Back to School

Summer vacation is coming to an end
開學  - 暑假接近尾聲.

Despite warm days and laughter from the poolside, summer vacation is ending. And everyone knows it. The review packet for summer - still not opened - suddenly appears. Sale signs at the mails, supermarkets and bookstores remind students and parents. Notebooks, folders pencils and something special called binders are piled up in stores. In American schools, students must keep their book bags in their lockers.

So, most carry binders between classrooms. A 3-hole binder holds handouts, homework and a pencil pouch. Students also must complete the student-service learning (SSL) requirement in summer. Most schools in Maryland require students to complete at least 75 hours of community volunteer work. They must do this before graduating from high school.

Students devote their time to libraries, school clubs, summer camps and community organizations. My daughter Irene has been working at a library to earn her SSL hours. She helps check out books, make posters and clean up the environment. This experience is helping her not only contribute to society but also enhance her communication skills.

Many students attend summer school for two sessions, each for three weeks. It usually runs five days a week for four hours a day, plus homework and exams. Most high schools provide intensive courses in summer. Students can take a course and move to the next level when the school year officially starts.

The perfect place to say goodbye to summer vacation is the annual county fair. All kinds of carnival rides attract entire families. Traditional American food is served everywhere - hot dogs, pretzels, cotton candy, barbeque...Be sure to go when you're hungry!

The fair is also a place for displays of farm produce. many farmers also attend the farm-animal competitions. Kids love the horse shows and goat-milking contest. Fun contests like watermelon-seed spitting and tricycle races interest the younger children. Women and girls go to exhibitions of quilts and flowers.

Soon the fairground will be quiet. Instead, kids will gather at the school-bus stop. Summer vacation is over.

Grammar Gym:
Students devote their time to libraries, school clubs, summer camps and community organizations.
'to devote (one's) time to......' - to use most of one's own time to do something.
Dennis really cares a lot about animals and devotes his time at the animal shelter.
Paula dreams of becoming a skater and devotes her time to training at the ice rink.

Vocabulary Tips:
packet -包装盒，包装袋。
*Vivian ate a whole packed of cookies during lunch break.
*Every student will receive a training packet when they register.
binder (n) - a thing that keep all the school or teacher hand-outs and home work etc.活页夹
bind - 捆，绑，束，装订
3-hole binder (3-ring binder) -
*the accessones are attached to the fabric with a special binder.
volunteer (n) - 自愿者。
*All the food was distributed by the volunteers.
volunteer (v) - self willingness to do or to involve something. 自愿。
*Josh volunteered to take out the trash.
volunteer (adj) - 自愿的，
*William is a volunteer firefighter.
enhance - 促进，增进。'en' - 使如何如何。
*A warm and happy environment can enhance children's learning. 增进小孩的学习。
*The company's reputation was enhanced by this charity campaign.
SSL - Student Service Leaning. also called " community service."
contribute to something or for the cause - given to something or for a reason.
contribute - give to.
contribution (n) - the act that you provide or give to. - making a good contribution in society or in the class.
leadership - help out the community and learn how to lead people to work.
mall - many stores sale different things in a big building.
folder -  a file that keep paper or things.
locker - a close out thing that a person has assigned a key to open it and keep things in it.
intensive -密集，密集课程，密集班
*The players underwent intensive training before the football season began.
intense - 紧绷的，密集的。
*The poem shows the author's intense feelings toward his first love.
officially (adv) - 正式地，官方地。
*The couple officially announced their wedding date.
official (adj) - 正式的，官方的
*The press is still waiting for the police's official statement regarding this case.
competition (n) - 比赛。比赛，竞争。contest.
*The fierce competition among the contestants on the games show attracted a large sudience.
compete (v) - 比赛
*Boys love to compete with each other while playing.
quilt (n) -拼花做的百纳布。A blanket that made by many small size of patches of cloth sew together.
*Pamela's grandma made a quilt for her wedding gift.
*The design on the quits is a beautiful butterfly.
county fair - fun activities held in county.
state fair - is larger than county, fun events are going on.
carnival - a lot of exciting activities, all in one area.
tricycle - tricycle has three wheels. 'tri' - three.
contest - competition.
fairground - a place where the fair is held. 
 
Language Tips:
U.S High School is different from most other countries high school:
* U.S. high school students need go from class to class, every teacher has an assigned classroom to teach the class.
* Home classroom - that student need to be there in assigned time to get school or class information.
Student does not have their own assigned desk, no regular classroom or regular desk. Each student has a locker to keep all school books, bags, and personal belongings. 类似台湾的级任老师（班导）和早会是聚集之处。
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exhibit/exhibition - 展览。
exhibition (n) -展示会，展览会。
exhibitions of quilts and flowers.
exhibit (v) - 展示，展览。
exhibit (n) -展览品。
There are different exhibits on display at the exhibition.


Taking notes of StudioClassroom.