David read a printed story and answered questions. We read the introduction and poem, A Tale Tell Heart.

We read the introduction to Animal Farm and began reading it.
We discussed the meanings as we anticipate the remainder of the book.

Libby was not here today.

Chris and I discussed the summer. I told Chris about some different books we could choose from for 8th grade reading. He chose a composition book to use for our class. We discussed in general the things we will do this year.

Kaitlin and I discussed the summer. I told Kaitlin about some different books we could choose from for 9th grade reading. She chose a composition book to use for our class. We discussed in general the things we will do this year.

Aiden completed a meditation and square breathing exercise. He completed the lab "Fold Mountains" which used Play-Doh to model unfolded, folded and eroded mountains. He drew and colored the layers in his data and observations section. He answered the Analyze and Conclude section questions. He completed the lab "Fault-Block Mountains" which modeled how fault-block mountains shorten and widen with seismic activity. He recorded his data in a table and drew a diagram of the 60 degree tilted fault-block mountains. He answered the Analyze and Conclude questions. We watched an animation of fault-block mountain formation.

Aiden completed a 12-minute meditation. He completed the lab "Living on the Edge" which modeled tectonic plate movements with graham crackers and yogurt. He recorded his observations about the plate boundaries: convergent, divergent and transform boundaries. He answered the Analyze and Conclude questions. He completed the 3-Dimensional Thinking writing connection where he explained why examining time and space phenomena using small-scale models helps us better understand the system. He completed the Brainstorm section of the lab "Fold Mountains" where he recorded his thoughts about what type of plate motion produces mountain ranges. He read about fold mountains, subduction and faults. He watched a video on the three types of fold mountains and we summarized each.

Today Aiden and I discussed a concept he had been pondering since our last session, percent change. I showed Aiden a formula I like to use (new-old)/old and we compared it to the formulas in the book. Aiden recognized that the formulas were actually the same, however the way it is presented looks different. We spent some time trying to determine which value would go into which spot. After a few examples, Aiden could see that we are always going back to the original or compared value. Aiden was able to determine percent errors, percent markups or mark downs, and percent changes. At the end of the lesson, he felt confident in his understanding and was able to show that he can answer these problems regardless of how it is worded.
IT HAS BEEN SUCH A PLEASURE TEACHING AIDEN. HE IS A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING. IT HAS TRULY BEEN AN HONOR KNOWING HIM AND TEACHING HIM. I WILL MISS AIDEN AND HIS FAMILY TREMENDOUSLY. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. LOVE, LINDSAY

Aiden completed some breathing exercises, shoulder and head rolls, eye movement exercises and a 10-minute meditation. He completed his Development of a Theory quiz. He completed the Lesson 3 Launch "Moving Plates" where he brainstormed what natural phenomena plate tectonics cause. He completed the Encounter the Phenomenon "Why is South America Lopsided?" where he analyzed a map of South America's ocean trench and mid-ocean ridge. He wrote about what these features demonstrate about plate motion, and he discussed what might explain why the west coast has mountains while the east coast is more flat. He viewed the video "Two Terrains" and a video of plate tectonics/plate boundaries.

Aiden completed a 3-minute square breathing exercise. He completed a 12-minute sitting meditation. He reviewed plate tectonics and read the scientific text "GPS and Plate Tectonics". I asked pre-reading and post-reading comprehension questions. He researched data showing plate tectonics in the Caribbean plate. He began the Development of a Theory quiz. He identified three main ideas for the topic of "Evidence from the Seafloor" and wrote specific details for each topic, explaining how each topic is evidence of plate tectonics.