We reviewed Nicholas's math work that he brought home from the Jerry Thomas School he attends, as tomorrow is the last day of school. We looked over the questions he got incorrect and Nicholas re-worked them and understood how to obtain the correct answers when we went over them. The work included addition and subtraction facts, time telling, greater and less than problems (> and <), and measurement questions. It appears that Nicholas obtained an overall average of between 75 - 80% correct on 8 of the tests he brought home. Nicholas was proud of his work and the gains he made over the year. He finished up by playing some fun games on the computer, and enjoyed an app called "cool math" which he plays at school on occasion. The last few minutes were spent outdoors enjoying the playground with a friend he made at Batt and listening to her poetry reading.

Nicholas read Deb and Ross on the Job and Help!
I read Danny's turtle book to Nicholas.
I read Make Way for Ducklings and John Philip Duck to Nicholas.

Nicholas read At Lunch,The Gum, and The Lost Dog.
We read No, David!, Yo! Yes?, We Are in a Book, and Waiting Is Not Easy together.

We reviewed the basic application, skills, and concepts as pertained to two and three-dimensional shapes. Nicholas did not have any math homework worksheets, so I copied some chapter review and test prep pages out of his Go Math workbook and encouraged Nicholas to look closely to discern a pattern, structure, or defining attribute characterizing particular shapes (Florida Common Core: MAFS.K12.MP.7.1) He appears to have a good grasp of the material and completed the questions independently. We then worked on a poster he needed to complete for school. Nicholas approached this assignment creatively and imaginatively, asking for help only to spell out certain words, but I had him attempt to sound out the words first. I noted he inverted the number three, but he was able to correct the number himself once this was pointed out to him.

I read The Grouchy Ladybug and Hooper Humpernick.
Nicholas read Peg and Ted and 10 Cut Ups.
We read Marvin K. Mooney, At Lunch, and We Are in a Book together.

Nicholas read Hank's Fish Tank and The Pet Hen.
I read in the Tall, Tall Grass and Beetle Bop.
Together we read Waiting Is Not Easy and We Are in a Book.

Nicholas read A Whiz Kid,The Lost Ring, At Lunch, and The Fish Wish.
I read Marvin K. Mooney, Hooper Humperdink, Because a Little Bug Went Kachoo, and The Shape of Me.

We worked on Nicholas's math homework out of his Go Math workbook. He has been working on recognizing and identifying 2 and 3 dimensional shapes, so we began by reviewing and distinguishing the defining attributes of shapes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size). We then applied our knowledge to examples from his homework. I had Nicholas pointing out shapes that resembled common objects in the real world (e.g., a cone and an ice cream cone). Nicholas demonstrated good understanding of the work, and we concluded the session building and drawing shapes and highlighted their defining attributes.

Nicholas read The Gum, The Lost Dog, The Pig and the Ant, and Dash on the Path.
I read Peanut Butter and Jelly, The Milk Makers, I Know an Old Lady, Ten Apples Up On Top, In a People House, and Old Hat New Hat to Nicholas.

Nicholas was eager to begin our session this afternoon. We began by building with Lego blocks, and Nicholas created a scenario which stimulated imaginative story-telling skills. While engaged with me in cooperative play, Nicholas started by using Lego horses on the base board and suggested we build a stable, assigning me particular responsibilities and issuing imaginative directives. He was very creative in his suggestions and use of the assortment of configured blocks. Next, we used costumes and props to further stimulate imaginative play, encourage problem-solving skills, and make connections between play and daily life. We created make-believe scenarios which facilitated Nicholas’s ability to problem solve, use logical reasoning, and take another's perspective. Nicholas put on a superhero costume with wings and allowed his imagination to soar as he slayed villains and protected the people in his charge. It was a fun session!