Cam brought in a Gargoyle Gecko this morning and discussed its habits, locale/habitat, feeding, and behaviors before getting started with classwork. Cam named it Estelle, after his great grandma who recently passed away; he acquired the gecko on the day she passed last week and honored it with her name. Cam will be showing it to the PreK students either later today or tomorrow. I showed Cam the assignment on 'The Outsiders' novel and he stated he understood expectations. We then read the photos, letters, and testimonials of the actors in the movie which was included in the anniversary edition of the book we read. We reviewed the material from the publisher's archives, photos from the author's personal collection, and messages from the cast of the film. Cam was not too surprised to learn S.E. Hinton was a female and 16 when she wrote the book - a fact which has surprised many first-time readers, but Cam was surprised at her tiny, youthful appearance - as she was 16 when she wrote the novel. The reason she wrote under the initials, S.E. Hinton was that she didn't want to lose male readers not wanting to read a book by a female. We read an article from the Tulsa Daily World newspaper that was written about Susan Hinton and we were both fascinated to learn that she flunked a course in creative writing in school and that she couldn't spell her middle name (Eloise). Cam made a connection to this fact noting that Michael Jordan didn't make his varsity basketball team in high school and is now considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. We will try to get a copy of the movie version to watch in class tomorrow.

Kaitlin reviewed and discussed her new Spelling and Wordly Wise words, and completed several activities pertaining to these words demonstrating her knowledge and understanding of how these words are used in context.

We finished reading 'The Outsiders,' and Cam stated it was "the best book I ever read!" He described it as entertaining - found it riveting and suspenseful, commenting that there was not a lot of empty fillers in it that other books contain. Cam asked questions and made predictions as we read the last chapter in the book. His comments indicated he understood the author's intent in coming full circle at the end. I interviewed Cam, impromptu, and suggested some essay topics he should consider to fulfill a writing assignment. Cam was amenable to the options suggested. It was a rewarding and productive class and read in which Cam's interest remained engaged and piqued. He is looking forward to watching the movie version next week.

Nico completed his interactive calendar, read and discussed his vocabulary words, explored light energy, sound energy, and electricity.

Kaitlin completed a reading of Abrahm Lincoln's, Gettysburg Address," exploring, analyzing, and explaining the elements that he used in his speech to make it the historically compelling and moving motivational speech he intended it to be.

Cam asked me to read as soon I entered his class. He is really very interested in the book and I am elated! We are planning to see the movie version when we finish the novel later this week. We continued reading and were both confounded by the turn of events involving the protagonist, Ponyboy. We were surprised to learn that he is now claiming to have killed the Soc member, Bob - not Johnny, and Cam came up with possible reasons and scenarios to explain the strange contradiction in his belief. We also discussed the change in the character's dynamics that have evolved between Ponyboy and the the Socs, and how we know the story is approaching resolution.

Kaitlin worked on several activities pertaining to her new spelling and Wordly Wise Words. She read and discussed Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Kaitlin took her Spelling and Wordly Wise Tests.

We discussed the language used by SE Hinton that typified the 60's in this realistic fiction novel. The characters call fights "rumbles" and guns "heaters", and people listen to the Beatles and Elvis Presley. We discussed how the novel transcends location despite its location in a specific time and place. We also discussed that with only a few changes, the novel can transcend time and apply to current times. We finished chapter 9 and began reading chapter ten today. Cam sustained interest and responded to queries with accuracy and insight.

Kaitlin reviewed her Spelling and Wordly Wise words in preparation for taking her test on Monday. She completed answering written questions over the story, "Second Class Citizen." She read and discussed the poem, "The Vietnam Wall," by Rios. She explored the metaphors and similes the author used in the poem, and discussed the feelings that the poet used to convey his emotions when he saw the monument.