Ice Breakers for the First Day of Elementary School

Ice Breakers for the First Day of Elementary School The first few minutes of class, kicking off a new school year can be awkward and nerve-wracking for both you and your new students. You dont yet know these students well, nor do they know you, and they may not even know each other yet. Breaking the ice and getting the conversation going so everyone can get to know each other is an important thing to do.   Check out these popular  Ice Breaker activities that you can use with your elementary school students when school opens. The activities are fun and easy for students. Best of all, they elevate the mood and help thaw out the first day of school jitters. 1. Human Scavenger Hunt To prepare, pick about 30-40 interesting characteristics and experiences and list them on a worksheet with a little-underlined space next to each item. Next, have the students roam around the classroom asking each other to sign on the lines that relate to them. For example, some of your lines might be, Went out of the country this summer or Has braces or Likes pickles. So, if a student went to Turkey this summer, they can sign that line on other peoples worksheets. Depending on the size of your class, it may be OK for each student to sign two of any other persons blank spaces. The goal is to fill up your worksheet with signatures for each and every category. This may look like organized chaos, but the students will typically stay on task and have fun with this one. Alternatively, this activity can be put into the format of a Bingo board, rather than a list. 2. Two Truths and a Lie At their desks, ask your students to write down three sentences about their lives (or their summer vacations). Two of the sentences should be true and one should be a lie. For example, your statements might be: This summer I went to Alaska.I have 5 little brothers.My favorite food is brussels sprouts. Next, have your class sit in a circle. Each person gets a chance to share their three sentences. Then the rest of the class takes turns guessing which one is the lie. Obviously, the more realistic your lie (or mundane your truths), the harder time people will have figuring out the truth. 3. Same and Different Organize your class into small groups of approximately 4 or 5. Give each group two pieces of paper and a pencil. On the first sheet of paper, the students write Same or Shared at the top and then proceed to find qualities that are shared by the group as a whole. Make sure to point out that these should not be silly or trite qualities, such as We all have toes. On the second paper, label it Different or Unique and give the students time to determine some aspects that are unique to only one member of their group. Then, set aside time for each group to share and present their findings. Not only is this a great activity for getting to know each other, but it also emphasizes how the class has shared commonalities as well as unique differences that make up an interesting and completely human whole. 4. Trivia Card Shuffle First, come up with a predetermined set of questions about your students. Write them on the board for all to see. These questions can be about anything, ranging from What is your favorite food? to What did you do this summer? Give each student an index card numbered 1-5 (or however many questions you are asking) and have them write their answers to the questions on it, in order. You should also fill out a card about yourself. After a few minutes, collect the cards and redistribute them to the students, making sure no one gets their own card. From here, there are two ways that you can finish out this Ice Breaker. The first option is to have the students get up and mingle as they chat and try to figure out who wrote the cards they are holding. The second method is to begin the sharing process by modeling for the students how to use the card to introduce a classmate. 5. Sentence Circles Split your students into groups of 5. Give each group a piece of sentence strip paper and a pencil. On your signal, the first person in the group writes one word on the strip and then passes it to the left. The second person then writes the second word of the burgeoning sentence. The writing continues in this pattern around the circle with no talking. When the sentences are complete, the students share their creations with the class. Do this a few times and have them notice how their collective sentences improve each time around. Edited by  Stacy Jagodowski.

Essay about readings Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

About readings - Essay Example I always use to use my beloved site for at least 2 to 3 hours a day that comprises various activities of my interest. The most amazing thing about Facebook is that I am getting tremendous knowledge about the events going on around me as current affairs. I am not a big fan of politics. However, when I see funny side of politics shared by my friends, I start taking interest in politics naturally. I visit the posts of my friends to get some information about the general events or other technological advances. It has helped me a great deal in enhancing my knowledge and horizon. My association with Facebook was very similar to the attachment of (Gathman) with cell phones. His emotions were totally integrated with his phone that he loved so much. He discovered all the aspects of the phone to find out its versatility. He explained his association with the mobile in terms of calls, texts and other purposes. Same is the case with me and Facebook. I want to explore every bit of it. I keep searching for various entertainment, informative, and technological set ups on this social media. Facebook has some kind of psychological connection with me. Whenever, I get five minutes free from my classes, I use to open my beloved site from my mobile. I am very thankful to the university to provide the Wi-Fi internet service throughout the college that allows me to use the social media wherever I go in the campus. It is very easy to open the ‘Home’ page and start navigating from top to bottom. It’s a great feeling whenever the theme of Facebook appears in front of my eyes. It gives me feelings of satisfaction and removes my boredom. Visiting Facebook regularly has become the part and parcel of my daily activities. It feels like something is missing when I don’t visit my social media for some hours. Some kind of chasm starts appearing in the mind as I get far from my mobile phone for some

