Malcom X and Amy Tan

Hide Course Menu Menu Management Options Refresh Display Course Menu in a Window Course Menu: PREP 108: Introduction to College Writing Houses Entry Page Announcements Syllabus and Course Schedule Instructor BIO Unit 1 unit 2 My Grades Tools Course Evaluation Email My Class Student Help Reading Blob #2: Malcolm X and Tan Actions for Content Page Create Blob Entry View Drafts Content Please answer the following questions as thoroughly as possible. While these entries are due Wednesday September 3 before class, you are welcome to take until Friday to complete them. Malcolm X, â€Å"Learning to Read† Questions (from 50 Essays): .How did the process by which Malcolm learned to read differ from the typical way people learn to read? 2. Though Malcolm changed many of his views after the time covered in this portion of his autobiography, the project of recovering African history remained important to him and remains important to many African Americans. How do you react to his claims a bout African history? Tan, â€Å"Mother Tongue† 1 . List the different English Tan describes, defining each. 2. Do you use different languages yourself? Even if English is your sole language, consider how your use of it hanged depending on circumstances and audience.Write an essay in which you describe the different ways you speak and the meaning of these differences. Friday, September 5, 2014 Malcolm X and Tan Posted by Access the profile card for user: Alexis Gang September 5, 2014 AM KODAK Alexis Gang Proof. Day PREP AWAY 5 September 2014 Alexis Gang at Friday, 1 . Malcolm X learned how to read different from many other people, he learned how to read at the Norfolk Prison. At the prison he would read the dictionary to get a better understand of how to read a book and know the meaning of every word.Malcolm was so interested in the dictionary he would spend three to four hours sitting on his cell floor Just for the light to read constantly. Malcolm read during late hours all the time to the point he knew when the guards did a night walk through of each cell hallway. 2. Malcolm Ax's view on African American history was shocking and made me think that some points he made did actually make sense in some parts. One point that was interesting was when he said † If you started with a black man, a white man could be produced; but starting with a Whitman, you never could produce a black man- cause the white gene is recessive† (peg. 77). Malcolm made sense of the views of African American history to the point where reading this autobiography has me thinking that maybe the world did start off with a black man instead of a white man. His views did give me a outlook on the history and makes me want to read more into black history and see if it is true that we started with a black man instead of white man. Tan † Mother Tongue† 1 . Tan describes standard English as a form of English where the grammar is perfect along with the tenses.Along wit h standard English she also talked about the way she alas to her family and husband where that is called English of intimacy. The English that made an impact on her was her mothers English where some would call it † limited English† (peg. 419) where their English is unclear or not perfect. 2. English has been my first language. I was born in Fairbanks, Ak where everyone just speaks English and no terms or slang Just regular good ole English of yes ma'am and yes sir. As a child I learned how to talk from my parents, because as babies you repeat words and sounds like a parrot.I have really never put thought into how my English is use, but thinking of it now my English has changed from being a little kid to and adult now. As a kid the way I talked I would always use anti and consider it a word and would argue if it was a word or not to everyone. Looking back at it anti wasn't a word and I wasn't using standard English my English was limited at the time to where some people could not understand what I was talking about half the time. As time went on my English got better with more knowledge and words I had learned throughout my life in school to where I became great at standard English.

