INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Rhubarb seeds are covered in a paper-like shell. Soaking the seeds for 1-2 hours before planting will prepare them for germination so that they begin rooting sooner. Use a small, 2-3 inch (5-8 cm) pot or starter tray with drainage holes on the bottom. Fill the pots or trays with your soil mixture. Using your finger, dig a small hole about inch (1.2 cm) deep. Place 2 seeds in the hole, then cover them with dirt and water them. Use peat pots or cow pots to make transplanting easier. Keep the soil evenly moist, watering when necessary. Do not overwater, as this can drown the seeds.

SUMMARY: Soak your seeds in water. Place the rhubarb seeds into pots.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: To perform a full body scan meditation, set aside about 30 minutes. Pick a comfortable location, and lie down so that your back is flat. Make sure your phone, computer, and television are off so you can concentrate on the meditation. Your bed or a yoga mat are good places to perform this exercise. It can also help you relax if you dim the lights and take off your shoes. Some people also find it helpful to close their eyes. Before you officially start the scan, pay attention to the parts of your body that seem tense or painful. When you identify these areas, try to relax or soften your muscles. Holding tension in these areas will prevent you from being fully relaxed and enjoying as much benefit from the body scan. Pretend you are checking in with different parts of your body, and pay attention to how these parts feel. Focus on one part at a time. For example, if you start with your foot, observe how different parts of the foot touch the mat, your bed, or the floor. Do certain parts of your foot feel different from the rest? If you are wearing shoes or socks, think about how these feel against your feet. Many people find it helpful to start with their toes and move toward their head. You can also start with your head and work toward your toes. When you finish reflecting on a body part, allow yourself to move on to another. Work your way to the top of your head. Don't feel rushed or worry about the time. You don't have to spend a specific amount of time on each body part. Just give yourself long enough to scan how each part feels. It can be challenging to eliminate distractions such as negative thoughts, the sound of traffic, or a radio in another room, but don't let these intrude on your meditation. Allow negative thoughts and distractions from the world around you to fade away. If you find yourself getting distracted during the scan, don't feel bad. Knowing when you become distracted is a beneficial part of the exercise because you will be better able to prevent this from occurring in the future. Don't feel like you are judging your body during the scan. Instead, you are observing how it feels and works. After you've scanned each body part, try to be aware of how they connect to one another at your joints. Notice how these connections feel. As a final part of the scan, think about how your skin feels. Are certain parts cooler or warmer than others? Can you feel different textures from clothing, sheets, or the mat? Now that you've fully scanned your body, try writing about your experience in a notebook or journal. Do you feel less pain or tension in certain areas? What worked well with the exercise? What parts of the body scan seemed less effective? Were there moments when you felt distracted? What distracted you? How could you avoid these distractions in the future? Repeat this exercise as often as you would like to relax your body. The more regularly you perform a body scan, the easier it will be to maintain your focus and achieve the most benefit.

SUMMARY: Get prepared. Identify the parts of your body that seem tense. Start a mental scan of your body. Continue with the scan. Eliminate distractions. Focus on connections between body parts. Pay attention to how your skin feels. Reflect on your meditation. Repeat as needed.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Open your story with a sentence or 2 that pull in your reader. To do this, craft a hook that introduces your story's topic and suggests what you'll say about it. Here are some techniques to hook your reader: Start your essay with a rhetorical question. For instance, "Have you ever faced losing something that's important to you?" Give a quote that fits your essay. You might write, "According to Rosa Gomez, 'You don't know how strong you are until a setback breaks you." Provide an interesting fact that's related to your story. As an example, "About 70% of kids will stop playing sports by the age of 13, and I was almost one of them." Use a short anecdote that relates to the larger story. For your essay about overcoming an injury, you might include a short story about your best moment playing sports before your injury. Start with a shocking statement. You might write, "As soon as they loaded me into the ambulance, I knew I might never play sports again." Your reader needs a clear idea of who the story is about. Name and briefly describe the main characters in your story. You don't need to tell every single detail about them in the introduction, but your reader should have a general idea about who they are. Let's say your main character is you. You could write, "As a tall, lean 12-year-old, I easily outplayed the other girls on the court." This gives the reader a picture about what you might look like, as well as your interest in sports and athletic ability. If you're telling a fictional story, you might introduce your character like this: "As she walked toward the high school debate podium, Luz exuded confidence from her Kate Spade headband down to her thrift shop Betsey Johnson pumps." Not only does this help the audience picture Luz, but it also shows that she puts effort into her appearance. The fact that she shops at thrift stores might indicate that her family isn't as wealthy as she portrays. The setting includes the when and where of the story. Specify when your story takes place. Additionally, provide sensory details to help the reader experience the location. You might write, "It was my 7th-grade year, and I knew I had to make varsity if I were going to get attention from the high school coaches." Sensory details trigger your senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. As an example, "My shoes squeaked across the court as I dribbled toward the goal line, the red basket in sight. Sweat made the ball feel slippery against my fingertips, and its salty taste coated my lips." You might also preview the events in the story, depending on what works best for your narrative. This statement will act as your thesis for your narrative essay. It tells your reader what to expect from your essay but doesn't spoil the story. For instance, you might write, "I never expected that pass across the court to be my last for the season. However, recovering from my injury taught me I'm a strong person who can accomplish anything I set out to do."

SUMMARY:
Begin your essay with a hook to engage your reader. Introduce the main characters in your story. Describe the setting to set the scene for your story. Include an overview of the story and its theme in the last sentence.