Today I got to observe Pamela tutoring a Year 8 English student she was covering. Their main focus was working on practicing essay paragraphs and developing the student’s ability to analyse the novel they had been focusing on in class in more depth. The novel was called ‘The Case of the Missing Marquess’.

Some of the areas they had covered included:
– Explaining quotes and their significance rather than simply retelling the story.
– Learning how to structure an essay paragraph clearly.
– Using evidence from the novel to support ideas.
– Looking at key characters, themes and events in the novel.

Pamela had guided the student through each step of writing a paragraph, helping her build on their ideas and provide more detailed explanations. Pamela had asked her student questions throughout the lesson to encourage her to critically think about the text and come up with their own interpretations and personal view.

The student was engaged during the session and contributed well to discussions. They had showed a willingness to challenge themselves and worked hard to develop stronger analytical responses. Pamela also had provided helpful feedback and encouragement throughout the session. This allowed to create a comfortable learning environment where the student felt comfortable asking any question they thought was worth sharing.

Overall, it was a very productive session which helped the student thoroughly build their confidence with essay writing and text analysis while developing a stronger understanding of the ‘The Case of the Missing Marquess’.

Isabella Naumovski