Hunter finished reading "Of Mice and Men!" He can say that he has read a classic. Afterwards we discussed and answered some guiding questions. We read from "Readings on Of Mice and Men" and discussed literary anlaysis and criticism of this work. We read "Christian Symbolism in Of Mice and Men" by Lee Dacus. Hunter could relate and agreed with the author's comparisons and discussion of symbolism - the mouse as symbol, the deed of love. We discussed themes of friendship, responsibility, loneliness and independence. Afterwards, we returned to Hunter's essay-in-progress. He was writing a persuasive essay about holding students back a grade level. He has difficulty pre-writing, organizing his writing and structuring his thoughts before going the the final written draft. We discussed the plan for Friday. We will devote it to writing (in response to prompts about "Of Mice and Men" )and grammar and Hunter and I will watch the movie starting tomorrow.