Managing Sources in Microsoft Word

By the time you start writing your research paper, you've probably collected most of your sources. If you're typing in Microsoft Word 2007 or Word 2010, you can organize and manage your various sources easily.

Before you get too entrenched in your writing, you should enter all of your source information into your "manage sources" section of Word. To do this, you simply select the References tab which is located at the top of the page. Then select the style (MLA, for example).

You'll see Manage Sources on the menu. Select that, and then select New. You will be prompted to input all the information (title, author, publishing company) for one source. When you're done with each source, select OK. Continue adding your sources until you've entered them all.

Once you've entered your sources, you will be able to insert in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliography entries with one click!

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Are You Headed for Burnout?

When your body and mind are constantly under pressure to do something or to be somewhere, you can develop mental and physical fatigue. The condition sometimes reaches the point that the individual feels resentful and hopeless when it comes to reaching a goal, like graduation or getting into college.

There are fifteen questions.

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Managing Multiple Projects

Many students are working on several big end-of-year projects this month. Some of those students will find that they have two or more due dates falling on the very same week--and that situation can create a real time management headache!

The trick to managing several projects is practicing good task management. In other words, you should manage your time by breaking down your big projects into small tasks, writing them down in lists, and managing them on a strict timeline.

To make this work, you must be sure to include every step for every project, whether it's shopping for model supplies or entering sources into your list of works cited. It might help to plan backward. Even when two projects are very different, you will probably find some similar jobs that can be combined.

Once you've made a big list of tasks, then you allot a time for each of those tasks, and stick rigidly to your plan. You will find that this method cuts down the stress factor considerably. You won't worry about forgetting things or missing deadlines, because everything has a proper time and place.

And when you don't stress over everything you're not doing at any given moment, you can concentrate on each individual task at hand, and you'll find that you do a much better job all around.

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Research Paper Basics

A research paper is an investigative report, of sorts. It is a question that is answered through exploration of a problem or an original idea that sheds new light on a known topic. When a student writes a research paper, he or she collects information about a specific issue or topic, analyzes the information, and presents all the collected information in a report.

Why Do Students Dread Research Papers?

Research papers take time. A research paper is not merely a writing assignment; it is an action assignment. There are many steps to writing a research paper, and the actions involved are:

• Going to the library
• Exploring a topic
• Narrowing your topic
• Collecting your research
• Developing a thesis
• Writing a paper
• Editing the paper
• Proofreading the paper
• Writing a bibliography or reference list
• Formatting the paper

What Is a Thesis?

The thesis is a central message that is summed up in a sentence. This thesis tells the purpose of the paper - whether it is answering a question or making a new point. The thesis statement usually goes at the end of the introductory paragraph.

What Does a Thesis Statement Look Like?

A thesis in a history paper might look like this:

In Colonial Georgia, it was not poverty that caused citizens to abandon young settlements and flee to Charleston, but the insecurity that citizens felt from living so close to Spanish Florida.

This is a bold statement that requires some proof. The student would need to provide quotes from early Georgia and other evidence to argue this thesis.

What Does a Research Paper Look Like?

The research paper might look like one long essay or it could look different - it could be divided into sections; this all depends on the type of study being conducted. A research paper in science will look different from a research paper in literature.

Papers that are written for a science class will often involve reporting on an experiment a student has conducted or a problem the student has solved. For this reason, the paper might contain sections that are divided by headings and subheadings, like Abstract, Method, Materials, and more.

In contrast, a literature paper is more likely to address a theory about a certain author's point of view, or describe a comparison of two pieces of literature. This type of paper would more likely take the form of one long essay and contain a list of references on the last page.

Your instructor will let you know which style of writing you should use.

What Is a Style of Writing?

There are very specific rules for writing and formatting papers, according to the style. One common style is the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style, which is used for literature and some social sciences.

Another is American Psychological Association (APA) Style, and that style is used in the social and behavioral sciences.

Turabian Style is used for writing history papers, although high school teachers my require MLA for history assignments.

Students may not encounter Turabian or APA style requirements until college.

The Scientific Journal Style is often used for assignments in the natural sciences.

You will find details about writing and formatting your paper in a "style guide." The guide will give details like:

• How to format your title page (if you need a title page)
• Where to place the page numbers
• How to cite your sources
• How and when to use appendices
• How and when to use images
• How to format the list of sources

What Does It Mean to "Cite Sources?"

When you conduct research, you find evidence in books, articles, web sites, and other sources, that you will use to support your thesis. Any time you use a bit of information that you've collected, you must make a visible indication of this in your paper. You will do this with an in-text citation or a footnote. The way that you cite your source will depend on the style of writing you're using, but the citation will contain some combination of the author's name, the title of the source, and a page number.

Do I Always Need a Bibliography?

On the last page of your paper you will provide a list of all the sources you used in putting together your paper. This list can go by many names: it may be called a bibliography, a reference list, a works consulted list, or a works cited list. Your instructor will tell you which style of writing you are to use for your research paper. You will find all the details you need in your style guide for putting all the right pieces in place.

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Listen Between the Lines

I know you've heard of reading between the lines before. That's what you do when you pick up on clues to detect a hidden meaning that is not expressed explicitly.

For example, when you are reading a novel and you come across a scene that involves a chance encounter, darting eyes, and very curt expressions, you know that there's something going on between the characters, perhaps some underlying tension from a previous encounter. You can detect this because you have some sort of life experience that enables you to pick up on the clues the author has provided.

When you take notes on a class lecture, you must learn to listen between the lines. An instructor will give you part of the story, but he or she is expecting you to fill in the "back story" with information you've picked up from your homework readings. This is why it is so important to read your assignments before you go to class!

