Zone 7 Planting vegetables guide

Zone 7 Vegetable Planting Calendar/Schedule

Zone	First Freeze Free Date	Last Freeze Free Date
2	July 30	August 15
3	July 15	September 1
4	June 15	September 15
5	May 30	October 1
6	May 15	October 15
7	April 15	October 30
8	March 15	November 15
9	February 1	November 30
10	Rare	December 15

To get the most out of your vegetable garden, you need to do a little planning. Knowing when to start your seeds and transplant them outdoors will help to maximize your harvest. There are no hard rules for this, it is dependent on the climate for your particular area, as well as the weather at the time.

These charts were created as a guidelines; a starting point if you will. You should adjust the planting dates relative to your particular area, and the specific variety of vegetables going into your garden. The exact values may be slightly off (~2 weeks) for your particular zone. See the chart (on right) to view the average dates of first and last freeze (low temperature reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit) for each zone. If you don't know what zone you live in, you can check the zone below, or you can find more specific information at the website from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The reports from the NCDC provide summarized data for many cities across your state, and will provide data much more specific to your particular area.

The Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar below will help you plan if and when your seeds should be started indoors, when to start or transplant your seeds/seedlings to the outdoors, and roughly when to expect to harvest your seeds. Each vegetable has a variety of types, each one with a slightly different growing season, and length. In general, the information listed on your seed packets, will be more accurate, and should be followed if there is any discrepancy. The chart below is intended to assist in scheduling garden events, as well as selecting complimentary garden vegetables for growing in your garden. For example, once the onions are harvested in the late summer, a quick growing cool weather crop such as lettuce, spinach, or beets could easily be grown where the onions once were. This allows an additional set of vegetables to be grown from the same garden plot.

http://veggieharvest.com/calendars/zone-7.html

License Free Fishing Areas in Maryland

License Free Fishing Areas in MD

You are required to observe all other fishing laws and regulations. A free MD/PRFC angler registration is also required for anglers fishing without a license in designated license free fishing areas. You may register online through the Maryland licensing system.

Anne Arundel

• Annapolis—Maryland Route 450 old bridge at the Severn River.

Baltimore County

• Cox’s Point on Back River and Deep Creek. Directions: Eastern Blvd. (Rt. 150) to Riverside Drive south.

Baltimore City

• Canton Recreational Pier at Boston Street
• Middle Branch Park from fishing pier south of the Hanover—Pottee Street Bridges, to Hanover Street Bridge over Middle Branch. Directions: Route 2 to Middle Branch Park
• Canton Waterfront Park

Caroline County

• Denton—Pier associated with G. Daniel Crouse Memorial Park on the east side of Choptank River north of Maryland Route 404 Bridge.
• Federalsburg Municipal Park

Cecil County

• Charlestown—Town-owned stone wharf on the Northeast River near the corner of Conestoga and Water Streets and the historic site of Charlestown Wharf.
• North East—North East Community Park at mouth of North East Creek.

Charles County

• Friendship Landing—County-owned pier and property adjacent to the pier off Friendship Landing Road southeast of Ironsides Riverside Road (Rt. 425) on Nanjemoy Creek.

Dorchester County

• Cambridge—Long Wharf from south end of city-owned bulkhead associated with the Municipal Yacht Basin within Cambridge Creek to the end of east breakwater at mouth of the Municipal Yacht Basin.

Frederick County

• Gambrill State Park – Banks of the one acre pond located within Gambrill State Park boundaries, near the Park’s campground.

Harford County

• Havre de Grace—Tydings Memorial Park within designated area, and pier at the end of Congress Street.

Kent County

• Chestertown—Maryland Route 213 Bridge over Chester River.

Somerset County

• Janes Island State Park—Bulkhead area on Daugherty Creek within the boundaries of Janes Island State Park.

Wicomico County

• Sharptown—Pier and town dock off Ferry Street on the Nanticoke River.
• Salisbury—Designated city-owned bulkhead on the Wicomico River between Mill Street and Division Street.
• Tyaskin Park—County-owned park on Wetipquin Creek west of Rt. 349 at Tyaskin.

