Understanding And Understanding Of The Type 2 Diabetes Essay

ABSTRACT Type 2 Diabetes also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, the most common diabetes, affecting 95% of the 29.1 million Americans or 9.3% of the diabetic population of United States in 2012. This paper aims to provide the gaps in our understanding of the Type 2 Diabetes by examining the functions of the pancreas in controlling the sugar levels in the human body and enhance our ability to distinguish the anatomy of the human pancreas. The author also attempts a better understanding of the function of insulin and glucagon hormones in the pancreatic process. It is hoped that this paper will inform those who do not have the understanding and knowledge about the signs and symptoms, causes, treatments, care and prevention of the Type 2 Diabetes. INTRODUCTION Type 2 Diabetes, unlike people with Type 1 Diabetes are able to make insulin. To enhance our understanding of Type 2 Diabetes, knowing what Diabetes is crucial. When a person has diabetes; the body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use his or her own insulin properly, causing glucose (sugar) to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in United States in 2010. In this paper, I provide an overview of the function of pancreas in controlling the sugar level in the human body and the function of insulin and glucagon hormones in the pancreatic process. I also present an anatomy of the human pancreas. Finally, I review the signs and symptoms, causes, treatments,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Bijal P. Trivedi s The Bypass Cure 911 Words   |  4 PagesCure† she details the history of gastric bypass surgery, its effect on type 2 diabetes, and the how one doctor is using his understanding of modern gastric bypass applications to save the lif e’s of his patients. The patient, Nancy Rubio was nearly twice the normal weight of a person her height. 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Patient compliance can be difficult to achieve if the person affected with diabetes is not educated about the illness or treatment, has not fully accepted the diagnosis or its severity, will not change habits or believes that the prescribed treatment regime is too difficultRead MoreThis reflective essay will lay emphasis on one of the learning needs I have developed during my two1300 Words   |  6 Pageswork because it is a more coherent and comprehensible approach to follow when writing a reflective account and is also an easier guide to writing reflections. The learning need I chose to reflect on from my learning plan is having a better understanding of diabetes and the 6 basic medications used in treating the condition since it is a common illness on the ward I am have been allocated on for my first placement. The timescale set for achieving this objective was by the end of my two week placement

Bacteria Transformation in Biotechnology Free Essays

Abstract Some bacteria are able to go through transformation making new combinations of genes. Transformation is a way of gene variability in bacteria. This experiment is based on the transformation mechanism of bacteria and gene regulation. We will write a custom essay sample on Bacteria Transformation in Biotechnology or any similar topic only for you Order Now The bacteria used for the experiment was Escherichia coli and the genes introduces for the transformation were: gfp and bla by a pGLOâ„ ¢ plasmid. After the insertion of the target genes and growing the bacteria on specialized LB media, it could be seen that the transformants were positive for the gene expression. The transformed E. coli on the media appeared fluorescent green under UV light. Introduction The bacteria used in this experiment is Escherichia coli which is not naturally competent. E. coli is a gram negative rod shaped bacteria and a facultative anaerobe. This bacteria forms part of the bacterial flora in the human intestine tract. The competence of a bacteria is based on its ability to take up naked DNA from the environment and incorporated on theirs, transformation. Alteration in the permeability of the membranes allows DNA to cross the cell envelope of E. oli. Since the outer membrane of the E. coli is mostly negatively charged and the DNA molecule also has a negative charge, then the addition of CaCl2 will neutralize the interaction so that the naked DNA molecule can enter the cell. (Microbe Library web) Another important factor on the competence of the bacteria is a procedure of alternating temperature between ice bucket and heat shocks. By the combination of this two procedu res E. coli becomes competent. This procedure was first reported by Mandel and Higa. Singh 562) Even though it works it is only believed that CaCl2 helps DNA absorption to cell surface and the heat-shock step facilitates penetration of absorbed DNA into cell. (Panja 411) The main purpose of this experiment is to transform the bacteria to make it resistant to the antibiotic ampicillin. A secondary transformation is being made, and is to make the bacteria seem fluoresce green. The reason why the bacteria will fluoresce is because the gfp gene is being inserted under an ara promoter. The gfp gene encodes for the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). The genes under the ara promoter will be expressed when the bacteria is in presence of the sugar Arabinose. When the transformed E. coli is in presence of Arabinose, the gfp will make the GFP and when the bacteria is placed under UV light it will fluoresce green. The gfp gene was found and extracted from a jellyfish, Aequorea victoria, and is being used as a visible reporter for gene expression. (Garcia-Cayuela 172) To introduce the gfp into the bacterial cell it was needed to be by a plasmid, as well as the gene to make the E. oli resistant to ampicillin, bla gene. The bla gene encodes for the protein beta lactamase which breaks down the ? -lactam ring in the structure of the ampicillin, therefore making it resistant to the antibiotic. Like already said to introduce this two genes to the E. coli it must be done through a plasmid. Both genes were introduced by the same one. In this case the one that was used was a pGLOâ„ ¢ plasmid. This is an engineered plasmid used as a vector to create genetically modified bacteria. This plasmid contains three specific genes: bla, gfp and araC. The  ¬araC is a promoter region that regulates the expression of the gfp only under the presence of arabinose sugar. Materials and Methods In this experiment a pGLOâ„ ¢ transformation kit was used. First we needed two eppie tubes, one pGLO positive and the other pGLO negative. This two eppies were then moved to an ice bucket. During, one loopful of the pGLO plasmid was transfer to the pGLO+ tube. The other tube will be the pGLO-, the Escherichia coli without the plasmid. The two tubes were moved into an ice bucket and left there for 10 minutes. Then the tubes were put into a 42? C water bath for 50 seconds and after back to the ice bucket for 2 minutes more. After the two minutes had passed, a 300 microliters aliquot of LB broth was added to the two test tubes. By adding the LB broth, the CaCl2 solution was also inserted in the tubes with the E. coli. Right after it the tubes were shook for ten minutes in a 37? C shaker. There were gather 4 petri plates, one with LB media, two with LB amp(ampicillin), and the last one with LB amp ara(arabinose sugar). After the 10 minutes each plate was given an aliquot of 100 microliters with one of the E. coli of the eppie tubes. The LB plate and LB amp had the pGLO- and the other two plates, LB amp ara and LB amp, had the pGLO+. After this step it’s done the plates are prepared to be incubated at 37? C for two days and reveal the results of the induced transformation. LAB 9: TRANSFORMATION PROCEDURE Results The results for this experiment were a bit ambiguous but still recognizable and pretty clear. All of these plates were seen under UV light. In the LB plate pGLO- , after the incubation, there was found a lawn of Escherichia coli colonies that looked green because of the light. The LB amp plate with the pGLO- bacteria, the E. oli did not seem like it grow on it, the media just looked green. A count of 172 colonies that looked green, was found in the LB amp pGLO+ plate, this plate had ampicillin. In the LB ara amp media plate there were found 251 colonies of E. coli. In this plate the colonies looked fluorescent green under the UV light, the only plate. In a scale of growth from larger to smaller, th e first in line would be the LB, then LB ara amp, proceeds LB amp (pGLO+), and last one LB amp (pGLO-). Table 1. 1 Results oftransformationof E. coli withpGLO plasmid mediapGLO+pGLO-color(under UV light)growth LB -Yesgreenlawn of colonies LB amp-yesmedia look greenno growth LB ampyes-green172 colonies LB amp arayes-fluorescent green251 colonies -= n/a Discussion The results obtained in this experiment were as expected. The gfp should had been expressed under the presence of arabinose sugar and then under the UV light would fluoresce. The bla gene was expected to be expressed in the presence of ampicillin molecules. The LB pGLO- plate was a control plate meaning that this plate set a reference parameter to compare the results after the transformation. In this plate the growth of the E. oli was in a vast amount since this is a general media target for growth. In the LB amp pGLO- plate, the other control, the E. coli was not transformed with the plasmid, so in presence of the ampicillin the natural behavior of the bacteria is that is susceptible to it. In another hand, the plate of LB amp pGLO+ presented growth meaning that the bacteria took up the plasmid and was able to expressed the genes by an induce transformation. The result being that the transformed E. coli is now resistant to the ampicillin. The last plate, LB amp ara pGLO+, appeared with 251 fluorescent green colonies under the UV light. The reason for it is that the bacteria took up the pGLO plasmid and when the E. coli was in the presence of arabinose and ampicillin, the bacteria could fluoresce green and be resistant to ampicillin which naturally the E. coli does not possess this genes. When this last plate is compared with the control plates it can be confirmed that the procedure done in this experiment was effective as hoped. The arabinose sugar is the intriguer that turns on the genes under the ara promoter. So when the gfp under this promoter turns on, all the other genes under the same promoter will expressed in the cell also. No real noticeable source of error was found during the experiment since the results obtained were completely expected based in the information of the procedure. New studies are being made constantly and this transformation technique is widely used in the field of biotechnology. In the study of Plasmid DNA Transformation in Escherichia Coli: Effect of Heat Shock Temperature, Duration, and Cold Incubation of CaCl2 Treated Cells, the experiment was based on how much quantitative is the difference between different variables possible to reach for the best optimum environment to exploit to the maximum the use of this technique. These results suggest that a heat shock pulse of 30 sec at 42 °C followed by a 10 min ice incubation step are ideal parameters to obtain maximum transformation efficiency, also suggest that post heat shock cold incubation step is also an important factor and enhances transformation of E. coli significantly (Singh 561) The relevance of this paper on the experiment performed and discussed previously is big. The results of Singh’s experiment helps our experiment in enhancing the correctness of our results and lowering the possible errors that can surge. Also it can be a great reference of how to determine the optimum conditions of a specific bacteria which would contribute in other research fields. Citations Anh-Hue T. Tu. Transformation of Escherichia coli Made Competent by Calcium Chloride Protocol. Microbe Library. American Society of Microbiology. October 25, 2012. Web. November 10, 2012 Garcia-Cayuela, Tomas,. Fluorescent protein vectors for promoter analysis in lactic acid bacteria and Escherichia coli. 172. Applied Genetics and Molecular Biotechnology. Pdf Panja, Subrata,. Aich, Pulakesh,. Jana, Bimal,. Basu, Tarakdas. How does plasmid DNA penetrate cell membranes in arti? cial transformation process of Escherichia coli? 25(5): 411 Molecular Membrane Biology, August 2008. Pdf. Singh, Mahipal,. Yadav, Arpita. Ma, Xiaoling. Amoah, Eugene. Plasmid DNA Transformation in Escherichia Coli: Effect of Heat Shock Temperature, Duration, and Cold Incubation of CaCl2 Treated Cells. Volume 6 Number 4, 2010. 561– 562 International Journal of Biotechnology and Biochemistry. Pdf. How to cite Bacteria Transformation in Biotechnology, Essay examples

Are Bilinguals Smarter Than Monolinguals free essay sample

Because of this, there is a debate to decide whether the next generation of children should be exposed to a Bilingual education. This has led to research into whether Bilingual education slows the learning of literacy and numeracy (Barnett, Yarosz, Thomas, Jung, amp; Blanco, 2007). Research has also looked at specific enhancements (Goetz, 2003; Kovacs, 2009) and downsides (Kaushanskaya amp; Marian, 2007) to being Bilingual. This essay reviews the evidence from Literature to determine whether Bilinguals are smarter than Monolinguals. There is a current debate as to whether Monolingual or Bilingual education is a better approach to produce smarter students. Specifically this debate looks at whether Bilingual education hinders the development of literacy and numeracy. Barnett et al. (2007) reported that statistically there was no hindrance to literacy and numeracy in 3 to 4-year-old English-Spanish Bilinguals compared to English Monolinguals (p. 288). They also reported that the Bilingual education produced significant increases in Spanish vocabulary (Barnett et al. We will write a custom essay sample on Are Bilinguals Smarter Than Monolinguals or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page , 2007, p. 277). This suggests that Bilingual education produces more knowledgeable and hence smarter students. Studies also found that Bilinguals have enhanced reasoning capabilities (Goetz, 2003; Kovacs, 2009). Kovacs, (2009) found that 3-year-old Romanian-Hungarian Bilinguals performed significantly better than Romanian Monolingual children in several different reasoning tasks (p. 48). The increased capacity to reason which Bilinguals experience is likely to produce superior educational outcomes. However, not all studies show that being Bilingual is advantageous. Kaushanskaya and Marian (2007) found hat Russian-English Bilinguals were sensitive to the phonology of Russian language (p. 140). This means that when these Russian-English Bilinguals come across a new word in English, they are less likely to be able to understand its meaning. This phonological ability is commonly used in testing intelligence quotient (IQ) (Williams, McIntosh, Dixon, Newton, amp; Youman, 2010). IQ has been shown to only h ave a partial effect in predicting educational success (Alloway amp; Alloway, 2010). Hence, although this phonetic ability is useful, it does not necessarily measure smartness. In conclusion, current Literature suggests that Bilinguals may be smarter than Monolinguals. Through specialised education research has shown that Bilinguals are more knowledgeable without sacrifice to the quality of literacy and numeracy (Barnett et al. , 2007). Research has also shown that Bilinguals have enhanced reasoning ability (Goetz, 2003; Kovacs, 2009). In contrast, they may also suffer from interference to their phonology from knowing several languages (Kaushanskaya amp; Marian, 2007). This means that they may have difficulty in discerning meaning from unknown words. However, this is not a measure of smartness but rather of IQ. Although Bilinguals may be smarter than Monolinguals when considering the current Literature, to be conclusive, further research should be completed, to ascertain the successfulness of Bilingual students in comparison to Monolingual students, in higher level education. References Alloway, T. P. , amp; Alloway, R. G. (2010). Investigating the predictive roles of working memory and IQ in academic attainment. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 106(1), 20-29. doi: 10. 1016/j. jecp. 2009. 11. 003 Barac, R. amp; Bialystok, E. (2012). Bilingual Effects on Cognitive and Linguistic Development: Role of Language, Cultural Background, and Education. Child Development, 83(2), 413-422. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-8624. 2011. 01707. x Barnett, W. S. , Yarosz, D. J. , Thomas, J. , Jung, K. , amp; Blanco, D. (2007). Two-way and monolingual English immersion in preschool education: An experimental comparison. Early Childhood Research Quar terly, 22(3), 277-293. doi: 10. 1016/j. ecresq. 2007. 03. 003 Goetz, P. J. (2003). The effects of bilingualism on theory of mind development. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 6(1), 1-15. doi: 10. 1017/S1366728903001007 Hatt, B. (2007). Street Smarts vs. Book Smarts: The Figured World of Smartness in the Lives of Marginalized, Urban Youth. The Urban Review, 39(2), 145-166. doi: 10. 1007/s11256-007-0047-9 Kaushanskaya, M. , amp; Marian, V. (2007). Bilingual Language Processing and Interference in Bilinguals: Evidence From Eye Tracking and Picture Naming. Language Learning, 57(1), 119-163. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-9922. 2007. 00401. x Kovacs, A. M. (2009). Early bilingualism enhances mechanisms of false-belief reasoning. Developmental Science, 12(1), 48-54. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-7687. 2008. 00742. x Rubio-Fernandez, P. , amp; Glucksberg, S. (2012). Reasoning About Other People’s Beliefs: Bilinguals Have an Advantage. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38(1), 211-217. doi: 10. 1037/a0025162 Williams, T. H. , McIntosh, D. E. , Dixon, F. , Newton, J. H. , amp; Youman, E. (2010). A confirmatory factor analysis of the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales with a high-achieving sample. Psychology in the Schools, 47(10), 1071-1083. doi: 10. 1002/pits. 20525

