How To Tell A Test Quiz Before It Bites You On The Nose

Q. My teacher says that we are going to have a test quiz next week. Isn’t that term a bit redundant? What in the world is a test quiz?
A. Ah, the wiley test quiz. It’s an odd creature indeed and it is very rarely encountered in the wild. In fact, you are a very lucky student to have a teacher that even knows what a test quiz is much less is wiling to administer one.
A test quiz is a preparatory quiz that is given in advance of a major test. Its purpose is to familiarize you with the type of questions that are going to be asked on the major test without revealing the actual questions that will be asked.
For example, if you’ve ever taken the PSAT test, then you’ve taken a test quiz. The PSAT test is designed to prepare you to take the actual SAT tests that many colleges require high school students to take before applying for admission.
The fact that your teacher is willing to give you a test quiz means that he or she truly cares about you and wants you to do well on the actual test that will soon follow. If you read between the lines, you might also see where your teacher is saying words to the effect of “the actual test is going to be tough folks so I’m going to give you a test quiz, in advance, so you’ll have a better idea what you’ll need to study.”
There aren’t many teachers who are willing to take the time to write a test quiz and that’s the reason why most students will never see one in the “wild”.
Take advantage of you teacher’s generosity and study well for your test quiz. The chances are you’ll see the same concepts in the actual test that you saw in the test quiz. If you do well on the test quiz then you’ll probably do well on the test itself. If you fail the test quiz, however, you’d better hits the books harder and leave the partying until after the test.

How To Design A Map Quiz That Even A Cartographer Would Love

Q. How can I design an interesting map quiz?
A. You can’t. At least you can’t if you intend to design a map quiz where you draw some geographical areas and then ask “Where is South America?”. While that would definitely qualify as a map quiz, it wouldn’t make the grade of an “interesting” map quiz.
There is a thin line between geography quiz and map quiz. Once you cross that line, and get away from the simple geography, you can make a map quiz downright interesting.
For example, you might design a map quiz that asks questions about how maps are actually made. A lot of people don’t realize the magic that is needed to represent a round world on a flat piece of paper. Questions along this line could be very enlightening.
Another great set of map quiz questions could deal with how to navigate a ship using charts and a pair of dividers. You could ask them to determine how many nautical miles it is between two points.
Maybe you’d like to combine a map quiz with a scavenger or treasure hunt. Bury something valuable somewhere and then create treasure maps. The map quiz could ask questions that can only be answered by reading the map. As each question gets answered the person gets closer to finding the prize.
Another great idea would be to present a complex problem that has to be solved by being able to read and understand a map thoroughly. Here’s an example:
You have 10 days vacation and decide to take a car trip around the United States.
You can drive no more than 10 hours per day and you can drive no faster than 55 miles per hour.
Your trip must start and end in the same State. Other than that, you may not visit any state more than once.
You must exit a state at the opposite border that you entered it from. For example, if you entered a state from the North, you must exit from the South. if you entered from the Northeast, you must exit from the Southwest.
At the end of each 10 hour period you must spend the night (14 hours) in a town or city whose name contains the letter “e”.
Using the map, mark your daily route, including the number of miles driven, and circle the name of the town or city that you spent the night in. Be sure to write the day # as well.
The person who visits the most states in the 10 day period wins.
That ought to be a map quiz that will be remembered for some time to come.
Remember, a map quiz doesn’t have to be dull and boring; use your imagination to develop a map quiz that challenges and stimulates.

