Monthly Archives: August 2020

David Letterman on Statistics

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

“USA Today has come out with a new survey; apparently, three out of every four people make up 75 percent of the population.”

David Letterman

Excerpted from: Winokur, Jon, ed. The Big Curmudgeon. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007.

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Dale Earnhardt

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

Depending on where you are and whom your teaching, this reading on Dale Earnhardt may well be high-interest material. It certainly was in Vermont. Less popular perhaps, but still necessary, is the vocabulary-building and comprehension sheet, but there it is anyway.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Deaccessioning

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

“Deaccessioning: In the late 1980s the art market experienced an enormous book and prices skyrocketed for all artworks, but especially for Impressionist and Modern paintings. Acquisition budgets at most museums could not keep up with the new prices. In order to acquire new and important works, some museums resorted to the sale of what were considered secondary or redundant works in their collections. The auctioning off of several works then supplied the funds to buy one or two paintings which could fill gaps in the existing collection. Deaccessioning was controversial, raising questions as to whether such decisions reflected current tastes and would stand the test of time.”

Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.

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Passed (v/pt), Past (adj)

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

OK, from the back of the Text Terminal, here are five worksheets on the homophones passed (past tense of the verb pass) and past (used as an adjective.) This is another one of those things lying around unfinished. I’ll bet you’ve taught a student or two who confused these two words, so this ought to have some utility somewhere, I guess.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Term of Art: Adaptive Skills

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

“adaptive skills: Daily living skills that a person needs to be able to live, work, and play independently. There are 10 skills that are included in this area: communication, self-care, home living, social skills, leisure,, health and safety, self-direction, functional academics, community use, and work.

Adaptive skills are assessed in the person’s typical environment, in all aspects of an individual’s life. A person with limited intellectual functioning but who does not have have limits in adaptive skill areas may not be diagnosed as having mental retardation. By law, such a person is not retarded.”

Excerpted from: Turkington, Carol, and Joseph R. Harris, PhD. The Encyclopedia of Learning Disabilities. New York: Facts on File, 2006.

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Posted in Essays/Readings, Quotes, Reference, Social Sciences

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A Lesson Plan on the Crime and Puzzlement Case “Made in Japan”

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

I haven’t posted one in awhile, so here is a lesson plan on the Crime and Puzzlement case “Made in Japan.”

This lesson opens, if you’re so inclined, with this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the term and concept of “star-crossed lovers.” You’ll need this scan of the text, illustration, and questions to conduct your investigation. And once you’ve gathered the evidence and analyzed, it, you’ll need the typescript of the answer key to check your detective work.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Term of Art: Indefinite Pronoun

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

“Indefinite Pronoun: A pronoun that refers to an unspecified person (anybody) or thing (something).”

Excerpted from: Strunk, William Jr., and E.B. White. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition. New York: Longman, 2000.

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Animate (vt)

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

Here’s a context clues worksheet on the verb animate. This is one of those good, lively verbs that students probably ought to know for its own sake–i.e., that it is a very strong verb. Besides meaning “to produce in the form of an animated cartoon” it can mean, depending on context, “to give spirit and support to : ENCOURAGE,”to give life to,” “to give vigor and zest to,” and the way I generally use it in expository prose, “to move to action.”

In any case, as a verb, animate is only used transitively.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Decorative Arts

Posted on August 11, 2020 | Leave a comment

“Decorative Arts: Imprecise collective term for such art forms as ceramics, enamels, furniture, glass, ivory, metalwork, and textiles, especially when they take forms used as interior decoration. Sometimes designated the ‘minor arts’ to distinguish them from the ‘major arts’ of architecture, sculpture, and painting. See APPLIED ARTS, CRAFT, ‘LOW’ ART.”

Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.

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Cultural Literacy: Industrial Revolution

Posted on August 11, 2020 | Leave a comment

Last but not least today, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Industrial Revolution which is pretty simple and speaks for itself, I guess.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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