Basic Geometry Equations and Examples

Basic Geometry Equations and Examples Mastering Basic Equations of Geometry ChaptersThe Basic ShapesCalculating TrianglesCalculating QuadrilateralsCalculating PolygonsCalculating CirclesSome people might say that geometry is in no way a ‘sexy’ subject; really, as a general rule, calculating angles, volumes and areas is seldom considered enticing or fun.Could the opposite be true?Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen mathematics creeping into films and television shows; The Big Bang Theory is a prime example of such. Granted, equations are not central to the plot and, quite frankly, only the first few shows were math-heavy. After that, algebraic work popped up only occasionally.Still, it is nice to see complex calculations playing out in a popular arena, and it’s even better that both male and female characters take part in tweaking the equations; a  mere 20 years ago, cinematic mathematicians could only be male!Now it’s your turn to master basic geometry equations and you want the most efficient way of doing so. Or maybe you’re a fan of Descartes an d wish to take Cartesian geometry to the next level but you need a solid foundation, first.Your Superprof wants to help you get a good grasp of fundamental geometrical formulas; grab your squares and compasses… we’re off! MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Basic Shapes How many geometric figures can you find in this pattern? Image by monicore from PixabayYou might be tempted to think ‘circle’, ‘triangle’ or ‘square’ and you’d be absolutely correct.Each of those geometric shapes fall into one of these four general categories:Triangles have three sides; the sides may be of equal length (equilateral triangle) or all different length (scalene triangle).A quadrilateral is any four-sided polygon. Those would be rectangles, squares, rhombuses, diamonds…the parallelogram, a shape that has 2 pairs of equal sides, is also a quadrilateralPolygons: literally ‘many sides’. These shapes can be triangles, hexagons, pentagons… all of those ‘gons’ are polygons. Essentially, anything that has straight sides is called a polygon.Circles are a class onto themselves because they have no straight linesTheir unique characteristics include:Squares have four equal sides and four right anglesRectangles have two pairs of equal sidesA trapezoid has on ly one pair of parallel sidesA trapezium has no sides of equal lengthRhomboids: opposite sides and opposing angles are equalThe isosceles triangle has two equal sidesRight triangles have one 90-degree angle opposite of the hypotenuseEach of these shapes has its own formula to calculate its perimeter, area and angles. Some you may be familiar with, such as the Pythagorean theorem while others are perhaps a bit less memorable.Let’s take a look at them now.Do you need help with your geometry studies? Perhaps you could find a geometry tutor…Calculating TrianglesStarting with the shapes of the fewest sides (but sometimes the most complicated formulas), we tackle geometric formulas head-on!The simplest formula for the perimeter of any triangle is a+b+c, with each letter representing a side. It is beautiful in its simplicity and easy to work with, provided you know each side's length.Let’s say your triangle has these measurements: a = 3 inches, b = 4 inches and c = 5 inchesIts perime ter would then be 3+4+5=12 inches.Clearly, this is a triangle is neither equilateral nor isosceles; nor is it a right triangle. How would we calculate the perimeter if only two values, the bottom and one side, are given?In such a case, we have to draw on Pythagoras’ theorem: a2+b2=c2. You remember that one, right?First, draw a line from the triangle’s peak straight down to its base. This line, h, should be perpendicular to the base, thereby forming two 90-degree angles â€" one on each side of the line.You now have two right triangles, one of which has a measurement for both a and b. From there, it is a simple matter to plug known values into the theorem (don’t forget to square them!) and find your missing value.Let’s try it with a fictitious triangle:a = unknown b = 5 c = 7a2 * 52 = 72a2 * 25 = 49 the unknown value must stand alone on one side of the equationa2 = 49 â€" 25 move 25 to the other side of the equal sign, subtracting it from the given value of ca2 = 24Now you hav e to calculate the square root of 24 to find the value of 'a', which is 4.898. Once you've calculated the perimeter of one right triangle, you must calculate the second to get the dimensions of the original triangle.Congratulations! You now know how to calculate the perimeter of any triangle! This and similar triangles signs are used to urge caution on roadways Image by Gerd Altmann from PixabayCalculating Triangles’ AreaWhile perimeter calculation is a rather simple endeavour, figuring the area of a triangle is a bit more involved.If values are given for all three sides, you may apply Heron’s Formula:area = square root of [s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)], with 's' being the semi-perimeter, that is (a+b+c)/2It only looks complicated; remember that, when working with a formula, you only need to plug in known values to solve for the unknown. When thought of in that way, the Hero’s Formula, as it is also called, is pretty easy!Now, for ‘area of triangles’ equations where one or more values are unknown.If you know only the value of the triangle’s base and its height, you may apply: area = ( ½) * b * hIf only the length of two sides and the degree of the angle joining them are known, you would use trigonometry to find the missing values. The basic formula is:Area = ( ½) * a * b * sin C Keep in mind that lowercase letters signify line measurements while uppercase letters represent angles.If you only know the values of sides a and c, you would plug them in and calculate sin B. Likewise, if you know b and c, you would employ sin A to get your triangle’s area.Why not practise those for a while before moving on... A=a2 and for rectangles, it is A=l * w. Simple, right?Things start getting complicated when we get into parallelograms and trapezoids; to solve both of those equations, you will need to know the height of the shape (h) an d the length of the base (b) â€" the line at the bottom.Once you know those values, choose the appropriate formula for the shape:b * h = area of parallelograms ( ½)(a+b) * h = area of trapezoids, where  â€˜a’ represents the side opposite of ‘b’.Quadrilaterals may just be the easiest shapes to work with. If you need extra practice, there are plenty of resources online where you can find geometry worksheets and equations to sol ve.Calculating PolygonsWhether you are confronted with an apeirogon (a polygon with an infinite number of sides) or the more familiar hexagon, you need to know how to calculate its perimeter and area.Luckily, apeirogons are only hypothetical; imagine having such a figure to calculate an area for!If your polygon’s sides are all the same length, you can apply P=n * v, where ‘n’ is the number of sides and ‘v’ is the value of each side.If said polygon’s side are not all the same length, you will have to add up those values to get its perimeter. The stop sign is perhaps the most renown regular polygon Image by Walter Knerr from PixabayCalculating Areas of PolygonsThere are several ways to realise the value of any polygon’s area, some of which involve calculations for triangles.First, we tackle the equations for a regular polygon; one whose sides are all the same length. Before we can start any ciphering, we have to determine the polygon’s radius.That involves drawing a circle inside the polygon in such a manner that the circle’s perimeter touches the polygon’s perimeter. This is called an inscribed circle. Once we know that radius’ value, we can apply this formula:A = ½ * p * rFormulae get more complicated the more sides the polygon has.Let’s say the number of sides is represented by ‘n’ and sides by ‘s’. The radius, also called apothem, is designated ‘a’. Of course, ‘A’ represents ‘area’, yielding a formula that looks so:A = ns/4 v 4-s2From here, the formulas get ever more complex. Do they l eave  you struggling with the basics of geometry? You can refer to our complete guide!Calculating CirclesCircles involve neither angles nor lines and their perimeters are called ‘circumference’. However, their calculations do require at least a line segment which is instrumental to any formula for circles.Oddly enough, it seems that the formula for calculating areas of circles is more renown than perhaps for any other geometric shape: pr2, or pi * r2Surely you know/remember that pi (p) has a value of 3.1415...The less-renown formula concerning circles, the one for calculating circumferences is: 2 * p * rBear in mind that these are formulae for calculating the area and perimeter of two-dimensional shapes; once they gain an additional dimension â€" they become 3-D shapes and merit a calculation of volume as well as area and perimeter.Let’s not go off on a tangent, here; we’re quite happy to provide formulas for these basic geometric constructions...But you don’t have to stop here; latch on to our beginner’s guide to geometry!

