[Guest Blog] CourseRoad!

[Guest Blog] CourseRoad! Danny B. 15 is an 8-Flex/6-3 major with aspirations in both fields. An inhabitant of East Campus(5W) and an active member of the class of 2015, Danny always has his hands full with class work and outside projects. One day a new challenge caught his eye and CourseRoad was created, this is the story of that project. [Disclaimer: What follows is going to be part shameless plug for my website CourseRoad, and part unsolicited advice/storytelling. If that’s not your cup of tea, maybe this will make you feel better :D] Let me start with a piece of advice: you know the thousands of fliers that are posted over MIT bulletin boards? Whenever you get a chance, try to read as many of those as possible. You never know what kind of crazy adventures will follow. This past IAP, I was strolling through the Infinite when I came across a poster for something called “The iCampus Student Prize”. This blue piece of paper stapled to a corkboard at knee height let me know about a competition to build some piece of software to help MIT life in some way. Without much else to do, I kicked around the idea of working on some sort of entry until about a week before the deadline. Finally, I decided “oh hell, why not?” and built a prototype of CourseRoad over Presidents’ Day Weekend. I didn’t quite realize what I was getting myself into at the time. You see, back when I arrived at MIT last fall, I originally told everyone that I wanted to major in 6-3, Computer Science. That was certainly a lot easier to say than responding with “well, probably 6-3, but I also love physics, so maybe course 8 but I dunno yet so we’ll see”. What I did know was that no matter which of the two majors I ended up in, I would certainly be stuffing my schedule with courses from the other. At some point while investigating major possibilities (word play!), you have to figure out what each major requires for graduation. The MIT Bulletin (which holds information on the different departments) contains pages and pages of “degree charts”â€"lists of subject requirements for any possible MIT diploma. Pouring over the lists of X.XXX course numbers is confusing enough; comparing overlap with other majors is even more so. And therein lay a major problem: working out when to take your required classes over four years was hard. The basic idea of CourseRoad, therefore, was to automate a solution to that problem. After hours of tweaking CSS and reading nearly every page of the jQuery and jQuery UI documentation, I built a site that allows users to add classes to a timeline of their academic careers and get immediate feedback on whether they’ve satisfied those classes’ requisites and how they’re doing on their major’s requirements. I was sitting in bio recitation when I got the email that I had won the iCampus Prize. Along with a pretty glass paperweight, the department which ran the iCampus Prize, OEIT (Office of Educational Innovation and Technology, to whom I am endlessly indebted), also offered me a summer job to keep working on the site and improve it beyond the time constraints of the competition and weekly 8.022 psets. (Still not sure how I pulled that one off.) Yes, that is a clip-on 8-bit tie. For the record, Shockfield thought it was some kind of guitar. And here we are today! Over the last few weeks, I’ve been wrapping up main summer development, and my team of beta-testers (to whom I am also endlessly indebted, Nat included :D) has sent me a sizeable swarm of bug fixes and feature requests. I’m now happy to announce that the site is once more open in version 2.0: https://courseroad.mit.edu (You don’t need an MIT account to use the site, but if you don’t have the MIT Certificate Authority installed, you’ll probably get a security error.) One more note: while I was working on CourseRoad to prepare it for the final competitive round, I realized that I was coming up on another important deadlineâ€"declaring a major. Due to my indecisiveness, I decided to attend the Physics Open House (which I found on a flyer! Always check the fliers!). It was perhaps one of the best decisions I made last year. I discovered that the 8-flexible major allows me to flood my schedule with both Physics and Comp. Sci. classes, which I’ve doneâ€"even my HASS is “Systems Visualization”. And yes, I checked it all over on CourseRoad as well. :)