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Algebra Order

Sometimes in math, the order in which you do certain steps matters a lot, because the order can affect your answer! This very basic overview of order in algebra can help students understand why it is important to know about the order of certain operations.

When Order Doesn't Matter

You may be surprised to know that order doesn’t matter in some cases.

Image you are going to the store to buy hot dogs, mustard, and buns. Does it matter which item you purchase first? Would it make any difference if you bought the mustard before the buns? No!

There are times in math when order doesn’t matter. Think about this long addition problem:

(6+4)+7+2+14

You can start in the back or in the middle and add those numbers in any order—but you come up with the same sum every time. If you understand this, you understand the Associative Property.

• Our Math Guide Explains the Associative Property

When Order Does Matter

Think back to the hot dog example from above. Image now that you are ready to assemble your picnic items into a sandwich. What if you started with mustard? That wouldn’t work, would it? You have to start with the bun!

Sometimes order does matter.

Algebra problems often contain more than one operation, which simply means they can contain a series of problems like an addition problem, a multiplication problem, and a division problem all in one.

The Order of Operations

When algebra problems contain several steps or problems, there is a very specific order in which you should work. First you solve the little problems inside the parentheses and brackets, for instance, and then you work your way outward.

This order is called the order of operations. Once you learn the rules, you’re halfway through the battle! Our Math Guide offers easy tips for remembering the correct order for working through a problem.

Hint: Be sure to study the acronyms. Once you understand this concept, you’ll find algebra much easier to understand.

• Our Math Guide Explains the Order of Operations

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Finding Research Sources

You’ve selected a great topic and you’ve found two fabulous sources. Research is going well, and then suddenly you hit a brick wall. You discover that the resources you’ve found seem to be the only ones available on your topic.

But your teacher requires five sources! What now?

Every researcher has faced this problem: the moment when the research suddenly runs dry. This is a serious problem if you are required to use a certain number of sources for a paper. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem possible!

Finding Additional Resources

The first thing to do when your research seems to dry up is to check the bibliographies of the books you already have. Sometimes bibliographies are like gold mines of information.

You will probably discover that some of the sources used in the books are scholarly articles. Don’t be dismayed! Many articles are available online, and you may be able to find a specific article by doing a detailed Internet search.

Simply type the entire title of the article into a search engine and put quotations marks around the title. The search will either lead you to that article or it will direct you to another source (article) that quotes your original article. The other source might be just as helpful.

If you find a great article in a bibliography and it’s not available online, you can still get it with a little effort. Just go to a public library and show it to your librarian. If it’s not available on site, the librarian will probably be able to order it from another library.

Your article will be sent through the mail and should be available within a few days. This is just one more reason why it’s important to start your research early!

If That Didn’t Work

Sometimes that approach isn’t feasible. Some sources, such as autobiographies and encyclopedias, don’t have bibliographies.

These are times when it may be necessary to get a little creative. There are a few occasions when you simply cannot find specific books or articles on your topic. Time for some lateral thinking!

Lateral thinking involves shifting your thinking pattern from the logical, sequential pattern to a pattern that shifts focus onto something less predictable. It’s simple, really.

For instance, if you are working on the biography of a not-so-famous person (which often leads to a limited number of sources), then you may need to abandon the typical step-by-step biography approach and focus on some relevant part of the person’s life in more detail.

If your person was a doctor or midwife in Victorian American, you could delve briefly into one of these topics:

• Early medical tools
• Sanitation issues
• Misconceptions
• The daily life of a typical doctor/midwife in Victorian America

If you devote a paragraph or section to one of these topics, you will find that numerous sources are available. If you decide to do this, make sure the topic fits into your thesis and doesn’t jump outside the parameters defined by your thesis sentence.

But what if you’re working on a paper for science class? The same technique will work. For instance, if your paper concerns a rare South American bug and you discover late in the game that there are only two books in the entire world that discuss this bug, you could devote a few paragraphs to “a bug’s life.”

Seriously! You could identify the predator of the bug and write a few paragraphs about the tactics the bug uses to avoid his predator. Or—you could focus on an environmental factor that affects the bug and write about the struggles the bug faces when he encounters these factors. Then one of your sources could concern the environmental factor (or the predator) and not concern the bug specifically.

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Diagramming Sentences

A noun clause can serve as a predicate nominative, as in this sentence:

The fact is you are not ready.

Note that the phrase you are not ready renames the fact.

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Do You Use Your Cell Phone for Time Management?

When I meet with college students one-on-one, I tell them to bring every syllabus they have to the meeting, and then I have them write each due date or test date in a planner. More often than not, it seems, the students will pull out a cell phone and tap in the date.

I always say that I don't care what students use for time management, as long as they use something!

But I was surprised recently, at a workshop attended by college seniors, to find that the majority of them preferred an old fashioned paper planner as a time management tool. They said that they had learned over the years that the paper version was more personal and more reliable. "My cell phone dies," one said. "And that can be costly."

That made good sense. I know from my own family experience that teens and tweens tend to forget to charge phones. So maybe the cell phone is not the best tool for setting reminders, after all!

What do you think?

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Brain Food for Finals Week

The end of the school year is approaching for many, and that means final projects and big exams are ahead. It's important to stay healthy and alert--and you can do that by avoiding foods that make you feel sleepy and thick-headed, like sodas and fatty fast foods. I think you'll be surprised to find out how much these foods can affect your mood and your energy.

While you're preparing for end-of-year projects, why not give yourself a little edge with healthier meals? Try these ideas, for a change:

• How to Make a Healthy Plate of Food
• Healthy Homework Snacks
• Healthy Snacks for After School

It can't hurt, and it might pay off with great results.

