Craig and I discussed again what was happening on the other side of the pond. I reminded him that "the pond" is the Atlantic Ocean. I also reminded him of our conversation yesterday wherein we discussed that, at the same time in America, Jefferson sent people to negotiate with Napolean the purchase of New Orleans, the Louisianna Purchase, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We continued to read and hope to finish the book in our next class!
Session Minutes
30
Minutes Student Attended
30
Lesson Comments
Yesterday, Craig and I had a 10 minute conversation about the setting of the book, the ocean that divided Africa and America, and what was happening at the same time in the U.S. Today I repeated it, almost verbatim, questioning Craig and asking him to fill-in-the-blanks (since he did not remember any of it). This is not unusual. For example, I asked "What was happening across the pond?" X "What is "the pond" I am referring to?" X "Thomas Jefferson sent people to Paris to negotiate the purchase of _______________ from _____________?" Then, the following year, he sent __________ & ___________ on an expedition to explore the new territory?" etc. All of the same information we discussed the previous day, and preiously this year in class. He still cannot tell me the name of the ocean on our coast, very little detail about where the Barbary coast is, and cannot remember lattitude and longitude. - even with daily drilling and repetition.
Charlie and I reviewed geography vocabulary flashcards. We also finished the scavenger hunt actiivty with continents, oceans, and countries. Afterwards, we researched the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986. We watched actual footage.
We began with a discussion of Charlie's summer plans. We then identified the brief history of Fishers Island and those activities he enjoyed most. Charlie expressed a desire to review Greek Mythology. We discussed the twelve main gods and then some of the mythological creatures. Charlie then offered his thoughts about these mythological creatures and showed some theories about the origins of these beings. His presentation was very thoughtful and interesting.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Avery good session- Charlie was much more focused and involved.
We began with a brief review of current news stories. Charlie had given me a book to read about survival techniques. We discussed a few of the segments. I appreciated Charlie's desire to identify topics he found interesting. We then reviewed the characteristics of a civilized society. Charlie was very knowledgeable about the elements of a civilized society.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
A good class. Charlie had some difficulty staying on the subject at hand.
Craig and I reviewed geography vocabulary flashcards and discussed vocabulary we encountered last week in our reading. We discussed where we are in the book - both historically and geographically. We continued to read. During our second session, we researched to remind ourselves of what was happening in U.S. history - on the other side of the pond - at the same time as the setting in the book. We continued to read and discuss. I stopped often to quiz Craig on certain vocabulary words, geography, historical events and government.
Arianna and I explored "SuperBook" today, as promised. These are Bible stories. We looked at Salvation poems and songs - "Jesus Teaches the Crowd" and the story of Joshua and Caleb. We reviewed the lyrics to SchoolHouse Rock's Preamble and discussed vocabulary and the meaning of the Preamble. We also watched another short SchoolHouse Rock video "I'm Just a Bill," and learned how an idea becomes a Bill, and then a law. We saw the three branches of government in action - legislative and executive branches checking each other and a Presidential veto. Finally, Arianna began "Just the Ticket", a year-end excursion around the World using geography and map skills.
Arianna attempted a puzzle of the United States today, identifying and practicing State capitals and using vocabulary - annexed, peninsula, border, archipelago. We looked at (in person) the rainbow graphic organizer we made identifying her place in the world - city, county, state, country and continent. We watched SchoolHouse Rock "The Preamble" and "No More Kings." We discussed new vocabulary with Ms. Judie and looked at the Royal Wedding!
Charlie and I reviewed geography vocabulary flashcards and added two more - cape and barrier island. We looked to maps, images, and definitions and discussed examples. Charlie was interested in "The Magic Schoolbus." He had never seen an episode before, so we watched "The Magic Schoolbus Gets Eaten" and learned about the food chain. We stopped to discuss cause and effect and connections, what happens when something happens to a part of the food chain - in the context of the Hawaiian volcano erupting and destroying part of the land or sea food chain. We related this to the human-environment interaction.