Justification of the Bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics Games †Rio de Janeiro

Introduction Long in history, different events are hosted in different places around the world. The events are very diverse and include sporting events, cultural, religious, and environmental among many others. Major sporting events are known to attract very many participants such as the Olympic Games.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Justification of the Bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics Games – Rio de Janeiro specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A lot of planning and management decisions are deployed by the organizers of such events. The hosting nations for such events must show course in line with the preparations to host such an event (Davis, 2012). Overview of the Olympic Games The world Olympics is a global sporting event. It is held after every four years. The games are held in after every two years in an alternating way – in summer and winter though the major event is held after four years. The O lympics event is managed by the International Olympics Committee (IOC). The Olympics is one of the biggest sporting events of a global nature. It is also one of the longest sporting events in the world sporting calendar (Toohey and Veal, 2007). The Olympics attracts the highest number of participants of all the sporting events in the world. This is quite a complex sporting event since different disciplines of sports are hosted at once. It is a sporting event of a kind where almost all disciplines of sports are brought together. These include the famous sports like football, athletics, and almost all other ball games. The numbers of sports that are hosted in the Olympics have also been increasing with time meaning that the size of the event has also been growing. The Olympics is the leading events in terms of the number of participating countries. It also attracts the highest number of sports men and women because of the many sports that take place in the event. Currently, more than 200 countries do participate in the event (Mallon, Buchanan and Heijmans, 2011).Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The overall administration this event is done by the IOC which aided by the Olympic governing bodies present in every country. These Bodies are known as National Olympic Committees (NOC). The NOC administers the activities concerning the event at national level. For instance, they oversee and ratify the selection of the national teams that participate in the event (Mallon, Buchanan and Heijmans, 2011). The Olympic Games are said to have started in Olympia, Greece during the 8th century. These games have a rich history. The IOC was founded in 1894. The IOC selects a committee which oversees a certain Olympic event. As of now, the Olympic Games attract approximately fourteen thousand participants. These participants do take in different sports – totaling to 33 as it stands now. These sports happen in more than four hundred events. The host city, for the event, is chosen by the major governing body – the National Olympics Committee – through a bidding exercise (Toohey and Veal, 2007). The host city must meet the minimum qualification standards set by the IOC. Once selected, the hosting city is given responsibility of organizing and funding of the Opening celebrations of the Olympic event. The celebration of the event entails many activities and or rituals and symbols. These include the Olympic torch and flag, and the two ceremonies – opening and closing ceremonies. The first three winners, in each sporting event, are awarded medals. The winner gets a gold medal while the first and second runners up are rewarded with silver and bronze medals respectively. The Olympic events have grown to the scale where almost every nation participates in the Olympic event. This means that country and city that are accredited to host th e event must have adequate logistical capacity. This is because man challenges both structural and non-structural will be encountered as the country prepares to host the event (Young, 2004).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Justification of the Bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics Games – Rio de Janeiro specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rio de Janeiro, which is the capital city of Brazil, will be the hosting city for the 2016 summer Olympics. All events will take place in different arenas and stadiums within the city. In a general sense, Brazil is a sporting nation though it is mostly associated with football. The country has been advancing in other sporting fields. In a general sense, the country has good infrastructure – transport and building infrastructure. This is critical as the event attracts very many participants and spectators. The major reason for the nation to bid for hosting the event is th at the country will host the 2014 FIFA world cup. Rio de Janeiro will be one of the hosting cities for the world cup event. Many developments structural and non- structural are expected to take place in readiness for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This will make it easy for the country to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The country is making a lot development that will put it in a better place to handle the number of visitors during the World Cup. A huge population of guests is expected to attend the world cup event. This will cheer up the nation and its sports lovers. The Olympics will be an extrapolation of the sporting mood in the country as it will come only one and a half years later. Most of the adjustments will be needed in the sporting infrastructure as reflected in the need for construction of fields for many other sporting activities. For the football games, the stadiums are expected to be of very high standards as they will be furnished as they host the world cup. The other thin g that boosts the potential of the city to host the Olympic is that football is amongst the sports in the Olympic Games. Therefore, it is increasingly probable that most of the people in the country will come out to support the Olympic Games. This will be achieved through the way of spectating and in logistical preparations (Li, MacIntosh and Bravo, 2012).Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Olympics is quite a lengthy event that takes place in a minimum of three weeks. Rio de Janeiro faces significant competition from other cities bidding to host the event. This is an indication that the city must have a competitive advantage over the other cities as it concerns the event. It must be noted that several cities are bidding for the same event thus a good assessment of the capacity of the country will be clearly brought out in the bid (Li, MacIntosh and Bravo, 2012). Methodology Research Methods Strategic marketing research was used to study the hosting city and country. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used given that this is a huge event. The research was multidimensional both focusing on the physical infrastructure and other important aspects like the political climate, the socioeconomic, technological, environmental and security of the potential hosting city- Rio de Janeiro. The physical infrastructure was assessed from three angles: the spor ting facilities, the transport sector, and hotels and restaurants. Other features that were covered in the research were the cultural aspects of the population, the general economic conditions of the country, and the sporting history of the country among many others. Physical assessment was conducted by specialists who observed the fields and other structures that are needed to host the event. Research Tools Research tools used included questionnaires that were used to get information from relevant departments. Observation was used in collecting data on physical infrastructure. Interview guides were also employed in the research to source for information from the main stakeholders. In the preparation of the bidding report, research was conducted which captured all aspects which determine the capacity of Rio de Janeiro and the Larger Brazil as a nation to host the event. Economic, social, political, physical and technological aspects were assessed. Different tools and methods of anal ysis were also used in the assessment of the city. These include the SWOT and PESTLE analyses. Findings and Analysis Brazil is a huge nation in respect to the geographical size, population and infrastructure. Rio de Janeiro is one of the cities that are well known across the world. This is because it is a relatively big city. The city has a rich culture of tourism. It has good beaches and many other iconic landmarks. The city has for a long time received visitors from different regions of the world who come to enjoy its iconic features. If granted with the opportunity of hosting the Olympic Games, people will get a chance of not only enjoying the sporting events but also the serine environment of the city (Stanley, 2010). Benefits of the Olympic Games for Rio de Janeiro The hosting of these games in Rio de Janeiro will bring a lot of benefits not only to the inhabitants of the city but also the country as a whole. Some of the long term problems of the city will be dealt with by virt ue of preparing to host the event. The infrastructure if the city will be greatly improved. More development opportunities will also be availed to the residents of the city. The transport and communication network will be improved. More sporting structures will be set up. The hotel and Restaurant industry will also be improved. All these activities will enhance the creation of various job opportunities for the jobless population in the city. The sporting infrastructure will further open up the country to other sports adding to football which is the major sport in the country. New sporting and other technologies will also be introduced in the country which will see sporting improvement. Problems of insecurity in the city will also be addressed thus creating a favorable environment for business. Tourism will also be greatly boosted by the event. Tourism boosts the general economy of a country because the foreign currency gained from tourism helps in offsetting deficits in the balance of payment (McGuirk, 2009). The research conducted proves that many programs that will be implemented will result in many socioeconomic changes. These changes will affect the lives of the citizens of Rio de Janeiro in a positive way. Direct investments will increase bringing about economic transformation. More investment opportunities will be created for investors in the country including investment in sports and or sporting activities. The entire arms of the Government of Brazil have agreed to support the city in its bidding efforts. Government support is needed more so in financing projects required as preconditions for successful bidding. Political and Economic Environment of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil Political Environment Brazil as a country has had a stable government which embraces democracy with good records of human rights protection. It is a multiracial country. There are very little cases of racism and racial conflict reported in the country. Brazil is mentioned along side other nations around the globe with a huge population. Rio de Janeiro is the capital city of Brazil. Brazil has enjoyed good foreign relations with almost all countries in the world. Brazil has a devolved system of government. There is the federal, state and the city governments. The city of Rio de Janeiro is governed by the city government. All the three governments have pledged support for Rio de Janeiro’s bid for hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games. All the three arms of the government have sporting departments, which work in collaboration to achieve sporting goals in the county. The city government of Rio de Janeiro is collaborating with the state and the federal governments. This collaboration is aimed at effecting activities and projects that will put the city and the country in a better place to host the event. With total support from all arms of government, a lee way for hosting the games is automatically created (Morrison, 2012). Security within the city of Rio e Janeiro is relatively good. However, as noted earlier, the city has a relatively huge population. Most of the population in the city is comprised of low income earners. The gap of inequality in incomes is very big. The rate of drug trafficking and criminal violence is also very high. Drug trafficking and criminal activities have combined to create insecurity in the city. Major plans to improve security have been developed and are being implemented by the government in readiness for the World Cup. More security groups are being deployed in the city, and the population is being trained on how to enhance security (Arias, 2006). Economic Environment Brazil is one of the countries is the world that has the quickest growing economy. The country is transforming into a middle income economy with a lot of changes happening in the economy. Also, there is a lot of infrastructure developing which is one of the indicators of a growing and or a developing economy. Brazil has an active econ omy which is relatively competitive in the global economic competition. From the year 2000, the gross domestic product of the country has been growing. In the year 2011, the Gross Domestic Product of the country was at approximately 1.7 trillion United States Dollars. The country has no history of natural calamities and disasters. Coupled with the state of the economy, this puts the country in a better place as far as the attraction of investments both from its own people and foreigners. For a country which is gaining momentum in economic growth, the Olympic Games will be a major booster for the economy. It will trigger speedy development of the economy through quick investments. However, this development must be highly guarded failure of which it may become unsustainable. Unsustainability can result from decisions that are made in rush in order to meet requirements and which can cause mal or poorly planned development and investment (Daft, 2012). The economy of Brazil has suffered now and then from inflation negatively affecting the exchange rates of its currency. The Brazilian government together with its citizenry has been able to effect policies that have enabled the stabilization of the economy. The economic stability has led to improved living standards (McGuirk, 2009). Rio de Janeiro, which is the potential hosting city for the 2016 summer Olympic Games, is one of the most populated cities in the world. The city has fairly good infrastructure. Most of the roads in the city are in a good or what can be termed as a standard condition. For a city that aims to host an event of this magnitude, good transport infrastructure is a critical consideration. The country is still investing in transport infrastructure improvement. With Rio de Janeiro being the capital city of the country, the city stands out to benefit from these investments in a significant way (McGuirk, 2009). Rio de Janeiro is a coastal city. Therefore, the city has embraced tourism as one of its major events. The city has good beaches and resorts which attracts both internal and external tourists. The city has good hotels that are reserved for tourists who visit the region to enjoy the tourist icons in the city. The hotels and restaurants will be needed to host the visitors who will attend the world summer Olympic Games. In actual sense, good hotels and restaurants are a need in hosting the Olympic Games. Approximately 20,000 direct participants are expected to attend the event with many other thousands coming in as spectators. In a general sense, more than half a million visitors are likely to visit the city. Tourism will benefit the hosting of the event in two ways. Tourism is a significant attraction of visitors in the city. Therefore, it will entice an increased number of visitors who will not only attend the event, but also tour the city. The second factor is that tourism has boosted the hotel industry which is important for hosting the visitors. More development of th e hotel industry is expected to take place. This is boosted by the fact that Rio de Janeiro has been selected to host some of the games during the 2014 world cup. A lot of changes are already being affected in readiness for the 2014 FIFA world cup event (Louis 2008). A joint marketing program for the Olympics Games has been initiated. Value creation, as well as fair value strategies, will be used in the marketing activities. Marketing partnerships for the event will be built through approaches of collaboration between and among the stakeholders. The marketing program will be responsible for establishing, developing and popularizing the Olympic Games event in the city and the world over. The planned marketing activities will be very expansive so as to cover all the marketing all forms of media, the different sporting fields and that makes up the event and all other supportive activities and platforms. Socio – Cultural Environment As mentioned earlier, Brazil has a multi ethnic population. The population is composed of whites, blacks and the Amerindians. There are also many ethnic groups in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro being the capital city of Brazil has a combination of people from across the country. This gives the country and the city a good cultural mix. There exist good relations between the different racial groups found in the country. The racial and ethnic diversity of the population of Brazil is an iconic factor. It can be noted that other nations with mixed races have problems with fostering cohesion and integration. However, in Brazil, there have been no major acts of racial and ethnic polarization. It gives the country a positive look before the global community. This is in itself an attraction factor which will encourage people to attend the event. Two major international languages are used in Brazil – English and Espaà ±ola. This is an advantage in communication as the nation plans to host visitors from different regions of the world (Wood s, 2011). Environmental and Technological Environment Rio de Janeiro city boasts of a good climate. The city is bordered by the sea and forests giving it a favorable environment for visitors. It has a good record of environmental protectionism, which gives it a good image. As a country that is on the path of industrialization, the country embraces the use of advanced technologies. Information and communication technology has helped in the improved of different sectors for instance the telecommunication and other service sectors. More than 90 percent of people residing in Rio de Janeiro have access to mobile phones. Internet use in the country has also been on the rise. Electronic-business is slowly gaining roots in the country and especially so in the capital city. This will ease transactions in the case that the event is hosted in Rio de Janeiro. Online booking services will be available for hotel booking and the booking of tickets. An electronic ticketing system has been developed . This ticketing system will be essential in ensuring that anomalies associated with manual ticketing are reduced thus easing activities. In the Hospitality and restaurant business which will be the major in hosting guests, online services hasten the exercise. This will in effect give room for improvements and capacity adjustment of facilities in this sector (Claessens, Evenett, Hoekman and Centre for Economic Policy Research). Conclusion Rio de Janeiro is strategically positioned to host the 2016 Olympic Games. A number of factors support the potentiality of the city to host this event. The City will be hosting the 2014 FIFA world cup, an event that will see many people visit the city. Many developments are being effected for the 2014 world cup. These developments will act as a basis for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. With political stability and support that has been shown by all the three governments, Rio will be in a good position to host the event. This is also supported by th e fact that Brazil is a sport loving nation. Also, the majority of the population has shown support for hosting sporting events like the FIFA World Cup. The economy of Brazil is supporting infrastructure in across the cities Rio de Janeiro being one of the beneficiaries. The country has adopted modern technologies in almost all sectors of the economy which boosts the rate and efficiency in making transactions. Moreover, Rio has a good record of environmental conservation. Tourism is doing well in the city. It has boosted the growth of hospitality and restaurant sector which is vital in making the event a success. The major bottleneck of the city is the frequent lapses in security that is caused by the network of drug barons in the city. However, given the efforts that have been established to beef up security, Rio is best suited to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Reference List Arias, ED 2006, Drugs democracy in Rio de Janeiro: Trafficking, social networks, public security, Un iversity of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. Claessens, S, Evenett, SJ, Hoekman, BM and Centre for Economic Policy Research (Great Britain) 2010, Rebalancing the global economy: A primer for policymaking, Centre for Economic Policy Research, London, UK. Daft, RL 2012, Management, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, Ohio. Davis, J 2012, The Olympic Games effect: How sports marketing builds strong brands, John Wiley Sons, Singapore; Chichester. Li, M, MacIntosh, EW and Bravo, GA 2012, International sport management, Human Kinectics, Champaign, IL. Louis, RS 2008, Rio de Janeiro, Lonely Planet, Footscray, Victoria, Australia. Mallon, B, Buchanan, I and Heijmans, J 2011, Historical dictionary of the Olympic movement, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Md. McGuirk WB 2009, Marginal Benefit of Hosting the Summer Olympics: Focusing on BRIC Nation Brazil (Rio 2016). Web. Morrison, M 2012, Brazil, Raintree, London. Stanley, M 2010, Brazil Infrastructure: Paving the Way. Web. Toohey, K and Veal, AJ 2007, The Olympic games: A social science perspective, CABI, Wallingford. Woods, RB 2011, Social issues in sport, Human Kinetics, Champaign. Young, DC 2004, A brief history of the Olympic games, Blackwell Pub., Malden, MA. This report on Justification of the Bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics Games – Rio de Janeiro was written and submitted by user BruceBanner to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Fires Of Jubilee Book Report Essay Example