100 Lesson Plans And Ideas For Teaching Math

100 Lesson Plans And Ideas For Teaching Math Teaching Math is a great process, since it is oriented towards applications and practical thinking. The versatility of a teacher with innumerable innovative ideas on hand paves way for success in teaching Math. Or else, the classes become boring and the teacher could not get across his or her ideas successfully. Why there is a need for 100 Math plans and ideas? It is the basic grasping capability of the targeted students that a teacher needs to keep in mind while preparing for a Math class. When one set of ideas suits the needs of a particular set of students, it could be something else that would appeal to yet another group. So, keeping different ideas in store is always good for a Math teacher, not to run short of the stock in the middle of the class. Hence,there is a necessity for lots of lesson plans and ideas to be stored by a teacher for Math. Here are 100 Math plans and ideas for the benefit of Math teachers. Number System in math Numbers that are not rational are called irrational numbers and students understand that every number has a decimal expansion. Teachers could show how decimal expansion repeats itself with examples. They could make students convert a repeating decimal expansion into a rational number with black board examples. Sounds of PI (Numberphile’s resources) could be an activity to explain the concept. Function Function is a rule and it assigns exactly one output to each input. The graph of the Function is the set off ordered pairs having one input with the corresponding output. Function can be compared to a machine to explain the concept of input and output and the relationship between input and output could be explained in simple tabular columns. An online math tutor could find easy examples for Function like Trigonometry Function to make the students understand the concept easily. 21 Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative offers hand outs and presentations for this lesson. Radicals and Integer Exponents in math Students know and apply the properties of integer exponents for generating equivalent numerical expressions. An activity like gallery walk could motivate students to observe patterns in algebraic expressions. They could use their observations in classroom work like applying the properties of integer exponents for simplifying expressions. Integer Exponents and Scientific Notation Lesson plans by My Favorite Resources offer help from explaining the concept. Ratios and Proportional relationships Students understand ratio concepts and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two ratio quantities. Teachers could advise students to use reasoning about division and multiplication for solving ratio and rating problems about quantities. Students extend the columns of multiplication tables and analyze simple drawings which indicate the relative size of quantities. By doing so, they expand their ideas of multiplication and division and connect them to ratios and rates. 21 Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative offers lesson plans for this concept. Operations and Algebraic Thinking Students learn to use parenthesis and brackets in numerical expressions and they evaluate expressions with these symbols. Teachers could assign word problems to students and ask them to write a numerical with a variable for each word problem. The students need to explain the numerical expressions correctly using the rule for order of operations. Building better classrooms: Cleveland Teachers Union provides support for teaching this concept. Arithmetic with Polynomials and Rational Expressions Students understand that polynomials form a system which is analogous to the integers. They learn to add, subtract and multiply polynomials. Teachers could bring an analogy between multiplying and dividing polynomial rational expressions and multiplying and dividing Fractions. Both can be reduced and thus students are able to understand the concept in a natural way. Algebra2go provides resources for this lesson. Seeing structure in Expressions Students learn to interpret parts of an expression like terms and factors. They also learn to interpret complicated expressions. Asking students questions regarding structure in expressions, collecting answers, drawing conclusions and then coming about the real concept could be an excellent warm up with insights about the topic from the students’ side. Creating equations Students learn to create equations and inequalities in one variable and use these equations and inequalities to solve problems. Students could start with translating open sentences into algebraic equations and get ahead with solving problems. Sentences and expressions could be given in tabular columns for matching, asking students to select the right expressions for the sentences. YourMathGal videos are useful resource for this lesson. Reasoning with Equations and inequalities Students understand solving equation as the process of reasoning. They try to explain the reasoning behind solving the equation. Suggesting viable arguments for justifying solution methods could make teacher’s task easy in explaining the concept. Algebra2go provides lessons for this concept. NBT Number and operation in base 10 Students understand the place value system. They understand that in a multi digit number, a digit in one place denotes 10 times. Teachers could use Place Value Table with columns up to ten thousand for teaching this concept. Share my Lesson Math Team provides resource for this concept. Quantities Students reason quantitatively and use units to understand problems. Students could visit medical shops and understand how people use Math quantities for preparing medicine. stembite gives out resources for explaining this lesson. Building Functions Students learn to build a Function which models a relationship between two quantities. By building a toy staircase with blocks, teachers could easily explain building Functions. stembite provides plans for this lesson. Counting and cardinality Students know number names and count to 100 by tens and ones. Nursery rhymes and songs are the best resource for making students learns counting with ease. tmaerz provides resources for this lesson Linear, quadratic and exponential models Students learn to construct linear, quadratic and exponential models and know how to compare them. Students could use manipulative like straw and matchsticks to create geometric patterns. They will form linear, quadratic and exponential models based on the properties (like perimeter, area etc) of the geometric patterns created with the manipulative. Again, stembite is a good resource for explaining this lesson. Interpreting Functions Students understand the concept of a Function and they learn to use a Function notation. They understand that a function from one set (domain) to another set (range) assigns each element of the domain one element of the range. Graphing and evaluating piecewise function with the use of calculator could help students pick up the concept with ease. Samwelli’s resources are useful in this context. Reason with Shapes and their Attributes Students learn to distinguish between defining attributes (like triangles with three sides) and non defining attributes (like overall size, color). Teachers could use shape sheets and BLM to explain triangles. Students could circle the triangles in the sheet and understand their attributes. jvargo08 offers resources for this lesson. Reason with Shapes and Attributes Students understand that shapes in different categories share attributes and attributes that are shared define a larger category (like quadrilateral being a category defined with the shared attribute of four sides of a rectangle or rhombus). Students recognize rhombus, squares and rectangles as examples of quadrilateral from the figures presented and understand how they share the attributes. Share My Lesson Math Team provides plans for this lesson. Drawing and identifying lines and angles Students learn to draw lines, rays, line segments, angles and parallel and perpendicular lines. Pattern blocks can be used by students for identifying the above mentioned geometric shapes. They could create webs from yarn and notice all the geometric shapes in those webs. Building Better Classrooms: Cleveland Teachers Union resources are useful for this lesson. Graph Points on the coordinate Plane to solve math problems Students learn to use graph points on the coordinate plane to solve mathematical and real-world problems. Coordinate Grid Geoboards and Coordinate Grid Swap etc could be used to explain this lesson. nrich maths offers resource for this lesson. Classifying two dimensional figures into categories Students learn to classify two dimensional figures into categories on the basis of their properties (like all rectangles have 4 right angles and squares being rectangles have four right angles). Drawing two different quadrilaterals and explaining their similarities and differences could be a possible activity for students to understand the concept. nrich maths gives activity for this concept Drawing, constructing and describing math geometrical figures Students solve problems through scale drawings of geometric figures. They learn to compute lengths and areas from scale drawings. A visit to a zoo for viewing all animal enclosures could be an interesting activity which could be turned to scale drawing measurements of the zoo as a classroom activity afterwards. youngrunner30 provides activity for this lesson. Solving math and real life problems using area, surface area, angle measure and volume Students learn the formula for circumference and area of a circle and use them for solving problems. Students use hoops of different sizes to understand geometry concepts like area and circumference and