Monday, December 7, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
multiplying decimals
To multiply decimal numbers:
Multiply the numbers just as if they were whole numbers.
Line up the numbers on the right - do not align the decimal points.
Starting on the right, multiply each digit in the top number by each digit in the bottom number, just as with whole numbers.
Add the products.
Place the decimal point in the answer by starting at the right and moving a number of places equal to the sum of the decimal places in both numbers multiplied.
Dividing decimals
Dividing is the most challenging of our four basic operations. In fact, you have to use subtraction and multiplication in order to divide, and you also have to be pretty good at rounding and estimating! Many students have trouble with division, perhaps because most problems don't come out nice and even--you really have to use your mental muscle when dividing. Fortunately, we have calculators to make the job easier--but that doesn't mean you shouldn't learn how to do it yourself! It's easy to push a wrong button on the calculator, and you always need to know when the answer it's giving is reasonable.
Dividing decimals is almost the same as dividing whole numbers, except you use the position of the decimal point in the dividend to determine the decimal places in the result.
To divide decimal numbers:
If the divisor is not a whole number:
Move the decimal point in the divisor all the way to the right (to make it a whole number).
Move the decimal point in the dividend the same number of places.
Divide as usual. If the divisor doesn't go into the dividend evenly, add zeroes to the right of the last digit in the dividend and keep dividing until it comes out evenly or a repeating pattern shows up.
Position the decimal point in the result directly above the decimal point in the dividend. [Show Me. Show and highlight the decimal point in the quotient, between the 4 and 9]
Check your answer: Use the calculator and multiply the quotient by the divisor. Does it equal the dividend?
Let's work through an example.
Find this quotient:
First show the division like this:
Now move the decimal point one place to the right, which makes the divisor a whole number. Also move the decimal point in the dividend one place to the right:
Divide as whole numbers. 65 goes into 169 two times with 39 left over:
To continue dividing, add a zero to the right of the decimal point in the dividend. Then bring down the zero, and add it to the end of 39, making it 390
65 goes into 390 six times. We write a 6 above the zero in the quotient and put the decimal point just above the decimal point in the dividend:
To check our answer, we multiply the quotient by the divisor and make sure it equals the dividend:
Dividing Fractions by Whole Numbers
To Divide Fractions by Whole Numbers:
Treat the integer as a fraction (i.e. place it over the denominator 1)
Invert (i.e. turn over) the denominator fraction and multiply the fractions
Multiply the numerators of the fractions
Multiply the denominators of the fractions
Place the product of the numerators over the product of the denominators
Simplify the Fraction
Example: Divide 2/9 by 2
The integer divisor (2) can be considered to be a fraction (2/1)
Invert the denominator fraction and multiply (2/9 ÷ 2/1 = 2/9 * 1/2)
Multiply the numerators (2*1=2)
Multiply the denominators (9*2=18)
Place the product of the numerators over the product of the denominators (2/18)
Simplify the Fraction if possible (2/18 = 1/9)
The Easy Way. After inverting, it is often simplest to "cancel" before doing the multiplication. Canceling is dividing one factor of the numerator and one factor of the denominator by the same number.
For example: 2/9 ÷ 2 = 2/9 ÷ 2/1 = 2/9*1/2 = (2*1)/(9*2) = (1*1)/(9*1) = 1/9
How Do I Multiply Two Fractions Or Mixed Numbers?
How do i multiply 1 3/8 x 14 1/2?
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Easy!!!!!! 1 3/8 x 14 /12 = 1x14= 14 thats step one<< step two>>what is the greatest common factor of 8 and 2???......Right! 8....so now the problem is 1 3/8x14 1/8 and that equals??? RIGHT!!! :D ===== 14 3/8 :} Your welcome! :D
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It is very easy to multiply fractions. See the steps below
3/4 x 5/2 First of all see whether the denominator and the numerator of the two fractions cross out with each other. Here it is not possible so we will simply multiply the numerators with each other and vice versa
3 x5/4x2 = 15/8 is the required answer as you cannot simplify them any further.
weapons designer what would be your salary?
Depends on what kind of weapons you want to design. Are you talking about knives and swords or nuclear missles??
If going for personal type weapons I would suggest all shop classes, math, drafting, drawing. Study Martial Arts to really understand the how and why. Take a gun class. If you want to make knives and guns and such, become a machinist!! Then you can make anything!! Study gun making and repair, knife making. Buy books. Buy guns and knives and take them apart and try to recreate the parts and make your own that works. Study patents on many different subjects to get a feel for how things work...gears, levers, spring release, mountings, etc.
For the more advanced weapons I would suggest LOTS of math, electronics, physics and similar programs. Study patents on weapon systems. Look at whats out there and pick a field, like missles, and specialize in that field.
How much money you make all depends on what you do. There are many different kinds of weapons. Most types of weapons have already been designed, it's very hard to come up with something that hasn't been tried before. Do you want to design new knives and swords or the next ground to air missle system??? Either way you would have to studt what has been done before.
Read these books: "A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor" by Stone and "Weapons- The Diagram Group". Easy to find online for sale.
It's what I do. I am a weapons designer/fabricator. I started out with martial arts and knives as a child, studied everything I could get my hands on, made as much as I could, and now I do my own thing. I design and fabricate exotic weapons. Some of my designs include switchblades, retractable forearm blades, automatic spikes, wrist weapons. do a search on 'Exotic Automatic' and I'm sure you'll find us. New stuff coming out for 2008!
Information On Becoming A Nurse
As the population continues to grow, so does the need for educated nursing professionals. With such a strong need for nurses many would think it would be easy to get a nursing education. The fact is it may be harder than many people think. Today the United States also has a shortage of nursing educators and this makes many nursing programs hard to get into often with long waiting lists.
HOW TO BECOME A FIREFIGHTER
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Click on any of the links below to learn about each of the steps involved in becoming a firefighter, exam strategies, and exam preparation:
What is a Firefighter?
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In today's firefighter applicant field, you have to be a well-rounded, well-prepared candidate.
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Have a question on the exam process? Go to the link below for answers to over 60 of the most-commonly asked firefighter applicant questions:
Firefighter Applicants - Frequently Asked Questions
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List of 150 Major Fire Departments in the U.S.
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How To Become a Teacher
People say all kinds of things about becoming a teacher today. Your aunt in Florida might have great advice about her certification process in 1979 and your friend in Colorado may offer stellar input on taking the PRAXIS II. But for the most accurate, applicable information on becoming a teacher, leave the details to us.