Teens And Cell Phones

Let the battle begin, should teens have cell phones? Well you will be pleased to know that over 94% of parents agree that cellular phones are good for teens and that’s according to a survey conducted by AT&T with parents and teens in LA and New York. Most teens have their very first cell phones by the age of 15 and in many cases 13. Like with all mod cons teenagers want them but they should be used in a practical manner.
The Bill
Paying for the cellular phone is one thing but the on going costs thereafter tends to cost some friction in households. If you are the parent who insists that your son or daughter has a cell phone then understandable you should pay the bill once it’s within reason. Teens who insist on having a cell phone should pay some part of the bill with their weekly allowance that you give them. Teens who are left without any supervision on bill phones will run riot and it will be you who foots out the bill. Even if you have the money to pay the bill monthly no matter how high you should draw the line, you may not always be there to pay for everything. Prepaid cell phones are a good idea to keep the expense down, the calls are more expensive to make on these phones but you can only make the calls once the credit is there. It is a great way for teenagers to learn about financial management of their own bills.
Teens and camera phones:
Camera cell phones are more popular with teens for the obvious reasons. It’s easy to use and fool around with and let’s face it they are harmless fun. There is a downside to having the camera phone and that’s the ongoing cost. If the phone is prepaid it’s simply, you can only text friends photo’s when you have the credit but if the phone is linked to monthly bill payments camera phones are by far the more expensive to operate. If your teen insists on sending SMS via the camera phone, why not encourage them to do so through email. Simply connect the phone to the PC via a usb cable (normally supplied with the phone), upload the photo’s and with broadband in most area’s email is much cheaper.
What are the main reasons parents offer teens cell phones?
Knowing that your son or daughter is safe and sound is priceless. If ever they need your help you are only a phone call away. With many late teens driving cell phones are a necessity, let’s face it most cannot even change a puncture. Please remember if you allow your teen a cell phone in the car, make sure you or they purchase a hands free kit or earpiece. Teens have so many things to talk about and can get so wrapped up in conversation that the driving aspect takes a backseat. For a few more dollars play safe.
Trust your teen with the cell phone:
We live in a world of technology and it’s going to keep growing at a rapid pace, all teenagers are curious. Once you have gotten over the argument of bill payment your teen will be fine, they may overindulge on the first bill or two but by confiscating the cell phone for a day or two will soon teach them the importance of money management. You will always know where they are and from the sound of their voice on the other end of the phone your mind will be put at ease.
Cellular phones family plans to keep costs down:
Family plans from cell phone carriers such as AT&T are ideal if there is more than one cell phone in the household. It helps keep the costs down and maximise the free talk-time minutes per month. If one person is not using up the free minutes the other can before they are lost. Some cell phone carriers are offering rollover minutes. Rollover minutes allow all the used free minutes from one month travel over to the next so you are not losing out. Cingular offered this and since they merged with AT&T, AT&T customers can avail of this too, remember the onus is on you to ask them.

Rescue Your Children

How often have you thought about this “your time is your life and your life is your time, when one is gone so is the other ”
Time is infinite, not a renewable resource. The average person wastes two hours each day through disorganization and clutter in the home and workplace, causing pressure, stress and unhappiness. We sleep 8 hours a day, that leaves 16. If you waste 2 hours, that’s one-eighth of your life, thrown away, gone forever. Time is not managed, time is first organized by having your home and workplace organized, under your control and then it is managed. But, what about your children?
Academia has done little to identify what time loss is to students in high school and college, how it contributes to stress and pressure and that teaching the value of time at a young age is an investment, an investment that can be spent later, but more important, if children understood the value of organizing their space could give them added time, reduce stress and bring more joy and happiness into their school experience and that this knowledge of controlling time would prepare them for a smoother entry into their careers and adult life with more confidence.
Give your children an advantage now that you perhaps did not have. Give them the gift of time, even introducing them at three, four or five, what the significance’s is to putting their toys and clothing away, where it belongs, can benefit them later when they are looking for that favorite toy or shirt later and further illustrates to them that having a mess in their room or playroom causes the clutter that causes confusion that causes pressure and stress and lost time. It’s never to early to explain to children what stress is because they feel it, as you feel it, they just don’t understand it.
Give your children this opportunity. Teach them at a young age the value of time through organizing their own space. Teach them that keeping it neat, keeping everything where it belongs and putting it back, is their responsibility. A responsibility learned at a young age will make them responsible adults.
Time is your most important resource. It is what you do with it and what you teach your children to do with it that can lead to a happier more successful life. Don’t let it slip away.

