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Welcome back to our
StarTeaching newsletter,
Features for Teachers, packed full of tips, techniques,
and ideas for educators of all students in all levels.
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Would you be interested in
becoming a Featured Writer for the StarTeaching website?
Our Newsletter
is now posting a opening for a creative educator interested in
designing a set of weekly science activities for
students and teachers to use.
Email your resume and letter of
interest to: editor@starteaching.com |
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ARE
WE PRODUCING A GENERATION OF MARKS SCORING MACHINES ???
By:
Dr.Nagendra
Prakash
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Dr. Prakash is the director of the Mind Power
Institute in India. His company, a world leader in
educational brain research, has developed excellent software to
help develop basic thinking and remembering skills.
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I
returned home in the evening after a grueling day at work. I was
exhausted and irritable what with the tussle with the boss. My
12-year-old son sheepishly approached me to sign his marks card.
One look at the scores and my temper flew.
“Why can’t you concentrate and read?” I bellowed. “Can’t
you keep what you read in your memory and take good marks?”
Looking straight in my eyes, my son retorted, “Can you or mommy
teach me how to concentrate, and what I should do to improve my memory
capacity? My teachers at school say the same thing, but nobody
tells us how or what to do.”
Have you also been in a similar situation like this before ?
It is so easy as adults to admonish a child or student to concentrate
and memorize what they read. But if they turn back and question
"How do I do it?", we are at a loss to answer.
Life skills, like any other skills, require constant practice to hone
it. People have the tendency to take these skills for granted and
over a period of time they rust from a lack of practice. Children
on the other hand have a lot of opportunities to practice in their daily
interaction and learning and they retain their skills at Memory and
Concentration. But parents, elders and teachers curtail even this
to keep up with the competition and with the sole aim of scoring good
marks.
Children are constantly discouraged to stop playing, conversing, playing
outdoor games and to spend their quality time the way they want. They
are forced to sit tightly in their room and “read” lessons.
Such lack of exposure and lack of inter-communication leads to obtund
life skills in the present generation of children. Many a group of
educational institutions have seen through this malady and are now
encouraging children to be what they want to do best: play with toys and
not bother about forcibly mug up rhymes, exams and scores.
Life
skills thus form the very foundation of the structure a child / student
is in the process of construction. If the foundation is sound, he can
raise floors related to knowledge, job, career, profession, money, power
etc, and be successful.
Basic Skills are inbuilt perceptions and awareness in an individual.
They take the form of ability, adaptability and application.
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Abilities
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Adaptabilities
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Application
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Memory
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Frustration
tolerance
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Goal
formulation
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Concentration
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Time
consciousness
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Planning
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Comprehension
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Locus
of control
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Executing
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Logical
reasoning
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Need
for achievement
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Foresight
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Divergent
thinking
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Seeking
responsibility
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Self
regulation
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Willingness
to learn
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Motivation
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Objectivity
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Abstract
reasoning
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Leadership
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Maturity
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Education is not just the abundance of information in the brain which
probably runs riot and is incomprehensive. What is required is
channeling this information to form character, to strengthen and expand
the intellect so as to make an individual capable of independent
sustenance.
Ninety percent of an individual's force of thought is wasted without
these basic skills and therefore constantly tending to commit blunders.
A trained mind with perfect basic skills seldom makes a mistake.
The only way to retain and sharpen the existing basic skills is to keep
up the practice and be detached about the consequences. One ounce of
practice is worth thousand tones of big talk.
The question arises now as to whether these skills are enough for our
everyday living.
WE
ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT SURVIVING BUT ABOUT THRIVING.
As Swami Vivekananda said, "The essence of education is
concentration of mind, not the collection of facts. If I had to do my
education over again I would not study facts at all. I would develop the
power of concentration, memory and detachment and with this perfect
instrument I could collect as many facts at will".
Information processing happens at a macro level in the brain. Each
detail is recorded in the brain in association with the existing
information. To use memory and concentration a student should learn to
exercise various regions of the brain. Memory is measured in four
different ways: Recognition, Recall, Relearning, and Reintegration
Emphasis on evaluation of these life skills should be a part of
curriculum in education. Products and literature on enhancing them
should be included. Constant practice in day-to-day life should be
encouraged as long as one is fit to function.
