CHESTER, Pa., March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ ?#xA0;Continuing uncertainty in the real estate market has homeowners asking a major question as the market warms this spring #x2014; is it smarter to move or to improve? Cost is the driving factor behind home improvement projects again this year, and its important to choose projects that will provide the biggest return on investment. Power Home Remodeling Group, the nations fourth largest home remodeling company, empowers homeowners to get the biggest bang for their home-improvement buck this spring, whether updating a home to increase its resale value or infusing the place with some personality to create your dream home.
Giving your home some added curb appeal with an exterior makeover will automatically boost the resale value of your property, said Jeff Kaliner, Powers Founding Partner. If you plan to stay put, focus on cost effective renovations that make your home more comfortable, functional and low maintenance for your family. Either way, enhancing your home this spring will help protect your greatest investment.
Power shares the following tips to stay on trend with home improvements this spring:
Energize your exterior #x2013; Exterior home improvements are king when it comes to return on investment again this year. Projects like updating siding, window replacement and refreshing entry doors can have a dramatic effect on your homes curb appeal for a relatively low cost. In fact, seven of the top 10 home improvement projects for 2012 are exterior projects garnering anywhere from 69 to 78 percent return on investment #x2014; the highest of any other projects this year.
Choose bold and bright finishes #x2013; Fiberglass entry and garage doors are a popular alternative to their pricey wooden counterparts in 2012. A fiberglass door is weather resistant, durable and, above all, maintenance free. This material allows you to achieve the stylish look of an elegant craftsman or rustic design with decorative glass at the fraction of the price. Bright, bold exterior colors are also popular this year. Make your curb appeal pop by choosing a shade of tangerine, yellow or deep purple for your entry door to give your home a cheery look heading into spring.
Energy efficiency is still supreme #x2013; The top green home trend for 2012 is renovating to reduce your homes heating and cooling costs. Making the most of an empty attic space by adding a bedroom, or at least finishing it with insulation, is a great way to keep conditioned air from escaping through the roof. Updating the attic also happens to be this years third most cost effective home improvement, garnering a whopping 72 percent return on investment, and adding living space without increasing the homes footprint is an eco-friendly way to gain more square footage.
About Power Home Remodeling Group Family-owned since 1992, Power Home Remodeling Group is the nations fourth largest home remodeling company with more than 1,100 employees and $135 million in sales. Headquartered in Chester, Pa., Power provides energy-saving and environmentally friendly exterior remodeling solutions to residents on the East Coast, including Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, DC. An Inc. 5000 company, Power has served more than 50,000 homeowners and is recognized as a home improvement leader by its Dealer of the Year award from Window and Door Magazine and the 2011 Top Workplace from The Philadelphia Inquirer. For more information please visit PowerHRG.com, or follow the company on Twitter @PowerHRG and Facebook at facebook.com/PowerHRG.
SOURCE Power Home Remodeling Group
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Public release date: 25-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Ellen Acconcia eacconcia@sirweb.org 703-460-5582 Society of Interventional Radiology
New imaging parameters rein in incremental radiation dose from potentially life-saving CT-guided biopsy of lung nodules to reduce patients’ overall exposure
New guidelines for CT-guided biopsies of lung nodules significantly reduce radiation exposure allowing individuals the benefit of the procedure, which may cut down on overall lung cancer deaths. This research is being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
“The published early results of a trial using computed tomography to detect lung nodules demonstrated that screening with low-dose CT reduced mortality from lung cancer by 20 percent compared to screening with chest X-rays alone,” said Jeremy Collins, M.D., assistant professor of radiology at Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill. “Statistically, many people who undergo screening will have nodules detected with CT and a biopsy may be recommended. We want to minimize the side effects of the biopsy procedure,” he added.
The medical community evaluates the risks of radiation exposure on patients. While there is debate about the actual risk of cumulative exposure from the types of medical imaging that emit radiation, interventional radiologists are trying to curb patient dose. CT has been gaining recognition as the most effective imaging technique for lung nodules since it is more sensitive than chest X-rays and all other imaging tests.
“Lung nodules are clearly imaged using CT because of the high contrast between normal air-containing lung tissue and higher-density lung nodules. CT technologies have come a long way in offering new tools that reduce the per-procedure radiation dose,” said Collins.
