Today we followed our usual schedule. We began with a look at current events and issues of the day. We focused on some of the stories surrounding police behavior. Next we discussed Joseph McCarthy and compared him with Donald Trump. We investigated the new minimum wage law in NY, and the economic impact, as well as constitutionality of the law. We went on the Vote Smart web page to discover how Keaton can register to vote in the state of Florida, since he will be turning 18 in one day. Finally we watched the c-span video of Trump's news conference regarding the Mexican border.
Assignment
Fill out the voter registration form from the VoteSmart website.
Keaton spent our session editing his research essay and preparing it for submission. He added a strong conclusion, cited sources, and edited grammar errors. He gave me the printed final copy at the end of the session.
Assignment
Add to narrative essay.
Session Minutes
240
Minutes Student Attended
240
Lesson Comments
He told me he scored a 5 on the AP Language exam!!!! I'm so happy for him. Two other notes:
1. He has been coughing a lot (very sick)
2. His birthday is tomorrow--but he doesn't want cake.
I thought you'd like to know. :)
We had a thorough discussion on the candidacy of Donald Trump and the ways he compares/contrasts with Andrew Jackson. We discussed many areas, including politics, economics, attitudes toward immigrants and Native Americans, banking and other political topics. These topics were delved into in a thorough manner and we were able to make strong connections with past presidential elections. Next we looked at other current events and investigated another presidential hopeful; Lindsy. Following that we talked about Congress: the problems with Congress, and ways it might be fixed. We briefly watch a C-Span program that addressed that very issue.
Assignment
Be prepared to continue discussion on Howard Zinn's book.
We began with a discussion on current events, focusing on the situation with Cuba. We went over the opening of each embassy and the different attitudes between the two countries. We also discussed the nuclear deal with Iran and debated weather it was a good idea. Next we went over the history of the relationship between the US and Cuba, from the Spanish American War through today.
After this we discussed the current presidential candidates, and their various platforms. We then watched Donald Trump's speech in South Carolina and discussed the various issues brought forth, and Trump's potential for handling them.
Assignment
Compare/contrast Donald Trump's candidacy with that of Andrew Jackson
Today, I introduced Keaton to the narrative essay by showing him a sample student essay, reviewing the basic genre requirements, brainstorming and discussing topics, and deciding audience/purpose/style. After our discussion, he set out to write his narrative essay draft. He completed his first draft. We will edit on Thursday.
Today we began with catching up on Current Events. Much happened over the past few weeks that could be discussed. We talked about Obama's Nuclear agreement with Iran, and the Constitutional issues regarding that. We also discussed the coming presidential elections and the potential candidates in the field. We talked briefly about the candidates and what is required of them to run a successful campaign, compared with the successful campaign strategies through history. We watched a clip from C-Span to get the perspective of some call in citizens. Next we began a lesson on Howard Zinn's book History of America. We had an introductory lesson, watched Matt Damon's tribute to Zinn, and read half of the first chapter. Keaton successfully answered the study questions that go with the chapter so far.