Emotional Intelligence - 1076 Words

How smart are you? While this question may be seemingly simple to answer, it is an interesting question because it suggests someone’s level of mental competence can be measured. If there is an answer to this question, it suggests that a person’s level of smartness or intelligence can be found pretty straightforwardly by a score on a measurement of intelligence such as an IQ test. Find a pen or pencil, have a seat, and take an IQ test. Even better, look one up on the internet. Hours†¦or even minutes later you will receive a score that supposedly tells you how smart you actually are. â€Å"Based on these results, you are ______ smart.† The emphasis is on smart and how well a person’s mental capacity is captured in writing, on a test. Is this†¦show more content†¦Brotherson (2003) holds that it â€Å"concerns our awareness of our own and others’ emotions, their influence on us, and how to manage them in positive and meaningful ways† (2003). Ask yourselves if music affects your spirits and how it either uplifts or saddens you depending on the mood you are in and what form of music is being played. When you are feeling angry or ready to â€Å"explode,† are you able to get control of yourself, take a breather, and lower your temper or hostility towards others? Are you sensitive or sympathetic towards others when you realize that you are acting badly towards them? If so, you have learned and developed emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is critical in the business world. In addition to being sensitive to and perceptive of other people’s emotions, emotional intelligence involves having the ability to intuitively facilitate improved performance based on knowledge, a crucial trait in the work environment. According to Mary White (2006), the modern workplace is â€Å"characterized by open communication, teamwork, and a mutual respect among employees and their supervisors† (2006). When we possess emotional intelligence, we can better understand our fellow employees, managers can better motivate those they supervise, and everyone in the work environment has improved communication with one another. The old school style and philosophy of management does not work in today’s world. Management by intimidation is noShow MoreRelatedEmotional, Emotional And Emotional Intelligence1666 Words   |  7 PagesEmotional intelligence is ‘the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth’ (Mayer Salovey, 1997). Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand, accept and recognize our own emotions and feelings, including their impact on ourselves and other people and to use this knowledge to improve our own behaviours as wellRead MoreEmotional Intelligence: Emotional Intelligence E ssay1344 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is Emotional Intelligence: Emotional Intelligence, or EI, is defined as the ability or capacity to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of ones self, and of others.ï ¿ ½ Arriving at the Emotional Quotient is the standard means of measuring the Emotional Intelligence of an individual. | The importance of EQ in the workplace: In recent times behavioral scientists around the world have arrived at the conclusion that IQ alone is not the primary factor that leads to better performing managersRead MoreEmotional Intelligence. I View Emotional Intelligence As1238 Words   |  5 PagesEmotional Intelligence I view Emotional intelligence as being able to keep my emotions in check, making sure they are appropriate, and that I am handling situations in the best emotional manner possible. Our emotional intelligence or lack there of, can significantly impact our future work relationships, and personal relationships. How we emotionally interpret information we are given and then process it for each situation we face is totally up to us. I encountered a situation last semester thatRead MoreEmotional Intelligence3151 Words   |  13 PagesEmotional Intelligence? Organizational Behavior Tamara Ramsey August 12, 2012 Abstract This paper examines how emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence are associated with academic success and job performance. Emotional intelligence continues to pick up momentum in the world of business and academia. More and more research supports the concept that emotionally intelligent employees, managers, leaders, and companies produce noticeable business results. Employers are now lookingRead MoreEmotional Intelligence1914 Words   |  8 PagesEMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE `ABSTRACT Emotional Intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. Research suggests it is responsible for as much as 80% of the success in our lives. The Effective leader requires a high degree of Emotional Intelligence. In this studyRead MoreEmotional Intelligence15079 Words   |  61 PagesAn investigation of the employee perceptions on the relationship between employee job satisfaction and the leader’s emotional intelligence among the workers of Eskom in Alice Town 1 INTRODUCTION For organisations to survive in today’s changing world they should maintain their competitive advantage through the use of the whole workforce. In order for the change to take place, the employees, and the leaders should be adaptive to the environment, effective working and the continuous improvement ofRead MoreEmotional Intelligence7706 Words   |  31 PagesESSAY No. 19: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE This assessment pertains to my personal emotional intelligence. This assessment aims to examine the four dimensions of my emotional ability and capacity based on Tapia’s emotional intelligence inventory chart. This assessment also aims to pinpoint the strong and weak points of my personal emotional behaviors especially in my daily encounter with the people inside and outside my organization. Based on the chart my scores for the four emotional dimensions are:Read MoreEmotional Intelligence And Physical Intelligence1655 Words   |  7 PagesEmotional Intelligence 2.0 In today’s society, there is a lot of emphasis placed on getting along with others. When working in a healthcare environment, this is especially important. We must be able to work well with a wide variety of personalities. Whether dealing with a difficult patient, a hostile coworker or handling our own emotions, it is necessary to be able to keep our own thoughts and emotions in check in order to have successful outcomes. I have decided to learn more about EmotionalRead MoreEmotional Intelligence And Interpersonal Intelligence1478 Words   |  6 Pagessituations regarding emotional intelligence. More specifically, the emotional intelligence faced between the employee and employer relationship. Emotional intelligence can be best defined as the ability to control and express one s emotions in a professional manner. In other words, emotional intelligence is the ability to communicate one s emotions in a manner that is both professional and productive. From this definition we can begin to make connections as to how emotional intelligence could cause problemsRead MoreEmotional Intelligence And Interpersonal Intelligence912 Words   |  4 PagesEmotional Intelligence Picture a world where humans could not understand each other’s feelings. It looks pretty bleak, right? Luckily, humans do have the ability to comprehend others’ facial and body expressions, emotions, and language. Since this is such a beneficial and amazing power that we hold, it has been labeled as a sort of intelligence- emotional intelligence. The ability to control and express our emotions, as well as understand, recognize, and response to others’ emotions is essential