Shirley Temple Stories

When the Twentieth Century Pictures company had their expensive merger with the Fox Film Corporation in 1935, studio head Daryl Zanuck was depending on two contract stars to pull the new company through its money troubles. Tragedy struck the same year when Will Rogers died in a plane crash in Alaska. Zanuck turned his financial burden on the shoulders of six year old Shirley Temple (she was actually seven but wouldn’t find that out till she was twelve).
Fox had signed her in 1933, a bad year for Hollywood with record numbers of movie theaters closing throughout the country. Her ability to sing and dance was off-putting to some scouts at the studio who called her,”a precocious little monster”. Later when she became their chief financial asset the attitude around the lot changed. One time little Shirley walked into the commissary and was picked up by a friendly executive,” How are you doing sweetheart?” The room went quiet. Everyone was staring. If he dropped her, everyone there could lose their job. Very gently he put her down and backed away.
In real life Shirley the actress longed to have a normal existence, so Zanuck made her yearn for the same on the big screen. Depression era audiences fell in love with her determination and optimism. Because her films required no great special effects, locations or famous co-stars, they made enormous profits making her perhaps the most valuable movie star a studio ever had, which occasionally caused resentment. She once had a scene with Lionel Barrymore who flubbed a line then screamed bloody murder when she corrected him. Another time she worked with Adolph Menjou who left the set cursing,” That little blankety blank is making a monkey out of me.” Not everyone felt that way. Her dancing partner in The Little Colonel (1935), Bill “Bojangles” Robinson often held hands with Shirley as they walked together through the Fox lot. And John Ford who resented Daryl Zanuck assigning him to direct Shirley in Wee Willie Winkie (1937) came to respect the child’s work ethic. Zanuck rightly blamed Ford’s bad influence when Shirley started to address the short mogul as “Uncle Pipsqueak.”
She was a highly merchandised fad. She could have retired on the sales of Shirley Temple dolls alone. Once Director Alan Dwan was speeding to Twentieth Century Fox when he was pulled over by a policeman. “Ok buddy where’s the fi– Say! Is that one of those Shirley Temple police badges on your passenger seat? My daughter would kill for one of those. OK buddy, give me one of those badges and we’ll forget the whole thing.”
Shirley’s career was guided largely by her over protective mother Gertrude who would grab her by the shoulders before each scene and say,” Sparkle Shirley, sparkle.” Zanuck frustrated Mrs. Temple by not allowing Shirley to play more varied parts (not realizing she was a child, George Bernard Shaw offered her the lead in his stage version of Caesar and Cleopatra). Zanuck felt Shirley’s spunky movie character had to be repeated for her to stay popular. Gertrude would demand that the studio cut any scene where another child looked better than her daughter. This caused great distress for other parents who retaliated by starting a rumor that Shirley was actually a midget.
Shirley’s conservative banker father George had a difficult time dealing with the trappings of fame. One time he requested a meeting with Zanuck. “Mr. Zanuck, I want your advice about this fan mail I’ve been getting. I haven’t shown them to Gertrude and I’m tempted.” Zanuck was startled to read letters from women across the country wishing for George to father their children. Zanuck, who was famous for his own womanizing ways gave simple advice,”If you can’t promise them a little girl, stay loyal to your wife.”
Zanuck kept spies to inform him of the child’s activities at the studio. One time he interrupted a meeting with John Steinbeck to tend to her after hearing she had fallen and broke a tooth. On another occasion she was visited by HG Wells. Shirley was polite and after the famous author left, the little moppet was told she had just met the most important man in the world. “Uh uh. President Roosevelt is the most important man. And Governor Merriam is second.” Later Zanuck heard this report while furiously puffing on a cigar. “Who did she say is third?”
No matter how much Zanuck hid it on screen Shirley aged. When World War II broke out movie goers turned away from sentiment. Twentieth Century Fox began to make weightier films like Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath (1940). Shirley was declared over the hill at the age of ten. As a teen she became more independent. Without her mother to push her she never achieved the same acting success as an adolescent that she had as a child. But her grit and determination represented the American spirit to the world. A false report of her death in Hirohito’s Japan in 1943 set off a wild celebration in the streets.

