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  • High School Reading Comprehension Worksheets


    Hand your child the high school reading comprehension worksheets, to enable him/her to hone the reading skills and also decode the message of the lesson flawlessly. These particular worksheets are beneficial for those children, who are in their secondary standards. The worksheets are customized in a way to enhance your child’s ability to use special techniques before, during and after reading, so as to comprehend the inherent meaning of the text.

    The Importance of High School Reading Comprehension Worksheets

    Since a secondary student has to encounter large amount of texts in their content-area classes, therefore the reading worksheets are particularly very helpful. The worksheets simply do not incorporate only texts, but also a ‘question and answer’ session, so as to verify how well the student has understood the story. As the worksheets become more advanced, the students are asked to write the meaning of the text and this helps in judging the child’s reading comprehension level.

    The high school reading comprehension worksheets simply do not aim in letting the students read better, but also to understand the lesson better. To stir their interest, the worksheets mostly incorporate very interesting stories with a tinge of fun and humor added to it. Being a teacher, you can introduce the discussion process, which can help the students share their thoughts and feelings about any particular lesson with the other students. The process can propel the child’s thinking process and also realize their faults.

    Remember that the reading comprehension passages improve the fun and effectiveness of reading. However, there are a few strategies before, during and after reading, which should be followed.

    • Before letting them Read – Before letting the students read, let them understand the purpose of reading. Prior to reading it is important to render a background knowledge about the text and at the same time introduce to them a few specialized vocabulary linked to the topic.
    • When they Read – While reading, the students should be encouraged to assess their understanding ability, by asking questions from the text to themselves.
    • After they Finish Reading – Post reading, a student should verify their knowledge through the self-questioning strategies. Nonetheless, they should be able to narrate the cream of the story.

    Some Research Based Techniques to Accelerate the Reading Process

    Paraphrasing Strategy: According to this strategy, a student is encouraged to recall the main idea of the lesson after reading.

    Text Preview: This is particularly a pre-reading strategy, which incorporates a introductory passage to let the student understand any particular section of the text. Hence, text preview actually includes, a synopsis of a passage and also question to help reading.

    Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR): Under this strategy, a student is enabled to think about the text, understand the main idea and comprehending the meaning of the unknown words and lasts but not the least, epitomizing the text that has been read.

    Story-Mapping: This process enables a student to identify and record the important information within the text and also retelling the gist of the matter.

    The highschool worksheets follow all the above strategies and thus help a student grasps any text without the least problem. Hence, the high school reading comprehension worksheets are specifically designed in a way to enable the students accelerate their reading skills and abilities.

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  • Stonehenge


    Stonehenge is probably the world’s best-known megalithic site. A megalith is a standing stone monument. Situated on Salisbury Plain in Southern England, it has been associated with all sorts of astronomical and religious myths. On June 21, each year thousands of visitors collect for a festival to mark the summer solstice, or mid-summer.

    It consists of a three circles of stone, within each other, surrounded by a circular ditch. The site was built in stages.

    The First Stage: 2800 B.C.

    The first stage was probably begun in about 2800 B.C. This is the outer, circular ditch, with a raised embankment. It measures about 330 feet across. Just inside the ditch are 56 holes, evenly placed around the circle. They are called Aubrey holes, after a 17th century historian, who discovered them. These holes probably contained wooden posts, which have long since disappeared. A pathway, leading up to and into the circle, was probably built at the same time, but may have been built later.

    The Second Stage: 2000 B.C.

    During this stage of construction, a double circle of about 60-80 stones was placed in the middle of the circle formed by the ditch. These stones are called “blue stones” and a few remain today. They are the smallest stones used at the site, but they still each weighed about 4 tons. They came from the Welsh mountains. Although no one knows for sure how they got there, it is thought they were transported mostly on barges, using the sea and rivers, and barely had to travel over land at all. For some reason, this circle of stones was never completed and was partly replaced with a horseshoe arrangement of larger stones. The larger stones are called sarsens and are sandstone blocks, from an area about 20 miles from the site. There were ten upright stones, arranged in five pairs, with a huge horizontal stone across each pair. These stones weigh up to 50 tons each, and were transported by land. It is estimated that each stone took 600 men to move!


