London Guide Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

London Guide Book - Essay Example You can get pretty much any drink from a giant skull head filled with punch to a volcano that erupts with your favorite drink of choice. Also a restaurant, Tonteria really has it all. A phenomenal DJ, a good crowd, great drinks and food. Sounds like the perfect Monday to me. A gentlemen’s club? A speak easy? A place for happy endings? To most passersby, La Bodega Negra can mislead anyone. The exterior’s effervescent neon signage displays â€Å"Adult Video† and â€Å"Peep Show†, concealing the exciting restaurant within. With its Mexican street cuisine and the provocative feel of the interiors, the place caters to all your senses. A perfect place for after-work drinks or a full-fledged feast with friends, La Bodega Negra never fails to bring the fun atmosphere, no matter what day of the week it may be. With its impressive menu of cocktails, with special emphasis on its array of specialty tequilas, it may be in your best interest to also peruse the impressive list of tapas and

Peoples behavior Essay Example for Free

Peoples behavior Essay Whenever I encounter any person from another culture, I am often struck by how much that person represents and is different from the idea I have of that culture. Particularly if the idea I have of that culture’s person is seen from his perspective. A recent conversation with a student of Japanese ancestry highlighted to me this realization. When I first saw him, I assumed that he would speak English with an accent or with some difficulty. To my surprise, it turned out that he was a native English speaker having been born in the United States. Sharing the experience with a friend, she related to me that one of her acquaintances who was born in Hong Kong who had difficulty with being understood in English because of a difference in accent despite having English as a first language. These incidents are prime examples of how cultural stereotypes. Considering the number of foreign students alone, many universities and other social institutions should be developing the competencies to accommodate their communication and cultural assimilation needs. Like in the article written by Brink Lindsey in 2007 titled The Culture Gap for the Cato Institute, culture, statistically and in practice, is an issue that is asserting itself significantly. Without these measures, many people are liable to have negative experiences associated with cultural difference which can motivate them to be ashamed or defensive about their heritage. Having had my own positive and negative experience in being associated with my culture, I know first hand the need to understand culture on an individual level. It has been very helful too that my recent experience with other cultures has been positive and has allowed me to constructively learn from the experience. Had it been otehrwiese, I can easily see myself to develop negative concepts regarding Japanese or Chinese cultures since I believe in positive reinforcement. More than anything else, communication ad technology is creating new dimensions to cultural exposure and exchange. Many of the stereotypes we have of cultures is being challenged not so much because of changes in these cultures itself. Even more importantly, I realize that my culture influences what I see in other in the same way that other peoples cultural backgrounds influence what they see in me.

Power Politics And Change In Social Work Social Work Essay

Power Politics And Change In Social Work Social Work Essay Following a referral to childrens social care, the local authority has a statutory obligation to consider whether there are concerns about impairment to the childs health and development or the child is suffering harm which justifies an initial assessment to establish whether this child is a child in need (HM Government 2010: 5.34). Regardless of the length and breath of the case itself, assessments have to be completed within set statutory timescales. An initial assessment has to be completed within 10 working days and core assessments within 35 working days. This essay proposes that removing current distinction between initial and core assessment and the associated fixed statutory timescales for their completion will improve the quality of assessment reports completed by childrens social workers. A development of a single assessment form to replace initial and core assessment form would give social workers additional time to reflect and review historical information collated and collaborate with other agencies before completing the assessment thus improving practice. Although it is acknowledged that there may be challenges in implementing this proposal, this essay pre-empts that this change would give social workers greater opportunities to complete direct work with children and incorporate their views and feelings into the assessment (Munro and Lushey 2012). In the view of the above proposal, the essay explores the influence of the wider national and European policy agenda on the change proposed and explores some of the potential challenges from social work context which may impact on the implementation of the proposed changes. Finally, drawing on Change Theory, I critically discuss how my proposal could be implemented, meeting the challenges previously identified. But first, initial and core assessments are defined. An initial assessment is a brief assessment completed on each child referred to the local authority within a maximum of 10 working days of the referral date. Where necessary, it determines whether the child is in need; whether there is reasonable reason to suspect that the child is suffering or likely to suffer from significant harm; whether the child requires any services and if so what types; finally, a recommendation is made whether a more detailed core assessment should be undertaken (HM Government 2010: 5.36). The meaning of need is explored under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. A child is said to be in need if: [He] is unlikely to reach or maintain a satisfactory level of health or development, or [his] health and development will be significantly impaired without the provision of servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[or he] is disabled, (HM Government 1989). Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to make enquires when there is a reasonable cause to believe that a child who is found or lives in their municipality is suffering, or likely to suffer from significant harm. A completion of the core assessment is the means in which a section 47 enquiry is initiated and should be completed within 35 working days. In these circumstances, the aim of the local authority is to determine what form of intervention is required to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child (Ibid; Brown et al. 2012). A core assessment refers to an in-depth assessment which addresses key aspects of a childs needs. This assessment may be completed at different junctures depending on the childs needs; an existing child protection concern is not a requirement (Brown et al 2012). According to Department for Education (2011) 40% of core assessments bare no relation to section 47 enquiries. Harm under section 31(9) of the Children Act 1989 is defined as ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development; development means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development; health means physical or mental health; and ill-treatment includes sexual abuse and forms of ill-treatment which are not physical (HM Government 1989). Completion of both an initial and core assessment has to be undertaken in accordance with Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (DOH 2000) and information regarding childrens needs should be obtained within the three general domains of that form the assessment triangle: the childs developmental needs; the parents and/or caregivers ability to respond to those needs; and wider family and environmental factors (HM Government 2010: 5.36, 5.62; Turney et al. 2011). Current statutory guidance on the completion of initial and core assessments are criticised for the following reasons: Firstly, imposition of a rigid timescale means that there is little time for social workers to meaningfully engage with children. This drive to meet performance targets may thus be at the expense of the quality of assessments, engagement with children and families and multi-agency collaboration with professionals (Hawkes 2005; Holland 2010; Munro and Lushey 2012). Secondly, current statutory assessment timescales are unrealistic especially the 10 working days set for the completion of initial assessment. It does not take into account that there might be some difficulties in engaging with certain families and assessments may as a result be form-led rather than needs led (Horwarth 2002). Turney et al. (2011) argued that the pressure to meet statutory timeframes set for initial and core assessment may lead to the developments of short cuts which may provide latent conditions for error and in turn increase the risk factors posed to vulnerable children. An assessment which is child-centred contains thorough, concise and accurate information; includes chronological information about family and wider history and makes good use of information from a wide net of sources is considered a good assessment (Turney et al 2011). A good assessment is crucial in improving outcomes for children as it can contribute to maintaining the welfare of children by preventing delays in the provision of support and services. Despite the Assessment Frameworks copious guidance in completing good assessment, (DOH 2000) research evidence continues to highlight on-going concerns of social workers assessment analysis (Dalzell and Sawyer 2007). Holland (2010) contends that strict imposition of tight timescales combined with high caseloads does not allow for in-depth analysis through critical reflection of available evidence. The need for the proposed change Replacing child in need initial and core assessment timescales with a single assessment form and removing fixed statutory timescales for the completion of initial and core assessment will improve quality of childrens social workers practice and increase the scope for practitioners to exercise their professional judgement. Although the single assessment forms will still retain the structure of Framework of the Assessment of Children in Needs and their Families (DOH 2000), it is hoped that this development will allow social workers to exercise their professional judgement about what information to record. Research studies and enquiries into child deaths and analysis of serious case reviews consistently report that the quality of social workers assessment reports have at times fallen short of the expected standard particularly in the following areas: failure to engage with the child, differential thresholds, inadequacies in information gathering, shortcomings in critical analysis, and shortfalls in inter-professional working (Turney et al. 2011). Whilst it is acknowledged that the implementation of a single assessment form may not necessarily eradicate some of the shortcomings of the current assessment forms highlighted above, it is hoped that removing timescales for completing assessment will improve quality of completed reports by creating an environment where workers are under less stress to extract all information during the first visit to the family