Go over rough draft - check and make corrections as needed. Then begin typing final copy. Will is doing well...writing is improving and so are his typing skills. Good session.

Finish writing rough draft - "Skiing in Durango, Colorado." Will is still rather serious...doesn't want to exaggerate or "take liberties" as some writers do, however I'm trying to get him to loosen up a bit and use words like a 13 year old.

Go over ideas written yesterday...continue adding new details about what it is like to go skiing in Durango, Colorado. Read samples of descriptive paragraphs - discuss the use of strong, colorful words that make the writing come alive, but also be yourself...make sure it sounds like "you." Begin writing rough draft. Will is really into this topic and he knows a lot about skiing...I'm learning a lot from this exercise. Good session.

types of sentence worksheets
writing sentences

Clay did a pretty solid job identifying the different types of sentences, but when I erased the info on the board and asked him to write specific types, he had a lot of trouble. He has difficulty organizing the differences in his mind, and even had trouble remembering the concepts of compound subjects and predicates. We'll work on it more on Friday.

Discuss writing descriptive writing...importance of using specific words to create the "picture" that you want the reader to see. Will chose to write about skiing in Durango, Colorado. He told me that he, "Knows a lot about skiing." We had a brainstorming session and tomorrow we will begin the rough draft. Will was very talkative...seemed to enjoy talking about his trips to Durango.

proofreading/compound sentence worksheets

Clay did a good job with the worksheets today. He's excellent when he has the sentence in front of him and he has to find what's wrong.

Run-on sentence worksheets

Clay did a great job with the worksheets today. He has little trouble identifying run-on sentences and correcting them.

Run-on/Compound sentence worksheets

Clay did a great job with the worksheets today. He recognizes run-on sentences pretty quickly, and has little trouble fixing them. He's seems to be very comfortable with the different types of sentences.

Will had to leave at l:30 pm so we had only a few minutes of class time. He asked if we could talk during that time and I agreed. He wanted to talk about the trip to New York. He is so different this year...outgoing and fun. He has a good sense of humor.

Finish typing final copy compare/contrast paragraph "Cats/Dogs" - find a picture of each to include. Will was very interested in all the costumes being worn today...he kept laughing and talking about them. Good session!