Labor Relations Project and Presentation Essay

Labor Relations is a very delicate part of a business that should be properly reviewed and studied before implementing or changing a businesses conduct. Happy Trails is a medium-sized company that is trying to minimize cost to continue to serve its tenants with a cost effective service. Unfortunately cost has to be reviewed in all possible ways and strategies. We will be covering a few of the advantages and disadvantages of unionizing. A recommendation will be given to help guide Happy Trails. A review will also be conducted of the issues a union might raise during the organizing effort. The steps that should be covered by the LPN’s will also be presented. We will then present the labor practice that the LPN’s should avoid. We will then advise the independent living home management on what we feel they should do. We will cover the arguments and defense the hospital will rise to the unions organizing issues. Then we will take a look at what the company must do if they resist unionization. We will then see what unfair labor practices need to be avoided by management. We will finalize this paper by reviewing what activities Happy Trail management should and should not engage in. Advantages & Disadvantages The advisement to unionize, or not, is a complicated stance. There are advantages and disadvantages on both sides of the decision. With a decision to unionize, the LPNs would be protected and guaranteed wages and certain work conditions. On the other hand, Unionizing immediately creates an adverse relationship between members and the employer sometimes out weighing the benefits. In the event that a group of employees has a community of interests coupled with concerns about their treatment as an employee by an employer for any reason, the employees have the right under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007). Recommendation In this case, the recommendation for the LPN’s would be to unionize. This would protect them from being over (or under) worked, insure that proper wages and entitlements were established, as well as make sure Happy Trails was not expecting or giving RN level care through the lesser qualified LPNs. Steps to Unionize For the group of LPN’s at Happy Trails, the first step would be to contact the local healthcare union representative mentioned in the overview. This would be a perfect starting resource for information, questions and answers. This is also the step in which the union should become clear about what issues are important and expected to be addressed by the collective bargaining. For the LPN’s at Happy Trails, their issues should be concentrated on wages, minimum hours worked, overtime terms, benefits, as well as clearly understanding the scope of their expected duties. Secondly, the LPN’s would need to decide to join an already established industry union, or to create a union of their own. In either case, a sufficient number of authorization cards (or petition signatures) must be acquired, and the union must be voted in during a union representation election, or by asking the employer to voluntarily recognize the union. The National Labor Relations Board supervises and the union election, and certifies the results (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007). The last step is to win a strong union contract. The LPNs in this case would need to negotiate wages paid, overtime payment terms, benefits, and minimum expected hours worked. Any union is only as valuable as the contract agreed upon. Unfair Labor Practices that should be Avoided by the LPNs Generally, most unfair labor practices are committed by the union or the employer. The only unfair labor practice the LPNs should avoid is to not try to coerce their fellow workers to join the union. Should Happy Trails Oppose Unionization? Although unionization of groups like nurses is typically non-traditional, over the past 10 years there have been many registered nurses’ groups that have unionized across the country because of the demand for their employment and the shortage of nurses. Because of the need to have every American be able to afford healthcare, licensed practical nurses are in demand more because of their lower wages. Happy Trails should not oppose unionization. There are many other healthcare facilities in the area who are working with unions Happy Trails would benefit by negotiating with a union also. Because of the unhappy nurses at Happy Trails, trying to block unionization would probably be the worse step for the organization take. Employees may feel that management’s trying to manipulate them and this can decrease employee morale. The nurses may go to any of the other facilities to seek work and representation by the union for better working conditions. If Happy Trails loses more nurses, it may be hard to recruit new workers. Steps to Resist Unionization Tactics and strategies must be implemented in order to resist unionization. One strategy that has been used in the past is to hire consulting firms, also known as union busters (Bennett-Alexander & Hartmann, 2007). These firms use methods that discourage employees from voting to have union representation. This strategy is a costly one and should only be used if basic steps are not working. One important step to avoiding unionization is through employee relations (Thomas & Associates, 2009). Employee relations programs have the employees best interest in mind. An effective program will help employee/employer communication, which can help resolve any issues or dissatisfaction. If step one does not stop union organizing, the next step is to prevent the union from gaining employee support. Throughout this step the company should inform the LPN’s of the cons of signing a union authorization card. If the employees are informed and feel valuable to the company they will be less likely to sign a union card. Information can be provided through meetings, letters, and bulletin boards. If an election campaign begins because 30 percent of employees signed cards, the next step is to resolve any employee issues and to legally convince employees that their best interests are served by rejecting the union. Happy Trails would need to build a strong campaign and reinforce the value of the existing benefits and the excellent working conditions. Arguments against Unionization by Happy Trails Arguments Happy Trails can use against unionization include the following: †¢ Funding the workers’ salary if a union exists †¢ Relationships between employee and employer may be threatened with a union †¢ Union dues paid by employees is taken from their paycheck †¢ The union cannot guarantee anything What unfair labor practices need to be avoided by management? a) Management should not try to control or interfere with union affairs. They should not try to get their favorite/certain candidate to be elected to the union office. b) Management should not discriminate against employees who join or is in favor of brining in a union. They should not discriminate against employees â€Å"who exercise their rights under the law (e.g., terminating, demoting, or giving poor working schedules to such employees).† (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007, pg 666) c) Management should not interfere, threaten or restrain their employees from exercising their rights under the labor law legislation, for example, they should not tell employees that they are not allowed to have unions or they will be punished or terminated if they do bring a union). d) Management should not refuse to bargain with the union. And they should not refuse to bargain in good faith. †¢ Happy Trails’ management team may engage in any number of activities during the unionization. Which of the following would you advise? Explain why or why not? Activities during Unionization Promote LPNs, offer bonuses, and place some into leadership and management roles. Unionization can be a long process but is quite beneficial for the LPN’s. Unions are typically formed because employees are unhappy with their pay, working conditions, or poor benefits. For that reason the activity management should engage in is to actively promote LPN’s, offer bonuses, and place some into leadership and management roles. This is the best tactic to use and could benefit Happy Trails as well as the LPN’s. However, the company has to make sure the tactics do not interfere with the employees’ efforts to unionize. Raises and opportunities must be given to everyone, not just union supporters; otherwise the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) could view the act as illegal and as unfair labor practices. As long as the employer bargains in good faith no law has been broken. Tell employees salary increases must cease to finance the collective bargaining agreement. This option is not viable therefore I do not recommend it. Utilizing scare tactics and threatening to cease salary increases will do more harm than good. Strikes could occur, which would have a negative impact on the company. The LPN’s shouldn’t feel like they are being punished for going with the union. Explain current employee benefits to the LPN’s, comparing them to union promises. Though this option is informative it is timely. There are cons to being in a union such as dues and possible strikes. Providing information to employees could sway their decision especially if they are not familiar with the union practices. However, overall the union has benefited employees, which is why this method could be more wasteful than effective. Most union members have better benefits and pay than non-union members. The LPN’s are aware of the superior wages and benefits other LPN’s in the areas have received therefore there is not much to explain. Threaten to close facility due to union campaign Being that Happy Trails is a health care facility, closing the facility would not be practical. It would also be considered discrimination against employees if they closed the facility down due to the union campaign. The NLRA does not allow discrimination against employees for participating in union activities. By staying open, they have the upper hand and it would give them more opportunity to explain the disadvantages of a union to their employees. Assist in circulation of antiunion petitions. During a unionizing campaign an employer cannot assist in antiunion petitions. Assisting in this activity could be considered interference by the employer. Participating in these activities is illegal and viewed as unfair labor practices. Counter union exaggerated claims on flyers. We recommend the management not to send the flyers with exaggerated counter offers to union claims. The management is not supposed to â€Å"promise wage increases or other benefits if employees don’t join the union.† (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007, pg 673) And they are not supposed to e-mail, post or circulate any intimidating letters or leaflets (flyers). The management can however give pay raises or benefits, but they have to give them all across the boards, not only to the union supporters. However, this tactic is limited if the management decides to do this after the union has applied for the certificate or has given notice to the management to bargain its first agreement. Tell employees they do not need to talk to union organizers, that they may vote against the union, and that the independent living home does not welcome the union. We recommend the management to talk with the employees, and tell them that they have the option to join the union, but it’s not mandatory for them to join. They can also tell the employees that the independent living home does not welcome the union, but if the employees vote for the union, the management will follow the good faith bargaining agreement. Solicit employees to request the return of their authorization cards. We would recommend the management not to ask employees to return the authorization cards (badges) that mean you are letting them go. Employers can not threaten to fire, lay-off or terminate employees for supporting or joining a union. Tell employees they may be replaced if they vote for the union. We would recommend the management not to tell employees that they will be replaced if they vote for the union. That would mean the management is threatening the employees. Management can’t threaten to fire, lay-off or terminate employees for supporting or joining a union. Appeal to the employees to defeat the union. We would recommend the management to talk with the employees and tell them not to vote in favor of the union. The independent living home will do everything possible to raise the wages and benefits as much as possible if the union is defeated. The management has to be careful not to negatively influence the employees against the union. The management can also tell the employees, that if the union is organized, we will treat the collective bargaining process with full faith and not follow any unfair labor practices. The management also can state that we will follow exactly what the law requires. Statistics for union members in United States and California (Statistics, 2013): [pic] Conclusion When making huge changes that change an employees, benefits, pay, rights, and responsibilities it is very important and should be done very carefully. A company must remember how important these changes are to people and what issues could be created if the employees feel they are not being taken into consideration. When an employee feels violated they can go to extreme measure like becoming part of a union. A union can become a huge burden for a company and cost employees money. Many of the reasons why employees look at unions can usually be avoided and handled in house. Employees should also remember that a union cost money and they should search for a union that is worth their money. Unfortunately sometimes employees end up loosing more than winning when they become part of a union. If the people in the union are not doing their job and looking out for all employees then they might just be spending their money and not getting what they deserve. References: Bennett-Alexander, D. D., & Hartman, L. P. (2007). Employment law for business (5th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Ch. 14-Labor Law. Pg. 666 & 673. Labor Union Statistics. Retrieved on February 17, 2013. http://www.bls.gov/ro9/unionca.htm Thomas & Associates (2009). Avoiding Unions. Retrieved February 18, 2013 from http://www.employersattorneys.com/employment-law/California-employer-how-to-