The Fires Of Jubilee Book Report Essay Example The Fires Of Jubilee Book Report Paper The Fires Of Jubilee Book Report Paper It was written in a way that was very easy to understand which made the book that much better. Dates also made sure to reveal to his readers who the mysterious Nat Turner really was. Dates was also the author of the books With Malice Toward None which won the Christopher Award and Let the Trumpet Sound which also won the Christopher Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Award. In this book, Dates vividly reenacted the events that fueled Gnats mindset, the events that took place during Nat Turners rebellion, and the effects that it had after. Dates began with an extremely thorough biography of Nat Turner who was born on October 2nd, 1 800 in Southampton County, Virginia. As a child, everyone who met Nat knew that he was a special, for he was very intelligent, religious, literate, and was also believed to be a prophet by many of his fellow slaves. Gnats intelligence was praised by his first master, Benjamin Turner, but not by his son, Samuel Turner, who became Ants new owner after Benjamin had passed and he did not appreciate his intelligence as much. It was also during this time that Nat first began slave work at the age of twelve under Samuel Turner. This was also the first time that he recognized that he was a slave even though he had been led to believe by whites and blacks alike that e would be freed one day because he was so smart. This event in Gnats life could have been first time he developed his resentment toward the white man. From that moment on, Nat performed the same bleak routine for many years. This routine 1 included going to slave praise meetings every Sunday where Nat would listen to a different version of Christianity than what the white preachers told. This alternate version criticized slavery and tried to instigate the blacks into resisting it. These praise meetings could have had a great influence with Gnats resentment towards the white man as well Samuel Turner. These praise meetings also influenced Nat to begin his own ministering religious rants within the slave cabins which became very popular among them. When Nat was twenty-one years old, he stated that he, Having soon discovered to be great, I must appear so, and therefore studiously avoiding mixing in society, and wrapped myself in mystery, devoting myself to fasting and prayer. (pig. 27) In 1819, when the United States experienced a depression and Samuel Turner died, Elizabeth, Samuels wife, was forced to sell some of the slaves, as well as Nat Turner. Nat was fortunate enough to be able to stay in Southampton County and he was sold to one Thomas Moore. Gnats new master was an ambitious man who hoped to make it big in his neighborhood. He was not a cruel master but he worked himself and his field hands very hard in an effort to achieve his dream. In the summer of 1825, Nat began to have visions that assured him adjustments Day was approaching. When the slaves heard of his visions, they were astonished, even though they expected to one day hear this news from the prophet. On the other hand, the white people did not pay much attention to Nat because for one, he was a slave, and two, he was not a certified preacher. On May 12, 1828, Nat had the most significant vision of all. He recalled, I heard a loud noise in the heavens and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the Serpent was 2 loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and that I should take it on and fight against the Serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should be the last and the last should be the first. (pig. 41) This was the message from God that Nat had searched for. All he had to do now was wait for a sign from God on when to begin. In February, 1831 Nat confided his plan for insurgence in four slaves whom he rusted, Hark, Nelson, Henry, and Sam. On Sunday August, 21 Gnats lieutenants, accompanied by Jack Reese and Will Francis, sat at Cabin Pond and awaited the prophet. When Nat arrived he assured them that they would kill all the white people that night. (pig. 67) Gnats Rebellion began at around am, Monday morning with their first attack to be the Travis house. The insurgents killed all the members of the Travis family, including the Travis baby. After this, Dates recounts all the gruesome slaughters that took place during Gnats Rebellion including Elizabeth Turner, John Barrow, and the only arson that Nat killed throughout the entire insurgence, Margaret Whitehead The following day, Nat rode to the Blunt plantation to attempt to gain more followers but was shocked to find gunshots coming from the home when the arrived. Nat decided to retreat to the forest because most of Gnats men had disappeared or were injured but once there, found the militia waiting for heir The militia viciously attacked the insurgents leaving the remainders of them scattered and three of them dead, including Will Francis. This finally caused the rebellion to subdue. Meanwhile the Southampton community was in a Tate of confusion and panic wondering why had their slaves rebelled and if they were still a threat? Many furious whites decided to take 3 matters into their own hands seek revenge On any black person they saw. There was also a $500 reward for anyone who brought the prophet to the Southampton County Jail, which fueled the manhunt even more. Although many stories stated that Nat had fled the state, he had actually never left Southampton County. On October 3rd, Nat was finally captured by Benjamin Phipps, a farmer who happened to stumble upon Nat. The next day as Nat was being escorted to a Jerusalem Courthouse, he ironically kept his head led high then entire time in front of the large white crowd. In the courthouse, Nat stood before court justices, James Treatment and James W. Parker, who sought to question him. In the interrogation, Nat stated that he was the man in charge of insurrection and omens that God had presented him to see. Although whites did not know how to react to Gnats interrogation many whites agreed that, as perfect a state of fanatical delusion as ever wretched man suffered. (pig. 1 1 9) Thomas Gray, a defender of some of the other insurgents, wanted to interview Nat before his trial date. On Tuesday, November 3rd Gray went to interview Nat for three days and came up with the conclusion that even though he though Nat was engulfed with his religious fantasies he did not think of him as ignorant or a coward. (pig. 12, On November 5th, Nays trial date, Nat was found guilty and on Friday, November 1 1 , Nat was hung. Southern whites desperately wanted to blame Gnats Rebellion the northern abolitionists but in reality, the North had no direct correlation with the insurgence. Southerners more specifically wanted( to link it to William Lloyd Garrisons Liberator and David Walkers Appeal to he Colored Citizens of the World, no evidence exists that slaves ever got a chance to even know about these documents.