Formal Outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Formal Outline - Essay Example Let's not forget that we, as individuals, have a personality, unique in itself and equally appealing. 'Mirror, mirror, on the wall, show me the one, I desire'. Does ring a bell, doesn't it You may argue that, not quite. Well, I don't disagree. Welcome to the world of the make-believe, where people from all walks of life, bent upon perfection, abuse their bodies to reflect the personality that they never are. The men and women on the street, ape celebrities and subsequently suffer for the sake of their appearance. The idea of monitoring, measuring, and enhancing is a means to underline the fact that, companies that advertise so profusely in the various Medias, do so for their betterment and growth. Little is said about the after effects of these 'personality-enhancement' products. This is a cause of concern, as people are misled to believing that these health and beauty products are a sure way to success and self-esteem. In short, the ploy to inculcate such demeaning methods is an imposition of unreasonable standards on the consumer. Is everything that we see in front of our eyes true It can be misleading at times. FTV, Vogue, Hollywood and the Internet have a lot in common; Fashion. Yes, ladies and gentlemen; fashion, that you and me admire and wish to model ourselves on. Media plays an important role in influencing out thoughts. If it not were for the TV, Movies, Magazines, and Internet, would we be indulgent and self-conscious Not quite, perhaps. First Main Idea Has it ever dawned on you that what we see on these Medias is nothing short of make-believe Channels beam the rich and famous in hour-glass costumes that cost the earth. We tend to forget the cost, and dream of their bodies as our own. We are made to believe that the slim, underbred women in sexy gowns that cost a fortune, symbolises the successful and dynamic woman of today. Sadly, this is far from the truth. First subordinate idea The names of Jean Paul Gaultier, Carolina Herrera, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Carmen Marc Valvo, Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, and Elie Saab, to name a few, are breakfast names. They dish out dresses that are show-cased by the skinniest of skinniest models; role models for the never-say-die women of today. But, in reality, are they really as healthy and happy as we are made to believe in Consider the following: First supporting detail The Fashion magnates have all along encouraged unreasonable & unhealthy body images at fashion shows. They have used models who are ultra thin to promote clothes that only they can wear. Luisel Ramos died on the catwalk & Ana Carolina Reston died of starvation. Second supporting detail The sudden demise of Anna Nicole Smith has come as a shock to the film and modelling fraternity. What could have caused the death of this pretty 39 year old Surrounded by controversy right through her chequered career, this ravishing beauty was struck down by an unknown calamity that will go down in history as being under controversial circumstances. Third supporting detail London Fashion Week got under way on Monday with the ongoing debate over ultra-skinny models continuing to dominate proceeding over styles on the catwalk. The untimely deaths caused due to starvation have practically removed skinny