At All Education Schools, we offer helpful, up-to-date information to prospective teachers. From subject-area and degree program research to interviews and salary information, we've done the hard work for you. If you want to learn how to become a teacher, just browse the following article and start your journey.
How to Become a Police Officer
) Earn a Bachelor's or Associate's Degree first (A criminal justice degree is the most commonly held degree by police officers) Most state agencies require a college degree. An associate's degree has become a hiring standard in most departments.
2) Review more requirements below.
3) Contact your local police department and request their police officer requirements as well as application materials. (Links to some of the most well known police departments and information on how to become a police officer with those departments can be found on the left side of this page near the bottom)
Police Officer Job Description
In most local or city police departments a uniformed police officer’s job is to patrol a given geography and respond to calls. Many times the job requires the directing of traffic, investigating a crime or aiding a victim of an accident or crime. In local, state and federal police related departments a police officer’s career description includes maintaining law and order, collecting evidence and conducting investigations.
Training, Prerequisites and Educational Requirements for Becoming a Police Officer
The majority of police departments require applicants to be 20 years old, a U.S. citizen, GED or equivalent and many now require an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree to become a police officer. State and Federal agency jobs require applicants to possess a 4-year college degree. Being able to speak a second language fluently is a definite plus for applicants. Police Officer applicants also undergo a variety of tests including physical, medical, written and psychological. Once accepted to a police department you will attend training at an academy for 12 weeks to 1 year depending on the department.
Request free information from University of Phoenix Online and learn more about how a degree in criminal justice or another field can help you succeed in a Police Officer career.
Keep in mind that the higher paying police officer jobs are in more affluent areas and are therefore much more competitive jobs to apply for. Make sure you can set yourself apart from the competition by earning a college degree before applying or during the application process. A college degree will also start you off at a higher salary in any area, affluent or not. The Bureau of Labor Statistics actually states that those applicants with college training in criminal justice or police science should have the best opportunities.
Police Officer Job Salary and Job Outlook
The median Police Officer salary as of May, 2004 was $45, 210 a year as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Los Angeles Police Department offers a starting salary of $56,898 a year for police officers with a bachelor’s (4-year) degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that there will be a continued high demand for police officers through 2012.
There are many career paths to pursue once you become a police officer including sergeant, lieutenant, chief and more. Most of these promotions or specialties require advanced education. A Criminal Justice school in your area will have more information.
Request free information from the fully accredited online schools below and see how a degree in criminal justice can help you succeed in a police officer career.
how do i become a rapper?
The rap music genre began to take hold in dance clubs as early as the 1970s in New York City. At the time, a form of rhythmic music from Jamaica called “dub music” was being introduced by emcees (MCs) and disk jockeys (DJs). This early form of rap music used samples from other recordings interspersed with percussive drum sounds. Young hip-hop artists soon learned to speak in poetic rhythm to the musical beats, and the musical style of rapping was born.
Professional rap singers make it look easy, but rapping is an art that takes a great deal of practice to master. The best rappers will spend several hours daily honing their rhyming skills and developing their vocal abilities. The rap artist must have a unique musical style, and a confident stage presence that cannot be duplicated. If you are also a good dancer, it can increase your chance to become a rapper.
Live rap competitions can be a great way to practice rapping and prepare for a musical career. In hip-hop clubs, amateur rappers are often pitted against one another like prizefighters, sparring with musical skills rather than fists. One-on-one rapping competitions require quick wits and an ability to slay opponents with verbal barbs. Audiences can be brutal in their assessment of a rapper’s abilities, and will quickly dismiss a contender with weak verbal skills or little sense of style. However, if you are a skillful rapper, you may be chosen to perform professionally.
Once you have gained some professional stage experience, you can up your chance to become a rapper by broadcasting your songs online. Internet radio stations are a good place to submit audio of your rap songs, especially the hip-hop stations. Additionally, you can promote yourself on social websites, such as MySpace, where your audio can be uploaded for visitors to sample. The boldest move would be to mail a press release about yourself and a CD to several professional music producers, along with free tickets to your next show.
how do i turn FRACTIONS into DECIMALS
What is a "decimal"?
A "decimal" is a fraction whose denominator we do not write but which we understand to be a power of 10.
The number of decimal digits to the right of the decimal point, indicates the number of zeros in the denominator.
Example 1.
.8 = 8
10 One decimal digit; one 0 in the denominator.
.08 = 8
100 Two decimal digits; two 0's in the denominator.
.008 = 8
1000 Three decimal digits; three 0's in the denominator.
And so on.
The number of decimal digits indicates the power of 10.
Example 2. Write as a decimal: 614
100,000
Answer. 614
100,000 = .00614
Five 0's in the denominator indicate five digits after the decimal point.
The five 0's in the denominator is not the number of 0's in the decimal
Alternatively, in Lesson 10 we introduced the division bar, and in Lesson 3 we saw how to divide a whole number by a power of 10.
614
100,000 = 614 ÷ 100,000 = .00614
Starting at the right of 614, separate five decimal digits.
Example 3. Write this mixed number as a decimal: 6 49
100
Answer. 6 49
100 = 6.49
The whole number 6 does not change. We simply replace the
common fraction 49
100 with the decimal .49.
Example 4. Write this mixed number with a common fraction: 9.0012
Answer. 9.0012 = 9 12
10,000
Again, the whole number does not change. We replace the decimal
.0012 with the common fraction 12
10,000 . The decimal .0012 has four
decimal digits. The denominator 10,000 is a 1 followed by four 0's.
This accounts for fractions whose denominator is already a power of 10.
2. If the denominator is not a power of 10, how can we change the fraction to a decimal?
Make the denominator a power of 10 by multiplying it or dividing it.
Example 5. Write 9
25 as a decimal.
Solution. 25 is not a power of 10, but we can easily make it a power of 10 -- we can make it 100 -- by multiplying it by 4. We must also, then, multiply the numerator by 4.
Example 6. Write 4
5 as a decimal.
Solution. 4
5 = 8
10 = .8
We can make 5 into 10 by multiplying it -- and 4 -- by 2.
Example 7. Write as a decimal: 7
200
Answer. 7
200 = 35
1000 = .035
We can make 200 into 1000 by multiplying it -- and 7 -- by 5.
