Hot Topic Planet Earth

The Review

Topics included are 'What is a Planet,' 'What is the Earth Made of,' 'How Many Oceans Are There,' 'How are Coastlines Shaped,' 'Have there always been mountains,' 'How Are Rivers Made,' 'Are All Deserts Hot and Sandy,' 'What Is A Glacier,' 'Where Are The Polar Regions,' 'What is the Earth's atmosphere,' 'Where Does Weather Happen,' 'What is climate,' 'What Are the Earth's Natural Resources,' 'Are We Damaging The Planet,' and an Index.

Each topic heading is depicted on a two page spread and includes a series of questions and answers as well as a number of brightly colored, well executed drawings. The pages depicting 'How are Coastlines Shaped' are particularly compelling with a single drawing illustrating a length of coastline and showing a protective wall, a length of beach with several groynes or breatkwaters, a cave, stacks and arrows to indicate the direction of waves. A discussion of sand color, cause for tides, recovering land from the sea, as well as how beaches are formed.

The cover says, 'Discover all the facts with this question and answer guide.' And, opening the over I can believe that while maybe not every fact is there, there are a whole bunch!! My resident critics, 4th grade, settled themselves to a session as reviewers. They take their job as critics seriously, listen carefully and view the illustrations with an eye toward approval or disapproval from a child's standpoint. If the work meets their approval we keep it for our classroom, if not, it is gone.

Classroom Under Construction

Classroom Under Construction Building the Foundation for Creative Classroom Instruction is a 107 page, 12 chapter hand book for the new teacher, the tired teacher and all those in between. Practical ideas to pep up and boost instruction as well as celebrations for all the good things teachers do are offered on the pages of this work designed to help teachers improve their classroom effectiveness.

Writer Grimes presents his 'workshop in a book' with chapter 1 Beliefs and Decision-Making. A teaching philosophy is essential to support and frame underlying teacher practices. Grimes says a teaching philosophy is a personal vision and sense of purpose for teaching.

Chapter 2 What's in a Name? Names and what teachers do with them is important. Asking a child what name he prefers is a good way to attack the name issue.

Chapter 3 Pouring the Foundation Grimes tells us that the classroom is a happening place, it is busy, bustling and noisy. It is characterized by joy or anxiety, boredom or stimulation, uproar or silence.

Book Review - Results Now by Mike Schmoker

Author Mike Schmoker followed up his two other "Results" books with the best and most motivating yet.

This book pleads with educators and administrators to assist in the immediate transformation of American schools. He describes in detail the "buffers" that American schools have created which have led to the illusion that a high percentage of American schools are actually effective (which he points out in detail, actually are not). This "buffer" that Schmoker describes has led to teacher isolation, lack of quality instruction, and to the reality that administrators are virtually devoid of influence when trying to effect the quality of instruction. This is a sample of some of the startling statistics Schmoker presents, (page 18):

o "Classrooms in which there was evidence of a clear learning objective: 4 percent"

o "Classrooms in which there was evidence of higher-order thinking: 3 percent"

o "Classrooms in which non-instructional activities were occurring" 35 percent"

The Handbook of Good English by Edward D. Johnson

When a baby just learns a language, he talks by putting words one after the other without thinking about style, usage, expression, or grammar. Sometimes, the novice writer does the same thing, too.

Yet, good writing and a good command of the English language deserves much better than that. The good news is this can be learned from books such as The Handbook of Good English .

True, many texts on the subject have made it to print after Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, but most books on the market satisfy a writer's needs only partially; others are too heavy or too thick to keep on the desk or to carry around in an overnight bag. Some offer complicated answers, and others do not keep up with the changes in usage and language.

First published as The Washington Square Press Handbook of Good English, The Handbook of Good English offers everything other books do, as well as keeping up with the changes in usage and expression. Hailed as the copy editor's right hand, it gives clear answers with examples to the trickiest problems.