Worcester County

• Pocomoke City—City docks from Laurel Street boat ramp to U.S. Route 13 overpass and Winter Quarter dock on Pocomoke River.
• Snow Hill-All city-owned riverfront property which includes Byrd Park, Sturgis Park, and city bulkheading adjacent to the municipal parking lot near the Route 12 bridge over the Pocomoke River.
• Ocean City – Northside Park – Town-owned pier and park at 125th Street.
• Ocean City – Chicago Avenue – Bulkhead between 2nd and 4th Streets.

‘Smash space’: Principal urged staff to use baseball bats to hack away stress

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/smash-space-principal-urged-staff-to-use-baseball-bats-to-hack-away-stress/2017/04/27/bce799fc-2ac5-11e7-be51-b3fc6ff7faee_story.html?utm_term=.97f9c163af88

‘Smash space’: Principal urged staff to use baseball bats to hack away stress

By Donna St. George April 27 at 7:57 PM 

The idea came to Principal Barbara Liess last month when a rocking chair broke beyond repair at her Maryland elementary school and was hauled to an outdoor space on a school loading dock.

Liess decided the old piece of furniture could be useful in another way — as a target in a kind of “smash space.” Her staff could wield baseball bats and hack away at the chair to relieve tension.

“I got the idea after reading some business articles that discussed companies providing items to be smashed as a way to reduce stress,” Liess wrote this week in a message to families. She has been principal of Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in Montgomery County since 2007.

After her actions came under fire in recent days, Liess apologized Wednesday for her March decision, saying there was “no excuse” and calling it a “lapse in judgment.”

“I absolutely regret my decision to provide staff with an opportunity to ‘smash’ the rocking chair,” she wrote in the message. “This decision was not in response to any teacher comment or behavior, rather a misguided attempt by me to provide staff with an outlet.”

The specter of schoolteachers bashing furniture with bats on campus surfaced in a parents’ online discussion group Tuesday. One parent had heard a rumor at the bus stop about a “smash space” and asked others about it in disbelief.

PTA President Jessica Chertow confirmed the rumor and messaged the discussion group late Tuesday with details she gathered. Some of the bats were wooden and at least one was metal, she said, and a sign was displayed suggesting the wearing of goggles and closed-toe shoes. “Smash away,” it read.

Though it was unclear how many people participated, she said, no children were harmed or, as far as she knew, had heard or seen any chair-busting clatter.

Chertow called the idea “an example of a major lapse in judgment by Ms. Liess — despite good intentions.” She told school families that district officials were looking into the matter and “working hard to find the best path forward.”

Not everyone in the discussion group saw it as a major concern, but a number of parents voiced shock and disappointment, according to several who followed the discussion. And some questioned why the principal would urge teachers to respond to their stress with physical aggression when children are regularly told to “use their words.”

Montgomery school officials said they are continuing an investigation of the incident, which they said began in March.

Sarah Sirgo, a director of elementary school support and improvement for the district, told families in a message that the district “does not condone this behavior by our staff” and has long been committed to “providing its employees with wellness support to help staff manage stress.”

The smash space no longer exists at the school, said schools spokesman Derek Turner, and he did not have details on how long it was in use or how many staff had participated. He said Liess, the principal, had no further comment.

One father, who declined to be quoted by name because of the situation’s sensitivity, said he was concerned that anyone would think of creating such a space in an elementary school. As word spread this week, his child asked him why teachers at the school needed a smash room.

He said he thought that the incident unfairly cast a poor light on educators.

“I truly do not believe our teachers are angry or frustrated,” he said.

Sheila O’Connell, a mother of three children and a parent at the school since 2009, said she hopes the school system takes its investigation seriously. The school’s teachers “do an excellent job” of teaching children how to manage conflict, she said.

“For an administrator to turn around and offer an inappropriate way to deal with conflict to the very same people who are guiding our children on a daily basis is disturbing,” she said.

As a parent, she said, “I don’t want my kids to feel this is an acceptable way to work out your problems. I thought we were teaching our children not to use violence.”

In her message this week, Liess said the school’s staff is committed to modeling appropriate ways for handling stress. “I recognize,” the principal said, “that while well-intended, this scenario is counter to what we teach students and has no place in a school.”

