How did the recent financial crisis affect Financial Markets and Essay

How did the recent financial crisis affect Financial Markets and institutions - Essay Example The difference in interest rates has led to different problems and difficulties in the international financial market. Further on, another difficulty was caused by a greater demand for U.S. $ by oil importers thus leading to the U.S. $ currency devaluation, the yen Japan, the euro and the pound sterling. Therefore, market and capital markets suffered great losses and it was necessary to find a way out of this situation. At the beginning of financial crisis, the American society still had a hope that future elections of the President would facilitate it. Unfortunately, the impact of financial crisis of 2008-2009 still echoes in the world’s economy. There is a tendency to reduce the difference between the interest rates. Moreover, â€Å"the securities market has been greatly influenced by the devaluation of the assets of certain companies established by banks for loan securitization† (Bloom & Schirm, 2010). In the period between 2004 and 2007 the size of loans has increas ed from 60% in revenues to 90% respectively (Financial Crisis: Let's Get to the Root Cause, 2008). Furthermore, a poor management system of the loan system has also negatively influenced on the financial system. In order to facilitate the complexities occurred in the world’s bank and financial system it is possible to work in two main directions: â€Å"continue economic accounting real, if only the existing level now being maintained; and involve as many as possible capital in the economy† (Kuttner, 2009). In order to renovate a proper functioning of investment banks, such as Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and American International Group (AIG), the U.S. government invested $85 billion in this sphere (Trussel & Rose, 2009). Unfortunately, banks of the country have fallen apart like a house of cards. Almost nineteen banks failed till November 2008 (Swagel, 2009). Therefore, a public confidence in bank system has gradually failed. A further interaction between internatio nal capital markets and financial institutions was full of complexities and the reasons for that should be found on political and economical levels. Political reasons for financial crisis are evident. These are political constraints. A complicated relationship between the congressional leadership and President Bush and his White House staff made 2007 an unconstructive year from the perspective of economic policy, although, ironically, it had the effect of making possible the rapid enactment of the early-2008 stimulus: Democratic leaders by then appeared to be eager to demonstrate that they could govern effectively† (Jackson, 2010). Administration’s deliberations were not facilitated even in time of financial crisis worsening. On the governmental level financial crisis could be solved in terms of mortgage refinance programs and investments in banking and job-creating systems (Kawa, Vanbever, 2010). Therefore, the influence of a global financial crisis has greatly affecte d on money and capital markets. Deposit and non deposit taking institutions have also been influenced greatly by financial crisis. State commercial banks have the main goal to increase profits and satisfy the needs of public by providing deposit options. Unfortunately, firms and individuals have decreased the level of deposits â€Å"

Curriculum questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Curriculum questions - Coursework Example According to the chosen standards documents, the analysis process is highly focused on few major aspects including curriculum documentation process, situation resulted in the development phase primary purposes and organizing process of the contents, implementation process of the curriculum and evaluation of the learning outcomes, and identifying strengths and limitations of the curriculum (Parkway Central Middle School, 2013). The limitations that have been recognized in the curriculum documentation process are the inability to define the key roles and significance of the curriculum critically along with its transaction. Moreover, problems associated with exploring syllabuses and their association with the ESOL standards is observed as a major limitation of the curriculum analysis (Posner, 1995). During the development phase of the curriculum, the project team is involved in various situations. In this regard, the superintendent makes the curriculum development project. The superintendent is accountable for generating effective set of cast characters associated with the curriculum standards and accordingly, supervise their roles. Few of the major cast characters associated with the development phase of the curriculum include Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning; Assistant Superintendent of Student Services; Human Resources Consultant; Chief, Communication, Information and Financial Officers. The key cast characters in the curriculum development project are affiliated with the curriculum standards in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). According to the curriculum development project for 6-8 grade, the Assistant Superintendents of both teaching and student services are responsible to identify the required set of curriculum activities that can address t he needs of the first grade learners. Moreover, they are also accountable to

Process Improvement Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Process Improvement Plan - Essay Example Control Chart for Laundry Process Graph between Sorting Time and Days days Control Chart in the above graph between sorting time and days of the week reflects declining trend of time in laundry over the days. Descriptive Statistics of the Laundry Plotting of days on x-axis and sorting time in seconds on the vertical axis is the basis of control charts. CL in the above graph shows the control limit whereas UCL denotes Upper CL and LCL refers to Lower CL within the range of 3?. PIP Steps for Laundry Process through SPC SPC provides statistical measurement of laundry process to apply controls in planning of the laundry process from analytics of data. PDSA cycle consists of the step to apply process improvement plan: (PDSA Cycle, 2007) Plan Variation of cloths distribution in drawer causes the variation in timing of sorting as evident in times measured for sorting in different weeks. Manual measurement of sorting also causes a change in