    The Heel Stone

    At this time the heel stone was also placed. It is the considered the most important stone at the site, weighing 35 tons. It has a pointed top, and its placement has been the cause of a lot of the theories surrounding the site. During the summer solstice (midsummer day) if you stand in the center of the circle, you will see the sun rise directly over the pointed tip of the heel stone.

    The Third Stage: 1800 B.C.

    During the third stage the builders built an outer ring of huge sarsens, each weighing about 35 tons. There are 30 stones, and across the top of them all, forming a complete circle, there were horizontal stones.

    The Theories

    There have been many theories over the years as to who built the site and why. Probably the most famous one is that the Druids built it as a place of worship. The problem with this theory is that there were no Druids in England at the time it was built, and the Druids preferred places with trees for their worship.

    Another theory is that it was some sort of religious site where human sacrifices were made, but this theory is the weakest of all, since no human remains have been found there. There is some evidence that ashes of cremated bodies were placed in the Aubrey holes, but much later than the original time the site was built.

    Another, and the best theory, is that it was some sort of astronomical observatory. The sun rises directly over the heel stone on midsummer’s day. It is not very likely that this is a coincidence. The problem with this theory is that over the 5000 years that it has stood, mid-summer’s day has changed, and so has the position of the sun. However, people have estimated that 5000 years ago, mid-summer’s day was June 24, and that the sun would have risen over the heel stone then. Other calculations show that it could have been used to predict solar and lunar eclipses, and perhaps even as a daily calendar.

    We will probably never know exactly why the site was built. One thing is certain, though. It was built for an important purpose, since no one would have gone to so much effort just for fun!

  • Division Worksheets


    Learning division is now much easier with the division worksheets. These worksheets are furnished with problems with multiple variations, based only on division. The division worksheets are exactly framed, keeping in mind the age groups of children.

    The worksheets are mostly in computerized format, enabling the user to alter any number in the rows or columns, if required. However, most of these computerized worksheets convey formulas and if any particular number of it is changed, then the worksheet is automatically updated, based on that formula. The division worksheets are designed in this exact manner, thus letting the user solve the problems with greater flexibility and ease.

    Types of Division Worksheets

    Basically, there are two types of division worksheets, the math fact sheets and the long division sheets.  In the math fact sheet, a division symbol is placed in between two numbers. The sums are quite simple to solve and hardly requires paper calculations for students. On the contrary, the long division sheets convey problems, which require stepwise division with or without any remainder.

    Division worksheets can be of other types too, like:

    • The sheet contains 100 division problems, giving the scope for students to do division with numbers, starting from 1 to 9.
    • Here the division problems are placed in random, but in horizontal format. If required, the order of the problem can be changed.
    • Here the divisions are in long format and are spread randomly on the sheets. Order of the sums can again be changed accordingly.
    • The division problems are placed in long format, with remainders in random.

    Since, each of the above worksheet is dynamically designed, therefore you can customize the problems in accord with the students’ ability.

    Tips to Learn Division Quickly

    • Division is just the reverse of multiplication. Unlike addition, division shares some similarities with subtraction. You should know the ways to check if your answer is correct.
    • Remember, that the remainder comes to zero only if the divisor is ten. Again, when the divisor is two, then the last digit should be even.
    • Suppose, the last two digits of a number is divisible by 4, then you can divide the whole number with 4 or you can divide by 8, only if the last three digits can be divided by 8.
    • Again, you can divide a whole number with three, only if the addition of the digits of the number is divisible by three. Or, the divisor can be 9, if the addition of the digits of the number is divisible by 9.

    There are many such tips as to how to make your division more simple and easy to solve. Do a bit of research work, before you select division worksheets for your kid. Keep in mind the age of your child, before you decide on a particular one.

    Worksheets empower the students and propel them in the right direction. It encourages their independent learning and disciplines home tasks as well as class works.

    Therefore, with the division worksheets, division is no more difficult but very interesting to solve.

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  • Patricia S. Cowings: African American Scientist


    Patricia S. Cowings is another great African American woman. She was the
    first woman to take astronaut training at NASA. Although she never took off,
    she has helped many astronauts through her research.

    Patricia Suzanne Cowings was born in New York City on December 15, 1948. Her
    father owned a grocery store, and her mother earned a degree at the age of
    sixty-five, becoming an assistant teacher for the New York Board of Education.

    She first became interested in science at the age of eleven. She was
    fascinated by astronomy. She carried on with her interest throughout high
    school, and studies psychology in University. She won a scholarship to conduct
    research at NASA. She left NASA for a while after that to teach, but returned in
    1977.