A Year To Remember Essay Research Paper

A Year To Remember Essay, Research Paper After the 1994 work stoppage, Major League Baseball has had jobs acquiring fans interested in the game and into the ballparks. All that changed in 1998 when baseball enjoyed its greatest season of all time. From the place tally pursuit, the great pitching, and the unstoppable Northerners, there is no uncertainty about it. Even the 41 season, with Joe Dimaggio s 56 game striking run and Ted Williams run at a.400 batting mean pickets in comparing to the feats of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 98. Because of all that was traveling on in 98, some immense achievements were overshadowed and became merely footnotes. Let s take a expression back at a most unforgettable season. MARK MCGWIRE: THE NEW SULTAN OF SWAT When people remember the 1998 season, they will intelligibly first think of the place tally pursuit. For most of the summer, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased each other and the most august record in all of professional athleticss: Roger Maris individual season place tally record off 61 set back in 1961. When jumping preparation began, McGwire was thrust into the limelight when asked if he thought he would interrupt the record. From twenty-four hours one, it was expected of him to at least excel his 1997 place run sum of 58 if non make Maris. And even when him and Sosa were neck and neck, Sosa was still in Big Mac s shadow. It is widely believed that without Sosa, McGwire might non hold passed Maris and neer would hold reached such a mind-boggling figure. A perfect illustration of McGwire and Sosa forcing each other is a Cubs-Cardinals series in mid-August at Wrigley Field. Both batters had been stuck on 47 for the past few yearss. In the underside of the fifth, Slammin Sammy slammed his 48th of the twelvemonth. Big Mac answered in the top of the 7th with his 48th. Then in the top of the 9th, McGwire bashed his 49th home run to once more lead Sosa. This, nevertheless, would non be the last clip that the two would traverse waies. A few hebdomads subsequently the Cubs came to St. Louis for a two game series that started on Labor Day. At the clip, McGwire had 60 while his Dominican opposite number had 58. In the first frame of game one, McGwire game the fans precisely what they wanted to see when he blasted his 61st home run to bind Maris. The full baseball universe and all of America was in expectancy for the following game. Even the Maris household was on manus for a game that was unimportant for the Cardinals as a squad. They were excessively far behind division-leading Houston and Wild Card taking Chicago to do a serious command for the postseason. Big Mac was 0 for 2 when he came to bat in the 5th frame. Cubs hurler, Steve Trachsel was fliping McGwire excess careful, but it did non assist. He belted a pitch merely hardly over the wall in left field. That sent the sellout crowd at Busch Stadium into exultation. By hitting figure 62 he had set the new individual season place tally record, but he still had three hebdomads to hit more. As he circled the bases, McGwire received praises from the full Cub baseball diamond, and even a clinch from former Cardinal, Cubs 3rd baseman Gary Gaetti. He even went into the first row of the bases and hugged the Maris household. Then Sammy Sosa came in from right field and personall y congratulated McGwire. There was so a address from legendary Cardinal broadcaster, Jack Buck, and even one from McGwire himself. After the exhilaration and the expectancy McGwire so went into a seven-day slack. In that hebdomad, Sosa was able to catch him. One twenty-four hours after Sosa hit his 62nd ; Big Mac crushed his 63rd. His chiropteran so came alive in a series in Milwaukee. In that series he hit Numberss 64, 65, and about 66. Umpire Bob Davidson ruled what could hold been 66 a two-base hit because a fan reached over and caught it ( Verducci, 4 ) . Thus the phase was set for a charming decision to the place tally race. On the last Friday of the season, Sammy Sosa took the lead in the pursuit when he hit his 66th home run. Big Mac answered with hit 66th merely 45 proceedingss subsequently. Luckily for McGwire, Sosa was confronting the N.L. Central title-holders, the Houston Astros, while the Card games were up against the humble Montreal Expos and their hapless pitching. On Saturday, Big Mac blasted Numberss 67 and 68 out of the park. On Sunday McGwire finished what he started with a expansive sweep on Opening Day ( Verducci, 1 ) . In his concluding two at chiropterans of the twelvemonth, in fact, on his two concluding swings, he hit his 69th and 70th place tallies, blowing off Maris 61 and Babe Ruth s 60. A unequivocal minute of McGwire s pursuit and even the baseball season in general came on that last twenty-four hours of the season. Right down the route from Busch Stadium, The St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals were playing a football game at the Trans World Dome. The Rams had the ball with 3rd and nine. All of a sudden, the TWA Dome s fans started shouting and heartening. This forced the Rams to take a delay-of-game punishment. The ground: nil that the Rams had done, but it was intelligence of Big Mac s 69th place tally that got the fans into a craze ( Verducci, 3 ) SAMMY SOSA: BASEBALL S BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME The other half of the place tally pursuit involves Chicago Cubs rightfielder, Sammy Sosa. Before 98, Sosa was a calling.250 batter, neer hitting more than 40 place tallies in a season, and striking out prolifically. 98 would turn out to be different. Many contribute Sosa s success in 98 to his adulthood at the home base. He kept his oculus on outside pitches and drove them to right field, alternatively of seeking to draw everything. He besides lowered his chiropteran and manus so it would travel through the zone quicker, and he even started to put off some bad pitches that he would hold swung at in the yesteryear. These apparently minor accommodations, were able to assist him hit for a better norm, have a higher place run possible, particularly to right field, and he struck out far less. The twelvemonth started out great for Sosa. After two months, he was batting.320 with 13 place tallies. By this clip, McGwire already had 25 home runs. Sosa still was on gait for 39 place tallies which is really respectable. June brought increased success for Sammy. He set a Major League record for the most place tallies in one month with 20. So by the All-Star interruption, Sosa was merely three dorsum of McGwire with 33. As the 2nd half of the season began, many saw assorted similarities between the pursuits that both McGwire and Sosa were set abouting. However, There was one chief difference between the two. Sosa put his squad above any single achievements. Not to state that McGwire did non, it is merely that the Cardinals were excessively far out of the crown race that McGwire and the record was the most of import thing traveling for the Cards. Sosa himself even said, If I didn t any more place tallies, I d be happy every bit long as the Cubs make it to the playoffs. Slammin Sammy s place tallies were one of the things that kept the Cubs in contention all twelvemonth. By early August, Sosa had already surpassed his season high in place tallies ( 40 ) and was taking the conference in RBI s. At the clip that McGwire broke Maris record, Sosa had 58 home runs, and with three hebdomads left in the twelvemonth, still had a good shooting at go throughing Maris himself. He stole the show in a late season series against the Brewers at Wrigley. In game one he hit his 59th dong in the Cubs 11-10 loss. Sosa hit his 60th the following twenty-four hours to shut the Cubs shortage to five. He was besides instrumental in the Cubs ligature and winning the game in the underside of the 9th. In the concluding game of the series, Sosa tied Maris by blaring his 61st onto Waveland Avenue in the 4th frame. With the Cubs down by two in the underside of the 9th, Sosa lead off. The full crowd was trusting to see Slammin Sammy s 62nd, but he merely wanted to acquire on to assist the squad win this really of import game. On the 3rd pitch, Sosa hit a long shooting to deep left field. Equally shortly as it left his chiropteran, there was no uncertainty to Sosa, his squad, and the 1000s of fans cramme d into the park and watching from the rooftops environing Wrigley Field. That blast went 480ft across Waveland, and traveled a ways down Addison Avenue. Unlike McGwire s 62nd, the game did non halt and there were no addresss. Alternatively the fans went brainsick and the Cubs stayed focussed on the game at manus. After the game, the fans stayed in the park and Sosa and the squad came out on the field to observe the milepost. Two games subsequently, Sammy hit his 3rd calling expansive sweep and 63rd home run in San Diego. Then, in McGwire-like manner, Sosa went into a seven-day slack. He came out of his slack where else? The same topographic point were McGwire had came out of his slack, against the same squad that surrendered home runs numbered 59-62: against the Milwaukee Brewers. In game one, Sosa went 0 for 3, but crushed one merely hardly disgusting. The following twenty-four hours, Sosa, succeeded in hitting figure 64 And 65. The following dark in Houston, Sammy Sosa held the individual season place tally record for about 45 proceedingss, after hitting his 66th off of Jose Lima. That, nevertheless, would be Sosa s concluding place tally. He did hold some cardinal hits in the concluding two games against Houston and contributed to the Cubs triumph in the Wild Card tiebreaker versus San Francisco. Though he was non able to put the place tally record, he could take consolation in the fact that the Cubbi es made the playoffs. His statistics ( .308 batting norm, 66 place tallies, 158 RBI s ) and parts were good plenty to gain him the National League Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) Award. CAL RIPKEN JR. : FINALLY SITS ONE OUT The one run in an all of athleticss that will neer even be approached is Cal Ripken Jr. s back-to-back games played run of 2632. That is over 16 old ages of playing in all 162 games. Ripken was able to go through Lou Gerig s old record back in 93. It came as a surprise to many. With one hebdomad to travel in the season, it was noticeable to the Baltimore fans that Ripken was non in the batting order. What is even more surprising is that he voluntarily ended the run. Afterwards Ripken said, It was clip. Alternatively of being saddened by the run s terminal, most fans celebrated Ripken and the run, merely as they had celebrated Maris run in the thick of McGwire and Sosa interrupting it. DAVID WELLS: ATTAINING Perfection Before 1998, David Wells was a no-name hurler for the great New York Yankees. That would alter early in the season. On May 17, merely a few hebdomads after Kerry Woods domination of the Astros, Wells stunned the full baseball universe by fliping merely the 3rd perfect game ( no smugglers allowed on base ) by a left -hander in history. Even after, most believed that Wells public presentation was a good luck, but it was non. He rose up to rule American League batters, and led the Yankees pitching staff. He had an 18-6 record and an ERA ( Earned Run Average ) under three to demo for his impressive work. Wells besides was a team leader on and off the field and greatly contributed to the Northerners regular season and playoff tallies. KERRY WOOD: THIS KID IS THE Real Thing Another participant that made 98 so particular was Kerry Wood of the Chicago Cubs. Through his first four starts, this cub showed tonss of promise. Wood s heater was clocked right around 100mph, and had a curveball and skidder to congratulate it. Then, In merely his 5th Major League start, Wood tied Roger Clemens record of 20 strikeouts in a individual game. He continued to rule batters throughout the twelvemonth, while merely fighting on juncture. By late August, Wood was 13-6 with a 2.60 ERA ( 1.20 ERA at Wrigley ) , and averaging a conference taking 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings. However, hurt would cut Kerry s season short. He strained a ligament in his throwing cubitus and missed the remainder of the season. Wood was able to come back earlier than expected, and started game three of the division series. Wood gave up two tallies in five innings, but had a strong excursion in the Cubs loss to the Braves. After the season, the Baseball Writer s Association rewarded Kerry for his work in 98 by giving him the National League Rookie of the Year award. OTHER Accomplishments There were so many other smaller achievements in the unforgettable twelvemonth of 1998. First, San Francisco s Barry Bonds became the first participant of all time to hit 400 place tallies and steal 400 bases. Seattle s Alex Rodriquez became merely the 3rd participant in history with 40 place tallies and 40 stolen bases in a season. AROD besides led the American League in hitting and along with New York s Derek Jeeter, and Boston s Nomar Garciaparria as the best three shortstops of all time to play at the same clip ( Verducci, 2 ) . Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays won his 5th A.L. Cy Young award, while being the co-holder of the individual game strikeout record with Kerry Wood. In Philidelphia, Kurt Shilling became the first hurler of all time to strike out 300 hitters three old ages in a row. 98 besides was the first twelvemonth in which more than two people hit 50 or more place tallies. They were McGwire ( 70 ) , Sosa ( 66 ) , Seattle s Ken Griffey Jr. ( 56 ) , and San Diego s Greg Vaughn ( 52 ) . Griffey besides became the youngest participant of all time to his 350 place tallies. He is considered the merely active participant who has the possible to interrupt Henry Hank Aaron s calling place tally record of 756. Thirty-nine twelvemonth old Rickey Henderson of San Diego at age 39, became the oldest participant of all time to steal more than 50 bases. NEW YORK Yankee: THE TEAM WITHOUT COMPARISON In 98, the New York Yankees were unstoppable. Their lone lucifer are the great Yankee squads of the past. Like the 27- 32 squads with Babe Ruth and Lou Gerig. Or the squads of the 40 s with Joe Dimaggo. Possibly it was the squads of the 50 s with the great participants like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Their pursuit of Babe Ruth s place tally record in 1961 resembled the great pursuit of 1998 with McGwire and Sosa. After losing on opening twenty-four hours, the Northerners bulldozed their manner to the top of the American League East. The Yankees would put the American League record for most wins in a season while hardly losing the Major League record presently held by the 1906 Cubs. Their 114 wins would put them over 50 games above.500 and 18 game in front of second-place Boston. One astonishing fact about the Northerners is their absence of a ace. The Cardinals had McGwire. The Cubs had Sosa. The Red Sox ( Boston ) had Mo Vaughn. What the Yankees did hold was a squad of talented, difficult working participants led by shortstop Derek Jeeter, 3rd baseman Scott Brocious, centre fielder Bernie Williams, and pitcher David Wells. In the division Series of the playoffs, the Bronx Bombers destroyed the Texas Rangers in four. Then tragedy struck. Right fielder, Daryl Strawberry was diagnosed with colon malignant neoplastic disease. He would last. Even that was non able to change the Northerners obvious fate. In the American League Championship Series, the Cleveland Indians stood no opportunity and lost in five. Then in the World Series, the Northerners wholly dominated Kevin Brown and the San Diego Padres in a four game expanse, to make 125 wins including the postseason. However, unlike the 1997 World Champion Florida Marlins, the Northerners planned to support their rubric in 99 instead than hold a fire sale and dismantle the squad. CHICAGO CUBS: DEFYING THE ODDS Probably the most exciting squad to watch in 98 was the Chicago Cubs. Now it may look that I am biased because I am a Cubs fan, but no other squad in baseball had so much occurrence and so many cliff-hanging ballgames. When jumping preparation began, many North Siders believed that 1998 was eventually their twelvemonth. And why non? Over the winter the Cubs acquired 2nd baseman Mickey Morandini, shortstop Jeff Blauser and left fielder Henry Rodriquez. Henry was the left-handed batter the Cubs have severely needed to protect Sammy. Many Cub fans besides believed that they had deity on their side. In February, beloved Cub broadcaster and Hall of Famer Harry Caray passed off. In July the Cubs would lose another broadcaster, Jack Brickhouse. The two of them are believed to hold assisted in the Cubs many come-from-behind triumphs tardily in the season ( Rushin, 1 ) . The Cubs started the season strong, contending with Houston and St. Louis for the top topographic point in the National League Central. Then on May 5, cub phenom, Kerry Wood showed one of the most ascendant public presentations in baseball history. In nine innings pitched, Wood, 21, gave up no tallies on one baseball diamond hit and struck out 20. The Cubs would necessitate more great excursions from Wood and the remainder of the pitching staff if they were to content for the postseason. June would open another chapter to the Cubs charming season. They were still really much in the N.L. Central and Wild Card races. However, the limelight was on Sammy Sosa who powered his manner into the record books by hitting 20 place tallies that month. By the All Star interrupt the Cubs were merely three games behind first topographic point Houston and Wild Card taking San Francisco. September would alter that. With the Acquisition of Randy Johnson, the Astros opened a thirteen-game spread between them and the Cubbies. All was non lost nevertheless. The Cubs were still a game up on the Mets ( New York ) and three on the Giants ( San Francisco ) , for the Wild Card topographic point. On September 11, the Milwaukee Brewers came to Wrigley for an of import series for the Cubs. That series turned out to be likely the most exciting weekend in baseball history. After draging 8-2 in game one, the Cubs came back merely to lose 11-10. The following game would turn out to be even more exciting. The Cubs were down early 10-2 and later 12-5, after a Gary Gaetti home run in the fifth. In the 7th and 8th innings the Brewer lead was cut to 12-10 on place tallies by Sosa ( 60 ) , Glenallen Hill, and Tyler Houston. Sosa lead off in the underside of the 9th with the Cubs still down by two. He singled. Next Hill singled. Then Gaetti singled and Sosa scored. Hill so scored to bind the game on a Tyler Houston hit. Finally pinch-hitter Orlando Merced hit a three-run place to give the Cubs a immense 15-12 triumph. There was more of the same for the concluding game. The Cubbies jumped out to an 8-2 lead, in portion to Sosa s 61st place tally. The Brewers did come back and claimed a 10-8 lead. Same as the old game, Sosa led of the Cubs 9th, with them down by two. Alternatively of singling, Sosa sent his 62nd shooting to the street. However, the Cubs were still down by one. Not to worry, Hill and Gaetti were able to direct place the ligature tally. Then in the underside of the ten percent, first baseman Mark Grace came to bat. The fans were thirstily trusting that Grace could acquire on base so Sosa could bat once more. Sosa would non acquire his opportunity at figure 63 this twenty-four hours. Grace blasted his career-high 17th place tally, to give the Cubs an 11-10 win. The Cubs went on to San Diego to take three of four from the Padres, so returned place to Wrigley merely to lose two out of three from the Cincinnati Reds. They so went up to Milwaukee for two games. In game one Kevin Tapani won his 19th game of the twelvemonth. The following game had a promising start with the Cubs acquiring a 7-0 lead. Disaster struck in the underside of the 9th. Cubs closer Rod Beck, the Shooter allowed five tallies to hit before lading the bases, with the winning tally on first, and two outs. Beck was able to acquire Jeremy Bernitz to hit a everyday fly ball to left field. Cubs left fielder Brant Brown was about to catch the concluding out of the game to maintain the Cubs a game up on the Mets. Alternatively, Brown dropped the ball, leting the bases to clear and the Brewers to win. Sammy Sosa said it best of this traumatic loss. If he ( Harry Caray ) wasn t already dead, he d dice once more. It still wasn t the terminal for the Cubs. With three games left, the Cubs were still tied with the Mets and a game in front of the Giants for the Wild Card. In the concluding series the Cubs were in Houston. On Friday, the Cubs lost to Houston, and a eccentric event happened. Somehow, a black bird got into the Astrodome and began to circle Brown s caput in left field. Then it perched itself and starred at him. From first base, Mark Grace said, I would state Brant is holding a tough twosome of yearss ( Rushin, 4 ) . The Mets lost to the Braves and the Giants beat the Rockies on that dark, which created a tripartite tie for the Wild Card. On Saturday the Cubs and Giants won while the Mets lost. On, Sunday, the last twenty-four hours of the season, the Mets lost and were eliminated from the postseason while the Cubs lost in the ten percent frame. While the squad was sloging back to their cabinet room, the participants learned that Neve Perez had hit a place tally in the 9th frame to cr ush the Giants ( Rushin, 6 ) . Since the Cubs and Giants were still tied, there would be a one game playoff to be played the following dark at Wrigley Field. The Cubs sent right hander, Steve Trachsel to the hill. Trachsel if you remember, gave up figure 62 to Big Mac. Fate seemed to be on the Cubs side that dark. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by hoops great, and Cub fan, Michael Jordan. By the 2nd frame there was a 40-foot He filled caput of Harry Caray drifting over Waveland Avenue. Both hurlers were flawless through four innings. But in the fifth with a adult male on, Gary Gaetti hit a high heater into the left field bleachers. The crowd went wild, even to the extent of throwing rubbish onto the field. By the 7th frame, the Cubs had build a 5-0 lead that they hoped would stand. During the 7th frame stretch, native Chicagoan and histrion, Bill Murray, sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame, in award of Harry Caray. The Cubs went into the top of the 9th still taking 5-0, and Rod Beck in to shut it. He was able to acquire two outs, but allowed three tallies to hit, and the binding tally on first. Then Joe Carter, hit a dad foul on t he first base side. It was appropriately caught by Mark Grace. Grace, being the lone staying participant from the 89 Cub squad that won the National League East. After catching the concluding out, Grace fell to his articulatio genuss and wept ( Rushin, 6 ) . That dark belonged to the metropolis of Chicago and the fans stayed out all dark observing. The Cubs fortune would run out in the playoffs against the Atlanta Braves. In game one the Braves discourtesy pounded Mark Clark in an 8-2 loss. In game two Kevin Tapani was two outs off from winning before Javier Lopez got the Braves on the scoreboard with a solo place tally. Atlanta was able to win it in the ten percent. In game three Kerry Wood made his first start since August. His strong public presentation was non plenty to maintain the Cubs alive. The Braves won the game and the series 3-0, stoping the great season for the Cubs. Decision It is easy to see why 98 was such a particular twelvemonth. The place tally pursuit entirely made the season memorable, but at that place was so much more. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa made the mean individual attention about baseball once more, the manner it was back in the 50 s ( Verducci, 3 ) . Throw in a smattering of other great achievements and what do you acquire? The greatest season of all time, and likely the greatest there of all time will be. The memories of 98 will convey the fans back in 99 and beyond, trusting to see a glance of illustriousness 98 offered. Even though there will neer be a season every bit particular as 98, everyone will still hold the great memories of the greatest summer that Major League Baseball will of all time see. 32c