sorting time as it is always approximate. Type of c loth changes in summer or winter season affects the processing time of sorting cloths. Do Segregation of cloths in bins through quick-sorter can minimize the sorting time. It will improve consistency of timings. I will apply appropriate labels on drawers to put clothes in the right bin. Applying labels further assist in arranging cloths in bins and reducing sorting time if clothes are labeled in categories of denim, cotton, delicate, etc. If I can place right cloths in the right category, it will reduce effort of sorting at the time of laundry. Study Study of laundry process for the weeks of observation provides steps of improvement. Control chart further provide insight regarding the impact of changes in laundry process. I study process and impact of changes across six weeks to apply corrective and preventive measurements to optimize the process of laundry for clean clothes in minimum time. Act Chase, Jacobs, & Aquilano (2006) suggest targeting for the next bottleneck after standar dizing the process through reduction in bottleneck. Seasonal Factors affecting the Laundry Process Seasonal factors affect the sorting time of the laundry process as people wear different kind of cloths in winter, summer, or rain. Woolen cloths consume more time in operation of laundry than cotton cloths. Winter season also reduce agility of person that can indirectly affect the timing of laundry. Control Chart Excel is a useful tool for control chart that assists in data driven improvement through applying controls on the process. DMAIC (Define, measurement, analysis, improvement, and control) provides steps for improvement of quality (Chase, Jacobs, & Aquilano, 2006). The six week process of data collection and control measurement of laundry process sets the plan for continuous improvement across the week. Control Limits Aslup and Watson (1993) define the control limit of quality through application of empirical rules between the mean and standard deviation of collected data. The CL refers to mean of the data in the control chart and 3? deviation measures the upper and lower control limit of the chart (Chase, Jacobs, & Aquilano, 2006). Statistical distribution of data dispersion for normal population is shown in the following figure: (Chase, Jacobs, & Aquilano, 2006) 90% Confidence Interval (CI) follows the mathematical formula of ? - z*?/vn to ? + z*?/vn in which significant level is 0.10. Critical value of z for a significant level 0.10 = 1.645

Augustus foreign policy Essay Example for Free

Augustus foreign policy Essay After the battle of Actium at 31 BC Augustus had the full control over the legions of Rome and there was no one left to oppose him. However, his long absence from Rome made his position subtle and he needed to maintain high public profile within the city in order to restore the republic and strengthen his regime. Thus, in the years between 31 BC and 23 BC the possibility of foreign campaign seemed unreasonable and unnecessary. With the second settlement of 23 BC Augustus was granted maius proconsulare, which literary made him supreme commander of all legions and unlike before the senate and people of Rome forced him in this position. Indeed, the military status of Augustus at 23 BC is the same he had at 31 BC, but the important difference was in the image it created. Now, Caesars heir was more than everything a supervisor of the order and protector of the republic. Having such responsibility he decided to strengthen the existing borders of the Empire before expanding them. Evidence for this is Augustus saying in Res Gestae that he stationed more than 300,000 soldiers in the provinces as a way to protect the Empire against dangers. It is interesting that Augustus reduces the size of the army from almost 50 legions to 28 (Res Gestae 3). This is a clear indication that he did not consider the possibility of a great campaign in the east or north to expand the Empire. This actually is in accordance with his image of Pax Augusta. After the battle of Actium, Caesars heir came to power with the promise of prolonged peace. He even restored one of the forgotten republican traditions the closing of the Gates of Janus Quirinus when Rome was not at war (Res Gestae 13). It is also possible that Augustus felt temptation for a prolonged foreign campaign but he never found the right time to start one. As a mentioned earlier, after 31 BC the Princeps received the responsibility to restore the republic and after 23 BC he had to reorganise the provinces and create a system of defence. The years after 23 BC were marked by private and public calamities: the death of Marcellus and Agrippa was followed by the death of Gaius and Lucius and then a disastrous marriage between Julia and Tiberius. At the same time a serious revolt occurred in Pannonia in AD Â  and in Germany three legions under the command of Varus were wiped out in AD 9(Suetonius 23. And given all this it is not quite true that Augustus felt no temptation for foreign war. Indeed, he commanded the armies directly only in two foreign wars (compared to five civil wars) according to Suetonius 20, but many other wars were led by Romes generals under his auspices (listed in Suetonius 21). Drussus and Tiberius fought the Germans off the the river Elba which had to become the new northern border but this aim vanished after the massacre of Varus legions. Parthia, the big Roman enemy, was still very weak in 20s BC but Augustus never started a war with them. However, he threatened to begin one in order to get back the Roman standards lost by Crassus in 53 BC. Truly, fighting Parthia was expensive and dangerous but leaving the peace to the caprice of the Eastern king was unreasonable. Here Augustus came with the brilliant idea of creating buffer states which would defend the borders of the Empire. The most important of these was Armenia and Augustus often intervened there to strengthen the government as proven by Res Gestae 27. In conclusion, it is difficult whether Augustus did not feel temptation for foreign war or did not have the opportunity to start one. The Empire was so big that there were few territories worth fighting for and with the creation of buffer states there were even fewer. Augustus major responsibility was to build firm and lasting foundations for the commonwealth (Suetonius 28) and that is what he did. But war-lover or not, the Empire under Augustus was bigger than even before and for first time definite border were defined.