Analysis Of Rene Denfelds The Enchanted - 824 Words

Rene Denfeld’s novel The Enchanted applies a creative method of storytelling to an intriguing subject. While discussing the corrupt inner workings of a prison, the unfortunate and sickening lives of all the characters, and what justice happens to be, Denfeld alludes to several other works to help her express the points being made. Due to the narrative aspects of this novel the reader is subjected to a wide range of emotions including sympathy, sorrow, and scorn and kept in the dark while somehow knowing everything there is to know. The way Denfeld appeals to a reader’s emotions makes one really focus on what is going on in the text. Examples of this are strewn about the book and are expressed through most characters. Arden, the unknown†¦show more content†¦Broken toes, lacerations, burns to fingers(63).† This insight is enough to make a reader question whether it was York’s fault he killed those people or not. In â€Å"Auguries of Innocence† William Blake writes â€Å"The Lamb misusd breeds Public Strife† and York was indisputably misused throughout his childhood. Knowing his background invokes sorrow for York. Knowing the torture he bared and the disease he was born with makes it seem like he was destined for an unfair, terrible end and had no say in it. Sorrow can be followed to situations such as the priest’s with his girl. He was an optimistic priest, determined to continue his practice despite what others had told him about what he lacked. He realized the y were right after a time and could not decide why he was doing God’s work(157). This is when he meets a young girl, just sixteen, in a club. They become friends, he buys her things, and eventually â€Å"he fell in love for the first time. Not for her necessarily; he fell in love with life(165).† The priest never actually loves the girl despite spending large amounts of time and money on her as well as losing his chastity to her. Expectedly yet sadly, it ends for them. He takes leave in Belize uncertain if he’ll return. When the priest does come back he discovers the girl’s apartment abandoned. No one admits to knowing where she has gone and they frankly do not seem to care. A week goes by and the police pull her out of the water. The girl committed suicide by jumping off ofShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of Rene Denfelds The Enchanted1329 Words   |  6 PagesRene Denfeld’s novel The Enchanted applies a creative method of storytelling to an int riguing subject. While discussing the corrupt inner workings of a prison, the unfortunate and sickening lives of all the characters, and what justice happens to be, Denfeld alludes to several other works to help her express the points being made. Due to the narrative aspects of this novel the reader is subjected to a wide range of emotions including sympathy, sorrow, and scorn and kept in the dark while somehow

