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Today we finished working on different types of verbs so that the student can identify them in the future. We covered future tense, present and past perfect, passive and active voice, and progressive verbs. She does really well with the worksheets, and she seems to really enjoy being able to write her own sentences about any topic that comes to mind.

In our last session, the student had been having difficulty with identifying introductory adverbial clauses. To help him understand the concept more fully, I created a presentation, lesson, and some exercises on adverbials for our meeting this week. We started the session by going over his questions from the current chapter in his grammar book; overall, he has a strong grasp on basic verb usage, though we might want to do some passive voice review in the future. Then we moved on to the adverbial lesson, covering the lesson and accompanying presentation. We did some exercises together, but I will send him more to work on before our next meeting.

The student and I reviewed her essays from the previous week and we discussed specific grammar points. The writing is good but she really needs to slow down and reassess some of her thoughts to make sure that the end product is exactly what she's aiming for. We're working to give her structured homework between now and her exam, and go over essays in the meantime. I think it's a combination of both that she really is going to need since her writing is okay and her grammar is pretty good.

The student and I reviewed sentence fragment and run on exercises that he completed between sessions. Specifically, we spent the most time identifying and practicing correct composition of complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions so that he can identify when a complex sentence is formed correctly and avoid fragments. We also covered the proper ways to correct run on sentences (semi colon, semi colon with conjunctive adverb). He easily identifies and differentiates fragments and independent clauses, so the plan is now to continue practice with complex sentences and fragments as well as introduce paragraphs and emails for error detection and correction. I will also give writing assignments to see progress and provide feedback. I sent exercises and will send email examples for correction, reference sheets (subordinating conjunctions, parts of speech) and assignments.

Today we focused on reviewing the spelling and definitions of the 15 words the student is currently learning. I had him recite the spelling, write down the words, recite the definitions, and use the words in a sentence. For the words that can be both nouns and verbs I had him use the words in sentences both ways, adjusting the context in order that the sentences made sense.

I had the student do a maze to try to focus and get his brain in gear. He did a "super tough" one in short order, and we then discussed his school work. His mom had forwarded a copy of the syllabus for this year, and I challenged him to describe the happenings in "The Odyssey," the first major reading on their outline. He did an excellent job recounting Odysseus' journey to the point where his class and left off, about 2/3 of the storyline. I wanted to extract from him details and a sense of the scope of the classic. He did well. I next asked him about the class tests or assignments connected to "The Odyssey." He showed me an essay they'd had to produce recounting the happenings in the poem. We eventually decided it would be most efficient if I just scrolled it with him and pointed out grammatical correction which he made in place. I'm glad to report that he made very few errors along the way, and that most were not at all consequential, i.e., a comma, a cap, one fragment. After that, I had him turn his attention to a paragraph correction exercise. He did fairly well on that. Finally, I gave him a critical reading exercise containing two passages that had to be considered in tandem. He missed two of five multiple choice. The attendant essay response questions, he's to do for homework. I cautioned him to proof especially for fragments, run-ons, missing word endings, and incorrect/ inconsistent verb tense. An overview: he's making strides and is more conscientious about his ELA work, better reflecting his innate good skills, understandings, and ability to interpret.