Tutor+Tips

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Tutor Tips

This page will provide "tutor tips" that are occasionally sent via e-mail to the current LVCC tutors. Linda Ryan, Ed.D., LVCC Resource Coordinator, will provide these "tips" throughout the year. As always, if you find some activity or idea that works great for you, please consider sharing it with the rest of the LVCC tutors. Send an e-mail to Linda at: ljryr2013@gmail.com

= November 2, 2015: =

Hello, Tutors!

Having had way too much experience in the last few months with doctor visits, treatment discussions, and hospital stays for family members, I was "inspired" to look into some resources for teaching students about medical English.

The card below, Managing your pain…, is included in patient materials at a local hospital. Even for native English speakers, having some adjectives to relate to a pain scale can be helpful. For students learning English, these adjectives could be very useful in a hospital environment as well as other contexts. [In case the card images do no come through in your e-mail, I have attached the card in a one-page Word document.]

If the vocabulary on this card is too advanced, introducing your student(s) to the concept of rating things/feelings on a scale would still be worthwhile, if you have not already done so. Consider creating rating scales for attitudes or opinions: how much you like something, how useful something is, how sweet something is, how expensive something is…whatever is relevant to the lessons you are doing. This might lead to some good discussions when students explain their rating decisions. In a class setting, students can interview others about their responses and report on the results.

One resource for teaching medical English that I found interesting is the Your Dictionary site:

@http://esl.yourdictionary.com/lesson-plans/medical-vocabulary-for-esl.html

Some of the links at the end of Your Dictionary's article also seem useful:

Learn English Feel Good (quiz on medical terms) @http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/vocabulary/esl-doctor-medical1.html

Hospital English: English for the medical professional (Check out the “readings” which include text and audio component as well as free medical flashcards and other features) @http://www.hospitalenglish.com/students/nurse.php

ESL and Dental Vocabulary @http://esl.yourdictionary.com/esl-for-students/ESL-and-dental-vocabulary.html

Business English—ESL for the Pharmacy (a quiz using vocabulary relevant to visiting a pharmacy or discussing prescriptions): @http://www.businessenglishsite.com/esl_pharmacist2.html

[At the Business English site there are numerous medical language quizzes at various levels, including elementary-level quizzes with pictures: @http://www.businessenglishsite.com/medical-english-tests.html ]

Do you have any favorite sites, materials, or activities that you use for helping students learn medical language? Please share!

= June 22, 2015: =

Here are some resources shared by LVCC Tutor Sarann Kraushaar: #1: Collier County Library's program called "Mango" has opportunities for my student to practice pronunciation even though her husband doesn't permit English to be spoken in her house and she seldom interacts with non-Hispanics other than me. #2: www.busyteacher.org provides interesting and varied lesson plans and activities on specific topics [LR: Free website. You do not have to join their e-mail list to download the materials.] #3: www.Englishpage.com provides good multiple choice online worksheets to follow up lessons from Busy Teacher. [LR: Free website.]

A favorite web site of Harriet Adelstein, LVCC Tutor and Tutor Trainer: [|www.englishforeveryone.org] [LR: free, printable worksheets]

June’s Tutor Tip is an exercise that combines creative thinking, writing, reading, speaking, and hands-on activity.

INVENT SOMETHING! (Adapted from the NOVEL COMBINATIONS exercise from //Creativity in the ESL Classroom//, p. 154)

// Give students two lists of everyday objects from home, school, the street, and so on. Something like these: //

// Refrigerator Picture // // Computer Hammock // // Bedroom Music // // Window Chocolate/a bar of chocolate // // Ticket Pillow // // Garden T-shirt // // Chair Coffee cup // // Sunscreen cream Camera // // Pencil Perfume/a bottle of perfume // // Dictionary Doormat //

// Students choose one object from the list on the left and one from the list on the right and combine them in any order. // [LR: garden/coffee cup = garden coffee cup OR coffee cup garden] //So, a student might come up with a “computer T-shirt.” If they wish, they could change it to “a computerized T-shirt.” Next, they think// about //what this new invention of theirs might look like and be able to do. So, a wearer might be able to change the color of a computerized T-shirt depending on what else they were wearing that day. Or they could type different slogans onto the front and back of the T-shirt in different font styles, colors and sizes, or display a street view to a// friend //so// the friend //would know where they are, and so on. Students explain// the //new invention to a partner who has to help them to extend and refine the idea with them in order to make it even better.// [LR: Have students draw or build a model of the invention. They could also design an ad or create a video or infomercial for the invention complete with music, visual effects…. Lots of possibilities!]