 

I like the idea and I applaud the principal for thinking outside of the box with this office space type stress reliever. I love how the rumors started at the bus stop. As a homeschool mom, I was once a public school mom, and I can tell you, I would not have cared if the bats were metal or wood. 

What a sign of our times, teachers in elementary grades are stressed. They've probably always have been. Everyone always cries out, this is a teachable moment, hell yes this is. Also a wake up world moment, just because you perceive things to be one way doesn't make it true. 

I say smash on in your safe space. 

I'm curious to know what alternatives the parents would approve of. And I'd like to know the stressors at their jobs and how they handle them. 

On this day: April 28

Everyone is going to pick a date a research the event to tell us about at dinner tonight

April 28


0357 - Constantius II visited Rome for the first time.

1282 - Villagers in Palermo led a revolt against French rule in Sicily.

1635 - Virginia Governor John Harvey was accused of treason and removed from office.

1686 - The first volume of Isaac Newton's "Principia Mathamatic" was published.

1788 - Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. constitution.

1789 - A mutiny on the British ship Bounty took place when a rebel crew took the ship and set sail to Pitcairn Island. The mutineers left Captain W. Bligh and 18 sailors adrift.

1818 - U.S. President James Monroe proclaimed naval disarmament on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.

1896 - The Addressograph was patented by J.S. Duncan.

1902 - A revolution broke out in the Dominican Republic.

1910 - First night air flight was performed by Claude Grahame-White in England.

1914 - W.H. Carrier patented the design of his air conditioner.

1916 - The British declared martial law throughout Ireland.

1919 - The League of Nations was founded.

1920 - Azerbaijan joined the USSR.

1923 - The British Empire Exhibition Stadium (or Empire Stadium) opened to the public.

1930 - The first organized night baseball game was played in Independence, Kansas.

1932 - The yellow fever vaccine for humans was announced.

1937 - The first animated-cartoon electric sign was displayed on a building on Broadway in New York City. It was created by Douglas Leight.

1945 - Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country.

1946 - The Allies indicted Tojo with 55 counts of war crimes.

1947 - Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl and five others set out in a balsa wood craft known as Kon Tiki to prove that Peruvian Indians could have settled in Polynesia. The trip began in Peru and took 101 days to complete the crossing of the Pacific Ocean.

1952 - The U.S. occupation of Japan officially ended when a treaty with the U.S. and 47 other countries went into effect.

1953 - French troops evacuated northern Laos.

1957 - Mike Wallace was seen on TV for the first time. He was the host of "Mike Wallace Interviews."

1959 - Arthur Godfrey was seen for the last time in the final broadcast of "Arthur Godfrey and His Friends" on CBS-TV.

1962 - In the Sahara Desert of Algeria, a team led by Red Adair used explosives to put out the well fire known as the Devil's Cigarette Lighter. The fire was caused by a pipe rupture on November 6, 1961.

1965 - The U.S. Army and Marines invaded the Dominican Republic to evacuate Americans.

1967 - Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army and was stripped of boxing title. He cited religious grounds for his refusal.

1969 - Charles de Gaulle resigned as president of France.

1969 - In Santa Rosa, CA, Charles M. Schulz's Redwood Empire Ice Arena opened.

1977 - Christopher Boyce was convicted of selling U.S. secrets.

1985 - The largest sand castle in the world was completed near St. Petersburg, FL. It was four stories tall.

1988 - In Maui, HI, one flight attendant was killed when the fuselage of a Boeing 737 ripped open in mid-flight.

1989 - Mobil announced that they were divesting from South Africa because congressional restrictions were too costly.

1992 - The U.S. Agriculture Department unveiled a pyramid-shaped recommended-diet chart.

1994 - Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had given U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pled guilty to espionage and tax evasion. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

1996 - U.S. President Clinton gave a 4 1/2 hour videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.

1997 - A worldwide treaty to ban chemical weapons took effect. Russia and other countries such as Iraq and North Korea did not sign.

1999 - The U.S. House of Representatives rejected (on a tie vote of 213-213) a measure expressing support for NATO's five-week-old air campaign in Yugoslavia. The House also voted to limit the president's authority to use ground forces in Yugoslavia.

2000 - Jay Leno received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2001 - A Russian rocket launched from Central Asia with the first space tourist aboard. The crew consisted of California businessman Dennis Tito and two cosmonauts. The destination was the international space station.

