3 Summer Programs for High School Students

3 Summer Programs for High School Students Hanging out by the water and spending time with friendsas the high school year comes to a close, summertime fun is all thats on most students minds. Summer is a great time to relax and refresh for the next school year. Its also an excellent opportunity, however, for high school students to advance their learning. With more and more colleges paying attention to how high school students spend their summers, it can benefit students to dedicate at least a portion of these months to hitting the books. Studying at home can be challenging during the summer. Luckily, many learning programs exist for high school students who want to advance their knowledge during the summer months. These programs include pre-college immersion programs, specialized summer immersion programs, and study abroad opportunities. Aside from preparing students for their high school curricula, programs such as these look great on college applications. If youre a high school student looking to get ahead this summer, here are three high school summer programs to enrich your learning: Summer program #1: Pre-college immersion A summer pre-college program gives high school students the opportunity to take a college-level course or courses. These programs, which can last up to several weeks, provide high school students with a taste of the college experience, including what it feels like to take all or a portion of a college-level class. Students can participate in these programs at both local colleges and colleges away from home. Students who go away to a school often live on campus for the duration of the program. High school students planning to take college-level Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses can especially benefit from these immersion programs, because AP and IB courses are on the same level as college courses. High school students entering their senior year can similarly use these programs to prepare for higher-level courses and their associated workload. Some of the institutions hosting summer pre-college programs that offer a wide variety of academic options include: Emory University, the University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon University. Some pre-college programs also offer college credit or reduced tuition for in-state students. [RELATED: 3 Questions to Ask Your Guidance Counselor About College] Summer program #2: specialized immersion Several specialized summer-long academic programs are available for high school students as well. This includes Mathcamp, a five-week summer immersion program for high school students who are gifted in math. Students who participate can take college courses in math at the undergraduate, and even graduate, level. Students also get the opportunity to study with internationally renowned mathematics researchers, and to make friends with and learn from students from all over the world. The camp is held at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. Other specialized summer programs available to high school students include Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, which is focused on teaching young women how to build code and software, and LaunchX, for students interested in learning about entrepreneurship. Research what programs may be available that focus on your particular talents and interests. Dont be afraid to look into options that arent local, as many offer lodging and scholarship opportunities. [RELATED: 5 Myths (and Realities) About Studying Abroad] Summer program #3: study abroad The Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) is the U.S.s oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization. It invites high school students interested in expanding their academic knowledge to do so while traveling overseas. CIEE offers several kinds of programs for students to take advantage of, including: CIEEs language and culture program immerses students in an education on the language, culture, and history related to a certain place. CIEEs leadership and service program gives students a more hands-on opportunity to gain knowledge about global issues, such as the environment and childrens rights, while giving back. CIEEs global discovery program gives students a chance to study a specialized field of their choice, such as marine science or filmmaking. The major benefit to studying abroad is getting out of your comfort zone. In another country, most likely youll be challenged to cope with another language, new foods, and a culture different than your own. This can make the learning process more challenging, but also more rewarding and memorable. Youre also likely to meet new friends from all over the world. [RELATED: How to Make the Most of Your Gap Year] When searching for summer programs, identify your interests and explore all of the options available to you. There are many ways that you can take your skillset and participate in a summer learning program that will simultaneously enhance your college admissions resume and expand your knowledge. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