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5 Tips for Motivation

Having a little trouble getting excited about your homework? Need a little jump start once in a while?

Actually, everybody needs a little prodding sometimes when it comes to getting work done. If you're bored with your homework, if it seems too hard, or if you don't think your homework performance really matters, you might find inspiration in these 5 tips for motivating students just like you.

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Make a Backup Copy of Your Paper

At this time of year, many students will be using word processors to work on lengthy final papers. The last thing you want to do is lose your work after you've spent hours or days laboring on a computer.

If you're working with Microsoft Word, you can use an auto-backup feature. You simply follow these steps for Microsoft 2007:

• Click on the Microsoft Office Button in the top left corner of your screen.
• Select Advanced on the menu to see a box appear.
• Scroll down until you see a section called Save.
• Click on the box beside Always create a backup copy.

If you're working in Microsoft 2010:

• Click on the File tab in the top left part of your screen.
• Select Options from the menu to see a box appear.
• Select Advanced for a list of advanced options.
• Scroll down until you see a section called Save.
• Click on the box beside Always create a backup copy.

This creates two copies of every document you create, but if you suspect that this feature takes up too much space, you can turn it off again once the school year ends.

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In Five Chunks

Rounding out our American Presidents are: R,B,C,B,O

40. Ronald Wilson Reagan
41. George H. W. Bush
42. William J. Clinton
43. George W. Bush
44. Barack Obama

Really, bliss can be overrated.

To help you glue all the short lists together, remember the number of names in each list by remembering there are six lists.

The number of names in each list are: 8, 7, 8, 9, 7, 5. Keep practicing these small "chunks" of information and, like magic, they'll all come together as one list!

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How Many Pages Should You Write?

Teachers often give students essay assignments that include a certain page length requirement. For the most part, they really do this to encourage students to dig deep and cover all angles of a topic. Although they may tell you that they require five pages or so, teachers really tend to prefer quality over quantity.

But just to give you something to shoot for, a typical page that is double-spaced can hold about 300 words in twelve-point font. That means a 1000-word essay should be at least three pages long.

The next time you receive an assignment with a certain page minimum, ask your teacher if you'll lose points for being a page short. This way, you'll be less inclined to water down a good essay or research paper with extra fluff.

But if you plan to go short, you should pack your paper with great quality writing!

But what if you have no idea how long an assignment should be? If you have absolutely no idea how much to write in a certain assignment or about a certain topic, you could follow some very basic guidelines I've provided.

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Powerful Verbs

Verbs are action words, right? We all remember that from elementary school. Verbs describe the action that is taking place.

But verbs don't have to surrender all the fun and emotional power to adjectives--the words that traditionally paint the pictures in our heads. As a matter of fact, the most powerful writers use verbs quite effectively to illustrate their writing.

Review Your Verbs

After you complete a draft of your paper, it might be a good idea to conduct a verb inventory. Just read over your draft and underline all your verbs. Do you see repetition? Are you bored?

Verbs like said, walked, looked, and thought can be replaced with more descriptive words like mumbled, sauntered, eyeballed, and pondered. Here are a few more suggestions:

Looked:

• gazed
• stared
• severed (with his eyes)

Walked:

• strolled
• spidered
• sashayed
• skulked

Said:

• suggested
• uttered
• bellowed
• argued

Get Creative With Verbs

One way to make verbs more interesting is to invent them from other word forms. Sounds illegal, doesn't it? But it's not like you're printing dollar bills in your basement.

One type of noun that works well is animal types, since some animals have very strong characteristics. Skunks, for instance, have a reputation for being stinky or spoiling the air.

Do the following statements evoke powerful images?

He skunked the party up with his cologne...
She snaked the hallways...
She wormed her way out of the class...

Jobs as Verbs

Another noun type that works well is names of occupations. We often use doctor as a verb, as in the following sentence:

• She doctored the paper until it was perfect.

Doesn't that evoke the image of a woman hovering over a piece of writing, tools in hand, crafting and nurturing the paper to perfection? What other occupations could paint such a clear scene? How about police?

• Mrs. Parsons policed her garden until it was completely pest free.

You can get very creative with unusual verbs:

• bubble-wrapped the insult (to suggest that the insult was surrounded by "softer" words)
  
• tabled your idea
  

But you do have to use colorful verbs tactfully. Use good judgment and don't overdo the creativity. Language is like clothing--too much color can be just plain odd.

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How to Start a Project

Sometimes when we're facing a big project with lots of components, or a long research paper with many details, we have trouble getting started. There are two basic reasons why we might have trouble writing the first words:

• The thought of organizing all that research and doing all that writing can be so intimdating that we avoid it altogether.
• There is so much to talk about that we don't know where to start.

Either of these problems can be overcome with a simple solution: just jump in somewhere. You don't have to start with a beginning!

Some students think that they have to start writing a paper at the introduction. In fact, you can start writing at any point. If there is some component of your research paper that you find most interesting, just write that part first.

No matter what type of project you're working on, if you're having trouble, just try to zone in on one part and jump right in. You will find it easy to organize all the paragraphs later. Just start somewhere!

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Are You a Good Participant?

While we often hear about the importance of developing good leadership qualities and the value of experiencing a leadership role, we don't hear so much about the need to be a good participant.

You don't have to lead the pack in every endeavor, so during those times when you're playing the role of participant, it's important to be a good team member. The first rule for being a good team member is to support your leader! Don't' be resentful if you aren't chosen to be the leader every time. Each member of a team is important, and it's necessary for you to experience the different roles that team members play.

More rules for being a good participant include:

• Take quality notes at the meetings to help the communication flow.
• Address potential problems without getting personal. Make sure it's about ideas, not about people.
• Be willing to do your part. You might have a slacker on your team, but that should never affect your own work ethic.