Make a title Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Make a title - Essay Example In essence, child spanking is a shortcut to child disciplining which is not effective. Child spanking does more harm and little, if any, good. To begin with, spanking gives a wrong example to children. In disciplining a child, the approach should be positive. Children learn from what they observe their parents do. As a result therefore, when a child is spanked, the lesson learnt is that violence would solve problems. It may be perceived as a mode of bullying. The child could view it that, it would be right for an older person to hit a younger one. It would thus be dangerous for the child to grow under that perception. The parent in spanking aims to correct an action that is viewed as an act lower to the acceptable disciplinary standards. To the child, it would be another message sent. In most cases, it is notable that many mothers are of the view that the child should not be spanked. At times however, their child would engage in an act and they prompt to spank them. The spanking could thus be an act of low self-control. Now, is that the message that should be delivered to the child? One characteristic of discipline is self -control. It is what the child should learn. However, under spanking, the lesson is all different. Rob Walters’ states that, â€Å"When your child misbehaves or acts in ways that are defiant, inappropriate, or even dangerous, you want to show him that this behavior is unacceptable and needs to change. Spanking may seem like a direct and effective way to do that, but it also delivers other messages you dont want to be sent† (Walters) The relationship between the parent or guardian and the child is affected significantly. The trust after spanking would be lost. The child upon being spanked questions the love that her spanker has for her or him. The foundation for trust between the two is thus shaken. The child is frustrated and angry. The feelings would progress to the teenage

Managing Financial Resources and Decisions Essay - 7

Managing Financial Resources and Decisions - Essay Example From the above table it is observed that the Casey will be achieving negative cash balance at the end of every month which indicates that the barber shop will be running its business at loss if the above expenses and income are experienced by it for the next 6 months. From the profit and loss account and cash flow budget mentioned in Task 1 it is evident that Casey’s barber shop will be running at huge loss if he does not modify the business structure. The owner should bring in appropriate changes in business so as to earn profit. The owner should increase the working hours from 6 hours a day to 8 hours a day so that the barber shop attends 24 customers a day instead of 18 customers a day. It will bring in revenue without increase in any further cost. Adults are to be charged  £ 25 for the first two months and then  £ 30 for the next 4 months. The children should be charged  £ 15. The table below reflects the changes that are made in order to have postive ending cash balance at the end of every month. The charge of the services should be increased in order to bring in profit at the end of every month in the business. Adults are to be charged  £ 25 for the first two months and then  £ 30 for the next 4 months. The children should be charged  £ 15. The main aim of this section is to compare the financial statements of two listed companies published in their annual reports and examine the financial performance of the companies by comparing the performance of the financial ratios. The two companies that are chosen are ASDA Limited and Tesco Plc. Both the companies are dominating the supermarkets in United Kingdom. The data required for the ratio analysis are collected from the annual reports of both the companies. A comparison is drawn between the two with respect of their performance: liquidity, solvency and profitability. The presentation and the formats of the two company’s

