1. BE SURE OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT - Write down what you are assigned. Do not rely on memory exclusively. Use the D-140 website daily and be sure everything is completed.

2. SQ4R Methods -If you do not understand something, jot it down and ask me the following day.

3. NEVER NEGLECT AN ASSIGNMENT - Read every day. Read ahead in the book. Make use of auxillary readings on website.

4. IF YOU HAVE ADVANCE NOTICE OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY TO DO IT - Check website each morning.

5. START STUDY SESSIONS IN CLASS IF TIME PERMITS - get study partners and group. Don't waste valuable time.

6. HAVE A DEFINITE TIME AND PLACE FOR STUDYING - Have a quiet place. No radios or favorite TV show while studying. Plan the time so that it is not when a favorite TV program is in progress. Stay off the phone and instant messaging. Concentrate on the task at hand. There will be enough multitasking as you attempt to complete your assignment. Take breaks and refresh.

7. CONCENTRATE ON STUDY - Don't allow interruptions. Be sure your study is not interrupted by household chores, thoughts of friends, and so forth. If something occupies your mind no matter what you do, meet it first, then study with a clear mind. Don't surf the net when you should be focused on the links assigned and sites related to them. Don't lie to your parents by telling them you've been working on an assignment and you've been playing. Be responsible!

8. USE REFERENCE BOOKS FOUND IN THE LIBRARY, IN THE LABORATORY AND ON THE WEB - Don't go through an assignment missing words and ideas. Pause to use Google and find what you need to know. If you're using your objectives correctly in a word processor, you can copy and paste definitions, links and quotes into your developing document for study.

9. USE YOUR DICTIONARY FOR WORDS YOU DON'T KNOW - Use the glossary in the back of your textbook and keep one of your own in a notebook, electronic or paper.

10. TAKE CAREFUL NOTES IN CLASS - Keep your notes in a regular notebook, or in a word document. I will explain the type in class. Much of the material covered in class will not be in your text, thus the only record is your notes, or the web. Either way you need a record of what needs to be reviewed.

11. REVIEW YOUR CLASS NOTES BEFORE YOU START STUDYING YOUR NEW ASSIGNMENT - Check your material in the text to see whether you have the material recorded correctly. Check your English usage.

12. PICK OUT THE "MEAT" OR IMPORTANT INFORMATION - An outlining will help your memory. SQ4R Methods

13. PAY ATTENTION TO CLASS DISCUSSIONS - Each of you is costing Dorchester County and the State of Maryland roughly $6,000 a year to educate. If that money were coming out of your pocket per day you would have to pay $33 each day for admittance to CSD. Only ignorance is free, not education. Think about this. Yes there is a social side to school, before, between and after class. As with any job you are expected to work when you are not on break. Learn to separate your work and play. Do both well, but don't mix them together! You won't be any good at either. Be responsible, not silly.

14. ALWAYS BE SURE YOUR DATA SHEETS AND NOTES ARE COMPLETED AS YOU DO THE WORK -Try to avoid recording data long after doing an investigation. You will forget important details. The same applies to note-taking.

15. WHEN YOU HAVE A READING ASSIGNMENT FROM WHICH YOU ARE TO GET DEFINITE INFORMATION, OR ANSWERS TO A LIST OF OBJECTIVES, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE ENTIRE ASSIGNMENT BEFORE YOU TRY TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS - SQ4R Methods - Try to get the context of the reading before you begin answering your objectives. Follow the techniques of SQ4R.

16. HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS - Make sure you have what you need to study. Solve these logistics problems (where, when and how) before you sit down to work.

17. MOST IMPORTANT - When you are in doubt about anything, ask me (class, e-mail or phone). It is far better to ask a question and be a fool for a few moments than to not ask the question and be a fool for a lifetime.