How Much Money Students Can Save By Renting Textbooks Online

Renting textbooks online is a popular trend among university and college students. They are using textbook rental services offered by some of the most reputable online book rental stores to save money. New students on university campus often have less idea about the textbook rental facilities. They are either ignorant to this affordable option of getting college textbooks or have no idea about how much money they can save by renting textbooks online. This article will provide some important insight to online book rental services and the money saving potential being offered by online textbook rental stores.

Original Textbook Cost vs. Textbook Rental Fee

Online textbook rental services help students in cutting their expenses over semester textbooks. On an average, student can reduce their textbook expenses by 50% to 60% by utilizing textbook rental services. There are many online book stores offering wide range of college textbooks on rent. Their textbook rental fees for the whole semester comes around 35% to 40% of original retail price of books.

For example, the popular book "UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE" which is priced $ 149.95 can be rented for $ 74.98; that simply means saving of $ 74.97 (approx 50% of the original cost). The book rental fee usually includes shipping charges (both delivery to recipient and dispatch to book rental store at the end of semester).

The Myth of Alzheimer's - A Review

Is Alzheimer's disease just a myth and the resulting brain degeneration caused by aging and affected by lifestyle conditions and choices? That is a question posed by neurology, geriatrics, dementia and cognitive science expert Peter J. Whitehouse, MD, Ph.d. in his book, The Myth of Alzheimer's. This ground breaking book asks the questions that so many early diagnosed patients and their families ask about dealing with the condition.

While Whitehouse was instrumental in developing and testing pharmaceuticals - prescription medications - to treat "Alzheimer's disease" for over 30 years, in 2007, he had an "awakening" of sorts that made him question the true intent of pharmaceutical companies. His goal with the book is to not only influence the pharmaceutical industry in the way they do business, but also to hopefully guide baby boomers in their aging process and health care professionals in diagnosing and treating brain aging.

The myth Whitehouse describes is that of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) being a singular disease with no one biological profile of the condition. Natural aging in one person has the same biological hallmarks in one diagnosed with AD. Since we don't have the biological markers to actually diagnose AD, even those people who are stated to have it can only be deemed "probable." The concern he has is that there is a promise of "curing" AD, although it may be nothing more than accelerated brain aging. Prevention first and the care for those diagnosed are where dollars should be invested are his points. All of our brains are aging and the fear of AD, along with the hope of a cure are merely mythical.

Empowering Spanish Speakers, Author Interview

PBR: Today we are talking with Dr. Jacqueline Mackenzie, author of Empowering Spanish Speakers just published by Summerland Corp. and being distributed by Ingram Book Company, making it available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on her nonprofit website. Thank you for taking your time to join us and talk about your book.

JZM: Thank you for reading and reviewing my book. I am certain you now have a vastly clearer understanding of the reasons Mexican life is full of underemployment, discrimination, and restricted opportunities for them to reach their maximum adult potential primarily because they are native Spanish speakers.

PBR: My first question, or rather a comment, is how personally impressed I am with your lifestyle of moving in with your Mexican hosts and living with them for such a long period. Tell us, please, a bit about how this came about.

JZM: When I left for Central Mexico in 2005, I already had 35 years experience working beside marginalized Mexican-American immigrants (immigrants with native roots). My attitude was that I was going to spend time inside a heritage I respected. The time had come to learn more about the culture in order to define why for years I had felt so socially accepted when I was with Mexicans. Ethically, I had to know that anything I published was accurate. I had to become a part of a small rural community of subsistence farmers to find valid answers. I simply recorded what I observed, qualitative data, and analyzed the quantitative data. The new information gave me insight. Having been a certified teacher and director of a school, I already knew some of what was misaligned in the management of business and education systems in the USA. After my investigations in Mexico, I knew what misalignment existed in both countries related both to Mexican-American immigrants and indigenous Mexican nationals.

Revolution Through Books

Once told by well known philosopher that one who was fond of reading books could live happily everywhere. As well know poet of Hindi- Shri Banarasidas Chaturvedi quotes, "Bibliophile has not only rich but happy also." Even Mahatma Gandhi once told, "Value of books is greater than gems, because gems show outer beauty while books radiate inner self".

