Friday, March 27, 2020

Chemistry Sparkcharts Helps Students Learn More

Chemistry Sparkcharts Helps Students Learn MoreChemistry Sparkcharts is the best way to study Chemistry. Unlike other methods, where your attention is diverted to different things, you have a one step at a time instruction on how to do a research task and process a single chemical formula. When used with a good chemistry textbook, chemistry lessons are so much easier to follow. One of the great things about these chemistry toys is that they are actually educational too.Perhaps you will like your favorite teacher even more if he or she is wearing his or her trademark smile. A great advantage of using chemistry toys is that they enhance your class participation. Your children learn as they play. You can easily teach them by pointing at a chart or any other component, then following it up with visual clues. They don't know the stuff all by themselves.These sparkcharts are as easy to read as any book, and sometimes even easier to understand. The colors of each component make it a lot eas ier to understand what is happening in a complicated chemical process.This type of chemistry reading system helps to keep your students interested in a topic. You need to spend less time in front of your child so that he or she can concentrate better on the learning materials.Kids love to play, so they can find many fun and exciting activities they can do. This includes engaging in something that interests them. You will be surprised how quickly they can learn if you make the chemistry sparkcharts fun. You will find that they become fascinated with the subject matter and therefore learn faster.Keep the classroom schedule interesting. The various points in time throughout the day, each one scheduled for teaching, will not work well for the majority of teachers who find themselves in charge of classes and very busy. By assigning some timesto give away some chemistry materials and conduct some experiments in the classroom, you will keep students on their toes and help them retain infor mation.It is important to remember that children love to play. You can use chemistry to keep them engaged while teaching them. If you are interested in making your classes more fun, but still offering the basic theory for the most part, it is time to use science to encourage the learning process.

Friday, March 6, 2020

13 Phrasal Verbs with BRING - English Lesson via Skype

13 Phrasal Verbs with BRING - English Lesson via Skype When I began to think about English phrasal verbs and its meanings and in particular 13 phrasal verbs with BRING  that I realised how many ways we can use it.  There are so many prepositions in English you can use with some really  interesting meanings.In its most simple way the verb BRING means to carry with you, to take with you.For example:  Will I bring  (take with you) my overnight bag in case we wish to stay the night in the city? Or Can I help you with  those boxes? You take those two and I will bring the rest (to carry). You also hear it in many other situations. On a recent weather forecast the lady said there is a  strong wind coming in from the west over the next few days bringing a lot of rain with it.When I was young, we always liked to go to the local church or school when they had a bring and buy sale for charity.  For weeks the organisers would collect goods you did not want and then on the day of the bring and buy sale people would come and buy pieces of furniture, books and clothes that other people had donated (given for nothing).  Today we call these car boot sales, it is the same but not for charity! People are just selling items they no longer need to raise some cash and clear some space in their homes. 13 Phrasal Verbs with BRING BRING ABOUTto change somethingExample: The new government promised to introduce new laws and bring about change in relation to keeping wild animals as pets.BRING ROUND TO1. to cause to regain consciousnessExample: They poured cold water on his face in an effort to bring him round.2. to persuade someoneExample: She tried to bring him round to her way of thinking.BRING UP1. to raise a point.Example: At the meeting he insisted on speaking as he wanted to bring up the point about the new recruitment. Why was it taking so long?2. to raise a childExample: Maria was brought up by her grandparents as her parents were abroad.BRING DOWNto cause something to stop. Often used to describe a political situation.Example: The constant strikes and demonstrations about the governments’ economic policies would soon bring down the government and force an early election. Phrasal Verbs with Bring - Infographic Enjoyed this infographic? Here’s what you can do next: BRING ALONG  to take with youExample: Would you like to come to my party next week. It’s my birthday. Bring along a friend if you like!BRING ONto cause something, usually unpleasantExample: I think the cold winter weather must have brought on her flu.BRING IN  1. to take something that is outside and place it insideExample: It is going to rain. Would you mind bringing in the washing that is drying whilst I prepare lunch.2. to create profit/moneyExample:. His original marketing plan brought in a lot of money.BRING FORWARDto move an appointment or event to an earlier time or dateExample: The final exam was brought forward by two days. BRING OUT1. to create some change in a person either physical or in attitudeExample: When Michael is in the office everyone is more relaxed. He has a great sense of humour. He brings out the best in everyone.(everyone feels happier, everyone works better).2. to put on the marketExample: The new game will be brought out next October.3. to publishExample: The book will be brought out both in English and in French.  BRING BACK  to return or to re-appearExample: The movie was brought back by popular demand for 2 more weeks.BRING OFF  to be successful at something or to achieve somethingExample: David is going to try and negotiate on our behalf with the boss. We want a bonus for all our hard work. I hope he can bring it off. I hope he will succeed.BRING FORTHto create, to cause something to happenExample: The sound of the orchestra brought forth thunderous emotions.BRING OFFto accomplish something difficultExample: There was doubt in some quarters whether they could bring off this multi m illion deal.So as you can see the English language is once again fascinating in the many uses we can find for a  simple five letter verb BRING.