The 2015 British Council publication //Creativity in the ESL Classroom// is the source of this exercise. The 180-page booklet in PDF format is available to download for free at @http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/sites/ec/files/F004_ELT_Creativity_FINAL_v2%20WEB.pdf

The file contains lots of ideas that are focused on developing creativity in students, teachers, and classroom activities. Most of the activities/exercises are adaptable to one-on-one tutoring. It also has suggestions for creative activities for elementary-age children.

If you want to find something specific in this booklet (e.g., TPR), don’t forget that PDF files are searchable using CTRL+F. When you hit those two keys, a drop-down box appears on your screen. Enter the word you are searching for and you will be taken to the first appearance of the word in the file/text. You will also see how many instances of the word appear in the text. Using the arrows you can then quickly check all the places where the search term appears.

=** December 17, 2014: **=

The last Tutor Tip's font was extremely small. Sorry! I will be more aware of that in the future. If anyone would like a larger font (larger than the font now being used) in future Tutor Tips, please let me know.

An LVCC tutor requested some ideas for authentic listening experiences. Every tutor has probably struggled with this issue. Here are a few--pretty basic--ideas. If you have found other authentic/real-world listening experiences that worked well with your student(s), please share them!

**// Authentic/real-world Listening Experiences //** KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN--Listen to what is going on around you. Regular exposure to real-world language is a key to improved language learning!

ASK your student: Where do you go that you hear English being spoken? Can you go there and just listen to what is going on? This gives the tutor some information about what listening activities might be developed.

To the student: Do an activity (below), make note of what information you heard, report to the tutor/class. Keep a log of your listening activities. Go on a FIELD TRIP—with the teacher, with a friend, by yourself—and listen. --Go the library and listen as your teacher or friend asks for information about applying for a library card or where a certain type of book is located. Make note of what you understood. --Go to the library, sit near the Reference Desk, and listen to the questions people ask or the things they talk about with the librarians. Make note of one or two questions--and the librarian’s answers, if possible. OR make note of one or two of the topics talked about. --At LVCC, sit near the reception desk for 10 minutes and listen to the questions that people ask the receptionist. Make note of one or two questions. --While you are waiting in line at a fast food restaurant, listen to what the person ahead of you is ordering. Report back. --Go to the mall. At the food court, sit and listen to what is going on around you. Who are the people talking (parent/child, friends, husband/wife,…). What are they talking about/saying? Make a few notes and report back to the tutor/class. --If the student attends a church which offers services in English, have the student attend an English-language service. Report back on the main idea of the sermon (or some other part of the service of interest to the student.)
 * // Community listening activities //**// . //

The student will do the activity and report back to the tutor/class. As the student becomes more adept at listening, extend listening time or expand the kinds of information that the student is asked to report about the programming: who is speaking, details of a topic discussed in the program, the identity of a person who is interviewed during the program, information about the person(s) being interviewed,… --Watch 5 minutes of the evening news (in English) on television. Identify 3 topics that are discussed. --Watch to 5 minutes of a children’s program in English. What happens? --Listen to 5 minutes of a news program on the radio. Identify 2 - 3 things that are discussed. --Listen to 5 minutes of a program on Public Radio/NPR. What is the program about? What are 1 or 2 ideas you heard discussed?
 * // MEDIA listening activities. //**

To the tutor: Identify businesses/organizations which use pre-recorded messages to provide callers with information (movie theaters, museums, churches, businesses with information about hours when open,…) and become familiar with the information available on these recordings. If the student does not have a phone, use your phone—on speakerphone-- in class to do this activity a few times until the student becomes comfortable with making the call on her/his own in class.
 * TELEPHONE listening activities: Pre-recorded messages. ** Call, listen, report back.