Our Advice To Learn Portuguese Easily

Our Advice To Learn Portuguese Easily Learning Portuguese Is Easy Once You Know How ChaptersTips To Remember The Portuguese AlphabetHow To Master Portuguese PronunciationBasic Portuguese GrammarLearn How To Write In PortugueseLearning a language and gaining fluency in it is always a rewarding experience. Portuguese, in particular, is a wonderful language to learn, seeing as it is spoken by over 200 million people across the world and is considered the seventh most spoken language in the world.However, it’s not known as being a particularly easy language to learn for native English speakers, as Portuguese does have its own challenges when it comes to things such as communication, notably pronunciation, and the differences between Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese.Having said this, it’s very possible to learn Portuguese, whether you’re a complete beginner, intermediate, or near-fluent speaker, and we highlight some of the ways you can learn the basics of this language below.Regularly test yourself on your knowledge of the Portuguese alphabet â€" for instance, can you recite it back to front?; andSee if it helps to find a rhyme or song that teaches you the alphabet in Portuguese â€" it may help you commit it to memory.The Portuguese alphabet is one of the first things you should consider learning in Portuguese. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, geralt, Pixabay)How To Master Portuguese PronunciationAs noted above, Portuguese pronunciation is known to be a bit tricky for English speakers to master.This is in part due to the fact that Portuguese is not a phonetic language. This means that the way a word is pronounced in Portuguese does not necessarily mirror how that word is written.This means that,  in order to improve your speaking skills in Portuguese, you should ideally try to learn how Portuguese letters are commonly pronounced, and how common combinations of Portuguese letters (for example, CH) are pronounced.Additionally, one way to really improve your Portuguese pronunciation is to develop your listening and speaking skills in Portuguese.By re gularly speaking with a Portuguese native speaker, or by listening to Portuguese language shows or radio programmes, you may find that:You have a better understanding of how Portuguese native speakers pronounce common greetings and expressions;You have a chance to ask a Portuguese native speaker whether you’re pronouncing certain words correctly; andYour Portuguese comprehension skills improve overall.Finally, bear in mind that Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese are spoken differently. This means that, if you’d like to learn Brazilian Portuguese, that it may be better to focus on speaking with Brazilian Portuguese speakers and listening to Brazilian Portuguese more than you listen to Portuguese people and Portuguese-language shows, and vice versa.Superprof has a range of tutors that specialise in either Brazilian Portuguese or Portuguese, meaning that you should be able to find a tutor in your local area  or online that can help you learn the type of Portuguese that you would l ike.Part of learning Portuguese is developing your Portuguese speaking skills. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Pixabay)Basic Portuguese GrammarAnother key aspect of learning Portuguese is to understand the fundamentals of Portuguese grammar.While grammar often isn’t considered a particularly fun or exciting aspect of a language to learn, the fact is that understanding a language’s grammar is key to developing your proficiency in that language.For instance, once you’ve learnt basic Portuguese grammar, you should be able to do things such as:Conjugate basic regular and irregular Portuguese verbs in the present tense;Understand basic Portuguese syntax and construct your own sentences in Portuguese;Know the genders of common Portuguese nouns.What’s more, once you’ve learnt the very basics of Portuguese grammar, you can continue to build upon your existing knowledge. For example, you can start to learn more complex tenses in Portuguese, from the future and pas t tenses to the conditional. This, in turn, should improve your proficiency in Portuguese, and transform you into an intermediate or even advanced learner, as opposed to a complete beginner.When you first start learning Portuguese grammar, there are a few different approaches that you can try:Try to identify which aspects of Portuguese grammar are most important to you as you learn the language â€" for example, are you more interested in being able to say common phrases and expressions, or do you want to know what the most common Portuguese nouns and verbs are?; orSpend some time developing your knowledge of all fundamental grammatical areas â€" from your vocabulary to your knowledge of pronouns and understanding of the Portuguese alphabet and how certain letters and words are pronounced.The main thing is to try and ensure that you practice Portuguese grammar regularly, regardless of whether you’re learning Brazilian Portuguese or Portuguese. This is because committing basic gramm ar rules to memory will make it easier to learn more complex areas of the language, and should improve your overall level of proficiency in Portuguese.If you need any help learning Portuguese grammar, you could always try to reach out to a tutor at Superprof for some bespoke grammar exercises to make sure that you are improving your overall knowledge of Portuguese.There are a few ways you can improve how you write in Portuguese. (Image Source: CC0 1.0, Free-Photos, Pixabay)Learn How To Write In PortugueseWhen you learn a foreign language, you’re often told that you should develop four different skills in order to improve your knowledge of that language. Those skills are:Your ability to read in the foreign language (reading skills);Your ability to write in the foreign language (writing skills);Your ability to speak in the foreign language (speaking skills); andYour ability to listen in the foreign language (listening skills).Ideally, none of these skills should be developed in pure isolation. This is because often, the skills can complement one another. For example, when you speak to someone in Portuguese, you’re not only developing your speaking skills, but you’re also training your listening skills when you listen to your friend or conversation partner respond to what you were saying.While every Portuguese learner should take the time to develop each of the above four skills, it is equally true that some skills generally take longer to master. In this sense, many people find that they would like to improve their Portuguese writing skills, either because they feel that they write too slowly in Portuguese, or often find that they make grammatical or spelling mistakes.When it comes to improving your level of written Portuguese, then your first port of call if you’re a beginner is to make sure that you’ve got a solid grip on the Portuguese alphabet and the fundamentals of Portuguese grammar and syntax and to revise these areas regularly.Once you’ve ma stered that, or if you’re an intermediate or advanced learner, then one great way to improve your Portuguese writing skills is to set some time aside to practice writing in Portuguese.Regardless of whether you prefer to write your own small pieces in Portuguese, or you’d rather copy out passages from textbooks, newspaper articles, or books, regularly writing in a foreign language can not only increase your writing speed, but by reading works in Portuguese and copying them down, you’re also working on your overall Portuguese comprehension skills.Ultimately, if you want to learn Portuguese from scratch, or would like to improve your existing level of Brazilian Portuguese or Portuguese, there are plenty of techniques and study approaches you can use to improve your proficiency. The key is having some regular practice and having the commitment to study and ask questions to a tutor or teacher if you’re unsure of the meaning of a particular word or a particular point of grammar.Re member, if you feel stuck when learning Portuguese, you could consider hiring a Portuguese tutor from Superprof, who can help guide and encourage you to improve your understanding of Portuguese as a foreign language.