MindPower Solutions is a group of professional psychologists, behavior
scientists, and educators who have dedicated themselves to finding a
suitable solution for this.
After 18 years of research and validation in various schools at
Bangalore
involving nearly 4000 students, the psychologists and educationists have
devised some basic psychometric games.
These psychometric games have now been developed on a web based Visual
basic platform to produce versatile software for universal application.
These games are fun to work, but at the same time benefits the student
to learn the techniques of memory. Also, by constant practice they
can now sharpen their skills.
The software is like a Mental Gym.
Please visit the website,
http://www.mindpowersolution.com
We
have a sample game uploaded which you could play for FREE.
You
would then realize how unique and different it is.
The psychometric games have been programmed such a way that they are
RANDOMLY generated by your own computer and it avoids repetition even if
you played thousands of times.
http://www.mindpowersolution.com/FamilyVersion.htm
The software is available both in desktop downloadable version and
online version.
Schools and institutions could use EVALUATION version online where the
software is given as SAS(Software as Service) in the form of licenses,
one for each student with their privacy protected.
http://www.mindpowersolution.com/Institute.ht
m
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NowAvailable! |
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 |
Mastering Basic
Skills software:
$29.99 |
| There
are six modules designed to test the basic ability of an
individual in terms of Memory & Concentration. Needless to
say this is the most important basic skill for not just to
survive but also to thrive in this competitive environment.
Each of the six modules tests the six variants of Memory &
Concentration in an individual, namely: |
1. |
Picture
recognition |
| 2. |
Paired Associate
Learning |
| 3. |
Immediate Recall |
| 4. |
Serial processing |
| 5. |
Parallel
processing |
| 6. |
Recognition and
Recall |
| Each
of these modules runs at three different levels, from easy to
difficult.
At each level, the individual's performance is depicted as
Scores Obtained.
A feedback has been built into the software for all these 18
levels depending on the marks one scores during the
test.
Each individual can assess his/her performance any time by
clicking on "history", which gives complete details
of date and time of taking the tests, marks scored each time
and even time taken to do the test. This builds the confidence
level and encourages more participation to eventually
culminate in improvement and enhancement of memory and
concentration.
Essentially, this software is a SELF AWARENESS tool that
surely motivates the individual to realize one's capability
and seek or be receptive for improvement. Also, if repeatedly
done over a period of time works as Training tool to enhance
their capability. |
This
software package is specifically designed to help young
children to learn basic skills that will help them in
school. Continued follow-up will give these young
learners success as they mature.
Three versions of the software exist:
Individual Software on either CD or Online, Family
Version Software, and an Institutional Software package.
StarTeaching wholeheartedly supports
and endorses this software. It will make a difference
with your child or student. |
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Click
HERE to order your own copy today:
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Do you need to raise
money for school expenses? Would you like to use your gift of
teaching to earn extra money? You can do both with our high
quality gourmet vegetable blend scented candles. Learn more
about what I have to offer and request your free information
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School
Features
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The Untold Secret to
Creating a Fun Learning Environment
By Michael Kett
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Most teachers, including parents who home
school their children, are always looking for new techniques to
make learning more exciting for both them and their students. If
you think back to the teachers you had in school, you probably
remember the teachers that made learning fun. What if I told you
that there is an easy, fun, and unique magic application that
can improve writing skills, verbal communication, and motor
abilities, as well as create memory hooks for key curriculum
topics? Well, there is…
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I know what you are thinking: "But I’m a
teacher, not a magician". Being a teacher is what will make this
teaching tool successful for you. The magic effects taught in the book,
Houdini in the Classroom, are NOT difficult, although they will require
minimal practice. The real magic happens when you blend your teaching
experience with magic and you see first hand the powerful learning
effect this has on your students. Why Harry Houdini? Harry Houdini is
still the most famous magician of all time, even though he died in 1926.