The Training Baby

My kid is only 6months old, yet he has taught me more than I have ever learnt in the last ten years of supposed life’s experience. It is amazing really, that one so young can teach so much, that a ball of squeaking immaturity can give and educate others who are theoretically so much wiser and more learned than an incy’ bit of life that has just popped its head out for a look.
I mean he has taught me nothing startling like quantum physics or rocket science just simple things, an increased awareness of what is around me and a much better understanding of life and how people think and operate as they do! I have over the last twenty years made a career for myself in Marine Engineering, with Diplomas, certificates and degrees falling out of my ears and all backed up by a wealth of hands on experience. But all of this background was so pointless when faced with the pram that we bought!
What is a pram? A pram is a perambulator, a four wheeled vehicle for a baby pushed by one on foot”! Nothing startling there! What my son taught me was that nothing is what it seems in life and that you can have all the certificates in the world but they don’t help with prams! This thing that we purchased was so technologically advanced that it took me three weeks to figure out how to raise the seat! Eiffel and his Tower, Edison and his Light Bulb or even Ferris and his Wheel had nothing on this “Combi” invention! A fully-equipped mean machine, an all-terrain off-the road and all weather state of art vehicular transport that could fold up into handbag dimensions, perform to 80% even with flats on any two of its eight wheels and turn a circle on a dime (for this last action all wheels do have to be at peak performance). It weighed less than two kilos could shrink or expand to suit the size of baby it would carry and it was multi-directional (the baby could be pushed forwards or backwards with the flick of a switch).
After three weeks of trying to assemble the thing I eventually got it in motion. Unfortunately I was so afraid of the thing collapsing with the baby inside that I went out and bought a four wheeled monstrosity that was un-collapsible, omni-directional and could do not much more than be pushed strenuously along the road with a baby inside. It also meant that I didn’t have to carry a puncture repair kit with me!
So however educated and knowledgeable a person is: not all is as straightforward as it seems!
I love my son. He is such a character full of life and energy, full of cheek and smile!
He has taught me that adults are so bogged down with trying to wade through life that we can no longer enjoy that which is around us! We walk around and through daily life with chips, worries and problems weighing us down as if the whole world is resting precariously on our backs. Looking at my son, I realize that what we do in life is crazy; we grow older in a manner that builds problems on top of problems. We are all so desperate to be at the top of the ladder as regards material possessions or status, working harder and harder to earn the money to buy the latest in technological advance, so rushed and harried to get there before the next door neighbor that we forget what life is all about. I buy my son toys, I bought him this all singing, all dancing red thing that had mirrors and handles and all sorts of jingling things on it. The lady in the shop told me that it was the most popular toy they had in stock and that it would keep the baby occupied for hours. When I gave it to my son he looked at it with immediate wonderment, picked it up and neatly dropped it over the side of his cot! He is only six months old for ..sake! Anyway, he dropped it, thus discarding this ultra modern toy from his life and since then he has neither looked at it nor even acknowledged its presence. He loves the remote control though, even better he loves this tiny little one-dollar squeaky toy that looks like a pregnant hippopotamus!
My son taught me that it is only our own fault that we live the way we do, burdened and weighted down. So much pleasure can be gained from so little, yet as adults we want so much more yet never quite reach a degree of satisfaction or happiness that can be maintained for longer than a day!
My son also taught me that he can fill a nappy faster than I can recover from changing the last one, babies really control their parents rather than us controlling them and screaming is the closest emotion to laughing hysterically!
My son also told me to love unhindered and without thought or care for anything else in the world.
Thanks for everything but the pram son!

Thalisha: A Star In The Making

Thalisha is on a mission. The ambitious 17-year-old Latin R&B singer has been successfully working towards one goal: to become a star.
“My ultimate goal is to do for the Dominican community what Jennifer Lopez did for the Puerto Ricans,” she says. “For so long, Latin women have not been truly respected as vocalists in the music industry. I will change that perception.”
It takes an enormous amount of tenacity and energy to make it on your own in the music industry. And while no one ever claimed that making it is easy, there are always Indie musicians who pull away from the rest and become household names. Thalisha is quickly becoming one of them.
Without a major record deal, the petite native New Yorker has made great strides on her own. In 2002, she won a “Showtime Teenz” segment on the long-running TV show “Showtime in Harlem” (formerly “It’s Showtime At The Apollo”). She is also the recipient of the 2003 Underground Music Awards Best R&B Female.
But Thalisha knows that winning awards is the result of hard work and dedication, so she spends her time working with top-notch producers and strategizing with her manager to get to the next level.
The five-octave range Latina is well on her way to realizing her dream. She has performed in Europe and Japan and alongside such celebrities as Nina Sky, Stephanie Mills and 3LW. When asked about performing, she smiles and replies, “There’s nothing that I enjoy more than performing on stage.”
And you can tell.
Thalisha’s live performances are energized and spontaneous. From the moment she gets on stage, her vocal ability is evident. Her mezzo-soprano voice is often compared to the likes of singers like Deborah Cox and Tamia.
Television is also in her sight. She has performed twice on the very popular hit Mun2 (Telemundo) television show “The Roof” and co-hosted a Bronx TV talk show called “Teen Vision.”
While some successful independent musicians prefer being on their own, Thalisha is currently talking with major labels.
Thalisha’s touring schedule includes a return trip to Europe in the spring and summer and then to Australia later this year. “I’m determined, focused and ready for anything that comes my way,” she says. And it’s easy to believe her. Thalisha is definitely a star in the making.