Margaret Thatcher’s “Charter Schools” Free Essays

In the United States, primary and secondary public school education, undergoes continual monitoring and discussion by government leaders, educators, and parents. According to a survey, by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, in 1994, 39 percent of fourth graders, 37 percent of eighth graders and 36 percent of twelfth graders, scored below average, on basic skills assessment tests, in the United States ( Finn, Ravitch 22-24 ). News coverage also tends to continuously broadcast that the United States lags behind global peers in pre-college education. We will write a custom essay sample on Margaret Thatcher’s â€Å"Charter Schools† or any similar topic only for you Order Now For this reason, parents, governments and educators are constantly searching for new ways to improve, and overcome learning obstacles, in education. One of the new concepts emerging is the charter school. In the United States, the charter school was modeled after Margaret Thatcher’s idea of a public school operating independently, while being funded by grants. A similar concept currently exists, for all public education, in New Zealand ( Finn et al. 48-52 ). In 1992, after the first charter law was passed, Minnesota opened City Academy, based on this concept. The charter focused on recruiting and teaching high school drop-outs ( Buechler 60-63 ). All charter schools, including this first one, are based on certain guidelines. Charters are created by normal citizens desiring to fill a specific need in their area, or to implement a new teaching method. The administration and teaching operate independently from most local school board rules, and funds are used only within the charter school. Any business, parent, teacher or group may apply to open a charter, provided they are not religiously affiliated or a private school already. A charter need only to submit paperwork outlining a curriculum, sponsor, and a place of operation, plus the goals they expect in their students. Local or state school boards then have the option to approve or disapprove of the charter. If the charter idea is accepted, the charter may begin recruitment of students. A contract written and signed between the charter and the school board usually lasts a few years and its renewal is based on positive results or goals achieved. There are also certain laws dealing with charters. A charter must be tuition free and open and free of any discrimination to all children in the district ( Olson Art. 64 ). Charters are almost entirely funded by state and national monies, which normally follow a student to their public school. The money instead will follow the student to his or her chosen charter. Charters are also sometimes funded by private individuals or companies. Arizona ammended their charter school law to create a one million dollar start-up fund. Most states do not provide start-up fees which cover building rental, supplies, teachers and administration, before children arrive at their doors. This creates a hardship for most charters when they first open and prevents others from ever opening (Buechler 60-63 ). As of February 1997, five hundred charter schools operated nationwide, offtering a variety of different curriculums ( â€Å"Schools† 27-28 ). In New Jersey, by creating a public boarding prepatory school, educators devised a way to begin to reach children in their teen years, at risk for dropping out of school. School director Gary T. Reece states, † We’ve created a safe haven here where kids can risk caring about school without suffering for it†(Cohen 16 ). The teens live in an area where schools are crowded and crime is high. ( Cohen 13 ) In Boston, three types of charters are operating within the city. City on a Hill established for high school students, adds a twist in its curriculum, by