    She conducted very important research into zero gravity sickness. This is
    something that affects astronauts in much the same way as motion sickness
    affects people on earth. She set up a biofeedback program. Biofeedback is when
    you teach your body to control things which you normally have no control over,
    like reflexes, heart beat, etc.

    Her program was a great success and has helped many astronauts overcome the
    sickness completely. Some astronauts haven’t been able to get over it totally,
    but all have been helped by the research. She also helped set up a program to
    prevent muscles wasting in space. This happens because there is no gravity to
    make them work hard. She made up exercises to work all the muscles that would
    normally be unused in space.

    She has received many awards for her work. All of this is a great achievement
    for anybody, but especially a woman and African American. Patricia Cowling
    believes that her success is as a result of her father telling her that her
    color didn’t matter. Read what she
    has to say about it.

     

  • Vikings and Religion


    Two of the most famous Vikings are Eric the Red and Leif Ericson.
    In the late 900’s Eric the Red was exiled from his homeland in Scandinavia to Iceland for 3
    years. While living in Iceland he decided to do some exploring and discovered
    Greenland! Although it had a rather harsh climate he wanted to attract
    settlers so that’s why he named it Greenland. He and his family built a home
    there. There were 2 main settlements on Greenland. It was on their farm that Eric
    the Red’s wife built the first Christian church in Greenland.

    There
    were Eskimos on the other side of Greenland and they never discovered each
    other!

    Leif Ericson was responsible for the spread of Christianity in Greenland.
    His mother started many churches.

    Vikings called Jesus the White
    Christ.

    Most Vikings worshipped several gods such as Thor and Odin
    and believed when they died the would go to a place called Valhalla if they died
    in battle.

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  • Theodore Roosevelt


    Theodore Roosevelt (October 27, 1858- January 6, 1919) was the 26th president of America. He was the engineer of a modern era in American politics. On June 26th 2006 Roosevelt, adoringly called Teddy appeared in the cover of Time magazine with the lead story “The Making of Modern America-20th Century Express”: which says “at home and abroad Theodore Roosevelt was the locomotive President, the man who drew his flourishing nation into future.”

    The Life Of The Mandarin

    Theodore was the Assistant Secretary of the US Navy. In 1898 he organized the war with Spain and helped to command the first US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, “The Rough Riders”. Upon Theodore’s return in New York, he was elected the Republican Governor in 1898.

    Roosevelt was the first person to grasp the significance of Panama Canal. He bargained for the control of its construction for the US in 1904. The canal was completed in 1914 after Theodore left office.

    Roosevelt, The Progressive Leader  

    Theodore was a progressive reformer who wanted to bring the Republican Party within the realm of Progressive Party. But his attack on Judiciary created a rift between him and his friend and successor William Taft. A new political party, The United States Progressive Party was formed out of the split in the Republican Party in 1912 Presidential Election. Theodore Roosevelt lost his Republican nomination to Taft and pulled out to form this new Progressive party nicknamed Bull Moose Party.

    Majority of Republican Congressmen, Governors and leaders refused to join the new party even if a large percentage formerly supported Roosevelt. Though many independent reformers joined Bull Moose. The party backed many sympathetic Republican and Democratic candidates during federal and state elections from 1912 to 1916.

    Out of the 15 most prominent progressive Republicans, 5 supported Theodore and 3 backed Woodrow Wilson. Many political supporters of Roosevelt endorsed Taft. Even Longworth, son in law of Roosevelt supported Taft. Many people deemed it safe and sound to be with Woodrow Wilson and some were suspicious about Theodore’s progressive ideas.

    The rise of the Democratic Party posed new problems. The Bulls Moose had dreamt of victory of Theodore by pulling out progressive elements from the Republican and the Democratic. But the Democrats nominated their most efficient and outstanding leader Woodrow Wilson.

    Scarcity of funds was another problem. The businesses that funded Republicans distrusted Roosevelt because with his ‘Trust Buster’ image he had broken large businesses. So, the Bull Mooser had to spend a lot on publicity.

    Roosevelt defeated Taft in the Popular vote and by 88-8 margin in the Electoral vote. But Woodrow Wilson won due to the crack in the Republican. With this mishap the fantasy to win the White House was ripped apart.