and thus more attention can be paid on what is happening for the child. Moreover, reducing prescription concerning timescales would enable social workers to arrange to meet with children and families at a convenient time for the family rather than at short notice to meet statutory timescales. For cases whereby parents are reluctant to engage in services or cases where there are linguistic or cultural barriers to overcome, flexibility in timescales can be used as a mechanism to improve practice (Munro and Lushey 2011). Collaborative working relationship between social care services and families is essential in promoting the welfare of the child (DOH 2010). Having sufficient time to work at the childs pace is therefore crucial to improving practice. Moreover, assessments may take longer if family members have special needs which have to be met so that they can meaningfully contribute to assessment (Holland 2010). Whilst there is a need for assessments not to lose focus and direction, assessments need to be completed jointly by both social worker and the family within a context which takes into account issues of power, inequality and discrimination. Lack of flexibility within assessment is almost inevitably going to come at the cost of key principles such as partnership and empowerment. Hawkes (2005) suggests that there is just as much evidence about the impact of partnership and empowerment upon the outcomes of children as there is for the need to prevent delay and drift in assessment which may be c aused by flexibility measures of assessments. Influence of wider national and European policy agenda The need for a thorough assessment of children and families where there are child protection concerns is a key focus of many national policies in the UK. The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (DOH 2000) for example acknowledges that improving assessment process is a critical aspect in improving social work practice with service users and ensuring multi-agency working. Although the framework offers guidance to social workers on how to meet the needs of children through a comprehensive process of assessment leading to action, its imposition of rigid timescales to complete assessments challenges some of the principles of the Children Act 1989. The guidance fails to take into account that the time it may take longer to engage with some families who may be initially hostile towards intervention. Moreover, due to lack of time to engage fully with children, social workers may be unable to ascertain and incorporate the childs feelings into assessment (Calder 2003). Similarly, the importance of timely and clear assessment was highlighted in Lord Laming report into the death of eight year old Victoria Climbie (DOH 2003). Lord Lamings enquiry led to the implementation of Children Act 2004 which emphasised the need for improve outcomes for all children. For children who come into attention of social services, these outcomes could be explored further in assessments. These outcomes are: being healthy, staying safe, making a positive contribution; and achieving economic wellbeing (HM Government 2004). As well as national policies, international legislations including the European Convention on Human Rights Act (1998) and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) influenced the proposed change as enshrined within these legislations is the need to protect child and their interests (ECHR 1998:Article1, 2; UNCRC 1989: Article 2, 3, 12) and advocating for a single assessment form is a means of ensuring childrens voices remain the central focus of assessments. Potential challenges from the wider social work context which could impact on the implementation of the proposed changes Although this essay has highlighted some of the potential benefits of having a single assessment form and removing fixed statutory timescales, some potential challenges which could impact on the implementation of the proposed changes are critically discussed here. First, increased flexibility concerning timescales does not necessarily mean that the potential benefits discussed previously will be realised because a key aspect in realising these benefits largely depends on the skill and capacity of individual social worker and wider organisational contexts in which they are working. Although the aim of a flexible timescale was proposed in this essay to enhance social workers understanding of childrens needs, should the proposal be implemented, some social workers may use it as an excuse to postpone complex decisions (Turney et al. 2011). Secondly, in the absence of timescales social workers may spend longer time completing assessments. Whilst it is acknowledged that the more information gathered, the longer it may take to analyse, however, in the absence of additional staffing, the extra time social workers are seemingly spending on direct work with children and families may place greater demands on the team. This in turn may lead to the following: longer working hours to compensate for the additional time spent on assessments; prioritising child protection cases which may result in delay and drift in cases, which based on the presenting issues appear less serious; or changes to the threshold for intervention (Broadhurst et al. 2010; Holmes et al. 2010). The effect of such challenges may therefore inhibit workers ability to conduct additional visits, engage in more direct work with families and therefore undermining the intended aim of the single assessment proposal (Monro and Lushey 2012). Change Theory Change is inevitable; it can be threatening, disruptive and difficult to manage as it involves adapting to new settings, working practices or personal circumstances (Hayes 2010). Although one of the core values