Ben was queried on the imagery Orwell uses and what it is suggestive of. Ben answered that a lot has to do with hope. His answers were logical and demonstrated good integration and synthesis of the material. We finished reading another chapter and are up to Book II/Chapter IV which we will read on Monday. I clarified Ben's homework assignment which was emailed to him and his parents. It is due Tuesday, 3/4.

We began by activating prior knowledge to summarize what we learned in Book II Chapter 2. We noted examples of imagery and personification. As we read on, we agreed that Winston's fantasies, which were violent in nature, indicate how the Party views sexual repression - that it leads to violent desires and the Party uses that thinking to work for it; the Party therefore purposely interferes with the private lives if its citizens through constant surveillance in order to turn their desires into war fever. Ben correctly inferred that since the first moment of their relationship, Winston (the protagonist), and Julia (the dark-haired girl), view their relationship as a political act against the party. I gave Ben a homework assignment -due Tuesday, 3/4; he was given a choice and selected one of four options. Ben assured me he has his book in his bookbag. I will post his assignment on Outlook email and copy his mom and dad, as pre-arranged.

Ben reviewed the themes in Orwell's novel "1984." He mentioned, power and control, and upon reflection, added love and sexuality and individual identity - which summarized the essence of the topics covered exceptionally well. I will be giving Ben a homework assignment on Thursday after we do additional reading in Book II. Ben finished the session making a prediction about how the plot might develop as we continue reading.

Ben reviewed the relationship between him and the dark-haired girl as it left off with them beginning an illicit affair. We discussed the language Orwell uses in the story and the various literary devices used to deepen the plot and create suspense. His responses to queries reflected deep inferential understanding, critical thinking skills, and analysis

We identified several literary devices Orwell used in Book II Chapter II, noting how the analogies, similes, symbolism, irony, foreshadowing and personification used enrich the text and portray the theme of totalitarianism. We agreed that these devices help create multiple layers to the narrative and make the story more engaging.

We began by reviewing Ben's homework. His dad sent it to me yesterday and as i commented back, it was an excellent answer to the question. He added a relevant quote and responded with a thorough analysis and in complete sentences suggesting the reasons the protagonist in the story (Winston) wishes to rent Mr. Charrington's room. I explained to Ben that the content of his answer was exceptional but his HW grade was dropped slightly only because it was late which factors into his overall grade. We picked up today where we left off on Tuesday and discussed the juxtaposition at the end of Book II Chapter 1 before beginning Chapter two. We discussed the images depicted which symbolize the people's power against the power of the government and Winston's body against the poster of Big Brother. We also discussed what the dark-haired girl comments about her activities in the Anti-Sex League and what it suggests about her. Ben was in good spirits throughout the lesson and responsive to queries. He also politely thanked me for his birthday card and consumable gift, saying it was delicious. He is looking forward to getting a 3-D printer later this week.

We reviewed the last pages we read in Orwell's 1984 novel. Ben has very good recall and is interested in the plot developments happening in Book II. Ben was interested in learning what will happen between the protagonist, Winston, and the dark-haired girl. He made predictions and we will continue reading to see if his predictions are as accurate as his last one.

Ben greeted me by stating that he did not have his homework because his parents failed to remind him. He then added that he is too reliant on his parents and needs to remember his responsibilities himself. This was a very promising insightful comment for which Ben was commended. We proceeded to continue reading in Book II and Ben's prediction turned out to be true. The dark-haired girl slipped Winston a note that said "I love you." Ben was elated he called it and we went on to discuss what would ensue between the two characters and the difficulties to further their relationship due to the Telescreens and Big Brother watching every move everyone makes. We enjoyed a lively discussion and Ben read from the book as well; he stated he has difficulty only with New Times Roman font.

Ben apologized but forgot his homework again. We discussed how this is his responsibility and that turning it in late will negatively affect his grade. Ben stated he understood and will definitively bring it in Tuesday. We began Book II and discussed the transitions noted. We discussed the introduction of the girl with the dark hair again and how she referred to him as 'comrade.' Ben commented that it was a pet peeve of his to refer to someone in literary works as 'comrade;' "it should either be in Russian or English." The plot takes an interesting turn at the beginning of Book 2 and Ben made predictions about what was about to unfold. Ben remained engaged in our reading and demonstrated excellent analysis and integration of the book and author's content.

We reviewed vocabulary terms in Chapter 7. Ben used contextual clues effectively to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar terms. He was engaged and sustained attention as we continued to collaboratively read Orwell's 1984 book, and he interjected relevant comments that demonstrated perceptive and insightful analysis of the material and character analyses, respectively.