I checked Natalie's homework and found it to be mostly correct. I then gave her a short lecture on changing decimals and fractions to percents and gave her an independent assignment of six problems including some decimals greater than one and some fractions. She worked on them and I checked them. She was mostly successful and I assigned a short homework for reinforcement.

We have moved into the 20th century in our chronological study of prominent British authors. Natalie took her weekly quiz, and analyzed a small passage. The remaining time was given to first read/study of Tom Sawyer. She is completing an essay with the theme of justice for To Kill a Mockingbird. She is also studying fundamentals of college writing for a test in the next couple of weeks.

I explained to Natalie how to change percents to fractions or mixed numbers by dividing the percent by 100 and simplifying the fraction formed. She performed six problems independently and most were correct.I gave her five problems as an assignment to reinforce this skill.

As the first draft of Natalie's lengthy essay on the abandonment of the gold standard is due next week, today Natalie brought to class as her homework the first two paragraphs so that we could review her approach and discuss any suggestions. The first paragraphs followed the outline we previously prepared , and I let Natalie know her approach to the subject was good. We made and discussed a few language modifications for structure and clarity. I then distributed a study guide for "Anthem" and advised Natalie that after she finishes reading the book she will write a critique analyzing the validity of Ayn Rand's economic assumption i.e. that society as a whole only benefits from individual greed and self interest and that any government program with the goal of promoting the general welfare of the citizens will lead to the destruction of freedom and progress. Natalie began reading the introduction , and we discussed the narrator's point of view as well as the narrator's referring to himself as "we",not "I.". For homework due Tuesday, I assigned reading the introduction , chapter 1,and answering certain questions on ch. 1 from the study guide. The first draft of the lengthy essay is due Thursday.

Natalie has finished her book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and is working on her essay. She asked to read Huckleberry Finn. I showed her the book and explained the dialects. She began to read and then decided to read Tom Sawyer first -- a good idea that she came to herself. I supplied ten pages from college composition one with basic strategies for writing introductory and concluding paragraphs, as well as clear instructions on body paragraphs and what constitutes evidence. She will prepare for a test on this material in the next week or two. She also has it to refer to in writing her remaining essays in all classes here.

I told Natalie that we would be reviewing fractions, decimals, and percents and converting between different expressions. I assigned some problems for her to do independently in conversions and left her room to wait in the teachers' room. When she signaled me that she was finished, I checked her work but she was not correct for most problems. There was not enough time left to re-explain the procedure she needed to follow, so I didn't assign any homework.

Natalie examined a pie chart illustrating government bond purchases by both foreign and domestic sources ,and we reviewed how the deficit has swelled during times that taxes are decreased. On the whiteboard, I charted two scenarios : one where taxes are at current levels and one hypothetical scenario where taxes are lowered. We then examined the theory of "trickle down " economics ,specifically whether decreased taxes can offset deficits created by the tax cut. Natalie then completed reading the text chapter on fiscal policy and completed the study guide on the use of fiscal policy in the 1930s to address the Great Depression and the impact of automatic stabilizers such as the progressive tax and unemployment insurance. We discussed how these stabilizers function. For homework, Natalie is to bring in at least the first two paragraphs of her long essay on the history of money and the abandonment of the gold standard. We will begin reading Ayn Rand's novel, "Anthem" tomorrow.

I demonstrated how to solve proportions for Natalie and also how to decide whether two fractions formed a proportion. I then gave her six problems to work on independently. After she finished, I checked her work and found that she had done every problem perfectly. I then showed her one example of how proportions can be used in daily life. I gave her a homework assignment to reinforce her skills.

Natalie scored a perfect 100% on her take home quiz on financing the government. I placed on the whiteboard and defined the terms "monetary policy" and "fiscal policy", and discussed how Natalie could incorporate in her lengthy essay the effectiveness of the Fed's monetary policy in the absence of the gold standard. Natalie then commenced her reading on fiscal policy and answered a number of questions on the study guide about "surplus" and "deficit " in federal spending. We last examined some bar graphs illustrating the relationship between the federal deficit and the federal debt. For homework, I assigned reading pages 598-600 and answering questions 4 &5 on the study guide. Natalie's first draft of the essay is due May 2nd.

Natalie prepared a character analysis outline for Atticus Finch and Jem. She listed adjectives describing each character and referenced some examples from the book supporting her characterizations. She even included two illustrations she drew!! I mentioned that a salient characteristic of Atticus is that he is not judgmental. Natalie was able to cite textual support for this characteristic and recalled Atticus' statements that one should always try to put oneself in the other person's shoes before judging him.