Alternatively,
7
200 = 3.5
100 , on dividing both terms by 2,
= .035, on dividing 3.5 by 100.
Example 8. Write as a decimal: 8
200
Answer. 8
200 = 4
100 = .04
Here, we can change 200 into a power of 10 by dividing it by 2. We can do this because 8 also is divisible by 2.
Or, again,
8
200 = _ 8 _
2 × 100 = 4
100 = .04
Example 9. Write as a decimal: 12
400
Answer. 12
400 = 3
100 = .03
We can change 400 to 100 by dividing it -- and 12 -- by 4.
To summarize: We go from a larger denominator to a smaller by dividing (Examples 8 and 9); from a smaller denominator to a larger by multiplying (Example 5).
Example 10.
a) We know that 5% is 5 out of 100 (Lesson 3). .5%, then, is 5 out of how many?
Answer. We can change .5% into the decimal .005 (Lesson 3), which in
turn is equal to the fraction 5
1000 .
.5% = 5
1000 .
Therefore, .5% is 5 out of 1000.
b) .05% is 5 out of how many?
Answer. .05% = .0005 = 5
10,000 . Therefore, .05% is 5 out of 10,000.
Compare Lesson 17, Example 7.
Frequent decimals
The following fractions come up frequently. The student should know their decimal equivalents.
1
2 1
4 3
4 1
8 3
8 5
8 7
8 1
3 2
3
Let us begin with 1
2 .
1
2 = 5
10 = .5 or .50.
Next, 1
4 . But 1
4 is half of 1
2 .
Therefore, its decimal will be half of .50 --
1
4 = .25
And since 3
4 = 3 × 1
4 , then
3
4 = 3 × .25 = .75
Next, 1
8 . But 1
8 is half of 1
4 .
Therefore, its decimal will be half of .25 or .250 --
1
8 = .125
The decimals for the rest of the eighths will be multiples of .125.
Since 3 × 125 = 375,
3
8 = 3 × .125 = .375
Similarly, 5
8 will be 5 × 1
8 = 5 × .125.
5 × 125 = 5 × 100 + 5 × 25 = 500 + 125 = 625.
(Lesson 8) Therefore,
5
8 = .625
Finally, 7
8 = 7 × .125.
7 × 125 = 7 × 100 + 7 × 25 = 700 + 175 = 875.
Therefore,
7
8 = .875
These decimals come up frequently. The student should know how to generate them quickly.
The student should also know the decimals for the fifths:
1
5 = 2
10 = .2
The rest will be the multiples of .2 --
2
5 = 2 × 1
5 = 2 × .2 = .4
3
5 = 3 × .2 = .6
4
5 = 4 × .2 = .8
Example 11. Write as a decimal: 8 3
4
Answer. 8 3
4 = 8.75
The whole number does not change. Simply replace the common
fraction 3
4 with the decimal .75.
Example 12. Write as a decimal: 7
2
Answer. First change an improper fraction to a mixed number:
7
2 = 3 1
2 = 3.5
"2 goes into 7 three (3) times (6) with 1 left over."
Then repalce 1
2 with .5.
Example 13. How many times is .25 contained in 3?
Answer. .25 = 1
4 . And 1
4 is contained in 1 four times. (Lesson 19.)
Therefore, 1
4 , or .25, will be contained in 3 three times as many times. It will
be contained 3 × 4 = 12 times.
Example 14. How many times is .125 contained in 5?
Answer. .125 = 1
8 . And 1
8 is contained in 1 eight times. Therefore, 1
8 ,
or .125, will be contained in 5 five times as many times. It will be contained 5 × 8 = 40 times.
As for 1
3 and 2
3 , neither one be expressed exactly as a decimal.
However,
1
3 .333
and
2
3 .667
See Section 2, Question 3.
Frequent percents
From the decimal equivalent of a fraction, we can easily derive the percent: Move the decimal point two digits right. (Lesson 3.) Again, the student should know these. They come up frequently.
1
2 = .50 = 50%
1
4 = .25 = 25%
3
4 = .75 = 75%
1
8 = .125 = 12.5% (Half of 1
4 .)
3
8 = .375 = 37.5%
5
8 = .625 = 62.5%
7
8 = .875 = 87.5%
1
5 = .2 = 20%
2
5 = .4 = 40%
3
5 = .6 = 60%
4
5 = .8 = 80%
In addition, the student should know
1
3 = 33 1
3 %
2
3 = 66 2
3 %
How to Become a Video Game Designer
One of the most exciting jobs out in the market today is video game designing. Many have the impression that it would take too much time and skills to accomplish this. Well reality check people...it does not! If you are into video games and love spending your leisure time (even your work time!), playing games then you have already passed the qualifying stages to becoming a video game designer. May it be for console, arcade, or PC; video game designing reaches all these platforms. Now, let me explain to you some of the basic principles to get you an idea of how to make this dream job work for you.Throughout the years, games have evolved from the simple Atari and first generation Nintendo graphics to the complex 3D and multi level games of the present. There are just no limits to game designing these days. This multibillion-dollar industry is ballooning and encompassing other industries at a pace no one ever thought was possible. A major factor to this can be attributed to the gamers who are in their 20's and 30's and have never stopped picking up on the latest games and game platforms. Walk into any gaming shop and you will find adults mingling with kids to check out latest releases and try them out...together! So combined with the teenage market, this raving monster called the Gaming Industry is eating chunks out of the adult and teenage market today.Need for video game design teams have increased dramatically because of this growth in the industry and the demand for better and more creative games by consumers. Therefore, the outlook for anyone trying to enter this industry is not bad at all. If you have the love and drive to create games then there is more than a lot of opportunities to do that. Become a video game designer and you could take part and even play a major role in producing legendary games such as Sims, Unreal tournament and Halo to name a few. Get a chance to team up with the best companies and game studios by becoming a video game designer. If there ever was a time to take that leap of faith and trust your gut instincts then it is now! A genuine love for games is one of the most important qualities a game designer must possess. For natural love for gaming spawns creativity and a drive to excel in producing games people will endear themselves to. You could even ask yourself a question. Why would I do a job that I do not have the talents and passion for? Now, if your answer is I am doing this because it is what I love to do, then you are the right man for this job.This natural passion, even though very important, is only one of the aspects that makes a good video game designer. Companies who hire designers are also looking for someone with good problem solving skills and who is inhumanly patient. There are so many bugs and potential problems when designing a game that it could drive someone mad. These problems range from collision detection to making things look convincing animation-wise. Many of these complex problems need to be resolved quickly and with ingenuity. You should always strive to improve and to innovate the game at any point of the production. This can be profoundly stressful and take up huge amounts of your time even to the point of exhaustion but the rewards are more than worth it. The experience brings a completely new meaning to the phrase sleeping on the job!Being a perfectionist is also a quality sought after by many of these gaming companies and studios. Making sure everything is up to the highest quality standards and done as efficiently as possible in as little time as possible are talents which are definitely sought after in this fast paced industry. Now, if you have all or even just some of these qualities then this job is just waiting for you out there... so go out and grab it.So now, you are ready to proceed and create games