Stop Lying NOW

Do you have a consistent problem with your child lying to you, even though he or she is normally a “good” child? Sometimes the lies are even about things that don’t really matter or your child continues to lie in the face of overwhelming proof to the contrary?
It is my firm belief that we will not end lying behavior in our children until we take away the consequences for telling the truth. This is a concept explored in greater detail within Nancy Buck’s book, Peaceful ParentingВ®.
How many times as a child were you told by your parents that you wouldn’t get into “as much” trouble if only you would be honest and tell the truth? I think this must be a rule in Parenting 101 because almost every parent I know has uttered this inalienable truth at least once with their children. Do you remember what you heard when you were told that as a child? I do.
What I actually heard is: if you keep on lying, you are going to really get into trouble. You already lied so you are at pretty high risk of getting into serious trouble. But, if I stick to my story, then there is a possibility there will be no punishment. No one likes to be punished. So it is logical that most children will choose the path that is least likely to result in pain. This, to most children, means the lying route.
I am proposing that if you want to decrease your child’s lying, then you need to say, “As long as you tell me the truth, you will not be punished.” This is a huge shift for many of you and you are probably asking yourself, “But what if my child did something that requires punishment—something seriously against the rules?” I still say remove the consequences for lying and you will more likely get the truth.
Before you come to this decision, though, you must decide whether or not you really want the truth. A few years ago, I was speaking to the mother of one of my sons’ friends. She was very upset that a boy had stayed at her home and slept on top of the same bed with his girlfriend. Now, this mother was aware that both the boy and girl were sleeping at her house but she did not want them to share a bed. The two disregarded her wishes but felt they were complying with the main issue by sleeping on top of the covers, fully clothed. When the mother discovered them early in the morning, still sleeping, she was livid. She called me to vent her frustration. In her ravings, she said, “Well, I know I did the same thing and worse but at least I had the decency to lie to my parents!” I asked her if she really preferred being lied to and she responded affirmatively.
Now, if you are a parent who would really rather not know, then this article is not for you. I am writing to those parents who want to know the real truth about what is going on with their children and who can handle the truth when presented with it, rather than feeling the urge to punish their child.
My sister-in-law came to me for advice in dealing with her 11 year-old daughter who has developed a lying habit, particularly around her school work. She tried everything. She had mentioned the universal law: “If you tell me the truth, you won’t get into near as much trouble as if you lie to me”. My niece stuck to her story like glue. Then my sister-in-law began to take away extracurricular activities to hopefully impress upon my niece the importance of her school work. All of this was common sense but what do you think happened to the lying? It continued without impact.
When she came to me, I advised her to take away the consequences for telling the truth. She couldn’t believe what I was suggesting she do. Now, I was not saying that she and my niece wouldn’t have a conversation about whatever the problem was. And I wasn’t saying that they wouldn’t make a plan for more effective behavior in the future but there would be no consequence for telling the truth. Even though it’s in the beginning stages, my sister-in-law already reported improvement.
All she has to do now is remind my niece that there will no punishment if she tells the truth, and my niece has been coming clean. The advantage to this is that you, the parent, aren’t spending a lot of time attempting to “get to the bottom of things”! You don’t have to play detective and go on a fact-finding mission. You get the truth up front and then you know what it is that you really need to manage.
The advantage is that you can take a collaborative approach with your child on how to do it better the next time. You can spend your time discussing what got in the way of your child being successful and how can you, together, remove those obstacles. This is so much more relationship strengthening than trying to figure out who’s telling the truth and who isn’t and then doling out the appropriate punishment for the lie. Wouldn’t you rather put an end to lying and get at the real source of the problem?
Try it and see if it helps. But don’t do it if you would prefer not knowing!

