It's Time to Say Goodbye

Thank you all for a terrific semester of reading, writing, listening, speaking and learning. Please keep posting on your blogs. (Victoria checks for new posts every morning on Google Reader, so make her happy.) Thank you for all your good work, and best of luck in the future!

What Should I Wear for a Boat Ride?

You should wear comfortable clothes and shoes (we recommend sneakers). If it's raining, wear a raincoat or bring an umbrella. Please bring your camera, and meet at 9:30 sharp in GAC 127. 
See you tomorrow, rain or shine!
(Photo by Carl Crumley, of Pittsford, NY)

What is Punctuality?

Puncuality means being on time for appointments, classes, tests, and trips. Research shows that academic success is related to punctuality. In graduate school and college, you cannot be absent unless you are extremely ill or have an emergency. Please learn how to be on time before you begin your academic programs!  Here are some ways to train yourself to be on time, every time!

1. Rethink the meaning of "on time." People who are always on time are really people who arrive early every day--and acknowledge that things can go wrong to set them back several minutes. When things do "go wrong" these students arrive on time!


2. Understand the importance of being on time. Students who are always on time are the people who earn the best grades, win scholarships, and get into great colleges. In the working world, the people who are always on time are the people who get promotions.


3. Get enough sleep. If you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, then make a serious effort to get to bed earlier. Sufficient sleep is essential for maximum brain function anyway, so you really don't want to ignore this aspect of your scholastic habits.


4. Give yourself a realistic amount of time to dress and groom. You can do this with a simple exercise: Get up early one morning and time yourself (moving at a normal pace) to see how long it takes you to get ready. You may be surprised at the time it takes, especially if you find you have been trying to squeeze forty minutes worth of grooming into fifteen minutes each morning.


5. Know exactly when you need to be at your destination and subtract ten or fifteen minutes to establish your arrival time. This will give you time to go to the restroom or chat with friends.
   What time are you expected to be seated in your home room or your first class? If class begins at 7:45, you should arrive at the school by 7:30 and be in your seat at 7:40.


6. Be open to your teacher's preferences. Does your teacher want you to be seated early? If your teacher wants you to be in class before the bell rings, then do so if it's possible-even if you don't agree. Don't get angry and blame others if you aren't meeting the teacher's expectations. Why cause trouble for yourself?


7. Communicate any problems. If your bus is always late or you have to take your little brother to school and it always makes you late, just explain this to your teacher.


8. Listen to traffic news. If you depend on public transportation to get to school, always keep an eye on schedule interruptions.


9. Have a backup plan for your transportation. If you normally ride to school with a friend, think ahead and plan what to do if your friend gets sick.


10. Set your clocks forward by ten minutes. This is a little psychological trick that many people play on themselves. The funny thing is, it really works!

What's Next?

Tomorrow, Thursday- regular class.

Friday, 4-27-12: Tell Me More progress test (mandatory), then Student presentations about the Erie Canal.  After the presentations you will work to finish all your blog posts.

Monday, 4-30-12: Regular classes.

Tuesday, 5-1-12: CELSA test during grammar class. Please be on time. Regular classes after the test.

Wednesday, 5-2-12: 9:30am GAC 127.  Erie Canal boat ride. The time on the boat is about 1 hour. We will be driving over to the canal and back to Naz.

Thursday: GAC 127 at 9:00am. Game Day! We are having a day of games (using your English skills), food and prizes! This our last day, please come.

Here's Another American Folk Song

This is Pete Seeger (remember the Erie Canal song?) and a few of his friends singing a song written by Woody Guthrie. It is called This Land Is Your Land. Can you hear the figurative language?

Where is the Blog/Portfolio Class Tomorrow?

On Friday, 4-20-12, we will meet at 10:30 in GAC 44, the computer lab. Be ready to sing, and do some interesting fact-finding about a nearby waterway!

Saturday Collage/Art Journal Class

This Saturday, 4-21-12, from 1pm to 4pm, in GAC 127, Victoria will be leading a class on making an art journal (a handmade book) from recycled materials. We'll be using junkmail, magazines, tape, fabric and other materials to create unique books we can use as scrapbooks, journals, sketchbooks or picture albums.
If you enjoyed the map-making, you'll like this class. Bring your junkmail and your creativity!
For more information HERE is a blog post about the process.
Here are some sample journal pages made with junk mail, shopping bags, paper scraps, drawings, and photos.