huh? However, wait, you just cannot walk right into one of these companies and apply for this job if you do not have the skills! Knowledge about such things as graphic designing, computer animation and game development is necessary here. You need very specific training on these and other elements in order to be a certified video game designer. Below is a listing of where you can get the best training in these areas of expertise. With no further ado, here are some of the premier video game design schools you will need to enroll in to become a top video game designer.International Academy of Design and Technology: The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication (Game Design) is designed to provide training in principles and techniques used to create interactive 2D and 3D computer games. Students can learn design software; modeling and animation skills, networking principles, level and world editors, and game engines used to design and develop games, and will examine market research and business concepts related to game production and distribution processes. Project management, creative design, and communication skills are integrated throughout this dynamic curriculum to help prepare students for entry-level positions in the game design industry.DeVry University: Offers something more towards the programming end of things with their hot Game and Simulation Programming program. This should really get your feet nice and wet. Take it Online, or check out the various campus locations. ITT Technical Institute: The ITT Technical Institutes offer a bachelor degree in Digital Entertainment and Game Design. Courses in this program offer a strong foundation in digital game design through the study of subjects such as gaming technology, game design process, animation, level design, and general education coursework. In addition, with over 85 locations nation-wide, there is a good chance that you can find a school near you. The Art Institutes: At The Art Institutes, you will receive hands-on training from industry professionals, and you will build your portfolio. The Art Institute Online: The Art Institute Online courses have been designed with extensive input from game-industry professionals and focus on the artistic side of games - not on computer programming. You will concentrate on the specifics needed as a professional game artist: Scene and set design, Motion capture, Character development, Visual storytelling, Game design strategies, 3D animation, Low-polygon modeling, Game level design, Texture mapping... In other words, a lot of the fun stuff.Westwood College of Technology-Online: Strong creativity, design, computer, and problem solving skills are the keys for success in this exciting and growing field. With these specialized skills in mind, Westwood College has designed a Bachelor degree program in Game Art and Design. Digital Media Arts College: Learn from industry experts from leading companies such as SEGA, ImageWorks, Disney, and more. They are one of the United States' most technologically equipped digital artist colleges. They have the tools and techniques to empower your creative career. Digipen Institute of Technology: Located in Seattle, take the first step towards becoming a video game designer by learning computer science, computer engineering and fine arts degree programs related to the digital entertainment technology.
How to Make an Origami Ninja Star
The ninja star, or “shuriken“, is an ancient ninja weapon. It’s also a great origami model!
Let’s take a look at how to make an origami ninja star…
This is a simple modular origami model, so you’ll need two pieces of paper, with dimensions of 2×1 (one side is twice as long as the other).
The easiest way to get these is to take a regular square of origami paper and cut or tear it in half along the centre line. I prefer to crease it well in both directions, dampen the edge and then carefully tear, but you might find scissors easier.
1 2
Once you’ve got two 2×1 pieces, fold them in half so that you they are are 4×1 in size. To create a two-tone ninja star like this one, fold one sheet with a mountain fold and the other with a valley fold. You could also use two different coloured sheets.
Now fold these in half vertically, so you’re back to 2×1 pieces. Crease, then unfold to the previous step.
3 4
Fold the bottom half of one piece diagonally up to meet the crease from the previous step.
Turn the piece 180 degrees and repeat. You should end up with a zig-zag shape.
5 6
Repeat with the other piece, but fold in the opposite direction so that you create a mirror-image of the first piece.
7
Turn both pieces over.
8 9
Now fold the outsideedges in to meet the vertical lines on the back of each piece.. You want to end up with two triangular shapes together.
Make sure that both pieces are still mirror images.
10 11
Fold the outer part across the vertical line you used in the previous step. You should now have two mirror-image parallelograms.
Turn one piece over, and partially unfold the last step so you have two points facing upwards on one piece, and down on the other piece. Cross the pieces over.
12 13
Now fold a point from the bottom piece across the top piece. Tuck it into the pocket in the middle of the top piece.
Do the same with the other bottom point.
14 15
Flip the pieces over.
Tuck in both remaining points from the piece that’s now on the bottom into the top piece.
16 17
Now enjoy your completed origami ninja star!
The model is very well balanced and will fly well if thrown quickly.
Please don’t throw it at people or animals!
Reading Skills: Context Clues
These sites focus on using contextual clues to determine the meaning of unknown words. The sites introduce different types of contextual clues and strategies on using the clues. Exercises, lesson plans, and a song are included. There are links to eThemes resources on Text Structures, Teaching Tips for Decoding Strategies, Synonyms and Antonyms, and Prefixes and Suffixes.
Grade Level: 3, 4, 5, 6
Resource Links: Types of context clues
Learn about four common types of context clues and examples. Exercises with answers are included. NOTE: The reading level is appropriate for older students.
Looking At Vocabulary
This presentation provides information and techniques for teachers to use when teaching new vocabulary by using contextual clues.
Hop Over It: Teaching Contextual Reading Strategies
Here is a song that uses contextual clues as a reading strategy. This song teaches contextual reading strategies and word attack skills. Lyrics and music are included.
Internalization of Vocabulary Through the Use of a Word Map
This lesson plan provides a word map for students to learn new vocabulary through embedded activities and contextual clues. Instruction, activities, and extended activities are included.
Africa is Not a Country
This is a cross-curricular lesson plan with embedded context clues to use with geography. Go to the context clues by going to Lesson 5B on page 3.
Guess Who
Using context clues in rhymes to figure out who (what type of job) the poem is describing. NOTE: This site includes ads.
Guess What
This site shows how to use context clues in rhymes to figure out what the object is that the poem is describing. NOTE: This site includes ads.
