Grammar Spelling Wordly Wise Literature Reading Comprehension Language Arts
Lesson Outline
Kaitlin forgot her books, and she didn't download the work I sent her, so it was difficult to complete the assignments. I have had the workbook and copies of lessons mailed to her for the rest of the week.
Cam actually had an open-door policy today since he had brought in a reptile to show students.. He had several visiting him that did not get a chance to see his Gargoyle Gecko earlier. He named her Estelle - named in honor of his grandmother who recently passed away. am answered several questions thoroughly and then organized his thoughts outlining the steps he follows when showcasing his lizards to a younger audience, such as the pre-K students.
Cam reviewed the end of 'The Outsiders" movie he finished watching at watched at home, and he compared it to the book. He shared his thoughts on the changes he'd have made typecasting the actors and switching the two main characters - suggestions that were subjective but logical in its rationale. He also shared his favorite part of the book (the ending) and his reasons why. Finally, Cam discussed the movie 'Hamilton' that he watched with a substitute when I was out of town. He offered a good summation and said it was a good review of historical events.
Cam spent the first few minutes of class looking at the baby chicks in the Science lab. He named the smallest blond one "Chicken Little." We then proceeded to class where we reviewed short stories by various authors. Cam read most of the classics assigned to ninth graders, but selected two to finish up the year, "A Lamb to the Slaughter," by Roald Dahl, and "Harrison Bergeron," by Kurt Vonnegut. We discussed the different genres; Cam likes fiction that is action themed. He also continued to work on his final assignment - 5 short answer essay questions on "The Outsiders." We discussed the proper use of commas to help organize thoughts when writing, and reviewed Cam's responses to questions to help explain comma placement.
I recalled that Cam had previously mentioned that he enjoyed Greek mythology, so I obtained, and we read a copy of the "Twelve Labors of Hercules Myth." It details a series of seemingly impossible tasks given to the demigod, Hercules, tasks that were assigned as a punishment for the murder of his wife and children. Some of the tasks involved Hercules to face off against some of the most fearsome creatures in Greek mythology. Although Cam did not seem as interested as I had hoped, he listened as 'the narrator' discussed the different tasks, and he subsequently answered questions based on content, demonstrating good integration of material and recall skills. We summed up the reading and noted that after successfully completing the tasks, Hercules was said to go on the journey to recover the Golden Fleece.