Ask the student to call a particular number and listen for certain information. 1 )The tutor first gives this type of assignment orally and then provides the student with a written copy of the assignment. The tutor makes sure the student is very clear on what he/she has to do to get to the requested information (e.g., “Press 2” to get movie times OR “Press 3 for //Big Hero 6// movie times”). If necessary, the tutor and student can role-play before making the call so the student will become familiar with the way the recorded information is presented. 2) As the student becomes more proficient, the tutor can give the assignment orally and have the student write down the important information for this assignment: phone number to call, number to press, information to listen for. 3) When the student becomes comfortable with this activity, try to locate recordings where you can give the student an assignment to find a particular piece of information (the dates of an exhibit or the price of museum tickets) and have the student use her/his own judgment about what number to choose to get to the needed information.

Listening to __pre-recorded messages__: --Call a movie theatre and make a note of what times a certain movie is showing. --Call a church. Listen to the recorded message and choose a specific number (e.g., “Press 2 for mass times”). Report back on the information requested by your tutor. The student might report on when masses are held in English or in Spanish or in Creole or….) --Call a museum and find out how much tickets cost.

TELEPHONE Listening Activities USING **VIDEO**: the iPhone. If you or your student use an iPhone or other kind of phone that can record a short video, make a few short video activities for the student to work on.
 * --Make a short video of yourself (the tutor) asking 3-4 questions** (relevant to a subject area you are studying—at the bank, the grocery store, the restaurant, discussing movies/television, discussing an article or cartoon in the newspaper,…). A conversation book or ESL activity book will have some dialogues you can use if you get stuck for ideas. In class: Play the video, answering each question as it comes up. The tutor writes down the student’s answers. They discuss answers or problem areas. Create other possible answers to the video questions. Practice some of them.

BABY STEPS: 1 Play the video in class. Listen to all the questions. Re-play the video and stop after the first question. Brainstorm possible answers and write them down. Practice reading one of the answers after the tutor asks the first question. //Make the questions pretty easy for the first time or until she gets comfortable with the process.// Do again; student tries replying without having to read the answer. Move on to the next question, same procedure.

2 Play the video and stop after the first question. Student will write down 2 or 3 possible answers. Practice replying “spontaneously” (reading one of the written answers) when the teacher asks the question. Practice using the other, alternate answers to the same questions until she feels at ease. Move on to the next question, same procedure until she has worked through all the 3 or 4 questions.

After doing this once or twice, IF the student has a video-capable phone, send a video home as homework for the student to work with.

Expand: Have another tutor or someone you know record 3 or 4 questions about some topics.

For an anxious student, start with very simple questions (but __always questions that must be answered with more than yes/no__). Once the student has that first success, no matter how small, you have something to build on. If the student knows she can speak spontaneously in a controlled situation, the tutor then can start gently expanding the video activities that require more spontaneous, less controlled speaking/conversation activities.


 * [Alternate: The teacher makes the video on her iPhone and sends it to the student via e-mail.**]

Play the video and stop after each question. Think of an answer and practice replying (without writing anything down) to the video question. Move on to the next questions and do the same. Practice giving your answers to the video questions until you feel comfortable.
 * Student homework ** **for conversation practice at home** __if__ he/she has an iPhone or other video-capable phone (after a run-through in class):

//Student may have to work on tolerating the anxiety of being put on the spot to answer.//

Reminder for listening activities: The importance of being able to SEE the speaker, especially for beginning language learners, should not be forgotten. A telephone conversation or radio program is much harder to understand than speaking to a person face-to-face or watching a TV program/movie. Even speakers who are fluent in a language can have trouble with telephone communications, especially if there is any kind of background noise or distraction. This is normal. Don’t let this discourage you or your student.

=** November 12, 2014: **=

Hello, Tutors-- The November Tutor Tip is about the site English Vocabulary on Facebook. If you are not on Facebook, I have attached 2 files (Word documents) with sample postings to give you access to some of the content available here. If you are on Facebook, just type "English Vocabulary" in the box (Search for people, places and things) in the blue header at the top of your Home Facebook screen. You can "like" the site and receive postings on your daily FB feed.

English Vocabulary provides photos, graphics, charts, and drawings to expand and enhance the learning of English and communication in English. Postings contain a little bit of everything for teachers and students of ESL: photos/illustrated collections of related items (fruits, vegetables, tools, clothing, ...), cartoons or photos depicting idioms (“back against the wall,” “wait for the other shoe to drop,”” yuck,”...), sample dialogues, charts (grammar, pronunciation, options for conversation or answering questions), short reading pieces (an ad, a nutrition "poster,"...). If you have the Snipping Tool (see June Tutor Tip) or a similar program, it is easy to snip the chart or photo, copy it to a Word document, and print it out for class. You may also be able to copy the FB photo and paste it into a Word document to print out.

Re: Dialogues. Many of the sample dialogues contain rather informal vocabulary so editing may be in order, depending on your lesson and student(s).

Re: Videos. The videos should definitely be previewed before using in class. The video "Apology" is thought-provoking and might be good for generating critical thinking discussion for more advanced ESL students, however, there are cultural aspects that make its viability questionable in my mind. (The problems are related to cultural stereotyping and power issues: suggested violent ways to get the child to apologize--hit that kid in the mouth, pull her hair, slap her hard in the face--as well as cursing and the escalation of the incident into an arrest.) On the other hand, I loved the one on "Change your words, change your world." This one might be a good conversation starter about the power of words--for good or bad--and how people react to certain expressions/phrases in American culture (although I believe the video takes place in Scotland!). It also could generate discussion about how different cultures view giving money to people panhandling/"begging" on the street. (Is this acceptable in American culture? What about in the student's native culture? Have you or your student given money to someone asking for money in the street? Why? What makes you want to give to someone? Does it make a difference if the person is disabled, speaks directly to you, has a child or children with her/him, has a sign saying they are seeking work,.....?)

Hope this will provide you with some useful material for your classes or perhaps generate some ideas about how to present certain vocabulary to your students. If you have trouble accessing the Word documents, let me know and I'll see if I can send these files to you in another format that will work for you.

PS In order to access the FB video "Change your words/Change your world" (used in the attached 2014 November Tutor Tip document as an example/screen shot), you must go to Facebook, then the English Vocabulary site. Locate the April 2 posting and click on the icon in the middle of the screen to begin play.

=** October 31, 2014: **=

Dear Tutors,

I have had an iPhone for 2 years and am still learning about it! One of the things I have enjoyed discovering is the selection of FREE apps available—and especially apps that could be used in our ESL tutoring. Even if you do not use an iPhone, it is possible that your student has one or some other mobile device on which he or she could download and access these apps.

One app that I like is the National Archives app. Every day of the year a photo or document related to American history is posted. I used this app last winter to provide supplemental visuals related to topics my student and I were studying for the citizenship exam. However, there are lots of other uses for these photos and documents: composing questions [students asking each other (or you) questions about what is happening in a particular picture], holiday discussions [the posting for Veterans Day: President Truman lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery 11/11/1947; a photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.], small history lessons [George Washington’s October 3, 1789 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation], letter writing [Elvis Presley’s letter to President Richard Nixon]. Lots of possibilities! Today’s posting is a photo of President Kennedy and “Halloween Visitors to the Oval Office 10/31/1963.” The quality of the photos seems to be better than that of the documents (at least on my phone). You can also access each day’s document and the entire year’s worth of documents by swiping right or left. These postings are also available on your computer or tablet at the National Archives site at [] (Scroll down and click on Today’s Document on the lower right corner of the page). While on this page, you might also click on the Docs Teach box to see how you can access activities and primary sources on American history and culture.

The second app I would like to mention is the Phonics Genius app. Although the app is suggested for children, there is nothing childish about the way the sound groups are presented so it should be useful for our adult language learners who need a quick review of a particular sound. According to the Education App Store site ([]), this app has “over 6,000 words grouped by phonics sounds” and is “specifically designed to help students recognize and distinguish words by sounds.” There are over 225 phonics categories and, for each word, there is a recording of how the word sounds. There is also a “record” feature for each word. The choices begin with “a e” as in made and end with the /zh/ sound found in words like occasion, measure, vision. Download this app, then choose the category you want to do a little quick work on and swipe your finger up over each word. As the word appears on the screen, you hear the word pronounced. (If you want to hear the word again, touch the speaker icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.) It’s always best to preview the category before you use it with your student. For example, when clicking on the –ary (ending) category, I found that the pronunciations of –ary in the words elementary and documentary were not what I would consider standard pronunciation—but maybe this is just me and my Midwestern ear/accent! At any rate, you get a group of sample words for each pronunciation category and that in itself may be useful to you—and save you some time searching for just the right group of words to address a pronunciation problem your student is having. Here is a site which lists the features of Phonics Genius: []

If you or your student has an iPhone, you might check out either of these apps and see what might be useful for your particular tutoring situation. (These apps can be found in the iTunes store and downloaded--for free.)

= July 29, 2014: =

Hi, tutors! I have been away traveling for most of July so I'm a little late getting this Tip out. The July/August Tutor Tip is from Tara Benwell, a blogger who appears on SproutEnglish. The topic is using NAMES for quick and interesting mini-lessons or conversation starters. (See below) Maybe one of these suggestions could fit into your lesson plan as a quick English warm-up activity for starting class, a concluding activity, or a short transition-between-lesson-parts exercise? For the blog with links to activity documents and other related resources, go to: []

FYI: SproutEnglish is a Web site geared for kids learning English. However, even if you are tutoring adults, this site is worth checking out for ideas that can be adapted for your students/classes. It has lots of lessons, activities, and resources: phonics and grammar worksheets, a library of short readings, mini-dialogues, theme-based readings and activities, board games and puzzles, projects, theme-based vocabulary units, and flash cards for coloring (which could be used with an adult's children at home). There is also a reading/listening component available through a digital library of 100+ illustrated story lessons. Might be worth trying if you have access to a computer for your lessons. Best of all, you can get a free trial to try 20 sample lessons without having to subscribe to the site. And even without signing up for the trial or a subscription, you can always see the blog postings (Click BLOG button at the top) which have great ideas and suggestions. To check it out, go to spourtenglish.com.

PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE: NAME GAMES -- Blog by Tara Benwell (SproutEnglish, May 1, 2014) Over the weekend I played a fun getting-to-know-you-better game with my own children. We each wrote ten questions, and then guessed how we thought the other person would answer. I was surprised to discover that my son knew me better than my daughter (based on the ten questions I picked). It didn’t surprise me that my kids knew each other better than I knew them! One of the questions I included on my list was, “What’s your favorite name?” My kids thought it was hilarious that I chose my own name (Tara) as my favorite name. My son guessed that I would pick my daughter’s name (firstborn) and my daughter guessed that I would pick the name of the main character in the novel I wrote. The truth is, your own name is the sweetest name you’ll ever hear (even if you don’t love it). According to research, if a business uses your name, and pronounces it correctly, you are more likely to go back and do business again. You are also more likely to make friends with a person who remembers your name (and says it properly). Hearing your own name pronounced incorrectly (or having someone call you the wrong name), however, has the opposite effect. If your students are just learning each other’s names, or if you’re starting a class with a new group of students, explore some different ways to practice the pronunciation of each other’s names. Here are some fun activities to try: My Favorite Name First, ask your students to write down their favorite name on a scrap piece of paper. Tell your students that you won’t take any questions (some students will want to ask if they can choose their own name). Next, ask your students to hold up their papers. Count how many people picked their own name and have a discussion about it. 1. What do you like about your name?2. What don’t you like about your name?3. What name would you choose if you could have any other name?4. What nicknames do people give you? If your students have been in class together for a while, you can also have them write other questions, as I did with my kids, to find out how well they know each other. Phone a Friend Bring in a cell phone or toy telephone to class. Have kids sit in a circle. The first person holds the phone and asks to speak to the classmate to his/her right: George: Hi, this is George. May I speak to Alyssa, please? (passes the phone to his right)Alyssa: (takes the phone) Hi, this is Alyssa. May I speak with Juan, please? If the student doesn’t know the name of the person to his right, he can say //any// name he can think of. If the name is wrong (or pronounced incorrectly), the other student says: Alyssa: Sorry, you have the wrong number. This is Alyssa, not Alicia. Then Alyssa takes the phone and asks for the person to her right: Alyssa: Hello, this is Alyssa. Is…Luke there please? (She doesn’t know the boy beside her.)Mario: Sorry, Luke isn’t here. This is Mario. Is Jaunita home? Crazy Name Bring in a real microphone, or make one that can be reused again and again. Maybe you can find a big blow up microphone, or perhaps you can make one with a paper towel roll and a balloon. Tell all of the students to close their eyes. Tap one student on the back. That student should think of a crazy or silly name like “Dr. Hamburger”. Pass the microphone around the circle and have students introduce themselves. All of the students will