How to Write Lyrics Steps to Success for Any Musical Style

How to Write Lyrics Steps to Success for Any Musical Style Suzy S. Interested in learning how to write lyrics and songs? Here, New Jersey guitar teacher  Matthew H.  explains an easy 3-step process to follow   Songwriting is not easy; just ask any composer or lyricist. While the musical composition is highly important (making sure the melody is catchy without sounding too trite), having a strong, relatable message to go along with a great tune is just as, if not more, important. Here are some tips on how to write lyrics for a good song. 1) What is the story? Too often, songwriters worry about the rhythmic structure or rhyme of the lyrics when they first should be focused on the whole point of a song: storytelling. It doesn’t matter if you are adding lyrics to existing music, creating music for the lyrics, or doing both simultaneously, you have to have a story to tell. Start small. What do you want the overall point or moral of the song to be? How should a listener feel after hearing it? Common examples include: falling in love, missing someone, feeling liberated, and so on. Once you choose a starting point, expand upon it, but write down the story as if it were prose rather than a song. For example: I miss my brother ever since he moved out of the country. I don’t get to see him as much as I used to and I feel like a part of my life will not be the same as a result. I wish things were the way they used to be when we were younger and living together at home. 2) Make your story musical. Now that you have an outline of how you want the song’s story to play out, set it to music. Even if you don’t have a solid sense of the entire orchestration or final production elements, play around with different melodic structures and rhythms. Taking our missing brother example from before, figure out which specific words need to be stressed. If youre working on the hook and you decide that the sensation of “nostalgia” takes precedence over everything else, then be sure to make that clear within the chorus with either a very clever line (avoid clichés like comparing his absence with death) or a sustained syllable within a strategic word (the o in home, for instance). A good rule of thumb is to never marry any idea right off the bat; the best way to write lyrics is to be flexible. In doing so, you’ll avoid any problems you might encounter if you insist on having a specific line a certain way. 3) Don’t be afraid to make some changes! Test out your song. Does the story make sense? Do the lyrics flow well with the music? Would everything suddenly sound much better if you switch out one word with another? These are the things you need to look for after developing your perspective and making it melodic. If you’ve been working on the song for a long time, take a break. Your ears and mind will need a distraction. After a couple days or a week even, try listening to what you have and make any necessary changes that jump out at you after having taken some time to separate yourself from your creation. When songwriting, you really are baring your soul for the world to see (and hear) in an extremely vulnerable way. If you follow the advice above on how to write lyrics, you will find the words resonate deeper than the generic pop schlock that typically permeates the radio’s Top 40. Matthew H. provides tutoring in various subjects both online and in New Milford, NJ.  He recently received his MA from NYU with a background in Sociolinguistics and related research. Learn more about Matthew here!   Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by Rubin Starset