gradually learn to solve problems. dsuh 2 has lesson plan for this lesson. Understanding congruence and similarity Students understand congruence and similarity using transparencies, physical models or geometry software. Illustrated multiple choice questions with answers could help teachers refresh the previous session and get students into the present one without difficulty. Students experimentally verify the properties of reflections, rotations and translations in this chapter. My Favorite Resources provides lesson plan for this concept. Pythagorean Theorem in math Students understand and apply Pythagorean Theorem. Students learn to explain a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse. Interactive proofs and animated proofs of Pythagorean Theorem could be used for explaining this lesson. American Federation of Teachers provides resource for this lesson. Problems involving volume of cylinders, spheres and cones Students understand the formula for the volumes of cylinders, spheres and cones and use them to solve real life and mathematical problems. Clay modeling could be the starting activity for students and they would make sphere, cone and cylinder in different sizes out of clay and find out their measurements. YourMathGal offers video lesson for this lesson. Congruence Students experiment with transformations in the plane. They learn precise definitions of circle, angle, parallel line, and perpendicular line. As a start up exercise, teachers could show examples of the figures that are congruent on the black board. They also could ask students to find out examples in the classroom like books, name tags, rulers which are matching. Circles Students understand and apply theorems about circles. They prove that all circles are similar. An amusement park visit would be an entertaining activity helping students understand the theorems of circle. Samwelli provides resource for this lesson. Similarity, right triangles and trigonometry Students prove theorems involving similarity. They prove Pythagorean Theorem using triangle similarity. Using diagrams on black board and asking questions regarding that, teachers could explain how to prove Pythagorean Theorem using triangle similarity. AFTNJ provides lesson plan for this. Laws of sines and cosines in math Students prove the laws of sines and cosines and do problems involving them. Activity sheets can be used to explain laws of sines and cosines. Geometric Measurement and Dimension Students understand volume formula for cylinder, cone and pyramid and the circumference and area of a circle. stembite offers presentations for informal arguments about the volume formula for this lesson. In his presentation, simply by watching the sunset, Andrew Vanden Heuvel tries to measure the diameter of the earth. Modeling with geometry Students apply geometric concepts in modeling situation. Students use geometric shapes, measures and properties to describe objects. For example, students model the trunk of a tree or the torso of a human body as a cylinder. AFTNJ provides activity for this lesson. Understanding concepts of angle and measuring angle Students understand that angles are geometric shapes which are formed wherever two rays share a common endpoint. Teachers could use work sheets for students to work out the missing angles. Or they could ask students to measure angles around the classroom and record their kinds. family math night provides resource for this lesson. Describing several measurable attributes of a single object Students classify objects into categories that are given. They count the number of objects in each category and they sort the category by count. Using cubes and interactive games online could be the possible activities that kindle interest in students to learn classification of objects. tmaerz provides lesson tools for this concept. Telling and writing time in math Students tell time in hours using digital and analog clocks. Using activity cards to match analog and digital time would be a suitable activity to help students tell and write time. As a motivational activity, teacher could put up posters regarding days and months and pictures displaying clocks in the class room. Students also could write time from sets of clock cards with hour, half hour and quarter hour. PatriciaMP provides learning tools for this lesson. Understanding concepts of area Students understand that area is an attribute of plane figures and they understand concepts of measuring area. Song for area could be adopted by teachers to make the concept easily understood by students. Fun activity like designing dream house and swimming pool would do great job for this lesson. Students would design their dream house using graph paper and find out the area of each room in the dream house. My Favorite Resources offers lesson plan for this concept. Understanding of statistical variability Students understand that a statistical question is one that anticipates variability in the data related to the question and it accounts for it in answers. Sample questions could be asked by teachers to make this concept clear in student minds. For example, teachers could ask questions like ‘how old are students in the class’ anticipating statistical variability in answers from students. My Favorite Resources provides lesson plan for this lesson. Summarizing and describing math distributions Students learn to display numerical data in plots on a number line. Questions like ‘how a dot plot is similar to a histogram ’and‘how can data be misleading (intentionally, unintentionally)’ could be posed to trigger the thinking of students. It brings about great learning outcomes. My Favorite Resources provides lesson plan for this concept. Using random sampling for drawing inferences about population Students understand that Statistics is useful for providing information about population through examining a sample of population. Examples like prediction of the winner of an election in a school through survey data (which are randomly sampled) could make the concept clear in student minds. stembite provides presentations for this topic. Investigating patterns of association in bivariate data Students investigate patterns of association in bivariate data by constructing and interpreting scatter plots. Linear models of bivariate data would be helpful in explaining the concept for teachers. My Favorite Resources provides lesson plan for this topic. Math Numbers and operations Students learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide rational numbers. Discovery Education provides video for this topic. Further, interactive games like 7th Grade Numbers and Operations Jeopardy could be played by students for understanding the lesson. The game has three categories-comparing rational numbers, adding and subtracting rational numbers and multiplying and dividing rational numbers. It can be played on computers and tablets. Math Numbers and operations Students learn to solve word problems involving time and money. Teachers could use set of differentiated worksheets to teach students to solve word problems involving time and money. Teachers could start the class with practical questions involving time and money ( like ‘how long it would take to practice a musical instrument’ and ‘what amount a student needs to save for a gift’ ) Discovery Education provides lesson plan for this topic. Measuring and estimating lengths Students learn to measure and estimate lengths. They understand the difference between measuring and estimating lengths. Students could start with measuring each other’s arms and legs. They could be given one more task of measuring the objects around the classroom. Discovery Education offers lesson plan for this concept. Measuring lengths and heights Students understand the importance of accurate measurement through discussion and try to measure and compare distances. Worksheets and presentations are awesome in use for this lesson. Discovery Education gives out lesson plan for this topic. Creating three dimensional figures Students create three dimensional figures and find surface area for three dimensional figures. Students could use nets to create three dimensional figures made of triangles and rectangles and find out their surface areas. Discovery Education provides video for this topic. Data Analysis and Probability Students learn the definition of probability and solve problems based on probability. Crazy Choices worksheet and Crazy Choices game are useful for explaining the concept of Probability. Discovery Education provides lesson plan for this topic. Rational Numbers concepts Students understand Egyptian achievements in Math. They learn to multiply and divide numbers with Egyptian methods of addition and doubling. Constructing a personal fractional strip kit would help every student in understanding rational numbers with ease. Students should place strips in the order of increasing size and get to know about rational numbers. Discovery Education provides video for this lesson. Numbers in Nature Students understand what Fibonacci sequence is and how it is expressed in nature. Card sort is a good activity for this lesson. Students group cards into number sequences like square numbers, cube numbers, triangle numbers ,Fibonacci numbers, even and odd numbers. Examples from natural objects like fruits and vegetables can be given for Fibonacci sequence and students could be asked to work on the classroom activity sheets with answering the questions over there. Discovery Education offers activity sheets to explain this concept. Introduction to Ratios Students would start with simplifying fractions and go ahead with representing real world situations. Worksheets for simplifying fractions would work wonders for a teacher as it prepares a good ground for students for the next level of learning. 