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Do You Know What's Happening?

Do you know what's happening in your town or your state? Are you aware of events that show up in the newspaper headlines?

There are lots of reasons to stay up-to-date about current events:

• You may be interviewing for a college or a big competition soon. You'll want to sound like an informed student!
• You may be participating in a mock election.
• You could be writing an argument essay.
• You could be joining the debate team.

You surely don't have to read the newspaper or stay glued to cable news channels, but you should take a look at current events from time to time to stay informed about things that impact your life.

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Your Own Worst Frenemy?

I recently read an article about self-sabotage in the Harvard Business Review. I find the topic interesting, because I believe that there are some very capable students who don't perform as well as they could academically because they hold themselves back.

In the article by Jay M. Jackman and Myra H. Strober, I learned that two causes of procrastination and self-sabotage (among others) are brooding and fear of review.

Wow! Brooding? That was a new one on me. But this made perfect sense. Brooding is another word for obsessing about something that you deem to be unfair or hurtful. This is interesting, because students from middle school to high school are constantly bombarded with situations that seem hurtful and unfair. It's an age of emotional turmoil.

But when we spend time worrying about the way people are treating us, we're not spending enough time on things that are good for us. The solution, according to the authors, is to keep a journal! this helps us to manage our emotions in a healthy way.

As for fear of review--this is another way of saying we don't concentrate our efforts on a task as much as we should because we're afraid of being criticized. I do have to admit, it is terrible to put all of our efforts into something and then get negative feedback.

But here's the interesting thing about feedback: we sometimes tend to hear only the negative stuff and we manage to shut out the positive stuff! Are you guilty of this?

The key to overcoming this one is to practice getting feedback and to concentrate on hearing the good along with the "constructive" stuff that stings.

Related: Reactance and Motivation.

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Writing About People

When you write a biography or a news article, you face a few special challenges because you're writing about people and their behavior. It's easy to put too much judgment and opinion when you're writing about famous people, because they've probably done something notable (otherwise you wouldn't be writing about them!).

Even when you write about notorious criminals and villains, you should resist putting too much of your opinion in the essay (unless it's an opinion essay). It just sounds unprofessional.

To be save, avoid words that assign judgement, like the following:

• good
• bad
• evil
• perfect
• best
• worst

Notice how the short list above contains words that express views that can't be proven? When you write about people, no matter how saintly or wicked they seem to be from the deeds they've carried out, you should show your audience with facts and statistics. Don't tell them with words that express opinion.

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Earth Day Topics

Are you looking for an Earth Day essay topic? Find inspiration in this list of assignment ideas. Celebrate the planet and share your ideas, talents, and wisdom.

Earth Day Essay Topics:

• Interesting Plant Behavior
• Animals That Help People
• Natural Medicines
• Edible Weeds
• The Life of Rocks
• Environmentally Friendly Products
• What is an Eco-Footprint?
• Weather Patterns in History
• Trees That Disappeared
• Extinct Animals
• Re-Using Everyday Items
• If I Ran the Planet
• Earth-Saving Organizations
• How Long to Biodegrade?
• Composting Methods
• The History of Plastic
• The Impact of Fast Food Restaurants

  Earth Day Projects:

  • Make an Earth Day Commercial
  • Create a Quiz: Is It Biodegradable?
  • Make a Rain Forest Model
  • Make a Paper Mache Planet
  • Make an Energy Saving Pledge
  • Plant a Garden
  • Create a Life Cycle Poster

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Do You Have a Memory Trick?

I used to have trouble remembering phone numbers, before I learned a trick that helps me every time. I discovered that I can remember phone numbers if I say them to myself out loud. For some reason, I can remember the sound of my voice saying the numbers. That's auditory learning, and I can use it for recalling lots of things, like names or dates.

I told this to a young friend who was trying to memorize the spelling of a tricky word, but she said she had a different trick that worked better for her.

She seems to have better luck by typing things on a computer screen. She said that she just needs to type the word and look at it and she'll remember the right spelling forever. Interesting! She remembers through tactile and visual learning tips.

We all have little tricks to help us remember. Do you have one to share? Please tell us!

Your trick may help other students conquer a challenging task.

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Internet Resources

We all know the easiest way to research is through the Internet. But there's a down side to doing things the easy way, as usual. While the Internet is a great resource, it is also a public forum, where anyone can write a story, make a claim, or submit an assertion. If you're browsing the web and find an article that seems to provide relevant information for your research topic, you should take care to investigate the source to make sure it is valid and reliable.

More research tips:

• Using a Library
• Using a Primary Source

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Diligence

Definition:

Diligence can be defined as the persistent and determined effort to complete a task. People with diligence are persistent and unrelenting in a task.

Diligence is a necessary quality in school success, as students with diligence don't give up when they encounter a hurdle; instead, diligent students find a way to overcome obstacles that appear to stand in the way.

Why Is Diligence Important for Me?

Diligence is one of the key ingredients for success in school, but it's also important for success in life. It's important to understand the need to complete small tasks, because people who don't follow through and complete small tasks are those who don't finish big things that take persistence over a long time - like high school and college!

Related Topics:

• Do you hold yourself back?
• Do you procrastinate?

Pronunciation: DILL - uh - jens

Also Known As:

• persistence
• determination
• stick-to-itiveness (informal)

Examples:

Rochelle won the spelling bee because she studied her word lists with diligence.

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How to Paraphrase

Have you ever read a page of a textbook, and only to realize within a few minutes that you couldn't remember what you just read? Most of us have done this at some time, but if you find that you often have difficulty describing what you've read, you may need to work on your reading comprehension skills.