An Introverts Guide To Filing For Workers Compensation - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / An Introvert’s Guide To Filing For Workers’ Compensation - Introvert Whisperer An Introvert’s Guide To Filing For Workers’ Compensation For introverts, who need personal space and alone time to recharge, dealing with the process of filing a workers’ compensation and all of the complications that can arise may seem completely overwhelming. Thankfully, according to The Disability Guys, there are steps that can be taken to ensure that everything will go smoothly and that injured employees have the help they need. Step 1: Get The Medical Help You Need When the body is in pain it can be difficult to focus on anything else. Don’t hesitate to seek the care that you need in order to feel comfortable. Step 2: Write Everything Down This step is very important. Write down every detail you can remember about the accident which resulted in your injury including what caused the event, as well as each of the injuries that were sustained. Describe the treatments required to care for those injuries and continue to write down anything that comes to mind. Not only will this action help to keep track of a timeline but it may also help you find some peace. Step 3: Set A Pace When it comes to filing a workers’ compensation claim, there is a timeline for everything. For example, injured workers must inform their employers of their accident and injury within 30 days in writing. Help yourself to not feel overwhelmed by creating a list of every step that needs to be completed and the date by which each task should be completed. Step 4: Find A Quiet Space Help to clear your head by making sure that you have a quiet space to work in. Step 5: Ask For Help There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help. In many cases, a workers’ compensation attorney can assist an injured employee more than they ever thought possible. Attorneys aren’t just available at times when legal action is required. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney can assist from day one to ensure that the correct forms are filed out and that everything is done in a timely manner. If, as many claims are, the workers’ comp claim is denied, an attorney can assist with the appeal. What Should I Do If My Employer Is Giving Me A Hard Time? If you have been hurt on the job, your employer is required to cooperate with you while you file a claim. In fact, in many states, if they act in a way which prevents the injured worker from filing a claim, they can be subjected to severe fines and penalties. If your employer is refusing to cooperate, the first thing you should do is contact the local Workers’ Compensation Administration office and let them know that you are encountering difficulty. They can assist you with obtaining the forms and inform your employer of his obligation. What If My Employer Doesn’t Have Insurance? In the majority of states, employers are required by law to have a workers’ compensation insurance policy. If they fail to obtain a policy, they can face fines, jail time, and their business may be shut down. There are two purposes to having workers’ compensation insurance. The first is so that injured employees have their medical expenses and a fraction of any lost wages covered while they heal. The second is so that the employer is protected against personal injury lawsuits. If a workers’ comp claim is filed, an employee is barred from pursuing a lawsuit. This does not apply, however, when the employer does not have insurance. If you find that your employer does not have workers’ comp, the best step is to consult an attorney who can help you pursue a personal injury lawsuit. It is through this legal action that you may be able to obtain compensation. Bio: Mr. Mittman is the Managing Partner at Markhoff Mittman, P.C., a workers’ compensation and personal injury law firm. He has several decades of experience in assisting those who have been injured on the job and has worked with hundreds of clients who have been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. Outside of the office he volunteers for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and coaches multiple children’s sports teams. Do you know what your next career step is?   Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable.   Get your copy now and start your action plan today: CLICK HERE Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleash your professional potential.