Analyse the 2 articles about Amazon, consider how strategy is Case Study

Analyse the 2 articles about Amazon, consider how strategy is developed and implemented from an emergent and deliberate perspect - Case Study Example Article 1 essentially revolves around the work culture of Amazon. The article deals with the recruitment, selection and absorption process of the organisation. The company after setting its office in Rugely, started recruiting in huge numbers. The company hired Randstad as its major recruiting agency. The hired workers were known as associates and were kept under a training period of minimum three months before they were absorbed by the company. The main objective behind this strategy was to find the top performing temporary associates for the available permanent vacancy. The company achieved creative advantage by following the kaizan approach to increase the efficiency of workforce. Every warehouse was appointed with a continuous improvement manager whose job was to look for any kind of hindrance or delay, and solve them. The company also appointed mobile problem solvers who continuously patrolled the warehouse to look for issues slowing down the operational process and fix them. Am azon started its operations as an online bookseller. Once the company became a prominent leader in the online book selling category, it started diversifying its operations into other sectors. From article 2, it is clear that product differentiation and diversification has provided a competitive advantage to the company (Ehmke, 2010). The company has also invested in technology to remain competitive in the market. The products of Amazon are essentially simple and easy to operate, which increases the customer preference. The company’s continuous investment in new and creative areas such as technology, cloud computing etc., has provided a competitive edge to the company. Strategy Development and Implementation A strategy can be defined as a scope and direction for the organisation, which is profitable to the organisation in the long run, makes the best and most efficient use of the resources, meet the needs and demands of the market and satisfy the stakeholder expectations (Anon ymous, 2006). Different strategies are applied in different stages of business, such as corporate strategy, business strategy and operational strategy. Amazon is one the prominent leaders in the retail business. Article 1 reflects the overall operational strategy of the organisation. An operational strategy aims in efficient management of each operational unit of the company and to efficiently utilise the tangible and intangible resources of the company to generate maximum profits (Datta and Roy, 2011). To maximise the efficiency of its operational processes, the company has applied many strategies. The recruitment and selection process of the company is strict and rigorous. To optimise the efficiency of workforce and increase the cost-effectiveness, the company follows the strategy of recruiting and maintaining the best talent among the temporary job positions. Amazon’s efficient software helps workers to reach the target destination in least time and distance covered. To fu rther monitor the work flow in the warehouse, kaizan strategy has been applied extensively. In kaizan approach every warehouse was appointed with a continuous improvement manager whose job was to look for any kind of hindrance or delay, and solve them. The company also appointed mobile problem solvers who continuously patrolled the warehouse to look for issues slowing down the operational proces

Managing International Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing International Operations - Essay Example The Six Markets Model is beyond the basic marketing of a product/service. It, in a way, markets the entire organisation as well as the industry rather than marketing merely the product/service. The Six Markets Model aims at categorising the markets to manage the business relationships. Figure 1 briefly explains the categorisation of the markets. Managing relationship is the key ingredient of a successful business. The survival and growth of any business is mainly dependent on the relationship it maintains with its customers, employees, collaborators and competitors. The Six Markets Model, especially the customer market, internal market and recruitment market would make a huge impact on the internal candidates and the global customers as they would assist the organisation in analysing and improving its relationship with them. The customer service model adopted by the organisation determines the strength of the relation the organisation would have with its customers. A customer service model consisting of the following features would be necessary to bridge the gap between the services provided and the services expected by the customer: Getting into the shoe of the customer: The organisation w... Recruitment Markets Designing a method to appropriately select, motivate and train employees Supplier Markets Managing relationships with suppliers and distributors Influence Markets Managing influential sub-markets such as the government regulators, stockholders, venture capitalists and so on Referral Markets Organisation's ability to attract new customers on the basis of referrals given by existing customers (http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.phpid=210431) Managing relationship is the key ingredient of a successful business. The survival and growth of any business is mainly dependent on the relationship it maintains with its customers, employees, collaborators and competitors. The Six Markets Model, especially the customer market, internal market and recruitment market would make a huge impact on the internal candidates and the global customers as they would assist the organisation in analysing and improving its relationship with them. Customer Service Model The customer service model adopted by the organisation determines the strength of the relation the organisation would have with its customers. A customer service model consisting of the following features would be necessary to bridge the gap between the services provided and the services expected by the customer: Research: A thorough research into the target market is a must to understand consumer expectation. Getting into the shoe of the customer: The organisation would not be successful in understanding customer's needs just through a survey. It needs to view the service through the eyes of the customers. Develop appropriate services: The services should be developed to fit the necessity as assessed

Early Military Hospitals Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Early Military Hospitals - Research Paper Example Daniel Whistler as well as nurse Alkin Elizabeth for the injured soldiers. In 1660, military hospitals were closed, something that left the Army without any dedicated hospital. First field hospitals were established in 1692, during the Nine Year’s War, by William III and were located on the battlefield .1702 welcomed the Flying hospitals introduced on battlefields and were used to transport and treat casualties. In 1752, a major breakthrough of causes of disease was discovered by Sir Pringle John who gave innovative methods of disease and illness prevention amongst soldiers. The first permanent military hospital was established in Chelsea by John Hunter who was a surgeon in 1789.In 1803; disease became the biggest killer of soldiers in war due to poor hygiene especially during the Napoleonic wars. In America’s civil war, almost 200,000 men died from enemy fire in the duration of 4 years of the war. The saddening thing was that over 400,000 soldiers were killed by diseas e. The Crimean prompted Miss Nightingale to request for Royal Commission specifically for military hospitals, which later was followed by critical reforms in healthcare. She played such a significant role in introduction of statistical analysis of casualty, hospital sanitation and planning as well as military health. Apart from that, Nightingale established a training school named in her honor in London. In 1863, the Royal Victoria Hospital opened at Netley in Hampshire becoming the first purpose-built military hospital in Britain as well as the new base for the Amy Medical School. The school’s first professor of military hygiene was Alexander Edmund who led to important improvements in the soldiers’ health and earning him the reputation of the modern military hygiene founder. Anesthesia was first used by the navy in 1847 by a naval medical officer Thomas Spencer who used it for dental extraction .1853 was the year when over 20,000 died in Crimean War, of which only

