Luke worked on a customized word search ( www.puzzle-maker.com ), spelling each word: Charlie, Luke, Ben, Pokemon, Monopoly, Pickleball, Tiger, bunnies. We discussed and had a mini lesson on the consonant digraph of -ch.

This afternoon, Quinn worked on a reading task after we got settled in class. Quinn remembered the chapter we were on (chapter 26) and was happy to read along with me using a clear ruler to hold his place. He grew very excited to pass page 100.

We accomplished a few different academic tasks today. First, we continued reading the soccer article which we began last session, and we concluded the section on the evolution of the rubber soccer ball. Austin remembered details from our previous readings and made excellent connections between previous and newly acquired information. We then read an article about Sally Ride; however, before he began reading, we previewed three vocabulary words in the article: (dedication, inspire, and shuttle). Austin assessed his knowledge candidly and checked the boxes to show how well he knew each word. After he finished the article, he checked the boxes and indicated that he better understood the term "dedication" after reading the article. He also completed a "Word Builder" task, and drew lines connecting syllables to show how they built each of the words. Austin answered all the multiple choice questions correctly and achieved 2.5 out of 3 of the open-ended questions correctly. He was encouraged to elaborate in his responses and include the proper noun before using its pronoun. He demonstrated very good grammar and applied the rules of syntax correctly. Austin was reminded to re-read one of the questions as he answered correctly but incompletely; we reviewed alternative answers which more thoroughly answered the question asked. We concluded the session by finishing Chapter 18 in our novel and Austin demonstrated excellent recall of the characters and the phrase used in the 'leit motif' literary technique we learned. Ms. Judie stopped by and commented how Austin clearly displays executive functioning - or higher-order thinking in his responses. Executive function is a set of thinking skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. Austin was permitted to choose how he would like to decorate the room we use for tutoring and picked out a poster of Frank Lampard, a soccer player he admires. We will look into finding it and Austin is excited about this. He is also excited to be sharing cake tonight to celebrate his dad's birthday.

Quinn expressed that he was not happy to return to school but was looking forward to coming here to the Batt School. He shared his experiences over the Winter break and his favorite presents. Quinn requested a song about soccer as we were reading an article about soccer. It was called Wavin' Flag - sung by the artist, K'naan. Quinn sang along with it and he was motivated to work. We collaboratively read two chapters in the novel and Quinn demonstrated excellent recall of details and characters. He raised questions about the characters change in personality and suggested reasons why it happened. Quinn made excellent connections between cause and effect as pertained to the character's interpersonal relationships. I also gave Quinn copy of a student's comic book as he expressed interest in reading one. We noted and circled some words that were spelled incorrectly. We also read a passage about earthworms. Quinn answered questions correctly and his answers reflected higher-order critical thinking skills. We had a productive session.

Pierce was very interested in math today and immediately went to the board to practice. three-digit addition, subtraction, and multiplication. To lean into this interest, I found a book about Isaac Newton from the "Who Was..." series. We co-read several chapters, pausing to practice reading comprehension strategies and learn unfamiliar vocabulary. In between chapters, I put math problems on the board for Pierce to complete.

First, Sasha sequenced the alphabet, identified the vowels, and built closed, open, and consonant-e syllable types. Next, we moved on to the work that she had for school. She copied her list of ten spelling words, picked two to use in a sentence, and illustrated the sentence. We made flashcards for each word and sorted the cards (consonant-le vs consonant-e words). We went outside to practice spelling the words while tossing a ball. To conclude, we read a fluency passage with consonant-le words (three times to ensure mastery and practice fluency.)

I was happy to visit with Reid after Christmas and hear about his trip to Cuba. We began with a "Daily Reading Ready" activity. Reid read a short passage and answered comprehension questions. We reviewed the prefix "un," and Reid brainstormed example words. He defined the word "fortunate" from context clues. We discussed the definition of synonyms and Ried identified synonyms for the word scared (nervous, terrified). Next, Reid chose a book from the Batt School library (Junie B. Jones Lunch Boss). We co-read two chapters and entered this into his reading log.

Reid was excited for Christmas break. He did not have any work to prepare for school. We chose several holiday books from the library. We practiced reading comprehension strategies, reviewed unfamiliar vocabulary, and summarized the stories. We played several holiday Mad Libs to check parts of speech. To conclude, we played several rounds of Crazy Moose to review syllable types.

Austin was animated and excited to share that he received a Nebula hand projector for Christmas. He was also excited to receive a cool holiday gift from Ms. Judie, a '16 million color super bright rechargeable flying disc,' which one throws as a Frisbee. We had fun giving it a trial run before starting our lesson. This afternoon, Austin was given a writing prompt as a beginning exercise. He was asked to write a 3 paragraph composition responding to the prompt asking him whether the winter break met or exceeded expectations. Austin is not hesitant to request clarification if he is unsure of terminology or expectations. After I explained the exercise, Austin got right to work and began writing in cursive. He brainstormed his thoughts but combined them all in one paragraph. Once reminded of the directions (a 3-paragraph composition), Austin was receptive to following my explanation on how to break his writing down to organize his thoughts into a more carefully organized and coherent paragraph. We reviewed the topic sentence structure, transition phrases, and how to develop his essay into a logical order, using varied vocabulary and following the rules of grammar and syntax. Austin remembered to add proper punctuation marks in his writing. We then moved onto synthesizing an article about the history of Soccer, as I know it is his favorite sport. Austin remained engaged as we collaboratively read the article, and he recognized and identified a player in one of the illustrations. We worked on defining words based on context clues and noted how the article was organized and structured. Furthermore, we analyzed the reasoning behind the placement of topics and noted the introduction and development of concepts and the use of literary devices to illustrate points through imagery and figurative language. Vocabulary terms included: secretions, demeanor, escapades, brethren, sphere (which he knew and was able to offer additional synonyms to explain it), and migration. Austin delivered an excellent animated example of migration as he pretended to flap his wings and fly away. He demonstrates good analytical skills and higher-level thinking. I was impressed to note that he observed how the article seamlessly transitioned from explaining the development of a rubber sphere that is thrown or bounced to an actual sport once people noted it could be kicked. Austin is able to explain concepts well and absorbs information functionally. He is an active, inquisitive, and receptive learner who responds well to cognitive challenges.

Objective: Richard will learn and/ or review pickleball terms and definitions. The terms are: Carry, Cross-court, Dead Ball, Dink Shot, Double Bounce, Double Hit, Drop Shot, Drop Shot Volley, Fault, First Serve, Groundstroke, Half Volley, Hinder, Let, Line Calls, Lob, Non-Volley Zone ("The Kitchen"), Second Serve, Overhead Slam / Smash, Passing Shot, Passing Shot, Rally, Replays, Service Court, Side Out , Volley.