This research focuses on a new set of CT imaging parameters to further reduce radiation exposure while maintaining image quality. The new protocol downshifts the amount of energy the CT scanner uses to produce images and moderates the current of the X-ray tube to put out a smaller dose during examination.
“All image studies using X-ray technology are going to be associated with a small amount of finite radiation exposure,” said Collins. “Although the jury is still out to some degree, there is general consensus in the community that the radiation dose risk is both linear and additive. Any place where we can reduce the incremental dose for each imaging study is very important because the overall exposure over time can be substantial,” he noted.
For this study, researchers implemented the new CT imaging protocol for lung-nodule biopsy and then reviewed data from 100 people, half of whom underwent CT-guided biopsies prior to the new protocol and half after the protocol went into effect.
The low dose protocol led to a dramatic 66 percent drop in radiation dose, and image quality was maintained for all of the CT-guided biopsies.
“We found that simple modifications to the CT technique used for guidance to perform lung biopsies resulted in a significant dose reduction to individuals treated,” noted Collins. “This was possible while maintaining appropriate image quality for interventional radiologists performing biopsy, and fortunately the modification to the scanner technique is simple and can be applied to any existing CT scanner system,” he added.
“The new protocol can be adopted immediately to reduce exposure, but interventional radiologists will still need to evaluate each person on a case-by-case basis, especially smaller people or those who have anatomy that is more difficult to image. The dose can be reduced even further for children, but more studies need to be done to tailor the protocol,” says Collins.
###
Interventional radiologists are highly trained in radiation safety and continue to provide new data and education related to radiation physics and how radiation affects the body. The Society of Interventional Radiology is dedicated to the safety of patients as well as health care professionals and promotes minimally invasive procedures and techniques that reduce overall radiation exposure. As an organization at the forefront of radiation safety, the Society of Interventional Radiology presents the newest research for the assessment of radiation dosage, provides education to the medical community and the public about radiation protection and dose reduction, and encourages communication between doctors and their patients.
More information about the Society of Interventional Radiology, interventional radiologists and minimally invasive treatments can be found online at www.SIRweb.org.
Abstract 62: “Implementation of a Low-dose Protocol for CT-guided Lung Biopsy Procedures,” J.D. Collins, P. Entezari, R.J. Lewandowski, V. Yaghmai, A. Nemcek, J.C. Carr, radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill., SIR 37th Annual Scientific Meeting, March 24-29, 2012. This abstract can be found online at www.JVIR.org.
About the Society of Interventional Radiology
Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-ray, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, such as in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Today, interventional oncology is a growing specialty area of interventional radiology. Interventional radiologists can deliver treatments for cancer directly to the tumor without significant side effects or damage to nearby normal tissue. Many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. Visit www.SIRweb.org.
The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its 37th Annual Scientific Meeting March 24-29 at Moscone Center, San Francisco, Calif. The theme of the meeting is “IR Evidence,” chosen to reflect interventional radiology’s gathering, presenting and discussing results of care-changing investigations.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 25-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Ellen Acconcia eacconcia@sirweb.org 703-460-5582 Society of Interventional Radiology
New imaging parameters rein in incremental radiation dose from potentially life-saving CT-guided biopsy of lung nodules to reduce patients’ overall exposure
New guidelines for CT-guided biopsies of lung nodules significantly reduce radiation exposure allowing individuals the benefit of the procedure, which may cut down on overall lung cancer deaths. This research is being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
“The published early results of a trial using computed tomography to detect lung nodules demonstrated that screening with low-dose CT reduced mortality from lung cancer by 20 percent compared to screening with chest X-rays alone,” said Jeremy Collins, M.D., assistant professor of radiology at Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill. “Statistically, many people who undergo screening will have nodules detected with CT and a biopsy may be recommended. We want to minimize the side effects of the biopsy procedure,” he added.
The medical community evaluates the risks of radiation exposure on patients. While there is debate about the actual risk of cumulative exposure from the types of medical imaging that emit radiation, interventional radiologists are trying to curb patient dose. CT has been gaining recognition as the most effective imaging technique for lung nodules since it is more sensitive than chest X-rays and all other imaging tests.