Breaking the 5 Minute Beer Mile - English Listening Exercise

Breaking the 5 Minute Beer Mile - English Listening Exercise Last week we had an amazing video about running and the courage it takes to get up after a fall. This week we have another video about running and the bravery it takes to chug beer while doing it. This is crazy! Would you try this? What would happen to your body if you tried it? Watch the video and do the listening and writing exercise that go with it.Listening (The listening will be for the first 4 minutes only because after that there isnt much speaking while he is running. You can fast-forward through the laps and watch the outcome!)1. How long ago was the 4 minute mile record broken?2. How long does it take him to drink beer out of glass? a can?3. What is the key factor in the CO2 in beer?4.   Here ____ are, a new world record in the beer mile.5. What will he do if he doesnt break the record?6. In what distance do you have to drink the beer?7. How does the beer need to be consumed?8. What is the minimum alcohol content needed in the beer?9. Make sure you have a _______   _____.Wo uld you ever do this? Why or Why not? What is the most unusual race that you know about in your country?Did you like this exercise? Check out our other running-related listening exercise.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

English Uncountable and Plural Nouns - Study English Grammar Rules

English Uncountable and Plural Nouns - Study English Grammar Rules Do you know that some of the nouns are uncountable in English? Nouns that cannot be counted are referred to as uncountable. And plural nouns are those that do not have a singular form. Some certain nouns in English are always in plural form.  Knowing some of them and understanding the difference between uncountable and plural nouns can help you in many areas of English grammar. Examples of Uncountable Nouns in English Uncountable nouns  are those that we cannot count. Uncountable nouns in English don’t have a plural form and always use a singular verb:InformationAdviceFurnitureKnowledgeEquipmentProgressWeatherHomeworkLuggageHairHe refused to give

Students given unconditional offers by universities are more likely to drop out - Tutor Hunt Blog

