There was a bit of a challenge connecting with Elle at the start of first period this morning. After Elyse made a call, Elle responded to my Skype attempts. We started about 20 minutes late, but used the remaining time to focus on some current events.

Elle read "Red Queen." It has been a while since reading so we reviewed. She made a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the two princes, Cal and Maven. She analyzed the characters' traits. She wrote a sloppy copy essay including topic sentences and supporting details from the story.

Elle worked on an improv that had her playing the role of a vlogger and me the part of an obsessed fan. We then worked on stage makeup.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg returned to work yesterday! So today's lesson focused on the U.S. Supreme Court. I explained to Elle that there are nine Supreme Court Justices, appointed to the court by a serving U.S. President. I explained that it is encouraging that the Supreme Court has become more diverse over the centuries. There is a wider age range of Justices than in past years. There are also three women, an African American, a Latina and a representation of several religious backgrounds among the nine Justices. After viewing a list of the Justices' names, I told Elle to choose any one of the nine she would like to learn about today. Instead, Elle chose to research the salaries Supreme Court Justices earn. Eight of the Justices earn around $250K and the Chief Justice earns around $280K annually. Elle commented that these are upper middle class salaries. Elle then researched the President's annual salary which is about 400K. We were surprised that the President, who is in office from 4 - 8 years and does not need the level of education required of a Supreme Court Justice, earns a considerably higher salary than a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Was absent from Skype

Student absent

Elle previewed the short story "The Necklace." She made predictions and proposed questions. I gave her guided reading questions focusing on character traits of Mr. and Mrs. Loisel. After reading, we revisited her predictions and questions.

In this session, Elle again used formulas of slope, slope intercept, and point slope to determine linear functions. She also graphed linear functions using slope intercept form.

Lesson content focused on: 39 states experiencing severe winter weather. 200 million people are affected. President Trump is creating a "Space Force." Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is back on the bench! Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld - the Creative Designer for Chanel and Fendi died earlier today. This event was of great interest to Elle.

Elle and I skyped today. She demonstrated, with slime, a solar and lunar eclipse. She was also able to show high and low tides with regard to the positions of the Earth and moon.