He captivated his audience’s attention and was a terrific showman and
self- promoter. These “Houdini-like” attributes combined with basic
magic effects can be applied to the classroom to create a fun and
exciting learning environment, regardless of the curriculum and grade
level.
I remember my son having a school assignment to write out the directions
to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was a technique to
develop descriptive and clear writing abilities. It is a common teaching
tool, but what if the teacher taught a simple but amazing magic trick to
the class and then had the students write the directions to the trick?
Not only would it be more fun than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,
but it could be combined with developing the motor skills to perform the
trick. Plus, what about having the students write a story to accompany
the trick? And then tell the story while performing the trick to develop
public
speaking skills? What a fun and multifaceted learning activity! The same
idea can be used as a behavior modification technique. What child
doesn’t love magic? Especially, when they know the secret and can fool
their family and friends? Why not offer to teach the class a cool magic
trick at the end of the week, if certain goals are accomplished during
the week?
I guarantee that any teacher that performs magic as part of the teaching
process will have the students sitting on the edge of their seats to see
and hear what the teacher does next. Magic is the ultimate attention
getter!
Easy magic tricks can be integrated into any lesson plan regardless of
subject or grade. You can pick up any beginner magic book at the library
but you it will take trial and error to know what tricks are appropriate
and how to blend them into your lesson plans. Or you can allow me to
help you. I’ve done all the work for you in my book, Houdini In The
Classroom. You can become the Houdini In The Classroom at your school!
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Michael Kett is, a physical therapist for more than 25 years, is an educator,
motivator, and author. His two published books, Applied Magic and
Houdini
in the Classroom, explore two unique magic applications. Applied Magic
demonstrates how to use magic as a therapeutic tool and Houdini in the
Classroom shows teachers how to use magic to develop creative thinking,
writing skills, verbal communication and self-esteem.
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StarTeaching Featured Writer
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Year of the
Dogman
A new novel by Frank Holes, Jr. |
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Part mystery, part science fiction, Year
of the Dogman is an imaginative, compelling, and adrenaline-pumping
adventure. Author Frank Holes, Jr. takes no prisoners in creating a
diabolical creature that leaves the forest to prey on the hapless hamlet
of
Twin
Lakes
in
Northern Michigan
. When night falls, the nocturnal beast, Dogman, scares the living
daylights out of anyone he happens upon as he searches for a timeless
treasure stolen from a Native American tribe. In the midst of the chaos, a
young teacher is forced to put two and two together no matter how high the
cost to rid the village of the treacherous man-beast who thrives on
destruction and terror.
The Dogman, a creature of
MythMichigan, is an excellent example of modern-day folklore to
study in your classes.
http://www.dogman07.com
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Order your copy by clicking the link below.
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Teachers:
We now have special offers on Classroom Sets of our Novel.
Click here for more information:
ORDER
A CLASS SET
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New
Teachers' Niche:
A Place for New Teachers, Student Teachers, and Interns |
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Teaching
Listening Skills During Presentations
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Presentations are becoming ever more common
as teachers change to student-centered classes. These may be
students or possibly guest speakers addressing the class.
Regardless of who is speaking, the remainder of the students are
comprising an audience that must be informed of its expectations
during a presentation.
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We've developed a short, simple set of rules we call 'Expected
Behaviors of a Good Listener'. All of our classrooms (each subject area)
have posted these rules, and review them and utilize them whenever a
presentation is given. They are easy to teach, remember, and monitor.
Rule 1: Look At The Speaker. This is a no-brainer. The audience is there
to watch and listen to the speaker, and attention is mandatory.
Rule 2: Keep Your Hands Still. Free hands are unable to tap pencils,
rustle paper, or drop spare change on a tile floor (one of my all-time
greatest pet-peeves).
Rule 3: Never Talk When The Speaker Is Talking. This one again seems
obvious. The audience is there to listen to the speaker, not to listen
to another member of the audience.
Rule 4: Never Distract The Speaker. This is supported by the previous
rules, but will also cover other situations. The audience should not
make faces or body gestures that detract from the speaker's ability to
present.