One of the skills you need for reading comprehension and for research is the ability to paraphrase.

Paraphrasing is the act of using your own words to describe something you've read. You can practice paraphrasing by reading a few paragraphs from any book, and then summarizing a section at a time in your own words.

You may find it difficult to paraphrase at first. If so, you should start by crafting an outline of the major points. You can then fill in the supporting information "between the lines" of the outline.

Why Should You Paraphrase?

You must be able to paraphrase effectively when writing a research paper, to avoid plagiarism.

When you conduct research for a term paper, you collect information from several different sources, and synthesize the information into a single essay.

You can use quotation marks and a citation to quote certain passages word for word--but you have to quote others sparingly. It is much better to synthesize the information into a passage that contains your own words. You paraphrase when you restate the ideas you pick up from a source.

It is a good idea to read a source with a note card and a pen handy. Read over your source in small segments and take notes as you read. This way you can take care to avoid repeating the information word for word.

As you write your own essay, use the notes you've written to synthesize the source material. But remember that you still need to cite the source--even though you have paraphrased!

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Make an Interactive Map

Microsoft's PowerPoint 2010 has a lot of exiting potential for students. One thing I love is the ability to turn a blank map into an interactive map with a few clicks. This is perfect for auditory learners or those students who just need to interact with material a lot to enhance the learning process.

I've gone over the steps for turning an outline map into an active learning tool in my tips for preparing for a map quiz. Just create a slide and go through a few steps and you have a great new learning tool!

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25 Summer Activities

Worried about brain drain setting in? Do something interesting this summer! You can have fun and exercise your brain at the same time. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Create a nature walk bingo. Think of several items that you might find on a nature walk in your area. Possible items include animal tracks, oak trees, thorns, wild flowers, and mushrooms. Make up several "bingo" cards for you and a few friends. You get the idea.
2. Make a box kite. Have you ever heard of a box kite? They don't look like they can fly, but looks are deceiving. This is a fun project!
3. Direct a play. Find a short play script on the Internet (or write one) and get together with friends to create a show for your family members.
4. Create a comic strip. Do you read the funny papers? Why not create your own comic characters and bring them to life? You might even find a career with this project.
5. Stay up all night. Invite some friends to stay up all night-outside. See if you can spot some interesting wildlife, like a bat, moths, an owl, or even a fox. The wildlife potential will depend on your location.
6. Write a story. Are you a budding writer? If so, you probably have a great story in mind but you never seem to have the time to put in on paper. Now is the time!
7. Design a piece of clothing. This can be a simple item made from scratch or a DIY shirt decorating project.
8. Find a foreign language email pal. If you have studied a foreign language in school, why not practice this summer with a friend from another country? Be sure to get parental involvement, just to be safe. Our Guide to German explains how to get started.
9. Make a podcast. Is there a superstar inside of you, just waiting to break out? This is a good way to acknowledge your inner celebrity.
10. Interview someone. Visit your grandparents or a retirement community to interview someone about his/her life. You'll discover some great stories!
11. Research a college. Go to Peterson's and find a college of your dreams. Who knows-sometimes dreams do come true.
12. Build a rocket. Okay-you definitely need parental guidance for this one. But it's really cool!
13. Read at least one classic book. There is a reason that classic books have staying power. They're really interesting, and they are good for college prep, too.
14. Record a song. You don't have to buy expensive equipment. Just get a karaoke tape and make a recording. If it sounds good, go up from there.
15. Volunteer. Volunteer to walk your neighbor's dog, read to neighborhood kids, plant some trees-there are lots of opportunities out there. You'll gain valuable experience for your life and your college application!
16. Create a blog. Anybody can blog these days. It's fun and educational. Just get permission from your parents first.
17. Review your finals. No, seriously. It's a great idea to hold on to your finals and then review them at the end of the summer. It gives you a great head start to the next grade level.
18. Keep a travel journal. If you travel with parents this summer, avoid back seat boredom with a travel journal. Keep track of all the things you see and hear on the trip. Journals are good for your brain and they're great for honing your writing skills.
19. Learn photography. Find a cheap camera and learn basic photography by taking pictures of everyday objects.
20. Start a business. This can by anything from a lemonade stand to a small publishing company. Learn business basics and start making some money!
21. Create an obstacle course. Collect old clothes to put on and take off, old tractor tires to crawl through, hoola hoops to twirl--get createive! Put together a course and challenge your friends and neighbors.
22. Design a coloring book. The great thing about coloring book design is that it doesn't require great talent. Experiment a little with outlines of buildings, animals, and people, and you'll soon be putting together your own coloring book for younger siblings and friends. It's a great way to get creative.
23. Paint a masterpiece. Have you ever looked at abstract art and thought: "I could do that!" Why not give it a try? Buy a canvas and some paint, or use any paint left over from home projects. Put your canvas in the grass and start creating! You can use anything--including old buttons, glue, spray paint, cloth from old clothing, gum wrappers...get the idea? You'll be amazed what you can come up with--on a very minimal budget.
24. Make ice cream. With a few basic ingredients and a zip-lock baggie, you can make your own ice cream at home. Why not create a new flavor?
25. Make soap. You really can make your own soap at home, but the quality can range from a basic, smelly, ball of primitive stuff to really great-smelling luxury stuff. Just have a little fun or start a new and lucrative hobby!

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Weird Units of Measurement

Acre: A unit of measurement equal to 43,560 square feet. It is used primarily to measure land or sea floor area. Originally this indicated as much as a yoke of oxen could plow in one day.

Bale: A bundle used for packaging hay, cotton, or similar material. For cotton, a bale is about 500 pounds. The origin was probably Dutch, and early use refers to a round bundle wrapped in canvas.

