Given Pierce's enthusiasm for mathematics, I thought he might enjoy learning about pi on "Pi Day."We watched a brief "Brain Pop" video and discussed the derivation of this irregular number. Given the writing prompt, "Write a letter to your favorite teacher," Pierce outlined, wrote and edited a letter to his math teacher, Mr. Grassman.

We worked on organizing our thoughts and specifically addressed the purpose, value and strategy of using transitional phrases to show the relationships between sentences and paragraphs and to make the transitions, when writing, smooth and relevant. Quinn selected one of three prompts about which to write and chose one that allowed him to write about the job he would consider the coolest. He was shown options and asked which he thought was most effective choice to communicate the next thought or idea. He then was tasked with developing a transitional phrase that would improve the efficacy of his writing and relate the transition between his thoughts smoothly. When writing, Quinn requested some assistance to spell words. We were able to review homonyms, as he was challenged with certain spelling (i.e., their/there/they're). The exercise also allowed us to refine and edit our writing while developing and fleshing out our composition, and Quinn was careful to make a concerted effort to write legibly. We made a copy and added it to his binder. Quinn was pleased with his effort and Ms. Judie afforded him well-deserved praise after reading his composition. Quinn was afforded a 5-minute break and then requested that we read another chapter in the novel. We read chapter 24 and Quinn answered correctly when queried about the characters and relationships.

We began the session reviewing and syllabicating Reid's spelling words. After two rounds of Crazy Moose, we co-read "ReStart" by Gordon Korman, pausing to define unfamiliar vocabulary, summarize the plot, and make predications.Reid is motivated to finish the book over spring break.

We began the session reviewing Sasha's school packet and assessing her work for the week. She wrote her spelling words three times and wrote and illustrated a sentence using two of the words. Next, she read an oral reading fluency passage (including many of the spelling words) three times. I was pleased at her improvement in accuracy and fluency with each read. To conclude, Sasha logged into her Razz Kids account; she completed a comprehension test on a text about birds that we read last week and began a new text about karate. She was thrilled to earn 150 points for the completion of the tasks.

We began the session reviewing Reid's school folder. He wrote his spelling words three times while I made his flashcards. We discussed the meaning and pronunciation of each word as he worked. As the words get more complicated, closer attention to syllabication is important. Reid was eager to begin his next book for AR points, "ReStart" by Gordon Korman. We co-read the book for the remainder of session, pausing to define unfamiliar vocabulary, summarize the plot, and make predications. I am thrilled with Reid's growing enthusiasm for reading.

Pierce and Quinn were early; I played a round of Phonics Dice until Dorothy was ready for Quinn. Pierce and I continued to co-read "Who Was Dr. Suess?" Pierce learned about the author's first children's book, "To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street." Although the text seems simple, Dr. Suess often wrote up to 500 drafts per page! Next, we read one of Pierce's favorite Dr. Suess's books, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" and observed the text taught counting, colors, rhyming, and emotions. Pierce and I agreed that the book was really a long poem, with one verse that repeats throughout, "From here to there, funny things are everywhere." With that rhyming couplet as a writing prompt, we brainstormed ideas for a poem. Pierce's ideas included: blue fish, singing annoying music, going into people's houses screaming. From these disparate phrases emerged the beginnings of a poem. We will finish writing and illustrate the poem next session.

Quinn responded to a writing prompt in class today. He was eager to begin work and responsive to directions and suggestions. Quinn was afforded the option of selecting one of three options and chose one about sports. He shared very good ideas and was taught how to elaborate his responses and add comlexity to his writing. He explained how to choose different words to add greater variety and interest in his word choices. Quinn had an excllent idea on how to end his writing with a twist to generate excitement and interest. We had an excellent and productive session.

First, Reid reviewed the syllabication of his spelling words. As his words get more difficult (many with three syllables, often with a schwa), Reid needs to attend to the syllables to accurately spell the words. We played a round of Crazy Moose, first carefully reviewing each syllable type. I taught Reid that in addition to the final stage syllable consonant-le represented in the game, there are many other final syllables such as -sion, -tion, -cian, etc. We then reviewed his ten page test review packet for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Reid has a masterful knowledge of the details of the book and I am confident he will do well on the test. To conclude, we reviewed his spelling words while playing basketball.

I reviewed the iReady summary in Sasha's school folder. Results indicate that Sasha has tested out on phonological awareness, is at a mid first grade level for phonics, and at an early first grade level for vocabulary and comprehension. Specific skills to master were highlighted; I will address these skills in upcoming sessions. Sasha completed the following from her homework packet: writing her spelling words three times, reading a passage with au/aw words, answering short answer questions about the passage, and editing the sentence upon completion. To conclude, we logged on to her school website, "Razz Kids." Sasha read a comprehension passage entitled "Slow and Slower" and answered the comprehension questions with 100% accuracy. She was thrilled to earn 200 points.

We began with a round of Crazy Moose at Reid's request; this game is a good review of syllable types. Next, Reid wrote his spelling words three times (part of his homework). We co-read two chapters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, pausing to summarize and make predictions. I recorded the time in his reading log. To conclude, we practiced his spelling words while playing basketball.