The Mass In A Catholic Church Begins Religion Essay

The Mass In A Catholic Church Begins Religion Essay The Liturgy of the Word is then said. This includes the Gloria, which is a prayer of worship, thanks and praise. An Alleluia verse is sung and readings are then read from the Bible. The purpose of this is to remind people of Gods promise to save his people, to provide food for the spiritual life of Gods people, and ,according to the Catechism, Jesus is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church. (Catechism Para 1088). The readings are arranged in yearly cycles so that a great proportion of the Bible is read, and all the four gospels are read throughout the year. The priest may then say a homily, which explains the meaning of the passage read and how we should reflect on it. The Creed is then said. The creed is either the Nicene Creed, which was agreed at the Council of Nicaea, or the Apostles Creed. The creeds are basically a summary of the main core beliefs of Christianity. This includes beliefs on God- The Father, Jesus Christ- The Son of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Church. The prayers of the Faithful are said, also known as the Bidding Prayers. These are a series of 5 prayers that ask for Gods help with issues important to the community, such as peace for the world, or the sick of the Parish. The offertory then occurs. This is a procession of the bread, wine and other things like money are brought through the congregation to the priest, who then blesses them by holding his hands over the offerings, which symbolises the Holy Spirit coming down on them. Other priests celebrating the Mass in the congregation may also hold their hands out, inviting the Holy Spirit to come down on the blessed items. The congregation then prays that their sacrifice may be acceptable to God. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the next most important part of the Mass. The word Eucharistic means thanksgiving and the Catechism express the belief that the sacrifice of the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ are one single sacrifice (Catechism Para 1367). Eucharistic Prayers begin with the preface, whish is an introductory prayer that generally begins: Father, all powerful and ever living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lordà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The Eucharistic prayers are different from each other, but the common acts are performed. The main part of the prayer centres on the consecration and transubstantiation, when the words of Jesus at the Last Supper are repeated: Take it; this is my bodyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for many. (Mark 14:22-24) The bread and wine are therefore turned into the body and blood of Christ. In the Catholic Church this is known as Transubstantiation. This is signified by the elevation, when the priest will raise the bread or wine, and the congregation bows their heads as a sign of respect. A bell may also be rung, which has roots in Latin Mass when the altar and the priest would not be seen by the congregation and, as the congregation would not usually understand the Latin spoken, the bell would be rung to tell the people which point in the Mass they were at. The priest will break some of the bread and place it in the cup of wine, which is known as the transmingling. This is followed by the acclamation when the priest and the congregation say Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. This is followed by the memorial prayer, when God is asked to accept the sacrifice. A series of prayers about the blessing of the Church, the dead, and a prayer to honour the saints are said, as is a Eucharist prayer asking for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The final prayer is to praise God through the offering Jesus made, and this is a sole mn moment in the Mass. The priest will either say or sing Through him, with him, in him, the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours Almighty Father for ever and ever. And the congregation replies Amen. Amen means I agree or I accept this The Our Father prayer, also known as the Lords Prayer is a prayer that Jesus asked his apostles to say, and is said by everyone in the mass. As everyone will be sharing the same bread, everyone in the congregation gives each other the sing of peace, which is usually a hand-shake. The people remember that Jesus was the Lamb of God, and they ask him for the forgiveness won by the sacrifice he made. The communion is the part of the Mass when everyone receives the bread or body of Christ. An individual will approach the priest, and the priest says The Body of Christ, the individual replies Amen as the bread is placed in their hands. The same happens with the blood of Christ is given, but the priest shall say Blood of Christ. There is a prayer before and after which illustrates the meaning of what is happening. The congregation is blessed, and the priest will say Go in peace to love and server the Lord. According to the Catholic Church, this is the sending for the (mission) of the faithful, so that they may fulfil Gods will in their daily lives (Catechism Para 1332), so the people are sent out to love their neighbours and to server God in everything they do. b) It is important for a Catholic to regularly attend Mass, because of the religious significance to a Catholics faith. The Catholic Church states that Jesus Christ is present at the Mass in the person of the minister and the Eucharistic species. (Catechism Para 1088). Also in