Bolt: A measurement of fabric equal to 50 or 60 yards. This was used in Middle English (1150-1349) to indicate a rolled bundle of cloth.

Carat: Measurement used for the weight of a diamond. One carat is equal to one fifth of a gram. The word comes from the carob bean, whose consistent weight was used in times past to measure gemstones.

Cubit: An ancient unit of measurement equal to about 18 inches. The cubit is supposedly derived from the distance between a Pharaoh's elbow to the farthest fingertip of his extended hand.

Gross: Twelve dozen items or pieces. This measurement derives from the number of matches or boxes produced in 19th Century US factories.

Fathom: A measurement that equals six feet, originally meaning the length between a man's outstretched arms. It is an old Saxon word.

Hogshead: A liquid measurement equal to 63 gallons or a large cask or barrel that holds 63 to 140 gallons. The name origin is Late Middle English (1350-1469) but the reason is unknown. It possibly refers to the shape of the barrel, which resembles a hog.

Horse power: The word which originated in the early nineteenth century refers to the power needed to lift 550 pounds one foot off the ground in one second. This is now the common unit for measuring an engine's power.

Karat: The measure of the purity of gold with 24-karat being pure gold. The word origin is the same as carat.

Knot: A unit of speed most often used for measuring the speed of ships. One knot equals approximately 1.15 miles per hour. The origin is based on the practice of observing a knotted log line, or line tied to a floating piece of wood, to measure speed.

League: Approximately 3 nautical miles. Origin is Late Middle English (1350-1469).

Magnum: Used typically for wine, a magnum is a large bottle equaling 1.5 liters. This is the size of two normal bottles. The word origin is Latin, from magnus (large).

Ream: Five hundred sheets of paper. Origin is Arabic, from rizma, a word meaning bundle.

Stone: A unit of measurement used in the United Kingdom, equaling 14 pounds. In Late Middle English (1350-1469) this also referred to a lump of metal used as a standard measure device.

Township: A division of territory in the United States equal to 6 square miles, containing 36 sections or 36 square miles. The word origin is Old English (before 1149), but the current meaning of the word is North American and came into use in the late seventeenth century.

Origins from Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Fifth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

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Working with Images and Illustrations

Great research papers often contain images and illustrations. But creating and editing these illustrations can be a big challenge if you don't have the right editing tools.

Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 is the perfect tool for editing your images. Now you don't need an expensive photo editor to white out the background of an important image! This step-by-step shows you how to change the size and placement of an illustration, how to delete a background, and how to create effects to make your research paper stand out.

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Are You Getting Enough Exercise?

There is a solid link between overall health and classroom performance. When you feel great, you are more alert, awake, and aware. Physical activity is important for good health, but some studies suggest that high school students tend to avoid in-school physical education, even when it is a school requirement.

There can be many good reasons why students avoid physical education classes (like jobs and family responsibilities), but it's important for those students to find ways to get active outside of school. Your health and your grades depend upon it!

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Group Writing Project

If you choose to add group members to the project now (which will enable them to access the writing project) select the link for "Collaborate," which is located on the top right of your screen.

This will take you to a page called "Collaborate on This Document." There you will see a box for inputting email addresses.

If you want group members to have the ability to edit and type, select As Collaborators.

If you want to add the addresses for people who can view only and cannot edit select As Viewers.

It's that easy! Each of the team members will receive an email with a link to the paper. They simply follow the link to go straight to the group paper.

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Types of Test Questions

Teachers don't really like to hear the question "What will be on the test?"

I'm sure you know why: teachers think all of the information they've presented is test-worthy. A better question you might ask is "What will be the format of the test?"

Teachers might be more open to this question, because they know that different types of questions pose different kinds of challenges. You don't study for an essay question test the same way you'd study for an open book test, for example.

Feel free to do some detective work before you tackle those upcoming midterms. See if you can find out which type of test formats you'll be facing, so you can study in the most effective way. You might want to brush up on the following:

• Oral Exams
• Fill In the Blank
• Multiple Choice
• Blue Book Tests

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Leading a Group Project

Assess time needed for every task.

Some tasks will take a few minutes, while others will take several days. For example, choosing a person to draw the cartoon will take a few minutes, while buying the tools will take a few hours. Some tasks, like the process of researching the history of political cartoons, will take several days. Label each task with its projected time allowance.

On the display board, draw the first stage of a diagram for the project path to demonstrate this first meeting. Use circles to indicate starting and finishing points.

The first stage is the brainstorming meeting, where you are creating a needs analysis.

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Interview Tips

There are many reasons why you could find yourself sitting in an interview chair during your high school years. In most situations, these interviews will take place when an adult is making a very important decision about your future.

• Judge's Interview: Science fairs, debates and other competitions normally involve an interview with a judge or panel of judges.
• Teacher/Professor Interview: If you apply for a special program like independent study, work study, or college credit program in high school, you may find that an interview is part of the application process.
• College Interview: There are many types of college interviews, and it's safe to say that you'll want to spend some time preparing for one of these important events.
• Counselor Interview: You may need to visit your high school counselor to talk about future plans, to determine which diploma type is right for you, or to talk about choosing a major.
• Scholarships: Many companies, organizations, and clubs offer scholarships. Part of the selections process is a personal interview.
• Job Interview: Many students take on part-time jobs to help with high school expenses, to pay for dorm room trimmings, or to earn pocket money. Even part-time jobs require an interview.

Find out how to ace an interview with tips to help you keep your cool before and during the important event.

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Visual Organization Tools

Visual organization tools are simply charts and drawings that you can use as you study any topic. As you sketch out and review your information in these visual tools, you will reinforce the information and perhaps recall it more readily during an exam.

1. T-charts

A T-chart will help you compare and contrast. The process of creating this visual aid helps to sort and divide things like strengths and weaknesses and other contrasting traits. This is a good tool for analyzing books and characters.

2. Fishbone

A fishbone chart is a good tool for brainstorming causes and effects for a certain problems. Place the problem you are discussing on the right side of a paper in a box (the head). Draw a line to the left and create branches (bones) to indicate possible causes.

3. Web or Spider Chart

A web chart (or spider map) is useful for organizing your notes before an exam or before drafting an essay. It is also useful for organizing your oral presentation. Place a central idea or item in the center and use the “legs” to list attributes and other items. You can use a web to create a visual depiction of main topics and subtopics. The web diagram proves to be a great visual aid for studying literature and preparing debates, speeches, and argument essays. A web chart is also valuable for discerning the organization and structure of any complex problem or group.

4. Timeline

A timeline is useful for studying historic events and any process that happens over time. This is an especially good too when studying for exams. If you sketch a timeline and study it a few times, you will easily remember events in sequence.

5. Cycle Chart

Use a cycle chart to demonstrate a chain of events, show steps in a scientific process, or to clarify the order of certain repeating events. The act of drawing out the process will reinforce the information in your brain.

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Saying NO

Learning to say no to people is one of the best things you can do for yourself, yet many people find it extremely difficult. Why? Because they want to be liked. The ironic thing is, people will like you better and respect you more if you say no when it's appropriate!

Why Say No

1. People will respect you. People who say yes to everything in an attempt to be liked are quickly recognized as pushovers. When you say no to someone you are letting them know that you have boundaries. You are showing that you respect yourself--and that is how you gain respect from others.

2. People will actually see you as more dependable. When you say yes only when you have the time and true ability to do a great job, then you'll gain a reputation for being dependable. If you say yes to everything, you're bound to do a bad job at everything.

3. When you're selective with your tasks, you'll sharpen your natural strengths. If you concentrate on the things you're good at, you'll be able to improve on your natural talents. For example, if you're a great writer but you're not so great as an artist, you may volunteer to write speeches but you shouldn't sign up to make the posters for your club. Concentrate on your strength and build your skills (and your experience) for college.

4. Your life will be less stressful. You may be tempted to say yes to people in order to please them. In the long run, you're only hurting yourself and others when you do this. You stress yourself out by overloading yourself, and you experience increased stress when you realize you're bound to let them down.

When to Say No

First let's point out the obvious: do your homework.

You should never say no to a teacher, friend, or family member who is merely asking you to live up to your responsibilities. It's not okay to say no to a class assignment, just because you don't feel like doing it for some reason. This is not an exercise in cockiness.

It is OK to say no when somebody is asking you to step outside your true responsibilities and outside your comfort zone to take on a task that is dangerous or one that will overload you and affect your academic work and your reputation.

For example:

• If a teacher suggests that you become the president of a club that he or she is advising, but your schedule is already over-packed.
• If a popular athlete asks you to help with his/her homework and you don't have time.
• If anybody asks you to do their homework for them.
• If anybody asks you to give them information that was on a test (if they have a later class with the same teacher).

It can be very difficult to say no to somebody whom you really respect, but you'll find that you actually gain respect from them when you show enough courage to say no.

How to Say No

We say yes to people because it's easy. Learning to say no is like learning anything: it seems really scary at first, but it's so rewarding when you get the hang of it!

The trick to saying no is doing it firmly without sounding rude. You must avoid being wishy-washy. Here are some lines you can practice:

• If a teacher asks you to take on more responsibility than you need: Thank you for thinking of me, but I will have to say no. I'm just over-scheduled at this time.
• If a teacher asks you to do something you don't feel comfortable with: This sounds like it would be a great opportunity for somebody, but it's not right for me.
• If somebody wants you to cheat: Sorry, I don't share my homework. That would get us both in trouble.
• If somebody tries to push work off on you: I just don't have the time to do a good job at that right now.
• If somebody tries to overload you with a task: I can't do that because I have an assignment due tomorrow.
• If somebody tries to unload a problem on you: I understand your situation, but I don't have an answer for you.

When You Have to Say Yes

There will be times when you want to say no but you can’t. If you're working on a group project, you have to take on some of the work, but you don't want to volunteer for everything. When you have to say yes, you can do it with firm conditions.

A conditional "yes" may be necessary if you know you should do something but you also know you don't have all the time or resources. An example of a conditional yes is: "Yes, I'll make the posters for the club, but I won't pay for all the supplies."

Saying no is all about gaining respect. Gain respect for yourself by saying no when it's necessary. Gain the respect of others by saying no in a polite way.

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Colored Index Cards

I love inexpensive school supplies that are versatile and effective. Colored index cards are a great example of a low-cost item that can really enhance learning. They're especially great for visual learners.

The colors are important because they can add another dimension to the learning experience. For example, when you study new foreign language vocabulary, you can make categorized flashcards by putting nouns on blue cards, verbs on green cards, and adjectives on yellow cards.

See how the colors can serve as a ready-made mnemonic device? The color may prompt you to recall information about the vocabulary word and give you the extra advantage at test time.

I've put together a list of 5 ways to use colored index cards. Please let me know if you can think of other ways to use them!

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Causal Essay Topics

A causal essay is much like a cause and effect essay, but there is a subtle difference in the minds of some instructors.

The causal essay might address more complex topics, while the cause and effect essay may address smaller or more straightforward topics. Your goal in a causal essay assignment is simple: you must come up with a list of events or factors (causes) that bring about a certain outcome (effect).

You must make a clear connection between each cause and the ultimate effect.

The most common problem students face in writing the causal essay is running out of "causes" to talk about! Be certain to sketch out an outline before you begin writing the first draft of your outline.

