Lizzie Tutoring: March 2026

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

New ACT Preparation Courses - May 2026

Is your student ready for the NEW "Enhanced" ACT?
The ACT has undergone its biggest change in 35 years. Starting in 2025/2026, the test is shorter, the science section is optional, and the math questions have fewer answer choices. Is your student prepared for the new format?

Join my 2.5-hour Fast-Track Workshop to master the 2026 version of the ACT. We cover the core composite essentials while giving students the clarity they need on the new optional segments.

We will cover:
- The Big 3 Core: High-impact strategies for English, Math, and Reading (the sections that now determine the Composite score).
- The "Science" Decision: Should you take the optional Science section? We’ll help you decide based on your college goals (more details here).
- New Pacing Rules: With 22% more time per question, "speed-reading" is out and "precision-scoring" is in.
- Math Odds: How the move to 4 answer choices changes your guessing strategy.

I am offering the test preparation course at two different times (each track will cover the same material). See below.

Track 1 will meet in person in Eden Prairie. Track 2 will meet over Zoom. If neither of the dates listed below works for you and you are still interested in the class, please contact me through the contact form, and we can try to work something out.

Track 1 will meet for one 2.5-hour session. We will cover all three required sections of the ACT, as well as the two optional sections (Science and Writing).
It will meet on a Thursday from 10 am to 12:30 pm.
Date: May 21, 2026
Location: Eden Prairie

Track 2 will meet for one 2.5-hour session. We will cover all three required sections of the ACT, as well as the two optional sections (Science and Writing).
It will meet on a Thursday afternoon from 2 pm to 4:30 pm.
Date: May 21, 2026
Location: online through Zoom

Cost: $90.00 per student for the entire course. Includes materials.

Registration deadline: Friday, May 15, 2026

Register here.

Online High School Physics Class 2026-2027

We are thinking of offering a high school Physics class online next school year (2026-2027). If you are interested in registering a student for that class, please contact us through the contact form linked on the right-hand side of your screen.

Ongoing Online Classes

Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture - A Musical Journey (self-paced)

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Chemistry - Le Chatelier's Principle

Le Chatelier's Principle describes how a chemical system at equilibrium reacts when it experiences a change in conditions. Think of it as a balancing act: if you push a system out of balance, it will shift its weight to counteract that push and find a new state of stability.

The formal definition is: If a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change in concentration, temperature, or pressure, the system will shift its equilibrium position to counteract the effect of the disturbance.

The Three Main Stressors

There are three primary ways to stress a system at equilibrium:

Concentration
Add more reactant: The system shifts right (toward products) to use up the extra reactant.
Remove a product: The system shifts right to replace what was lost.
Add more product: The system shifts left (toward reactants) to use up the extra product.
Temperature
To predict temperature shifts, you must treat heat as either a reactant or a product:
Exothermic Reactions (negative Delta H): Heat is a product. Increasing temp shifts the reaction left.
Endothermic Reactions (positive Delta H): Heat is a reactant. Increasing temp shifts the reaction right.
Pressure (Gases Only)
Pressure only affects systems with different numbers of gas molecules on each side:
Increase Pressure: The system shifts toward the side with fewer moles of gas to reduce the crowding.
Decrease Pressure: The system shifts toward the side with more moles of gas.

Practice Problems

Use the following reversible reaction for the questions below:

N2(g) + 3H2(g) <=> 2NH3(g) + heat

Concentration Change
If you inject more N2 gas into the container, which way will the equilibrium shift?
A) Toward the products (Right)
B) Toward the reactants (Left)
C) No change
Temperature Change
If the reaction vessel is placed in an ice bath (decreasing the temperature), which way will the equilibrium shift?
A) Left, favoring N2 and H2
B) Right, favoring NH3
Pressure Change
If the volume of the container is decreased (increasing the pressure), how will the system respond?
A) Shift left (4 moles of gas to 2 moles of gas)
B) Shift right (4 moles of gas to 2 moles of gas)
C) No shift because both sides are gases.
The Catalyst Question
If a catalyst is added to this reaction at equilibrium, what happens to the equilibrium position?
A) Shifts Right
B) Shifts Left
C) No change in position, but it reaches equilibrium faster.

Answer Key

A (Right): The system tries to consume the added N2.
B (Right): Since it is exothermic, removing heat pulls the reaction toward the heat-producing side.
B (Right): The left side has 4 moles (1+3), and the right side has 2 moles. Higher pressure favors the side with fewer moles.
C (No change): Catalysts speed up both the forward and reverse reactions equally!

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