ECF was down most of the day, but I see it's back now.
I never did post a tutoring report from yesterday.
I had the kids read the instructions for making rock candy, which we'll do when we get the ingredients together. I left a list with them, and they are to round up as much of the stuff as possible. Then I'll see what's missing tomorrow, and we'll figure out how to get the rest of the stuff needed. Meanwhile, I got together some info on how crystals form, and I'm going to take a small box of various crystals for them to see. They always like that hands-on stuff.
Today, I went
through my bag of teaching materials and weeded out a lot of dead stuff and printed out more worksheets, enough to last me a long while.
Yesterday, surprisingly, the little girl was more rambunctious than her brother. I can never figure out what makes them tamer some days and wilder others.
She asked me about the word search I was supposed to make from words she supplied. Bad tutor! I hadn't done it. But she had plenty of word searches using vocab words, never fear. Meanwhile, the boy decided he'd rather do crossword puzzles, and I had some, and he did one. We also rather unsuccessfully went over the vocab words they were supposed to study. The girl just about refused to even try to read hers.
She still hasn't written her movie review, so I told her to just write whatever she wanted, a story or something. So while I was working with her brother, she was copying a story out of a book. We discussed plagiarism. The boy and I already had this talk, and he was backing me up, all holier-than-thou. Still, it was good he was on my side.
These kids really need a lesson in what's right and wrong, like cheating, a lecture they've heard more than once, lying, that kind of thing.
Also, the 3 chairs in their study area are 2 metal folding chairs with cushioned seats and a very luxurious padded leather rolling office chair. They both want the office chair and fight over it constantly. I came up with an idea yesterday that may be a good one. We'll see. You never can tell which ideas will work and which won't. The rule will be that whoever is reading aloud gets the desirable chair. This should make them eager to read, which they resist now, since what I give them to read is not easy.
Actually, the boy breezed
through reading the instructions for making rock candy. They both didn't know what a saucepan was, but when they saw the photo, then the lightbulbs went on over their heads.
We ended with a Mad Libs, and this time, both kids played. It was a funny one, too. I'm glad we ended on a good note.
I was like: "hmm what does that little arrow thingy do? What? It takes me to the first unread post?!" 
It took me five months to actually notice it. 
