**Title:** Enhancing Writing Skills & Understanding Sustainable Energy and Constitutional Rights
**Attendance:**
– Absent students: Camila, Begzad, Camila Tamirbekova
**Topics Covered:**
*Writing Skills:*
– Formatting requirements for assignments (minimum two pages, all digital)
– Fluidity in writing: connecting ideas in a paragraph and throughout an essay
– Differences between first and third person speech, active and passive voice
– Use of linking strategies and transition words in writing
– The ‘given new’ principle in academic writing
*Sustainable Energy:*
– Definition and examples of resources, focusing on solar energy
– Explanation of the term “sustainable”
– Comparison of solar energy and fossil fuels
*Physical Health:*
– Benefits of running and yoga for cardiovascular health and flexibility
*Constitutional Rights:*
– The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and its interpretation
– The role of the Supreme Court in defining “cruel and unusual punishment”
**Actionable Items:**
*Classroom Management:*
– Extended office hours on Thursday and Friday
– Address technical issues such as the screen being off during the lecture
*Writing Skills:*
– Improve fluidity in writing
– Practice the ‘given new’ principle in writing
– Use connecting phrases in sentences for better context and connection
*Sustainable Energy:*
– Provide more examples of sustainable resources
*Physical Health:*
– Clarify the definition of “cardiovascular health”
*Constitutional Rights:*
– Compare and contrast different versions of a paragraph about the Eighth Amendment
**Homework:**
– Read two texts and identify which text follows the “given new” principle
– Exchange sentences with a partner and fix any issues found