English Sense Verbs - What They Are, How to Use Them

English Sense Verbs - What They Are, How to Use Them English sense verbs, also known as sensory verbs, are special verbs used with each of the five senses.  Here list with each sense, and  the sense verb that matches it:Sensory Verbs List:Sight  To see (sight)Hearing  To hear (hearing)Taste  To taste (taste)Touch  To touch (touch)Smell  To smell (smell)Those are the 5 senses in English. Study the English sense verbs to greatly improve your English vocabulary.Examples of Sense Verbs:I see a blackbird outside my window.I hear loud music from my neighbor’s house every Friday night.Can you taste chili in this sauce?He hurt his finger badly and didn’t want me to touch it.She smelled smoke and knew the house was burning.Grammar How to Use English Sense Verbs:We can combine  sense verbs with adjectives to express our personal preferences, beliefs and feelings, for example:I look older than I am.Her white sauce tastes fantastic.His new sweater feels soft against the skin.We can also use sense verbs to express a similarity between two or more objects. For example:John looks like my old boyfriend.That cake tastes like ones my grandmother used to bake.It feels cold here just as it did in Alaska.Sense Verb Exercises and Examples:Here is an extract from New Zealand writer’s Katherine Mansfield’s classic short story The Garden Party. See how many verbs of the senses you can find.Only the tall fellow was left. He bent down, pinched a sprig of lavender, put his thumb and forefinger to his nose and smelled it. When Laura saw that gesture she forgot all about the karakas in her wonder at him caring for things like that caring for the smell of lavender. How many men that she knew would have done such a thing? Oh, how extraordinarily nice workmen were, she thought. Why couldnt she have workmen for her friends rather than the silly boys she danced with and who came to Sunday night supper? She would get on much better with men like these.Its all their fault, she decided, as the tall fellow drew something on the back of an envelope, something that was to be looped up or left to hang, of these absurd class distinctions. Well, for her part, she didnt feel them. Not a bit, not an atom And now there came the chock-chock of wooden hammers. Some one whistled, some one sang out, Are you right there, matey? Matey! The friendliness of it, the the Just to prove how happy she was, just to show the tall fellow how at home she felt, and how she despised stupid conventions, Laura took a big bite of her bread-and-butter as she stared at the little drawing. She felt just like a work-girl.Write the sense verbs you find in comments, and we will reply with the correct answers. Ready to learn? Learn more about Skype English lessons.

Seven Life Skills Your Teen Needs for College

Seven Life Skills Your Teen Needs for College The list of academic aptitudes and skills your child needs for college is long. Whether your teen plans to become an engineer or an English teacher, those college professors expect that he or she has the subject-matter knowledge as well as fundamental 21st century skills like critical thinking and problem solving. But there are many other important life skills that teens need to succeed in the real world. Here are seven of them: Money management Teens go to college to prepare themselves for their future careers (in which they will make money), but its essential that they understand the basics of money management long before they set foot in the working world. At a minimum, talk with your teen about how to create a budget, why its important to manage to that budget, how to set financial goals (such as saving toward something) and why debt can be dangerous (especially debt racked up by credit cards). Communication Every career involves communication in the form of writing, talking and non-verbal communication. Teens need to learn how to communicate their ideas and opinions clearly, but its also crucial that they are able to negotiate, build good working relationships through effective communication and diffuse conflicts when they arise. Listening In addition to being able to communicate and express themselves, teens must be skillful listeners. Remind your teen that listening is not just about hearing people talk. Its about focusing on what they are trying to communicate, processing it, watching for non-verbal cues and confirming understanding. Good listeners listen to understand, not just to formulate their own responses. Self-discipline In college, teens no longer have parents telling them what to do and how to do it. Its up to them how and when to study and whether to go to class or not. Do your best to take a step back in high school so that your teen can step up and take responsibility for his or her lifeincluding school. You can support your teen from the sidelines by providing structure and encouraging the adoption of good routines. Self-advocacy Self-advocacy goes hand in hand with good communication. In college, it is expected that teens will reach out when they need help or want to understand professors grading policies or something similar. Encourage your teen to be assertive and to take the initiative in high school to talk directly with teachers and guidance counselors about all things school-related. Decision-making Without Mom and Dad around at college, teens are put fully in charge of their livesquite possibly for the first time. This can be a rude awakening without practice, so the best thing you can do is offer your teen choices when appropriate. For big decisions, let your teen weigh his or her options and think through various outcomes. Be on hand for support, but make sure your teen learns how to navigate decision-making independently. Emotional intelligence People who are emotionally intelligent recognize their emotions as well as those of others and use that to guide their thinking and behavior. This aptitude is essential in college, and helps teens work effectively with others, build good peer relationships, solve problems and feel more confident as students. The above skills are all related to school and/or productivity, but there are plenty of other life skills your teen will need, like basic kitchen and cooking skills, cleanliness, personal hygiene and healthcare, and navigational skills for driving around. The point is this: Dont wait until a month before your teen goes to college to show him or her how to use the ovenor to work on fostering the above skills. In the very near future, your teen will need to operate independently in the world. If youre concerned that your teen lacks some of the essentials to succeed in college and beyondsuch as time management, effective studying and organizational skillsor is missing important content knowledge, call Huntington at 1-800 CAN LEARN. Were here to help your teen make the transition to college a successful one.

