Crystal and I reviewed an essay that she wrote for homework. She had great examples, but she must continue to explain how her examples prove her thesis. That should be her goal throughout the essay: to prove her thesis with strong examples. She should also aim to bring in more specific details when possible. She should always mention dates and context; she should not assume that her reader knows what she is writing about. We also reviewed some long reading passages. Crystal sometimes has a hard time grasping the main idea of more complicated passages. For homework, I'd like her to try reading the whole passage, answering questions as she reads. We will see if this helps her get more questions right and understand the passage better.