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Our Incredible Tutor™ 8th Grade Science now has company! We’re very happy to announce the release of our Incredible Tutor™ Science titles for grades 6 and 7. Together, these three give you all you need for test-prep and vertical alignment. Each grade contains 53 grade-appropriate lessons with 530 grade-appropriate items. Each title also includes 15 cluster items, 15 measurement items, and 15 gridded items. Additionally, you’ll find tools such as a ruler and periodic table included. The middle school content covers earth sciences, physics, chemistry, and life sciences, as well as numerous items covering laboratory tools, experiments, and safe lab precautions. The items also ask students to read and interpret maps, identify lab tools, calculate using SI units, and much more. For those Texas
Incredible Tutor™ users, you’ll
be glad to know that these items cover all the assessed TEKS
and were created and reviewed by Texas middle school teachers
and professional science content authors. In addition, we’ve
updated the high school science (grades 9-11) gridded items
so that they are presented in the same format as the TAKS test.
They now indicate to how many decimals to carry the number.
This is just one example of how Incredile
Tutor™ content is
continually developed and edited to reflect current TEA TEKS
requirements. |
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A Great Tip for a Fresh Start in the Classroom |
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Just in time to help you get your classes off to a good start for the new school year, Gabriela Frunza from Dulles High School in Sugar Land, has submitted these words of wisdom: Students will come to class on time if they know your expectations and see that you are consistent in implementing them. The key is CONSISTENCY. Students know they must be on time but it is human nature to test a teacher’s limits. Have a tardy log in an accessible place next to the door. At the beginning of the year explain that whenever they come after the tardy bell rings, students will first stop at the door to enter the information required (date, period, name, 1st, 2nd or 3rd tardy). Only after that may they go quietly to their seat and get ready for class. You may have to explain the process a few more times after which you will hold the students responsible for knowing the expectation. Be consistent in implementing it! You don’t need to interrupt your class to tell a tardy student what to do or respond to his or her arguments. Simply point to the place where the log is and continue your lesson (keep an eye to see if the student is actually entering the information in the log). A few times you should conspicuously look at the log entry so the students understand that you are really reviewing it. Remember to check the log periodically to implement the consequences for tardies according to your school’s rules and regulations. If students see that they do not get punished for being late, they will continue to come tardy. For instance, they may faithfully write in the log but will know that you will not do anything about it. This tip can be adapted for different levels as needed. One thing I know works, no matter what: consistency in all you decide to do. |
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RECIPE: Apple
Beet Salad |
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“I know it sounds strange, but you have to try it,” Darla writes, “It’s a very refreshing combination for the summer heat.” Ingredients: |
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10
Ways to Make a Fresh Start |
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1. |
Count your blessings. Taking a fresh look at the wonderful gifts in your life is a great way to feel revitalized. |
2. |
Do one task you have been procrastinating doing for awhile. Wouldn’t it feel good not to have it hanging over your head anymore? Whew! |
3. |
Organize one of your most visible messy stacks. You’ll be surprised at the mental clearing created when you don’t have to stare at it any longer. |
4. |
Appreciate the sights, sounds, and smells of morning. Each day is a new beginning and appreciating its nuances will create your very own fresh start feeling. |
5. |
Get in the habit of a healthy breakfast. Starting the day out by taking care of yourself is the best way to get off to a good start. |
6. |
Shed the clothing that you haven’t worn in the last two years. Who needs all that extra stuff hanging in your closet? |
7. |
Begin journaling. Journaling lets you release your thoughts on a daily basis so that you can unclutter your mind. |
8. |
Rid yourself of something you have never liked but kept anyway. If it’s something you’ve kept because you’d feel guilty getting rid of it, find someone else who would love it! |
9. |
Re-evaluate your to-do list and find one thing that is a “Should-do” rather than a “Have-to-do.” Take it off your list! |
10. |
Let by-gones be by-gones. Instigating this healing fresh start will make you feel good inside. You'll be surprised at how joyful letting go of a past hurt will make you. |
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Did you know that you can tile Incredible Tutor™ windows so that students can read both a passage and a question at the same time? Simply go to one of the reading passages in your software. Click on the down arrow button in the blue area at the top right of the screen. You should then see the passage and the question on a single screen. |
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CAMT iPod Winner |
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Lois McCarty! Lois, a math teacher at Midland High School
in Midland, Texas, registered for the iPod Shuffle drawing at
our booth at the CAMT Conference in Houston. |
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| More Information . . . | ||||
| Contribute | Publish your tips and techniques for tackling high-stakes tests or just having fun in the classroom in the Sleek Corporation eNews. | |||
| Updates | Check for the latest software updates, including instructions and FAQs. | |||
| Training | Become an Incredible Tutor™ expert! Many options are available, including free self-paced training! | |||
| Conferences | Come see us at your next conference for a free demonstration with a Sleek Corporation representative. | |||
| Contact | We look forward to hearing from you. | |||
| Tell a Friend | Invite a friend to sign up for the Sleek Corporation eNews. | |||
© 2006
Sleek Corporation |
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