Buying Your Child a Digital Camera- What You Need To Know

Purchasing any gift item for your child is a mind-numbing task. You can never be sure whether they will like what you buy for them or not. So, when you want to buy a digital camera for your little kids, then there are lots of things, which you must know, which will help you (hopefully!) to get the right camera for your child.
One of the most important things for children is that the digital camera should be one of the latest available in the market. If it has been heavily advertised and people are talking about it, then it is even better. This gives children a sense of pride and also allows them to show-off’ their possession to their friends.
Another factor, which is critical for children, is that the camera must look good. This is very, very important to them. It does not matter whether it has a big screen or small screen, whether it is 2 mega pixel or 1.5 mega pixel the camera should have a smart shape, come in flashy colors or it can also look cute or funky. But, the camera should not look boring’ or very serious’ in nature. However good the functions might be, if the camera does not look good, it is most likely that your choice will get rejected.
The size is also important. Most children will definitely prefer a digital camera that is small and compact in size. The weight and size should be such that they are able to easily put the camera in their pocket or hang it by a string. Large and bulky models, even if they have better features are not advisable for children.
It is also necessary to remember that even though you might gift your child a digital camera to click photographs for school projects, they will be using it to take pictures of their friends. So, look for some fun’ features in the digital camera. These can include colorful background images or sound effects, photographic effects that they can use to enhance the images taken by them.
One more thing is ease of use. It is important that the camera has a simple system through which children can easily take pictures quickly. However, you really do not need to worry about this aspect a lot because today’s children have been born in the digital era. They are able to pick up things much faster than you or me, so as long as the camera is good in all other aspects, even if its click ability’ is a little confusing, it does not really matter. They are fast learners these days!
Last but not the least, is the price. While buying a digital camera for your child, it is understandable that you really do not want to spend a lot of money. There are lots of choices available in the market today. The price range starts from as low as $30 and can go up to $300. So, it really depends on how much you would like to spend on the camera. Start simple and upgrade if they grow out of the digital camera that you buy for them. Hey share them with the whole family!

Teachers! Do you want to stop the Cheating?

It is really very simple. Just turn the clock back to a time before technology gave them the ability. I am talking about way back when we had to use pens and pencils to do our school work. Allow me a moment to further explain.
Before technology gave use the world of information, we had a world of information. But, it came in books. Sure we could plagiarize a little. However for us to plagiarize, we had to physically write the information. With today’s technology a simple “cut-n-paste” from two or three different sources, and you don’t even have to read to have your term paper given an “A.”
If the student is required to hand write school work, they still have to read it. If they have to read it, (god bless their little sponge brains) they at least have a fifty-fifty chance of learning something. The neat part is the requirements to hand write schoolwork, also improves the student’s comprehension, teaches them how to spell, increases their vocabulary, and believe it or not . . . teaches the student how to write legibly.
The additional benefit of being able to recognize when students have others do their work, by the differences in handwriting should also be a consideration. Sure Bart can still turn in his sister Mary’s report from a few years ago. But, not without reading it.
If you really want to help your students do not try to catch them cheating, try to prevent them from cheating. And, the best way to prevent them from cheating while making them at least expose their minds to the material is to ensure they read.
Oh, before you say, “that doesn’t work with math . . . Yes, it does. Require the student also turn in their scratch sheet with their work. If the student that has a blank scratch sheet is not able to do the same math on the white board at the front of the class, then you know.
The only time in a person’s life to instill in that person the need to learn is when they are young. After that, they have already chosen the path their life will follow. Teaching is one of the noblest professions, and one of the most difficult. But, I believe Teachers chose the job out of love for knowledge and children. Keep striving to teach that one student that doesn’t seem to get it. And, if you haven’t yet tried it, make them read it.