Paragraph 1088, the Church state that Jesus is present in the sacrament, his Word (readings from the Bible) and when the Church prays and sings. These beliefs are crucial to the core beliefs of a Catholic, who is to love Jesus and to follow what he said; do this in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19) If a Catholic was to not believe in the Mass and its significance, it would be tantamount to not believing in their own faith. If a Catholic attends a Mass, they are also visiting the Church. The Christian faith says that the Church is a holy place of worship but, more than that, is an important community essential for a believing Catholic. The Church is important for the Catholic; My house will be called a house of prayer (Matthew 21:13). It is important for a Catholic to pray there, as they praise God, and they are with Jesus; For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20) There are many examples of Christians praying together in the Bible; They all joined together constantly in prayer, and all of this emphasizes the importance of a Catholic attending the Mass. There is extremely important significance in the Eucharist that takes place during the Mass. Catholics believe that when transubstantiation occurs, the bread and wine become the physical body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist is supposed to be a sacrifice that takes place on the altar of the Church, and this is the same occurrence of the event when Jesus was crucified, as he was sacrificed for the people as the Lamb of God. This is why the Church says in Catechism No 1367 The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice. This also means that the same event that occurred 2000 years ago is happening again and again during Mass. When Catholics receive communion, they are receiving the body and blood of Christ, and this holds huge religious meaning for that Catholic, and this can only be received at Mass, so Catholics that want to be closer to Christ are to receive this holy gift. The importance of attending a service regularly is also in the Bible; Every day they continued to meet together in the Temple Courts (Acts 2: 46). Overall, the Bible and the Catechism continue to stress the importance of attending Mass, and how it is essential to the core beliefs of a Catholic and their spiritual health. c) According to the Catechism it is extremely important to the faith of a Catholic to attend services at Church, especially the Mass. This is because of the importance of going to Church, listening to what is said, and taking part in the Eucharist, which is a core belief of Catholicism. The Catholic Church state that Jesus is Present at the sacrifice of the Mass, in the minister and the Eucharistic species, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦present in the sacrament, in his word, and when the Church prays and sings (Catechism Para 1088). The Church stresses how important it is to be close to Jesus, and how the best way to do this is to take part in the Eucharist. The Eucharist signifies Jesus sacrifice for his people, and is the most important thing to the spiritual life of Catholic. The Eucharist can not be received at home. However, if Jesus is present in the scriptures, this also means that Jesus is present while a Catholic reads passages from the Bible at home. In Matthew 18:20 it says; For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them, and this means that even where a family says grace before there meal, Jesus is with them then, so it is not necessary to be at Church just to be with him. Jesus also said Do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. (Matthew 6:5), and this means that one shouldnt go to church to be seen praying, and that it is much better to pray alone, and you are praying with Jesus privately which is a very spiritual act. The Bible says; But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16). However, the Church is where a community meets, and where that community prays together in the name of Jesus and everything the community needs. The Church is also the House of God; My House will be called a house of prayer (Matthew 21:13), and is filled with statues and other things that help a Catholic pray and remember important things that Jesus said. However, God is also said to be everywhere, so he is at home when a Catholic prays. It is also just as possible to keep the Sabbath day holy at home, as at Church. The Church teaches that it is important for a Catholic to attend services, especially Mass, to be a true believer in Christ, as the Catholic must receive the body and blood of Christ, and to come together as a community with Gods people. However, it is just as important for a Catholic to pray in their daily lives and on their own, as Jesus did, so the Catholic must keep a balance between the two. Ultimately private prayer and attending Church services are both important for Christians, however at the end of Mass, the priest says; Go in peace to love and serve the Lord, therefore faith without deeds is not real faith. Receiving Christ in the Eucharist should be like spiritual food and affect the Christian positively in their endeavours to live a good Christian life. Bibliography for Coursework Catechism paragraphs 1088, 1367, 1332, The Bible Matthew 18:20 Mark 14:22-24 Luke 22:19 Matthew 21:13 Acts 2: 46 Matthew 6:5 Luke 5:16 Sister Anne Burke SND Dimensions of Christianity, 1988, Kevin Mayhew

The Doctrine of the Indefinite Terms in the Ancient Commentators of Aristotle :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