of a social worker is to advocate for change on behalf of their service users (Dolgoff et al. 2008) as a profession, it has been quite resistant to change (Munson 2012). Whilst there is no standard formula in managing change, there is a body of useful theories which that can help analyse how to manage the challenges of change in order to improve on practice and ensure better outcomes for service users. Here, I draw on Kurt Lewins(1951) theory of change and discuss how developing a single assessment form to replace current initial and core assessment forms can be implemented meeting some of the challenges previously identified. Lewin (1951) argued that implementing change involves managing competing forces and actively facilitating the driving forces to achieve the desired change while seeking to reduce or eliminate restraining forces (Russell and Russell 2006). In the first step of his three step change model, Lewin contends that to implement change, change leaders will need to unfreeze the status quo. Individuals who will be affected by the change must be led to recognise why the change is necessary (Griffin and Moorhead 2011). Next, the change itself is implemented. Finally, refreezing involves reinforcing and supporting the change so it becomes a part of the system. Using Lewins model, the first step (unfreezing) implementing my proposed change would involve convincing Michael Gove, current Secretary of State for Education to grant local authorities dispensation of Working together to Safeguard children guidance because of its capability to improve social work practice with children and families. After this unfreezing is accomplished, a pilot scheme conducted with several local authorities analysing the likely impact of implementing my proposed change on practice will be introduced. If the results of the pilot scheme are positive, the scheme will be rolled out nationally (implementation). Following implementation, regular training, robust supervision and support systems will be introduced to support social workers in writing assessments (refreezing) in order to meet challenges previously identified. As influential as Lewins model of change is, some critics have argued that the model is too rigid and assumes change occurs in static steps. It is argued that Lewins theory lacks the flexibility required to fit with the chaotic process of change (Longo 2011). In relation to my proposed change, Lewins theory fails to.. Similarly, Williams et al. (2002) argue that whilst Lewins model of change is useful in conceptualising how to bring about change, it fails to explore how what causes individuals to accept or resist change. Similarly to Lewin (1951), Beckhard and Harris (1987) change model provide a useful analogy of what motivates individuals to change. They argue that for change to happen, the forces of change must outweigh the perceived costs of change (in terms of emotions, energy financial costs etc). Beckhard and Harris suggest that to successfully implement change, individuals need to be convinced that the present is problematic; individuals need to perceive desirable vision of the future and that there is a means of achieving it (Williams et al. 2002). Although this model is valuable to understanding how to manage planned change, similarly to Lewins (1951) theory, Beckhard and Harris (1987) also assume that that there is a logical, linear process to achieving change. Burke (2002) argues that in practice, planned change occurs in a spiral fashion rather in a linear line as suggested by both Lewin and Beckhard and Harris. According to Deutsch et al. (2006) there are many unintended and unanticipat ed consequences which may affect and be affected by planned, change efforts and neither of the change theories discussed above explore this in depth. Whilst a change in current policy of how initial and core assessment are being completed may appear irrational, a recommendation for such change was recently proposed by Eileen Munro in The Munro Review of Child Protection (Munro 2011). The Secretary of State for Education granted eight local authorities (Hackney, Knowsley, Cumbria, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and Islington) between March and September 2011 permission to carry out flexible assessment practices. Although a vast majority of social workers and managers were in favour of the single frame assessment form and findings from the pilot study reported that flexibility of assessment timescales improved practice and quality of assessments (Munro and Lushey 2012), this proposal has yet to be implemented nationally. This recommendation is good example of some of the challenges implementing change. As simply put by Chaudry et al. (1994) a good idea that is very difficult to implement is, after all not that good an idea. In conclusion, this essay has highlighted some of the potential benefits of developing a single assessment form which replaces current initial and core assessments and the associated fixed timescales for their completion when completing assessments children. Whilst this essay acknowledges that implementation of the proposal does not necessarily guarantee improvement in the quality of assessments produced by social workers or the amount of direct work completed with children and families, it is felt this flexibility in timescale will enhance social work practice with children (Munro 2011). Importance of supporting social workers via training and adequate supervision was also acknowledged in ensuring completed assessments are of good standard. As well has exploring the influence of national and European policy agenda on the proposed change, the essay also critically analysed how the proposal could be implemented drawing on Lewins (1991) model of change.