2008 - India set a world record when it sent 10 satellites into orbit from a single launch.

Nintendo is bringing its toys back to McDonald's Happy Meals

Nintendo is bringing its toys back to McDonald's Happy Meals

Ever the king of nostalgia, Nintendo is entering a partnership with McDonald's to bring its toys to Happy Meals, following a similar deal from the 1990s.

The deal, which runs in the U.S. from April 26 to May 22, will see eight Nintendo characters included in the meal. The toys include Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser and several others.

Below is a picture from Nintendo and McDonald's showing all eight toys:

A McDonald's website shows how the toys work.

In addition, Nintendo is also partnering with McDonald's for an ongoing contest, which lets McDonald's app users become eligible to win a Nintendo Switch console. 

The partnership comes on back of incredible success Nintendo has had recently, with its new Nintendo Switch console, as well as the retro Nintendo Classic Edition, a miniature version of the popular 1980s gaming system.

In March, Nintendo said it had sold 1.5 million units of the NES Classic. However, it later said it would be discontinuing the console, despite strong demand for it from consumers.

Earlier this month, research firm NPD Group and Nintendo also said more than 906,000 Switch consoles had been sold in North America alone, making it Nintendo's best launch in North America ever.

DNA analysis of human skeletal remains from the 1845 Franklin expedition

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X17301943

A sonar image showing the ill-fated HMS Erebus shipwreck.  (copyright Parks Canada)

Highlights

•

The first genetic study of the remains of members of the 1845 Franklin Expedition.

•

Thirty-nine bone and tooth samples from eight archaeological sites tested.

•

More accurate counts of the number of expedition members who perished at different locations.

•

DNA profiles obtained for 24 members of the expedition.

•

DNA database created for future identification of individuals through comparison with DNA from living descendants.

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Abstract

Since the late nineteenth century, skeletal remains from members of the 1845 John Franklin Northwest Passage expedition have been the subject of osteological, biometric and, in modern times, isotopic analyses. These studies have been conducted to assess ancestry of the remains, evaluate morbidity and mortality on the expedition, and to weigh the relative importance of specific ailments, such as lead poisoning and scurvy, which some investigators have contended were significant factors in the deaths of all 129 men and, ultimately, in the disastrous failure of the expedition. The present study builds on, and adds a new dimension to past research by presenting the results of the first genetic analyses of skeletal remains from members of the expedition who perished following the desertion of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in April 1848. A total of 39 tooth and bone samples were tested: 32 from four Erebus Bay archaeological sites, four from a site near Booth Point on the south coast of King William Island, two from Todd Island, south of Booth Point, and one from a site in Wilmot and Crampton Bay. DNA was successfully extracted and sequenced for 37 of the samples. The results for Erebus Bay increase the minimum number of individuals represented by the skeletal assemblages to 21, and allowed the identification of multiple skeletal elements from six individuals. Spatial distribution of bones sharing common maternal lineages provide insights concerning site formation processes, including the degree of bone dispersion at one site, and the movement of skeletal remains between two sites. DNA results for the Booth Point site sample provide independent confirmation for a previous assessment that the remains are Caucasoid, while those for the Wilmot and Crampton Bay site indicate Inuit ancestry. The results from Todd Island are consistent with 19th century Inuit accounts describing the discovery there of the remains of five members of the Franklin expedition. The Franklin expedition DNA database resulting from this study represents 24 individuals and provides a foundation for future research, including the possible identification of some of the individuals through comparison with modern DNA from living descendants of members of the expedition.

Badgers nearly cut off UK town from the outside world

Some burrowing badgers settled in and made tunnels under the only road leading to a small British town, triggering a large sinkhole and threatening to trap some people inside the village.

For now, any cars or trucks wider than an average cement mixer truck cannot travel along that road to Shingle Street until engineers can install a “micro-bridge,” the East Anglian Daily Times reported.

Still, folks in the seaside village can't kill the badgers, which reportedly are a protected species there. It also means drivers heading over the tunnels would need to tread carefully.

People should be able to drive freely over the new bridge Thursday once it's set up, according to the report.

