Cam asked me to read on this fun Friday. He remembered the page we left on yesterday and was able to identify the story element as falling action. Cam summarized effectively; he recalled that Johnny is in the hospital in critical condition and the rival gangs are getting ready for a rumble. We examined the different characters motivation for the fight, and Ponyboy can only think of one good reason to fight for himself - self-defense. We also noted how the author uses the rumble fight scene as a way for Ponyboy to compare the other greasers to his own gang as his gang never uses weapons and never really hurt anyone as they fight with "skin." Ponyboy realizes that his gang are not hoods, and they don't belong with this group of future convicts. Ponyboy realizes that his older brother has the potential to be successful in life and he aspires to be like him.

We did not have a full session today as Cam's mom picked him up early for an appointment, but Cam requested that I continue to read until he was picked up. We read about the severe injuries Johnny suffered after his heroic actions in the church fire during which he saved several children. Part of the burning ceiling fell on him and broke his back and although he knew he was paralyzed, he did not want to die. We discussed some of the quotes attributed to Johnny and how the main characters evolved over the course of the book. We also discussed some of the themes explored, such as allegiance and loyalty. Cam was surprised that we were on page 124 and I am very pleased he's been increasingly engaged and interested in the book.

Kaitlin discussed the reasons that led up to the Vietnam War in preparation for the poem we will read tomorrow, "the Vietnam Wall," by Alberto Rios. She completed several activities
using her Wordly Wise words and Spelling words in context. She read and discussed the story, "Yoshiko Uchida: Second Class Citizen."

Kaitlin completed several activities using her Spelling and Wordly Wise words in context. She worked in a reading comprehension story, "Snow Bound," focusing on comprehension , critical thinking and vocabulary.

Today, we examined some of the 1960's slang S.E Hinton uses in the novel, and Cam suggested comparable language used today. We also compared The Greasers and Socs, and Cam related the character descriptions to friendships and group pairings at the Batt School. It was a fun and engaging fun Friday class.

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

Cam actually commented that the last chapter was really good. He summarized where we left off and continued reading. Cam made an excellent prediction and we discussed the language techniques S.E. Hinton used and what it implies for the plot's development. Cam was informed of an upcoming assignment and the expectations involved. He will be writing about the character with whom he most resonates and noting the personality qualities which he identifies with most. His attitude and cooperation regarding work and assignments has shown improvement this quarter.

Kaitlin completed her spelling homework in class that she forgot to do. She took her spelling and Wordly Wise tests.

Cam read a chapter about Johnny and Ponyboy hiding in the church. Ponyboy read "Gone with the Wind" out loud to Johnny and they played poker. We examined the character traits that Ponyboy and Johnny admire and discussed the implications regarding their association with the Greasers and their early life. We continued reading another chapter as Cam was interested and interjected questions and comments - at one point using the literary device foreshadowing and making a prediction about events he felt were about to develop. We read a pivotal part in the novel, identified it as the climax and discussed what inferences we could make. Cam identified with the character of Ponyboy and explained his reasoning. His comment "this is actually a really good book" filled me with gratification and simply made my day

We discussed the rising action in a plot - the sequence of events where the conflict intensifies and moves towards the climax. After summarizing plot developments, we identified the first event that set the rising action into motion as when Darry and Ponyboy argued over Ponyboy breaking his curfew. In the argument, Darry hits Ponyboy and he runs away. We agreed that this was the first event that set the rising action into motion. It seems we are at that point in the novel when we are approaching the climax - the point at which the conflict cannot get any worse and must begin moving towards resolution. For the last few minutes of class this fun Friday, we went outside and played a quick volley of badminton.