| ORIENTATION SCAVENGER HUNT Let's start by looking at what an orientation and a scavenger hunt are. To orient is a verb that means to figure out where you are. When you don't know where you are you feel disoriented. Orientation is a noun that means a special program that helps you find your way around something. I am not sure how "The Orient" came to mean what is now called Asia. Maybe European people spent a lot of time trying to orient themselves and ending up going East a lot. Who knows! A scavenger hunt is a child's game. Sometimes adults play this game, too. There was a kind of scavenger hunt on Survivor. (That's a TV show I think you may have heard of. ;-) In a scavenger hunt you must act like a scavenger. A scavenger is something that lives off of old or dead things. Cockroaches, buzzards, dogs and many other animals are scavengers. They help keep our planet clean. I am also a scavenger. I have been recycling things since I was a young child. I make art projects from old junk and I teach young kids how to do this, too. In a scavenger hunt, you must find things, solve problems, look for clues and answer questions. In this class we used to have an in-person orientation. Students could meet me at the Skylab and I would answer their questions about the class and get to know them a little. But guess what? Almost no one came! Maybe that's because this is an on-line class. The people taking this class are busy. Many have little kids. Some of them live far away from school. It is not easy for them to come to school meet me. So I have changed things. Now there is an Orientation Scavenger Hunt. Directions: Answer the following questions. All the answers to the questions will be on the class website. Send me your answers in an email. 1. What is the journal sample about? 2. Name one book in the Reading Room. 3. What is inside the Writing Gallery? 4. What can help you succeed in this class? 5. Who is Cynthia Eagleton and how long has she taught at San Mateo Adult School? 6. What is at www.cdlponline.org? 7. How can reading help your writing? 8. What is the Write Share Project? 9. What is jobstar? 10. What is the Hunger Site? 11. How many lessons are in this class? (Hint: this is a Frequently Asked Question.) 12. Where can you get more information about San Mateo Adult School and everything it offers? |
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