Risks and Responsibilities of Coaching Swimming Essay -- Swimming Coac

Risks and Responsibilities of Coaching Swimming Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of this paper is to look at the area of risk management with reference to the sport of swimming. There is no doubt that the ability to prevent any types of injury to athletes is of the utmost importance. The safety of the athletes should therefore be the primary concern of both facility managers and coaches. By working together, one would hope, that all unnecessary injuries could be prevented.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most severe injuries that can occur is that of a spinal injury. The area of prevention that addresses this issue is that of spinal injury management and it will be looked at more closely later in this paper. Even with all the extra emphasis in this day and age on safety issues, these kinds of injuries are still far too prevalent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1996, Michael Berger and Judith Middleton state that in the United Kingdom, there are around 40,000 children each year that suffer from head injuries. Some of these individuals will have received severe injuries, in that they will have been unconscious for at least 20 minutes and so will most likely have suffered brain damage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sport of swimming has the obvious danger of drowning. There are also potential risks of spinal injuries caused by collisions with the floor of the pool, the walls in the pool and other swimmers. Many other injuries can be the result of a slippery deck or training equipment not correctly stored away. There is also a risk of injury from the chemicals which are present at a pool such as chlorine. Risk Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquatic injury prevention should be part of any facilities risk management program. Risk management involves identifying and reducing dangerous conditions that can cause injuries and financial loss. Thus, the aim of a risk management is in a way a kind of preventative medicine, to tackle the issue of a problem thus ensuring that those kinds of accidents will not occur. There are some that would contend that those individuals that suffer an injury are unfortunate victims of circumstance. Many injuries can be avoided through an understanding of the factors that can cause injuries to occur and then a knowledge of how to go about preventing such situations to occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charles Bucher and March Krotee (1998) explain that there is an added risk in any physical education exercise as opposed to a ... ...water conditions, many dangers are in and around water.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Risk management in a pool environment is basically concerned with aquatic injury prevention. A highly developed risk management program will substantially reduce the risks of injury. By understanding how injuries are caused, one can better prevent them. Effective communication with patrons is critical for helping to prevent injuries. Through this communication, the patrons can have fun in a safer environment. References American Red Cross (1993). Community First Aid & Safety. Mosby Lifeline, St. Louis. (pg. 184) American Red Cross (1993). CPR For The Professional Rescuer. Mosby Lifeline, St. Louis. (pg. 10) American Red Cross (1995). Lifeguarding Today. Mosby Lifeline, St. Louis. (pp. 44-204) American Red Cross (1988). Safety Training For Swim Coaches. Mosby Lifeline, St. Louis. (pg. 26) American Red Cross ( 1992). Swimming & Diving. Mosby Lifeline, St. Louis. (pp. 33-317) Berger, M. & Middleton, J. (1996). Head Injury: Some Consequences For Injured School Pupils, Their Teachers And Schools. The Partnership, Southampton. (pg. 3) Bucher, C.A. & Krotee, M.A. (1998). Management of Physical Educ

The Most Deadly Drugs are Already Legal Essay -- Argumentative Persuas

This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Fried egg is probably the most influential commercial of our generation. We feared it, we laughed at it, some of us stopped eating eggs, and we made a lot of t-shirts about it. And who was scaring us? Who was so concerned about our health? Our loving friends: The Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA). We used to watch those commercials and get all warm and fuzzy inside, someone out there cared enough about us to spend a lot of money on those frightening ads. Those good people down at the PDFA really don't want us using drugs. Or do they? The truth is, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America demonizes illegal drugs to protect the legal and profitable ones that kill more people. And this delicate maneuvering of the spotlight serves one purpose: to put a lot of cash in to the pockets of a few pharmaceutical, alcohol, and tobacco corporations. The tight-knit relationship between corporate drug peddlers and the PDFA is borne out most clearly by the organizations impressive list of funders. From 1988 to 1991, 54% of the $5.8 million the PDFA took from its top twenty-five contributors came from pharmaceutical companies. The other 46%? Largely tobacco and alcohol. Why are these huge corporations donating such large sums of money to the PDFA? Because they know that the PDFA strongly influences our conception of acceptability: Whatever drug the PDFA chooses to attack becomes a taboo, while drugs the PDFA chooses to ignore become a spotless joy. Because of this funding structure, even if the PDFA wanted to criticize the profitable drugs, it couldn't. Former Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Matters Mathea Falco explains, It would be suicidal if the Pa... ...s, One of the reasons young people have no faith in what we say about drugs is because of the lies by people like the Partnership. (St. Petersburg Times, 1990) Corporations are making big bucks and children are dying. Instead of spending a billion dollars to spit nonsense into young minds, the Partnership should be informing them about the dangers of all drugs, illegal and legal, worthless and profitable. And instead of convincing kids that everyone who smokes pot is a crazy murderer, they should differentiate between drugs and admit that heroin is not the same as marijuana. Without the children's trust, the entire message is worthless. Next time you see an Excedrin commercial, a Just Say No commercial, and then a Miller Lite commercial, realize that they are all the same. This is your brain. This is your brain on the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

