Ethan misplaced the first draft of his review. He had to start over. I went over the instructions again and provided an outline for him to follow. He generated two ideas during the session.

Bobby worked on sequencing his visuals on to the story board for his iMovie. He also tried to work on applying his content from his research on to the story board. He is learning how to use technology to enhance his presentation. It is a slow process at times, but will serve him well related to future assignments.

Jackson is in the final stages related to completing the research assignment. He is working on paraphrasing information and citing sources he used for both content and visuals. He still needs to reorganize his story board so that flows in a logical and sequential way.

Today we continued discussing the Liberty Bell as a symbol of freedom for our country. Danny colored a bell and drew on the crack. We assembled it onto the page for his American Symbols packet. He wrote "I see" on the lines before the words "the Liberty Bell". Danny also worked through a digital emergent reader on Pebble Go. We learned the copper bell is 3 feet tall and the first version was made in England in 1752. It cracked on its first use. The second bell, made by Pass and Stow rang when the Declaration of Independence was signed. It cracked twice and was no longer used after 1846. Next, we read Mount Rushmore by Karen Latchana Kenney. We learned the monument was initially developed as a way to get people to visit South Dakota. We learned that George Washington was chosen since he was the first president. Thomas Jefferson was chosen due to his writing of the Declaration of Independence. Abraham Lincoln was selected for ending slavery and keeping the United States together in the Civil War. Finally, Theodore Roosevelt was chosen as a result of the country’s growth in power and wealth during his presidency. We were surprised to learn that a time capsule is hidden in an unfinished room (The Hall of Records) cut into the mountain! We also looked at some color photos of the mountain in, Now that’s Big: Mount Rushmore by Kate Riggs. On a fun picture of Mount Rushmore, Danny added his face to the mountain! We discussed what "facts" and "opinions" are. We then read statements about Mount Rushmore. We color coded them as to which were facts and which were opinions. Danny did an excellent job with this task! Danny was wondering if Annie and Moby (Brain Pop Jr.) had any information about Mount Rushmore. He wanted to watch the U.S. Symbols video again to see. He was excited to see the Bald Eagle and Liberty Bell again, but they did not include Mount Rushmore.

Analise went on field trip to Butterfly World in Boca Raton today. She applied knowledge she learned about butterflies to seeing them up close and learned the reasons why the rules are so stringent because many of the butterflies are not indigenous to the area and would be invasive if released. Analise was fascinated by the different insects and butterflies she learned about and experienced firsthand, and she attentively listened as the guide explained the various stages of the butterfly's life cycle and actually got to see one as it emerged from its pupa. She also enjoyed having them - as well as the birds - alight on her and remained motionless as they did so - allowing for a perfect picture opportunity. Analise appeared to clearly enjoy the experience and said she will share her recollections and highlights of the day with her friends and family.

Jackson found visuals representing a natural disaster and corresponding content related to the images.He also, found valuable information related to foreign aid from the 2010 earthquake. Jackson is nearing the end of the project. I would like to have him submit the assignment next Tuesday, 04/04.

Danny was not present for his session today as he was on a field trip. During this time, I planned and prepared for future sessions.

Stephen continued to develop his draft today. He is becoming more confident expressing his thoughts freely. We discussed how he can clarify and expand his thoughts and ideas to help with the sequencing and flow of the paper. Stephen made good progress today.

Bobby started to develop his storyboard on iMovie. He will begin to apply the content he found from his research. Bobby made significant progress today.

In addition to packing up Baylie's materials, we made a lot of progress on her Leonardo da Vinci flipbook project. She finished writing about his work, The Last Supper. She added that da Vinci wanted to be able to make changes and paint over his work, so instead of using the traditional fresco method, he added varnish to the walls and used tempera paints. This led to the paint peeling and cracking over time. She also wrote on the page about his "life". She described where and when he was born, his interests and talents, and that he took on a young boy named Salai who lived with him until he died. Finally, she wrote some information on the "fun facts" page. She wrote about the differences between Leonardo (humble) and Michelangelo (arrogant), as well as da Vinci's desires to make a flying machine and his interest in the human body which he explored through performing autopsies and drawing the bones, organs, and muscles.