New Year’s Resolutions
Please read the ENTIRE sections before you start the assignment. You will be working on this in class but you are welcome to finish it at home. J
New Year Day is the first day of the calendar year. It is celebrated as a holiday in almost every country in the world. It is a time of gaiety, sharing with friends, remembering the past, and hoping for good things in the future. In the United States, thousands of people jam Times Square in New York City to welcome the New Year at midnight. The transition between New Year's Eve and New Year Day is an exciting one. In Times Square, people count down the seconds to welcome the new day as the New Year ball slowly descends and lights up the area.
Not all countries or cultures celebrate New Year on January 1st. The Chinese, Egyptian, Jewish, Roman, and Mohammedan years all have different start dates. Chinese New Year starts on a different day each year. Thousands of years ago, the Egyptians celebrated their New Year about the middle of June. That was the time when the Nile River usually overflowed. January 1was recognized as New Year Day in the 1500's with the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar. The Julian Calendar places the New Year on January 14. The Jewish New Year, a feast day, is celebrated about the time of the fall equinox, in late September.
In ancient Rome, the first day of the New Year honored Janus, the god of gates, doors, beginnings and endings - the month of January, named after Janus, was originally called 'Januarius'. Janus had two faces - one which looked ahead to see what the new year would bring, and the other looked backward to see what happened during the past year. Ancient Romans celebrated New Year by giving gifts to friends and family members - some even gave gifts to Senators in exchange for favors!
In England, Druid priests celebrated their New Year on March 10. They gave branches of mistletoe to people for charms. Later, English people followed the custom of cleaning their chimneys on New Year Day. The English believed this brought good luck to the household for the coming year. The expression "cleaning the slate" came from this custom. It means making resolutions to correct faults and bad habits. People resolve to make themselves better in the New Year. It is still customary even today to make a list of New Year resolutions for the coming year.
Now it’s your turn!
It's ONE PARAGRAPH; what are some of your New Year’s Resolutions? What do wish you could change this year or make better for your life? All of your New Year’s Resolutions should be POSITIVE; happy things you hope will happen in 2016. You must have at least 7 but you can always have more. There is not maximum for paragraphs but your paper needs to be organized and in paragraph form. Have fun and good luck! J
How to Make a Vision Board
Vision boards are a great way to set out your own, personal goals – and they’re a fun craft to make, too!
What is a vision board?
A vision board is something you create to remind yourself of your own, personal goals. Whether you wish to get better grades in school, make new friends or land a summer job, your vision board represents a collection of your greatest dreams and desires/ wants. Once you’ve made your vision board, you’ll be able to look at it and use it as a reminder of the things you want to achieve most.
How to make a vision board
Think of this as a fun craft project – you can create your vision board by gluing images and words cut from magazines or photographs, or drawn/written by hand, to a large piece of poster board.
To make your vision board, you’ll need a stack of old magazines (that you can cut up), old photographs, pens and markers, scissors, glue and a large piece of poster board.
How to set goals
Before you start cutting and pasting, identify down your goals, dreams and wishes by writing them down on a piece of paper. Your list may look something like this:
My goals are:
1. To learn how to play the piano.
2. To get a job life-guarding at the pool this summer.
3. To get an A in math this year.
My dreams are:
1. To get a puppy!
2. To become a pilot someday.
3. To buy a huge mansion when I grow up.
Goals and dreams are not much different. In the example above, the goals are more immediate (short-term) while the dreams are for the long-term.
Creating your vision board
After you’ve made a list of your goals and dreams, start flipping through the magazines and photographs, cutting out images and words that relate to your goals and dreams. For the above lists, you may find and choose the following images and words:
Images:
· A piano
· A puppy
· A life guard
· An airplane
· A mansion
Inspiring Words:
· “happiness”
· “strength”
· “full marks”
· “healthy”
· “Amazing”
Excited
Recycling
Artistic
bliss
wonderful
generous
beautiful
If you can’t find pictures or words relating to your goals and dreams, don’t worry! You can draw your own pictures and write your own words of inspiration on your vision board.
Once you’ve collected all the images and words you want to use, glue them onto the poster board however you like. Use pens and markers to draw and write extra images and words that will help inspire you to achieve your goals!
Remember: There are no limits when it comes to your own, personal goals and dreams. With patience, hard work and dedication, any dream is doable, and any wish is achievable!