The Success Of High School Musical Explained

If anyone has been anywhere near a television in the ended few years, they have not been able to avoid the phenomenon that is High School Musical. From the time the first movie aired on The Disney Channel, High School Musical has become one of the biggest franchises in Disney history. Anyone who has exceedingly empirical one of these movies should have no problem forbearing why they have been so successful among audiences of all ages.

Of course, it is impossible to talk about High School Musical without mentioning the toe tapping musical numbers. It is impossible to deny that the songs are incredibly catchy, which makes watching the movie fun for both parents and their children. The songs are so popular, in fact, that they have spun off into everything from video games to karaoke and there is even a full stage version available for schools to perform.

These days, it can be incredibly difficult for parents to find a movie that they can enjoy, but that is family friendly for them to watch with their children. High School Musical has led to not one, but three movies that the entire family can enjoy together. Everything is completely appropriate for young viewers, but there are jokes mixed in that will also have the adults giggling.

One of the main reasons that High School Musical has been so successful is the laundry list of young stars that make up the cast. Teen heartthrob Zac Efron was a major audience draw, especially when he was cast besides beautiful young actresses Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. The real life romance between Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens made the entire franchise that much more interesting for all of its young fans.

Some people may not like to admit it, but it is difficult to find someone who does not crack a smile while watching one of the High School Musical movies. They include great sing - along numbers and are entertainment that the entire family can enjoy together. It is safe to say that the public has not heard the last from this extremely popular series of movies.

The Systems of Education in the UK - English and Welsh Year Groups

In the first part of a series of articles looking at the education systems across the UK, the overarching structure of the school year for state funded schools in England and Wales will be considered. The structures and terms for schools beneath the Scottish, Northern Irish and Independent School systems differ also and will be looked at in future articles.

The type and scope of schools through which children pass during their education may vary depending on which part of the UK they wax up in, the individualism of the schools in their locale and their parents bent to fund their education. However, for bite schools receiving state funding in England and Wales, the peculiar schools years, and the requirements for education in each of those years, is set by the UK government and the Welsh Assembly respectively.

The Year Groups

The school year in the England and Wales begins on 1 September and runs up until 31 August and is split into three terms: Autumn ( up to Christmas ), Spring ( Christmas to Easter ) and Summer ( Easter onwards ).

Although children will oftentimes progress through the school years depending on their age ( s ) in between those dates every year, it is possible to both skip years or repeat years if expert is a need; if a child ' s performance is ultra or below the level expected at their current age.

Whilst it is not compulsory attendance for a child, the ( state funded ) school year system begins with the Nursery year for children who are three years old. The system ends with Year 13 ( the 15th year in total ) for children who turn 18 in the relevant timeframe. School attendance is only mandatory from the ages of 5 - 16 and so children are required to enter school at some stage during Reception ( the 2nd year ), if they haven ' t already, whilst, at the other end of the system, they can then choose whether or not to pursue their education in Years 12 - 13 ( Further Education ) once they ' ve turned 16.

The third year of education is termed Year 1 as it is the first full school year in which children are required to attend school having been introduced to it in Reception ( if not Nursery ).

The Key Stages

To provide a framework for teaching and examinations the National Curriculum ( for state funded schools ) in particular uses the following key stages to group these years together:

Foundation Stages:

Foundation 1 - Nursery

Foundation 2 - Reception

Key Stage 1 - Years 1 & 2

Key Stage 2 - Years 3 - 6

Key Stage 3 - Years 7 - 9

Key Stage 4 - Years 10 & 11 ( ending in GCSEs )

Sixth Form / College - Years 12 & 13 ( ending in A Levels or International Baccalaureate )

The Standard School Structure

The first Nursery year nearly always involves the child attending a designated Nursery school but after that the structure can vary. The most common structure for the schools that a child will progress through in the subsequent years is that of:

Infant School - Reception to Year 2 [Foundation Stage 2 & Key Stage 1]

Junior School - Years 3 - 6 [Key Stage 2]

Senior School - Years 7 - 11 [Key Stages 3 & 4]

Sixth Form / College - Years 12 & 13

Many schools, however, combine the functions above so that the structure is simplified into two levels to fit neatly with the idea of primary and secondary education:

Primary School - Infant School & Junior School

Secondary School - Senior School & Sixth Form

Some more traditional schools in the secondary education system still refer to the Years 7 through to 11 in the older notation as Years 1 to 5 ( or First Form to Fifth Form ) with the following Sixth Form ( Years 12 and 13 ) split into the Lower and Upper Sixth.

The Alternative School Structure

A less common alternative structure sees a three tier system straddling primary and secondary education and the curriculum ' s Key Stages with:

First School - Reception to Year 4

Middle School - Years 5 - 8

Upper School - Years 9 - 13

Children can and do switch between schools following these structures according to the opportunities in their locality and it is particularly common, for example, for children to switch to a Secondary School for the rest of their secondary education once they have finished Middle School.

