Reviewed opening two paragraphs to introduce definition cited from Wikipedia followed by paragraph analyzing and clarifying that definition. Reviewed and edited core paragraph describing North Korean government as not accurately described as a communist country. Reviewed and edited core paragraph describing China as a communist country but actually a complex system of government set up to control all levels of society. The complexity of the system making difficult to simply label China a communist country. Put more time and research into discussing Russia as a present day communist country, citing the Encyclopedia Britannica for the history of communism and the "ideals" of communism, followed by a quote from the Soviet Union's Information Bureau which describes the Society Union's description of the "autonomy" and "freedom" each Soviet "republic" has. Followed that citation with a critique of that claim.Reviewed how the paper should end. Added concluding paragraph, title, and proper MLA page one format. Discussed with Vlad whether he wants to go forward with a literature-based English class or a course that focuses on college-level writing strategies and vocabulary lessons. Vlad chose the latter.

Katya and I read the short story. We connected the theme of the short story to the novel THE SCARLET LETTER. We also answered the comprehension activities following the story which involved among other skills that of selecting the best textual evidence to support your answer. We also read the two poems by Blake and Dickinson. We answered the comprehension activities following those poems. We also connected the themes of those poems to that of the novel. Since we are nearing the completion of the novel, we then discussed what her final project will be. We mutually decided on an art project which would also include some textual citations from the novel.

Alexa is absent

Alexa and I finished reading e. lockhart's "we were liars." We reviewed writing strategies for a Reader Response Criticism essay on the novel. We reviewed MLA format for academic essay writing as well as creating an intriguing title and 'hook."

Alexa and I read aloud and practiced close reading with the book she has nearly completed by E. Lockhart, We Were Liars. She did a great job explaining the book up to the point where I am picking it up with her, reviewing the characters, plot, and reasons why certain things occurred. We should finish this on Thursday and discuss the next book. We will also begin utilizing writing techniques for an essay on this book.

Katya continued reading and studying the novel. We finished the one chapter. We answered the accompanying study guide/discussion questions. We continued with the next chapter stopping to discuss the elements of plot and the imagery the author employs.

Katya and I continued our study of the classic novel. We had an excellent discussion on theme today and used textual evidence to support our findings. We continued to read and annotate the book. We stop to discuss and to answer the accompanying study guide/discussion questions.

Worked on Definition Paper, focusing on developing Core paragraphs. Reviewed opening definition of communism taken from Wikipedia. Reviewed follow-up paragraph discussion of that definition. Made the point that Wikipedia's definition is a definition of "pure" communism (communism defined as an ideology). Decided to expand first example of a "communist country": North Korea, developing the argument that North Korea cannot simply be described as "a communist country." Argument: there are other "elements" in North Korea's system of government: dictatorship, social state, and one-party political rule. Went on to develop second example of a so-called "communist country": China. Vlad researched and found BBC World News description of of China's system of government and a graphic depiction of the interlocking agencies under the control of the Communist Party. Taught Vlad the three-part "sandwich": Cite the authority, cite the quote or graph as a block quote, and add a full commentary exploring the block quote. Reviewed and developed the paragraph giving Russia as the third example of a "communist country."This time started with Soviet Union Information Bureau's description of Russia's system of government, but noted how the description uses words like "voluntary," "autonomous" and "autonomy." After that block quote, realized that that block quote needed to be followed by another description from another (contrasting) description. (Vlad given homework to do that research. Separately, Vlad to set up meeting with Marcel to learn how to set up power point with split screen and videos.)

Katya and I finished reading and studying the chapter. We then discussed the plot and answered the accompanying study guide. We then read an informational text article on Puritanism. We applied the information to the novel to help us understand the context of the crime committed in the novel. We also completed some comprehension activities that accompanied the article.

Katya and I continued our study of the novel. We read the next chapter stopping to discuss and annotate. We also answered the accompanying study guide. We also discussed the time period and the Puritan values that commands the story.