Context Clues: Synonyms
Print out this existing exercise or create a new printable exercise to practice about synonyms.
eThemes Resource: Writing: Text Structures
These sites explain the different types of text structures that are used in expository writing. The text structures include chronological sequence, comparison/contrast, description, problem/solution, and cause and effect. Read examples of the different types, learn about the common cue words, and download graphic organizers. Includes many teaching tips for improving reading comprehension. There is a link to an eThemes Resource on graphic organizers.
eThemes Resource: Teaching Tips: Decoding Strategies
Learn about decoding strategies for young readers. Find out what decoding strategies are and why they are so important. Also includes teaching tips, handouts for students, and online activities. There is a link to an eThemes resource on sight words.
eThemes Resource: Grammar: Synonyms and Antonyms
These sites have games and puzzles to explain the difference between antonyms and synonyms. Look up synonyms in a thesaurus and learn the part of speech. Read the definition of a synonym and an antonym. Included is an eThemes resource on homophones.
eThemes Resource: Grammar: Prefixes and Suffixes
These sites include interactive games that have students choose which prefixes and suffixes they should add to root words to create new words. Scholastic provides several worksheets for older students. Includes some sites with rules on how to add prefixes and suffixes.
Kung Fu training
Traditional external & internal Shaolin(under Shaolin masters of authentic lineage ) , also includes various fist forms and weapons forms along with their applications, contact sparring and Chi kung. Along with traditional Shaolin Gongfu (kung fu) the academy offers to teach the internal styles, such as Taiji (Tai Chi),Wing chun, Xingyi, Bagua,Baji and Mantis boxing,(all the kungfu styles mentioned above have their corresponding classes here, meanwhile,the students can choose more than one style of kung fu to learn,two or three styles.) Both male and female students who are 16 or older are welcomed to come and study. Younger students may be accepted if they are accompanied by a parent or an older relative (brother/sister). No previous martial arts experience is required. Only dedication to learn and a positive attitude. However, students with experience in martial arts may be able to learn quicker. In order to ensure the teaching quality, generally, there are around 7 students per master in winter and there are no more than 15 students per master in summer. This ensures high quality teaching on a personal level, and a close family atmosphere inside the group.
how do i do karte?
When you learn Karate, you are first introduced to individual techniques, such as single blocks and strikes. If we compare learning Karate to learning a new language, you can think of these like the letters of the alphabet. Several techniques strung together may form words. The practice of basic techniques is often simply called “basics”, or Kihon in Japanese. To stay with this analogy, sentences are thus formed by stringing several basic techniques together, for example, in Kihon Ido, which means, “moving basics”, because you step and thus move your body while you block and/or strike.
Typical for Karate are Katas. A Kata is a sequence of movements used for training and to demonstrate technique. In the context of learning Karate, learing Katas then can be akin learning how to form paragraphsIn this Karate online tutorial, we will follow this approach. We will offer you video clips that demonstrate individual techniques, combinations in partner training and Katas. We are currently processing our video material, adding new techniques and Karate video clips every day. Each video will be accompanied by a step-by-step learning guide with expert advice on how to perform the technique correctly.
How do I Simplify a Fraction ?
Method 1 Try dividing both the top and bottom of the fraction until you can't go any further (try dividing by 2,3,5,7,... etc).
how do i compare fractions?
When Compare Fractions starts, you will be given two fractions to compare, as in the example below: You are to decide if the fraction on the left is less than, equal to, or greater than the fraction on the right.
Keep this in mind as you make your choice - the larger the numerator the larger the fraction and the larger the denominator the smaller the fraction. If the denominators are the same, the fraction with the larger numerator is larger and if the numerators are the same, the fraction with the larger denominator is smaller.
The fractions 3/4 and 2/3 are pictured below: 
Here, we will introduce the idea of the least common denominator or LCD. LCD is an idea that will be used in comparing fractions, and adding and subtracting fractions. The LCD is the smallest number that both 4 and 3 will divide into evenly. The LCD for the fractions 3/4 and 2/3 is 12 because both denominators 4 and 3 divide evenly into 12.
Then, write each fraction with the common denominator 12 . The illustration shows that 3/4 is equal to 9/12 and 2/3 is equal to 8/12. Once each fraction is renamed with a common denominator, you can compare the numerators - the larger the numerator the larger the fraction.
See the program RENAME IN HIGHER TERMS for more information on renaming fractions.
One way to find the LCD is to see if the smaller denominator 3 will divide evenly into the larger denominator 4. If not, then multiply the larger denominator 4 by 2 to get 8. Will the smaller denominator 3 divide into 8? No, so multiply the larger denominator by 3 to get 12. Will 3 divide evenly into 12? Yes, so 12 is the LCD for the denominators 3 and 4. If not, then multiply by 4, then 5, etc. until the smaller denominator divides into the product.
Also, thinking of the pictures of the fractions will help you decide which is the larger.
Choose the < (less than) button if you think the first fraction is smaller than the second, or = button if you think the tqo fractions are equivalent, or > (greater than) if you think the fraction is larger. If correct, a number line showing the comparative distances of the two fractions will appear. Also, the number lines will show the two fractions with the LCD.
Review: NBA 2K10
Ten years ago, I had my first experience with NBA 2K on the Dreamcast. I never expected a basketball experience to be so immersive and fun. Sure, I had played most of the games before, with Tecmo Super NBA being my favorite and NBA Live being my least favorite. After 2K, I never really looked back, even though I did give NBA Live a shot every year (including this year). With NBA 2K10 being the 10 year anniversary of the series, you’d expect many great things. While this is true, it’s also true that an unacceptable issue has occurred.
Before I dive into the review, I want to make everyone aware that NBA 2K10 is, out of the box, an unfinished game. There are many issues, most you could say are subtle, but a few are simply inexcusable. For one, there is plenty of slow down in the game, most noticeable when driving the lane (regardless of whether you have key zoom on or off). Another is that online play doesn’t work so well, if you can get it to work to begin with. Visit the 2K Forums and you’ll be able to read about all the issues. The good news, however, is that a patch is coming for both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. It might be a couple weeks from the time of this writing, but at least it’s coming. Is this a good thing? Sure! Is it right to release an unfinished game just to get in stores at the same time as your main competitor? Not at all, especially considering NBA Live is making some serious moves to knock 2K out of the top NBA spot!