“Lung nodules are clearly imaged using CT because of the high contrast between normal air-containing lung tissue and higher-density lung nodules. CT technologies have come a long way in offering new tools that reduce the per-procedure radiation dose,” said Collins.
This research focuses on a new set of CT imaging parameters to further reduce radiation exposure while maintaining image quality. The new protocol downshifts the amount of energy the CT scanner uses to produce images and moderates the current of the X-ray tube to put out a smaller dose during examination.
“All image studies using X-ray technology are going to be associated with a small amount of finite radiation exposure,” said Collins. “Although the jury is still out to some degree, there is general consensus in the community that the radiation dose risk is both linear and additive. Any place where we can reduce the incremental dose for each imaging study is very important because the overall exposure over time can be substantial,” he noted.
For this study, researchers implemented the new CT imaging protocol for lung-nodule biopsy and then reviewed data from 100 people, half of whom underwent CT-guided biopsies prior to the new protocol and half after the protocol went into effect.
The low dose protocol led to a dramatic 66 percent drop in radiation dose, and image quality was maintained for all of the CT-guided biopsies.
“We found that simple modifications to the CT technique used for guidance to perform lung biopsies resulted in a significant dose reduction to individuals treated,” noted Collins. “This was possible while maintaining appropriate image quality for interventional radiologists performing biopsy, and fortunately the modification to the scanner technique is simple and can be applied to any existing CT scanner system,” he added.
“The new protocol can be adopted immediately to reduce exposure, but interventional radiologists will still need to evaluate each person on a case-by-case basis, especially smaller people or those who have anatomy that is more difficult to image. The dose can be reduced even further for children, but more studies need to be done to tailor the protocol,” says Collins.
###
Interventional radiologists are highly trained in radiation safety and continue to provide new data and education related to radiation physics and how radiation affects the body. The Society of Interventional Radiology is dedicated to the safety of patients as well as health care professionals and promotes minimally invasive procedures and techniques that reduce overall radiation exposure. As an organization at the forefront of radiation safety, the Society of Interventional Radiology presents the newest research for the assessment of radiation dosage, provides education to the medical community and the public about radiation protection and dose reduction, and encourages communication between doctors and their patients.
More information about the Society of Interventional Radiology, interventional radiologists and minimally invasive treatments can be found online at www.SIRweb.org.
Abstract 62: “Implementation of a Low-dose Protocol for CT-guided Lung Biopsy Procedures,” J.D. Collins, P. Entezari, R.J. Lewandowski, V. Yaghmai, A. Nemcek, J.C. Carr, radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill., SIR 37th Annual Scientific Meeting, March 24-29, 2012. This abstract can be found online at www.JVIR.org.
About the Society of Interventional Radiology
Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-ray, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, such as in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Today, interventional oncology is a growing specialty area of interventional radiology. Interventional radiologists can deliver treatments for cancer directly to the tumor without significant side effects or damage to nearby normal tissue. Many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. Visit www.SIRweb.org.
The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its 37th Annual Scientific Meeting March 24-29 at Moscone Center, San Francisco, Calif. The theme of the meeting is “IR Evidence,” chosen to reflect interventional radiology’s gathering, presenting and discussing results of care-changing investigations.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Raman spectroscopy is a non-invasive optical technique capable of measuring vibrational modes of biomolecules within viable tissues. In this study, we evaluated the application of an integrated real-time system of Raman spectroscopy for in vivo skin cancer diagnosis. Benign and malignant skin lesions (n=518) from 453 patients were measured within one second, including melanomas, basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, actinic keratoses, atypical nevi, melanocytic nevi, blue nevi and seborrheic keratoses. Lesion classification was made using principal component with general discriminant analysis and partial least squares, in three distinct discrimination tasks: skin cancers and precancers from benign skin lesions (ROC=0.879); melanomas from non-melanoma pigmented lesions (ROC=0.823); and melanomas from seborrheic keratoses (ROC=0.898). For sensitivities between 95- 99%, the specificities ranged between 15-54%. Our findings establish that real-time Raman spectroscopy can be used distinguish malignant from benign skin lesions with good diagnostic accuracy comparable to clinical examination and other optical-based methods.
Granite tiles give your floor a sophisticated and edgy look that no other tiles can offer. Do you want while using it will bring the luxurious look that most people would granite floor, so that regular cleaning and maintenance need to get this special appearance.