 Follow

East Anglian DT 

✔@EADT24

Burrowing badgers blamed for sinkhole on road to Suffolk seaside http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/burrowing-badgers-blamed-for-sinkhole-on-road-to-suffolk-seaside-1-4990374 …

12:48 PM - 25 Apr 2017

Burrowing badgers blamed for sinkhole on road to Suffolk seaside

Badgers have been blamed for causing a sinkhole to open up in the only road leading to a seaside Suffolk hamlet.

eadt.co.uk

 
•  22 Retweets
 
•  11 like

Shingle Street is a three-hour drive northeast of London.

Can you spot the snake? A ball of garden snakes were found in a wal-mart parking lot

Though you might think you are mindful of snakes when wandering through wildlife, this photo proves that one can strike at any moment.

Can you spot the snake?

Twitter user @SssnakeySci shared the image, followed by a hint in case you have trouble finding the serpent among the leaves.

The hidden snake, a copperhead, is extremely dangerous.

"Cute but venomous, so no touchy!" she tweeted.

Here's the hidden snake, in case you couldn't find it:

A terrifying ball of reptiles left shoppers at an Arkansas Wal-Mart horrified over the weekend, police say.

"After we got one of our officers who is apparently some sort of snake whisperer, we learned that they are non-venomous garden snakes," Paragould Detective Jack Hailey told KAIT.

Hailey told the station it appears that someone had collected up to 40 of the serpents and dumped them in a pile by a truck on Sunday night.

"They were collecting them for this reason, and I don't think that was the best thing to do at all," he said. "It could cause a panic with people trying to get away."

Thankfully, no one was injured, and according to the incident report, no criminal offenses will be filed. However, if a suspect is caught doing a similar act anytime soon, they could be charged.

Hailey hopes the incident will never happen again.

"If you like to play with snakes, keep them in their natural habitats where they belong. It is not cute. It is going to get somebody hurt," he said.

Haiku Poem

In this three-part lesson, students write and illustrate haiku depicting seasonal images. First they use their observation skills, real-world knowledge, and knowledge of parts of speech to help them create seasonal word charts. They then listen to and read samples of haiku to identify haiku criteria, followed by a writing session where they create haiku that depict seasonal images. Finally, they publish their poetry in one of three methods.  They can mount their haikus on colorful backgrounds that illustrate the images in their poems.  If tablets are available, the Haiku Poem App can be used to publish their poetry.  If computers are available, students can use the Haiku Poem Interactive.

FEATURED RESOURCES

• Haiku Poem App:  Students can use this app to create their haikus and illustrate with images.

• Haiku Poem Interactive:  Students can use this student interactive to create their and illustrate with images.

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Haiku usually depict an image from nature rather than an action and facilitate the reader's reflection on nature. Traditionally, they follow a three line, 5-7-5 syllable format, although that restriction has been altered in recent years.(Cheney, 79) Today, one may find haiku that are only one line, or in which the syllable pattern has been shortened or lengthened. For this lesson, using syllabication is an objective, so adhering to the 5-7-5 pattern is necessary.

This lesson inherently involves restrictions of convention that could hinder some students' creative use of descriptive language. For that reason, it may be best to introduce haiku-writing to students after they have had other experiences in using creative, sensory language in various ways.

I found these examples over at http://blog.customink.com/2011/05/haikus-for-happy-springs/

1.

Cherry blossoms bloom
Rumbly showers from the sky
Peace out, winter gloom!

2.

Bats are swinging ‘round
Bases fully loaded now
Who will win the game?

3.

Where did the snow go?
Who cares, it’s warm weather time!
Start the Spring parties!

4.

Moms forever loved
Always there for everyone
Send your thanks her way

5.

Inkers love the Spring
More BBQs and pot lucks!
We get our grub on

6.

Oh whaaat? Spring is here?
Does that mean it’s t-shirt time?
Get ready for sun!

7.

Hidden eggs around
Kids are on the hunt all day
Easter bunny hop!

8.

Take that break from class
Get to the beach and relax
Moments with friends last

9.

Someone getting hitched?
Plan a night to remember
Make the party last!

10.

Customers love us
and we love our customers!
Best friends forever?

