The university student sits down next to a 12-year-old pupil in the classroom and he looks at her exercise book, then explains the task.
"He helps me in many subjects," says Christelle, who has been living in Germany for about a year and attends the Neue Oberschule Gröpelingen, a secondary school in the north-western city of Bremen.
Sargis Poghosyan regularly supports the girl, who is learning German as a second language, in German, English and math.
"She's very hard-working," says the 28-year-old. Meanwhile, special education teacher Sabine Jungehülsing, who is supervising the class that day with the help of a substitute teacher, tries to bring calm to the classroom.
She repeatedly reminds the boys and girls that they should not draw weapons or depictions of violence when designing their posters.
She says it is beneficial that some pupils are getting extra help. Poghosyan also recognizes the need.
"If you want to help a lot, you've come to the right place," says Poghosyan, a student of German studies.
As a current participant in Bremen's Study Friends project, he and four other university students dedicate five hours a week to tutoring at the school in Gröpelingen, a culturally diverse neighbourhood in Bremen.
In return, the young men and women receive a rent-free room in a shared flat nearby.
Many children with a non-German native language live in the district, and the graduation rate is low compared to other districts in Bremen.
The Bremen state government views the project as effective on many levels: It helps children from less privileged backgrounds and improves their educational prospects.
The project provides students with a room in a shared flat, offers insight into school environments, and introduces them to a new neighbourhood.
The initiative is praised by Bremen's Education Senator Sascha Aulepp who recently said that the number of participants is to be increased this year.
In future, 17 students will help out at several schools in the district. A number of housing companies and child welfare organizations are involved in the project.
In addition to helping with lessons, the Study Friends initiative also offers creative breaks for students.
This morning, 24-year-old student Júlia Balla has put watercolours on the table. She cheerfully shows a small group of children how they can draw a heart, flowers or animals on paper using fingerprints.
She observes the children attentively and patiently answers their questions. "She loves to volunteer," says 11-year-old Elina about the student and tells us that she has also helped her with math.
Balla is also grateful for the project, which covers her rent for the shared room which helps her to be financially independent.
She runs children's art workshops in various Bremen neighbourhoods alongside her tutoring commitment at the school.
Poghosyan also has another job - he works as a branch manager in a tea shop.
Initially, working at the school was challenging for Balla, she explains. It took a while for trust to develop between her and the children.
"Now [it] is much more fun," she reports. "I'm always there on Mondays and the children know that too. They're already waiting for me."
She also enjoys living in Gröpelingen. "But I also realize that you have to be very open," she adds, referring to the various nationalities in the district.
"At night, when I come home, there are usually only men on the street. I had to get used to that at first," she says.
She thinks it's good that she often meets schoolchildren on the street in the neighbourhood. It allows the children to see that young people live alone and look after themselves, she says.
Both Poghosyan and Balla think it's great that the number of participants in the Study Friends project is being increased.
It would be good if more students lived in Gröpelingen, says Poghosyan. "I definitely know that all the schools in Gröpelingen need help."
Balla is looking forward to the growing community. "We're all very curious about the new people," she says.
Referring to possible activities for the children during school holidays, Balla says, "The more Study Friends there are, the bigger projects we can do," she explains.