Students given unconditional offers by universities are more likely to drop out Students given unconditional offers by universities are more likely to drop out Students given unconditional offers by universities are more likely to drop outUniversitiesBack when I was studying for my A-Levels and applying for places at universities, I can recall being somewhat disappointed that my list of choices were so curtailed by my rather lacklustre predicted grades. I was fortunate enough to achieve slightly higher marks than these predictions, but there were of course still only a limited number of universities willing to take me on as a degree student. One of my more academic colleges appeared to have achieved acclaim at his chosen university before he even attended it, having received from it an `unconditional offer.` I had to ask what this meant - all the universities that had been so gracious as to grant me a place to study, did so on the strict proviso that I attain sufficient marks in my A-Levels. I was informed that whatever grades he achieved in his exams, his university would still guarantee him a place on his chosen course. I can recall being filled with envy - here I was fretting and panicking about my upcoming A-Levels, trying to assign enough revision time for each subject, while he didn`t have to worry, having being promised a place however he performed in his exams. I wondered if a pupil had ever dropped out of school after receiving this offer, not even bothering to do any more studying, and perhaps not even attending their exams, utterly nonchalant in the certainty of their future. Of course unconditional offers were only ever given to pupils of exceptional ability, pupils who were certain to achieve an extremely high mark, and unlikely to lose all academic drive just because they had been guaranteed a university place. However flattering and encouraging these guarantees may appear, new research suggests that unconditional offers actually have a negative effect on many students. The Office for Students, the regulatory body for universities and all other forms of higher education, conducted a survey which concluded that students who were offered unconditional offers were more likely to drop out of university, compared to their peers who had a requisite set of grades to reach. The study was conducted in 2015-16, and specifically cited the case of 185 students, who were fully expected to complete their degrees, but somehow ended up dropping out before they completed their courses. All these students had been given unconditional offers for their particular universities. In the past unconditional offers were rarely given, back when I was a 6th form student only one of my peers was granted this guaranteed invitation. Even as recently as 2013 they were seldom offered, with just 2,985 unconditional places been granted by universities across the whole of the UK. It really is astounding that in 2018, a mere five years later, this figure had risen to 67,915 - more than a 20 fold increase. There are concerns that since universities have become `fee paying` institutions, they are now less stringent with their admissions procedures. If a particular course doesn`t attract enough pupils it will soon be judged as non lucrative, and may be withdrawn; and if the whole university fails to bring in enough students it can very quickly lapse into bankruptcy. By granting a student an unconditional offer, universities are increasing their chances of securing payment from this `customer.` Other universities the student has applied to, who have stipulated a grade boundary for admission, are placing barriers between them and the `customer,` running the risk of losing them and their money. It may sound anomalous to term students as customers, but since the introduction of university fees, which now come to an average of £9,250 per year, that is effectively what they are. Whereas in the past unconditional offers were only be granted to the most academically gifted students, and were likely emblematic gesture from the universities, signifying that they were particularly keen for the student to study with them, they are now largely used to attract students onto courses. The danger here is that some students might be enticed onto degrees that are not right for them, something the study carried out by the Office for Students seems to suggest. The chief executive of the Ofs, Nicola Dandridge, recently put out the following statement: `We already know that students who receive an unconditional offer are more likely to miss their predicted grades at school.` `It is a cause of real concern that they are also more likely to drop out of university once they get there. `This is a couple of hundred students per year who have made a significant investment of time and money in a degree from which they are unlikely to benefit. `As our regulatory framework sets out, admissions systems must be reliable, fair and inclusive. What we are seeing here are admissions systems that are not fair, and are not working in students` best interests.` 4 months ago0Add a Comment

Internship Vs. Job Which Is Best During the School Year

Internship Vs. Job Which Is Best During the School Year Image via Unsplash.com Your schedule Your personal schedule, from classes to organizations, is one of the most important factors in deciding whether to take a job or internship. While most part-time jobs are flexible with classes and can offer hours over the weekend, many internships only offer shifts during the week and need anywhere from 10 to 40 hours a week. Also, you will need to factor your commute into your decision. Many college campuses have cafes, stores, and other spaces that offer part-time jobs that you can easily get to between classes or once you are done classes for the day. However, you will likely need to travel off-campus for an internship. If you require public transportation, you need to account for walking to and from drop-off locations as well as the possibility of the transportation being late. If you are driving, you will need to keep traffic in mind. Student organizations on campus If your college or major does not require that you need an internship to graduate, look into student organizations that can offer you experience that you would have gained at an internship. Many colleges have organizations based on majors, which look great on a resume. If you are a journalism major, for instance, your school likely has a newspaper that you can be involved with. This allows you to get hands-on experience without having to leave campus. Set aside time each week to devote to the organization of your choice and schedule your part-time job shifts around the time you need. Also, volunteering is a great way to get experience. There are opportunities in many fields for volunteer work. This work is done on your own time and schedule, so you are able to take a job and gain experience.