The luxurious feel of Stone
Like marble, travertine and ceramic tile, granite tile can add a touch of luxury to the interior to add. The difference in the design of the tile itself provides a unique, one-of-a-kind floor designs that are not easy to do something. Come with mosaic tiles, ceramic and stone near durability or ease of maintenance. Combine your granite floor with carefully placed accent rugs and have a literal style showcase.
Casual cleaning these tiles can be relatively easily achieved. Regular uses of the substance or participation diet can be sharp and it looks fine given in high traffic areas of the house. But the use of harsh chemical cleaners or washing should be avoided to prevent damage to the stone by chemical erosion or blunting its natural beauty to keep. Complete maintenance and cleaning can be easily achieved by using a few simple steps of periodically sweeping the diagram.
Tips for cleaning granite floor
Clean water and soap are not sufficiently simple to be cleaned granite tiles. Over time they may appear cloudy or dirty, wipe it does not matter how often they are. What is needed here that regular use of cleaner specifically designed for complete cleaning of natural stone tiles, available at most flooring manufacturers or dealers. Used in combination with a kind of brush away the dirt without damaging the appearance of matte or other such durable floors.
Great for high traffic areas, special attention to the offer if there is discoloration. Children and animals can take its toll on this resilient flooring, but be careful not to spill drinks, food stains and pet accidents. If not removed, such as accidents and similar wood surface of the tiles. Sweep will be followed by a quick clean with a vacuum cleaner overall appearance.
The appearance
Cleaned with special cleaning agents for use with the granite slab is good, but the regular maintenance of the proper seal is improved. At least once a year, twice as a high-traffic area, perhaps, there should be a set of stone slabs used to prolong its shelf life.
The closing plugs are available at most home decor and carpets, and is worth the investment compared to the cost of replacing tiles. By sealing the risk of stains and dirt reduce, the tiles can penetrate and degrade them inside out. A few extra steps like this will help you, you want your house has a stone floor, while the life of your floor.
Six new Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) gardens are scheduled to open before June 30:
Clarendon Community Garden (North Portland)
Kenton Community Garden (North Portland)
Ed Benedict Community Garden (SE Portland)
Errol Heights Community Garden (SE Portland)
Frazer Community Garden (NE Portland)
Grant High School Community Garden (NE Portland)
This means Portland Parks & Recreation will be able to provide space for 250 new gardeners to grow healthy, organic, low-cost food!
Planning and fundraising are underway for three additional gardens tentatively scheduled to open later this year ? at Thomas Cully Park (NE Portland), Helensview High School (NE Portland), and Mt Tabor Park (SE Portland).
PP&R?S SPRING CHECKLIST FOR YOUR HOME GARDEN!
Cut back old plant growth and pull weeds.
Suppress future weeds with burlap, straw (without seeds) or a top dressing of compost.
Plan your season; make a reasonable timeline for yourself, choose crops, and figure out how much space each will use.
Sharpen and clean your tools.
Purchase seeds (local & organic when possible).
Purchase or make a good complete organic fertilizer and foliar feed.
Test for soil moisture.
Turn the soil and break up clods ? best done when the soil has dried out.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Make a plan
Vegetables have different starting dates ? some do well in cool temperatures, while others prefer warmer soil. These soil temperatures, along with the amount of space they need, and “days to maturity,” will be written on the back of the seed packets.
Check your soil
Portland’s winter rains will compact garden soils and deplete it of important nutrients for your new plants. Before cultivating the soil in the spring, you’ll want to test the soil for moisture. Working the soil when it’s too wet can cause soil compaction and hinder seed germination and root development. Adding organic matter is necessary to help the soil’s fertility as well as the texture.
A simple method you can try – dig a hole 6″- 8″ deep and form a ball of soil the size of a golf ball. Toss the ball about 1 foot in the air and catch it with a flat/open hand. If the soil crumbles when it lands, then your soil is ready for planting. If it stays in a ball then your soils still needs to dry out.
Add organic material and nutrients to your soil
When your soil is dry enough to work, add 2 inches of compost and a complete organic fertilizer to help boost production. Turn it into the top six inches of soil with a digging fork. Always follow the application rate recommended on the fertilizer container. You can also do a soil fertility test to learn what kind of nutrients are lacking in your soil.