21st Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative provides resource for this. Squaring function Students are introduced to the squaring function on a calculator. Graphing calculators are useful fort teaching squaring function. Math Team provides handout for this topic. Solving Linear math Equations Combining Like terms Students learn to solve linear equations in one variable. Treasure hunt activity and card sort activity are useful for this lesson. YourMathGal videos are useful resource for this concept. Combining Like terms Students learn how expressions that look different are equivalent. Like term Card games has been a popular idea for teaching this concept. Combining like terms cards are also available for the classroom use of students.21STCentury Lessons:  A Boston Teachers Union Initiative provides resource for this lesson. Complex nos 7 Students are shown how to simplify powers of i. Multiple choice questions and interactive quizzes help teachers greatly in reviewing students’ understanding of the topic. YourMathGal presents video for this concept Factorization and expanding Double Bracket Box set Students learn expanding Double Bracket with or without coefficient. Questioning and examples are the methods for introducing the topic to the students. Math Team provides tutorial on this topic. The slope of a line Students identify the slope of a line and graph aline with a given slope. Graphical representations on the black board make the task of the teacher easy in teaching the slope of a line in the classroom.21STCentury Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative offers resource for this topic. Translating math Expressions Memory/ Matching Translating Expressions Memory/ matching could be taught as a group activity in the class. Students match the verbal phrase and algebraic expression by working with a partner. They can play like face down for memory and face up for matching Strickland provides resource like game /puzzle for this concept. Equivalent expressions Students get familiarized with the fact that two expressions are equivalent by using reasoning skills and testing a number to prove their theory. Diagrams can be used to help students understand the concept. Practice worksheets are useful for teachers to help students with clear ideas in the topic. 21ST Century Lessons:  A Boston Teachers Union Initiative provides resource for this lesson. Ratios and Proportional relationships Students learn to perform operations with fractions, ratios and decimals. Teachers could use Number CSI-Solve the “Crime “activity at the end of the class. They need to pick up five evidences for eliminating nine suspects out of ten. Math Team provides resource for this activity. Graphing lines Students learn how to find the x and y intercepts of a line and how to plot those points to graph the line. Overhead transparencies like Harry Potter line graph would help teachers in this lesson. YourMathGal offers video for this lesson. Solving systems of math Equations Treasure Hunt Students identify the coordinates of intersection. They solve systems of equations. Treasure hunt activity around the classroom helps students understand the concept in solving systems of equations. Math Team provides activity for this topic. Forming math Equations cross number To teach forming equations cross number, teachers could use cross number grids .Students fill in the cross number grid with numbers and write clues in the form of equations and they solve the equations. Math Team provides game/puzzle for this topic. Algebraic code breaker activity Students use their algebraic knowledge to crack a code in this activity. The teacher puts the code up on the board and then hands over envelopes of equations in groups to the groups of students. Students work on and use their algebraic knowledge to find out the code. Math Team provides activity for this lesson. Algebra starter Students review solution of simple linear equations in one variable in this activity. It is a 5-10 minutes starter. Students need to solve 7 equations to find the solution to a riddle. The slide of the riddle is put on the board. Math Team provides activity for this lesson. Real-life Straight Line Graphs Students match a description of something in the real life with a straight line graph in this activity. Students could match up the right equation for the line. Math Team provides activity for this topic. Solving math equations booklets Students solve equations by using the ideas of balancing and inverse operations. They use hand outs and booklets for this. Math Team provides hand out for this topic. Solving math equations code breaker activity It involves multiplying brackets and rearranging or balancing to find a secret code word. It could be used as a wrap up or starting activity. Math Team provides activity for this concept. Solving math equations with Algebra tiles Unit Students use Algebra tile manipulative to solve equations. It is in 5 lessons which take students gradually to symbolic Algebra from number tricks. KevinAHall provides resource for this topic. Math Equations Students solve equations. Consolidation exercises help students understand solving equations like equations with brackets. Math Team provides hand out for this topic. Introduction to Algebra Students understand that letters in equation are simply unknown numbers. Simple black board examples could help teachers explain their introduction to Algebra (like x-2 is 6; so x is 8) in an easy manner. Math Team provides hand out for this topic. Algebra: Expressions, Equations, substitution Students understand what is Algebra, Modeling Expressions and Equations, Substitutions. Substitution grids, Algebraic expressions by mr-mathematics-com are some sources for teaching this lesson. dawnlee 2582 provides presentations for this topic. Math Substitution codes This lesson tests students’ knowledge of algebraic expressions, substitution and negative numbers. It is presented in slides to help students’ easy understanding. MrBartonMaths provides resource for this topic. The great Algebra race It is a dice game to test students’ ability to substitute and to investigate expressions. It helps students consolidate their understanding of substitution. MrBartonMaths provides game/puzzle for this topic. Math formulas Students follow review guide for multiple grades and topics. It strengthens their problem solving skills and basic ideas in formulas. Math Team provides a hand out for this in the form of a booklet. By following the same, students have good review material for formulas. Straight line graphs “millionaire” Students select correct statement or statements based on pair of graphs each time. KS4 worksheets play a good role in making students understand this lesson. Math Team provides a game/puzzle for this concept. Function Tables and Plotting straight line graphs Students answer questions based on plotting straight line graphs. Math Team provides a hand out for this topic. It  helps students consolidate their ideas through answering questions in the handout and could work in groups with it during classroom teaching. The hand out is also useful for providing independent homework for students. Reviewing Booklets-systems of equations Students answer lots of questions on systems of equations including algebraic and graphical methods of solving through booklets on systems of equations. Math Team offers test prep/review material for this topic. Finding the gradient (slope) Students find the gradient of a line between two points. Math Team offers hand out for this lesson. It offers a sheet with starter main and extension. Starter main shows how to find the gradient of a line by connecting two co ordinates. Students could find the slope of a line from its graph also. Using math functions to solve real world problems Students represent functions in different forms like equations, tables and graphs. As a starter, the concept of function machines could be introduced to students. Teachers could access online function machine puzzles to help students understand the lesson. Measuring a thermometer, circumference of a circle are some other activities to use function rules in real world context. ckeesler provides activity for this concept. Statistics and elephants Students present many     data about elephants in different formats . TES Connect offers a teaching resource for this topic. It is a representing data worksheet where students are requested to represent their data about elephants in various formats like pie chart, histogram and bar chart. Scatter graphs with Aliens Students compare variables with scatter graphs through an activity. Math Team provides activity for this topic. It introduces line of best fit and co relation trhough an activity where some aliens have landed on the earth and they would be taken to the top most secret lab for finding out the details for knowing the line of best fit and co relation. Introduction to Functions in math Students define Function and identify examples and non examples of Function with the given input-output tables. Day today events like toasting bread comes good for input output concept.21ST Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative provides resource for this topic. Functions as Tables Students define one-one functions and many to one function. Magic function machines could be a starter for this lesson. Students observe how they get  answers using a function rule.21ST Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative resource for this lesson. Fractions Review Students recapture a number of key concepts in fractions. Fraction games online help students recapitulate the concepts with fun. These games are many in number and teachers could select those which suit their purposes. Math Team provides a hand out for this review. Introduction to Integers in math Students are introduced to integers and integer operations. Cool weather temperatures are examples of negative numbers and hot weather temperatures indicate positive numbers. Such real life examples could introduce integers in a very natural way to students.21ST Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative provides resource for this lesson. Introduction to math Absolute Value Students are introduced to the concept and usage of Absolute Value. Students use absolute values for determining the magnitudes of quantities. Real world scenarios like distance from a residence could showcase where absolute value and magnitudes would be necessary to make comparisons. 21ST Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative provides lesson plan and other resources for this topic. Negative Numbers bingo Students are able to add and subtract negative numbers. Bingo cards for playing Bingo games are     useful as a starter activity to check students’ previous knowledge or a plenary to check students’ understanding of the concept. Math Team provides the activity for this concept. Logic puzzles Children use their problem solving skills for solving logic puzzles. Apples and friends, Bags of Marbles, Black and white hats are some of the interesting logic puzzles for improving students’ logical abilities. Math Team provides resource for this idea with its Mine Sweeper puzzle. Factors: multiples and primes Students identify factors, multiples and primes. Differentiated sheets and Venn diagrams could be useful for teaching this lesson. They write a number as its product of prime factors. Math Team offers resource for this topic. Prime Factorization Students learn to write the prime factorization of a number. Teachers could use prime number tiles to teach this concept. Completing factor trees (a virtual manipulative) also helps students do prime factorization with good understanding. YourMathGal provides video for this topic. Factorization and Greatest Common Factor in math Students learn to create factor trees and find GCF of two numbers by circling common factors between numbers. Math Team provides hand out for this. ‘Arrays and factors’, ‘Factor game’ like online games come on hand for this also. In Arrays and factors, students draw rectangles to display factorization of a given number. In Factor game, they practice divisibility among 1 -100 numbers. Graphing Polygons and Finding Side Lengths Students review the definitions and characteristics of polygons and other important vocabulary related to polygons and coordinate planes. 21ST century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative offers resource for this concept. Teachers also could use Co ordinate grids on graph papers to help students     find the side length of a polygon. Students draw rectangles with vertices at the co ordinate planes (as instructed by the teacher) and find the lengths of the sides. Surface Area and volume of prisms Students are introduced to the meaning of surface area and volume of triangular and rectangular prisms. Activity sheets demanding explanations for problems would make the class lively and interesting. Math Team offers resource for Surface Area and volume of prisms. Box and whisker diagrams /Box plots Students know what Box and Whisker diagrams are, how to draw them and interpret them. Math Team provides material for this topic. It is a video where students are able to see what box and whisker diagrams are and how to draw and interpret them. Displaying Numerical Data Using Box Plots in math Students engage in a review about how to find the median, range and IQR. Then they are introduced to the five number summary of a data set and use that information to create a box plot.21STCentury Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative offers resource for this topic. Number review-Chocolate mystery Students use a variety of Math skills to solve a mystery. They cover concepts like cubed roots,exponents, factors and square roots. Math Team provides resource for this activity. Resources for solving Basic math Equations It is a useful resource for students who struggle for solving basic equations. It helps students consolidate their knowledge of equations. Math Team offers resource for solving Basic equations. Expanding double bracket quadratics Students learn to expand double brackets using the grid method. Math Team provides lesson plan for this topic. 7 Percentage starters Students undergo a multiple choice percentage quizzes on multipliers, percentage increase and decrease, reverse percentages. Math Team provides activity for this topic. Problem Solving Strategies for math Students learn to solve problems through a power point document .It presents universally accepted problem solving strategies. Students understand strategies for how to make a table, write a number sentence etc. Math Team provides a tutorial for this. Math fractions: decimals and percentages (FDP) Students understand how fractions, decimals and percentages are linked. Math Team provides learning tools for this topic through power point images to help teachers explain the concept. Ratios, rates and proportions in math Students understand that a ratio expresses the comparison between two quantities. Practical activities like exploring ratio with bike gears or delicious recipes would delight students with a motivation for learning the concept. MyFavoriteResources offers material for teaching ratios, rates and proportions. Introduction to Rate and unit Rate in math The lesson reviews ratio and then connects it to rate and unit rate. It is a video on a skateboarding bulldog. Dog’s rate of speed is calculated as a rate and then unit rate. Other examples are also there in the lesson and students could work with partners to complete the examples.21ST Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative provides resource for this lesson. In conclusion It is necessary that teachers for Math use lesson plans, activities, presentations, games, quizzes, tutorials and videos to introduce topics in an effective manner. Right from kindergarten to high school, teaching Math needs lots of teaching tools to explain the concepts with ease and effect. Hope the above mentioned resources and ideas would be fruitful for a Math teacher in his or her classroom activities.

New Years Resolutions for Kids

New Year’s Resolutions for Kids The school year is well underway, but its a brand new calendar year and an ideal time for students to think about how to continue making positive progress in school. This month, spend time with your child to come up with a set of academic New Years resolutions. This exercise is worthwhile for several reasons: The process of thinking about how to achieve ones goals is highly beneficial, helping students stay motivated, build confidence and persevere. Setting resolutions teaches students how to think introspectively about their life and goals. Taking the time to identify areas of improvement helps students learn the importance of discipline and encourages them to take action to achieve the things they want rather than hope they happen. As you welcome the New Year, here are a few tips for guiding your child to establish resolutions that will kick off the winter term right: Make them realistic. Too often, people make resolutions that are unreachable. Encourage your child to set resolutions that are achievable and reasonable, given your childs age and academic ability. For example, a resolution to earn all As this school year when your child has a C average isnt realistic. A resolution to raise any C grades to a B is more attainable. Focus on the action, not the result. Grades are a useful measure of a students understanding of subject matter and progress toward grade-level standards, but as a parent, try to focus on learning and effort, not outcomes such as grades. When setting resolutions, your childs focus should always be on effort not results. Encourage your child to answer honestly whether he or she is focused on learning class material and has put sincere effort into all subjects. If not, what could your child do differently in the future? Plan out the steps. Setting a goal but failing to define the steps necessary to achieve it is likely to be ineffective. As your child comes up with resolutions, encourage him or her to break down each one into smaller steps. Then, have your child assign dates to each step. Your child should make a plan to follow up on those sub-steps periodically to measure progress. Put it on paper. Its fine to brainstorm resolutions aloud, but always have your child write down the final list. Studies show that people who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. Committing to resolutions on paper will help your child hone in on exactly what he or she wants to achieve. This written list also serves as inspirationsomething tangible that your child can refer to regularly throughout the remainder of the school year. Incorporate good study habits. No matter who your child is or what age, he or she could likely use a refresher on good study habits, such as time management and organization. Have a conversation with your child about how the year is going so far. Go over the evening schedule and how your child manages time, the homework routine, your childs organizational habits and more. If anything needs improvement, establish resolutions that focus on making changes where needed. Setting New Years resolutions can be very valuable for students going into the second half of the school year, encouraging them to think about what went well and not so well in the fall term and define steps to make adjustments going forward. Youll find that getting your child into the habits of self-reflection and continuous improvement will benefit him or her in the long run as well. Help your child navigate the process so that he or she heads back to school after holiday break armed with a great attitude and a plan for success.

Put On - Phrasal Verb of the Day

Put On - Phrasal Verb of the Day Todays phrasal verb of the day is Put On.Infinitive form: Put OnPresent Tense: Put On/Puts Oning form: Putting OnPast tense: Put OnParticiple: Put OnIt is a separable phrasal verb that can be used in seven ways:1. To place something on another service. With this meaning, the verb is always separated. (***TEAUNA DOUBLE CHECK)He put his laptop on his desk.I put the lemons in the refrigerator.2. To apply something to another surface.The cook put too much sauce on the pizza.We put new paint on the house.3. To attach something to something else. This verb is always separated when there is an object in the sentence. (***TEAUNA DOUBLE CHECK)We need to put new tires on our car.When need to put on new tires. (In this case the object is implied, although not in the sentence).  (***TEAUNA DOUBLE CHECK)4. To place something on your body, most often used with clothing.I put on sweater before going outside.Ill need to put on a lot of sunscreen if I visit South America this winter.5. To put on wei ght.A lot of men put on weight when their wives are pregnant.Its easy to put weight on when you are vacationing.6. To organize or be part of a performance, usually for entertainment. Frequently used with a show, a concert, or a play.My favorite singer is putting on a show next week.The local theater company puts a play on every month.7. To deceive someone or play a joke on someone. (This is not used so frequently in current spoken English).David says hes a millionaire, but I think hes putting us on.Possible video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahlc1lcBLHQExercises: Write your answers in comments and we will correct them.Write three sentences (if possible) by adding the objects in parentheses.Example: (your coat, it) You should put on -  You should put on your coat. You should put it on. You should put your coat on.1. (a concert, it) Metallica is putting on2. (new pants, them) Did you put on your3. (the coffee cup, it) Please put on the tableComplete the sentences with the correct form of Put On.1. Dont ____ ketchup __  my hot dog!2. Theyre _____ a new coat of paint ___ they house.3. He ___ __ weight every time he visits his family for Christmas.

Discovering True Potential An Early Learners Journey through Kumon

Discovering True Potential An Early Learner’s Journey through Kumon Discovering True Potential: An Early Learner’s Journey through Kumon In many ways, Michael is a typical eight-year-old boy. He enjoys playing baseball and basketball and participating in cub scouts. He loves to read Harry Potter books and enjoys anything related to science. What the average person wouldn’t realize is that Michael tested at a tenth grade math level as a third grader and received ‘high honors’ for being among the highest scoring students in the 2017-2018 John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth search. Michael’s parents noticed as early as preschool that he gravitated towards learning quickly. By the time he was three years old he’d already begun to read and write numbers. Recognizing that he could benefit from an enrichment program, his parents immediately enrolled him in the Kumon Math and Reading Program. “Since Michael was already reading sight words and we knew it would be awhile before he started learning to read in school, we really wanted to expose him to Kumon,” said his mother Elizabeth. “He was at an age where learning was exciting and new. Kumon imprinted on him early that learning is fun and he still carries that with him today.” As a first grader, Michael won first place at his school’s science fair and second place in the Boy Scouts’ Pine Wood Derby contest. Not limited by his age in Kumon, Michael’s skills in math skyrocketed! By the time he began second grade, he was studying algebra in Kumon and solving for x in problems like 4x+34=8-9x. “We never pressured Michael’s studies, it was just obvious from the beginning that his mind was a sponge,” said Elizabeth. “Once he started a new concept, he didn’t want to stop. Kumon has challenged Michael to progress through math levels that he wouldn’t have seen until middle school. He has such confidence in himself and loves to take on new challenges head first.” Michael wants to be a math teacher when he grows up. With his love for math and science, and the discipline and self-confidence he’s developed in Kumon, the sky is truly the limit for this young boy. You might also be interested in: 3 Benefits of Enrolling Your Toddler into an Early Learner Program One Students Journey from Kumon to Top University This Accomplished Pianist Has an International Journey with Kumon Meet Marco, a Program Completer, Who Inspired Other Family Members to Reach their Highest Potential with Kumon Discovering True Potential An Early Learner’s Journey through Kumon Discovering True Potential: An Early Learner’s Journey through Kumon In many ways, Michael is a typical eight-year-old boy. He enjoys playing baseball and basketball and participating in cub scouts. He loves to read Harry Potter books and enjoys anything related to science. What the average person wouldn’t realize is that Michael tested at a tenth grade math level as a third grader and received ‘high honors’ for being among the highest scoring students in the 2017-2018 John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth search. Michael’s parents noticed as early as preschool that he gravitated towards learning quickly. By the time he was three years old he’d already begun to read and write numbers. Recognizing that he could benefit from an enrichment program, his parents immediately enrolled him in the Kumon Math and Reading Program. “Since Michael was already reading sight words and we knew it would be awhile before he started learning to read in school, we really wanted to expose him to Kumon,” said his mother Elizabeth. “He was at an age where learning was exciting and new. Kumon imprinted on him early that learning is fun and he still carries that with him today.” As a first grader, Michael won first place at his school’s science fair and second place in the Boy Scouts’ Pine Wood Derby contest. Not limited by his age in Kumon, Michael’s skills in math skyrocketed! By the time he began second grade, he was studying algebra in Kumon and solving for x in problems like 4x+34=8-9x. “We never pressured Michael’s studies, it was just obvious from the beginning that his mind was a sponge,” said Elizabeth. “Once he started a new concept, he didn’t want to stop. Kumon has challenged Michael to progress through math levels that he wouldn’t have seen until middle school. He has such confidence in himself and loves to take on new challenges head first.” Michael wants to be a math teacher when he grows up. With his love for math and science, and the discipline and self-confidence he’s developed in Kumon, the sky is truly the limit for this young boy. You might also be interested in: 3 Benefits of Enrolling Your Toddler into an Early Learner Program One Students Journey from Kumon to Top University This Accomplished Pianist Has an International Journey with Kumon Meet Marco, a Program Completer, Who Inspired Other Family Members to Reach their Highest Potential with Kumon

Go Postal! 9 of the Best Websites to Find a Foreign Language Penpal

Go Postal! 9 of the Best Websites to Find a Foreign Language Penpal Go Postal! 9 of the Best Websites to Find a Foreign Language Penpal You know, they say  the world is getting smaller and smaller.Its a small world after allâ€"and thanks to this, its an excellent time to be a language learner.The truth is, were all being brought closer together by our modern technology.With the Internet, you  quite  literally have the world at your fingertips!Youve got  immediate access to nearly anything that strikes your fancy with the click of a button: Clothes, food, music, art, science, dance and, of course, people.You obviously  already know that there are countless social media sites and platforms that connect us with people from all  around the world.  We can speak to anyone we want, anywhere we want, at pretty much any time we want.Because of this, the foreign language penpal community is booming.New friendships across the globe are forged daily, due to  the high demand for  online language exchange. For language learners, this is nothing less than amazing. Why Should You Find a Foreign Language Penpal?If youre  learning a new language, or if you just want to perfect the oneâ€"or manyâ€"that youve been practicing for a while,  you should be jumping all over this.Why?Because, maybe, other than the small issue of time zones, which can easily be overcome, theres absolutely  no downside to  having a foreign penpal.Having regular communication with a native speaker of your target language will do wonders for your progress. Even if you end up corresponding with another learner whos more advanced or fluent, theres a lot to be gained from this interaction.With this sort of interaction, youll get more out of learning programs and authentic media like the kind on FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like news, music videos, movie trailers and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lessons. Learning language in context provided by authentic media is extremely beneficial, and youll only learn faster if you actually talk to someone about the subjects and topics youre currently studying. Youll have someone to correct your mistakes.  Ask your penpal to casually make note of any significant errors, or ask them to really go crazy and do a deep edit, leaving little markings and notes all over your writing.Youll be able to pick up and retain all of those little nuanced, colloquial phrases that throw us for a loop when were learning on our own, and especially when were learning with a formal method of instruction like a classroom or textbook. Those often leave out more informal language, which is necessary for communicating with natives.Its as close to  full-on immersion as youll get without having to pick up and move to a foreign country. In some ways, it can even be better than immersion.Dont get me wrong.  Obviously, living among the speakers of your target  language is going to shoot you light-years forward in your progress, but its not necessarily going to be a  personalized experience all the time. Strangers could certainly  become good friends or language exchange partners of yours someday, but the people you bump into on the street dont always have the time or desire to  really  listen to you and teach youâ€"not like a penpal would.So, rather than dealing with people in the streets who just want you to get to the point, you can have a  penpal whos there to support you as you learn and help you back up when you  stumble and fall through  the language learning process.The other fringe benefit to having a penpal is right there in the name. The pal. Some would argue that its the best benefit of them all. In the process of learning, youll form a bond with someone  whos a million miles away, yet, it may  feel like theyre right next door. Theres no need to explain the benefits of friendship, since we all know what its like hopefully. However, international friendship is a bit of an upgrade for learners.Just talking about your dear friend from, lets say, Copenhagen, will make you sound cooler in conversation. Plus, the two of you will share so many stories and so much cultural  information, that youll be able to talk about Copenhagen (or, you know, wherever) like a native. That will instantly make you sound smarter, more cultured and just all-around more interesting.Then theres travel. Youve now  got a friend in Copenhagen. Youve always wanted to go to Copenhagen. Guess what? Now you can go, and you may not have to pay for a hotel. Thats not always the case, but then youve still got yourself a free  tour guide, and youll get  to go to all the cool local places that are free of  Hawaiian shirts and selfie sticks.With a foreign penpal, youre basically opening up a whole new world for yourself  and youre doing the same for another person. It can be one of the best relationships youve ever had. Youll be expanding your mind, and yeah, making the world a little smaller one conversation at a time.Cant wait to get started? Lets steer  you  in the right direction.Go Postal! 9 of the Best Websites to Find a Foreign Language Penpal1. Int erPalsInterPals is arguably the most  popular website where language learners go to meet potential penpals.Youll have a wide variety of options as you search for the person or people who you match well with. Youre  definitely going to want to find someone you like so that youll be able to carry on a long-term relationship. Luckily, InterPals makes that easy for you.The first  way to narrow down your InterPals search is by letting people know how youd like to correspond. When you register, you have the option of indicating whether you want to communicate through email or snail mail. This is definitely good to know up front, especially for those of you who want to keep it old-school.You can also indicate the kind of relationship that youre looking to build. You have the option of selecting whether youre looking for friendship, a relationship or if you simply want to flirt. So, if you want to keep things PG, make sure you look for others who are in the same state of mind. As for all yo u saucier language learners, well, you might just get more  bang for your buck here (no pun intended ish).Another cool feature of InterPals is  the search filter.  Once youre all set up and seeking partners, you can narrow down the database of potential penpals to exactly  the type of person youd like to speak to, down to the age and  gender of the person.Also, to safeguard against time-wastingâ€"we need to save up all the energy we can for language practiceâ€"youre able to set your filters so that youre only seeing the  newest members, the most recently modified profiles and those with the most recent last logins. This is great, because  you can direct your messages to those who are most active on the site and who are most likely to respond.Theres also a live feed so that you can connect with people right away if you feel theyre a great match.InterPals has  many other cool features to explore. If youre interested, go sign up and check them out!2. Conversation ExchangeConversation E xchange is one of the simplest, if not fanciest, of the language exchange platforms.Here, all of your online communication occurs through whats essentially an email messaging system. Of course, youre welcome to communicate by any means with which you feel comfortable.The website gives you the option to indicate whether youre looking to communicate through snail mail, email or face-to-face. If you decide that you want to communicate exclusively through the Internet, you may select from a long list of chat software (i.e. Skype, WhatsApp, Hangouts) that you might use so that people can match themselves with you appropriately.One of the better features here, however, is  the profile deactivation. Dont mistake this with account deletion, as the two are mutually exclusive. On a platform  like Conversation Exchange, where language learning enthusiasts like you are brimming with excitement for a language buddy, you may find your inbox flooded with introductions and requests for friendship.A t first, it may be  fun to sift through all of these new peoples messages, but after some time it  can become overwhelming. Youll spend more time sifting through emails, sending friendly rejection messages or simply deleting messages altogether when you could be spending your  time actually writing, speaking and learning.If youve already settled into a comfortable exchange with a foreign friend through this site and youre not interested in making more, go ahead and deactivate your profile. Doing this will allow you to continue your penpal relationship on the website, assuming you two didnt opt for a snail mail exchange or another form of communication, without you being bombarded by new emails every day. When youre ready to meet new people again, simply reactivate your page and youre good to go.3. My Language ExchangeWith Conversation Exchange being one of the simpler platforms, My Language Exchange is on the other end of the spectrum.This website offers a very comprehensive service with plenty of cool features that will leave you no excuse not to put forth your absolute best effort when finding and conversing with a penpal.First, the website offers a translation tool to help you when you get stuck, as well as a feature that allows you to insert foreign accents. This is ideal for people learning Latin-based languages where there are accents and other symbols present in nearly every sentence. A lot of  sites dont always offer this, and since the meaning of a word can sometimes change with the use of an accent, symbol or some other character, it takes away the stress of having confusing or awkward exchangesâ€"and of trying to figure out a newly-installed  foreign keyboard layout on your computer.Another great feature is that they flag inactive or invalid email users. The last thing we want to do is waste our time with people who arent as serious as we are about learning a new language.  So, thank you, My Language Exchange, for making life easier for us all.Once you snag a friend whos ready and willing to jump into the action with you, the website offers  tips on how to effectively communicate with each other. These are focused on how to  write back and forth in both languages, how to give feedback and how to figure out translations, so that you can make the most of your time together.There are a whole host of other features such as games and lesson plans to help you really strengthen your communication with your penpal. Its safe to say that My Language Exchange takes the penpal relationship as seriously as we do. We couldnt ask for more.4.  PenpalandWith a mere 3,000 members, Penpaland is one of the smaller language exchange communities on the web. Still, its got some great features that can connect you with some great people.Its coolest feature is that it gives you two ways to search for a penpal: (1) theFind a Penpal feature and (2) the Find Friend From Travel Destination feature. The latter is a huge bonus for those who are looking for some in-country immersion as well.If youre looking to spend a year in Morocco to improve your Arabic or French, it would be nice to have some friends in the neighborhood before you get there so that you dont have a meltdown from loneliness and culture shock when you  find yourself in an unfamiliar land.Also, the profile page might feel a bit familiar, as it has a bit of a Facebooky vibe to it. You can add wall posts, photos, videos and links to websites. On the right side of the screen you can see your friends recent activity. So while it may be a small community,  quality over quantity is what really counts.5. PenPal WorldIf theres anything that PenPal World  values, its definitely user control.Like the other platforms on this list, it allows you to  use search filters  to help you find your best match. While searching, you can be sure you wont see anything unsavory. Thats because PenPal World has a zero tolerance policy for non-PG  content and behavior. When you sign up, your prof ile picture must be approved before it goes live so that you and other users dont suffer the misfortune of coming across something completely inappropriate.The platform  is big on personal boundaries. It gives  you the option to cut yourself off from anyone you dont want contact with. You  have the option to report inappropriate messages, minors can block all adults (as they should) and you can block users that you dont vibe with, and you can even block entire countries.  