5 Things to Know About the Many Languages Spoken in Europe

5 Things to Know About the Many Languages Spoken in Europe 5 Things to Know About the Many Languages Spoken in Europe Love French? Cant get enough of Spanish? Heart skips a beat when hearing Italian?Are you a language learner about to embark on a  journey of studying one of Europes languages?Or are you about to fulfill a lifetime dream of actually traveling to Europe?Well, arent you a daring soul!Europe is a place like no other, and Im not just talking about food or the fact that they play football a little differently than Americans.Im talking about languages.In this post, were going to explore some essential information for language learners about the languages spoken in Europe, including some things you may be surprised to learn.Here are the 5 things you absolutely need to know about Europes languages and their speakers before you set sail for that linguistic coast. 5 Things to Know About the Many Languages Spoken in Europe1) The most common language spoken in Europe is wait for it English!There are 24 official languages in the European Union. In alphabetical order, they are(Take a deep breath here.)BulgarianCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEstonianFinnishFrenchGermanGreekHungarianIrishItalianLatvianLithuanianMaltesePolishPortugueseRomanianSlovakSlovenianSpanishSwedishWhew, what a mouthful!And that doesnt even include the official languages of European countries that arent in the EU.Guess what the most widely spoken language is. Thats right, English.In a 2012 European Commission survey, the five most widely spoken languages in the EU were shown to be English (38%), French (12%), German (11%), Spanish (7%) and Russian (5%). That last one, Russian, is not an official language, but is spoken by a sizable number of people.English tops the other tongues because its the favorite second language of Europeans.That should take away a little bit of the anxiety for travelers planning a European getaway, knowing they can most probably get by with English. I say a little bit because this shouldnt stop anyone from learning the most useful phrases, polite greetings and expressions of thei r host country. In fact, it should encourage you.Why? For one thing, European citizens will definitely be more warm and welcoming once they hear you talking in their language. Even if youre mispronouncing a lot, they’ll appreciate your efforts and point you in the true direction of the nearest bathroom, going out of their way to put you out of your misery.For example, in France, you might do better than you would expect with your bad French. Your Sil vous plait (Please) and Merci beaucoup (Thank you very much)  will endear you to the locals. It will set you apart from the stereotypical clueless tourist who expects to be catered to.Furthermore, having the safety net of English puts you in a lower-risk situation and invites you  to try harder, to be even more ambitious in your target language.  So get started today!2) More than half of Europeans are bilingualFor those language learners who think that being a true bilingual is rare, or that its quite difficult, well, there’s a whol e continent to suggest otherwise.A majority of Europeans (54%) are bilinguals, which means  they can talk to you in another language in addition to their mother tongue. A lower but significant percentage (25%) are trilinguals, which means they can run around and greet people in three different languages. And heres one that really takes the cake: 10% of Europeans speak four languages! How about that?Its a linguistic fiesta over there!Now, what does this mean for language learners on the other side of the globe?First, it proves that  learning another language is very doable. Its not just for the gifted or those with fat wallets. If the Europeans can do it, so can everybody else.Second, it means that English-speaking language learners can easily find language exchange partners in Europe. No, you dont need to actually go to Europe to engage them. There are plenty of technology tools like Skype and a host of great language exchange websites that can help you do this.Many Europeans are le arning English and theyll gladly exchange their two (or three or four) languages for your English. You can easily find yourself Skyping with somebody whos learning English from you, but whos also teaching you French and German.Pretty good deal, dont you think?But you may ask, How did they do it in the first place? How did they become so good at so many languages?Well, why dont we just ask the Europeans how they did it?(And thats exactly our next point.)3) Europeans are learning languages through immersionIn the same survey  mentioned: Europeans say they regularly use foreign languages when watching films/television or listening to the radio (37%), using the internet (36%) and communicating with friends (35%). 27% of respondents report using foreign languages regularly for conversations at work and 50% during holidays abroad.And these numbers are only climbing over the years. In fact, the proportion of Europeans who do not use a foreign language regularly in any situation fell from 1 3% in 2005 to 9% in 2012.Now what does this all mean to the observant language learner?It means Europeans have been socialized to be bilinguals and trilinguals. Sure, there are language schools all over the place, but the best way to learn a language, as the survey found with Europeans, is in the routines of everyday life.Would you not learn a language if over a third of the time when you’re talking with friends, you find the need to use a foreign language? If 27% of the time you speak to coworkers, youre actually using a foreign language, wouldnt you master it over time?Europe, as a result of geography and of the history of migrations, has evolved into a multi-cultural and multi-language society.Not everyone can grow up in that kind of immersive environment, though, where borrowing sugar from your next-door neighbor also functions as a language lesson. So learners from other parts of the world make do with the next best thing: online immersion.As mentioned above, there are all ki nds of ways to immerse yourself in your target language, and there are plenty of options when it comes to European languages, including TV, movies,  radio and video. You dont have to travel far and wide to get the immersion going.And thats where FluentU  comes in.