Austin was animated and excited to share that he received a Nebula hand projector for Christmas. He was also excited to receive a cool holiday gift from Ms. Judie, a '16 million color super bright rechargeable flying disc,' which one throws as a Frisbee. We had fun giving it a trial run before starting our lesson. This afternoon, Austin was given a writing prompt as a beginning exercise. He was asked to write a 3 paragraph composition responding to the prompt asking him whether the winter break met or exceeded expectations. Austin is not hesitant to request clarification if he is unsure of terminology or expectations. After I explained the exercise, Austin got right to work and began writing in cursive. He brainstormed his thoughts but combined them all in one paragraph. Once reminded of the directions (a 3-paragraph composition), Austin was receptive to following my explanation on how to break his writing down to organize his thoughts into a more carefully organized and coherent paragraph. We reviewed the topic sentence structure, transition phrases, and how to develop his essay into a logical order, using varied vocabulary and following the rules of grammar and syntax. Austin remembered to add proper punctuation marks in his writing. We then moved onto synthesizing an article about the history of Soccer, as I know it is his favorite sport. Austin remained engaged as we collaboratively read the article, and he recognized and identified a player in one of the illustrations. We worked on defining words based on context clues and noted how the article was organized and structured. Furthermore, we analyzed the reasoning behind the placement of topics and noted the introduction and development of concepts and the use of literary devices to illustrate points through imagery and figurative language. Vocabulary terms included: secretions, demeanor, escapades, brethren, sphere (which he knew and was able to offer additional synonyms to explain it), and migration. Austin delivered an excellent animated example of migration as he pretended to flap his wings and fly away. He demonstrates good analytical skills and higher-level thinking. I was impressed to note that he observed how the article seamlessly transitioned from explaining the development of a rubber sphere that is thrown or bounced to an actual sport once people noted it could be kicked. Austin is able to explain concepts well and absorbs information functionally. He is an active, inquisitive, and receptive learner who responds well to cognitive challenges.