Writing a Cover Letter

You've imagined a profession that you would like to have when you are 25 years old, and you've written a resume that outlines the education and experience that goes along with having that particular job at that age. Now you're going to write a cover letter to go along with your resume.

What's a cover letter? Virginia Tech has a great page on cover letters. It details how and why to write a cover letter, and many examples are provided. Here's the link:

http://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/CoverLetterSamples.html

Now imagine that your 25-year-old self is applying for new job. Search the job listings on monster.com or the want ads in an online newspaper. Find a job that you might be qualified for (at age 25) in your field of interest. Use your gmail account to create a cover letter for it (write the cover letter in the body of your email). Email the cover letter to me (mcarty@sterling.k12.nj.us).

Be sure to:
*Include your resume as a Microsoft Word attachment.
*Provide a link to the ad that you are responding to. This should be at the top of the page (just so I know what you're applying for).

Reviewing "The Alchemist"

1. Read the epilogue of the Alchemist.
2. In a new blog post on your blog, briefly summarize the book (identify title, author, type of story, etc,), discuss whether you liked it or not and why (be specific), and whether someone else should read it, skip it, or burn it.

Blog about whatever.

1) Writing is healthy -it's theraputic, it helps you clear your mind and clarify your thoughts. Today I want you to blog about whatever's on your mind. Write about something that's bothering you, or something that you're interested in, or something that you're passionate about, or an idea that you have.

*You will be graded on grammar and composition.

*200-word minimum.
*Don't be boring.

2) When you are complete, go to the student blogs page of this site. Read one of your classmates' posts from today, and leave them a thoughtful comment.

*Note: "I agree," "This is funny," etc. are not thoughtful comments.

Resume

Last week you identified a job that you might like to have when you are 25 years old. This week, you are to write a resume for your twenty-five-year-old self outlining the education and job experience that you hope to have at that point in your life.

1) Research the education and experience required for a person who holds your ideal job.

2) Research how to write a resume.
Here are a few samples:
http://www.aroj.com/sample-Construction/Construction-Laborer-Resume.html
http://www.aroj.com/sample-Medical/Dental-Assistant-Resume.html
http://www.jobweb.com/Resume/sample.aspx?id=602

3) Create your resume and email it to me mcarty@sterling.k12.nj.us as a MS Word attachment.

*Due Tomorrow, May 13 by the beginning of class.

*Late penalty: 8 points per school day late.

Job-Seeking Skills

In order to be happy, successful, and satisfied with your career, you should have a job that you can do well, that you feel is important, and that you are paid fairly for.
Complete the following in a new post on your blog:

1. Describe the job that you hope to have when you are 25 years old? *If you have a few ideas, describe just one.

2. Explain why you would be a good fit for this job and/or why this job would be a good fit for you.

3. (a) Review this list of job skills (also distributed in class) and identify the twenty skills from the list that are most important for that job. (b) Under each skill, describe a situation where you will need to demonstrate that skill while doing the job that you identified earlier.

Your list will look like this:
1. Collecting Money
As a self-employed carpenter, I will have to prepare bills for clients, and collect payments after work has completed.
...You'll have twenty of these.

Polonius, Hamlet, and Privacy

Everyone is concerned about Hamlet. Polonius's theory is that Hamlet is upset not only because of the death of his father, but also because Ophelia has rejected him. In order to prove his theory and to get to the bottom of Hamlet's problems, Polonius confiscates a love letter written by Hamet to Ophelia and reads it to Claudius and Gertrude.

Is it ever OK to invade someone's privacy -for a parent to snoop, go through a child's text messages, etc. -for a concerned friend to look into another's personal life?

Explain why it is or is not OK to invade another person's privacy. Back up your argument with specifics. *200-word minimum.

Blogging is torture!

Discuss the use of torture and execution in Shakespeare's England -why and how it was done / provide specific examples.

"Capital punishment" consists of executing someone for their crimes. "Corporal punishment" consists of causing someone pain or discomfort in order to punish them or to discourage a certain behavior. Corporal punishment can consist of anything from being forced to sit in a corner, to being spanked, to being whipped or stretched on the rack.

The United States executes criminals all the time, and we've recently tortured terrorism suspects. Do you think that capital and corporal punishment work, or do they just cause people to be angrier and more violent? Explain.

*Post your response on your blog, not this one.