Aiden read about and analyzed a map of 290 million year old glacial grooves. He wrote an explanation of how glacial grooves provide evidence for continental drift. He watched a video about the extinct plant genus Glossopteris and wrote a paragraph summarizing continental drift using the following key terms: Glossopteris, continental drift, fossils, Pangaea, supercontinent, Antarctica, and glacial grooves. He completed the lab "Reconstructing Gondwana" where he matched fossils from different continents to provide evidence for continental drift.

Cade was absent today.

Today Aiden and I discussed some of the ways we can study data. We defined mean, median, mode, inference, and upper/lower quartile. We discussed how these “measures of central tendency” can be helpful in studying data in various ways. We discussed (as an example) the total household income of every home in Palm Beach County. How the median and mean would both be helpful, but probably very different numbers. For example, if there are far more homes where there are lower incomes and very few homes with larger incomes, the mean would be a skewed representation of the true data (since the higher incomes would bring the average to a larger number than what many homes actually bring in). So we considered in this case, the median would be a more fair representation of what the household incomes represent. We considered this happens when the data is spread far apart. We looked at an example of the number of hours of sleep a student gets per night and we could see the mean and median were fairly close in quantity since the data set had values close together. We also practiced creating box plots (whisker plots) for given data sets. Aiden practiced coming up with his own data set (the number of flies on cows), he computed the mean, median, upper and lower quartile, and then created a box plot to show the data.

Andrew and I met and worked on our stock simulation.

Review where Andrew stands. Coordinate and touch base.

Cade was absent today.

Today Aiden and started in the content of Statistics and the idea of studying data. We discussed definitions of populations and samples. Then we discussed what makes a sample a good representation of the entire population. We considered the idea of a town considering whether or not they should build a new stadium. Aiden and I agreed that if we only surveyed people coming out of a sports store, the data could be skewed. By looking at a few experiment types, we could see that the more random the sample collected is, the more likely it would be representative of the entire population. We practiced studying a data set of 138 students and then studying a random selection of 20 students. We compared 3 trials to see that though they were all different data sets, they were all fairly collected and seemed to be a good representation of the entire 7th grade population. We also made inferences about the data we saw, considering that inferences may not be 100% correct but just the information we can take away from sampling an entire population.

I began with alphabetic awareness (sequencing, syllable definition, building CVC, CV, VC-E syllallbes) followed by auditory, visual and blending drills. For concept review, Cade syllabicated and read two-syllable "rabbit" words (magnet, chipmunk, kitten, subtract, pilgrim, napkin, rabbit, tablet, dentist, happen, sandwich, traffic). For regular spelling practice, I dictated two-syllable compound words: sunset, bobcat, bathtub, upset, whiplash,). Irregular spelling word dictation included: the, is, his, has, your, to, do, her, for, or (all correct). He missed: said, was, want, what, are; we paused to review and re-write each word three times in red pencil. I dictated a sentence for Cade to write and edit using CAPS (That red bobcat cannot get the catfish.) Cade read a decodable book from FlyLeaf Publishing, "Ted Can do Tricks." To conclude, I read aloud from The World According to Humphrey; we paused to discuss the story and practice reading comprehension strategies. I recorded our reading time in Cade's journal.

Avelina greeted me with enthusiasm and was clearly eager and motivated to begin class. Avelina began by practicing her math skills, specifically multiplication by 4. We reviewed math facts and Avelina worked on the exercise for two trials, solving the problems using practical, methodological and consistent strategies; she correctly solved all the problems with which she was presented. Next, we then moved onto the novel, The Trumpet of the Swan," by E.B. White, which I had taken out of the Gardens Library. We first reviewed three vocabulary words from the last chapter and with minimal prompting, Avelina explained each meaning in her own words. Next, I asked her to make some predictions based on the information acquired from the 5 previous chapters she's read thus far. Avelina used good deductive and higher-order reasoning skills to suggest logical possibilities. The exercise proved to be a good segue to a discussion about some literary devices the author used in the novel. We identified alliterative devices, similes, metaphors, and examples of onomatopoeia. I also introduced other literary devices, such as personification and forecasting, which were pointed out as we proceeded to read. We watched a YouTube video of Chapter 6 while Avelina followed along in the book with her finger. I periodically paused to assess her comprehension, and we chose three new vocabulary words to define. Avelina is a bright, energetic, and animated student who is delightful to teach. She is a fast learner, acquires skills readily, and she is receptive and responsive to instructional methods and strategies aimed at strengthening her literary skills.

We began today's session by reviewing the phonological awareness skills taught and practiced in prior lessons. I continue to explicitly demonstrate word attack skills for recognizing sight words and known sounds in decodable words, including listening to self while reading, clearly articulating individual phonemes, blending phonemes into words, and rereading sentences fluently. We read one of the books I took out from the library that was on Cade's recommended reading list. We read 'Chrysanthemum,' a book based on a young girl's experiences dealing with her unique name. Cade was prompted to read aloud during guided reading practice and was asked questions about meaning before, during, and after reading. He will now more readily ask me to explain a word if it is unfamiliar to him. As I've mentioned, he is growing more comfortable, self-confident, and less afraid to make a mistake when reading or responding to queries. We practiced compound words and split them into phonemic units which help in decoding words when subsequently blended together. Cade was also tasked with reading words to which I added new endings - another strategy to facilitate his ability to decode effectively. Prompts have been used beneficially to re-engage his attention when needed, but Cade is responsive to academic intervention and will apply reading strategies that have been suggested to facilitate, promote, and reinforce literacy skills.