Rule 5: Keep Questions, Comments, And Laughter To Appropriate Times And
Levels. Students will often have questions and comments about the
presentations, and these are best posed at the end of the presentation.
There will also be instances where funny things will happen or humor is
used by the speaker. It is ok for the kids to laugh at these times (it's
ok for the teacher to laugh too). We've had instances where puppet show
stages and scenery props have fallen over. We've had tongue
twisters gone awry. We've even had hilarious costumes and actions by
characters. These and many others will happen as you present more often.
That's ok, because these funny moments will help students remember the
information better. Just remind students that laughter needs to be kept
to an appropriate level, and not to carry on with it. Questions and
comments can also be carried on too far. Don't let this time become an
attack on the speaker (unless you're in a debate class!)
Ok, so what do we do about a student who chooses to not follow the
expectations? We never give warnings, first of all. Once we've covered
the rules, we expect immediate compliance. Many students have difficulty
getting up in front of class without someone 'stealing their show' or
causing them embarrassment.
Basically we take points away from that interrupter's presentation
grade. The amount of the deduction is generally up to the individual
teacher and weighted for the assignment. The first time it happens, we
take off approximately 10% of the possible points. The second time is
decreased up to 25% (we have little tolerance for disrupting a speaker).
If it happens again, the student loses all credit and is removed from
class for the remainder of the presentations.
Presentations are important for students, both as speaker and listener.
Check out our website for a free printable copy of these rules that you
can put on an overhead sheet or hand out to your students.
Interested in FREE writing activities you can print out and use
immediately in your classroom? Simply click the following link to our
writing page: http://www.starteaching.com/writing.htm
Be sure to check out our website for the FREE teacher Who-I-Want-To- Be
plan and other great Freebies for new teachers. Simply click the
following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
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Be sure to check out our website for more great
information, tips, and techniques for new teachers,
student-teachers, and interns in teacher prep programs. Also be
sure to check out our Who-I-Want-To-Be teacher plan for
preparing yourself to enter the educational profession. Simply
click the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
Want to check
out the articles in our Student-Teaching series? Check out our
special Student-Teaching page through the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/studentteachers.htm
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Be sure to check out our website for more great
information, tips, and techniques for new teachers,
student-teachers, and interns in teacher prep programs. Also be
sure to check out our Who-I-Want-To-Be teacher plan for
preparing yourself to enter the educational profession. Simply
click the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
Want to check
out the articles in our Student-Teaching series? Check out our
special Student-Teaching page through the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/studentteachers.htm
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"Santa's
Secret Wish"
By Betty Werth Themes
on Life
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Who ever thought there was so
much more to Santa...
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On
Christmas Eve, a young boy with light in his eyes,
Looked deep into Santa's, to Santa's surprise,
And said as he nestled on Santa's broad knee,
"I want your secret. Tell it to me."
He leaned up and whispered in Santa's good ear,
"How do you do it, year after year?
"I want to know how, as you travel about,
Giving gifts here and there, you never run out.
How is it, dear Santa, that in your pack of toys
You have plenty for all of the world's girls and boys?
From rooftop to rooftop, to homes large and small,
From nation to nation, reaching them all?"
And Santa smiled kindly and said to the boy,
"Don't ask me hard questions. Don't you want a toy?"
But the child shook his head, and Santa could see
That he needed the answer. "Now listen to me,"
He told the small boy with the light in his eyes,
"My secret will make you sadder, and wise.
"The truth is that my sack is magic. Inside
It holds millions of toys for my Christmas Eve ride.
But although I do visit each girl and each boy
I don't always leave them a gaily wrapped toy.
Some homes are hungry, some homes are sad,
Some homes are desperate, some homes are bad.
Some homes are broken, and children there grieve.
Those homes I visit, but what should I leave?
"My sleigh is filled with the happiest stuff,
But for homes where despair lives, toys aren't enough.
So I tiptoe in, kiss each girl and boy,
And pray with them that they'll be given the joy
Of the sprit of Christmas, the spirit that lives
In the heart of the dear child who gets not, but gives.
