Four days after Gen. Lee surrendered, President & Mrs. Lincoln attended a play at Ford's Theater on April 14, 1865. While watching the play, President Lincoln was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln's assassination was planned to be simultaneous with the assassination of the Vice-President, Andrew Johnson, and the Secretary of State, William Seward. Booth and his co-conspirators felt that killing the president and his two successors would leave the nation in turmoil, which would leave the Union without leadership and give the advantage to the Confederacy. Booth assigned George Azterodt to kill Vice President Johnson, but lost his nerve and did not carry through his part of the plan. Lewis Powell was assigned by Booth to kill Secretary Seward, and did injure Seward, his son, and his body guard, but they all recovered. At approximately 10:15 p.m., a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth, entered the president's private viewing box. He shot Lincoln in the back of his head then stabbed the soldier that was attending with Lincoln and jumped from the viewing box to the stage. He broke his leg in the fall but was still able to escape and leave Washington D.C. by horseback. A doctor, Charles Leale, who was also watching the play at the Ford Theater, ran to Lincoln's aid when he heard the commotion. Leale felt that Lincoln's injuries were too severe to make it the six blocks back to the White House, so he had Union soldiers carry Lincoln to a ground floor bedroom of a Petersen boarding house across the street. At the boardinghouse is was determined that Lincoln's injuries were fatal & he would not live through the night. It was reported that Lincoln never gained consciousness after the fatal shot at the theater. Lincoln's wife, Mary, was emotionally exhausted, grief-stricken, and in shock. Lincoln spent the night surrounded by his wife, his son, and 13 Government officials. President Abraham Lincoln sadly passed away at 7:22 the next morning, April 15, he was only 56 years old at his death. Booth was able to escape Washington D.C. unnoticed and he hid out for several days along a planned escape route. Union soldiers finally found, captured, and killed John Wilkes Booth on April 26, 1865. John Wilkes Booth worked with four people to carry out the assassination plan. They were Dave Herold, George Azterodt, Lewis Powell, and Mary Surratt. Booth's accomplices were arrested and later hung for their association with Booth. Mary Surratt was the first woman hung for a federal crime.

1. Close reading of informational text
2. Creating an outline, line by line, utilizing no more than 3 key words and unlimited pictures, abbreviations, and numbers

During today's class, we continued working on the review of Chapter 1.

Today's session focused on the innate purpose of the sled dog team . Jaydn considered why the weak and dying Dave insists on being hitched to the harness even though he is in pain. We discussed how London does not view the toil of the sled dogs as cruel ,but, to the contrary, sees their longing to "toil in the traces" as an innate and natural desire that gives them a purpose for living. We noted how London suggests that in society many people are alienated from their work and feel purposeless .Jaydn commented on why some jobs do not provide personal satisfaction. Last,Jaydn completed the chapter 4 study guide questions along with a quote analysis based on today's class discussion. I provided grammar suggestions where appropriate and assisted in formulating the quote analysis where needed. We concluded our last session before the break by discussing Jaydn's preparing some graphic computer generated art work based on a scene from the novel.

During today's Geometry class, we started working on the review of the chapter. We started reviewing some of the basic definitions.

During today's Chemistry class, we continued working on the review of Chapter 4.

After capturing Atlanta in September 1864, Major General William Sherman marched his army from Atlanta to Savannah Georgia. Sherman had two reasons for his March to the Sea. Savannah was a warehouse city for the Confederacy, goods for export and significant stores of ammunition. Sherman's army terrorized many civilians they encountered in the Georgia countryside. Sherman wanted to demonstrate to Confederate citizens that their government could not protect them. The result was a path of devastation and destruction as the army passed through.
At the beginning of the March to the Sea, Sherman's army captured Atlanta and burned it to the ground. Sherman's army bypassed most cities on the march. Sherman's army left Atlanta on November 15, 1864 and accepted the surrender of Savannah on December 21, 1864. The March to the Sea lasted 37 days. This was total warfare that had a huge impact on bringing the South to its knees.

Jaydn has never taken the IXL diagnostic test which is an adaptive assessment tool to allow us to know her grade-level for reading and for overall and specific knowledge in language arts. It takes about an hour to complete.

Today we focused on the Battle of Gettysburg in southern PA. General Lee invaded PA hoping for a victory in the north. The fighting went on for days. The south lost Gettysburg due to poor military leadership and a series of tactical mistakes, which led to high casualties. The Battle of Gettysburg was the deadliest battle of the Civil War. Over 51,000 people died, including 23,049 Union soldiers, and 28,063 Confederates. Today the battlefield is a national military park where many of the dead are buried. The site of this cemetery is where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. We read the Gettysburg Address in modern English which helped Andrew understand why it's one of the most famous speeches in American history.

During today's class, Jaydn continued working on the practice questions for Chapter 1. She took her notes and completed the questions in her notebook.