Death Sentence of Saddam Hussein Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Death Sentence of Saddam Hussein - Case Study Example Against the nature of the trial. Most seem to agree that the trial was hugely unfair to Hussein, the judges were under pressure to reach a guilty verdict; the defense (Or at least that part of it that was not killed before the end of the trial) was not given all of the facts, and the death sentence was speedily carried out without adequate time for appeal. While issues such as the death penalty are clearly procedural, the allegation that the verdict was pre-arranged, and no adequate proof of Saddam's guilt was provided, fall into the category of Substantive law. The defendants were charged with committing "Murder, torture, forced displacement, and unlawful imprisonment" (Human Rights Watch, 2006). However, because the charges were so vague (Ibid) some feel that Saddam was instead, convicted of Crimes against Humanity "An offence against international Law for which Iraqi law stipulates no penalty" (Kadri, 2007). Those picked to hear the case were Kurds and Shiites, effectively excluding those of Hussein's own ethnic group. A judge was appointed with a 'conflict of interest', as he came from Halabja (mathaba, 2006) International human rights activists are concerned that the trial of Hussein over Dujail prevented Saddam's other victims from presenting their cases. Not only were these cases more provable, but the United States and the United Kingdom were intimately involved in these crimes. International Law There are two essential pieces of International Law which have been violated by the trial and death Sentence of Saddam Hussein: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) The right of everyone to competent tribunals (Article 8) The right of everyone to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal (Article 10) The right of eve

Reading Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Reading Reflection - Essay Example It helps bring out the element of suspicion in the story. When one is reading any literary work, it is necessary for the reader to shift from the real world to the imaginary world where he understands the story better (Guerin, 2005). The title of the book piqued my interest to know what Walter might be doing in the secret world and hiding it away from the real world. In his daydreams, Walter is portrayed as a man of high esteem. It would therefore be necessary for me as the reader to know the secret behind Walters’ high esteem. In the first instance of his daydream, the crew insinuates that the, â€Å"old man will get us through, he is not afraid of hell†. This instance creates an image of a man who is not afraid of situations. It is also interesting to know why other members hold the man in such a high esteem in his group. The scenes portrayed in the daydreams sustain my interest in the story. The first instance of a daydream Walter is a commander, the second daydream he is a famous surgeon attending to a millionaire. The last second daydream Walter is a witness in a courtroom whereas the last instance of a daydream, he is a captain of a warplane. My interest in this story was driven by the desire to know whether Walter wanted to become some of the people described in the daydreams in his real life. ... The reader should account his feelings with certain aspects in the literary work that makes him have the feelings. This approach requires the reader to connect with the story, and assess the insight that the connection with the story brought (David, 1984). It is also paramount for the reader to consider the connection with the story and other stories that he has read. He should then evaluate if the connection added anything new to what he already knew. In this story, there is a connection with the Walter’s day dreaming behavior. The daydreams in this story, which help the reader to connect with the story, enable one to understand the meaning of the story. Walter’s daydreams are all frenzied ranging from flying in the middle of a deadly storm, working with faulty machines in surgery room, as well as facing a firing squad boldly. It is evident that the daydreams may be prompted by the chaos in his life brought about by his relationship with his wife. His wife is portrayed as a person who always quarrels with Walter over one thing or another. The aspect of Walter daydreaming is a means of escaping tribulations in his real life. He wants to escape to a world where he is in control of his own situations. He escapes from the real world to an imaginary world where he is in control of his own affairs. It is however worth to note that his escapism leads him to more troubles. In one instance as he is daydreaming, he is unable to pack the car correctly only to be assisted by the packing attendant. While heading to town with his wife, he daydreams and ends up over speeding the car. His daydreaming behavior also makes him forgetful. He forgets what his wife requested him to buy before they left home. The style of telling the story helps us to

FOREX (Foreign Exchange Market ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

FOREX (Foreign Exchange Market ) - Essay Example When UK joined the ERM, her DM rate stood at 2.95, slightly above the minimum requirement for the euro zone (Friedman and Woodford 182). In a bid to migrate the ERM loss, UK should have tried not to overvalue the pound. The overvaluation caused ripples in economic markets, allowing speculators to make profits at the expense of economic failure. Drawing from the above diagram, UK government could have migrated losses by avoiding buying of pounds using foreign exchange reserves. As the diagram suggests, 1990 and 1992 exhibits inhibited economic growth and significantly high inflation. Artificial overvaluation of the pound under such circumstances proved catastrophic to the UK. By 1992, UK base rates were on a decline trend as the above diagram suggests. However, the actual scenario on the ground was different. UK had revised interest rates upwards, an aspect that further accelerated economic failure. In response, UK left ERM, cut interest rates, and embarked on economic growth stimulation through inflation reduction, housing market corrections, and employment