If only God hears me and answers my prayer,
When I visit next year, what I will find there
Are homes filled with peace, and with giving, and love
And boys and girls gifted with light from above.
It's a very hard task, my smart little brother,
To give toys to some and to give prayers to others.
But the prayers are the best gifts, the best gifts indeed.
For God has a way of meeting each need.
"That's part of the answer. The rest, my dear youth,
Is that my sack is magic. And that is the truth.
In my sack I carry on Christmas Eve day
More love than a Santa could ever give away.
The sack never empties of love, or of joys
'Cause inside it are prayers, and hopes. Not just toys.
The more that I give, the fuller it seems,
Because giving is my way of fulfilling dreams.
"And do you know something? You've got a sack, too.
It's as magic as mine, and it's inside of you.
It never gets empty, it's full from the start.
It's the center of lights, and of love. It's your heart.
And if on this Christmas you want to help me,
Don't be so concerned with the gifts 'neath your tree.
Open that sack called your heart, and share
Your joy, your friendship, your wealth, your care."
The light in the small boy's eyes was glowing.
"Thanks for the secret. I've got to be going."
"Wait, little boy," Said Santa, "don't go.
Will you share? Will you help? Will you use what you know?"
And just for a moment the small boy stood still,
Touched his heart with his small hand and whispered
"I will"
See more of our Freebies as well as Special
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In This Week's Issue
(Click the Quick Links below):
Are
We Producing A Generation of Marks Scoring Machines?
School
Features:
The Untold Secret To Creating A Fun Learning Environment
New
Teacher's Niche:
Teaching Listening Skills During Presentations
Themes
on Life:
"Santa's Secret Wish"
10 Days of
Writing Prompts
10
Days of Math Problems
Holiday
Book Sale for Teachers
Book
of the Month
Club
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Do you have a great TEACHING
TIP or ACTIVITY to share?
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PROMPTS that you’d like to add to our WEEKLY CALENDAR?
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10 Days Of
Writing
Prompts |
|
Day
1 |
How has technology changed the
way we forcast the weather? |
|
Day
2 |
Describe FIVE different weather
patterns that affect your home. |
|
Day
3 |
How does the weather affect your
life? |
|
Day
4 |
What are Three ways that the
weather can affect people's moods? |
|
Day
5 |
Create a short, FIVE question
True/False quiz to cover this week's class information. |
|
Day
6 |
Why do we celebrate the New
Year? |
|
Day
7 |
What are some of the traditions
your family has for celebrating the New Year? |
|
Day
8 |
Describe FIVE changes you will make to your life
in the upcoming year. |
|
Day
9 |
Why is it important to improve
our lives each year? |
|
Day
10 |
Write down Ten important things
you learned this week in any class you've had. |
10 days of writing prompts
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BOOK of the MONTH
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|
Teaching Makes A Difference
by Carol Cummings
|
Coming Soon:
Preparing for Student
Teaching Technology & Teaching:
Seamless Integration into Curriculum Getting
Ready for Next Year
Setting Up Your Classroom
|
10 Days of
Math Problems
by Mary Ann Graziani |
| Day 1 |
What
is 4.17 rounded to the nearest tenth? |
| Day 2 |
Add:
4.5 + 2.7 |
| Day 3 |
What
is the perimeter of a square 6 feet long? |
| Day 4 |
How many vertices
does a square pyramid have?
|
| Day 5 |
What is the
perimeter of a regular octagon with each side 8 feet? |
| Day 6 |
Estimate by
rounding to the nearest tenth: 0.88 + 0.171 + 0.1 |
| Day 7 |
Mr. Cruz is
putting in tiles in is home. The tiles are 1 foot square. The
measurements of the rooms are: 2 by 7, 13 by
13, and 15 by 15. How many 1 foot square tiles will Mr. Cruz need for
all three rooms? |
| Day 8 |
The perimeter of a square piece of cloth is 60
inches. What is its area?
|
| Day 9 |
Subtract:
5.52 – 4.96
|
| Day 10 |
How many seconds are in
50 minutes? |
Holiday
Specials!
Educational/Teaching
Books
for Sale!
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Amazon.com)
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