HR management Essay

1. Abstract Using a balance scorecard to measure and manage an HR management. 2. Literature Review The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals. 3. Research Aims and Objective The aim of this research using balance scorecard is to prepare a US manager to work in the UAE; For us to fully understand cultural and personal behaviors of UAE people. 4. Research methodology The use of balance scorecard to develop and implement performance is based on research online and readings about economy and understanding human behavior. 5. Discussion a. Origin Balance scorecard was coined in the early 1990s but the roots of this type of approach include the work of French process engineers who created the â€Å"Tableau de bord† literally, a dashboard of performance measures. b. Definition Balance scorecard is simply defined as performance management tool 6. Conclusion With its proven performance internationally it is best to used in HR Management.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards: Website Lesson Plans Edwina Schweitzer Grand Canyon University: EED 364 November 25, 2012 The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is a council that has set in place standards that are to be followed and adhered to when creating mathematical lesson plans. These standards are national and require a lot of the teachers as far as what and how they teach math. While there are many choices of lesson plans that support the standards set by the NCTM regarding number sense and operations, only four will be used to fulfill the following criteria. . Four lesson plans were chosen to illustrate the support of the NCTM standards: A. Problem-solving: Math, episode 1, (Discovery Education, n. d. ) is a lesson plan that helps students understand the importance of numbers. In this lesson the objectives are to show the students the importance of numbers in math, and show examples of how they are used in everyday life. The stud ents start out by watching the video, Problem-solving: Math, episode 1, and then talking about all of the numbers that they see in the classroom, such as the numbers on a clock or how many paint brushes or windows there are.The students are then asked to imagine a world without numbers and give ideas of how things would be different. They are then asked to write down examples of how they have used numbers, such as dividing candy among friends, being first in line, or being measured at the doctor. They are then asked to share these examples with the class and post them as a reminder of the importance of numbers in their everyday lives. B.Activity 3: Exploring the effect of operations on decimals, (Illuminations, 2000-2012) is a lesson plan that gives students the opportunity to â€Å"explore the effects of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on decimal numbers. † This lesson provides a Maze Playing Board sheet that allows students to play a game while making th eir way through the maze. The object of the maze is to finish the maze with the highest decimal number. Examples of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of decimal numbers are shown on an overhead projector for the students to see as a visual aid.This activity requires the use of the calculator, which provides practice using a calculator while having fun with a maze. The students are then put into groups of three to discuss their results. C. I’ll halve s’more please!! (Jackson, n. d. ) is a lesson plan that uses fractions to solve riddles provided in a PBS episode of Cyberchase, entitled Zeus on the Loose. The students watch the episode and then use fractions to solve the riddles while learning the parts of the fractions and their importance in everyday life.There is a handout that is included with the lesson plan and a list of materials, including s’mores ingredients, large numbers and a bar of paper cut out for fractional use. D. Life is Full of Problems, (Young, n. d. ) is a lesson plan that helps students learn how to read, interpret, and devise a solution to math problems. This lesson requires the use of mental solving, paper and pencil, and calculator usage. The students learn to double check their answers for correct procedures and solutions. There are several ideas listed in this lesson plan that may fit into any diverse classroom.This is a lesson plan that is particularly good for encouraging mental solving of mathematic equations. While the mental solving is attempted first, they may check their mental answers by working the problem out on paper, then double checking themselves with the calculator. This incorporates three different means of problem solving, and not only teaches the importance of mental capabilities, it enables the students to finish with the use of calculators. 