    After poor performances in 1912 and a pathetic showdown in 1914, The Bulls Moose disintegrated.

    The Progressive Manifesto

    The Progressive party voiced for easy amendment of the US Constitution, women suffrage, social welfare legislation of women and children, recall of Judicial decisions, compensation for workers, limited injunction in strikes, revival of banking to promote an elastic currency, farm relief, Health insurance in Industrial arena, new inheritance and income tax structure, improvisation of in-land waterways and limited naval armaments.

    Roosevelt propounded ‘New Nationalism’, which speaks of a sturdy government to protect the interest of middle and worker classes as opposed to Woodrow Wilson’s individualistic ‘New Freedom’.

    The Other Facet Of Roosevelt

    Roosevelt believed in equality and in his ‘Square Deal’ he determined to protect the rights of middle classes and working classes. He promulgated the conservation of natural resources. As a professional historian his biography boasts of a bright academic career strewn with many books. He was the first American who was awarded the Noble Prize in 1906. He own the Peace Prize for his contribution in the peace process between Japan and Russia.

    Thus, stands the tall figure of Theodore Roosevelt pointing towards a future nation he dreamed of. As historian Thomas Bailey says, “Roosevelt was a great personality, a great activist, a great preacher of moralities, a great controversialist, a great showman.”

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  • Surprising Geographical Facts


    Do you know which is the tallest mountain in the world? I bet most of you would be surprised to know that it is in the United States. Almost everyone talks of Mount Everest, in the Himalayas, as being the tallest mountain, but it isn’t. It has the world’s highest peak, but it isn’t the tallest. Why?

    Mountains are measured from their base to their tip. Mount Everest stands on the Asia continental shelf. It is measured from the ground to the tip, and stands at 29,035 feet, to its summit (tip).

    Mauna Kea on the U.S. island of Hawaii is 32,000 feet tall. Because it is measured from the ocean floor, it doesn’t reach as high as Mount Everest, but is actually taller from base to tip.

    Here are some more geographical facts that may make you wonder.

    Highest Peak:
    The tip (peak) of Mount Everest is the world’s highest point. It is 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) above sea level.


    Tallest Mountain:
    Mauna Kea on the U.S. island of Hawaii is 32,000 feet (9,750 meters) tall. Because it is measured from the ocean floor, it doesn’t reach as high as Mount Everest.

    Largest Lake:
    The Caspian Sea, at 143,244 square miles (371,000 square kilometers), is the largest lake in the World. It is a salt-water lake.

    Largest Freshwater Lake:
    Lake Superior on the U.S.-Canada border is 31,700 square miles (82,100 square kilometers) and the world’s largest fresh water lake.

    Longest River:
    The Nile River in Africa is the longest at 4,241 miles (6,825 kilometers) long. It only just beats the Amazon in length.

    Largest River (system):
    Although it’s not quite the longest, the Amazon River is by far the biggest river system in the world. Its drainage basin is almost 2.4 million square miles. It lets almost seven million cubic feet of water into the ocean every second.

    Highest Waterfall:
    Angel Falls, in Venezuela, drops 3,212 feet (979 meters) from Devil’s Mountain.

    Widest Waterfall:
    Khone Falls stretch 6.7 miles (10.8 kilometers) across the Mekong River, between Laos and Cambodia.

  • Sidney Poitier: Black American Actor


    Sidney Poitier was the first black man to win an academy
    award for best actor. Throughout his film career he has taken on roles that
    highlight the situation of the black man in a white world. Poitier’s interest in
    the plight of the black people goes far beyond acting. He is a writer and
    director as well as a humanitarian and a diplomat.

    His first great acting success was in the film Cry The
    Beloved Country, about Apartheid in South Africa. He later went on to play in
    other films about Black Americans. The film “In the Heat of the Night” was a
    classic movie about a black detective from the North. He was sent to solve a
    murder in a Southern town at a time when blacks were still addressed as
    “boy” in the South, and segregated. His performance made a lot of people
    sympathize with the plight of black people in the South. Until then, many people
    had considered that they were treated equally, or at least fairly. Another
    controversial role he played was in “Guess Who is Coming To Dinner”. That
    was a film about interracial marriage. Sidney Poitier was going to marry a white
    girl, and he went to dinner at her parent’s house for the first time, to meet
    them. Her parents were absolutely horrified at the thought of their daughter
    marrying a black man. It was the first time that an interracial marriage had
    been the subject of a Hollywood film, and the film had a happy ending.