Back to school icebreakers Essay Example for Free

Back to school icebreakers Essay 1. OPENING-DAY LETTER. WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR STUDENTS. IN THAT LETTER, INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO STUDENTS. TELL THEM ABOUT YOUR HOPES FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR AND SOME OF THE FUN THINGS YOULL BE DOING IN CLASS. IN ADDITION, TELL STUDENTS A FEW PERSONAL THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF; FOR EXAMPLE, YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES, WHAT YOU DID OVER THE SUMMER, AND YOUR HOBBIES. ASK QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE LETTER. YOU MIGHT ASK WHAT THEY LIKE MOST ABOUT SCHOOL, WHAT THEY DID DURING THE SUMMER, WHAT THEIR GOALS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR ARE, OR WHAT THEY ARE REALLY GOOD AT. (IN YOUR LETTER, BE SURE TO MODEL THE CORRECT PARTS OF A FRIENDLY LETTER! ) ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, DISPLAY YOUR LETTER ON AN OVERHEAD PROJECTOR. THEN PASS EACH STUDENT A SHEET OF NICE STATIONERY. HAVE THE STUDENTS WRITE A RETURN LETTER TO YOU. IN THIS LETTER, THEY WILL NEED TO ANSWER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS AND TELL YOU ABOUT THEMSELVES. THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER IN A PERSONAL WAY! VARIATION: MAIL THE LETTER TO STUDENTS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS, AND ENCLOSE A SHEET OF STATIONERY FOR KIDS TO WRITE YOU BACK. 2. STRINGING TOGETHER CONVERSATION. CUT STRING OR YARN INTO PIECES OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS. (EACH PIECE SHOULD HAVE A MATCHING PIECE OF THE SAME LENGTH. THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH PIECES SO THAT EACH STUDENT WILL HAVE ONE. ) THEN GIVE EACH STUDENT ONE PIECE OF STRING, AND CHALLENGE EACH STUDENT TO FIND THE OTHER STUDENT WHO HAS A STRING OF THE EXACT SAME LENGTH. AFTER STUDENTS HAVE FOUND THEIR MATCHES, THEY CAN TAKE TURNS INTRODUCING THEMSELVES TO EACH OTHER. YOU CAN PROVIDE A LIST OF QUESTIONS TO HELP STUDENTS BREAK THE ICE, OR STUDENTS CAN COME UP WITH THEIR OWN. YOU MIGHT EXTEND THE ACTIVITY BY HAVING EACH STUDENT INTRODUCE HIS OR HER PARTNER TO THE CLASS. 3. ANIMAL GROUPS. ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, GATHER ALL THE STUDENTS FROM A GRADE LEVEL IN A LARGE COMMON AREA. GIVE EACH STUDENT A  SLIP OF PAPER WITH THE NAME OF AN ANIMAL ON IT. THEN GIVE STUDENTS INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ACTIVITY: THEY MUST LOCATE THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR ANIMAL GROUP BY IMITATING THAT ANIMALS SOUND ONLY. NO TALKING IS ALLOWED. THE STUDENTS MIGHT HESITATE INITIALLY, BUT THAT HESITATION SOON GIVES WAY TO A CACOPHONY OF SOUND AS THE KIDS MOO, SNORT, AND GIGGLE THEIR WAY INTO GROUPS. THE END RESULT IS THAT STUDENTS HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY INTO THEIR HOMEROOMS OR ADVISORY GROUPS FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR, AND THE INITIAL BARRIERS TO GOOD TEAMWORK HAVE ALREADY BEEN BROKEN. 4. A TANGLED WEB. GATHER STUDENTS IN A CIRCLE SITTING AROUND YOU ON THE FLOOR. HOLD A LARGE BALL OF YARN. START BY TELLING THE STUDENTS SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF. THEN ROLL THE BALL OF YARN TO A STUDENT WITHOUT LETTING GO OF THE END OF THE YARN. THE STUDENT WHO GETS THE BALL OF YARN TELLS HIS OR HER NAME AND SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT HIMSELF OR HERSELF. THEN THE STUDENT ROLLS THE YARN TO SOMEBODY ELSE, HOLDING ON TO THE STRAND OF YARN. SOON STUDENTS HAVE CREATED A GIANT WEB. AFTER EVERYONE HAS SPOKEN, YOU AND ALL THE STUDENTS STAND UP, CONTINUING TO HOLD THE YARN. START A DISCUSSION OF HOW THIS ACTIVITY RELATES TO THE IDEA OF TEAMWORK (FOR EXAMPLE, THE STUDENTS NEED TO  WORK TOGETHER AND NOT LET OTHERS DOWN). TO DRIVE HOME YOUR POINT ABOUT TEAMWORK, HAVE ONE STUDENT DROP HIS OR HER STRAND OF YARN; THAT WILL DEMONSTRATE TO STUDENTS HOW THE WEB WEAKENS IF THE CLASS ISNT WORKING TOGETHER. 5. STUDENT DICTIONARY. WRITE FIVE QUESTIONS ON THE BOARD. QUESTIONS MIGHT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: WHAT IS YOUR NAME? WHERE WERE YOU BORN? HOW MANY BROTHERS OR SISTERS DO YOU HAVE? WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES? DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? TELL STUDENTS TO WRITE THOSE QUESTIONS ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND TO ADD TO THAT PAPER FIVE MORE QUESTIONS THEY COULD ASK SOMEONE THEY DONT KNOW. PAIR STUDENTS, AND  HAVE EACH STUDENT INTERVIEW HIS OR HER PARTNER AND RECORD THE RESPONSES. THEN HAVE EACH STUDENT USE THE INTERVIEW RESPONSES TO WRITE A DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF HIS OR HER PARTNER TO INCLUDE IN A STUDENT DICTIONARY. YOU MIGHT MODEL THIS ACTIVITY BY CREATING A SAMPLE DICTIONARY DEFINITION ABOUT YOURSELF. FOR EXAMPLE: REYNOLDS, KIM. PROPER NOUN. 1. BORN IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA. 2. NO BROTHERS OR SISTERS. HAVE STUDENTS BRING IN SMALL PICTURES OF THEMSELVES TO PASTE NEXT TO THEIR ENTRIES IN THE STUDENT DICTIONARY. BIND THE DEFINITIONS INTO A BOOK, AND DISPLAY IT AT BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT. 6. CLASSMATE SCAVENGER HUNT. PROVIDE EACH STUDENT WITH TWO INDEX CARDS. ASK EACH STUDENT TO WRITE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF HIS OR HER PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS ON ONE INDEX CARD AND HIS OR HER NAME ON THE OTHER. (PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS USUALLY DO NOT INCLUDE CLOTHING, BUT IF YOU TEACH THE PRIMARY GRADES, YOU MIGHT ALLOW STUDENTS TO INCLUDE CLOTHING IN THEIR DESCRIPTIONS. ) PUT ALL THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC INDEX CARDS IN A SHOE BOX, MIX THEM UP, AND DISTRIBUTE ONE CARD TO EACH STUDENT (MAKING SURE THAT NO STUDENT GETS HIS OR HER OWN CARD). GIVE STUDENTS TEN MINUTES TO SEARCH FOR THE PERSON WHO FITS THE DESCRIPTION ON THE CARD THEY HOLD. (THERE IS NO TALKING DURING THIS ACTIVITY, BUT STUDENTS CAN WALK AROUND THE ROOM. ) AT THE END OF THE ACTIVITY, TELL STUDENTS TO WRITE ON THE CARD THE NAME OF THE STUDENT WHO BEST MATCHES THE DESCRIPTION. THEN HAVE STUDENTS SHARE THEIR RESULTS. HOW MANY STUDENTS GUESSED CORRECTLY? http://www. ToLearnEnglish. com – http://www. ToLearnFrench. com – Spanish : http://www. espagnolfacile. com/english German: http://www. allemandfacile. com/english 7. COOPERATIVE MUSICAL CHAIRS. THIS ACTIVITY IS A TAKEOFF ON THE FAMILIAR MUSICAL CHAIRS GAME. SET A CIRCLE OF CHAIRS WITH ONE LESS CHAIR THAN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE CLASS. PLAY MUSIC AS THE STUDENTS CIRCLE AROUND THE CHAIRS. WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS, THE STUDENTS MUST SIT IN A SEAT. UNLIKE THE TRADITIONAL GAME, THE PERSON WITHOUT A SEAT IS NOT OUT. INSTEAD, SOMEONE MUST MAKE ROOM FOR THAT PERSON. THEN REMOVE ANOTHER SEAT AND START THE MUSIC AGAIN. THE KIDS END UP ON ONE ANOTHERS LAPS AND SHARING CHAIRS! YOU CAN PLAY THIS GAME OUTSIDE, AND YOU CAN END IT WHENEVER YOU WISH. AFTERWARD, STRESS THE TEAMWORK AND COOPERATION THE GAME TOOK, AND HOW STUDENTS NEEDED TO ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER TO BE SUCCESSFUL. REINFORCE THAT IDEA BY REPEATING THIS GAME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 8. HANDS-ON ACTIVITY. HAVE STUDENTS BEGIN THIS ACTIVITY BY LISTING AT LEAST 25 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE THEM AND THE THINGS THEY LIKE. (NO SENTENCES ALLOWED, JUST WORDS! ) THEN ASK EACH STUDENT TO USE A DARK PEN TO TRACE THE PATTERN OF HIS OR HER HAND WITH THE FINGERS SPREAD APART. PROVIDE ANOTHER SHEET OF PAPER THAT THE STUDENT CAN PLACE ON TOP OF THE TRACING. (SINCE THE TRACING WAS DONE WITH A DARK PEN, THE OUTLINE SHOULD BE VISIBLE ON THE SHEET BELOW. ) DIRECT STUDENTS TO USE THE OUTLINES AS GUIDES AND TO WRITE THEIR WORDS AROUND IT. PROVIDE STUDENTS A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT COLORED PENCILS OR MARKERS TO USE AS THEY WRITE. THEN INVITE STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR WORK WITH THE CLASS. THEY MIGHT CUT OUT THE HAND OUTLINES AND MOUNT THEM ON CONSTRUCTION PAPER SO YOU CAN DISPLAY THE HANDS FOR OPEN HOUSE. CHALLENGE EACH PARENT TO IDENTIFY HIS OR HER CHILDS HAND. 9. CHAIN GANG. BEGIN BY ASKING STUDENTS, WHO CAN DO SOMETHING REALLY WELL? AFTER A BRIEF DISCUSSION ABOUT SOME OF THE STUDENTS TALENTS, PASS OUT PAPER AND ASK STUDENTS TO WRITE DOWN FIVE THINGS THEY DO WELL. THEN PROVIDE EACH STUDENT WITH FIVE DIFFERENT COLORED PAPER STRIPS. HAVE EACH STUDENT WRITE A DIFFERENT TALENT ON SEPARATE PAPER STRIPS, THEN CREATE A MINI PAPER CHAIN WITH THE STRIPS BY  LINKING THE FIVE TALENTS TOGETHER. AS STUDENTS COMPLETE THEIR MINI CHAINS, USE EXTRA STRIPS OF PAPER TO LINK THE MINI CHAINS TOGETHER TO CREATE ONE LONG CLASS CHAIN. HAVE STUDENTS STAND AND HOLD THE GROWING CHAIN AS YOU LINK THE PIECES TOGETHER. ONCE THE ENTIRE CHAIN IS CONSTRUCTED AND LINKED, LEAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT THE CHAIN DEMONSTRATES (FOR EXAMPLE, ALL THE STUDENTS HAVE TALENTS; ALL THE STUDENTS HAVE THINGS THEY DO WELL; TOGETHER, THE STUDENTS HAVE MANY TALENTS; IF THEY WORK TOGETHER, CLASSMATES CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING; AND THE  CLASS IS STRONGER WHEN STUDENTS WORK TOGETHER THAN WHEN INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS WORK ON THEIR OWN). HANG THE CHAIN IN THE ROOM AS A CONSTANT REMINDER TO STUDENTS OF THE TALENTS THEY POSSESS AND THE BENEFITS OF TEAMWORK. 10. SILHOUETTE COLLAGE. STOCK UP ON OLD MAGAZINES. (YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN MIGHT HAVE A DISCARD PILE YOU CAN DRAW FROM. ) INVITE STUDENTS TO SEARCH THROUGH THE MAGAZINES FOR PICTURES, WORDS, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT BE USED TO DESCRIBE THEM. THEN USE AN OVERHEAD PROJECTOR OR ANOTHER SOURCE OF BRIGHT LIGHT TO CREATE A SILHOUETTE OF EACH STUDENTS PROFILE; HAVE EACH STUDENT SIT IN FRONT OF THE  LIGHT SOURCE AS YOU OR ANOTHER STUDENT TRACES THE OUTLINE OF THE SILHOUETTE ON A SHEET OF 11- BY 17-INCH PAPER TAPED TO THE WALL. HAVE STUDENTS CUT OUT THEIR SILHOUETTES, THEN FILL THEM WITH A COLLAGE OF PICTURES AND WORDS THAT EXPRESS THEIR IDENTITY. THEN GIVE EACH STUDENT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE HIS OR HER SILHOUETTE WITH THE GROUP AND TALK ABOUT WHY HE OR SHE CHOSE SOME OF THE ELEMENTS IN THE COLLAGE. POST THE SILHOUETTES TO CREATE A SENSE OF OUR HOMEROOM. 11. HEADLINES. AS PART OF THE NORMAL FIRST-DAY ROUTINE, MANY TEACHERS HAVE EACH STUDENT FILL OUT A CARD WITH SUCH INFORMATION AS NAME,  ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, PARENTS NAMES AND WORK NUMBERS, AND SO ON. YOU CAN USE SUCH CARDS TO GATHER OTHER INFORMATION TOO, SUCH AS SCHOOL SCHEDULE, WHY THE STUDENT SIGNED UP FOR THE CLASS, WHETHER THE STUDENT HAS A PART-TIME JOB, AND WHETHER HE OR SHE HAS ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AT HOME. AS A FINAL BIT OF INFORMATION, ASK THE STUDENT TO WRITE A HEADLINE THAT BEST DESCRIBES HIM OR HER! THIS HEADLINE MIGHT BE A QUOTE, A FAMILIAR EXPRESSION, OR ANYTHING ELSE. WHEN STUDENTS HAVE COMPLETED FILLING OUT THE CARDS, GIVE A LITTLE QUIZ. ASK STUDENTS TO NUMBER A SHEET OF PAPER FROM 1 TO __, DEPENDING ON HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE IN THE CLASS. THEN READ ALOUD THE HEADLINES ONE AT A TIME. ASK STUDENTS TO WRITE THE NAME OF THE PERSON THEY THINK EACH HEADLINE BEST DESCRIBES. WHO GOT THE HIGHEST SCORE? (BONUS! IT SEEMS AS IF PARENTS ARE CONTACTED ONLY IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH STUDENTS. AT THE END OF EACH GRADING PERIOD, USE THE HOME ADDRESS INFORMATION TO SEND A POSTCARD TO A HANDFUL OF PARENTS TO INFORM THEM ABOUT HOW WELL THEIR CHILD IS DOING. THIS MIGHT TAKE A LITTLE TIME, BUT IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED! ) 12. POP QUIZ. AHEAD OF TIME, WRITE A SERIES OF GETTING-TO-KNOW-YOU QUESTIONS ON SLIPS OF PAPER ONE QUESTION TO A SLIP. (YOU CAN REPEAT SOME OF THE QUESTIONS. ) THEN FOLD UP THE SLIPS, AND TUCK EACH SLIP INSIDE A DIFFERENT BALLOON. BLOW UP THE BALLOONS. GIVE EACH STUDENT A BALLOON, AND LET STUDENTS TAKE TURNS POPPING THEIR BALLOONS AND ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS INSIDE. 