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.  Our videos place you in an environment where you can witness how native speakers speak the language. Its like youre actually in the target country, watching a native speaker deliver the evening news or rock a concert stage.Now you don’t have to buy an online ticket to be there.4) Many European languages look and sound similar heres whyThey belong to the same language groups!Its possible to look at European languages as belonging to two major groupings:Indo-European,  which  includes Baltic, Celtic, Germanic, Indo-Iranian, Slavic and the Romance languages (e.g., Span ish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian).Non-Indo-European, which includes the Uralic languages (e.g., Finnic and Finno-Ugric) and Basque.While some languages, like Basque, are language isolates  (they dont share a family with other languages) many European languages belong to the same language groups and have similar origins, so their structures and vocabularies tend to be similar.For example, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian belong to the same branch of the Indo-European family called the Romance languages. No, its not because theyre romantic, seductive or anything of the sort. Theyre Roman in origin and developed from the official language of the Roman Empire: Latin.Thats  why theyre so similar.  If you map out the areas where the Romance languages are spoken today, they correlate pretty well to the territories held by the Western Roman Empire in its prime.They diverged and started to follow independent linguistic evolutions with  the fall of the Western Ro man Empire. These territories splintered into many different independent states.  The Latin in these areas became slowly differentiated. For example, they borrowed from the peoples that came to settle in the different territories after the fall.That’s why we have the case with French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish where they have many underlying similarities, but also have clear distinctions.Now, what does this have to do with language learners today?For one thing, this would certainly explain why the word for planet is el planeta  (in Spanish), o planeta  (in Portuguese), il pianeta  (in Italian) and la planète  (in French). They all came from the Latin planeta.There are plenty of similarities for Romance languages (cognates) which means theres a real possibility that one can be learning multiple languages  over time without too much difficulty. One can take advantage of their similarities in structure and vocabulary. So while learning French words, you may be inadve rtently making yourself recognize Italian.But watch out, because although there are useful similarities between Romance languages, you can get easily tripped up with their differences. In the planet example above, the translation in French is in the feminine gender, while the Italian is masculine. Now you might say, “Well that’s not really confusing. French-feminine, Italian-masculine!” But you have to remember that its only just for one word. Try to memorize 30 vocabulary words and their gender in both French and Italian and youll readily see the potential for confusion.My advice is, when you study multiple languages  at the same time, go for those that arent too similar. Try French and Finnish for example. Theres not much overlap between them, as one can imagine. After some time, when your French becomes solid, only then should you begin Italian. By then your knowledge of French can be used as juxtaposition to fully take advantage of the cognates and be a jumping off point f or Italianâ€"instead of you being soft on both languages and learning them both at the same time.5) There are lots of languages spoken in Europe, not just the big onesThere are 24 official languages in Europe but there are actually more than  200 languages spoken on the continent.Furthermore, language is an extension of identity.Cases in point are the regional languages, like Basque, Catalan, Galician, Scottish, Gaelic and Welshâ€"languages that, owing to geographic, historical or social factors, have not been assimilated or subsumed by larger linguistic entities and have instead maintained their own rich presence.Whats very interesting is that not only do people from these regions speak a different language, they also often have different traditions and beliefs, even if located just a few kilometers from a major linguistic population.Basque (believed to be the oldest language originating in Europe), for example, is a language spoken in the Pyreneesâ€"between Spain and France. Its a language entirely unrelated to any existing or extinct language. And it was spoken even before Spain came under Roman rule.Now, heres an important point to be remembered by language learners: When youre studying a language, youre essentially studying not just vocabulary and grammar. Youre looking at a culture, a history of a people and the words they use to describe and structure their experience.Even when youre just visiting or playing tourist, recognize the fact that a difference in language signals a different way of looking at the world.Keep this in mind when choosing languages to study and places to visit.Because although this does not erase the fact that were all the same underneath the skin, the difference in languages across Europe highlight for language learners and travelers opportunities for growth, discovery and delight.I wish you all the best in your linguistic endeavors.You will get there.And if youre contemplating actually traveling across Europe do bring me back som ething, will ya?