Not sure why youd need to do thatâ€"perhaps youd like to learn Quebec French and dont want French nationals to contact you?â€"but, regardless, the option is there in case you need it.PenPal World has both a free  option  and a paid option. With the free membership, youre permitted to contact up to three users within a 24-hour period. With the paid  membership, youre permitted to contact up to 50 users  every single day. Everyone has their own preferences, but for most people connecting with 50 users a day is  a bit much, especially if they all respond. So, dont feel bad if youre tight on cash. Three for free  should be just fine.Another  nice feature is the ability to  update your profile in real time and also pause it if you want to  scale down on new contacts.6. Global PenfriendsGlobal Penfriends focuses on helping people find the most perfect match.When you sign up, youre required to fill out a very detailed profile so that you can match up preferences, interests and backgrounds in the best possible way. If youre looking for someone whos just like you or completely opposite from you, youll have a better  chance of knowing who that person is on this platform.Similarly to the other sites, you may chat through the websites messaging system. However, if youre interested in snail mail, you may purchase snail mail credits for  access to a users postal address.They even have a service that  will create your letters and postcards electronically, print, stamp and send them for you. If you dont have credits, you may find other people interested in communicating through snail mail by applying filters and searching for users who indicate this preference in the  Correspond As section of their profiles.Lets say you come across a profile that you dont think is quite your cup of tea, but you know someone else who might be totally interested in speaking to this person. Theres the Tell A Friend feature that allows you to share profiles with friends. Also, if you dont have contact credits or havent subscribed to the sites Premium Membership, you can always Send A Smile to someone to let them know that youre interested in connecting.7. SpeakySpeaky is not advertised as a penpal website, but it functions as one. As soon as  you set up your account here, youll be matched with several users who are currently signed on to Live Chat, and there youll be able to message as many people as youd like.Once you find your perfect match, youre free to carry on your conversations the old fashioned way , through snail mail or email, but there are some good reasons to stick to communicating on  Speaky.First of all, you have a notepad which allows you to document all of the words and phrases you learn when speaking with your new contacts.Even better than that is the  correction feature. It allows you to correct your mistakes and your new buddys mistakes right in the text box. When you correct your friends mistake, or when you get corrected, it keeps the old version of the sentence and the new version so you can see exactly where you went wrong. Its an incredibly useful learning tool that you should take advantage of.8. WeSpekeWeSpeke is advertised as a learning platform  rather than a penpal platform, but like Speaky, it functions just the same.Here, structured  lessons are available for credits. After all, it may be useful to do some drills before you jump into a conversation. This way, you can consciously practice what youve learned  while speaking and listening.However, if you ju st want to talk, thats fine too. This website matches you with people by using percentages. It takes all of the personal information that you entered,  then ranks your best matches by percentage from highest to lowest. Whether or not these numbers really, truly determine how well youll get along remains to be seen. This is something youll need to test for yourself!One of the coolest features on this website is the built-in translator. Instead of having to search Google, WordReference or any other translation site, you can use the translation box provided by WeSpeke. Just type in the word you need, check out the instant translation and continue on with your conversation. Its extremely convenient, it eliminates  interruptions to the flow of conversation and its a great time saver.9. AyniAyni is small community, but it places a big focus on tending to its community.When you sign up, you get a personal email from a staff member  welcoming you to the website, and an invitation to  a 30-m inute video chat where you can tell them what you hope to get out of using the website.In this email, youll also get a link to a Facebook group of speakers of your native language so that you can share your experiences. Here, they really want you to feel that youre among friends.When you complete your profile, you select the little I want a penpal option and send the request. Youre not permitted to make this request more than once each day.  That may seem like a bit of a drag, but its oh so good.Having a penpal is about building a relationship, and this website gives you the extra support needed to focus on that from the very start. Its good to try and get to know one person at a time instead of frantically going from person to person trying to get someone to talk to you.Before you start your chat, the website also encourages you to correct any mistakes that the person may have made in their profile introduction. Its a great way to support each other right from the beginning.Some of their practical features are the translator box which, again, is very useful for when you get stuck. Also, for those of us who are concerned about time commitments, theres a feature that allows you to indicate how much time youre willing to put in with a penpal. Its great to be able to connect with someone whos willing to put in as much or as little time as you without having to feel stressed about not responding to messages or having to wait days for a response.Ayni also has a great blog  (which is mainly related to French speaking)  with lots of great information that will help move you further along in the language learning and penpal process.All right, now get out there and have fun!Always be careful when it comes to giving your personal information, even though  the good people outnumber the bad ones. These websites will guide you through the process as safely as possible, but youll also need to use your common sense and knowledge of Internet safety.After all this, remember, y ou might just meet a new lifelong friend, so its worth it.There are few greater rewards! And One More ThingTo get the most out of an exchange with a native speaker, you need to be exposing yourself to real native contentâ€"this will not only give you things to discuss with your new penpal, but will also help you communicate more effectively by teaching you the language as natives actually use it.FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning experiences, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the iTunes store  or Google Play store.

Abu Dhabi public school teachers complete first professional development week

Abu Dhabi public school teachers complete first professional development week Photo credit: ADEC This week, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) launched their first ever professional development week, held across 48 different school locations in the region for over 11,000 teachers.The Tanmia Professional Development Week was an extension of existing training courses that ADEC teachers receive every week, providing new strategies, tools, hands-on-experiences, and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues. “Our teachers are not beginners. They are professionals. For that reason, we offer them opportunities that help challenge their minds, and allow them to select programs that they feel will help benefit them the best during their day-to-day interaction in the classroom with their students,” said Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi, ADEC Director General, about the development week. Seven professional development streams were offered to teachers: differentiation, positive classroom assessment, encouraging high achievement for all students (including special needs and gifted students), planning for high-quality instruction and literacy strategies, English language learner strategies, 21st century learning, and 21st century strategies for kindergarten students. “These programs are being offered to teachers based on 21st century skills and their desire to learn more about a particular topic. Our aim is to help equip our teachers with some of the best skills to graduate a strong generation of youth as per ADEC’s strategy plan and the Abu Dhabi Economic 2030 vision,” said Dr. Al Qubaisi. Teachers participated in group sessions facilitated by ADEC school leaders, heads of faculty, and teachers who were trained to facilitate practical, hands-on classroom scenarios. Each teacher completed 20 professional development hours over the course of the conference in order to bring back significant educational learnings to share with coworkers. “This training not only provides teachers with top-notch professional development training in an area they are most comfortable pursuing, but also offers an opportunity for people to collaborate and share best teaching practices. The networking opportunities help teachers brainstorm and share their learning journey with each other,” noted Mr. Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri, ADEC’s School Operations Executive Director. To learn more about ADEC and view all currently open jobs, please visit our job board.