The Doctrine of the Indefinite Terms in the Ancient Commentators of Aristotle ABSTRACT: The ancient commentaries on Aristotle's Peri Hermeneias (De Interpretatione) give us important elements to understand more clearly some difficult passages of this treatise. In the case of the indefinite names and verbs (i.e. 'not-man', and 'does not recover', respectively), these commentaries reveal a doctrine which explains not only the nature of the indefinites, but also why Aristotle introduces these kinds of term in Peri Hermeneias. The coherence and explanatory capacity of this doctrine is entirely absent in modern exegesis of Peri Hermeneias. This fact has important implications: it can make us to think whether there will be another topics in which the ancient commentators are still indispensable to understand Aristotle. It can also make us to think to what extent a profounder reflection of the ancient commentators can modify our idea of Aristotle and the ancient world. I. The labour of translation of and comment on the ancient interpreters of Aristotle, which in our days have been edited by Professor R. Sorabji,(1) has put modern readers in contact with new dimensions of Aristotle's thought. In these ancient commentaries, many of the traditional and well-known doctrines of Aristotle find not only theoretical basis, but also a number of obscure and condensed texts reach an important and valuable elucidation and explanation. The subject-matter that I would like to discuss today is a sample of how these commentators can still contribute to understand Aristotle. I would like to warn, however, that the theme of the indefinite terms is especially illustrative of what I indicate, for the modern comments on this topic have been made without a profounder consideration of the ancient teaching. In my opinion, however, a more reliable and complete explanation about this difficult subject is to be found in the analysis of the ancient view. II. The commentaries of Boethius(2) and Ammonius son of Hermeias(3) contain in a slightly different manner the ancient doctrine of indefinite names and verbs. They explain some questions whose answers are not evident in Aristotle's Peri Hermeneias (= PeriH.):(4) namely, (i) why does Aristotle introduce indefinite names and verbs after defining name and verb? I.e. Why does Aristotle consider adequate to define expressions like 'not-man', 'does not recover', etc., once he has defined 'man' and 'recovers' as name and verb respectively? Even more, (ii) why does Aristotle in Chapter 10 of PeriH. leave indefinite verbs aside and introduces only indefinite names in simple (= categorical) propositions?

Math Observations

Kindergarten Math Observations Mrs. Miller, Antelope Elementary, Kindergarten Observed: Wednesday (9:00am-10:30am) 3/27/13 Classroom rotation- children went from one room to the next for separate subjects, also each group of kids had been evaluated and put into advanced, moderate, and standard levels. This was also known as 3rd level, 2nd level, and 1st level kids. Advanced Group- 3rd level kids Classroom was set up into three separate group tables. Kids would move from work table to work table to complete different math activities.Before starting their groups the teacher first went thru math skills they had learned the previous week (adding the dots on a two sided domino). Then the teacher went on to this week’s concept (adding objects). She then read a story about a girl and a boy that wanted to see how many magnets they had together. The girl had 3 black magnets and the boy had 2 hand magnets. She then had the children add up (count) the total amount of magnets on the board . She then asked what they thought the math problem would be. They repeated 3+2= 5.She then asked if all students had understood why it was that and all answered with either the sign language symbol for I understand or yes. Group #1- Played a version of math bingo. Used math problems to find what number to put there chip on. The answer to that answer was where there chip was then placed. This game continued until all squares were filled. This group was assisted by Mrs. Joyce (a. k. a teacher’s assistant). When kids began to struggle with problems for example like: 3+4, the assistant slowed down the game and made sure each student recognized that 3+4 was 7 and then to place their chip on seven.Group #2- This group was with the teacher. This group worked through a worksheet paper with their teacher. The first side of the worksheet was about counting coins. Mrs. Miller first asked them the name of the coin (ex. Nickel). The children answered nickel. She then asked what the value of the coin was (ex. Nickel= 5cents). The children answered 5. She then asked the children to count by fives for each coin. She then asked the children if the answer was 15 cents or $15. They answered 15 cents.Example problem : (three nickels) 5†¦10†¦15 = 15 cents The second side of the work sheet was drawing what the story was saying as first a picture, or a visual, and then as an equation. Mrs. Miller first read the story. Then the students went thru drawing the picture with the teacher. Example problem: Tanya has 2 red balloons and 1 yellow balloon draw the picture. Mrs. Miller then asked the students what the problem would look like. The students answered 2+1= 3. She then made sure that each student understood and had the correct answer before proceeding to the next problem.Example problem: Jamal has 3 blue squares and 2 green squares, draw the picture. Mrs. Miller then asked the students what the problem would look like. The students answered 3+2= 5. She then made su re once again that each student comprehended the problem and why it was 3+2= 5. After about 15-20 minutes the groups switched and rotated to the other table. At 10:30 the children lined up at the door and went back to their homerooms for snack. (end of observations) Summary/ Reactions – Mrs. Miller, Antelope Elementary, Kindergarten I enjoyed observing this classroom over all.I really liked the way her classroom had been set up with not just desks in a row but the students were assigned tables and then they also had an assigned seat on the carpet. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of math the students were able to complete and comprehend. I considered in the back of my head what I had originally thought kindergarten was and remembered only learning my alphabet and finger painting. I really liked that the students had been assessed into different levels of comprehension and was glad to see that most of them succeeded more in the segregated math environments.I also liked that their math time had been split into two subgroups. I noticed that this helped the students get a break from the monotony of doing the same math problems over and over by also allowing them to improve on some of their other math skills simultaneously. There were a few differences within each group level that I would like to consider also. First I would like to talk about my reactions to the level three students. My initial reaction to the students was that they were all very focused mildly behaved kids for kindergarteners.The students had no problem and truly looked like they enjoyed playing the Math Bingo. I noticed Mrs. Joyce did not have to help them as much with adding the numbers together and seemed to compute the answers quite quickly. When the students were in the second group with Mrs. Miller they were asked more difficult questions such as the three factor problem (mentioned in observations). I was surprised to see that most of the students had no problem drawing and wr iting out the problem even though an additional factor had been added.Then when they moved on to counting the coins I liked that majority of the students could recognize the coin, the value of the coin, and then by using its amount counting up to find how much money they had. Over all, this group definitely showed they were advanced. Next I would like to talk about my reactions to the level two students. My initial reaction to the students was that they were a little less focused but comprehension wise were still fairly up there. I liked that the group activity had changed for group number one from math bingo to a more practice oriented group. I did notice that Mrs.Joyce had to help a few students in setting up their number in rows and would have liked to see her maybe show the students first how to put the numbers in rows. In Mrs. Miller’s group, or group number two, I noticed she didn’t really focus on the writing of the problems to match the stories. I noticed that the kids didn’t understand as much as the previous level why they got there answer as much as what their picture looked like. And then when the students went thru the coin side of the work sheet I thought that a few students answered more frequently first and then the other students would copy there answer.Over all, this group was slightly less advanced but also above the average kindergartener. Finally I would like to talk about my reactions to the level one students. My initial reaction to the students was that they were definitely a lot more easily distracted by the set up of the room and each other. I did like that Mrs. Miller went through the numbers 1-30 on flashcards with this group and that when they began to struggle she slowed down and went thru them again before starting the groups. I will definitely consider this strategy in my classroom. I appreciated when Mrs.Joyce took the time to show the students what their numbers should look like when in order by writing th em on the board. This was a great reference and I noticed majority of the students used it as such. I noticed though with this group, more than the last group, Mrs. Joyce helped he students find each number instead of letting them find them on their own. I assumed that maybe she was just trying to save time. In group number one with Mrs. Miller I noticed the students would lose focus much easier and found coming up the answer much more difficult.I especially noticed that at one point on the front of the work sheet students were mostly blurting out guesses not actual thoughts. I would have liked to have scene maybe a break at this time to go back and explain why the answers were what they were, but I understand at the same time that the groups were on a time schedule. On the back of the work sheet I noticed majority of the students struggled when asked what the coins were even though examples of the same coins had been placed on the board. I would have probably reminded them of the p ictures on the board.Over all, this group was definitely willing to learn, but lost focus the most often. In conclusion, observing this kindergarten class has really changed my outlook on what I used to think kindergarten was. I am now more willing to consider this grade level as a possible career. I saw a few things I would have maybe done differently, but over all my observations of Mrs. Miller’s kindergarten class were mostly positive and rewarding experience wise as well. Third Grade Math Observations Mrs. Shaffer, Metteer