Rowan asked to be assigned a writing prompt to refresh and practice his essay writing skills. He made good pace and progress throughout, and he finished the essay in 35 minutes. Afterwards, he was assigned several ACT English problems, and we discussed the answers together.

We worked several problems from the text in which we used data from the triangles to calculate the size of the angles.

We worked several example problems using the white board. After some practice, Rowan got the hang of things, even when the radical signs were "buried."

Today, Rowan and I reviewed his homework questions and essay. Tips: (1) Always check your work before moving on to the next question, (2) improve word choice on the essay portion by thinking of stronger synonyms, (3) add specific examples to support your essay claims, (4) read the essay to yourself and give yourself time to edit. I wish Rowan the best on the ACT exam!

We practiced identifying trig functions that we could use in deterring the value of angles in a triangle. We used the graphing calculator and the arcsin, arccos, etc functions.

We concentrated on using the Sine and Tangent functions in solving right triangles. We devoted a sidebar to 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 triangles for a change of pace.

Today, we reviewed three sections: Science, English, and Reading. I am encouraging Rowan to use markings as he reads, and to always take the time to verify answers before moving on to the next question. He'll need to take advantage of the extra test time he has been given, to have the opportunity to focus. Once he is focused, and carefully reviews, he usually can identify the correct answer. Practice is key.

We discussed how Rowan's shortfalls in trig might be hurting his scores. I suggested that vacillating levels of engagement might be part of the problem He might confront a problem with laser-like focus initially and then relax before seizing the solution. We'll try working on that.

Rowan completed several practice questions/prompts in all four ACT verbal areas today. We began with the Reading Test. He worked quietly (very focused today!) and answered all 5 questions correctly. That was a pleasant surprise to both of us, and it gave him the energy to move on to a longer English section. The English portion didn't go as well--we identified a few areas of weakness (identifying wordy sentences, choosing effective transitions, etc.). I advised him to always check his answers by reading each sentence with his editing choice to verify. Rowan really showed his dedication today. When I asked him to complete 5 questions, he said "I'll do more," and completed 15! I applaud him for his hard work. At the end of the session, we reviewed a few science questions, as well as an essay prompt. He frequently mentions "life skills" as a benefit in his essay topics, so I gave him a list of specific life skills he can write about to support his claims. Good work today.

Today, Rowan worked on several ACT essay prompts by brainstorming and outlining. At first, he began planning his essays at the outline phase, but this lead him to repeat ideas for the sake of filling in the 5-item list. I went over the "spider diagram" technique to get him to see all the possible subtopics BEFORE choosing his body paragraphs' topic sentences. This proved to be helpful. We also reviewed the English and Science portions.