If we talk about the best friend of a person then it comes to books. This very attribution inspired by young chap Shri Manish Jain. Fond of readings book became his first love and he decided to make his career is the field of books and mass education through books in general and kids in particular. This very inspiration to know the world of book and philosophy of life made Manish to initiate such venture and he started for a great aim by opening of Jainson Book Shop- A world of knowledge through books.

In 1997 on the auspicious occasion of country's golden jubilee, Jainson Book Shop came out of showroom premises to inspire students for reading through a venture- Pustak Prakrama- so as to gain the awareness of reading right from student life. Afterwards, these were venture converted into serialized book exhibitions and street plays. People not even enjoyed this but ready to inspire and support this surrounding for reading books and enlighten of knowledge.

Top Ranking Engineering Colleges in USA

In the United States, the word college is frequently utilized to specify a stand-alone higher level activity of educational institutions that are not the parts of a university also as to refer to the parts within a university. Stand-alone institutions that have tendencies themselves to call colleges are sometimes universities in the international significance of the state. Typically in the United States, a university includes a set of an academically-diverse units called schools or colleges, but a college-whether it is a stand-alone infirmary of higher learning or an element within a university-typically focuses on one academic facet that is individually-chosen by that institution, where that a college is a non-agitated departments within that sphere. Mark that the septuplet colleges or schools which are composition of universities and are typically collocated on the same campus or left each different on adjacent campuses within the construct of a university is also not connected with an affiliating university.

The American group is largely redistributed. Unrestricted universities are administered solely by the respective states.

American universities mature as individualist accreditation organizations to pledge for the value of the degrees they bid. The accreditation agencies rank universities and colleges on criteria specified as academic quality-the grade of their libraries, the business records of their ability, and the degrees which their body enclose. Non accredited institutions are detected as non-existent in propertied and rigor, and may be termed as certificate mills.

Corrections Officer Test - Basic Information

Who is a Corrections Officer?
A corrections officer is a person responsible for supervising and maintaining safety and security of the prisoners in jail, prison or any similar kind of secure custody. They were previously termed as jail guard, jailer, prison warder etc.

They are entitled to carry out the following duties:

    Maintaining law and order within the prison
    Enforcing and activating various rules, regulations and discipline within the prison
    Transporting the inmates to court or other correctional facilities, as and when needed
    Responding tactically to any hostile situations arising within the prison
    Ensuring proper medical facilities within the prison

Corrections Officer Test:

In order to be a Corrections Officer, a candidate has to pass a Test. In general, a written test of 3 hours is conducted but sometimes both written and video-based exams are also conducted in some states.

History of the exam:
This test was previously known as Jailer's test. This exam was designed long time ago by the correctional agencies to ensure proper filtering of the candidates appearing for the exam. This way they could select the best person for the job.

Coelocanth Rediscovery

Coelacanth is a type of fish related to other extinct fish that like the osteolepiforms and are thought to have gone extinct in the Late Cretaceous, it was later discovered in 1938 in the coast south of Africa. The only living coelacanth species is the Latimeria chulmnae and the latimeria menadoensis, it has since been renamed as the living fossil because they were first discovered as dead fossils before they were actually discovered in form of living specimen.

The unique thing with the coelacanth is that they have some features that aren't possessed by any other creature, for instance its body has Cosmoid scales that act like the armour protecting its exterior. It also has an intracranial joint that allows it to open its mouth extremely wide than the common fish and has a hollow backbone. This features gives the scientist and researchers the anxiety to research more on its body structure.

Another outstanding feature of the coelacanth fish is that it creates a link between the fish and the amphibians this is why it has such an importance to biotechnology. Hence scientists use its genes to measure the genetic differences of the coelacanth DNA. This is because coelacanth possibly survives in more adverse conditions and can encounter new diseases.

Classroom Management Techniques Educators Need

It is imperative that every educator should endeavor to be a good classroom manager. Being a good class manager means building classroom discipline in students. This is because the classroom is ideally the learning environment where everything proper and curriculum based takes place. Besides, an educator deals with different types of individuals who are psychological beings with different backgrounds and personalities as students in the classroom.

