We discussed several video games, one of which Josh wrote himself, and the role that rituals play in the plots of the stories.

We had a long discussion about video games and historical events in Europe, including Napoleon.

Josh and I reviewed a film that incorporates a lot of Greek mythology in a contemporary setting. We noted how much of the myths apply to today's modern life. We also reviewed a flash fiction that Josh wrote, in which he embedded three layers of humor.

We reviewed several types of science fiction and magical realism stories that appear in movie theaters, on television, and in video games.

We discussed a variety of stories with different plots and character types.

We used several ideas from Josh's story trailers on his phone as a springboard for discussing various elements of writing in general and story-telling specifically.

We reviewed different elements of a short story, including plot, setting, and characters. We are leading up to Josh learning to write a flash fiction (a very short story).

We discussed a variety of short stories, especially those with a horror or weird twist. We discussed Poe's Annabel Lee and its themes of death and love.

Josh wrote a summary of a short story, and we used his work to review how commas are used. We discussed mythological themes and various genres of writing, including both modern and early American writers, such as Edgar Allen Poe. Josh is very creative and alert to how early writing applies to contemporary life.

Josh read aloud stories in the horror fiction genre that interested him. He discussed the plot and characters of the stories, and then re-wrote each story on paper, using only the most salient aspects of the stories. We worked on his punctuation and writing in complete sentences. His logical sequencing is good.