Elementary, Third Grade Observed: Thursday ( 10:00am- 11:00am) 3/28/13 Classroom setup:The desks were set up in groups of two. Each group had been strategically placed there because of their willingness to volunteer or the lack there of. For instance a student that answered questions a lot would be placed with another student that didn’t volunteer so much so as to make that student more willing to raise their hand and participate in discussion. T he classroom was covered in inspiring posters and excellent art work made from each student. There was also a wall dedicated to the highest scored English tests. There were a set of classroom Do’s and Don’ts on the wall.Examples: Make good choices, Make the teacher happy, and Fallow direction quickly. Each rule had a hand signal. For example make good choices is taking your pointer finger and pointing to the side of your head. After the teacher went through each rule she then had each student teach it to their neighbor. There was a wall with small pouches on it with each students desk number on each and in each pouch was a green, yellow, and red card. When a student talked out of turn or was not fallowing directions the student was then instructed by the teacher to go â€Å"turn their card† or switch their card from green to yellow or from yellow to red.On the board there was a tally system set for when the class as a group were not on task or not fallowing dire ctions. If the students were too loud they got a tally mark on the frowny face side, and if they quieted down and got focused again they received a tally mark on the smiley side. At the end of the day the tally marks were added up and if they had more smileys then frownys they got extra recess that week. Math: The teacher began by going back over 8ths. She drew a square on the board and asked the class how many individual squares made a whole square.The students replied by saying â€Å"16 squares†. She then cut the whole square in half and asked the students how many squares made up one half of the whole square. The students answered by saying â€Å"8 squares†. The teacher then cut one half the whole square in half and asked the students how many squares equaled one fourth of a whole square. The students answered by saying â€Å"4 squares†. The teacher then cut one fourth of the whole square in half and asked the students how many squares make up one eighth of t he whole square. The students answered by saying â€Å"2 squares†.Then the teacher asked how many eighths would fit in the whole square. The students replied by saying â€Å"8†. The students were then told to get out there small square eighth work sheets. The work sheets were about eight square grids on a piece of paper. On each grid the students were instructed to creatively shop up the grid into sections so that it had eight equal parts, or eight eighths. Then after they had finished their mini squares they were instructed to trade them with their neighbor and grade each other on if they completed the assignment correct as it had been assigned.Then when their squares had been approved, they were then supposed to choose one square they thought looked the best and make draw that mini square pattern onto a bigger square grid. The teacher then made sure that each student understood that the squares needed to all be colored a different color so they would over lap and tha t they wrote one eighth on their pages as well. Summaries/Reactions – Mrs. Shaffer, Metteer Elementary, third grade. When I first arrived at the classroom, the students were already starting the day out to a rough start. Mrs.Shaffer was apparently not content in the way they had walked to the classroom after recess and had the students walk all the way back to the line up on the play ground and walk back to the classroom again. Although the students slipped up a bit the first time when they had to actually go back and walk it again, I noticed a significant change in their attitudes and their level of focus. Once in the classroom, the students level of attentiveness went down again but it was mostly because they had a new distraction in the room, me. The teacher started going through the class rules and the hand signals with the students.I noticed that they really enjoyed sharing with their neighbors what they knew and I feel like this simple activity helped them to better kno w their class mates and grow as group partners. Then the teacher began asking the students their fractions for eighths and writing the answers on the board. I noticed that not every student was completely paying attention or answering the questions as much as other students. I would have liked to have seen the teacher maybe redirect the focus of the whole class as she had done previously in the day, just to continue with consistency.Then the teacher had the students break off into their groups and finish their mini grid papers. I noticed with some of the groups the students were really excited to show their neighbors their squares and had excellent creativity in their designs. The only thing that I noticed did happen with a few of the groups was that they started to act as though the appraisal of whose square was the best was more important than actually completing the assignment. But when the students reached too loud of a level of noise, the teacher put a tally on the board on the frowny side and the students refocused.Then the students that were finished with the mini squares were then instructed to redraw their favorite design on the larger grid square that would be shown at their open house. I