In grammar, Elle is working to identify direct objects. They are nouns or pronouns or word groups that tell who or what receives the action of the verb. She was having difficulty with this skill because she could not identify the verb. We then reviewed linking and action verbs. She had more success. In reading, Elle re-read portions of "Red Queen" to be able to support or find evidence to answer comprehension questions. She completed a word search to review spelling words.

Elle participated in a vocal exercise that involved mirroring your partner's vocals. She also did improvised movement. Ellse came up with an improvisation based on a stalker.

Elle reviewed the phases of the moon by drawing and labeling them. She was able to illustrate the phases by analyzing them in relation to the positions of the Earth and sun. We then discussed the moon and the role it plays in eclipses and tides. We ended the session by looking at pictures and reading about the moon phases, eclipses and tides.

Today is President Abraham Lincoln's Birthday. We spent some time talking about Lincoln in the White House. The Civil War ends on April 9, 1865 and President Lincoln is assassinated just five days later on April 14, 1865. When he died in a boarding house across the street from Ford's Theater the next morning, Secretary of War, Edmund Stanton said, "Now, he belongs to the ages." President Lincoln was a self-educated lawyer and a simple family man from Illinois. When he and his family first arrived in the White House,they were astonished by its immense size. Lincoln and his wife Mary, had three sons: Robert, Tad and Willie. The U.S. was engaged in the horrific Civil War for the entirety of Lincoln's presidency. This took an immense toll on the President and his efforts and resolve to keep the U.S. a unified nation. Perhaps no other president in U.S. history aged more in four years of office than President Abraham Lincoln. While Lincoln's oldest son was off fighting the war, his younger sons, Tad and Willie became sick with typhoid fever in 1862. While Tad recovered, Willie did not. The President had to find a way to deal with his grief and lead a nation at war. He did this nobly. American history has many great heroes. But no other President had faced such a national crisis, or endured such personal tragedies, yet the President dealt with both with compassion and greatness.

We explored the National Park Service websites for the Lincoln Memorial, Ford's Theater and the Peterson House where President Lincoln was taken and died hours later. Elle was very interested in learning about these three places. She says she has never been to Washington, D.C., but she would like to go one day.

Elle passed her exam today. Next class: continue on Target Market.

Elle read excerpts from "Red Queen." Before reading she predicted what she thought she would learn. We discussed. If her prediction was accurate, how would that effect the story and characters? She then read and summarized. She repeated the process. Elle defined and used spelling words in sentences. In grammar, she differentiated between linking verbs and action verbs.

Today we learned that Black History month falls in February due to the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on 2/12 and Frederick Douglas on 2/14. We focused on learning about Rosa Parks and how a simple act of unplanned courage gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. We then learned about Senator Corey Booker from NJ who has recently announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential race.

design fundamentals. Elle created a couple of art pieces today, during an art session she had. She did a drawing of a dragonfly, with some lily pads, then put this on an aluminum foil background. She then added glitter paint to it. She also did a "tissue paper" background with a diamond shape in the middle, with an added "sparkle" to it.

After reading a brief description of the six phases of the moon, Elle illustrates in a picture the relationship of the Earth, moon, and sun to each other in each of the six phases. Good session...

Today I took Elle to a simple place of Covey online for her to create her own Mission Statement. Last week, using critical thinking and questioning, she came up with a personal motto. This was an extension of pushing for deeper thoughtfulness and insight -- which it did. She answered the questions online (with clarification and some discussion with me) and as a result generated her Mission Statement (that she wrote on the board). One of the questions involved character traits, and she asked what this meant. Her question provided opportunity to introduce the first three of the critical thinking intellectual traits. She learned what "intellectual" means, and how it links to curiosity, perseverance, and fairness. We have these on the board for her to remember to think on during the week. We also isolated her "values" and wrote these on the board.