Adoption of Islamic Banking Essay Example for Free

Adoption of Islamic Banking Essay The intention of the study is to identify the benefits which could be drawn in Adoption of Islamic banking by conventional banks and to determine the challenges they are going to face in the adoption. The 60 respondents from various conventional, non-Muslim banks have been chosen through simple random sampling. The result of the survey for the questions regarding the awareness of the local people was considered positive in Edgware Road, London. They were mostly familiar with Islamic banking since there is already established Islamic bank in the area. The first branch of The Islamic Bank of Britain was in this area. It was also found out that a good portion non-Muslims are aware about the features of Islamic banking. A number of these non-Muslim respondents were also found to be employees of Islamic banks. The fact that Islamic Bank of Britain employs the best person for the job regardless of color, creed, gender, and ethnicity, the system makes it more familiar to non-Muslims. It may be concluded that although Islamic banking is a good alternative to the conventional banking system, it should not replace the conventional system. The benefits drawn in the adoption of Islamic banking may be a very good alternative for investors who could use either or both systems to maximize the outcome of their investment plans. Chapter 1 Introduction 1. 1 Introduction What is Islamic Banking? Islamic Baking is quite a different system compared to a conventional banking system. The Islamic banking system prohibit usury and interest categorized as riba. It is governed by Shariah where Islam does not distinguish interest and usury (Haron 1995, p. 26). Currently, there are more than 150 interest-free institutions all over the world according to the International Association of Islamic Banks. Islamic banks nowadays were also serving non-Muslim countries such as Denmark, Switzerland and other Western countries. No interest is paid nor charged in an Islamic Bank. (Haron 1995, p. 26). The pioneer Mit Ghamr Local Savings Banks was established in 1963, somewhere in Nile Delta, Egypt, a provincial rural center. Although most of the banks operate in Muslim countries, it was also extended to the Western world. An example is the Islamic Banking System International Holding which was established in Luxembourg in 1978. It is considered as the first Islamic bank in the Western soil. The establishments of these banks were followed by other Islamic banks not only serving Muslim customers but also those who expanded their operations to service non-Muslims (Haron 1995, p. 27). After more than a decade since its establishment, it was estimated that over US$20 billion to US$40 billon of assets existed in the Islamic banking system worldwide. Currently, they have grown for more than US$60 billion. A study shows that the adoption of Islamic Banking in a financial system has not led to collapse as some feared to happen (Ghannadian Goswami 2004, p. 242). Islamic banking is also playing a very important role in resource allocation, mobilization and utilization. It means Islamic banks are also providing savings to depositors and credits to the needy. Normal deposits such as savings account, current account and investment deposits are very available to customers. Islamic banks provide financial assistance in a short or long term business and individuals. They are also involved in international trade activities (Haron 1995, p. 27). 1. 2 Research Background It is difficult to pinpoint when Islamic banking started, but consensus suggests that it took place in Egypt in the 1960’s. In the mid 1970’s, Islamic banking started to take root in other Muslim countries. The changes were explained into main factors. First, the 1970s have seen oil price shocks which led to a massive transfer of wealth for the oil-consuming to oil-producing countries. Second is the fact that the oil shock coincided with the Iranian revolution which brought about the Khomeini government and the first Islamic republic (Akacem Gilliam 2002, p. 126). By 2003, there were about 176 Islamic banks around the world, handling over US$ 147 billion and 32 banks are in an Arab state (Info Prod Research, 2003). This form of specialized banking may help to promote growth in the developing countries (Ghannadian Goswami 2004, p. 242). As recent as 2003, there have been news about the introduction of Islamic hedge funds which could tap into the capital of Islamic families that could be worth a trillion dollars in asset management. According to banking statistics, the growth rate of Islamic banking has outpaced the growth of traditional banking in the past decade. Transformation Oriented Developing Economies (TODEs) made the transformation of society into full pledged market based economies (MBEs) a centerpiece in overall strategies. Many structural changes are required in its financial institutions, especially that the role of a financial intermediary in supplying funds to a growing new industry is crucial. Moreover, there are times when improper resource allocation may potentially result destabilization due to either faulty risk assessments. Or because of the design of its contract could be significant in examining the implementation of an Islamic banking system and how Islamic banks can provide liquidity and aid in creating money. This is through offering transactions accounts with compensation for inflation to risk-avoiding depositors (Ghannadian Goswami 2004, p. 242). Evolution of Islamic The first modern experiment with Islamic banking was undertaken in Egypt. The pioneering effort of projecting Islamic image was led by Ahmad El Najjar who aimed to establish a savings bank based on profit-sharing in the town of Mit Ghamr in 1963. This experiment lasted until 1967, and by that time there were nine banks operating in the country. These banks neither charged nor paid interest and invested mostly in trade and industry directly or in forms of partnership and shared their profit with the depositors. This function is essentially a savings investment institution rather than a commercial bank. The Nasir Social Bank was established in 1971, IDB established in 1974 by the Organization of Islamic countries, and was the primarily inter-governmental bank aimed at providing funds for development projects in member countries (Sohrab 1996, p. 287). In considering the adoption of Islamic banking by conventional banks, what kind of benefits may be drawn from such adoption and the challenges they are going to face in undertaking such? Most benefits that may be drawn from the adoption of Islamic banking by conventional banks come from the features of its equity financing contract. With Mudaraba (trustee financing) and Musharaka (equity participation), entrepreneurs with little means and substantial collateral are able to gain access to capital (Sohrab 1996, p. 288). In addition, few businesses are able to operate strictly on cash basis without taking on debt or selling a portion of the business just to cover shortfalls or when there is a need for expansion (Bartlett Economy 2002, p. 184). Because of this, it will be more attractive to engage into Islamic bank equity financing than that of conventional banks offering debt financing thus, making Islamic banking more competitive with regards to innovative entrepreneurial customers.

