Sam and I continued our study of the novel. We completed our discussion of chapter one. We used the study guide questions as a springboard for our discussion. We began reading and studying chapter 2. We stopped periodically to discuss the extensive symbolism employed throughout the novel.

Sam was absent during this class.

We did a little bit of circuitry. We talked about resistors connected in series versus parallel and how to calculate equivalent resistance.

We are working through review topics to close out the semester (factoring trinomials and special factoring).

Samantha and I worked on problems which had radical expressions and so the exponent had to be canceled by squaring both sides or by raising both sides to the reciprocal of the original exponent. After simplifying and solving for the variable, we checked all solutions. There was no assignment.

Today, I introduced conversation "El dialogo en vivo" (Text book / pages 52/54). Voice emphasis/ Strategy:Listening- stressing sounds helps you understand sentences with extra emotion. Sam read 10 examples (aloud) of different conversations and then answered questions about them (true/false). Then, Sam took a vocabulary quiz. Also, Sam and I highlighted new words from the dictionary.

We analyzed an electoral college map for the 2010 presidential election and , based thereon, Sam drew conclusions as to which portions of the country voted Republican and which voted Democratic. Sam further observed the relationship between a state's population and the number of electoral votes assigned to each state. Last, we discussed the "winner take all" rule which can result in a candidate winning the popular vote yet losing the election. We will be exploring this phenomenon more closely next session. Sam has agreed to come to school during the Winter Break and ,as such, we will be meeting again on Thursday December 27th from 10 -12. For homework, for that next session, I assigned reading pages 195-198, and pages 205-208 and answering questions 1-3 on page 198 and completing the chapter assessment test on page 213.

I explained to Samantha the conversion of rational exponents to radical expressions which can be simplified. We also rationalized denominators containing binomials with radicals. I also showed her how to solve equations containing radical expressions. There was no assignment.

Today we worked on separating a force vector into its components. Then, we talked about the sum of the forces acting on an object and separating it into its horizontal and vertical directions.

Sam demonstrated impressive proficiency and understanding of the role of Congress in today's two sessions. We reviewed the non -legislative functions of Congress such as impeachment and the ratification of treaties. I outlined the impeachment process and emphasized an additional non legislative function-oversight. Next, Sam outlined in her notes the process whereby a bill becomes a law. We discussed the role of interest groups in advocating for legislation. Even after a law is passed by Congress, Sam recognized a law could be still invalidated if declared unconstitutional by the courts. Likewise , Sam correctly noted the president's veto power could prevent a law passed by Congress from becoming binding. At the end of the session, we did a chapter assessment test in the text on the legislative functions ,and Sam responded correctly to each question. For homework, I assigned as reading pages 188-191 and two critical thinking questions from the text. The reading introduces the next unit, the executive branch.