Critical Thinking / Revision of Body Paragraph on *The Inner Ring*
Lesson Outline
We read through Sophia's edited introduction paragraph and body paragraph. We focused especially on her thesis statement.
Assignment
Revise the body paragraph and write the conclusion paragraph
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Sophia is consistently showing diligence. She is dedicated to the "mental labor" of expressing abstract concepts. She realized, as we dicussed her thesis statement, that distilling this statement is usually the hardest part of an essay/communication. She demonstrated great focus as she tried to weed out irrelevant details and sought only to concisely state her main point.
Continued with applying the use of major 5 chords in the song Night Time by the XX. We added some of the lead melody lines that use other notes withing the respective scales of the root notes we are using.
Assignment
Practice the Night Time and review the notes that make up the chords utilized.
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Very productive session. We are going to work on Sofia's hand strength and finger flexibility. She was having some difficulty with some of the lead parts and was getting frustrated with herself. She should be fine after a week's worth of practice.
Study of finger plucking inverted major 5 chords, specifically B5, A5, and F#5, as used in the XX song, Night Time. The 5 chord is a chord that plays the root note with only the 5th note of that root's major scale. We were fingering the root notes on the D string, and the 5th on the B string, which required that the strings above, below, and in between be either muted or not played.
Assignment
Practice the Night Time and review the notes that make up the chords utilized.
Session Minutes
165
Minutes Student Attended
165
Lesson Comments
It was great to see Sofia again. We spent some time playing some of her original music with me playing along on drums, and then spent the rest of the time working on our lesson material.
Purpose of Each Paragraph in Three-Paragraph Essay
Lesson Outline
We discussed the role/function of the introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs in a three-paragraph essay. We used Sophia's rough draft as the example of how to demonstrate the principles. We worked through Sophia's introduction paragraph together, addressing clarity and syntax issues.
Assignment
Complete body and conclusion rough draft paragraphs
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Sophia was sharp as usual, but a little hesitant to do the sometimes humbling (and sometimes extensive) work of editing her work. She needs to grow in understanding that writing is a process and that one's first effort, though good, nearly always requires further revision.
Made an outline of 1-page paper. Read aloud first half of chapter (She and I alternated paragraphs) on mining and cattle industry. Diagrammed natural and human causes of cattle decline.
Assignment
Paper due Monday.
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
45
Lesson Comments
Sophia was 15 minutes late to class and hadn't done her paper assignment. She said she'd been swamped and not slept enough. I extended the due date to Monday. I made sure she knew how to outline a paper and we went ahead and did this. Then, read alternating paragraphs aloud about cattle and mining in the late 1800s out West.
Concluded Reading and Discussion of Lewis' *The Inner Ring*
Lesson Outline
Sophia and I finished reading *The Inner Ring*. We then discussed preliminary principles for writing: the asking of "Who? What? Why? Where? When?", the distilling of a thesis statement, and the principles of clarity, conciseness, and consistency.
Assignment
Bring a three-paragraph essay on the paradox of "inner rings."
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Sophia was tired today from a late night of social activity. She was not quite as focused as usual, but she improved as the session wore on. I asked her yesterday to bring the first draft of the three-paragraph essay, but she did not have it today. I asked her to bring it tomorrow for review. We discussed material for our next study and decided on *The Lord of the Flies*.