There’s no need to spend much time on the visuals or the sounds. As expected, both are excellent. Players look even better and move more realistically than last year, with a couple exceptions. For some reason, Carlos Arroyo was given black arms, even though the rest of his body is a much lighter tone. With the latest roster update, 2K took what would seem like the harder way out. Rather than addressing the color of his arms, it appears they attempted a create-a-player substitution – the arm problem is fixed, but the face looks nothing like the original.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
NHL Preview from The Sports Network
Saturday, December 5th (All times eastern)
Calgary Flames (17-7-3) at San Jose Sharks (19-6-5), 10 p.m.
(Sports Network) - The Calgary Flames will try to avoid dropping back-to-back road games in regulation for the first time this season in tonight's matchup with the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion.
Calgary had a 10-game road points streak end on Thursday in Phoenix. The Flames had been 8-0-2 as the guest prior to a 2-1 setback in the desert, falling to 10-2-3 on the road this season.
The Flames have lost two straight on the road just once this year, an overtime setback in Chicago on October 12 before a regulation defeat versus Columbus the following night.
David Moss lit the lamp for the Flames, who had won four in a row overall. Miikka Kiprusoff, who was coming off back-to-back shutouts, gave up a goal in the second period to end his scoreless run at 161 minutes and 13 seconds.
"We weren't as crisp as we usually are. The Coyotes came out and they were ready to go early," said Jarome Iginla, the NHL's first star in November who was held without a point for just the second time in his last 10 games. "We didn't quite have that same push in the first period that we've had."
Calgary, one point ahead of Colorado for first place in the Northwest Division, did see Rene Bourque return from a six-game absence due to an upper- body injury.
The Flames play the fifth contest of a six-game road trip tonight, a swing that ends in Los Angeles on Monday.
The Sharks play host to the Flames two days after a tough 3-2 shootout loss to the Blues. Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves, but allowed the game-tying goal with seven seconds remaining in regulation before getting beat twice in the shootout.
"You've got to give [the Blues] credit, they played all the way to the end," Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. "And they got two points, which I thought we should have deserved, but we gave them up."
Patrick Marleau had a shootout goal, while Joe Pavelski and Dany Heatley both scored in regulation. Heatley's goal was his 19th of the season, tied with Marleau for the team lead.
Joe Thornton had an assist, extending his point streak to 10 games. He has three goals and 15 helpers on the run and leads the NHL with 33 assists this year.
San Jose is 1-0-1 on a five-game homestand and 8-1-3 overall as the host this year. The club leads the NHL with 43 points on the season, good enough for a seven-point lead over Los Angeles in the Pacific Division.
These two clubs split four meetings a season ago, but the Flames have won five of the last seven meetings. That includes three of the last four played in San Jose.
Sonic the Hedgehog Coming to LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet has gained a lot of attention over the past few days with the PSP version of the game still not being available for download on the PSN, but there is some good news as well! As Siliconera reports, LittleBigPlanet is about to get a little bit bluer with the introduction of Sonic the Hedgehog themed costumes.
The costumes are based off of Sonic’s latest game Sonic Unleashed, and include everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog Sonic, along with Miles “Tails” Prower, Knuckles, Dr.Eggman, and Sonic the Werehog.
I’m not a fan of the Sonic the Werehog costume choice, but the rest are pretty decent. This seems to mark the first time since Super Smash Bros. Brawl that Sonic will be in a good game! Although those beady little eyes scare the crap out of me. The Sonic Unleashed costumes will hit sometime in the middle of December.
Are you going to pick up these wonderful Sonic costumes? Do you think they should have put Shadow in as opposed to “Sonic the Werehog”?
Fantastic Mr. Fox rocks
Wes Anderson, director of Rushmore and The Life Aquatic, has always enjoyed the retro in his movies, so it’s no surprise to see him embrace stop-motion animation, a medium that saw its heyday decades ago. But the exacting nature of stop-motion, with its puppets that have to be slightly moved frame by frame, seems to have been oddly freeing for Anderson, and his new film, the delightful Roald Dahl adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox, is perhaps his loosest and most confident one since The Royal Tenenbaums .
George Clooney supplies the voice of the title character, a rakish and charismatic fox who specializes in stealing chickens from local farmers. He’s like Danny Ocean with a tail. But when his wife (Meryl Streep) gets pregnant, Mr. Fox promises her he will give up his life of crime. Twelve fox years later, Mr. Fox is a newspaper columnist, but his true nature as a chicken thief can’t be denied, and he devises a master plan to rob the three meanest local farmers (Boggis, Bunce and Bean, “one fat, one short, one lean… nonetheless equally mean”). Unfortunately, he doesn’t anticipate their retribution, which endangers his family and all his friends, including his lawyer, Badger (Bill Murray).
Everthing about this is crazy. Especially him: George Clooney voices Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The film is visually dynamic and rather idiosyncratic. Most scenes take place almost perpendicular to the camera, which moves laterally but never tracks in close. It’s like watching an old side-scrolling video game. Also, Anderson shoots a lot of conversations in close up, with the characters speaking directly into the camera; it’s as if Jonathan Demme hijacked the film. There are even nods to Fellini, with characters popping up in the foreground of shots.
It’s not the normal palette for a children’s film, but this is unmistakably a Wes Anderson movie, full of bright colors, troubled family relationships, pop music of the 1960s and wry comic dialogue that masks characters’ inner pain.
Anderson couldn’t resist supplementing Dahl’s story with a subplot about a son seeking his father’s approval. Fox has a son named Ash (Jason Schwartzman), who means well but can be weird and off-putting, and is generally dismissed by his father. But Fox takes an interest in his visiting nephew Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson, brother of the director), who is a natural athlete and proves adept at helping Fox with his thievery. This naturally infuriates Ash, who wants nothing more than to be included in his father’s schemes.
After Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are was accused of not really being a children’s movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox is another film from a young hipster auteur that often seems to be pitched over children’s heads. Anderson and Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) wrote the character relationships exactly the same way they would in a film made for adults, and while kids might not get everything in the film, they will appreciate more than we give them credit for.
And the film is pretty relentlessly delightful. It revels in ingenuity, with its love for master plans and bandit hats, and Dahl’s trademark disdain for authority and conformity makes Fox’s continued habit of putting one over on the farmers irresistibly delicious.
