Use a mix of formative and summative assessment data to see how individual members of the group are preforming. At the beginning of the school year or semester, it may take up to three weeks to have sufficient data to truly differentiate groups. If your district utilizes online programs such as i-Ready or Achieve 3000, the data is compiled within the program and can supplement classroom data. Never rely on one source of data for differentiation. If the data reveals a student is instructionally isolated, that student needs to be placed with the group closest to his or her level. Once students have been placed within their groups, continue to assess them regularly and use the data to plan instruction.