creating city hall type debates involving the students. The teens become comfortable with public speaking at a time when they usually avoid it. Another high school named Renaissance, has 205 days in the school year, plus uses integrated teaching within all the classes. Lastly, is an elementary school named Neighborhood House. This school teaches one subject within another. A writing assignment may deal with science or science may be created in art class ( â€Å"Schools† 27-28 ). Add to these examples, charters which stress technology, basic academics, smaller classes, discipline, on-line teaching, home study, whole language, afrocentism, back-to- basics, and those that cater to high-school drop-outs and gifted students. Some charters also partner with zoos, museums, businesses, unions, or community groups ( Buechler 60-63 ) . As a Principal of Harriet Tubman Village School Charter, Roger Sciarretta states, â€Å"The only thing consistent about charter schools is that they’re all different. â€Å"Each one has it’s own flavor and style† ( Anderson 1A+ ) . In Florida, the Charter School law was adopted in 1996 and as of the 1997-98 school year, thirty-three were operating statewide ( Saunders ). As to why it took till 1996, Betty Golzendorf, D-Jacksonville said, â€Å"If Florida is going to start Charter Schools, then they should be the best Charter Schools in the country† ( Patterson B-1 ). Charters in Florida receive 52,000 dollars as a start-up fee, to help alleviate some of the difficulties before admitting students. Charters also can apply for any funds the government grants for low income or disabilities ( MacDonald ). Ninety-five percent of student fees, usually received by a district, follow the charter student to their selected charter ( Pendleton B-1 ). Before accepting students, a Florida charter must be approved by the local school board, and if denied, may appeal to the State Board of Education ( Saunders ). A Florida charter may be created by groups of citizens, teachers, individuals or legal entities. Private schools and religious organizations are barred from forming a charter school. The charter must also, be open to all children, and follow health, safety, welfare and civil rights laws. Each district is allowed so many charters according to their population. If a district has 100,000 or more people, they may have seven charters established per year. A population of 50,000- 100,000 may create five charters per year. Populations under 50,000 people are allowed three charters per year. (Pendleton B-1 ). In Duval County, five charter schools are currently open, and all are geared towards helping middle school children. Radar Schools focuses on behavior, academics, and truancy. The Police Athletic League is housing and supporting the school (Saunders). Daniel Payne Academy stresses technological curriculum for sixth graders, two years behind grade level . The students receive individual testing, with a focus on building self-esteem and discipline. The students are also required to wear uniforms, and parental involvement is encouraged (Desmon A-1 ). Daniel Payne Academy, School of Success Academy and Empowering Young Minds, all must deal with raising student test scores to meet the Duval County Average of a 49 percentile in reading and 50 percentile in math. Because these schools focus on children in middle school that are behind grade level academically their students averages are below the county average (MacDonald ). In their creation, charters were not meant to replace the public school system. Charter supporters feel that seeking different options for schooling will enhance the current public school system. This in turn, will boost the academic standing in our nation, placing us alongside our foreign counterparts. How to cite Margaret Thatcher’s â€Å"Charter Schools†, Papers