Anderson’s critics have said that his films can be too controlled for their own good, too strangled by their own style and Anderson’s attention to detail, but whether you agree with this or find Anderson’s style to be quirky and endearing, it makes sense that he would do a movie starring puppets that he controls completely. Yet Anderson embraces the handmade, naturalistic aesthetic inherent in stop motion, in which we can feel the effort that went into creating every frame, and see the animals’ fur move under the invisible hands of the puppeteers. He even recorded the actors’ performances in real environments that simulated the movie’s settings, instead of the usual sterile recording booths.
This dual aesthetic often seems to dovetail with one of the movie’s themes. There are a lot of cute, somewhat jarring scenes of, say, a fox wearing underpants, but there are also scenes (usually when the characters are eating) in which the animals show they are indeed wild. The movie seems to be saying that civilization and all its trappings are nice, but one’s true nature cannot be denied, even if that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Some of the best performances in the film come from the nonprofessional actors. Former Simpsons writer Wally Wolodarsky plays Kylie, a spacey, put-upon opussum who becomes Fox’s sidekick. And Eric Chase Anderson is surprisingly good as Kristofferson, playing the part with the subdued solemnity of someone who is used to excelling at everything and doesn’t find any pleasure in it.
But Clooney’s performance is the one that ties the film together. As Fox, he charms us and the other characters thoroughly, convinces us that his master plans could work after all. It’s amusing that Fox is heroic in saving his family and neighbors, but it’s his fault that they’re in trouble in the first place, and the movie never shies away from the moral uncertainty of this. While Fox is pretty fantastic, we’re never meant to embrace him wholeheartedly, and that ambiguity is pretty rare for a kids’ movie.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is hilarious and visually striking enough that it will delight everyone in the family, but the character writing that would be at home in an adult drama will thrill grown-ups most of all. Despite being an action-packed adventure comedy for kids, the movie is unmistakably a Wes Anderson film, with all the wry comedy and family dysfunction that implies.
More kids graduating in S. Florida
Using a stricter measure for graduation rates, state education officials on Friday announced record-breaking numbers for the last batch of graduates.
South Florida school districts posted new highs for the 2008-09 school year: Miami-Dade's graduation rate was 68.5 percent; Broward's was 73.9 percent.
Statewide, the rate was 76.3 percent.
That's up 3 percentage points in Miami-Dade, 4 points in Broward and 3 in Florida.
``It's really, really an exciting mark because high school graduation rates are so difficult to bring up -- especially 2, 3, 4 percentage points,'' said Broward Schools Superintendent Jim Notter.
The state said the accomplishment is even more notable because the state is using for the first time a tighter calculation, called the National Governors Association Compact rate, which does not include GEDs, or high-school equivalency programs.
``This is both encouraging and promising,'' said Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, pointing out the high number of non-English speakers and poor students in the district.
He said the graduation rate has increased by almost 10 percentage points over the last five years -- a higher rate of increase than the state.
State education officials attributed the gains in large part to higher rates among Hispanic and African-American students, which posted increases of 4.5 and 4.1 percentage points statewide.
Florida tracks individual students from the time they enter ninth grade until they graduate four years later.
The new calculation is the first step in moving toward using an even more stringent federal formula, which it must use for school grades starting in the 2011-12 school year.
Starting then, the state can't count special diplomas for students with disabilities. Those special diplomas are included in the current calculation.
Also, for the first time, graduation rates will be included in school grades this school year. Previously, school grades were given based solely on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
`GREAT NEWS'
The Florida Department of Education called the numbers ``great news,'' but a spokesman said the real test for grades will be this year's rates.
Critics responded to the state's announcement by pointing out that Florida has significantly lower graduation rates under other measurements and often ranks near last in the nation.
``It's spin, it's not true,'' said Lawton ``Bud'' Chiles III, president of the Lawton Chiles Foundation, named for the late governor.
He said bragging about graduation rates misleads the public into complacency about the challenges that public education faces, including funding from the state.
In the report released Friday, the education department said national graduation rankings can be ``often misleading'' when their figures don't match those released by the state. The report says that national studies do not follow the same methodology as Florida and are ``merely estimates.''
Miami-Dade's Carvalho cautioned that the reforms that have led to increased graduation rates so far must continue to affect the economy and workforce in the long run.
``We cannot concern ourselves just with high school completion,'' he said.
NEW WAYS TO LEARN
Carvalho attributed the improvement to an investment in high-quality teaching and good leadership in schools, targeted teaching strategies and extending opportunities for students to learn. Specifically, he said some high school students gained by being able to attend school on Saturdays and holidays to give them 14 extra days of learning.
Carvalho said high school reform efforts that focus on rigor, relevance and relationships are paying off, including adding career academies to make learning more meaningful to students.
Notter said he believes that such strategies are proving effective.
``I really see it as that long-term sustainability of quality,'' he said. ``People have refocused and taken accountability very seriously.''
Here are the year's best video games for young kids
This year has been an innovative one for kids' video games. While most of the really good kids' games are on the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and the PC, this year's list includes a few titles on the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and the Sony PlayStation Portable.
Most exciting, though, is the growth of family games, where up to four family members can play together around the same console with games that appeal to all ages. Because family games are a great gift for all ages, we'll start with those first, and then make recommendations by age category.
If you are using this list as a resource for buying gifts for kids, remember to ask what system they own so that you pick up games that play on their system.
All the titles on this list are rated "E" for Everyone, or "E10+" for Everyone 10 and older, by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
Best family games
Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo, $49.99, Nintendo Wii)
Perfect for families that enjoy sports competition. With more than a dozen different sports from table tennis to archery, there is something for everyone. Family members simply move their arms to mimic playing a sport and then start trash talking. Make sure to try Frisbee Golf.
New Super Mario Bros Wii (Nintendo, $49.99, Nintendo Wii)
Perfect for families that have a love affair with all things "Mario." This is a great way for experienced family members to introduce nongamers to a raucous, side-scrolling platform adventure. Playable by four players at once, a nice feature is that a good player can pick up one who is struggling and carry him through a level.
Lego Rock Band (Warner Bros. Interactive, $49.99, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3. Also on Nintendo DS for $29.99)
Perfect for families that love music. Unlike other versions of Rock Band, this one has a difficulty level that is so easy that both little kids and grandparents can join in the rock fest. The music playlist has oldies and hot new releases, and all ages will enjoy the clever Lego antics. Seeing David Bowie as a Lego guy is a show-stopper.