Ultimately, the year groups only provide a framework to determine how and when the National Curriculum and examinations should be implemented. There are therefore many varying types of schools even within the above definitions, from Faith Schools to Academies to Grammar Schools, depending on other factors such as selection criteria and funding.

The Problem With Public School - Putting the Cart Before the Horse

What is the intendment of going to school? Most people would respond with something along the commodities of getting a good education so you can become a bonded suggestive who works and contributes to society. Second crack is nonentity wrong with that result, is it really the main reason to oomph to school? What about learning how to learn, critical thinking, analyzing and forensics ( the art or study of intellection and formal debate )? Our schools do not polestar on these skills! Their limelight is on the end result. Why? Would you constitution a rack kiss goodbye first condominium the foundation? Of course you wouldn ' t! We commonly consult to that as " putting the cart before the horse. " Here are some examples of this problem.

The most bourgeois landing to teaching children to scan today is the " see and say " recipe. This absolutely isn ' t declaiming at all. It is memorizing that a certain platoon of letters arranged in a certain succession is this particular word. The children are not taught that letters buy for sounds, so it would be pointless to cross-examine them to try to sound out a new word. They are expected to guess what a word might be! What frequently happens is the child says nothing because he doesn ' t want to look foolish in front of his friends. After a few seconds of silence the teacher tells him what the word is. What the child actually learns is that, if he waits long enough, someone else will give him the answer. This system was developed because some genius ( I ' m being facetious ) observed that adults read too quickly to be sounding out the words. Obviously, they were reading by whole word recognition. Our genius then waged a campaign to teach every child to read using the whole word method. I guess it was too much to consider that an adult might have already read thousands of books, magazines and newspapers.

Do you suppose he might have seen enough written words to recognize most of them on sight, thus eliminating the need to sound them out? Reading is an aural exercise. Why are our schools not teaching the forty - four sounds of our language first, followed by the letter combinations that make up those sounds, and finally the seventy - two rules that govern reading? A common argument against this method of teaching is that our language has too many words that do not follow the rules. The truth is that the rules apply to approximately 85 % of our words. The average first grade student has a vocabulary of about 20, 000 words. Would you prefer that your child enter second grade being able to read 17, 000 of those words or only the 850 words contained in most first year reading text books? The whole word guessing game simply does not work! We cannot teach results. There is a natural progression from basic skills to experienced practitioner. It is no wonder that so many children have no interest in reading.

Writing is barely even talked about in our schools anymore. The common thinking is that with today ' s technology, it isn ' t important. Our computers can check our spelling and grammar. Wood ewe bee happy two sea you ' re sun right this way? Spell check doesn ' t have a problem with the previous sentence. The fact is writing goes hand in hand with reading. The two subjects should be taught together. The act of writing words that one is learning to read helps reinforce the rules that he is being taught. As for using computers, I am not a big fan. I know that children need to become competent at using them, but I think it is better to first learn how to read and write. A young friend of mine grew up using his computer for everything. His computer skills and his understanding of math are incredible. However, he does not read. Consequently, his working vocabulary and his overall vocabulary are virtually identical, and he struggles with effective communication. When he has to write papers for his college courses, he needs to have someone else proofread them and make suggestions on better ways to express his thoughts and ideas. I find that very sad. Our school system failed him.

Let ' s look at arithmetic. When I was in seventh grade my math class was part of the test group for a new program called Modern Math. The tracking system was still in use at that time, so everyone in the class was an " A " or " B " student. This class was a breeze for us. After two years with remarkable results the experts declared the program was a success. Then, in typical fashion, they put the cart before the horse and started teaching the new math to first graders. The class was easy for my class because we didn ' t have to learn basic arithmetic. We already knew it. Why would you try to teach set theory or different base number systems to a child who barely knows how to count to a hundred. Children must be taught basic arithmetic first, without calculators or computers! Most people will not use advanced math in their careers, but everyone uses basic arithmetic on a daily basis. They should not have to stop and think that 6 x 8 = 48. It should be an automatic response, but it won ' t be if our schools do not cease their current practices.

These are merely the three most basic skills that our public school system is not teaching properly. Without these skills how can our children learn anything more advanced? Where are they going to find the information they need to make intelligent choices. How can they learn to think critically or to analyze data. Will they be able debate the different sides to any given issue? Will they even understand the concept and the consequences of " putting the cart before the horse "?

The Pros and Cons of School Fencing

Able are several variant opinions concerning school fencing and the materials that this item should be constructed of. Plentiful taxpayers endure that school fencing is in drive of their rights over taxpaying common people. Frequent mortals stroke that without the entity of school fencing the children that attend the classes on that campus are sensitive to pedophiles and other people that would harm them. Adept are really good points on both sides of this argument.

School Fencing Pros:

1. School fencing will store a local barrier between the areas the children play different games at. It can establish a field for football, baseball, and hockey. It stops the balls from the sporting activity from inadvertently hitting targets they should not have hit, like cars in the parking lot.