Therefore, when the educator applies good and proven classroom management techniques, he or she will be able to bring under control the different kinds of behavior the students typify. Nevertheless, there are educators who are known to have been using a set of unique classroom management techniques that works just like the several methods others apply. However, the creativity of the teacher as commonly taught in most classroom management workshops is vital in evolving different and proven classroom management techniques.

Here are some initiatives for building effective classroom discipline and fostering good classroom management that makes classroom teaching and learning fun for both the educator and his or her students.

Victim Empathy and Restorative Justice Meet

What Have I Done? is a book and a course on the subject of victim empathy and it's fair to describe it as a very thorough, easy to follow and constructive pathway into understanding restorative justice.

Understanding how our actions affect others is without question, valuable in many respects, not least of all because it helps to guide us in our future decisions. Assuming that we learn from them, that is. When actions result in someone becoming a victim, the effect can be far-reaching and complex for some individuals to comprehend. Indeed, it can be the case that perpetrators of such actions are completely blind to the ramifications of their actions, even when these are highlighted.

Fortunately, victim empathy is growing in popularity and practice. What Have I Done? gives an excellent understanding of how to deliver a course in victim empathy to both individuals and to groups, and comes complete with handouts, diagrams, visual aids and a very enlightening DVD. All of which can be used to complete the successful delivery of such a course or even an ongoing and more intensive 1 to 1 course with individuals where it is decided that the most effective route is that of a 1 to 1 format.

The Importance of Learning German

German Language is considered one of the major languages in the world after English and French. It is estimated that on average German is spoken by more than 100 - 120 million people. We can assume that at least 38 countries around the world use German Language for communication and regular life. Normally the most of world German speakers are in Germany; however you can find a relevant number of German speakers in USA, Canada and Latin America, principally in South America. The question is, why many people want to learn German?, probably the reasons to do that are the following:

A. People Learn German for Travel

It sounds logical, Germany is located in Eastern Europe and many Europeans used to travel for holydays each year. Additionally the tree major countries in Europe have German as a native language. You can learn German for example in institutions in Berlin or Frankfurt, however classes are very simple and focused in culture, basic conversations, introducing yourself and tips to go to restaurants, hotels and more.

5 Best Mechanical Engineering Books

Mechanical engineering is arguably one of the most competitive fields in the world. Whether you are a mechanical engineer or studying to become one, you will always need reliable and up-to-date sources and references to get by. A good handbook on engineering design, for instance, will save you a lot of time and help you tackle design challenges.

Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers by E. A. Aballone, T. Baumeister, and A. Saegh is one of the best mechanical engineering books you can find. This book provides comprehensive guide to all aspects of the field and it has been used as one of the standard handbooks for engineers for decades. It has all the important engineering principles and mathematical methods that you will need in a brief yet clear manner. The eleventh edition, which is the latest edition, even covers high technology areas such as biotechnology and nanotechnology.

Without a doubt, every mechanical engineer should have a good design handbook. Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design by R. Budynas and K. Nisbett has been used as the standard machine design handbook for more than 40 years. The book covers basic concepts of machine design very clearly, so it is no wonder that it is frequently listed as one of the must-have books for mechanical engineering students.

Best Civil Engineering Books

Application of scientific and physical principles is what civil engineering is all about. Whether you are an engineer or studying to become one, you need to have a good understanding of mathematics and physics. It is important for you to have good up-to-date civil engineering books that cover all of the important areas of this very dynamic field. To become a professional engineer, you have to take and pass a written Principles and Practice in Engineering (PE) examination. Here are a couple of best-selling civil engineering books that will help you gain a better understanding of this field and will help you prepare for your PE exam.

Indranil Goswami's Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth And Depth is probably the best reference book for PE exam. The book comes with the actual format of the exam, so you can familiarize yourself with the structure of the exam. It does not cover only things that you will need to know to pass the exam, but it also serves as an essential on-the-job reference. The book covers important civil engineering topics such as structures, geotechnics, and construction.