The Little Girl Eater, by Septimus Dale Essay Example For Students

The Little Girl Eater, by Septimus Dale Essay Miranda fetched a stone, a huge flat stone, just the right stone. When Mason saw Miranda, wheeling it, he said, Youre a good little girl. Miranda picked up the stone as high as she could and let it drop on Masons head. Shed killed the nasty Little Girl Eater. Miranda is clearly a resourceful little girl because she knew there was something quaint going on between her mother and Johnny. She is curious and inquisitive because she is fascinated by what Mason is doing, because she can only view half of his body. She is gullible because she believes what Johnny tells her about the Little Girl Eater and is frightened of adults. We know this because she didnt shout at Mason and ask him what he was doing because she was frightened that Mason might start to get angry. She wants to please her mother and likes her mothers friend, Johnny, because she kills Mason and runs off to tell her mother and Johnny. She thinks her mother will be pleased that she has killed the Little Girl Eater. We will write a custom essay on The Little Girl Eater, by Septimus Dale specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Mason is a seriously brave man because he knows he hasnt got a lot of time left before he dies, and still doesnt give up hope of survival. He is quite intelligent and inventive because he thinks of numerous ways to save himself but, unfortunately, he does not succeed. He is hopeful and understands children because when Miranda ran away from him, he knew that she would tell someone, most likely an adult who was taking care of her or her parents. Mason is not a fool and is elated when Miranda comes back; he thinks he is saved, just as he had predicted. Mason is a generous and polite man, as he is kind to Miranda even under so much pressure and pain. Mason is unlucky to be so near to being safe but yet unfortunately killed by a little gullible girl, which leaves me feeling sorry for Mason, but also makes me feel Miranda, her mother and Johnny should be punished as they are all responsible for Masons death, directly and indirectly. There are many ways that the ending is unexpected. First of all, the reader and Mason think he is saved. In many ways, it is harsh, because Mason has been really resourceful- not defeatist at all. In a situation like that, many people would have panicked, or lain there shouting for help for ages and then given up- but not Mason: he devises many schemes (digging down, scraping along) but they are all fruitless. He is not afraid eventually to face the truth: he knows hes had it and when he finally decides he is not to be saved, he sees the tin can and decides to die on his own terms, in his own time. The appearance of Miranda as her name suggests, is like a ray of sunlight for the hard working, solid Mason. However, he has no idea of her background and, if anything, this story is a perfect illustration of not being a Cry Wolf person and also the danger of speaking carelessly to children-most of them will believe anything. The first misfortune for Mason is that Miranda has a reputation for lying/fantasising, so that when she tells her mother the story about Mason, her mother automatically does not believe her, even more so when she includes the word, bloody, in her description. Johnny compounds the mishandling of the situation by deciding to solve an irritating problem (i. e. Mirandas presence) by his lurid story; he clearly isnt used to dealing with young children and does not realise what harm his story might lead to-and it does! Miranda takes the story at face value, and thats the end for Mason. So a combination of unfortunate circumstance leads to Masons demise. My opinion-entertaining because of the ending; perhaps dubious, because we burst out laughing when a brave man is killed. Very Roald Dhal: is the name a pseudonym?

Learn About Wine Legs or Tears

Learn About Wine Legs or Tears What does it mean when a wine is said to have legs or someone refers to tears of wine? Wine legs or tears of wine are the droplets that form in a ring on the glass above the surface of a glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage. The drops continuously form and fall in rivulets back into the liquid. You can see the effect in the shadow of this glass of wine. Cause of Wine Legs While some people think wine legs are related to the quality, sweetness or viscosity of wine, they are really indicative of the alcoholic content of the wine and are caused by the interplay between adhesion, evaporation and surface tension of water and alcohol. How Wine Legs Work Capillary action draws a small amount of wine up the surface of the wine glass above the liquid. Both alcohol and water evaporate, but the alcohol has a higher vapor pressure and evaporates faster, producing a region of liquid that has a lower concentration of alcohol than the rest of the wine.  Alcohol has a lower surface tension than water, so lowering the concentration of alcohol raises the surface tension of the liquid. The water molecules are cohesive and stick together, forming droplets that eventually become heavy enough to fall back down the glass in streams into the wine. History of the Explanation of Wine Legs The effect is called the Marangoni or Gibbs-Marangoni Effect, in reference to Carlo Marangonis investigations into the effect in the 1870s. However, James Thomson explained the phenomenon in his 1855 paper, On certain curious Motions observable at the Surfaces of Wine and other Alcoholic Liquors. Test It Yourself The Marangoni effect more generally refers to the flow of liquid caused by surface tension gradients. You can see this effect if you spread a thin film of water over a smooth surface and add a drop of alcohol to the center of the film. The liquid will move away from the alcohol drop. Swirl a glass of wine or liquor and observe the wine legs or tears of wine on the glass. If you cover the glass and swirl it, wine legs eventually will stop forming because the alcohol will be unable to evaporate.