Strategic Planning Essay -- Business Planning Essays

Strategic Planning 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Appraise the formal planning efforts at the Copley Company for the period 1981 to 1984. INTRODUCTION Copley Manufacturing Company was primarily a manufacturer of a wide line of cutting tools and related parts and supplies. Late in 1980, Mr. Sagan, director of corporate development and Mr. Albert, executive vice president agreed that regular formal planning should become part of management’s way of life at Copley. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 1981, Copley Manufacturing Company had begun formal corporatewide planning. The formalized planning was ingrained into life at Copley through a series of visits by corporate groups, planning review meetings, as well as planning response meetings. However in 1982, the planning system was modified where the planning committee separated the formal planning cycle into three phases – Strategy Development phase, Quantitative phase and Action phase. In 1983, the planning process was largely influenced and administered by Mr. Tyler, the executive vice president. For recent development in 1984, the actual responsibility for planning has been placed directly on the executive vice president, group vice presidents and also division managers. DISCUSSION OF SITUATION IN 1981 In February 1981, Mr. Albert formed a corporate planning committee as the first step to move toward a regular formal planning process. In the discussion held, the planning committee decided on the process of ingraining the formalized planning into the life at Copley. On 21st March 1981, Mr. Albert requested the division general managers to sketch out a plan for regular formal planning and schedule for starting such an effort. The main objective of that effort is to issue guidelines for the preparation of divisional â€Å"provisional plans† (Brethauer 1999). On 6th June 1981, the corporate groups, which always included Mr. Albert and Mr. Sagan, had visited to the divisions constantly as an initial concept of formal planning activities. In the introductory meetings, Mr. Albert explained the importance of the planning effort, and Mr. Sagan explained the details. On 1st October 1981, the divisions, as well as the corporate staff groups, were asked to produce and submit the five-year plans. In November and December 1981, planning review meetings were held to review the divisional plans. On 28th December 1981, th... ...981 and modified in later years, leading Copley to attain success.M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The top management had been continuously putting effort in making planning a way of life for Copley. Weaknesses  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 1982 changes in top management were temporarily disruptive to the planning effort.M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Considerable effort was required to assimilate the acquired company and work out the split-up of Cutting Tool Division.M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Division managers had been planning largely to satisfy the requirements but had failed to commit to the plans. Opportunities  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 10-year look indicated that Copley’s profit was sensitive to cyclical swings, and large cash flow could be expected.M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Copley was mainly concerned in achieving future outgrowth through acquisition and merger.M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Copley is expected to reach a minimum annual profit growth of 10 percent and a return on equity of 12.5 percent. Threats  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The depressed market conditions might result in Copley’s extensive loss.M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was fearful that Copley would revert to a short-term orientation if it continued along the present path.M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a great tendency in American business to over manage, over plan, over staff, and over organize.

Aristotle’s Ten Categories

The ten Categories of Aristotle are derived from Aristotle’s Organon (Evans) and are classifications of individual words (as opposed to propositions) They consist of substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, situation, condition, action, and passion (Robin, 2004). Of the ten categories, Substance (ouisa) is consistently considered to be the most important as it is the fundamental element of all living things. Each individual thing has its own substance that is unique to that thing and does not belong to any other individual thing. Substance exists in two forms; Primary Substance and Secondary Substance. Primary Substances are absolute, concrete individual things that can exist in isolation to other things. Aristotle specified elements such as air, water and earth as primary categories because they are entirely independent of other beings. Secondary Substances are essentially properties of the primary substances and therefore cannot exist in their own right (Smith, Robin, 2004). Aristotle specified that whilst primary substances were restricted to genus, secondary substances were restricted to the individual species to which they belonged, â€Å"'man' is predicated of the individual man; but ‘animal' is predicated of ‘man'; it will, therefore, be predicable of the individual man also: for the individual man is both ‘man' and ‘animal'. † (Edghill, 2000). The remaining nine categories are utilized to help define and determine the details of the substance and what it is similar to and much of Aristotle's discussion of these categories concerned the way the categories are used in language. The second of Aristotle’s categories is Quantity, which as per the conventional meaning of this word, refers to the physical size of something. Quantity can be measured by numbers, weight, volume, area etc and thus the category is intended as a means by which substance can be measured and interpreted relative to one another. Quality is related to the inherent nature of something, that is its attributes or characteristics. Quality aspects generally cannot be described mathematically. Descriptive words such as â€Å"white†, â€Å"fat†, â€Å"larger† etc. ould generally characterize the quality aspect of the categories. Relation concerns the way in which one thing is related to another. This relationship could be a cause and effect relationship, a physical relationship or an equivalent relationship. The next category is Place. This refers to the physical location of an object or thing in its environment. Following this is Time. This category is concerned with a thing’s position with regards to the passage of time in the conventional sense or in relation to other events. The seventh category, Position, addresses the relative position parts of an object in relation to each other or the position of one object in relation to other objects. State is similar to quality but is concerned with the ongoing nature of an object as opposed to the inherent nature. So, for example, â€Å"easy going† would be classified as a quality whilst â€Å"depressed† would be classified as a state. The ninth category, Action, refers to the way in which a change to one object could impact another object or thing. Conversely, the tenth category, Passion or Affection, is concerned with the reception of a change and relates to the alteration that something else has on the object. Aristotle’s theory states that every single part of a sentence will fall into one of these categories. An example of a sentence that uses them all is as follows: â€Å" The naughty (quality), lone (quantity) boy (substance) crouched (position) beside his sister (relation) in their playroom (place) one afternoon (time), happy (affection) and content (state) as he stole her toys (action). †