13. FACT OR FIB? THIS IS A GOOD ACTIVITY FOR DETERMINING YOUR STUDENTS NOTE-TAKING ABILITIES. TELL STUDENTS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF. THEYLL LEARN ABOUT SOME OF YOUR BACKGROUND, HOBBIES, AND INTERESTS FROM THE 60-SECOND ORAL BIOGRAPHY THAT YOU WILL PRESENT. SUGGEST THAT STUDENTS TAKE NOTES; AS YOU SPEAK, THEY SHOULD RECORD WHAT THEY THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS YOU SHARE. WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR PRESENTATION, TELL STUDENTS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO TELL FIVE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF. FOUR OF YOUR STATEMENTS SHOULD TELL THINGS THAT ARE TRUE AND THAT WERE PART OF YOUR PRESENTATION; ONE OF THE FIVE STATEMENTS IS A TOTAL FIB. (THIS ACTIVITY IS MOST FUN IF SOME OF THE TRUE FACTS ARE SOME OF THE MOST SURPRISING THINGS ABOUT YOU AND IF THE FIB SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT COULD VERY WELL BE TRUE. ) TELL STUDENTS THEY MAY REFER TO THEIR NOTES TO TELL WHICH STATEMENT IS THE FIB. NEXT, INVITE EACH STUDENT TO CREATE A BIOGRAPHY AND A LIST OF FIVE STATEMENTS FOUR FACTS AND ONE FIB ABOUT HIMSELF OR HERSELF. THEN PROVIDE EACH STUDENT A CHANCE TO PRESENT THE 60-SECOND ORAL BIOGRAPHY AND TO TEST THE OTHERS NOTE-TAKING ABILITIES BY PRESENTING HIS OR HER OWN FACT OR FIB QUIZ. YOU CAN HAVE STUDENTS DO THIS PART OF THE ACTIVITY IN SMALL GROUPS. 14. CIRCULAR FACT OR FIB? HERES A VARIATION ON THE PREVIOUS ACTIVITY: DIVIDE THE CLASS INTO TWO GROUPS OF EQUAL SIZE. ONE GROUP FORMS A http://www. ToLearnEnglish. com – http://www. ToLearnFrench. com – Spanish : http://www. espagnolfacile. com/english German: http://www. allemandfacile. com/english CIRCLE EQUALLY SPACED AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE CLASSROOM. (THERE WILL BE QUITE A BIT OF SPACE BETWEEN STUDENTS. ) THE OTHER GROUP OF STUDENTS FORMS A CIRCLE INSIDE THE FIRST CIRCLE; EACH STUDENT FACES ONE OF THE STUDENTS IN THE FIRST GROUP. GIVE THE FACING PAIRS OF STUDENTS TWO MINUTES TO SHARE THEIR 60-SECOND ORAL BIOGRAPHIES. WHILE EACH STUDENT IS TALKING, THE PARTNER TAKES NOTES. AFTER EACH PAIR COMPLETES THE ACTIVITY, THE STUDENTS ON THE INSIDE CIRCLE MOVE CLOCKWISE TO FACE THE NEXT STUDENT IN THE OUTER CIRCLE. (STUDENTS IN THE  OUTER CIRCLE REMAIN STATIONARY THROUGHOUT THE ACTIVITY. ) WHEN ALL STUDENTS HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR BIOGRAPHIES WITH ONE ANOTHER, ASK STUDENTS TO TAKE TURNS EACH SHARING HIS OR HER FACTS AND FIB WITH THE CLASS. THE OTHER STUDENTS REFER TO THEIR NOTES OR TRY TO RECALL WHICH FACT IS REALLY A FIB. 15. PEOPLE POEMS. HAVE EACH CHILD USE THE LETTERS IN HIS OR HER NAME TO CREATE AN ACROSTIC POEM. FOR EXAMPLE, BILL COULD TAKE HIS NAME AND WRITE BIG INTELLIGENT LAUGHING LOVING. TELL STUDENTS THEY MUST INCLUDE WORDS THAT TELL SOMETHING ABOUT THEMSELVES FOR EXAMPLE, SOMETHING THEY LIKE TO DO OR A PERSONALITY  OR PHYSICAL TRAIT. INVITE STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR POEMS WITH THE CLASS. THIS ACTIVITY IS A FUN ONE THAT ENABLES YOU TO LEARN HOW YOUR STUDENTS VIEW THEMSELVES. ALLOW OLDER STUDENTS TO USE A DICTIONARY OR THESAURUS. YOU MIGHT ALSO VARY THE NUMBER OF WORDS FOR EACH LETTER, ACCORDING TO THE STUDENTS GRADE LEVELS. 16. ANOTHER POETIC INTRODUCTION. ASK STUDENTS TO USE THE FORM BELOW TO CREATE POEMS THAT DESCRIBE THEM. NAME ______________________ TITLE (OF POEM)_______________ I WILL NEVER _______________; I WILL NEVER ________________; AND I WILL NEVER ______________. BUT I WILL ALWAYS ______________. THIS ACTIVITY IS ANOTHER THAT LENDS ITSELF TO BEING DONE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AND AGAIN AT THE END OF THE YEAR. YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS WILL HAVE FUN COMPARING THEIR RESPONSES AND SEEING HOW THE STUDENTS AND THE RESPONSES HAVE CHANGED. 17. FOOD FOR THOUGHT. TO GET TO KNOW STUDENTS AND TO HELP THEM GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER, HAVE EACH STUDENT STATE HIS OR HER NAME AND A FAVORITE FOOD THAT BEGINS WITH THE SAME FIRST LETTER AS THE NAME. FOR EXAMPLE: HI, MY NAME IS LATRECE, AND I LIKE LIVER. AS EACH STUDENT INTRODUCES HIMSELF OR HERSELF, HE OR SHE MUST REPEAT THE NAMES AND FAVORITE FOODS OF THE STUDENTS WHO CAME BEFORE. WATCH OUT; IT GETS TRICKY FOR THE LAST PERSON WHO HAS TO RECITE ALL THE NAMES AND FOODS! 18. I AM NOT! HERES A CHALLENGING ACTIVITY THAT MIGHT HELP HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS LEARN ABOUT STUDENTS ABILITIES TO THINK CRITICALLY. SEND STUDENTS INTO THE SCHOOL HALLWAYS OR SCHOOLYARD, AND ASK EACH TO FIND SOMETHING THAT IS COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF YOURSELF. (OPTION: TO WIDEN THE AREA TO BE EXPLORED, PROVIDE THIS ACTIVITY AS HOMEWORK ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF SCHOOL. ) WHEN STUDENTS BRING THEIR ITEMS BACK TO CLASS, ASK EACH TO DESCRIBE WHY THE ITEM IS NOT LIKE HE OR SHE. YOULL GET A LOT OF FLOWERS, OF COURSE, AND STUDENTS WILL  DESCRIBE HOW THOSE FLOWERS ARE FRAGRANT OR SOFT (OR OTHERWISE UNLIKE THEMSELVES). BUT YOU MIGHT ALSO GET SOME CLEVER RESPONSES SUCH AS THE ONE FROM A YOUNG MAN WHO BROUGHT IN THE FLIP-TOP FROM A DISCARDED CAN; HE TALKED ABOUT ITS DECAYING OUTWARD APPEARANCE AND ITS INABILITY TO SERVE A PURPOSE WITHOUT BEING MANIPULATED BY SOME OTHER FORCE (AND HOW HE WAS ABLE TO SERVE A PURPOSE ON HIS OWN). 19. PERSONAL BOXES. IN THIS ACTIVITY, EACH STUDENT SELECTS A CONTAINER OF A REASONABLE SIZE THAT REPRESENTS SOME ASPECT OF HIS OR HER PERSONALITY OR PERSONAL INTERESTS (SUCH AS A FOOTBALL HELMET OR A SAUCEPAN). ASK STUDENTS TO FILL THAT OBJECT WITH OTHER ITEMS THAT REPRESENT THEMSELVES FOR EXAMPLE, FAMILY PHOTOS, CDS, DIRTY SOCKS (BECAUSE THEIR ROOM AT HOME IS ALWAYS A MESS), OR A BALLET SHOE AND BRING THEIR CONTAINERS BACK TO SCHOOL. STUDENTS CAN USE THE OBJECTS IN THE CONTAINERS AS PROPS AS THEY GIVE A THREE-MINUTE PRESENTATION ABOUT THEMSELVES. (THE TEACHER WHO PROVIDED THIS IDEA SUGGESTS THAT YOU MODEL THE ACTIVITY AND ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY BY GOING FIRST ITS IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO SEE YOU AS HUMAN TOO! SHE INCLUDED IN HER CONTAINER A WOODEN SPOON BECAUSE SHE LOVES TO  COOK, A JAR OF DIRT BECAUSE SHE LOVES TO GARDEN, HER SONS FIRST COWBOY BOOT, A POEM SHE WROTE, A ROCK FROM ITALY BECAUSE SHE LOVES TO TRAVEL, AND SO ON. ) YOULL LEARN MUCH ABOUT EACH STUDENT WITH THIS ACTIVITY, AND IT WILL CREATE A BOND AMONG STUDENTS. AS EACH STUDENT GIVES THE PRESENTATION, YOU MIGHT WRITE A BRIEF THANK-YOU NOTE THAT MENTIONS SOMETHING SPECIFIC ABOUT THE PRESENTATION SO THAT EACH http://www. ToLearnEnglish. com – http://www. ToLearnFrench. com – Spanish : http://www. espagnolfacile. com/english German: http://www. allemandfacile. com/english STUDENT CAN TAKE HOME A SPECIAL NOTE TO SHARE WITH PARENTS. IT MIGHT TAKE A FEW DAYS TO GIVE EVERY STUDENT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE. 20. FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS. HOW WELL DO YOUR STUDENTS FOLLOW DIRECTIONS? PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOLDING A DRINKING CUP FROM A PIECE OF PAPER, AND SEE HOW MANY STUDENTS CAN MAKE A CUP. YOU CAN USE THE PRINTABLE TEMPLATE AND INSTRUCTIONS AT THE ORIGAMI JAPANESE PAPER FOLDING WEB PAGE. FILL EACH COMPLETE CUP WITH APPLE JUICE TO SEE HOW MANY STUDENTS CORRECTLY FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS! (YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONDUCT THIS PARTICULAR ASSESSMENT ON THE PLAYGROUND, HOWEVER! ) 21. LEARNING STYLES SURVEY. HOW DO THE STUDENTS IN YOUR CLASS LEARN BEST? DO THEY LEARN BY SEEING, HEARING, OR DOING? INVITE STUDENTS TO DISCOVER THEIR MOST SUCCESSFUL LEARNING STRATEGIES BY TAKING THE MODALITY QUESTIONNAIRE PROVIDED BY THE CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING AT OHIOS MUSKINGUM COLLEGE. 22. A WORLD OF CHANGE. ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH AN 11-INCH BY 17-INCH PIECE OF DRAWING PAPER. CHALLENGE STUDENTS TO DRAW A MAP OF THE WORLD AND LABEL AS MANY COUNTRIES AND BODIES OF WATER AS THEY CAN. COLLECT THE MAPS AND PUT THEM AWAY. AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, REPEAT THE ACTIVITY. HAS A YEAR OF LESSONS FOCUSED ON WORLD GEOGRAPHY AND CURRENT EVENTS INCREASED YOUR  STUDENTS KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD? (IF THIS ACTIVITY ISNT APPROPRIATE FOR YOU, WHY NOT SHARE IT WITH A SOCIAL STUDIES OR HISTORY TEACHER IN YOUR SCHOOL? ) 23. TIME CAPSULE. TURN EMPTY PRINGLES CANS OR PAPER TOWEL TUBES INTO MINIATURE TIME CAPSULES. ASK EACH CHILD TO CREATE A TIME CAPSULE THAT INCLUDES SUCH ITEMS AS A HANDWRITING SAMPLE, A HAND TRACING, A SELF PORTRAIT, AND SO ON. AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, COMPARE SAMPLES FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WITH NEW SAMPLES. 24. A VIDEO KEEPSAKE. AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, OR BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS, IF POSSIBLE, PROVIDE PARENTS WITH A LIST OF SUPPLIES TO SEND TO SCHOOL WITH THEIR CHILDREN. INCLUDE ON THE LIST A BLANK VIDEOTAPE FOR EACH STUDENT. AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, INVITE A PARENT VOLUNTEER TO COME IN AND VIDEOTAPE EACH STUDENT READING ALOUD FROM A FAVORITE BOOK. SEND THE VIDEOTAPES HOME AT THE END OF THE YEAR AS A MEMENTO AND AS A REMINDER OF THE READING GROWTH THAT HAPPENED DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. 25. STICKS AND STONES THIS SIMPLE ACTIVITY HAS BEEN MAKING THE ROUNDS OF MAILING LISTS RECENTLY: PROVIDE EACH STUDENT WITH A SMALL PAPER CUTOUT IN THE SHAPE OF A HUMAN, OR HAVE STUDENTS CUT OUT THEIR OWN PAPER FIGURES. ASK EACH STUDENT TO WRITE HIS OR HER NAME ON THE CUTOUT. HAVE STUDENTS FORM A CIRCLE. THEN TELL STUDENTS TO PASS THE CUTOUTS TO THE PERSON ON THEIR RIGHT. AS THE CUTOUTS ARE PASSED AROUND THE CIRCLE, HAVE EACH PERSON MAKE A SMALL CRUMPLE OR TEAR IN THE CUTOUT OR ADD A PENCIL MARK. WHEN THE CUTOUTS HAVE MADE THEIR WAY AROUND THE ENTIRE CIRCLE, HAVE STUDENTS TRY TO REPAIR THEIR OWN CUTOUTS BY FLATTENING, ERASING, OR TAPING. AFTER THE CUTOUTS ARE REPAIRED, DISCUSS THE ACTIVITY. TALK ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF UNKIND WORDS AND HURT FEELINGS. YOU MIGHT DISPLAY THE CUTOUTS ON A CLASSROOM BULLETIN BOARD AS A CONSTANT REMINDER OF THE EFFECTS OF HURTFUL ACTIONS. 26. ILLUSTRATED STUDENT REFLECTIONS. STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ABOVE CAN REFLECT ON THEIR DREAMS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH THIS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ACTIVITY PROVIDED BY AN INDIANA TEACHER. A SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION PROVIDES A BACKDROP STUDENTS CAN USE TO SHARE THEIR DREAMS, THEIR INTERESTS, AND THE HIGH AND LOW POINTS IN THEIR LIVES. THE ACTIVITY CAN PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENTS INTERESTS, CONCERNS, AND GOALS; TEACHERS CAN USE THE INFORMATION TO DETERMINE HOW BEST TO DIRECT STUDENTS AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. I Wish I Were a Butterfly. Students across the grades will enjoy this book, written by James Howe and illustrated by Ed Young. A CRICKET LONGS TO BE A PRETTY BUTTERFLY UNTIL A SPIDER TEACHES HER THAT ALL FRIENDS ARE BEAUTIFUL. READ THE BOOK ALOUD, AND THEN DISCUSS THE STORYS MESSAGE. 