use their real names, except the student you tapped. Remind your students to repeat the classmate’s name who came before: Hello. My name is Luisa, what’s your name?Hi Luisa. My name is Frederica, what’s your name?Nice to meet you Frederica. My name is…Yabba Dabba Doo! After the crazy-named person introduces herself, have students close their eyes again. Tap on a different student’s back until everyone has had a turn to invent a name. Name Interviews When I was a kid, I wished my name were spelled the way it sounded: “Terra” /teərʌ/. Even though my name is fairly easy to pronounce, there are two different ways to pronounce it. Most people from Europe pronounce it “Taruh” /tɑ:rʌ/ (British) or “Tahruh” /tærʌ/ (Scottish). Girls with rhyming names like “Cara,” “Sara,” and “Zara” have the same problem. I always tell my students that the first syllable in my name rhymes with “air” or “bear”. I also tell them my name sounds like the word Terra, meaning Earth. Do your students’ names rhyme with anything? Are there small words inside their names that rhyme with familiar words? Finding rhyming words or little words inside names can help people remember how to say names properly. [LR: See link in original posting. Address above.] Explore the meaning of each other’s names and write down any tips or rhyming words that will help with the proper pronunciation. Give your students some time to circulate around the room with the interview sheet. Here are some questions they could ask: What’s your name?I’m not sure how to pronounce your name properly.How do I say your name, again?What does your name mean?Does your name rhyme with anything? The Name Game (A Song) // “There isn’t any name that I can’t rhyme.” // The classic [|Name Game song] is a lot of fun for kids. Don’t forget to teach them the rule that is “contrary”. (Drop the B, F, or M for names that start with those letters.) Here’s my verse: Tara!Tara Tara Bo BaraBanana Fana Fo FaraFee Fi Mo MaraTara! Sort the Names Sorting vocabulary words can be loads of fun in class. Give a group of kids a list of words, and there’s no limit to what they can do with them. Sorting a class list of names can be just as fun as sorting vocabulary. Here are some different ways students can sort each other’s names: Sort alphabeticallySort by lengthSort by names that are easy to pronounce vs. difficult to pronounceSort by gender (some names will be unisex)Sort by familiar vs. unfamiliar (Which names are new to your students?)Sort by season or some other unrelated topic (Which names feel like summer names? Challenge your students to come up with their own sorting category.) Create a Vame Vame is a fun website where students can record the correct pronunciation of their name. They can also upload a picture and include their nationality and list the languages they can speak. (An email address and log in is required.) [LR: See link in original posting. Address above.] You could also browse some of the names that are already on the site. There are some that your students will find difficult to pronounce. Practice Difficult Celebrity Names Sometimes it helps to show your students that native English speakers also have trouble with names! [LR: See the original blog address above for link to a slideshow: How To Pronounce 25 Difficult Celebrity Names] Cover up the pronunciation tip. Then ask your students to raise their hands if they think they can pronounce the name properly. After a few guesses, show the tip and pronounce it together. Explore One Random Name If your students need more practice pronouncing English names, gather around One Random Name, and try to pronounce the names that come up! [LR: See link in original posting. Address above.] Students could also use these names to create characters for stories. If you or your students need help pronouncing a name, check out [|4 Websites To Help You Pronounce Names Correctly]. [LR: See link in original posting. Address above.] Name the Baby or Mascot Bring in a doll or stuffed animal, and challenge your students to come up with a name for it. Put your students in pairs or small groups and hand out baby name books (find them at the library) or use mobile devices/computers to look at baby name sites. Your students will have to: 1) Decide on a name.2) Teach the class the proper pronunciation of the name.3) Teach the class the meaning of the name.4) Explain why this name is a good fit for the toy. Name of the Day/Week Instead of choosing a student as a “Star of the Week” try having a “Name of the Week”. The student whose name is picked can be in charge of helping his classmates get to know his name better. Here are some things to explore:
 * Proper pronunciation of first and last name
 * Meaning of first name
 * Words that rhyme with the whole name (Tara=Farah) or part of the name (Tar sounds like bear, hair, share, NOT tar, car, far)
 * Number of syllables
 * Famous people with this name
 * How the student got this name. You could even challenge your student of the week to make a webcam video: [|The Story of My Name]