A couple of pre-Thanksgiving Break announcements

First of all, I hope you all will remember that you have a vocab test on the Monday you come back, December 1st.  It'll be IN-CLASS this time, and open-note (Yeah, I've given up on the online testing for now...but it might come back).  If you don't remember to bring HANDWRITTEN NOTES, you're out of luck.  And yes, I'll be collecting the notes this time...I'm not thrilled with the degree of preparation demonstrated in the last test.  Just because it's a take-home test doesn't mean that you can wing it, you know.  You're going to have a 50 question test in a 48 minute period.  The better your notes are, and the more familiar you are with the words, the easier it'll be for you.

UPDATE: Just so you know, I administered the vocab test to myself on Friday, sans notes.  It took about 25 minutes and I scored 47/50.  That should give you some idea of what to expect.

You will also have a sub that day, it should be Mr. Suri again.  Things seemed to go pretty smoothly last time, so I've requested him for the two other days I'm out this year as well.  Please be on your best behavior and treat him with the respect he deserves.

Secondly, I'm announcing the last extra credit assignment of the semester.  For TEN points, you can bring in a NEW, gift-quality children's book to donate to the Tales for Tots Holiday Drive.  It doesn't have to be expensive, but it has to be shiny and clean...there should be no wear or tear, and they shouldn't be obvious freebies (you know how many times I've had to say no to copies of The Foot Book?  You know, the one with the letter in front saying "we hope you'll enjoy this free copy of...").

All told, this'll make 65 possible extra credit points out of roughly 1200 points in the semester.  If you took advantage of every opportunity, it should help you a lot.

Finally, if you didn't grow up watching the Muppets, it's not too late to start.  In fact, I highly, HIGHLY recommend it.

Here's the most hapless carnivore ever, attempting to prepare a turkey dish:



This is Google's Swedish Chef interface.  Don't ask.