15 Items to Keep at Your Desk to Reduce Stress

15 Items to Keep at Your Desk to Reduce Stress amazon.com 3. Scalp massager The most dreamy feeling in the world is having someone rub your head go ahead, agree with me. So imagine having one of these at your desk when youre feeling extra stressed. Jump on Amazon and get you one right now. And then keep reading. 4. Kneadable eraser Youre going to make mistakes. Go ahead and just acknowledge that theres no way youre going to have a perfect day. So while youre erasing your latest misspelled word, or changing up your penciled-in lunch dates, get you an eraser that forms to your frustration. Itll give you a good daily hand workout. 5. USB aromatherapy diffuser Did you even know this was a thing? Youre. Welcome. Sure, it might be like $20, but itll probably be the best 20 bucks youve ever spent. Imagine working your day away to the scent of your favorite spa. Youll be in the clouds with this trinket. themuse.com   6. 3D pin art I didnt even know these were still around but this is  definitely  something youre going to need at your desk when youre having a brain fart or writers block. Whether you smush your face into it, or your hand, itll save you from having the meltdown you can feel coming on since lunch. 7. Finger skateboard Annoy the heck out of your co-workers with this little diddy. Youll be able to practice all your skating tricks at the convenience of your desk. Sit down and get a good triple flip thing in before you really settle down to be productive. Itll start your day off on the right foot or finger? 8. Snacks Youre bound to get hungry. Keep some  non-perishable  snacks handy throughout the day. When your tummy starts grumbling, its hard to concentrate. Youll be thankful you stocked your bottom drawer. pixabay.com 9. A soft rug When your toes need to scrunch, youll want a soft rug to scrunch them on. This is a  staple  of any stress-free environment. Plus, you can make it cute as well! 10. Mala beads These are used for prayer and meditation both of which are things you do at work and school multiple times throughout the day. If you dont have your own set of Mala beads, I honestly dont know how youre surviving day to day. 11. Gum That weird taste in your mouth just isnt going to go away and theres no way youre going to be able to stop thinking about how gross it tastes. Keeping gum/mints handy will help you focus on what needs focusing, instead of wishing you listened to your dentist and kept a toothbrush at the office. pixabay.com 12. A comfy scarf Does your neck ever get chilly? Maybe it just needs a snuggle. Keep a comfy scarf close by so you can wrap up when you need to. A cold neck is not a productive neck. 13. An extra sweater/sweatshirt The number one issue that can kill a productive work session is being too cold. All of a sudden your entire body is shaking and you just cant focus. Avoid this by keeping a nice comfy sweater or sweatshirt within reach. Once youve easily fixed your temperature problem, itll be easier to get back to work! 14. Deodorant Imagine your worst nightmare panicking about a deadline and getting wait for it  sweat stains.  And then you stink. And you feel like the kid in the next study cubicle can smell you, no matter how hard you try to mask it. You even go to the bathroom and try to soak it up with paper towels. Dont be that guy. Keep a spare deodorant at your desk. Itll come in handy, I promise. pixabay.com 15. Slippers/comfy sneakers Yeah. Wear your pumps to the office. Get blisters. Good idea. No. Keep a pair of comfy shoes at your desk for during the day. Whether youre running down the hall to check your mailbox, to the vending machine, or out to your car to get a charger for your phone, you dont want to be stuck with one choice of shoe and one choice only. Trust me on this one.