Your essay should include a strong introduction, good transition statements, and a well-crafted conclusion.

You can use a topic from this list, or use the list as inspiration for your own idea.

• What conditions and events led to the Great Depression?
• What prompts a change in fashion trends?
• Why do some people fear darkness?
• How did some dinosaurs leave footprints?
• What causes criminal behavior?
• What causes people to rebel against authority?
• What conditions lead to a powerful hurricane?
• What developments led to regional accents in the United States?
• Why do good students become truant?
• What causes war?
• What factors can lead to birth defects?
• How are insurance rates determined?
• What factors can lead to obesity?
• What can cause evolution to occur?
• Why does unemployment rise?
• Why do some people develop multiple personalities?
• How does the structure of the earth change?
• What factors can cause bulimia nervosa?
• What makes a marriage fail?
• What developments and conditions led to the Declaration of Independence?
• What led to the decline of the automobile industry?
• What factors led to the decline of the Roman Empire?
• How did the Grand Canyon form?
• Why did slavery replace indentured servitude in the American colonies?
• How has popular music been affected by technology?
• How has racial tolerance changed over time?
• What led to the Dot Com bubble burst?
• What causes the stock market to fall?
• How does scarring occur?
• How does soap work?
• What causes a surge in nationalism?
• Why do some bridges collapse?
• Why was Abraham Lincoln assassinated?
• How did we get the various versions of the Bible?
• What factors led to unionization?
• How does a tsunami form?
• What events and factors led to women's suffrage?
• Why did electric cars fail initially?
• How do animals become extinct?
• Why are some tornadoes more destructive than others?
• What factors led to the end of feudalism?
• What led to the "Martian Panic" in the 1930s?
• How did medicine change in the nineteenth century?
• How does gene therapy work?
• What factors can lead to famine?
• What factors led to the rise of democratic governments in the 18th century?
• How did baseball become a national pastime in the United States?
• What was the impact of Jim Crow laws on black citizens in the United States?
• What factors led to the growth of imperialism?
• Why did the Salem Witch Trials take place?
• How did Adolf Hitler come to power?
• What can cause damage to your credit?
• How did the conservationism start?
• How did World War I start?
• How do germs spread and cause illness?
• How do we lose weight?
• How does road salt prevent accidents?
• What makes some tires grip better than others?
• What makes a computer run slowly?
• How does a car work?
• How has the news industry changed over time?
• What created Beatlemania?
• How did organized crime develop?
• What caused the obesity epidemic?
• How did grammar rules develop in the English language?
• Where do political parties come from?
• How did the Civil Rights movement begin?

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Learning Style Quiz Results

The Results Are In!You can use these results to help you identify the best ways for you to study effectively. Be sure to find more ways to evaluate your own personality and learning style. It will pay off!

It's a tie!

You do not have one specific dominant learning style. This is a good thing! You can learn by reading, hearing, and experiencing new things. In a class you probably like to experience a variety of teaching methods; for instance, you enjoy learning by listening to lectures, watching videos, or taking part in labs and role playing games. You might get bored if the teacher uses only one method in the classroom. You enjoy reading but you're also active. You may have a large collection of music or something else that interests you. Your interests are broad.

Read More About Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Learning

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Fill in the Blank

Of all the test questions types, fill-in questions may be the most feared. But this type of question doesn't have to give you an immediate brain drain. There is an effective strategy for preparing for this type of test question.

In most cases, the best tool for test preparation is great class notes. When you take good notes from your teacher's lecture, you usually have about 85% of the material you'll need to prepare right on hand. Most teachers create tests straight from their lecture notes.

When preparing for a fill-in test, your class notes are even more important than ever. If you have been able to record your teacher's notes word for word, you may have some fill-in phrases for the test right in front of you already.

So what do you do with this knowledge? Follow these steps:

1. Read over your class notes and underline new terms, important dates, noteworthy phrases, and the names of key people.
2. Put parentheses around the sentence that contains your key word or phrase.
3. Copy each sentence onto a clean sheet of paper, leaving out the key word or phrase.
4. Leave a blank space where they key word or phrase should go.
5. At the bottom of the paper containing your sentence, make a list of the key words and phrases.
6. Read over your sentences and attempt to fill in the blanks with correct answers in very light pencil. Consult your notes when necessary.
7. Erase your work and continue this process until you can answer all your fill-in questions with ease.
8. For insurance, read through the relevant chapters in your text to find any words or phrases you didn't find in your notes.
9. Go through the same process of copying sentences and filling in the answers until they all come easily.

   The great thing about this method is that it actually prepares you for all types of questions. You'll find that this method makes it easy to answer most any essay question, as well as the fill-ins.

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Using Microsoft Word

It may be necessary to stop your text in the middle of a page and start fresh on a new page. This happens when you end one chapter and begin another, for instance.

To do this, you will create a page break.

• Select INSERT, BREAK
• Select PAGE BREAK, OKAY

The cursor will jump to the next page. To insert page numbers in your paper:

• Select INSERT, PAGE NUMBERS
• A box will appear to offer choices as to placement. Select your choice (top of page or bottom, etc.).

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Writing a Film Review

Instructors like to get creative in the classroom sometimes to avoid falling into the doldrums and getting stuck into a routine. Like anybody else, students need some variety in order to stay alert. This is why you see a mix of assignments and projects.

Once in a while you might be asked to watch a feature film or a documentary in class and then write a film review. The structure of this type of assignment should be a little different from ordinary essay assignments, since you'll need to comment on artistic components as well as explaining how the material is relevant to the subject you're studying.

I've put together a list of tips for writing a film review. Now, maybe you can suggest a good film for your history class!

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