Cause and Effect Technology Essay Example for Free

Cause and Effect Technology Essay Technology continues to make progress every single day in society. Schools, the workplace, and even homes have advanced so much over the past twenty years. As technology starts to take over every little part of people’s lives, some new advances may end up as the â€Å"next big thing† and others may slowly destroy the ways of human life. First, technology in schools, which have adapted so many new advances in even the last five years. A cause of increased use of technology in classrooms could be the pressure to do better with the resources they were given. This can lead to three consequences such as a cheating, easier access to information, and they could even use technology as a sort of tutor. Second, the workplace has adapted to all the new technologies maybe even faster than schools. Businesses search for a more productive way to run their operations. The increased usage of technology in the workplace has a very dangerous outcome which usually manifests in stress. Three causes of the stress in the workplace could be due to technology such as malfunctions, job insecurity, and certain medical issues when the employees use the technology all the time. Last, these new technologies even have tried to make life at home simpler for everyone. Things may seem like they are there to help you, but in the long run these new techniques may end up turning out poorly. Since the new technology has been brought about, there are more ways to find a recipe than just looking in a cookbook that was found in the kitchen cupboard. This may end up in obesity for in the long run and may not even see it coming. The effects of the increased usage of technology has caused the way people live their lives at school, at work, and at home to change drastically. As more schools tend to adapt to the â€Å"technology wave† there has been an increase of discussion about whether the advances of technology in the  classroom help the students learn better, or if it distracts them from actually doing the work themselves. These types of improvements increase the pressure of succeeding academically. One result of the growing amount of pressure on a student is that children are able to use technology as a tutor. Whether it is used as an educational social media to connect peers together outside of school, or even just simply being able to go to a search engine and gain the same knowledge that could be learned in the classroom. The internet is a great tutor if the resources are used properly. Another ramification of the flourishing amount of pressure put on a student because of the increased use of technology in classrooms is that information is far more accessible than before. Due to the mass amount of information available, everything is one click away. With the use of tablets, students are able to practically hold an entire encyclopedia set in their hands. The third effect of the increase of pressure among students is the fact that academic dishonesty is too easy. Since it is so easy to gather information from other sources besides your own head when you are stuck, this can lead to dangerous temptations of cheating in school. Workplace stress is a serious consequence that employees experience because of the increased use of technology in businesses. One reason stress is created at work, related to the escalating use of technology, is due to technological malfunctions. When technology does not work correctly, employees can lose important data, miss deadlines, and slow down production. This can not only have harmful effects, but become a waste of time. Another reason stress is created in the workplace is due to job insecurity. Technology is able to do jobs that more efficiently and at a cheaper cost than what a human would do. Since the increased use of technology, robots are now able to perform simple tasks with no mistakes like the assembly line, to more complex situations like medical procedures. Companies save thousands of dollars by making the transition to robots. This creates stress on employees seeing the possibility of jobs being replaced by a robot. The last cause of this stress is the risk of medical injuries. Technology may be able to reduce some medical risks that employees had with their job, but now there are medical conditions that are arising because of the technology that workers use. Since companies are starting to use more robots, they do not  know what is going on at all times besides they are programmed what to do. Any incident could happen at any second because the robots do not stop unless a human presses a button to make them stop. The increased use of technology at home has been a blessing. Senior citizens and other adults that were not once used to technology, now are using it more than ever. For example, with the increasing use of technology, cookbooks are almost at the point of extinction. Before, when families wanted to make a new recipe for dinner, they had to get all of their cookbooks out and try to make their own recipe. This has all became simpler due to the internet. Practically any recipe can be found on the internet today. Although many recipes are so accessible, finding the perfect one may be difficult, which leads to frustration. They may not have the exact ingredients needed to make the meal or may not want to take the time to create a dinner for the family. Therefore, the outcome of someone becoming frustrated with technology could result in fast food or take-out options. Since technology has become so advanced, food can be ordered online and delivered to the door. This would cause people to become much lazier. Technology then could become the staring point of obesity. Instead of families going out and getting the food, or going out to the store and getting the ingredients for the meal they just get on the computer and order their unhealthy choices, which could lead to obesity, due to the convinces of technology, and creates a lack of exercise. Overall, technology has become a great tool for everyone and has helped paved the way to success for many. Sometimes technology does not work the way it is supposed to and causes problems to arise. But luckily, technology is slowly becoming more useful and less of a hassle. Whether technology is used at school, work, or home it has changed the way people live their lives dramatically.

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:

Classification of Medical Devices

Classification of Medical Devices Sri Kanya Alluru Why are medical devices stratified into different classes? A wide range of medical devices are used daily, and many are being marketed. It is difficult to study each of these devices separately. In order to determine these devices complexity, and its level of harm a classification system is developed. The classification is assigned based on its marketing requirements and the risks or benefits it imposes. A basic classification system is required to classify and assign medical devices to each of these systems to get a thorough understanding of all devices, their intended use, labeling patterns and marketing criteria. Medical devices are classified into 3 groups based on the degree of difficulty in assuring safety and efficacy. These medical devices are used by mankind in one or the other way so it is necessary to classify them so that they can be aware of the risks posed by each class. The various classes include Class I: General controls Class II: General controls and special controls Class III: General controls, Special controls and premarket approval This stratification helps FDA, manufacturers and patients. Class I devices are low risk devices, and require less regulatory control compared to other classes. These include elastic bandages etc. Class III devices are high risk and life sustaining so strict regulations are to be enforced in a manner such that these devices adhere to them. Examples include implants, pacemakers etc. By understanding these risk factors patients can be careful at the time of device use to assure their safety. FDA has classified almost 1700 medical devices into different categories known as panels based on their medical importance and their intended use such as all cardiovascular devices are assigned as one panel, all dental devices are grouped as another panel etc., which in turn are again assigned either under Class I, II or III devices. These devices are classified based on the device description according to 21 CFR 862-892. For manufacturers in case of low risk devices such as Class I devices they are exempted from pre-market approval and so take less time for marketing thus benefitting manufacturers. So based on classification they can identify which products need approval and which of them are to be exempted enabling their marketing time. 2. Why is traceability important for the medical device life cycle? Who does it benefit – the manufacturer, FDA, both? Explain your answer. Traceability is defined as the ability to thoroughly study a medical device from it design to the end process. It requires complete analysis and understanding of their uses. (Effective Traceability of Medical Devices, 2010). Traceability is an essential factor in device life cycle as it Enables product recalls, To determine the batch that has undergone recalls without enhancing recall of all devices To maintain records so that an efficient review and preventive measures can be enabled It is the responsibility of each manufacturer to establish requirements for each type or family of devices to ensure the device safety, quality, and establish methods and procedures to design, produce, distribute, etc. As a part of the quality system regulation or GMP principle documenting the details is essential for traceability. The manufacturer must prepare a batch record for every device/batch that is product and must be identified with a unique lot/control numbering system defined by the manufacturer and it represents the lots complete history. Distribution records of each where it was shipped must be kept by the manufacturer for traceability in the event of a recall. The device GMP require manufacturers to be able to trace any device or device component by a control number if it is indented for surgical implant into the body to support or sustain life, and its failure to perform can be reasonably expected to result in a significant injury to the user. The Quality system regulations require companies to establish purchasing controls and institute post-distribution device failure investigations and corrective/preventive actions for defects or recurring technical problems. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to establish traceability controls to effectively handle complaint/failures and determine root cause so as to correct prevent the reoccurrence and at the same time it would help the manufacturer to effectively handle the recalls both internally and also with FDA when required. 3. Review the Johnson and Johnson Quality Catastrophe article under Week 9 Readings. What areThe major lessons learned from Johnson and Johnson’s Quality Catastrophe? Based on the events and circumstances in the article Johnson and Johnson and its subsidiaries had certainly put its consumers trust in turmoil by providing unsafe products. Johnson Johnson (JJ) expanded its businesses by acquiring and merging with companies manufacturing health products. Due to these acquisitions it has become a decentralized organization. It is unusual to see deficiencies in product quality and safety, as all the procedures and rules for safety are defined at the enterprise level, not at the product level. The incidents mentioned occurred due to ignorance and profit making strategies of the corporate companies leaving the facts and safety concerns behind reality. These would cause lot of pain and suffering to the people relying on the product with their lives. Tylenol incident occurred in the past has gained applause and appreciation for its best crisis management, but later incidents brought condemnation to the company. The reason for this quality catastrophe occurred at JJ is mainly due to the following reasons. Corporate governance: Due to JJ decentralized organizational structure, the responsibility rest at the enterprise level not at the subsidiary level, CEO Weldon (2002-2012) put in place. Under his Leader ship many recalls, incidents occurred due to his negligence, and profit making mentality. They failed to meet with the regulations He clouded the issues in the factories (McNeil Factory odor), recalls (Motrin, Benadryl), lawsuits (Hip replacement) from the individuals, hospitals using their products by showing steady growth and properties to the investors and board of directors. Product Safety: Product safety should be one of the top priorities while manufacturing consumer products. Ignoring these facts will cause jeopardy to the consumers and have adverse effects due to their use. Marketing products without proper research and tests will cause problems to the consumers. JJ failed to comply with these standards in their products (Ortho Evra, DePuy hip product), and caused harm and discomfort to the consumers emotionally and physically. FDA Ignorance: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be stringent with companies in imposing rules and regulations of the FDA. By imposing these laws FDA can ensure that the companies will provide high quality products to the consumers. In this case FDA ignored the JJ company product recalls, factories manufacturing standards, and their sanity conditions. Due to its ignorance people had permanent immobility, discomfort, and even deaths. This can be prevent if FDA had a structured program in allowing health products being market after certifying them they are safe, and define laws that would report medical incidents, and lawsuits to the FDA for review. 4. What are the regulatory challenges specifically for products in the mobile health space? FDA recently issued the Mobile Medical Guidance for Industry, which mainly outlines the regulations for mobile space devices. The mobile app is designed to have a direct communication to patient. (Kim, 2014) Incorporating mobile apps, as a tool for health-based issues is a boon, when major challenges and risks associated with it are overviewed and are put in a right way so that they are beneficial to the public. Recently a large number of health and fitness apps, medical device apps are introduced and their number is constantly increasing day by day. But the major challenge underneath this is which of them are beneficial and can be categorized as medical apps. They are to be clearly understood and regulated. Software’s intended solely for the purpose of storage are exempted as medical apps, and those for serious health issues and diagnostic purposes are regarded as mobile health apps. Post market surveillance also has a major role to play. As these mobile health apps are pioneer and outstanding major challenges lies in diagnosis, monitoring and treatment (Brousseau, 2012). Medical apps can be categorized into three groups. Firstly only a few apps meet the requirements of a device and help in diagnosis. Secondly, a large number of apps are not scrutinized or influenced by FDA such as calorie counters etc. and finally some apps, which have no benefits in medical field. In spite of so many of these apps FDA has to have a keen and a clear survey on which of them actually comes under mobile health category and regulate them(Brousseau, 2012). Most challenging effect is that there might be loss of confidentiality because these social medias always face the risk of hackers. There are also serious risks associated with the misuse of mobile apps. But there are questions regarding how risks arise with these apps. So there is challenge for the improvement of adverse reporting system. It’s possible for a medical device to escape regulatory process and enter the market but such type of procedures impose risks to consumers so FDA has to monitor them thoroughly.(Vesely, 2014) 5. What was the most interesting thing you learned in the devices portion  Of RGA 6100? There are many interesting things that surprised me during my course. I could learn the regulations governing these devices, various medical device companies, their FDA approvals and lot more things. Today there are so many advances in medical device technology such as medical robotic technology for various surgeries, mobile health apps that helps in communication between doctor and patient, inhaled insulin more advantageous to diabetes patients and if we go on it would be an never ending discussion. I found Lap-band interesting because of today’s obesity problems people are facing. Although there are several weight loss programs, fitness centers, they provide only short-term results and also have considerable health problems.(Ruchi Mathur, 2014) This lap-band is so advantageous that it ensures healthy weight loss and has long term results. This is an adjustable process as we can loosen or tighten it according to our convenience. (Lap-Band Surgery Information,) REFERENCES: Brousseau, Zachary. (2012). Experts Examine Regulation of Health-Related Mobile Apps, Software and Social Media. Retrieved 03/24/2014, 2014, from https://http://www.raps.org/focus-online/under-raps/under-raps-article/article/2479/experts-examine-regulation-of-health-related-mobile-apps-software-and-social-me.aspx Effective Traceability of Medical Devices. (2010). Retrieved 03/21/014, 2014, from http://www.imb.ie/EN/SafetyQuality/Advisory-WarningRecall-Notices/Medical-Devices/page-title-Effective-Traceability-of-Medical-Devices.aspx Kim, Sun. (2014). FDA Regulations on Mobile Medical Apps. Retrieved 03/24/2014, 2014, from http://qbdworks.com/fda-regulations-on-mobile-medical-apps/ Lap-Band Surgery Information.). Retrieved 03/21/2014, 2014, from http://www.mills-peninsula.org/obesity/lapband.html Ruchi Mathur, MD, FRCP(C). (2014). Lap Band Surgery(Gastric Banding). Retrieved 03/21/2014, 2014, from http://www.medicinenet.com/lap_band_surgery_gastric_banding/article.htm Vesely, Rebecca. (2014). mHealth Regulations: Whats in Store? Retrieved 03/25/2014, 2014, from http://www.ihealthbeat.org/insight/2014/mhealth-regulations-whats-in-store 1

Showalter’s Analysis of Chopin’s The Awakening Essay -- Chopin Awakeni

Showalter’s Analysis of Chopin’s The Awakening In â€Å"Tradition and the Female Talent: The Awakening as a Solitary Book,† Elaine Showalter makes a compelling argument that â€Å"Edna Pontellier’s ‘unfocused yearning’ for an autonomous life is akin to Kate Chopin’s yearning to write works that go beyond female plots and feminine endings† (204). Urging her reader to read The Awakening â€Å"in the context of literary tradition,† Showalter demonstrates the ways in which Chopin’s novel both builds upon and departs from the tradition of American women’s writing up to that point. Showalter begins with the antebellum novelists’ themes of women’s roles as mothers—especially the importance of the mother-daughter relationship—and women’s attachments with one another and then moves to the local colorists of the post-Civil War who claimed male and female models but who wrote that motherhood was not a suitable partner for the true artist. Accord ing to these women writers, a woman had to choose to be either an artist or a wife and mother; one negatively affected the other. The literary history then delves...