Plant your garden
March and April are months to sow early spring crops in the garden like: radish, arugula, peas, spinach, swiss chard, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, beets. See Oregon Tilth’s planting calendar for a detailed list of what you can plant.
Seed sowing tips
Plant seeds to a depth of three or four times their thickness.
Keep seeds constantly moist until true leaves appear.
Vegetables that prefer to be planted from seed in your garden rather than transplanted are: Roots (beets, carrot, radish, etc.), Greens (lettuce, arugula, spinach, salad mix), Legumes (peas, beans, etc.), and Garlic.
Remember to “thin” emerged seedlings to their proper spacing requirement (as listed on seed package). Thinning will allow nutrients to go directly to the selected seedling. ?
Plant a combination of plant starts and seeds at the same time to provide a successive harvest.
Start a garden journal and keep records
Keep a simple garden journal of what and when you plant and which amendments you add to your soil. Draw a simple map of your plot that you can take notes on throughout the year. This will provide you with valuable information to aid in future garden planning.
Have you ever experienced any burning sensation in your throat? If your answer is yes, then you just experienced the effect of heartburn or acid reflux. Initially, it is very common for affected individuals to treat the symptom right away rather than the cause. Just like when you have fever, home medications are done to address the symptom rather than the cause of the fever. The same thing goes with acid reflux. Treatments are done to address the burning sensation. Most often than not, the sensation will just recur. If you want to kill a tree, pull the roots and do not just cut trunk.
Most people use over the counter antacids to temporarily neutralize the burn. These medications treat the symptom, but leave the cause of reflux untreated. Neglecting to treat the cause allows the disease to increase. Over using antacids can cause additional health problems due to medication side effects.
A better plan of action to eliminate acid reflux and the associated burning includes diet and lifestyle changes. Certain foods and activities contribute to, or trigger, the onset of reflux. Identifying and eliminating these triggers is the first action necessary in curing the disease. Concentrate on an acid reflux diet. Foods that are known to trigger reflux and associated heartburn symptoms include foods high in fat; spicy foods; acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruit; caffeine; chocolate; vinegar and alcoholic products.
In addition to the type of foods you eat, think about the way you eat. Large meals fill the stomach leaving little space for those caustic juices to work. This causes them to overflow into the throat. Follow the acid reflux diet and also eat small meals often; say six to eight times a day. Never eat within two hours of lying down. When the body is in a flat position, gravity pulls acid into the throat. If you must lay down after eating, keep your head propped up several inches higher than normal. Gravity pulls things downhill, not up.
If you are overweight, this can increase the likelihood of suffering from acid reflux and heartburn. You can begin an exercise routine to help with your weight loss. Be sure not to exercise straight after a meal and leave at least two hours to allow your meal to digest properly. This is especially important if your exercise routine involves working on your abdominal muscles or bending over a lot.
Always check with your doctor before taking any medications. Do not self medicate. Some medicines cause burning sensation in the throat or acid reflux. You should make sure that whatever medicines you take does not contribute to your present condition. It should help you feel better and not the other way around.
Do not smoke. Smoking causes irritation to your throat. Make sure too, that you wear the right clothing. It is important that feel comfortable with the clothes you wear. Avoid wearing anything that is tight around your neck and to your chest. Pressure from tight clothes can cause discomfort that may result to a burning sensation in your throat and heartburn.
There are also several alternative treatments that assist in curing reflux and heartburn. Stress causes the stomach to churn and produce digestive fluids. Relaxation techniques and listening to music help in lowering stress levels. Aromatherapy aids in stress management and, in some cases, proper digestion. Massage and gentle exercises counteract the effects of stress as it builds in the various muscles of the body. There are even practitioners that have had success in controlling heartburn through the use of hypnosis.
If you go through from burning in throat you are in no way alone. Enormous amounts of people today all over the earth are afflicted by heartburn and Gerd. It really is up to you to make sure you find a treatment for your condition. Consult your medical professional what the most beneficial treatment options are for your own specific condition and seek out medical treatment as soon as possible.
