Katya and I were to continue our pre-writing for her essay.

Vlad was not fully prepared. He did not have a completed outline for his paper on the "classification" mafia. So, we went step by step. Instead of trying to tackle various mafia groups (Italian mafia, American mafia, Japanese mafia, Russian mafia), we said tackling too much is counterproductive. Decide: focus on Russian mafia. Doing research on the Web led to several lessons: some sources on the Web are no authorities; paper needs structure; research takes time; Vlad needs to start gathering quotes from reliable sources; quotes and graphs need to be organized so they create an argument; Vlad needs to design a draft of his introductory paragraph and start a list of concluding statements; Vlad needs to always use "The Sandwich" to cite the source of a quote, set up the block quote, and do a full job of exploring and analyzing the block quote. Ended with vocabulary unit 11.

We discussed the chapters that Katya had read for homework. We also discussed the questions that she had answered. We finished reading the novel. We discussed the ending of the book. We then discussed what the final assessment would be for the novel. We agreed that Katya would write a literary analysis. I presented 20 possible paper topics. Katya narrowed the choices to one that she liked. We talked about how she would approach the topic. She will compose a thesis and an introduction for homework.

Alexa watched a short video on the Bronte sisters followed by a quiz and discussion to show her understanding of the main facts of their life. She has full credit. Her new book, the novel "The Dead Girl's Detective Agency," arrived at lunch in time for her second session. Alexa should read chapters three to six over the weekend. We watched a five minute film of part two in Season one to compare to the book and evaluate the presentation.

Alexa listened to two short videos on Jane Austin and Pride and Prejudice. She took two quizzes and then we had discussion. We also watched and discussed the "Jane Austin Book Club" trailer. The second part of class was given to close reading of The Law of Attraction with questions and answers, and to a short documentary of Mr. Emoko's scientific water experiments that illustrate the power of thought and intent on the molecular structure of water. Discussion included possible effects that may have on health since a great percent of the human body is water.

Alexa brought a very interesting book that provoked a great deal of deep thinking and discussion today. It is entitled, "The Law of Attraction," and is one of the best of this type of writing. She read aloud and posed inquiries and responded to my Socratic questioning. We will continue with this book until the next one that is ordered arrives. In the next class we will begin the 12th grade curriculum I saved into a classroom online for Alexa. She can work with this on her computer or even cell phone. This curriculum will include excerpts from the books included in both the American and English "canons" of famous authors and titles. It also includes reading and writing skills equivalent to pre-college composition 1.

Katya and I were to continue our study of the novel.

Introduced the next strategy paper: The Division and Classification Paper, also known as the Parts and Whole Paper. Discussed the concept of parts and whole using the exam of a soccer team: Its members, their titles, their roles, the rules, and the strategies. Went over handouts. Started a conversation on the topic of Mafia, interested Vlad because of his likely interest in the Russian mafia. talked about the "members" of a mafia group; their names and titles and functions and possible rules to be followed by members of the mafia. Vlad immediately went on the Web, researching mafias in history and today. Found an article on the world's top five mafia bosses. Wondered if all the mafias of the world were run the same way and structured the same. Vlad interested in Italian Mafia, American Mafia, Japanese Mafia, and Russian Mafia. Vlad found a map of North America showing cities in the U.S. with Mafia connections. Reviewed for Vlad how that slide could be presented as the "quote" in the three-part "Sandwich": 1. Cite the source, 2. quote the source, 3. discussion/explore/analyze/debate the quote. Discussed how the paper could be organized and developed. Vlad on Monday to submit to me a full outline for the paper based on our discussion and his further research. Vlad brought up another division-classification possible discussion: a mafia could be made up of gangs. I added an inquiry: Why are there mafias? What gives birth to a mafia?

As Olivia completed reading the play, we today discussed in detail the parallel relationships of Nora/Torvald and Mrs. Linde/Krogstad who act as dramatic foils. We noted how Mrs. Linde is happy in a relationship simply if she is needed.But Nora needs more. She needs to self-actualize. We examined certain speeches in the play where Nora proclaims her duties to herself are more important to her than her family obligations ;hence, she feels obligated to leave her husband and children rather than obligated to stay in a stale marriage. We further discussed the role of reputation in the play , noting how the men in the play are obsessed with how others perceive them. As Olivia has an interest in family counseling , I posed the question of how as a counselor she might have advised Torvald, the husband , to respond to his discovery that his wife forged loan papers in order to obtain the funds that she used to pay for the trip to Italy that Torvald needed to take for health reasons. Olivia noted that to preserve the marriage Torvald should have focused on Nora's good intentions ,not the perceived impact on his reputation.

Katya and I continued our study of the novel. We read aloud stopping to discuss the text. We also completed the close reading activities that accompany each chapter. We are finding the best textual evidence to support her artistic interpretation of the book.