    All of these things may seem very ordinary today, but in those days black
    people were still shunned and considered inferior. Sidney Poitier played a big
    part in changing those views. He was not afraid to play in roles that would
    cause controversy, or even put him in danger from extreme racists. Nearly fifty
    years after his first success with Cry My Beloved Country, Sidney Poitier went
    to an apartheid free South Africa, to star in a film as Nelson Mandela. The
    world is slowly changing and people are beginning to realize that color,
    nationality and religion have nothing to do with whether a person is good or
    bad.

    To learn more about Sidney Poitier: his life, his ideals
    and his films, visit
    this link    .

  • K 12 Education


    The K12 education is one of the many educational models that have been developed in order to achieve the perfect educational setup for children in their growing years. The K12 educational system uses a format which includes every educational step that a child undergoes from kindergarten to the twelfth grade, hence the name K12.

    The K12 educational curriculum has the distinction of being one of the most time tested and researched educational model available. It is a widely adapted curriculum and, in the United States and in English Canada, the K12 series of grades from Kindergarten to 12th grade are the free education grades supported by the government.

    The K12 educational curriculum includes comprehensive courses for all levels of education. Each grade also offers 700 lessons for instruction. The K12 education program covers six subjects which are Math, Science, History, Language Arts/English, Music and Art. The lessons in the K12 educational curriculum are based on the Core Knowledge sequence of education. In recent years, the K12 educational curriculum has also been mainstreamed and is now offered as an online school curriculum with corresponding school worksheets, lesson plans and teaching guides available for those who are interested in the course work.

    The development of the K12 educational curriculum is based on three guidelines. These are:

    • Providing a content rich and consistent skills instruction which is built up in a sequence for each year of the K12 curriculum. This allows for the child to learn the subject matter in a continuous manner from his or her earlier years up to young adulthood.
    • Encouraging the learning process in children through the use of a variety of teaching methods which can include activities such as calculating, writing, reading, listening, speaking, singing, acting, painting, drawing and a host of other activities.
    • Using technology where fit in order to encourage education.

    The K12 virtual school has gained popularity due to its focus on helping children cope with continuing their education amidst the special difficulties some of the face. The K12 virtual school addresses the special educational needs of children such as gifted children or highly talented children, slow-learning children, children with medical issues, children with limited funds and children who require special schedules.

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  • Printable Kindergarten Worksheets


    You simply cannot help blessing those who came up with the printable kindergarten worksheets that bring you the opportunity of introducing your kindergarten-attending kid to a fun way of learning. Really, printable kindergarten worksheets are fun-filled and very user-friendly. The best part is that some websites offer these print-ready worksheets free of cost and you can save precious penny.

    Different types of printable worksheets are available for kindergarteners these days – right from clock worksheets to Christmas worksheets, coin worksheets to alphabet worksheets, spelling worksheets to drawing worksheets, and the rest. They are just perfect for older toddlers, preschool, kindergarten and first grade students and match their comprehension-levels.

    Printable worksheets for kindergarteners are being widely used in schools; as parents, you too can make use of these worksheets for the benefit of your child. All you need to do is download and print them. With their colorful look and innovative approach, the printable worksheets will appeal young minds in such a way that the contents will forever be embedded in their minds.

    Printable Kindergarten Worksheets – Their Contents and Effectiveness

    Alphabet printable materials essentially incorporate Preschool Alphabet Activities and Handwriting Printable Materials. Meant for giving handwriting practice, these materials are available in the form of free coloring pages, color posters, flash cards, mini books and activity worksheets.

    Printable worksheets are effective because they involve the learners in the learning process thoroughly. This gives them good practice. In printable kindergarten worksheets, children are made to act and create. For example, when a child is taught to learn A for apple, instead of being introduced to a picture of an apple with a huge A letter beside it, he or she is made to draw or color an apple together with the letter A.

    Similarly, there are some print-ready kindergarten worksheets (spelling, number and drawing worksheets) wherein children are made to learn, trace and print letters, numbers and shapes, etc.; children even learn to spell and write their names. Again, coin worksheets are printable kindergarten worksheets that help a child count and identify money. All these are simply great fun/ thrilling activities for children.

    So, wait no more! Get hold of some printable kindergarten worksheets and introduce your child to an effective and practical way of learning.

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