Civil PE Professional Engineering Exam Construction Module by Ruwan Rajapakse is a practice book that contains sample problems that are similar to what you might find on the actual exam. It also has examples and step-by-step worked solutions, complete with illustrations. The book covers various topics such as horizontal curves and vertical curves of highway constructions, multi-storey buildings, construction grade stake markings, machine horsepower computation, and many others.

National Science Foundation Offers The Geoinformatics Solicitation Grant

Geoinformatics is the science and technology of developing and using information service sciences in addressing the issues linked to geography, geosciences as well as other branches associated to engineering.

The Division of Earth Sciences, under the supervision of the National Science Foundation, is among the actual departments that deal with the promotion and enhancement of the country's Geoinformatics-related programs.

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) has constituted means to promote the creation of cyberinfrastructure building activities aimed to eventually enable transformative advances in geosciences research and education.

In line with this objective, the EAR has built a solicitation program with a total anticipated budget of $4,800,000 that will award 5 to 10 eligible applicants the funds that they need in developing their geosciences-related projects.

New Book Reveals How Understanding Memory Processes Leads to Academic Success

Kurt Eby's new book, "Getting an 'A' Without Trying" sounds too good to be true, and at first, it even seems a bit far-fetched, but readers will quickly find that Eby not only has a method to his "madness" but he has actually developed a very logical and simple way of memorizing information through associations that can easily result in earning A's in school. As Eby points out early, even though higher education tends to emphasize critical thinking, first you need to know the material before you can think about it critically, and most "knowing" is simply memorizing facts and figures.

At first glance, the methods Eby suggests may seem outlandish, even nonsensical-they are like crazy cartoons running through our heads-and his classmates concluded, from looking at his notes, that he was either a genius, a cheater, or nuts. But Eby does not claim to be any of the three-he is simply the inventor of a very logical learning method that also happens to be a great deal of fun.

The result of Eby's method was that he received A's in school. In fact, he was only the third person ever to graduate from Palmer College of Chiropractic West with a 4.0, and he did that while only studying 30 percent as much as his classmates. In his book's introduction, Eby tells us, "The point of this story is not to brag about how brilliant I am, but as you will see throughout this book, it is rather about how ordinary I am, and about how anybody can do what I have done."

Popular Biotechnology Books

Are you following the modern trends in the age- old subjects like biology? Modern trends mean applying engineering, technology, genetics and medicine in the study of biology. The whole trend is called bio- technology, giving birth to bio- products or commercial products that are of specific use like manufacturing purposes.

But which are the windows through which you can bring on some more light to study biotechnology? As usual the books are always the most helpful companions in our knowledge- building process on any field. But among so many books which books are going to help the students and scholars the most?

Here are the most required books in applications of biotechnology:

1. Handbook of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology: This handbook is for scholars who are working on pharmaceuticals and applications of biotechnology in discovering and producing drugs. The book written by experienced professionals gives an overview of how to apply biotechnology in drug development process. This book will be of help to various genres of scholars like researchers, molecular biologists, cell biologists and also biochemists. The entire bio-tech industry gets much assistance from this book's approach towards the extensive applications, regulations and validation methods.

Solar Energy for Mother Earth

Solar energy from the sun's heat radiation is just one of the many renewable energy sources that are the subject of current global technological research and development. The harmful effects of the use of petroleum-based fuel to power vehicles and electric generation and distribution plants have prompted governments to take on a more serious look at their energy policies. Aside from solar energy, other renewable energy sources that can be used in lieu of fossil fuel are secondary solar-powered resources such as biomass, hydroelectricity, wave and wind power.

Solar electricity generation from solar power (sunlight) are of two types - by use of heat engines and/or photovoltaics (PVs). Sunlight may be collected onto solar panels which may be used directly as electricity with photovoltaics technology. Photovoltaic cells or solar cells are devices that directly covert light into electrical energy. Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems are heat engines that concentrate or focus large area sunlight, using lenses and mirrors (heliostats) with an installed tracking mechanism to follow and maximise sunlight catch, into a powerful small beam to bring to boil and produce solar hot water used in generating electric power much like that produced from geothermal power plants.