2. The methodology of number sense is used in each of the lesson plans in various ways. Problem-solving: Math, episode 1, (Discovery Educat ion, n. . ) includes a vocabulary list that the others do not. â€Å"Vocabulary is an integral part of developing the skills and concepts necessary to explain solutions to problems,† (Camelot Learning, n. d. ). All of the lessons use number importance and provide activities to enhance this importance. Even though some of these activities may not have vocabulary words to accompany the lesson, they could be incorporated into them. If the higher grades already know the vocabulary words for the lessons being taught, they could be a refresher so that the students did not forget them. 3.The activities that were included in these lesson plans include mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of decimals and fractions. Calculators are used in two of the activities, and the importance of the use of numbers is emphasized in all activities. Problem solving techniques are given as examples and the students are encouraged to improve on them through the completion of the activities. One lesson plan even includes a S’mores snack in the activity. Students would not only get to work with S’mores, but eat them afterwards! 4.These websites are appropriate for K-5th grade students, depending upon the lesson being taught and the extent to which the teacher would like to instruct it. All of the lesson plans are adaptable for students, but grades 3-6 seemed to be the best to benefit from them as they are listed. A couple of the lesson plans included variations that could be made simpler or more difficult, depending upon the grade and needed difficulty level. This variation in difficulty is also good for the differentiation of the students. 5. The lesson plans all provided ideas for differentiated instruction.These were also ideas that could be used for different grade levels, depending upon how in-depth the teacher wanted to go. Small groups were assigned to discuss the results of some of the activities. This could be hel pful with those students that have greater challenges and may struggle with their activities. Some of these activities could be made partner activities to help ELL students or those that may tend to be slower academically. 6. These lesson plans are important to the student’s understanding of mathematics because all of the lesson plans contained vital knowledge of the importance of numbers in everyday life.The students need to learn the components of these lessons to be successful at anything in life, as they are basic but important components. All of these lessons show the students how numbers surround them and that without numbers their world would not be the same at all. They constantly use numbers on a daily basis, right down to their phone number, address, age, size of clothes, and how tall they are. By providing the examples of this and then providing the opportunity for hands on activities to illustrate this importance, the students may be less likely to make the commen ts, â€Å"Why do I have to learn this? I will never use this! 7. The activities within the lesson plans could improve student achievement by providing the visual, hands on activities necessary for student understanding and growth. By allowing the students to participate in the activities and have fun, they will remember the concept being taught better because they have witnessed how important it is and have learned by the fun activities provided. The success of the students can be far greater when they are allowed to participate in hands on activities as opposed to simply being lectured on a particular concept. It is always easier to remember something when you had fun doing it.This principle is the same with lessons. The more opportunities for the students to do activities or games that pertain to the lesson, the better chance the students have to remember the concept being taught. This is only a success builder in academics. 8. Manipulatives were used in all of these lessons to s ome extent. The Problem-solving: Math, Episode 1 lesson plan could use a few more ideas for manipulative use. Where the students were asked to look around the classroom and find things that contained numbers, they could choose items from the classroom to total one to ten items.This could be done by counting out one book, two sheets of paper, three markers, four crayons, etc. Manipulatives may be changed or increased in any of the lesson plans, depending upon the teacher and how he/she chooses to provide them. The four lesson plans that were chosen and described all adhere to the standards set in place by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Each lesson plan had the NCTM link or listed standards included in the body of the lesson plans. These standards are important for teachers to be aware of and use when creating lesson plans for mathematic instruction.By having these standards set in place and using them, all of the students will have the same emphasis and impor tance put on number sense and operations, regardless of grade level or school. Reference Camelot Learning. (n. d. ). Camelot learning math intervention curriculum. Retrieved November 25, 2012 from http://www. camelotlearning. com/why-camelot/methodology. Discovery Education. (n. d. ). Problem-solving: Math, episode 1. Discovery education. Retrieved November 25, 2012 from http://www. discoveryeducation. com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/problem-solving-math-episode-1. cfmIlluminations. (2000-2012). Activity 3: Exploring the effect of operations on decimals. Illuminations. Retrieved November 24, 2012 from http://illuminations. nctm. org/LessonDetail. aspx? id=L252. Jackson, C. (n. d. ). I’ll halve s’more please!! National teacher training institute. Retrieved November 25, 2012 from http://www. thirteen. org/edonline/ntti/resources/lessons/m_half/index. html Young, K. (n. d. ). Life is full of problems. Retrieved November 25, 2012 from http://www. learningpt. org/pdfs/mscLes sonPlans/young. pdf ———————– National Council of Teachers Page 2