Favorite Poems from Historical Poets

PreinstruBJECTIVES

Selecting Favorite Poems From Historical Poets

Students will identify poets whose poetic voices speak to them and then select one of these poets and a poem to consider more deeply.

Students will:

• Identify poets whose poetic voices speak to them
• Select one of these poets and his or her poem to consider more deeply
• Provide verbal explanation or evidence about why they have chosen this poem and poet to their peers

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VOCABULARY

abreast bailer barnacles bilge crimped descent desecration despair dissipation entrails Epicurus fractured frayed grunting

gunnels hitched homely idolatry infested isinglass mechanism mischief moaning Netzahualcoyotl oarlocks recollection resolution rosettes

savage shambling slumber spar sullen syllables tarnished thwarts trudged venerable verbena vertigo wavering yelping

MATERIALS

Student journals or writing paper

• Pencils
• Whiteboard or chalkboard for class use
• Copies of the six poems for the 2017 Dear Poet project. Each of these poems is available on Poets.org, the site of the Academy of American Poets. You can print them out prior to the lesson or have your students find them on the website.
  • "The Mending Wall" by Robert Frost
  • "Love is Not All" by Edna St. Vincent Millay
  • "Proem" by Octavio Paz
  • "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop
  • "the earth is a living thing" by Lucille Clifton
  • "Once in the 40's" by William Stafford

During Instruction

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LESSON DIRECTIONS

WHOLE CLASS WARM-UP: THE IDEA OF VOICE

Step 1: Ask students to write some quick associations they have with the word "voice" in their journals or on a sheet of paper.

Step 2: Ask students to turn and talk to a neighbor about their associations.

Step 3: Ask students to sit alone in their seats and make a sound, using their own voice and no words, to express how they are feeling at the moment.

Step 4: Have students turn to their neighbors and repeat the sounds they just practiced. While listening, their neighbor should describe the sound in writing in his journal and then tell the "voicer" what he heard. Make sure students start first with the characteristics of the sounds, and then go into their interpretations of what they think the sounds meant, based on what they heard.

Step 5: Repeat the process with the second person being the "voicer" and the first one being the "listener."

Step 6: Conduct a whole group discussion about what a person's voice can tell us without words and how it tells us this.

Step 7: Write the characteristics on the board at the front of the room for all to see.

Step 8: Now ask for volunteers from the whole group to be "voicers," this time using words as well as the characteristics noted earlier to express how they are feeling.

Step 9: Ask other students to describe what they hear this time. How is it different from what they heard without words?

Step 10: Write these comments on the board at the front of the room.

INDIVIDUAL AND SMALL GROUP READING: THE POET'S VOICE

Step 1: Divide the class into heterogeneous groups of three students.

Step 2: Hand out the six poems to each student (or send your students to Poets.org to view the poems):

• "The Mending Wall" by Robert Frost
• "Love is Not All" by Edna St. Vincent Millay
• "Proem" by Octavio Paz
• "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop
• "the earth is a living thing" by Lucille Clifton
• "Once in the 40's" by William Stafford

Step 3: Ask students to refer back to the list of characteristics of voice on the board to refresh their memories before they read the poems.

Step 4: Have students complete a T-chart for each poem as they read it. On one side of the T-chart, students should write what "jumps out at them" in the poem. On the other side, they should write why they think this is important to the poet's voice/poem and if/how it is important to them as a reader.

Note: Ask your students to keep a running list on the front board of the words in the poems they do not understand. See the vocabulary list above for examples from these poems.

Step 5: If they are having difficulties, students can quietly ask the advice of someone in their group.

Step 6: After the students have completed T-charts, ask them to look over the poems and pick the poet's voice to which they most relate or personally respond.

EXPLAINING YOUR CHOICE

Step 1: When your students have completed their reading and T-charts, ask them to share their choices with the rest of their group. Ask students to explain why they relate to this poet's voice by giving examples from the text of the poems.

Step 2: While a student is presenting, those listening should be thinking of constructive comments and questions.

Step 3: Listeners should present their comments and questions to presenters, and presenters should incorporate helpful ideas in their explanations.

Step 4: Each member of a group should have a chance to present his or her explanation and receive comments and questions.

    Note: Make sure your students save notes from this activity, as they will use them when they write letters in the next lesson.