Today I started a new novel with Ayden, Dracula by Bram Stoker. My goal was to introduce a new genre, the Gothic novel. I began by explaining the concept of the Gothic novel. Dracula is set in Transylvania, in Eastern Europe. Ayden was unfamiliar with this part of the world, so we looked up the Danube River and the surrounding area. Finally, we co-read chapter one. Unfortunately, the subject matter and the archaic language did not resonate with Ayden. Upon discussion, he admitted that he dislikes horror stories or anything scary. I reassured him that I would not "make" him read a book that he actively disliked. There are too many good books in the world! We spent the remainder of the session discussing books that he had enjoyed and disliked in the past. My goal is to find an appropriate book for the next session.

Ayden and I watched the final movie of The Hobbit, "The Battle of the Five Armies." It was excellent.

Ayden and I spent the entire session writing and editing a five-paragraph essay about The Hobbit. I am pleased with Ayden's effort and the resulting paper.

Ayden and I co-read the last three chapters of The Hobbit. It is such a wonderful story, and I enjoyed sharing it with Ayden.

While reading the novel, Ayden and I created a five-paragraph essay outline. The prompt is as follows: Describe turning points in Bilbo's journey. How did the turning points change Bilbo? Today, we began the process of using the outline to write the essay. Ayden struggles to put his thoughts on paper, but with strategic prompting, he could brainstorm ideas for each paragraph. I encouraged him to expand his thoughts and to stick to the topic of each paragraph. Tomorrow we will edit his work and add quotations from the text.

Ayden and I co-read Chapter 17 of The Hobbit, pausing in the middle of the session to watch the Mars Rover land (which was quite inspiring.). We will finish the novel on Monday.

Ayden and I co-read two chapters of The Hobbit, frequently pausing to parse the antiquated language. Good work today, Ayden!

Ayden and I co-read chapter 14 of The Hobbit. Ayden made insightful predictions as we read. I am very pleased with his engagement.

Ayden and I co-read Chapter 13 of The Hobbit. Ayden remains engaged and curious about the story. He remarked more than once that "the book is better than the movie" and citing his reasoning. I am thrilled that he is enjoying the book; the text is not accessible, yet he is doing well.

Ayden and I finished watching The Desolation of Smaug. His friend, Noah, joined us online. Ayden summarized the story first, as Noah was not with us yesterday. I was pleased with Ayden's cogent summary. After the movie, we discussed the differences between the film and the book.