Science tutoring: finding where your child is stuck
Get tutoring help for your child →Science asks students to do more than memorize facts. They need to read technical text, handle math, interpret graphs and design or explain experiments. A student may be struggling with any one of these, so good science tutoring starts by finding which.
What science classes expect at each stage
- Elementary: curiosity, careful observation, and simple explanations of how and why.
- Middle school: life, earth and physical science, with more lab work and data.
- High school: biology, chemistry and physics, where math becomes central, especially in chemistry and physics.
Many states base science classes on the Next Generation Science Standards, which emphasize doing science, such as asking questions, analyzing data and arguing from evidence, alongside learning facts.
Common sticking points
- Math inside science. Unit conversions, formulas and algebra in chemistry and physics. Sometimes the real fix is math support.
- Vocabulary. Every unit introduces new terms.
- Graphs and data. Reading and drawing conclusions from them.
- Lab reports. Organizing a hypothesis, method, results and conclusion in writing.
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Questions to ask a science tutor
- Have you taught this specific course, such as chemistry or physics?
- How will you handle the math in it if that is the real problem?
- Can you help with lab reports and projects as well as tests?
Want help with science?
Tell us your child’s grade, ZIP code and the subject that feels hardest. Wherever you live in the U.S., we’ll search for a tutoring provider near you. Families near Bay Ridge, Brooklyn can connect with Huntington Learning Center.
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