Harmartias in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

Harmartias in Julius Caesar Throughout the play of "Julius Caesar" Brutus makes many mistakes or harmartias, which eventually lead to his tragic downfall. Although Brutus makes many harmartias I feel that these three are the most important. The largest harmartia that Brutus makes is listening to Cassius, in the beginning. Another harmartia Brutus makes is deciding not to kill Antony. Brutus also makes the mistake of meeting Antony's army in Philippi instead of waiting at the camp. These three harmartias of Brutus will be greater explained in the next three paragraphs. Brutus made a large harmartia listening to Cassius' speak about assassinating Caesar. Brutus is very naive and because Cassius is clever he can make Brutus agree with him. Cassius himself even says, "If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius, He should not humour me." (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 314-315). If Brutus did not listen to Cassius, he wouldn't have joined the conspiracy, and Brutus' tragedy would have never happened. This is why Brutus should have never listened to Cassius' conspiracy plan. A large harmartia that Brutus made was not killing Antony. Brutus says, " For Antony is but a limb of Caesar." (Shakespeare Act 2, Scene 1, Line 165). . Brutus feels that Antony would not be able to do anything without Caesar, and would probably commit suicide. Cassius thinks that Antony should be killed, but does not argue with Brutus. Antony ends up being even stronger without Caesar and is a tyrant ruler in a triumvirate. Antony and his army are the reason why Brutus kills himself. If Brutus did kill Antony he would probably of lived and been a ruler Rome. Another harmartia that Brutus made was meeting the armies of Antony and Octavius in Philippi instead of having them come closer to the camp. Once again Cassius thinks differently than Brutus. Cassius says, "'Tis better that the enemy seek us; So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers, Doing himself offence; whilst we, lying still, Are full of rest, defence, and nimbleness." (Shakespeare Act 4, Scene 3, Line 198-201). Brutus thinks that they should meet at Philippi because the enemy armies will grow on the way to the camp.

Dialogue

Receptionist : Taman Negara Resort Hotel. Good Morning, can I help you? Encik Mansor :Good Morning, this is Encik Mansor. I would like to make a reservation for four days three nights. Can you tell give me the exact location of the hotel? Receptionist : Oh,ya! Our resort is located right within Malaysia's premier national park. It is a natural sanctuary set in the best kept natural Rainforest overlooking the Tembeling and Tahan rivers. Encik Mansor :OK. Look like very interesting . What is the best way travel from Kuala Lumpur to yours resort?Receptionist: To get to our resort, from Kuala Lumpur you will have to take the Kuantan Highway, it will take about 3 hours 30 minutes to Kuala Tahan ( Taman Negara). Drive right ahead to Kuala Tahan. After about 2 hours on the road look for the junction to the left to Rainforest Resort. Alternatively, if you intend to travel by boat, proceed on to Kuala Tembeling Jetty Point you can park your car at Kuala Tembeling. Encik Mansor: Wao! The journ ey is so far!Receptionist: Ya, The total journey from Kuala Lumpur to Mutiara Taman Negara Resort will take approximately 7 hours. Encik Mansor:It doesn’t matter. Then I have three children will belong us go to the trip, so what activities that can attract my children at the resort? Receptionist: How old are they? Encik Mansor:They are all below 12 years old. Receptionist: There have a park who are called ( Native Orange) stay at Kampung bong. Inside the park, there have several types of birds , their numbers reach about 350 type of rare tropical birds.In addition, you also can bring your children visiting Kg. Orang Asli. Orang Asli is the local natives, they are gentle folk who lead a nomadic lifestyle in Taman Negara. At there, you can see how they making fire in a traditional way and try their hunting weapon – blow pipe. At night,there have experience night jungle walk with nature guide, visit Tahan Hide and see the nocturnal animals come alive. Encik Mansor:For my children, Is it their activities are safety? Receptionist:Of course! Oh Ya!There have also a interesting activity called Canopy walk. It give an experience on the longest suspension bridge in the world, there is about 510M long and 45M above the ground level . You must bring your children go over there ,because when you walk on the top of the forest, you can enjoy the flora and fauna along the canopy. I think it is the best experience is yours life! Encik Mansor: Good job! That is why I want bring my children go over there. Then, how about for adult?Receptionist: For those people, you can try the jungle trekking. It is along the most adventures trail about 1. 7Km to Bukit Teresek, takes about 30 minutes to 45 minutes to reach its peak. In additional, you also can exploring cave. Inside the cave, there have various bats, racer snakes and many fascinating insects. If you want to play some water activities, rapid shooting is the best choice, that is because rapid shooting is an exhilar ating ride that faces seven rapids along Tembeling River.On the way back, if you want to swim in crystal clear water, you may ask the boat to stop at one of the beautiful streams. Encik Mansor : So many activity that we can join. I think it is quite good for us. So,how much are the rooms? Receptionist:Now, we have a promotion for family package. Family suites available for RM 350. It just for 2 adult and 2 children . If you need a extra bed, It is RM60 per each. Encik Mansor : That is great ! So,I need a family suite and a extra bed! The total is RM410 is it? Receptionist : Ya,that is right!Encik Mansor : Is it have swimming pool in the resort? Receptionist : Yes. In our resort, that also have restaurant, bar, Library, Laundry, Mini market , Souvenier shop, Entertainment room, gym room, it is very convenient. Encik Mansor : I will been there at December 3 to December 6,totally for 4 days, can I booking now? Receptionist: Ya,of course! I will booking for you . So anything else? Encik Mansor : No. Receptionist : Very thank you for your reservation and hope you have a nice day. Encik Mansor : You are welcome! Receptionist : Good Bye ! Encik Mansor : Good Bye !

