Reid did not have any schoolwork, so we co-read a short story to practice oral reading fluency and reading comprehension. When focused, Reid reads well. However, I noticed that he has trouble focusing on Friday afternoon sessions, especially when he does not have schoolwork to complete.
Reid did not have any schoolwork today, so we co-read Ray Bradbury's short story "The Veldt." We paused to practice reading comprehension strategies such as summarizing and making predictions. Reid identified several examples of figurative language. We concluded by orally answering comprehension questions. Reid did very well with this story, which is well above his grade level.
Reid and I co-read pages 190-220 of "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate. Reid independently answered the reading comprehension questions. For math homework, he had exercises converting feet, inches, and yards. He needed minimal assistance.
Reid's teacher from St. Ann's joined us to discuss Reid's progress and brainstorm ways to support him. His teacher praised Reid's intelligence and attitude but expressed concern about his executive-functioning skills, especially as he enters 5th grade with a less structured teacher.
Reid had IXL assignments to complete. I helped him with the following: math (determining ratios, and greater than/less) and language arts (determining if a sentence is a "run on" sentence). Reid was completely independent with the math work, but benefited from instruction on the run-on sentence assignment.
Reid had IXL assignments from school. I helped him with the following:
spelling (find the spelling errors; most examples were misused homophones and apostrophe errors), math (dividing geometric shapes into specified fractions), and reading (figurative language, such as metaphor and simile). Reid was completely independent with the math assignment, but did benefit from instruction on the language arts portion, particularly the correct use of apostrophes.
Reid is reading a new book at school, "Tangerine" by Edward Blood. I helped him to write and edit five reading comprehension questions. I notice that Reid is prone to crowding his words and frequently mis-uses apostrophes. I taught him the appropriate usage; we will revisit.
Reid has an upcoming test on the novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham. I helped him review using his school-provided study guide and resources available online. I am confident that he is well prepared for his test.
Reid is reading "The Watsons go to Birmingham" in school. We co-read chapter ten and Reid answered comprehension, practicing referring to the text. I helped him complete his math homework, adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators. To conclude, we played 5 minutes of ping pong as a reward for a job well done!
First, I helped Reid complete an iXL assignment on his iPad. The topic was reading comprehension; Reid read approximately 10 short passages on varied topics followed by comprehension questions (specifically, identifying the main idea). Next, we worked on a first draft of an essay, "The Benefits of a Catholic School Education." The assignment is largely copying an existing essay into his notebook. I helped Reid edit spelling, grammar, and stylistic errors. He worked diligently for the entire hour.