27. SURVEYS AND GRAPHS. START THE YEAR WITH A SURVEY ACTIVITY IN WHICH STUDENTS GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER AS THEY CREATE SIMPLE BAR OR PICTURE GRAPHS. STUDENTS WORK IN PAIRS OR SMALL GROUPS TO COLLECT RESPONSES TO A CLASS SURVEY, AND THEN THEY GRAPH THE RESULTS. OLDER STUDENTS CAN DEVELOP THEIR OWN SURVEY QUESTIONS; YOUNGER STUDENTS MIGHT COLLECT DATA IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS PROVIDED BY THE TEACHER. QUESTIONS MIGHT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: †¢ WHEN YOU BRING LUNCH TO SCHOOL, HOW DO YOU CARRY IT? †¢ IF YOU WERE TO CARRY A THERMOS BOTTLE TO SCHOOL, WHAT WOULD BE IN IT? †¢ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SANDWICH? †¢ HOW DO YOU GET TO SCHOOL MOST DAYS? †¢ WHAT IS YOUR BEST SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? †¢ HOW MANY MILES DO YOU LIVE FROM SCHOOL? †¢ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SNACK? http://www. ToLearnEnglish. com – http://www. ToLearnFrench. com – Spanish : http://www. espagnolfacile. com/english German: http://www. allemandfacile. com/english †¢ WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SUMMER MOVIE? AFTER STUDENTS COLLECT THE DATA, THEY CREATE A SIMPLE GRAPH TO DISPLAY THE RESULTS OF THEIR SURVEY. ONE STUDENT IN EACH PAIR OR GROUP CAN THEN REPORT THE FINDINGS WHILE ANOTHER EXPLAINS THE GRAPH. DISPLAY THE GRAPHS ON A BULLETIN BOARD FOR ALL TO SEE! 28. AN AVERAGE DAY. CHALLENGE STUDENTS TO COMPUTE CLASS AVERAGES. HAVE STUDENTS WORK IN PAIRS OR SMALL GROUPS TO COLLECT, CALCULATE, AND REPORT ON THE AVERAGE AGE, SHOE SIZE, HEIGHT, FAMILY SIZE (AND SO ON! ) OF THE STUDENTS IN YOUR CLASS. 29. PERSONALIZED CLASSROOM CALENDAR. EVERY CLASSROOM HAS A CALENDAR. WHY NOT PERSONALIZE YOUR CLASSROOM CALENDAR WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR STUDENTS? FIRST, MAKE A CALENDAR POCKET CHART WITH SEVEN COLUMNS (ONE FOR EACH DAY OF THE WEEK) AND FIVE ROWS  (SO THE CHART CAN HANDLE MONTHS WITH FIVE WEEKS). THEN HAVE STUDENTS MAKE SIGNS WITH THE NUMBERS 1 TO 31 ON THEM. THE NUMBERS SHOULD BE LARGE ENOUGH TO BE CLEARLY SEEN FROM A DISTANCE. USE A DISPOSABLE CAMERA TO TAKE A PICTURE OF EACH STUDENT HOLDING ONE OF THE NUMBERED SIGNS. SLIP THE PHOTOGRAPHS INTO THE POCKETS ON THE CALENDAR. CHANGE THE CALENDAR EACH MONTH! BACK-TO-SCHOOL ABC BOOK. THIS IS AN ACTIVITY THAT CAN BE DONE ACROSS THE GRADES! SHARE WITH STUDENTS SOME ABC BOOKS FROM THE SCHOOL OR TOWN LIBRARY AND TELL THEM THAT THEY WILL BE WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A BACK-TO-SCHOOL ABC BOOK. ASSIGN A LETTER OF THE ALPHABET TO EACH STUDENT. BRAINSTORM WITH STUDENTS POSSIBLE WORDS FOR EACH LETTER OR ALLOW EACH STUDENT TO CHOOSE HIS OR HER OWN WORD. EXPLAIN THAT THE WORDS MUST BE RELATED TO ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH SCHOOL. OF COURSE, THE DIFFICULTY OF THE WORDS WILL VARY, DEPENDING ON THE GRADE LEVEL OF THE STUDENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, A MIGHT BE REPRESENTED BY THE WORDS ART, ABACUS, ATTENDANCE, ALGEBRA, ADDITION, ADVISOR, ATHLETICS, AUDITORIUM, ALPHABET, ANSWER KEY, APPLE, ARITHMETIC, ANNOUNCEMENT, AWARD, A-V, AIDE, OR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. FINALLY, HAVE EACH STUDENT ILLUSTRATE HIS OR HER WORD. COMBINE THE PICTURES TO CREATE A BOOK. DISPLAY THE BOOK IN THE CLASSROOM OR SCHOOL LIBRARY. AS AN EXTRA CHALLENGE, YOU MIGHT LIMIT OLDER STUDENTS TO CHOOSING ADJECTIVES; NO NOUNS ALLOWED! BACK-TO-SCHOOL WORD SEARCH. PRINT A BACK-TO-SCHOOL WORD SEARCH AND CHALLENGE STUDENTS TO FIND THE SCHOOL-RELATED WORDS HIDDEN IN THE PUZZLE. OR CREATE YOUR OWN WORD SEARCH PUZZLE CONTAINING THE FIRST NAMES OF ALL THE STUDENTS IN YOUR CLASS. GO TO PUZZLEMAKER. COMS WORD SEARCH PUZZLEMAKER TO CREATE YOUR PUZZLE. 30. Making An Important Book ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL I READ THE IMPORTANT BOOK BY MARGARET WISE BROWN. I REVIEW PARAGRAPH WRITING AND INSTRUCT THEM TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH FOLLOWING THE SAME FORMAT AS THE BOOK ABOUT THEMSELVES. I ALSO DO THE SAME. AFTER THE ROUGH DRAFTS ARE WRITTEN THEY ARE TO DO A FINAL DRAFT AND ATTACH IT TO A WHITE PIECE OF PAPER, WHERE THEY ADD AN ILLUSTRATION. ALL THE PAGES ARE LAMINATED AND BOUND INTO A BOOK. STUDENTS REREAD THIS BOOK THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IT EASILY BECOMES A FAVORITE. STUDENTS ALSO ENJOY READING THE BOOK FROM THE PREVIOUS YEARS CLASSES. 31. Names Word Search IN ORDER FOR MY STUDENTS TO GET TO KNOW THEIR CLASSMATES, I CREATE A WORD SEARCH WITH THE NAMES OF MY STUDENTS. AFTER ALL THE NAMES ARE FOUND THE REMAINING LETTERS REVEAL THE HIDDEN MESSAGE WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL. THIS WEBSITE IS GREAT FOR CREATING VARIOUS TYPES OF PUZZLES HTTP://WWW. PUZZLEMAKER. COM 32. Me Puppets ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (UNLIKE THE REMAINING DAYS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR), THE CHILDREN ARE USUALLY RELUCTANT TO TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES. WE MAKE ME PUPPETS USING PAPER PLATES FOR THE HEAD, YARN FOR THE HAIR, AND CONSTRUCTION PAPER FACIAL FEATURES, WITH A POPSCICLE STICK FOR A HANDLE. UPON COMPLETION, WE STAGE A PUPPET SHOW. THE CHILDREN HIDE THEIR FACES WITH THE PUPPETS AND TELL THEIR CLASSMATES ALL  ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES, HOBBIES, PETS, ETC. 33. First Day Name Puzzle ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, I LIKE TO MAKE A NAME PUZZLE WITH MY STUDENTS. I TAKE A LARGE PIECE OF POSTER BOARD, AND MARK OUT LINES THAT CAN BE CUT INTO PIECES. MAKE SURE THAT THE PUZZLE WILL HAVE ENOUGH PIECES FOR EACH STUDENT TO HAVE ONE. WE ALL GATHER ON THE FLOOR TO WRITE OUR NAME ON THE BLANK SIDE OF THE POSTER BOARD. I WRITE MY NAME IN THE MIDDLE, AND THE STUDENTS WRITE THEIR NAME IN ALL DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. WHEN I HAVE FREE TIME, I CUT THE BOARD INTO PUZZLE PIECES. AS A CLASS WE EACH FIND THE SPOT WHERE OUR PUZZLE PIECE BELONGS. TAPE THE PUZZLE TOGETHER AFTER SCHOOL, AND POST IT ON THE WALL IN THE CLASSROOM. WHEN THE STUDENTS RETURN THE NEXT DAY, THE WILL BE EXCITED TO SEE THE PUZZLE, AND TO SHOW OFF THEIR NAME. MY KIDS HAVE FUN TALKING AND, WORKING TO PUT THE PUZZLE TOGETHER. 34. First day (or week) of schoolFamily Wreath I COLLECTED FAMILY PICTURES OF EACH OF MY STUDENTS DURING OUR INTRODUCTION DAY. I TOLD THE FAMILY I WOULD PROBABLY NOT RETURN THESE PICTURES. I THEN TOOK THE PICTURES AND MADE A FAMILY WREATH, FOR THE LONELY DAYS OR WHEN THE STUDENTS JUST MISSED HOME. THIS WAS A  HUGE HIT WITH ALL THE FAMILIES AND THE CHILDREN. I PLACED THE WREATH IN THE HOME LIVING AREA, AND WAS AMAZED TO SEE THE STUDENTS, ALL YEAR http://www. ToLearnEnglish. com – http://www. ToLearnFrench. com – Spanish : http://www. espagnolfacile. com/english German: http://www. allemandfacile. com/english LONG, GO OVER TO THE WREATH AND TAKE TIME TO ADMIRE IT AND THEIR FAMILY. (SOME FAMILIES INCLUDED PET PICTURES TO PUT ON THE WREATH). ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL I AUCTIONED IT OFF TO A FAMILY AND BOUGHT SUPPLIES FOR THE CLASS ROOM. ALL MY PARENTS WANTED THIS KEEPSAKE. 35. Getting Acquainted.. I LIKE TO HAVE SOME GET ACQUAINTED PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS. ONE THING I DO IS WHEN I SEND MY PARENTS A WELCOMING LETTER, I ASK THAT THE CHILDREN BRING IN A SMALL BAG OF PICTURES AND OTHER SMALL OBJECTS THAT COULD BE PART OF A ME COLLAGE. THESE COLLAGES ARE A GOOD SPRINGBOARD FOR THE CHILDREN TO DISCUSS THEIR UNIQUE QUALITIES, AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THEY ENJOY SEEING HOW THEY HAVE CHANGED. WE ALSO MAKE SCHOOLHOUSE PICTURE FRAMES FOR THEIR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PHOTOS. I CUT SCHOOLHOUSES OUT OF OAKTAG, AND THE CHILDREN GLUE PASTA ON THE FRAMES. I SPRAY PAINT THE PASTA FRAMES GOLD. THE PARENTS LOVE HAVING THIS MEMENTO OF THEIR CHILDS FIRST DAY WHEN I GIVE IT TO THEM ON BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT. 36. Getting to Know Each Other .. ON THE FIRAT DAY OF SCHOOL DO AN ACTIVITY TO BRING THE CLASS TOGETHER SUCH AS A CLASSROOM SURVEY. THE STUDENTS WALK AROUND AND TALK TO THE OTHER STUDENTS AND FILL OUT A QUESTIONAIRRE. AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER. 37. Fun First Day Activity .. ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL I HAVE PLENTY OF PRE-CUT LETTERS IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT COLORS ON A TABLE. AS THE CHILDREN COME IN THEY FIND THE LETTERS TO SPELL THEIR NAMES AND GLUE THEM TOGETHER. I HANG THESE FROM THE CEILING! THEY REALLY BRIGHTEN UP THE ROOM AND LOOK GREAT FOR OPEN HOUSE! USUALLY THIS IS THE FIRST THING THEY POINT OUT TO THEIR PARENTS. 38. What are your expectations? ASK FOR THEIR EXPECTATIONS. TELL THEM YOURE INTERESTED IN THEIR OPINIONS AND YOURE ASKING THEM THESE QUESTIONS AS A WAY OF FINDING OUT ABOUT THEIR LEARNING STYLES AND PREFERENCES. ASK THEM TO WRITE, USING AS MUCH DETAIL AS POSSIBLE, THEIR RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS, SUCH AS †¢ NOW THAT IVE TOLD YOU MY EXPECTATIONS OF A GOOD STUDENT, WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF A GOOD TEACHER? †¢ TELL ME ABOUT THE BEST TEACHER YOUVE EVER HAD. WHAT MADE THAT PERSON SUCH A GOOD TEACHER? †¢ NOW THAT IVE TOLD YOU SOME OF MY IDEAS ABOUT HOW WE WILL GO ABOUT LEARNING THIS YEARS MATERIAL, TELL ME ABOUT HOW YOU LEARN BEST. GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF A PROJECT OR UNIT WHERE YOU LEARNED A LOT. DESCRIBE THE PROJECT IN DETAIL. 39. TIME CAPSULES: A TIME-PROVEN YEAR OPENER I GIVE EACH STUDENT A SHEET WITH QUESTIONS SUCH AS WHATS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? WHATS YOUR FAVORITE SONG? AND WHATS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? ON IT. THERES A SPACE FOR STUDENTS TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND ANOTHER SPACE FOR THEM TO ANSWER THE SAME QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THE YEAR. AFTER STUDENTS PUT THEIR ANSWERS IN THE FIRST BLANK, I TIE ALL THE SHEETS TOGETHER AND PUT THEM IN MY FILE CABINET, BRIGHT TOLD EDUCATION WORLD. ITS ALWAYS FUNNY AT THE END OF THE YEAR TO HEAR THEM LAUGHING AND SCREECHING OVER THEIR ANSWERS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. THEY ALWAYS CHANGE THEIR MINDS BY THE END OF THE YEAR! BEGINNING-OF-THE-YEAR TIME CAPSULES CAN INCLUDE MANY OTHER ITEMS TOO. IN ADDITION TO STUDENTS QUESTION SHEETS, THEIR INDIVIDUAL TIME CAPSULES MIGHT ALSO INCLUDE A. TRACING OF THEIR HAND, A PIECE OF YARN CUT TO MEASURE THEIR HEIGHT, AND A WRITING SAMPLE. SEALED THE ITEMS IN ENVELOPES, AND OPEN THEM AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. STUDENTS WILL SURELY BE AMAZED AT THEIR GROWTH PHYSICALLY AND ACADEMICALLY! FOR THAT TIME CAPSULE WRITING SAMPLE, YOU MIGHT USE ANOTHER OF BRIGHTS FAVORITE BEGINNING-OF-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. I HAVE STUDENTS INTERVIEW EACH OTHER LIKE NEWSPAPER REPORTERS SOMETIME DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL, BRIGHT EXPLAINED. THEY HAVE TO ASK A PARTNER FIVE QUESTIONS AND USE THOSE ANSWERS TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH ABOUT THEIR PARTNER. THEN THEY INTRODUCE THEIR PARTNER TO THE CLASS BY READING THE INTERVIEWS. 40. THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS INVITING STUDENTS TO SHARE A FEW OF THEIR FAVORITE THINGS IS A GREAT WAY TO BREAK THE ICE! INTRODUCE AN OVERHEAD TRANSPARENCY ON WHICH YOU HAVE ALL KINDS OF PICTURES THAT DESCRIBE YOURSELF. THERES A PLANE, LOTS OF BOOKS, A HILL, AND MORE. INVITE YOUR STUDENTS TO GUESS FROM THE DRAWINGS WHAT YOUR FAVORITE OUTSIDE INTERESTS MIGHT BE. (DID YOU GUESS TRAVELING, READING, AND HIKING? ). GIVE EACH STUDENT A SHEET OF DRAWING PAPER AND ASK THEM TO TELL ME ABOUT THEMSELVES USING ONLY  PICTURES. BREAK INTO SMALL COOPERATIVE GROUPS, AND EACH GROUP TRIES TO TELL ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN THEIR GROUP. OF COURSE, WALK AROUND AND INTERACT WITH EACH GROUP TO KNOW THEM TOO. 41. MAKE A LARGE CHART TITLED GETTING TO KNOW YOU. LAMINATE THE CHART AND HANG IT ON A WALL IN YOUR CLASSROOM. THE CHART HAS SECTIONS FOR EACH STUDENTS NAME AND INTERESTING FACTS, SUCH AS HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THEIR FAMILY, HOW MANY PETS THEY HAVE, THEIR FAVORITE http://www. ToLearnEnglish. com – http://www. ToLearnFrench. com – Spanish : http://www. espagnolfacile. com/english German: