Homework sucks: The case against homework

Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish 2006 book "The Case Against Homework" is a fine and frightening explosion of the homework myth: that giving kids homework improves their educational outcome. The authors start by tracing the explosion in homework since the eighties, and especially since the advent of the ill-starred No Child Left Behind regime, which has teachers drilling, drilling, drilling their kids on math and reading to the exclusion of all else.

Kindergarten kids are assigned homework. Kids get homework over the weekend. Over vacations. When they're away sick for a day.

What's more, all the credible research on homework suggests that for younger kids, homework has no connection with positive learning outcomes, and for older kids, the benefits of homework level off sharply after the first couple assignments.

Not that most teachers would know this -- homework theory and design isn't on the curriculum at most teachers' colleges, and most teachers surveyed report that they have never received any training on designing and assessing homework.

The book is composed of equal measures of interviews with kids, parents and teachers; hard research numbers from respected institutions; and strategies for convincing your kids' teachers to ease back on homework.

One thing the authors keep coming back to is the way that excessive homework eats into kids' playtime and family time, stressing them out, contributing to sedentary obesity, and depriving them of a childhood's measure of doing nothing, daydreaming and thinking. They quote ten-year-olds like Sophia from Brooklyn, saying things like "I have to rush, rush, rush, rush, rush, rush through my day, actually through my seven days, and that's seven days wasted in my life."

No Child Left Behind has to shoulder some of the blame here. No Child Left Behind and standardized testing not only turns your child into a slave to her test-scores, but they can even affect your property values: a school with low test-scores brings down the neighborhood property values. That means that whatever your approach to your kids, the chances are that the other parents in your neighborhood are busting their asses to get their kids great test scores, drilling them, sending them to tutors, helping them with assignments that they were meant to complete themselves. If you don't do the same, your kids will suffer by comparison.

The authors report on an elementary school in North Carolina where at least twenty standardized test books have to be replaced after their use because the stressed out elementary school kids working to them have vomited on them.

The stories go on and on, and just when you're ready to throw in the towel and send your kids into the woods to be raised by wolves, the authors supply several long chapters of strategies and sample dialogs for convincing your kids' teachers to ease off on homework, for changing the homework policies in your school district and for rallying other parents to their cause.

They're not whistling Dixie, either: the authors have gone through this themselves, challenging and changing the homework policies in their kids' school districts. The last section of the book is an activist guide and a postmortem of the strategies they employed. One of the authors, Sara Bennett, is a celebrated civil rights lawyer; the other, Nancy Kalish, is a famous editor and writer of material for parents, especially mothers. One imagines that their school board didn't know what hit them.

I was lucky enough to attend excellent, publicly funded alternative schools through my educational career. We had homework, but we were also given a lot of time for free play, and a lot of free rein to choose our subjects and design our curriculum -- I remember spending half of the fourth grade working my way through two or three math textbooks and the other half designing and writing a parody of MAD Magazine, to the exclusion of all other work. The next grade I followed the class for most of the semester, except when I didn't. In high-school, I took a year off, moved to a little house in Mexico, and wrote stories. All of this stuff contributed more to my learning than any amount of worksheets and homework ever could have. Link

posted by Cory Doctorow on May 27, 2007, 09:26 AM at http://boingboing.net/

Is this a photograph?

As we are talking about art, especially about movements and their techniques, my simple question for you is:

Is this a photograph?

No it isn’t. It’s paint.

Don’t believe me right?

This is a painting completed in February 2005. It probably took a total of around 65-75 hours to complete. The image is the final painting after detail and skin textures are added with an eraser and colored pencil. The main colors are blocked in at the beginning, but refinement is withheld until the very end. Look for more info here.

McDonald’s options in countries all over the world

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Sure, you probably know in France that McDonald’s serves the Royale with cheese (thanks to the famous scene in Pulp Fiction) but did you know that McDonald’s all around the world offer a number of different items catering to their cultures?

Ok, you might’ve known. But you might not know exactly what they serve.

Here’s some of your McDonald’s options in countries all over the world.

10 Grammar Mistakes

1. Loose for lose

No: I always loose the product key.
Yes: I always lose the product key.

2. It's for its (or god forbid, its')

No: Download the HTA, along with it's readme file.
Yes: Download the HTA, along with its readme file.

No: The laptop is overheating and its making that funny noise again.
Yes: The laptop is overheating and it's making that funny noise again.

3. They're for their for there

No: The managers are in they're weekly planning meeting.
Yes: The managers are in their weekly planning meeting.

No: The techs have to check there cell phones at the door, and their not happy about it.
Yes: The techs have to check their cell phones at the door, and they're not happy about it.

4. i.e. for e.g.

No: Use an anti-spyware program (i.e., AdAware).
Yes: Use an anti-spyware program (e.g., AdAware).

Note: The term i.e. means "that is"; e.g. means "for example." And a comma follows both of them.

5. Effect for affect

No: The outage shouldn't effect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn't affect any users during work hours.

Yes: The outage shouldn't have any effect on users.
Yes: We will effect several changes during the downtime.

Note: Impact is not a verb. Purists, at least, beg you to use affect instead:

No: The outage shouldn't impact any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage shouldn't affect any users during work hours.
Yes: The outage should have no impact on users during work hours.

6. You're for your

No: Remember to defrag you're machine on a regular basis.
Yes: Remember to defrag your machine on a regular basis.

No: Your right about the changes.
Yes: You're right about the changes.

7. Different than for different from

No: This setup is different than the one at the main office.
Yes: This setup is different from the one at the main office.
Yes: This setup is better than the one at the main office.

8. Lay for lie

No: I got dizzy and had to lay down.
Yes: I got dizzy and had to lie down.
Yes: Just lay those books over there.

9. Then for than

No: The accounting department had more problems then we did.
Yes: The accounting department had more problems than we did.

Note: Here's a sub-peeve. When a sentence construction begins with If, you don't need a then. Then is implicit, so it's

superfluous and wordy:

No: If you can't get Windows to boot, then you'll need to call Ted.
Yes: If you can't get Windows to boot, you'll need to call Ted.

10. Could of, would of for could have, would have

No: I could of installed that app by mistake.
Yes: I could have installed that app by mistake.

No: I would of sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.
Yes: I would have sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.

Bonus peeve

I'll just throw one more thing out here: My current burning pet peeve. At some point, who knows when, it became common practice to say that something is "hit and miss." Nuh-UH. It can't be both, right? It either hits or it misses… "Hit OR miss."
Granted, it's a small thing, a Boolean-obsessive sort of thing. But it's nonetheless vexing because it's so illogical. Okay, that's mine. If you've got a peeve of your own, share it in the discussion (or post a comment and tell me to get over it).

Homework :)

People,
here goes the two links for the homework. You can send me the answers by mail or print them and give to me ok?:)


http://www.vivquarry.com/wkshts/linkwdex.html

http://gocsm.net/sevas/esl/gramcheck/9-10.html

Conjuctions: Exercises

http://www.artisticoarese.it/englishpc/language/conjuexe.htm

http://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/exercises/conjunctions_ex2.htm

50 Ways To Increase Your Productivity

Here are 50 ways to increase your productivity and add hours to your day.

1. Take a break. You can’t always be working at optimum productivity. Instead, you should shoot for working in short bursts at your most productive times.

2. Set a timer for each of your tasks.

3. Eliminate all distractions. This includes the phone, email notifications, and having multiple web browsers open on the desktop.

4. Distractions should be avoided, but sometimes a bit of music in the background can help you focus. Of course, it doesn’t need to be heavy rock music, but a bit of Beethoven may do you some good.

5. Love what you do. Enjoying what you do is the ultimate way to increase your productivity.

6. Complete your most dreaded tasks first thing in the morning. Whichever activity you are dreading the most is probably the one you need to complete first thing in the morning.

7. Use JDarkRoom. This application allows you to write more efficiently by removing all distractions. You’re given an entirely blank page on which to type. This way, you’re not distracted by the web, e-mail, or IM. When you’re done, you can save your work as a text file.

8. Just start. Often times, starting is the hardest part. Once you get going, you will quickly get into a rhythm that could last for hours.

9. Everyone has a certain time of the day in which they are more productive than others. For me, it’s the morning. Find out when your prime time is for productivity and optimize your work schedule accordingly.

more here

High Intermediate 3

TYPES OF CONNECTORS

There are three main types of connectors:
1) Coordinating Conjunctions;
2) Subordinating conjunctions;
3) Sentence connectors.

EXAMPLES-EXPLANATIONS (Independent Clause) Ilamatar kept the eggs on her knee, (Independent Clause) but eventually they got too hot.

1) Coordinating Conjunctions
Connect the ideas in two independent clauses. The coordinating conjunctions are:
ü And
ü But
ü For
ü Or
ü Nor
ü So
ü Yet.

In written English, we usually write these clauses as one sentence, separated by a comma.

(Dependent Clause) After Areop-Enap put the snail in the sky, (Independent Clause) he made people.

(Independent Clause) Areop-Enap put the snail in the sky (Dependent Clause) before he made people.



2) Subordinating Conjunctions
Connect ideas within sentences. They show the relationship between an idea in a dependent clause and an idea in an independent clause.

Common subordinating conjunctions include:
ü Time: after, before, once, since, until, when, whenever, while
ü Reason: as, because, since
ü Result: in order that, so that, that
ü Contrast: although, even though, though, whereas
ü Condition: if, even if, provided that, unless
ü Location: where, wherever

(Independent Clause) Aerop-Enap discovered two snails living in the shell with him. (Independent Clause) In addition, a worm inhabited the shell, as he later found out.

(Independent Clause) Ilamatar could not endure the heat from the eggs; consequently, (Independent Clause) she put her knee back into the water.

3) Sentence Connectors
Usually express relationships between two or more independent clauses. The independent clauses may be separate sentences, as in the first example. They may also be in the same sentence, separated by a semicolon, as in the second example.

Addition Connectors
Simple Addition
CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

Also
You can pay your fees by credit card. You can also write a check.
These connectors express simple addition. They have the meaning of too or also.

In addition
Ming has to register for classes today. In addition, he has to pay his course fees.

Furthermore
This plant requires sun all day. Furthermore, it needs rich soil.

Moreover
As your mayor, I promise to make this city safe for all. Moreover, I will create new jobs.

Emphatic Addition
CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

What is more (informal: what’s more)
We have succeeded in cleaning up the river. What is more, we have made it the cleanest in the entire state.

Emphatic connectors signal an idea that stresses some aspect of what has been previously stated. Their meaning is similar to: “Not only that (what I just said), but also this (what I am saying now).

As well
Ricardo won the award for athletic achievement. He received academic honors as well.

Besides (THIS)*
My brother goes to school full-time. Besides this, he manages to work twenty hours a week.
* In this example, THIS means what has been previously mentioned. THIS will often be a demonstrative pronoun (this, that, these or those) or a demonstrative determiner + noun phrase (for example: as well as this fact).

Simple Addition X Emphatic Addition
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

I think I would be an excellent person for this job. My background in computers is extensive.

Simple addition: I also have excellent writing skills.

Emphatic addition: I have excellent writing skills as well.
We often use simple addition and emphatic addition in the same contexts. The emphatic connector simply stresses the added information more than the simple connector does.

Intensifying Addition
CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

In fact
Spokane has a lot of rain lately. In fact, it has been raining all week.

Intensifying connectors shows that an idea will strongly support another one.

As a matter of fact
You can take the rest of the pie with you. As a matter of fact, I wish you would since I’m on a diet.


Actually
Gretchen has never cared for the color magenta. Actually, it’s one of her least favorite colors.

Intensifying Addition X Emphatic Addition
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

This weekend is going to be very busy. I have a lot of schoolwork to do.

Emphatic addition: Besides that, I have to finish moving to my new apartment.

Intensifying addition: In fact, I have to write three papers.

We use emphatic connectors when we add a related idea. The first example adds another activity that will be accomplished.

We use intensifying connectors to elaborate an idea. The second example supports the idea of having a lot of schoolwork.

Alternative Connectors
CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

On the other hand

I may work this summer. On the other hand, I may take a long vacation.

These connectors indicate a possibility in addition to the one just mentioned. On the other hand and alternatively have similar meanings. Alternatively is a more formal connector. It is used mainly in written English.

Alternatively
You could take the history course you eventually need this semester. Alternatively, you could complete your schedule with a science course.


Exemplifying, Identifying and Clarifying Connectors

EXEMPLIFYING CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

For example
Reactions to bee stings can be severe. For example, a person could experience breathing difficulty.

These connectors introduce examples of what has been mentioned.

For example and for instance introduce a typical member of a group or a typical instance.

For instance
Some sports involve considerable body contact. Take, for instance, football.

Especially
Violence in movies seems to be increasing. Action films especially appear to be getting more violent.

Especially and in particular introduce an important member of a group or an important instance.

In particular
Learning the rules for article usage in English can be difficult. In particular, the use of articles with generic nouns may be confusing.
To illustrate
The steps for saving your computer file are quite simple. To illustrate, we will save the file you have just created.

To illustrate and as an example often introduce a lengthy example such as a process or narrative

As an example
Many great composers have had their share of misery. As an example, consider the life of Mozart.

CLARIFYING CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

That is
The garlic should be minced; that is, you should chop it into very small pieces.

These connectors signal that something will be rephrased or clarified. We use that is and in other words in both spoken and written English. I mean is less formal; we generally do not use it in formal academic English to clarify a statement.

Specifically
I have a question about connectors. Specifically, when do you use in fact?

I mean
I can’t go to that play. I mean, seventy dollars is just too much for me to spend in one evening.




IDENTIFYING CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS

Namely
There is a very important issue before us; namely, we need to decide how to reduce the budget by one-fourth.

These connectors identify something either previously mentioned or implied. They introduce a more specific or detailed elaboration.

Specifically
I have a question about connectors. Specifically, when do you use in fact?

Dear Parteners

I am very happy to belong for our English class. Your comments and positions about our lessons have add a lot my knowledge.

best regard

Edimir

Improving your writing :)

Connectors Part I

Types Of Connectors

There are three main types of connectors: coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, and sentence connectors.

EXAMPLES-EXPLANATIONS
(Independent Clause) Ilamatar kept the eggs on her knee, (Independent Clause) but eventually they got too hot.
­ Coordinating Conjunctions connect the ideas in two independent clauses. The coordinating conjunctions are and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet. In written English, we usually write these clauses as one sentence, separated by a comma.
(Dependent Clause) After Areop-Enap put the snail in the sky, (Independent Clause) he made people.

(Independent Clause) Areop-Enap put the snail in the sky (Dependent Clause) before he made people.

­ Subordinating Conjunctions connect ideas within sentences. They show the relationship between an idea in a dependent clause and an idea in an independent clause.

Common subordinating conjunctions include:

Time after, before, once, since, until,
when, whenever, while

Reason as, because, since

Result in order that, so that, that

Contrast although, even though, though,
whereas

Condition if, even if, provided that, unless

Location where, wherever

(Independent Clause) Aerop-Enap discovered two snails living in the shell with him.
(Independent Clause) In addition, a worm inhabited the shell, as he later found out.

(Independent Clause) Ilamatar could not endure the heat from the eggs; consequently, (Independent Clause) she put her knee back into the water.

­ Sentence Connectors usually express relationships between two or more independent clauses. The independent clauses may be separate sentences, as in the first example. They may also be in the same sentence, separated by a semicolon, as in the second example.

Addition Connectors

Simple Addition
CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
Also
You can pay your fees by credit card. You can also write a check.
These connectors express simple addition. They have the meaning of too or also.
In addition
Ming has to register for classes today. In addition, he has to pay his course fees.
Furthermore
This plant requires sun all day. Furthermore, it needs rich soil.
Moreover
As your mayor, I promise to make this city safe for all. Moreover, I will create new jobs.

Emphatic Addition
CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
What is more
(informal: what’s more)
We have succeeded in cleaning up the river. What is more, we have made it the cleanest in the entire state.
Emphatic connectors signal an idea that stresses some aspect of what has been previously stated. Their meaning is similar to: “Not only that (what I just said), but also this (what I am saying now).
As well
Ricardo won the award for athletic achievement. He received academic honors as well.
Besides (THIS)*
My brother goes to school full-time. Besides this, he manages to work twenty hours a week.
* In this example, THIS means what has been previously mentioned. THIS will often be a demonstrative pronoun (this, that, these or those) or a demonstrative determiner + noun phrase (for example: as well as this fact).


Simple Addition X Emphatic Addition
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
I think I would be an excellent person for this job. My background in computers is extensive.

Simple addition: I also have excellent writing skills.

Emphatic addition: I have excellent writing skills as well.
We often use simple addition and emphatic addition in the same contexts. The emphatic connector simply stresses the added information more than the simple connector does.

Intensifying Addition
CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
In fact
Spokane has a lot of rain lately. In fact, it has been raining all week.
Intensifying connectors shows that an idea will strongly support another one.
As a matter of fact
You can take the rest of the pie with you. As a matter of fact, I wish you would since I’m on a diet.
Actually
Gretchen has never cared for the color magenta. Actually, it’s one of her least favorite colors.


Intensifying Addition X Emphatic Addition
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
This weekend is going to be very busy. I have a lot of schoolwork to do.

Emphatic addition: Besides that, I have to finish moving to my new apartment.

Intensifying addition: In fact, I have to write three papers.
We use emphatic connectors when we add a related idea. The first example adds another activity that will be accomplished.

We use intensifying connectors to elaborate an idea. The second example supports the idea of having a lot of schoolwork.


Alternative Connectors
CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
On the other hand
I may work this summer. On the other hand, I may take a long vacation.
These connectors indicate a possibility in addition to the one just mentioned. On the other hand and alternatively have similar meanings. Alternatively is a more formal connector. It is used mainly in written English.
Alternatively
You could take the history course you eventually need this semester. Alternatively, you could complete your schedule with a science course.



Exemplifying, Identifying and Clarifying Connectors

EXEMPLIFYING CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
For example
Reactions to bee stings can be severe. For example, a person could experience breathing difficulty.
These connectors introduce examples of what has been mentioned.

For example and for instance introduce a typical member of a group or a typical instance.
For instance
Some sports involve considerable body contact. Take, for instance, football.
Especially
Violence in movies seems to be increasing. Action films especially appear to be getting more violent.
Especially and in particular introduce an important member of a group or an important instance.
In particular
Learning the rules for article usage in English can be difficult. In particular, the use of articles with generic nouns may be confusing.
To illustrate
The steps for saving your computer file are quite simple. To illustrate, we will save the file you have just created.
To illustrate and as an example often introduce a lengthy example such as a process or narrative
As an example
Many great composers have had their share of misery. As an example, consider the life of Mozart.


CLARIFYING CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
That is
The garlic should be minced; that is, you should chop it into very small pieces.
These connectors signal that something will be rephrased or clarified.

We use that is and in other words in both spoken and written English. I mean is less formal; we generally do not use it in formal academic English to clarify a statement.
Specifically
I have a question about connectors. Specifically, when do you use in fact?
I mean
I can’t go to that play. I mean, seventy dollars is just too much for me to spend in one evening.



IDENTIFYING CONNECTORS
EXAMPLES/MEANINGS
Namely
There is a very important issue before us; namely, we need to decide how to reduce the budget by one-fourth.
These connectors identify something either previously mentioned or implied. They introduce a more specific or detailed elaboration.
Specifically
I have a question about connectors. Specifically, when do you use in fact?



Source: Frodesen, Jan; Eyring, Janet. Grammar Dimensions 4. Heinle&Heinle. P.203- 211

Instructions

POSTING A PICTURE

Now that you’re logged in…

You are at “Postagens”, click on “Criar”You’ll see a big text box

Click on the icon with a little picture**You’ll see that you can add a picture from the archive or…
a picture available online.

To add a picture from the archive, go to “Adicione uma imagem do seu computador”, click Browse and choose a picture from your archive. Now click on “Fazer Upload de imagem”When adding a picture from the web, go to “Adicione uma imagem da web”
and write the address of your picture’s online address on the chart by the side of the word URL
Like this one:http://www.collegeboredom.com/pics/Animals%202/nerd%20moneky.jpg
And then click on “Fazer Upload de imagem”



Go to the main screen clicking on "Visualisar Blog"In the "About Me" chart, click on "View my complete profile" OR “Visualizar meu Perfil completo”Now, click on "EDIT PROFILE"Make your choices, change any names if you wish to...Now let's go to "Fotografia".You cannot post a picture from your archive in this section, so you can only post URL kinds of pictures, just like the one with the monkey on the last post.


Posting YouTube videos

It's very easy.Go to the Youtube website and choose the video you're going to use.By the right side of your video, there's a chart, in this part you'll select and copy the words inside a box right after the word embeded

Now, go back to your blog and click on “Criar”

Click on “Editar Html” again and paste the information you copied.

Click on Publicar and it’s done


EDIT YOUR POSTS

When you click on "Postagens" you'll see that on the right side of "Criar", you have "Editar Postagens". So, if you want to change something in a post you've already published, click on "Editar Postagens", choose the post you want to change and click on "Editar". Then, just publish it again.


In order to set how the comments on your blog are going to be organized, click on "Moderar Comentários" right next to "Editar Postagens".

On "Quem Pode Comentar" choose the option Qualquer Um, or if you want to be more selective, click on “Somente usuários registrados”
On the item "Exibir uma confirmação de palavras para os comentários?", choose YES. If you don't have any other modifications to make, just click on "Salvar Configurações".


By the side of “Postagens” and “Definições” there is the item “Modelo”. Click on it.

There you are going to be able to add links to your blog, write a message to the people who visit it… This is a place for you to EDIT your blog.


That’s it, folks! Hope you guys have fun! =]

By C.Morais adpated by R.Godoy
2007.1