We discussed several good writing tips: beginning sentences with subordinate phrases and ending with the independent clause with a strong adjective to add power; not ending a sentence with a preposition; using transitional sentences in the first and last sentences of a paragraph to provide transition; and proper structure of the five-paragraph essay.

We solved problems from two consecutive sections in the text book. In the first, we combined like terms and applied the distributive property. In the second, we took the first steps in solving equations using the addition property of equality.

Cal and I revised the 5-paragraph essay that he wrote for homework. We discussed the idea of elaboration in his writing: all of the ideas must connect and flow together. There was some dis-jointedness in the essay that he wrote for homework. I had him re-write one of the body paragraphs during class. He wrote a topic sentence and each sentence had to connect naturally to the one preceding it. Also, the paragraph had to discuss just one idea. Oftentimes, Cal will try to discuss too much in one paragraph or sentence. Therefore, our focus today was on clarity of writing. At the end of class, I said several sentences aloud and he had to write down whether the correct spelling was "their" or "there". He confuses these two frequently, so I wanted to reinforce the spelling with him.

We finished Chapter 1, including the Chapter One Test in the text. Then we moved into Chapter 2 and explored properties of addition and multiplication (Commutative, Associative, Identity) and then explored the distributive property.

Today, Cal and I talked about the technique of "showing," not telling, in one's writing. It is more effective to SHOW your reader what you are talking about rather than to just tell the reader. One should engage the reader's senses when using descriptive writing. I gave Call two prompts that told the reader something. His job was to rewrite them by showing. He did a terrific job with this! Cal was able to vary his sentence structure and include some great descriptions. He found creative ways of starting his sentences so that his writing wasn't redundant. At the end of class, I had Cal combine sentences using appositives to create more concise writing. We also worked on some spelling throughout our lesson today.

At the beginning of class, Cal re-wrote a paragraph using sentence variation. We took text from a book and he re-wrote it to make it flow better and to make it more interesting. Although he was reluctant at first, he did a good job with it. Next, we outlined a five-paragraph essay. I told him that this is an important step for every paper he writes. It gives him a guideline to follow. He wrote his thesis and then listed three examples with supporting points to prove his thesis. For homework this weekend, I'd like him to write this essay.

We started by sketching the XY Plane on graph paper. We plotted several points on the graph and identified the quadrants in which they were located. Then we worked several practice problems from the text.

We worked through several problems from the text, including straight-up multiplication and division and problems finding averages. We then went on to introduce the Cartesian Plane (with a brief sidebar about its originator, Rene Descartes) including the characteristics of Quadrants I, II, III, and IV.

At the beginning of class, I gave Cal several run-on sentences; his job was to rewrite them in a more concise, clear way. He did a good job, but was careless with his punctuation and spelling. I mentioned that if there is a redundancy of ideas, he should always condense those ideas into one. Next, I had Cal read several paragraphs and tell me what he thought the main idea of each paragraph was. He was able to understand the basics, but I pushed him to analyze the text further. At the end, we reviewed narrative, descriptive, persuasive, and expository writing. I had him write a persuasive paragraph about why someone should wear Vans while skateboarding.

We moved quickly through three sections of Chapter One wherein Cal worked enough problems to demonstrate that he's familiar with the material.