9 Tips for Successful Textbook Adoption

9 Tips for Successful Textbook Adoption Textbooks are vital tools within the realm of education and textbook adoption is an essential part of the process. The textbook industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Textbooks are to teachers and students as a bible is to pastors and their congregations. The issue with textbooks is that they quickly become outdated as standards and content continually change. For example, the impending Common Core State Standards are resulting in a massive shift in focus amongst textbook manufacturers. To offset this, many states adopt textbooks in a five-year cycle rotating amongst the core subjects. It is essential that the people choosing the textbooks for their district choose the right textbook because they will be stuck with their choice for at least five years. The following information will guide you through the textbook adoption process on your way to choosing the right textbook for your needs. Form a Committee Many districts have curriculum directors that lead the textbook adoption process, but sometimes this process falls back on the school principal. In any case, the person put in charge of this process should put a committee of 5-7 members together to assist in the adoption process. The committee should be made up of the curriculum director, building principal, several teachers who teach the subject up for adoption, and a parent or two. The committee will be charged with finding the best textbook that meets the overall district’s needs. Obtain Samples The first duty of the committee is to solicit samples from each of the textbook vendors that have been approved by your state department. It is critical that you only select approved vendors. Textbook companies will send you a comprehensive set of samples that include both teacher and student materials across all grade levels for the subject being adopted. Be sure to have a place set aside with lots of room to store your samples. Once you have finished previewing the material, you can typically return the material back to the company at no charge. Compare Content to Standards Once the committee has received all their requested samples, they should begin to go through the scope and sequence looking for how the textbook aligns to current standards. No matter how good a textbook is if it does not align to the standards your district uses, then it becomes obsolete. This is the most crucial step in the textbook adoption process. It is also the most tedious and time-consuming step. Each member will go through each book, making comparisons, and taking notes. Finally, the entire committee will look at each individual’s comparisons and cut out any textbook that doesn’t align at that point. Teach a Lesson The teachers on the committee should pick a lesson from each perspective textbook and use that book to teach the lesson. This allows teachers to get a feel for the material, to see how it motivates their students, how their students respond, and to make comparisons about each product through the application. The teachers should make notes throughout the process highlighting things they liked and things they didn’t. These findings will be reported to the committee. Narrow It Down At this point, the committee should have a solid feel for all the different textbooks available. The committee should be able to narrow it down to their top three choices. With only three choices, the committee should be able to narrow their focus and are on their way to deciding which is the best choice for their district. Bring in Individual Sales Representatives The sales representatives are the true experts within their respective textbooks. Once you have narrowed your choices, you can invite the remaining three company’s sales representatives to give a presentation to your committee members. This presentation will allow committee members to gain more in-depth information from an expert. It also allows the committee members to ask questions that they may have about a specific textbook. This part of the process is about giving committee members more information so that they can make an informed decision. Compare Costs The bottom line is that school districts operate on a tight budget. This means that the cost of textbooks is likely already in the budget. It important that the committee knows they cost of each textbook as well as the district’s budget for these textbooks. This plays a crucial part of choosing textbooks. If the committee deems a particular textbook as the best option, but the cost of purchasing those books is $5000 over the budget, they probably should consider the next option. Compare Free Materials Every textbook company offers â€Å"free materials† if you adopt their textbook. These free materials are of course not â€Å"free† as you likely pay for them in some manner, but they are valuable to your district. Many textbooks now offer materials that can be incorporated with classroom technology such as smart boards. They often offer free workbooks for the life of the adoption. Each company puts their own spin on the free materials, so the committee needs to look at each available option in this area as well. Come to a Conclusion The final charge of the committee is to decide which textbook they should adopt. The committee will put in many hours over the course of several months and should have a clear idea of that point as to which option is their best option. The main thing is that they make the right choice because they will likely be stuck with their choice for several years to come.

David by Michelangelo Essays

David by Michelangelo Essays David by Michelangelo Paper David by Michelangelo Paper Name: Tutor: Course: Date: David by Michelangelo David is a Renaissance sculpture that was formed between 1502 and 1504, by the Italian sculptor, Michelangelo. The sculpture is a 17-foot marble bust that displays a naked standing male. The character used in the sculpture represents the biblical King David, a special subject in Florentine art. The sculpture was initially commissioned as one of a set of masterpieces of prophets to be situated alongside the roofline of the Florence Cathedral. However, the statue was alternatively placed in the Palazzo della Signoria public square, in Florence City where it was made public in 1504. Because of the personality of the individual it represented, it soon came to denote the defense of social liberties embodied in Florence, a self-governing city-state endangered from all directions by powerful adversary states. The original statue was relocated to the Accademia Gallery in Florence and replaced with a replica at the same location. Historical background Before Michelangelo became involved in the development of the statue, the management at the Florence Cathedral had planned to erect twelve massive Old Testament effigies that would also act as the buttresses for the building. In fact, work had already started on these sculptures led by Donatello (Joshua and David sculpture) and Agostino’s unfinished David sculpture. However, just before the project was complete, the cathedral management ran into the challenge of how to hoist the sculpture onto the roof. Finally, they appointed a team of several artists to deliberate on the most appropriate location for the statue. Interpretation of the sculpture Michelangelo’s David was slightly different from earlier representations of the theme in that the biblical character was not portrayed as the killer of the giant Goliath. Typically, David was always represented as holding Goliath’s head, and, in fact, Verrocchio and Donatello sculpted their own works with this traditional inclusion. Most academics believe that the masterpiece showed David when he was preparing for a battle with Goliath. Instead of showing signs of victory over an enemy mightier than he was, David’s face displayed a lot of tension and preparedness for combat. The muscles in his neck stood out stiffly; his facial especially his upper lip was taut; his forehead was wrinkled, and his eyes appeared to concentrate attentively on a far away object. While veins were protruding from his lowered hand, his body was in a tranquil pose, and he was armed with his sling that was lying offhandedly over his shoulder. The calm pose itself was dissimilar from any other earlier representations of David; Both Verrocchio and Donatello had created sculptures of David standing triumphant over Goliath’s head while Andrea del Castagno had portrayed the character while he was swinging his weapon and Goliath’s head down at his feet. However, the entire range of masterpieces done by earlier Florentine artist had not failed to include the Philistine giant overall. The difference between his powerful appearance and his peaceful pose, possibly suggested that David’s sculpture represented his demeanor after he decided to wrestle Goliath, but before the real encounter. The large part of his body mass was stressed on his back leg in a manner consistent with the Renaissance tradition of portraying its subjects in retreated, composed positions, just before they sprung into action. Michelangelo’s representation was that of the period between mindful choice and conscious battle. Michelangelo’s David was a Renaissance understanding of a general historical Greek theme of the upright valiant male nude. In the High Renaissance, contrapposto styles were regarded as a characteristic feature of historic sculpture. In David, the form stands with one leg supporting its complete weight and the other leg loosened up. This traditional pose makes the statue’s shoulders and hips to sit at conflicting angles, creating a small s-curve to the complete upper body. Additionally, the head was twisted to the left, whereas the left arm was lifted towards his left shoulder and his sling that was thrown on his back. Michelangelo’s David became one of the most celebrated sculptures of Renaissance sculpture, becoming a representation of both might and youthful human attractiveness. The gigantic mass of the sculpture was the most extraordinary feature of Michelangelo’s statue compared to that of his rivals. One of the artists, Vasari described the sculpture as a marvel created by Michelangelo that had the ability to bring to life the past memories of the dead. He concluded by mentioning all the other marvelous creations that were done by Michelangelo over the Renaissance period. The sizes of David and other sculptures were an atypical feature of Michelangelo’s efforts; the effigy had an abnormally large head and limbs especially the right hand. These exaggerations may be because the effigy would have been initially displayed on the cathedral rooftop, where the significant parts of the statue would unavoidably be emphasized in order to be noticeable from below. The statue was also abnormally slim when compared to its height. While most artist would have attributed this difference to individual taste, it was probably Michelangelo’s oversight that could not be rectified. It is probable that David was envisaged as a political effigy before Michelangelo started to sculpt it. Definitely, David had long been perceived as a political character in Florentine culture, and pictures of the Biblical personality were already influencing political actions there. Donatello’s David made of pure bronze as a distinct feature in the Medici family quarters. Later on, it still assumed a political role at the Palazzo della Signoria courtyard, where it represented the Republican government. Analysts have even pointed out that David’s undamaged penis that went against Judaic practice was in line with the traditions of Renaissance art. Conclusion Michelangelo’s David arrived from the Piazza della Signoria in 1873 due to the threat of natural erosion that would erode the sculpture as well as intentional damage. There were undocumented reports of vandalism in 1991 hen a man defaced the statue. After this incident, the statue was considered for renovation several times. A replica of the sculpture was however, made and placed in the exact position, in Piazza della Signoria. In spite of the awareness of the statue’s illustration, the utter magnitude of the marble effigy always surprised all the contemporaries and even the present day viewers. The present connection between Florence City and David is highly political. Since the Renaissance period, Florence perceived the David statue as a symbol of the city. David’s power, bravery and youthful assurance were the picture that Florence needed to project. In the 14th century, Florence regained its position as a republic. David signified the city’s sovereignt y from unknown authority, both the aristocracy and colonialists. Like Florence, David illustrated a calm power that was often overlooked by many. The strategic position outside the state offices also made it seem like he was a guard that reminded the citizens to defend bravely and lead fairly.

Why do we study the classical theorists Of what use are such concepts Essay - 1

Why do we study the classical theorists Of what use are such concepts as Clausewitzs trinity - Essay Example Their findings have enabled us to understand some concepts faster as opposed to if we were to start from square one. Generally, the works of classical theorists help us take in and process an otherwise a large quantity of knowledge (Ritzer 2003). Concepts such as Clausewitz’s concept of a trinity have proved to be very useful to both theorists and practitioners. The concept has helped students to focus on critical aspect of life that could have been obscured with the experiences of the world that keep on changing. The Clausewitz’s concept of a trinity is an interactive set of three elements which drive the events taking place in a war in the real world. The three elements or forces include people, government and armed forces. Clausewitz’s concept of a trinity has greatly influenced the current strategic theories and policies of war. The concept has familiarized students of military art with the events of war. The theory has stood the test of time and is still being applied in war situations today (New 1996). New, Col Larry D. "Clausewitz’s Theory: on War and Its Application Today." Airpower Journal , 1996. HYPERLINK "http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj96/fall96/new-lar.html"

How representative is the House of Commons in terms of gender and Essay

How representative is the House of Commons in terms of gender and ethnicity - Essay Example A conclusion with some recommendations on how the issue can be addressed is also given. Introduction The Great Britain has two houses of legislature; the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is the lower house in the British Parliament. The House comprises elected members of Parliament, who represent the interests of the constituencies they are elected from. The House of Commons wields an immense power on the control of the government, since it is the one responsible for making legislations, while the upper house, the House of Lords, has an oversight role over the House of Commons, without any powers to reject the legislations done by the lower house, but only to delay such actions (History Learning Site, 2013 n.p.). Thus the government with the prime minister is highly dependent on the cooperation with the House of Commons, to execute its mandates (History Learning Site, 2013 n.p.). Despite all the attempts that have been made to have the House of Commons th at is representative of the minority, ethnic and gender balance, the situation has not completely borne fruits. By 2009, the House of Lords was found to be more representative of the social diversity in the British society, having reasonable numbers of women and ethnic minorities, compared to the House of Commons (Philips, 2009 n.p.). The number of ethnic minorities in the British House of Commons by the year 2009 was a meager 15, which is however a notable improvement from the previous periods, where the representation for women and the ethnic minority was significantly less (Philips, 2009 n.p). Therefore, based on this trend, it is prudent to conclude that the House of Commons is not representative of the gender and ethnic minorities. However, there is a great hope that the situation will keep improving with time, to generate a House of Common with a social make-up, which is highly diversified and representative of gender balance and ethnic equality. Because it is not possible tha t each member of the society can voice their needs to the government, democracy supports such modes of representation where the members of the House of Commons act as a bridge between the citizens and the government (History Learning Site, 2013 n.p.). Such members are able to speak on behalf of the people through debates and passing of bills on the floor of the House, to address their concerns and make their voice be heard, through voting for or against the bills. The British law requires that the Parliament represents the interest of the people, both demographically and geographically. While geographic representation refers to the representation of the people based on the designated parliamentary constituencies, the demographic representation focuses on the different social groups. These groups may include the ethnic minorities and the females, which have always got lesser representations in the Parliament (History Learning Site, 2013 n.p.). Nevertheless, considering the fact that the House of Commons comprises 647 members, only 143 women and only 27 members from ethnic minorities were elected to the Parliament in the 2010 general elections (History Learning Site, 2013 n.p.), then, there is no doubt that the House of

Homework in Performance Techniques Essay Example for Free

Homework in Performance Techniques Essay Sound Waves- A sound wave is the pattern of disturbance caused by the movement of energy traveling through a medium (such as air, water, or any other liquid or solid matter) as it propagates away from the source of the sound. The source is some object that causes a vibration, such as a ringing telephone, or a persons vocal chords. The vibration disturbs the particles in the surrounding medium; those particles disturb those next to them, and so on. The pattern of the disturbance creates outward movement in a wave pattern, like waves of seawater on the ocean. The wave carries the sound energy through the medium, usually in all directions and less intensely as it moves farther from the source. Prequency and Wave Length In physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave—the distance over which the waves shape repeats.[1] It is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a characteristic of both traveling waves and standing waves, as well as other spatial wave patterns. [2][3] Wavelength is commonly designated by the Greek letterlambda (ÃŽ »). The concept can also be applied to periodic waves of non-sinusoidal shape.[1][4] The term wavelength is also sometimes applied to modulatedwaves, and to the sinusoidal envelopes of modulated waves or waves formed by interference of several sinusoids.[5] The SI unit of wavelength is the meter. Reverberations Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed.[1] A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air.[2] This is most noticeable when the sound source stops but the reflections continue, decreasing in amplitude, until they can no longer be heard. The length of this sound decay, or reverberation time, receives special consideration in the architectural design of large chambers, which need to have specific reverberation times to achieve optimum performance for their intended activity.[3] In comparison to a distinct echo that is 50 to 100 ms after the initial sound, reverberation is many thousands of echoes that arrive in very quick succession (.01 – 1 ms between echoes). As time passes, the volume of the many echoes is reduced until the echoes cannot be heard at all. Refraction Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. It is essentially a surface phenomenon . The phenomenon is mainly in governance to the law of conservation of energy. The proper explanation would be that due to change of medium, the phase velocity of the wave is changed but its frequency remains constant. This is most commonly observed when a wave passes from one medium to another at any angle other than 90Â ° or 0Â °. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomenon, but any type of wave can refract when it interacts with a medium, for example when sound waves pass from one medium into another or when water waves move into water of a different depth. Refraction is described by Snells law, which states that for a given pair of media and a wave with a single frequency, the ratio of the sines of the angle of incidence ÃŽ ¸1 and angle of refraction ÃŽ ¸2 is equivalent to the ratio of phase velocities (v1 / v2) in the two media, or equivalently, to the opposite ratio of the indices of refraction (n2 / n1): Diffraction- Diffraction refers to various phenomena which occur when a wave encounters an obstacle. Italian scientist Francesco Maria Grimaldi coined the word diffraction and was the first to record accurate observations of the phenomenon in 1665.[2][3] In classical physics, the diffraction phenomenon is described as the apparent bending of waves around small obstacles and the spreading out of waves past small openings. Similar effects occur when light waves travel through a medium with a varying refractive index or a sound wave through one with varying acoustic impedance. Diffraction occurs with all waves, includingsound waves, water waves, and electromagnetic waves such as visible light, x-rays and radio waves. As physical objects have wave-like properties (at the atomic level), diffraction also occurs with matter and can be studied according to the principles of quantum mechanics. Passive Absorption- According to this theory ions are absorbed by the root along with mass flow of water under the influence of transpiration. This theory failed to explain the salt accumulation against osmotic gradient. An increase in transpiration pull increases the uptake of ions by the roots. The uptake of ions by free diffusion. Thus, mass flow of ions through the root tissues occurs due to transpiration pull in the absence of metabolic energy.

Iago in William Shakespeares Othello Essay examples -- Shakespeare Ch

Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello Iago has many motives for destroying the other characters in the play. One of these is jealousy. Iago is jealous of Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and even his own wife, Emilia. He is jealous of Othello for many reasons. Iago wants the power and the respect that Othello has. We see this in Act 2 scene 1 where Iago says ‘the moor- howbeit I endure him not- is of a constant, loving, noble nature’ which hints that he wants what Othello has as they are both opposites and these attributes may be the ones he will need to gain power. Iago is jealous of Othello’s marriage with the senator’s daughter as it gives Othello even more power and an attractive wife- he envies Othello for his wife as he states ‘I do love her too’ which suggest that Iago may have feelings towards Desdemona making him more jealous of what Othello has. Also Iago is crude and racist and always calls Othello the ‘moor’ which is a racist term. This could be the reason for his jealousy as he finds the fact that Othello is above him quite unnatural. In his soliloquy, Iago states ‘he’s done my office’ referring to Othello, which means Othello has slept with his wife making him even more jealous, even though he does not know if it is true or not. Iago is also jealous of Desdemona. He wants to be in her place- he wants to be an influential person to Othello- he wants to be closer to him thus closer to power. He twists the fact that Othello is passionate and obsessed with Desdemona to his own advantage. We see this when Iago states that he will ‘put the moor at least into a jealousy so strong that judgement cannot cure’ meaning that Iago will use... ...om Cassio) with his words and need not use them anymore. We are left to make our own minds up about why Iago did it. There are hints here and there but still we do not know him well enough to conclude what his reasons were from the evidence we receive throughout the play. We cannot even be sure that Iago was telling us his true thoughts in his soliloquies about Othello and Cassio having slept with Emilia. May be he is motiveless: he just invents reasons to be bad. We do not hear of the affair situation anywhere outside Iagos soliloquies. He does say himself ‘I am not what I am’ so does this not mean that anything he seems to be he is not and everything he says is a lie. I believe that Iago is the character with the most depth that I have ever encountered- so much depth that it becomes almost impossible to analyse him.

Gerdes Psychological Services Essay

E3-1B| (Transaction Analysis—Service Company) Brown is a licensed CPA. During the first month of operations of her business (a sole proprietorship), the following events and transactions occurred. | | | April| | | | | | | 3| Purchased supplies on account $1,610.| | | | | 11| Completed a tax assignment and billed client $2,530 for services rendered. | | 12| Received $7,360 advance on a management consulting engagement.| | 17| Received cash of $5,290 for services completed for Calunga Co.| | 21| Paid insurance expense $253.| | 30| Owe the secretary-receptionist $2,668 for the month.| | 30| A count of supplies indicated that $276 of supplies had been used.| | 30| Purchased a new computer for $14,030| (LO 4)| | | InstructionsJournalize the transactions in the general journal. (Omit explanations.)Problem #3| | E3-3B | (Corrected Trial Balance) The trial balance of Cervantes Corporation, below, does not balance. | | | CERVANTES CORPORATIONTRIAL BALANCEAPRIL 30, 2010| | Debit| Credit| Cash| $11,824| | Accounts Receivable| 10,480| | Supplies on Hand| 5,934| | Furniture and Equipment| 12,200| | Accounts Payable| | $14,088| Common Stock| | 16,000| Retained Earnings| | 4,000| Service Revenue| | 10,400| Office Expense| 8,640| | | $49,078| $44,488| An examination of the ledger shows these errors. | 1. | Cash received from a customer on account was recorded as $2,760 instead of $3,660.| | 2. | The purchase on account of a computer costing $6,400 was recorded as a debit to Office Expense and a credit to Accounts Payable.| | 3. | Services were performed on account for a client, $4,500, for which Accounts Receivable was debited $4,500 and Service Revenue was credited $450.| | 4. | A payment of $190 for telephone charges was entered as a debit to Office Expenses and a debit to Cash.| | 5. | The Service Revenue account was totaled at $10,400 instead of $10,560.| | (LO 4)| | | InstructionsFrom this information prepare a corrected trial balanceProblem #4| | | | | | | | E3-5B | (Adjusting Entries) The ledger of Chan Rental Agency on March 31 of the current year includes the following selected accounts before adjusting entries have been prepared. | | | | Debit| Credit| Prepaid Insurance| $ 2,700| | Supplies| 2,100| | Equipment| 18,750| | Accumulated Depreciation—Equipment| | $ 6,300| Notes Payable| | 15,000| Unearned Rent Revenue| | 6,975| Rent Revenue| | 45,000| Interest Expense| –0– | | Wage Expense| 10,500| | An analysis of the accounts shows the following. | 1. | The equipment depreciates $188 per month.| | 2. | One-third of the unearned rent was earned during the quarter.| | 3. | Interest of $375 is accrued on the notes payable.| | 4. | Supplies on hand total $637.| | 5. | Insurance expires at the rate of $225 per month.| | (LO 5)| | | InstructionsPrepare the adjusting entries at March 31, assuming that adjusting entries are made quarterly. Additional accounts are: Depreciation Expense; Insurance Expense; Interest Payable; and Supplies Expense.| | | | Problem # 5 | | | | E3-8B | (Adjusting Entries) Dement is the new owner of Fung Computer Services. At the end of August 2010, his first month of ownership, Dement is trying to prepare monthly financial statements. Below is some information related to unrecorded expenses that the business incurred during August. | 1. | At August 31, Dement owed his employees $2,280 in wages that will be paid on September 1.| | 2. | At the end of the month he had not yet received the month’s utility bill. Based on past experience, he estimated the bill would be approximately $720.| | 3. | On August 1, Dement borrowed $36,000 from a local bank on a 15-year mortgage. The annual interest rate is 6%.| | 4. | A telephone bill in the amount of $140 covering August charges is unpaid at August 31.5.During August, Dement earned $1000 of $6000 that was received from a client at the end of July.| | (LO 5)| | | InstructionsInstructionsPrepare the adjusting journal entries as of August 31, 2010, suggested by the information above.| | | | |