Introducing Phrasal Verbs to ESL Students

Introducing Phrasal Verbs to ESL Students Getting students to come to terms with phrasal verbs is a constant challenge. The fact of the matter is that phrasal verbs are just rather difficult to learn. Learning phrasal verbs out of the dictionary can help, but students really need to read and hear phrasal verbs in context for them to be able to truly understand the correct usage of phrasal verbs. This lesson takes a two-pronged approach to helping student learn phrasal verbs. It begins with a reading comprehension which can also serve to introduce some interesting student stories for discussion. This comprehension is peppered with phrasal verbs which can then be discussed as a class. The second part of the lesson includes a brainstorming session for students to create lists of phrasal verbs to share with one another. Once students have become familiar with phrasal verbs, you can refer them to these resources to continue their learning. This phrasal verbs reference list will get students started with short definitions of approximately 100 of the most common phrasal verbs. This guide in how to study phrasal verbs will help them develop a strategy to understand and learn phrasal verbs. Aim: Improve phrasal verb vocabulary Activity: Reading comprehension followed by brainstorming session and discussion Level: Intermediate to upper intermediate Outline: Have the students read the short story full of phrasal verbs.Ask them some general comprehension questions about the text. Once they have read the text, ask them to tell a story of their own from their youth.Now that you have discussed the text, ask the students to find the phrasal verbs from the list which occur in the reading selection. Once the students have found these phrasal verbs, ask the students to provide synonyms for the phrasal verbs.Tell the students a little bit about what you have done that teaching day:Example: I got up at seven this morning. After I had breakfast, I put together tonights lesson plan and came to school. I got into the bus at X square and got off at Y square...Ask students which of the verbs you used were phrasal verbs and ask them to repeat those verbs. At this point, you might want to ask them if they have ever taken a look under the heading get in a dictionary. Ask them what they discovered.Explain that phrasal verbs are very important in English - especially for native speakers of the language. You can point out that it might not be important for them to be able to use a lot of phrasal verbs if they use their English with other non-native speakers. However, it is important that they have a passive knowledge of phrasal verbs, as they will need to understand more and more phrasal verbs as they become used to reading, listening, seeing and exploring authentic materials in English. Obviously, if they are going to use their English with native speakers, they will really need to buckle down and get used to using and understanding phrasal verbs. Write a list of common verbs that combine with prepositions to make phrasal verbs. I would suggest the following list:TakeGetMakePutBringTurnBeCarryDivide students into small groups of 3-4 each, ask students to choose three of the verbs from the list and then brainstorm to come up with as many phrasal verbs using each of the three verbs that they can. They should also write example sentences for each of the phrasal verbs.As a class, ask students to take notes while you write the phrasal verbs down that each group provides. You should then give a spoken example or two for each of the phrasal verbs so that students can understand the phrasal verbs from the context of what you are saying.Once you have provided the students with examples, ask the students to read their own examples and check to make sure that they have used the phrasal verbs correctly. NOTE: Dont introduce the idea of separable and inseparable phrasal verbs at this point. The students will already be dealing with almost too much new information. Save that for a future lesson! Adventures Growing Up I was brought up in a small town in the countryside. Growing up in the countryside offered lots of advantages for young people. The only problem was that we often got into trouble as we made up stories that we acted out around town. I can remember one adventure in particular: One day as we were coming back from school, we came up with the brilliant idea to make out that we were pirates looking for treasure. My best friend Tom said that he made out an enemy ship in the distance. We all ran for cover and picked up a number of rocks to use for ammunition against the ship as we got ready to put together our plan of action. We were ready to set off on our attack, we slowly went along the path until we were face to face with our enemy - the postmans truck! The postman was dropping off a package at Mrs. Browns house, so we got into his truck. At that point, we really didnt have any idea about what we were going to do next. The radio was playing so we turned down the volume to discuss what w e would do next. Jack was all for switching on the motor and getting away with the stolen mail! Of course, we were just children, but the idea of actually making off with a truck was too much for us to believe. We all broke out in nervous laughter at the thought of us driving down the road in this stolen Postal Truck. Luckily for us, the postman came running towards us shouting, What are you kids up to?!. Of course, we all got out of that truck as quickly as we could and took off down the road. Phrasal Verbs to make outto make off withto drop offto set offto get out ofto get intoto get readyto be up toto take offto grow upto make upto set offto turn downto get intoto bring upto break out There are at least 7 other phrasal verbs in the text. Can you find them?