Interested to Take Online CNA Training Course?

Online CNA Training Course has become one of the popular choices of aspiring nurse assistants considering the only prerequisite to be one is a high school diploma or basic GED. Offering basic education in nursing, it provides the most important skills and knowledge in a more convenient and easy to access way, answering the growing need for this field. The class is divided into two parts: the clinical instruction and the non-clinical instruction. The clinical instruction happens in a different setting, usually in a clinic, hospital or a nursing facility where the students will go hands on in applying what they learned.

On the other hand, the non-clinical instruction of the Online CNA Course includes an e-book which covers subjects such as: Anatomy, Physiology, Introduction to Nursing, Basics of Medical Care Provision, Medical Jargon, Legal and Ethical Behavior within the healthcare organization and HIPAA. The course lasts from six to twelve weeks depending on the program selected before taking up the final exam leading to the certification. Requirements on the course and examination may vary per state so verification with the department of health is important.

Review of Intro to EM Book by Griffiths

Introduction to Electrodynamics is a great course in electromagnetism written by great David J. Griffiths. He writes about electromagnetism in a concise, easy style, and, as a rule, tries to create a physical picture of the ideas explored before delving into the underlying mathematics used to describe them. The discussion is accompanied by many examples and exercises that definitely help the readers apply the material they've learned. This textbook is definitely counts as one of the really good ones when it comes to beginner introductions to electrodynamics and will serve as a great reference for years to come.

This textbook presumes that the reader has knowledge of elementary calculus, but introduces to the reader the ideas of vector analysis which form the necessary mathematical background to learn from most of the book. This is the most well-received introductory textbook on electricity and magnetism, and has won that eminence by being an uncomplicated, educational and thorough introduction to topic. The introduction to the mathematics is extremely useful, not only for applying the physics but also for learning applied mathematics and for learning other branches of physics and understanding the basis of the mathematics used. This introduction actually does a better job of explaining vector mathematics than most other textbooks used in undergraduate calculus studies - those specifically written for this subject - that's how clear Griffiths is!

Just Started Our First Lap Book!

Recently, I was introduced to Lap Books. I'd never heard of them before, but I was intrigued, so I went to the "In the Hands of a Child" website and took a look around. They have a bunch of different lap books in a huge number of categories.

My daughter is in 3rd grade and absolutely loves Voyage of the Dawn Treader. So I thought the first lap book to try should be one on this awesome book by C.S. Lewis. She starts book reports this year and I thought it would be fun to do something a little different than the "normal" book report.

I remember loving reading books for school, but I always dreaded the required book report at the end! It was tedious to me, having to spit out in my own words the story I had just read. So I wanted to do something more fun with my daughter, so that she would continue her love for reading without it being squelched by the "looming" book report!

She just finished her first day, which was to read a biography on the author and to learn a few vocabulary words. At first, she protested when she heard that she would have to read about the author, instead of getting into the first chapter of the book right away. But I gently coaxed her by telling her that she was going to learn a little bit about the person who wrote the book so that she could appreciate the book even more.

After she finished reading the biography, I asked her what she had learned. With a sparkle in her eye, she listed off a dozen things about C.S. Lewis! Now, normally when I tell her to write about what she has learned, she gives me a whine about how she "can't" do THAT! But this time she was eager to write down what she had learned. Maybe it was because what she was writing on was not the same old, same old white writing paper that she normally uses. This time it was a brightly colored cut-out in the shape of a miniature book. It's amazing how a little thing like that can be a motivator!

The vocabulary words also became a joy, when she saw that she would be "making" something out of them. She was so excited about her first day with the lap book, that she couldn't wait to tell her daddy about it!

I have high hopes for the rest of the book report, too. Each day has a new activity to do that really encourages and involved the child in what they are learning.

If you have never tried a lap book, I highly recommend it. They aren't expensive, and you can even download them as e-books immediately!

If you have tried lap books, please leave a comment with your experiences!

I am a stay at home mother of five children. I love homechooling my children and teaching them to live healthy lives. I enjoy staying healthy and fit and love helping others to do the same!