Methods Armitage and Duffy Use to Convey Their Ideas About Essay

Both Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage use a range of methods in their exploration of the theme of change. Duffy’s poems tend to be more personal although in her poems about change, such as ‘Pluto’ and ‘The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team’ she writes in a male voice which then distances her from the speaker. Armitage writes more universal poems, few of which are written of personal experiences in the first person. Both write about change in a mostly negative manner, particularly seen in ‘Pluto’, ‘The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team’ and ‘Afterword. The use of form and structure contributes considerably to the exploration of the theme of change. It is used variably through their poetry. In ‘Man with a Golf Ball Heart’ by Armitage, he uses what could be a sonnet to express change. The poem has fourteen lines and at the sixth line begins with ‘but’ which signals change. It could therefore be a modernised petrarchan sonnet. This would be appropriate as one of the poem’s themes is change and would be an original way to explore that theme. The poem is written in prose-like free verse as Armitage is telling a story of what happened when he opened up a golf ball and is then likening it the man’s heart. By doing so he uses more description and creates clear visual images. The graphic description of the golf ball uses words such as ‘bitter’, ‘bad’ and ‘weep’ which have negative connotations. The view of change in this poem is negative and tells of how the man became. The prose technique is again used by Armitage in ‘Goalkeeper with a Cigarette’ in which the poem is written entirely in that style. This poem is a detailed description of an old-fashioned goalkeeper and therefore is helped by this writing style. By using an effective description technique Armitage is able to explore the theme of change in a different way in that this poem looks upon change in a nostalgic way that is not negative. However, in the poem ‘Afterword’ Armitage uses a very different structural technique. It is written in three quatrains and a couplet which is organised in a style preferred by Duffy. This is used as the poem is quite  straightforward in its description of when two twins become distanced. It does not look at how, merely focuses on an instance when they are reunited. The structure then enhances the simplicity of the poem. The tone of the poem is less romantic than that of Duffy’s work. Its tone is cold. Alliteration accentuates the ‘f’ sound in the first stanza which sounds harsh. This highlights change as it is not a tone that one would associate with twins who grew up together so therefore a change must have occurred. It also uses lots of rhyme where the words are matched up, in a way that twins are. In the second stanza all the rhymed words rhyme with twin. The rhyme also creates a steady internal rhythm. Carol Ann Duffy also uses form and structure to accentuate meaning. It is used in a very particular way in ‘Pluto’. In this poem the layout is different to others. Rather than the normal organised stanzas they are uneven and the second and third stanzas are indented. Duffy does this to represent a change in tense. This is done quite dramatically, as the style is very different to her preferred method, and so emphasises the change in tense and the emotions the speaker is feeling in being different to how he once was. His thoughts are written in italics which further adds to the uneven form of the poem. The form and structural techniques used in ‘The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team’ more like Duffy’s style. The stanzas are organised and all are end stopped. It looks organised on the page and is preferred by Duffy. The first three stanzas are spoken as if from the past and the final stanza jumps to the present, therefore highlighting a change in the speaker’s life. Duffy uses italics again here to highlight quiz questions, answers and sounds. This breaks up the rhythm of the poem which could be a reflection of the speaker’s dissatisfied attitude to his current state and how his mind is still in the past before the change to his life occurred. Duffy again uses organised stanzas in ‘Before You Were Mine’ which are five lines long and each is end stopped. The way the poem is told is unusual as it is talking about the future from the perspective of a child before that child was born. The change in the poem is therefore told from a different  and unusual angle. This method compares how the speaker’s mother was to how she is now. Both Armitage and Duffy use register and lexis to give their poems a certain feel. In ‘The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team’ Duffy uses words with connotations such as ‘satchel’ and mentions icons such as the ‘Supremes’ in order to give the poem a 1960s feel. This highlights the change from ‘then’ to ‘now’. The poem has a negative view towards change shown in its negative tone and register. The speaker is bitter about how his life has turned out. This is revealed in Duffy’s lexical choice such as referring to his children as ‘thick’ only because they do not know what their father does. Duffy distances this poem from herself by using a man as the speaker and therefore making the poem more universal. They also both use an informal register and colloquial expressions. These can be seen in ‘Goalkeeper with a Cigarette’ by Armitage and ‘Before You Were Mine’ by Duffy. In ‘Goalkeeper with a Cigarette’ the poem has a nostalgic, ‘good old days’ theme and so in keeping with that theme the lexis used is old fashioned. Duffy chooses colloquial expressions such as ‘jersey’ and ‘cadging’. The register is informal in ‘Before You Were Mine’ as Duffy is talking directly to her mother. She also uses colloquial language such as ‘eh?’ By using this register both Armitage and Duffy suggest times gone by and therefore change to what exists now. Such as, people do not particularly wear jerseys anymore. A technique also used by both is that of metaphorical language and, more specifically, imagery and symbolism. Armitage uses symbolism and metaphors in ‘Man with a Golf Ball Heart’ as he uses the metaphor of the golf ball to symbolise the man’s heart and the change it went through; how it was an apple once. This particular poem is all a metaphor for the man’s heart, however, in other poems by both Armitage and Duffy symbolism and metaphors are used more to create certain images. In ‘Goalkeeper with a Cigarette’ it is used to create a certain image. By using phrases such as ‘pouch of tobacco and skins’ and ‘sausage-man gloves’ a clear picture of the keeper is formed in the reader’s mind. Further imagery is used in ‘Afterword’ when Armitage describes how the brother’s relationship has become. He writes: ‘each eyeing the other through a telescope which had once been a mirror.’ Armitage uses the metaphors of mirror and telescope to highlight the distance that has grown between them. Duffy uses imagery in a similar way. In ‘Before You Were Mine’ she likens her mother to Marilyn Monroe. This creates an instant image of what her mother may have been like, or how the speaker saw her. In ‘Pluto’ Duffy uses imagery in a way more similar to that of ‘Man with a Golf Ball Heart’. The way the speaker is feeling is compared to the existence of Pluto. Pluto is imagined to be a very lonely, dark place. This is likened to the existence of the old man, alone in a Home. He refers to ‘another world out there’ which can be taken as a double meaning for both Pluto and his previous life which now feels like another world away. By creating this metaphor Duffy is able to illustrate the emotions of the speaker. She also creates images for physical descriptions such as ‘brown coins on my face the size of ha’pennies’. Using metaphorical language in these poems contributes to the exploration of change. By creating images it forms comparisons of what was and what is and shows the difference between them. It highlights the changes that have taken places and the speaker’s view of them. Duffy and Armitage have different general styles in their writing techniques. Both use different themes, tones and forms. However in their poems which portray their ideas of change they often both use similar techniques to each other, although each maintains their own style and none  of the poems could be confused for one of the others’.