really liked that the students made it a point to make their fractions very personal and neat. I then made it a point for myself to ask each student why they chose the colors they did. Most students replied that the colors they chose were their favorite colors. One boy said that he chose the colors brown, green, grey, and black because it made his fraction look like camo print. All in all I had a really great experience while observing in Mrs.Shaffer’s classroom. Her techniques and her instruction were very unique and different. I hope to visit and or observe her class again someday. Sixth Grade Math Observations Mr. Smith, Metteer Elementary, Sixth Grade. Observed: Tuesday (9:30am-10:30am) 3/26/13 Classroom setup: The classroom had its own computers, two wip e boards, and a job board. The Job Board included little pouches with each child’s name on them and included job such as Lunch Helpers, Paper Gatherer, Desk Straitener, Mad Minute Man, Computer Monitor, Clean up Foreman, and Phone Person. On the walls there were several posters.The first one was a poster titled â€Å"How to write a good paper. † It had four colored circles on it. There was one green forgo write your topic, one yellow for slow down and give reason, one red for stop and explain, and finally another green for go back and restate your topic. The next poster was a transition poster that had lots of helpful transitions sentences for the students to use as a reference. The next poster was an Editors Marks Poster. It had signs such as the paragraph sign,  ¶. The student’s desks were all together in a hollow box shape with two desk partners in the center.Math: That day Mr. Gappa was having the students build a mummy tomb out of Banana and Apple boxes. He first asked the students’ how they should start. They started by finding the area of the Banana Boxes (Banana: 10† ? 20† = 200 inches squared). Then he asked them what they should do next. They replied that they should find out how many boxes and fit in their tomb space. Mr. Gappa then measured each dimension of the corner of the room where the tomb would be placed. Wall one was 100in long and 110in tall. Wall two was 160in long and 110in tall.He then asked the students what they noticed about the dimensions of the banana and apple boxes compared to the dimensions of the walls. They replied that the banana boxes and the apple boxes dimensions were factors of the wall dimensions. Then he asked what they should consider next. They replied that they didn’t know how many columns they still needed. Mr. Gappa told them that they would need two columns, but then asked how many boxes it would take to make the columns using the apple boxes (Apple: 20† tall) . The students then started to write down all the data on the board. Then Mr.Gappa went around the room making sure each student understood their data for the tomb building. For their final blue prints they were to use graph paper, making sure that there boxes were equal to at least two squares on the graph paper. Mr. Gappa then made it clear that he wants all the blue prints to be neat and colorful because they were going to be submitted to the Pharaoh contractor. For each wall the students then went about figuring out how many boxes they would need using the formula, area= length? width. When they had finished with their walls, they all gathered at the front of the classroom and went back over the data with Mr.Gappa. Mr. Gappa then went around the room making sure that each student was using lots of color on their blue prints and were making sure they were very neat. He then mentioned a real life situational fact to the kids that they were going to be like little construction work ers when they begin building the tomb. Summaries/Reactions First of all I would like to begin by saying how much I really liked the set up of the room. The kids were close enough together for quiet discussion during tasks but also when out of their seats had plenty of room to move throughout the classroom.This class was also the quietest sixth grade class I’ve ever seen. Even Mr. Gappa spoke quietly when giving direction to make sure that each student had to listen very closely just to hear what he said, I almost didn’t even hear what he said. Next I would like to discuss the math. I really liked that Mr. Gappa had taken the time to create a math project for all the kids that used all the math skills they had learned during the year to help in the making of a mummy tomb which was also a part of their history lesson that week.I liked that when going over the data Mr. Gappa didn’t just give the students the answers but made them figure them out on their own. This to me showed the true attentiveness and memorization skills that the students had obtained that year. The last thing I liked was the student teacher relationship that Mr. Gappa had with all his students. He was serious when he needed to and the students switched modes as well and truly respected him as an authority. Yet at other times he could laugh and joke with the students about how the music that he played was really old.He also reminded me of the High School teacher Mr. Null in the sense that he called all the pretty girls fat and ugly, as to not let them get an ego in his class. All in all, I truly enjoyed observing this class. Their attentiveness to direction and the bond that they had with their teacher was to me very insightful. I will definitely consider using some of his teacher technics in my own classroom someday and hope to go back and observe his classroom someday as well.