If you have not utilized math groups before, this is one teaching practice that can have an extreme impact on performance and achievement in your classroom. ? From my personal experience, I was always terrified of placing students into groups. On the rare occasion when I did try to have group work time during math, chaos would erupt and I found myself running from group to group in a frantic manner completely burnt out after an hour ready to go home and tap a nap. ? Why didn’t my groups work for me? That was the question that haunted me time after time.? ? Even when I carefully placed students in groups that I felt were leveled appropriately, and with students that could interact well with one another, my group experience continued to fail miserably. ? After reflecting back on my experience, and having a few conversations with colleagues, I realized the error of my ways. ? No matter how well the groups are organized or how great the activity is, the students need to learn what the group rules and expectations are before a single activity is attempted.? ? This is crucial for groups to be effective! ? The students need to know exactly what your expectations of behavior are, what the procedures are from start to finish, and how they are to conduct themselves while in their group. ? Students need to be taught explicitly how to work in groups. They need to know what you expect of them. They need to know what is appropriate and what isn’t.? ? Think of all possible scenarios that could arise throughout group work time and answer those questions prior to beginning groups in your classroom. ? For example, how are the students supposed to ask questions when they are stuck or encounter a problem? What do students do if they finish early? What will be the signal you give for starting and stopping – a bell, timer, hand clap??
? These are just a few things you need to address when teaching the students how math groups are supposed to function in the class. ? Implementing Math Groups In Your Class?————————————– Another key component to utilizing groups for math is that the group themselves need to frequently change.? ? What I really think is beneficial about our math workshop time is the students get to work in a small group that is constantly changing. Just because Student A is in the “Gets It” group this week doesn’t mean that this will be true next week. It is all dependent on each students’ need, which means there needs to be some type of assessment for the teacher to make this determination.? ? Therefore, before I assign/redesign groups, I give a quick assessment to check and see at what level the student is performing. Simply 3-5 problems to let me know where they fit into one of three categories:? 1: “Needs Help” – need re-teaching? 2: “Gets It” – just need practice? 3: “Watch Out!” – ready to take it to the next level ? Keep in mind, just because a particular student is having difficulty with multiplication and needs extra assistance and accommodations, that may not be true for when you are working on place value, or geometry. ? In this situation when you are working with multiplication, that certain student might be placed in the “Needs Help” group, but during geometry, that student could possibly be in the “Gets It” group. ? My class is currently divided into 5 groups with each group consisting of 5-6 students. This allows me to have relatively small group sizes and at the same time, it gives me the opportunity to work with one group per day during our math workshop time. I am then able to get to all five groups each week. ? A typical plan that I like to use during math time for my fifth grade students is to teach a mini-lesson for the entire group which generally lasts for 20-25 minutes. Afterwards we will break into our math groups which I refer to as “Math Workshop Time”.? ? For example, last week we were working with adding and subtracting integers. Two groups were working to master the concept of a number line and positive/negative integers (“Needs Help”), one group was working on mixed addition and subtraction problems while another group on a computers/laptops using a number line interactive game I found online (“Gets It”), and the last group was working on higher order thinking problem solving strategies (“Watch Out!”). ? In Conclusion ————- If you have not used math groups before, hopefully you have been inspired to implement them in your classroom. If set up properly and taught explicitly, they can have an immense impact with your students. ? Just remember to teach students exactly what is expected during math groups time and make sure they adhere to your expectations. Doing so will help ensure the time spent in math groups becomes a valuable instructional tool.
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ROME (Reuters) ? The Coast Guard officer who ordered the captain of the capsized Italian cruise ship to go back aboard unwittingly became an instant hero on Wednesday, credited with saving the national honor on one of its darkest nights. Italy has become enthralled with the tale of two captains. One is Coast Guard Captain [...]
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WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ? The International Monetary Fund is seeking to more than double its war chest by raising $600 billion in new resources to help countries deal with the fallout of the euro zone debt crisis, but the United States and other countries are throwing up roadblocks. The United States and Canada said on [...]
This Valentine’s Day, spend a romantic dinner night in and make a home cooked meal to enjoy with your loved one. Then for dessert, serve homemade tiramisu. Tiramisu is a traditional Italian dessert that’s creamy and decadent, the perfect way to end your dinner. I’m sharing an authentic tiramisu recipe with you, a wonderful gift [...]
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Public release date: 25-Mar-2012
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