Dyson Case Study Essay

Dyson Case Study Essay Introduction In Inside Dyson: a distinctive company?, Shepherd et al. (2011) gives details of the secret of Dysons success the company specializing in innovative, design-heavy vacuum cleaners and other household appliances. The successes and failures of Dysons design efforts (from their successful vacuums to the 3-in-1 vacuums that did not test well with customers) are explored, as well as their unique perspective on business, which puts quality and innovation above anything else. 1. Using frameworks from the chapter, analyze the strategic capabilities of Dyson. The strategic capabilities of Dyson revolve primarily around a resource-based view of the strategy with a heavy focus on engineering design; they spend a tremendous amount of time developing and engineering prototypes for household products that seek to provide a twist to the typical device (e.g., vacuum cleaners that provide smooth turning around the corners, oscillating fans that multiply air, etc.) This creates a niche in what can be an overly-saturated market. Providing a unique spin of this sort on a product can offer tremendous advantages. Combine this with state-of-the-art, sleek design elements and bright, colorful exteriors, and Dyson creates a number of high-end, well-sought-after appliances. Dyson invests heavily in Chinese and Asian manufacturing in order to make their products cheaper, so that they can maintain profit margin benchmarks. This emphasis on design in their organizational planning means not as many products being manufactured. But what they do sell they sell to a target market at higher prices. Given the innovation that is present in Dysons business strategy, it is quite clear that their strategic capability is high, even though the risks can be high as well due to the experimental and out there nature of their products which may be too daunting for normal consumers. 2. To what extent do you think any of the capabilities can be imitated by competitors? The primary niche that Dyson follows is superior design. As a result, it can be quite difficult to replicate the specific strategic capabilities. Their focus on innovation revolves around them being the only ones around to actually try to change the way the vacuum or other appliance is designed. The level of specialization is what attracts customers to them. In order to provide legitimate competition to Dyson, superior engineering designers would have to be hired, and a much greater focus on innovation would have to be attempted. Otherwise, Dysons dominance in the high-end, experimental house-ware market remains unchecked by competitors. Competitors are already trying to imitate their products with the USA Wind Tunnel vacuums and Mjele swivel-head vacuums. Yet the patents Dyson has placed on their product prevents other companies from outright stealing of their ideas. 3. Which of Dysons distinctive capabilities may become threshold capabilities over time? The existence of high-value specialties will likely become a threshold capability for Dyson as the time goes on. Threshold capabilities are what is required to remain in the market. Currently, what is allowing Dyson to maintain its high prices is the high quality of the design and engineering present in their products. Compared to other consumer-level appliances of this kind, Dyson stands out as a distinctive product from a marketing standpoint. Emphasizing the new and innovative stuff allows the consumer to feel as though they are receiving a brand new, insightful product, leagues ahead of the competition. For Dyson to change its business model in any way towards increasing volumes of standard products would be to tarnish its image, nearly irreparably. What is maintaining Dysons primary conceit is the design innovation, which is a clear threshold capability. 4. Bearing in mind your answers to questions 1 and 2, how crucial is Sir James Dyson to the future of the company? What might be the effect of his resignation or the sale of the company? Given the importance of James Dyson, it would certainly be a blow if he were to leave or sell the company. James Dyson is a prominent public figure and the best spokesperson in commercials Dyson company could have.