For ages 4 to 6
ItzaZoo (Sabi Games, $19.99, Windows)
Perfect for kids learning to read. Emerging readers go on adventures with friendly animals at the zoo. Kids read what the animals need by moving their computer mouse over talk bubbles which are read aloud. Then, they draw requested objects that magically get incorporated into the story. This is one of the most innovative games of the year.
Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom (2K Play, $39.99, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2)
Perfect for preschoolers new to the Wii. With simple controls for preschoolers, kids join Dora in a world where she can fly using butterfly wings, jump across giant dancing flowers and ride a Pegasus.
For ages 7 to 10
Boom Blox Bash Party (Electronic Arts, $39.99, Nintendo Wii)
Perfect for kids who would rather knock down block structures than build them. From Steven Spielberg, this four-player game has more than 400 puzzles that make destroying block structures an art form.
A Boy and His Blob (Majesco, $39.99, Nintendo Wii)
Perfect for kids who like gentle heroes. In this inventive adventure story, a little boy and his blob solve problems by having the blob transform into helpful things like a trampoline or a hole in the ground.
MySims Agents (Electronic Arts, $49.99, Nintendo Wii)
Perfect for sleuth wannabes. Kids solve a series of intertwined mysteries while using cool spy gadgets and traveling to exotic places.
For ages 10 and above
LittleBigPlanet (Sony, $39.99, Sony PSP)
Perfect for PSP owners who are into platform puzzlers. Based on last year's PlayStation 3 award-winning game of the same name, this expanded portable version still stars the adorable Sack Boy. As you help him to navigate more than 30 levels filled with crazy contraptions, you earn tools to create your own levels.
Spore Hero (Electronic Arts, $49.99, Nintendo Wii)
Perfect for kids who like a little punch in their adventures. As kids explore a far away planet, they earn body parts to add to their self-designed Spore Hero. They must fight others to earn respect, and solve environmental puzzles by constantly evolving their hero using some of the more than 250 body parts.
Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Interactive, $29.99, Nintendo DS)
Perfect for gamers who like to use their imaginations. The shtick here is that you solve puzzles by imagining what would help you and then spelling that object to have it arrive on your screen. With more than 10,000 words that have matching objects, no two players will solve the puzzles in the same fashion.
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (Nintendo, $29.99, Nintendo DS)
Perfect for puzzle lovers who like a reason to put their brains through mental calisthenics. With a fun mystery theme and gorgeous hand-drawn graphics, this game makes it fun to solve challenging brainteasers.
Obama, Kids, & All Tomorrow's Web Apps: President Focuses on Tech Education
At the White House today, President Obama talked robots, hung out with the guys from MythBusters, and launched a campaign designed to create smarter, techier American kids.
"Reaffirming and strengthening America's role as the world's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century," said Obama." That's why I am committed to making the improvement of STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] education over the next decade a national priority."
The campaign involves key partnerships with organizations from Sesame Street to Sony (whose PlayStation 3 console will be used for strengthening young minds through game design competitions), and it also features help from individuals such as Sally Ride (the first female astronaut) and a handful of digitally focused CEOs.
The Geek-In-Chief is also starting an annual science fair at the White House to inspire and promote young geeks who are doing great things in hardware, software, technology, science and robotics. We need, he said, to teach children to "be makers, not consumers.
"If you win the NCAA champtionships, you get to come to the White House... We're going to show young people how cool science can be."
And why do American kids need this level of convincing? Brace yourselves for bad news, patriots: Kids in the U.S. rank in the mid-twenties when scored against 30 other nations for math and science literacy. We are being drastically outperformed in these areas; in a time when technological innovation is the foundation and impetus for a lot of other cultural and economic factors, can we afford to not develop competencies in tech and science?
The President doesn't think so, and he's directing funds accordingly. He further announced that the $4.35 billion Race to the Top school grant program will give preference to states that commit to improving STEM education.
Obama hopes the campaign will increase STEM literacy for students, improve the quality of teaching in these areas, and promote better education and work opportunities for underrepresented groups - such as women and minorities - in tech.
In the recent past, we've told you about Obama's financial and moral support for startups, his masterful use of the social web - both as a candidate for the office and as President - and the change, recovery, data, and health care reform initiatives he's conducted online. He may not personally use Twitter (yet), but he does use a Creative Commons license for his Flickr photos. It seems fairly clear to us that Obama cares about where the country is going technologically, and we hope this focus on STEM education will help us all in the long term.
Check out the President's 18-minute address, which outlines his plan to use the $260 million-valued campaign to bring struggling American students into world domination:
Should we focus on poor schools or poor kids?
There is a great exchange in the current issue of "Education Next" between two different camps of Democratic education reformers. It's really worth reading to understand the tension within education circles as the Obama administration formulates its policies. In fact, the article starts out talking about how President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan must negotiate this split between Democratic school reformers.
One camp, represented by Pedro Noguera of A Broader, Bolder Approach in Education (BBA), believes that better schools are more likely to result from dealing with the poverty that afflicts many kids, whether that means creating universal pre-K, expanding health care or teaching parents how to participate in their child's education.
The other, represented by Joe Williams of the Education Equality Project (EEP), believes that we're more likely to get better schools by focusing on what can be controlled within the walls of the school or within the boundaries of the district, such as measuring school progress, paying teachers for excellence and giving students choices of where they want to attend school.
I'm not just trying to be a squishy moderate here, but there's truth to both sides. Teachers do deal with many social factors that kids bring into their classrooms. That speaks to the BBA approach of dealing with the poverty that surrounds many schools.
On the other hand, there are only so many resources and so much time that Capitol Hill, state legislatures, school districts and individual campuses have at their disposal when it comes to setting education policy. Deploying them as precisely as possible seems a much better way to use limited resources and time.
If I had to pick one camp, I would go with the Education Equality Project. Measuring progress, rewarding quality teachers and expanding charter schools can be done fairly quickly, while the worthy goal of beating back poverty can take decades. Meanwhile, we risk losing another generation of kids.
What do you think? Where do you fall on this continuum? This is an important issue to consider because it gets at what's going on in Washington.
What Kids Know About The Tiger Woods Scandal (VIDEO)
What do kids know about the Tiger Woods scandal? A lot more than you'd expect. Considering Jay Leno regularly finds people who don't know the president's name wandering the street, we're curious as to how Jimmy Kimmel's people found so many tots up on their gossip. Of course, they're fuzzy on the details (except the last kid, he knows EXACTLY what's up) but they know too much for their young years...especially the girl in pigtails who's worried about alimony.