2. School fencing reduces the number of acts of vandalism the property is subjected to each year. It also reduces the number of times that thieves break in and steal computer equipment, and things of this nature.

3. A fenced in enclosure provides additional security for the children that attend the classes and provides peace of mind to the parents of those children.

4. Reduces the cost of the liability insurance coverage the school district is forced to carry.

5. Protects the children from being lost, kidnapped, or exposed to people they are better off not being exposed to.

School Fencing Cons:

1. Taxpayers have a right to public property that they pay taxes on

2. Increases the duties of the maintenance staff

3. Increases the duties of the grounds keeping personnel

4. Takes taxpayer dollars to pay for the materials to build these enclosures

5. If not properly maintained the fencing can become dangerous to the children on campus

The biggest point that the people who are against school fencing make is that they are paying for the property and they should have access to it. The fencing material will not prevent you from going to the property and from going on the property. It will cause you to have to check in with some member of the faculty before you go onto the property.

The best point that the people who are against the fencing make is that the materials to construct this enclosure will cost money. They are absolutely right about that. The trouble is that the enclosure provides security to our communities children. There is no way to place a price tag on the safety of a child.

The best point that the people for these enclosures make is that they provide the security to the children and they help the faculty to keep an eye on these children. This includes keeping the children in one place when they are playing their different types of ball. It also keeps the ball from causing damages to other peoples ' property.

It is a fact that we do pay taxes that provide the funding for the public school buildings and properties. It is also a fact that the world we live in has become more dangerous to our young people. The rest of the decision is strictly up o you.

The Specialized High School Admission Test What Every Student Needs to Know

In delayed October 2012, approximately 25, 000 8th graders, and a substantially smaller character of 9th graders will holding the Specialized High School Admissions Test ( SHSAT ). Their goal is to achievement admittance into one of the 8 NYC Specialized High Schools which work in Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech. The test consists of two parts, a Said Section and a Math Section. For those students who intend to yield this test, I have compiled the following outline:

CONTENT

150 Almanac, 75 statement Verbal; 75 Annals Math

Vocal Section:

5 scrambled paragraphs worth 2 points each for a total of 10 pts.

10 Logical Reasoning questions worth one point each for a total of 10 pts.

30 Saying Comprehension questions - Five passages with 6 questions each - 30 pts.

Note - Itemizing Comprehension is 60 % of the Spoken and 30 % of the exam

Math Section:

50 Math problems - geometry, algebra, talk problems and arithmetic

STRATEGY:

With the exception of scrambled paragraphs, every issue is worth the corresponding amount. Don ' t spend a lot of time on the tough ones. Do the easy questions first. You can always come back to the arduous questions at branch time in either section. You can calm take the test out - of - order. If you are stronger at Math, knock off the math section first, then use the remaining time for the reading.

There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so you should always guess. Never leave a blank bubble in your answer grid!

Buy a review book or download some practice tests online. Read and memorize the instructions. This saves precious time. The instructions are always the same. No need to reread them on test day.

Figure out your strengths and weaknesses and spend 2 / 3rds of your preparation time on those weaknesses. Then as you get closer to the test, go back and spend the bulk of your prep time on your strengths.

Calculators are not allowed. Scratch paper is not allowed. You must write everything in your test booklet. However, you do not have to be a walking dictionary. Vocabulary isn ' t tested. Tough words will be defined.

Math diagrams are not drawn to scale; only focus on the information given.

This is a multiple - choice test. Do not fear the format. For reading comprehension questions, most of the answers are in the passage; you just have to find them.

How to bubble:

Circle your answers in the test booklet; enter your answers five at a time. At the end go back and recheck your bubbles with the circles in the test booklet.

TIMING:

Pace yourself as you attempt practice questions. The following is a recommended guideline. If you are able to do certain questions faster than the recommended time, you will have " borrowed " this time and you can use the extra time to complete the more difficult questions or use the extra time to check your work.

The entire test is two and one - half hours. In my experience most students after substantial practice, finish the test with 15 to 30 minutes to spare. This spare time is valuable; it can get you extra points.

Recommended timing:

Math - allocate 1 minute per question the first time around, even though the test makers allocate 90 seconds.

Spend the 75 minutes on the Verbal Section as follows:

Verbal - Scrambled Paragraphs - 3 minutes per paragraph - 15 minutes total

Logical Reasoning - 1 min. 30 sec per question - 15 minutes total

5 Reading Passages - 3 min. per passage - 15 minutes

30 Reading Questions - 1 min. each - 30 minutes total

CUTOFF SCORES:

Cutoff Scores: The NYC Dept. of Education does not make public the formula used to convert the raw score ( 0 - 100 ) to a scaled score ( 0 - 800 ) Cutoff scores vary each year so it is impossible to determine what scaled score will get a student into a particular school. We do know that in 2010 there were 5, 261 offers made to students for the 8 specialized schools. Each student therefore, has approximately a 1 in 5 chance of admission.

The only thing in the student ' s control is his or her mastery of the material covered by the exam. So study hard and own your effort!