Discussion and examples of proper grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and classics...

Discussion and assessment of essay writing, including thesis statement, topic and transitional sentences, introductions, and conclusions.

Today we discussed career goals and the things that interest Ayden.

I returned a number of Olivia 's test essays as a foundation for a writing instruction session as Olivia indicated she wanted to improve her writing skills . We looked at ways to combine sentences, and to eliminate superfluous words or phrases. Again, I emphasized the importance of avoiding run-ons and fragments as well the importance of spending time on revisions. We last discussed word choice alternatives and using stronger more active verbs to capture Olivia's ideas which are very perceptive. For homework, Olivia is to complete her take home essay on "A Doll's House" and read the next two chapters of Huck Finn.

Per Katya's request ,she used this period as a study hall. I suggested some additional reading in the novel and distributed a grammar exercise in the event she was interested in using the period for English work.

As an introduction to the style and satire of Mark Twain, we last session read Twain's humorous essay,"Advice to Youth". Today, Katya examined the text and identified areas of satire and the techniques used by Twain to humorously criticize accepted social conventions such as getting up early, always telling the truth, and always obeying one's parents. With respect to telling the truth, we then turned to first paragraph of the novel ,"Huck Finn" where Huck, as narrator, tells the reader that most of what was written in the earlier novel,"Tom Sawyer" was true except for a few lies which Huck explains is acceptable as a trait of human nature. We then discussed when an " untruth was a lie" and the difference between not telling the truth to protect oneself and not telling the truth to protect another. This led to an examination of all fiction- itself an untruth by definition- as a paradoxical means of instilling a greater truth to the reader. Katya participated in class discussion about how art, like fiction, distorts reality ,to show people something new or to emotionally impact the viewer. She exhibited a strong understanding of how conventional values-which Twain disdains- can become less fixed upon close examination . Last, we reviewed Katya's answers to the comprehension exercise that accompanied the essay .Katya's work showed a strong understanding of the essay. For homework ,I assigned reading the first 3 chapters of the novel.

Katya was absent today.

As we will begin reading Twain's "Huck Finn" next week, today, as an introduction, I provided instruction on Twain's life, satire and humor in Twain's writing , the three forms of irony and the use of verbal irony in satire. Katya took notes on these topics. I then distributed a humorous essay by Twain entitled "Advice to Youth" which Katya read. I pointed out Twain's satiric style and use of irony and hyperbole . Last, I distributed a question sheet on the essay which we reviewed and which Katya started. For homework due Monday, I assigned completing the questions we did not complete in class.

In order to make sure I did not duplicate any prior study, Katya and I first catalogued the books and plays she previously studied. After examining Katya's literary preferences, we decided that we would first study " Huck Finn" by Twain, followed by JD Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye", and last ,Nora Hurston's novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (which I explained was not a religious book or about religion ).I then outlined on the board American literary movements from the Romanticism of Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter" to Twain and into the early 20th Century. I explained the significance of Mark Twain to American literature and why some scholars consider "Huck Finn" the Great American Novel. I noted the characteristics of the Romantic novels of the first half of the 19th Century and how Twain, while occassinsaly indulging in imaginative plots and descriptions , marks the beginning of the American novel depicting real people speaking in local dialects living in realistic ,not aristocratic , settings.

I introduced Alexa to the playwright, Henrik Ibsen, and we then discussed method acting as instructed by Stanislavski . Alexa viewed a brief video on method acting and its application in drama and in making presentations . Shifting the subject to art and poetry, we then read and reviewed William Blake's poem,"Tyger" as well as Blake's accompanying lithograph that is intertwined with the text of the poem. We discussed how the artwork added a dimension and meaning to the poem that is not at all obvious from the text itself.