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Corporate Communication (Business 210)

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The introduction of Business Communication for Success, the textbook used throughout this course, notes that Ň[E]ffective communication takes preparation, practice, and persistence. There are many ways to learn communication skills; the school of experience, or Ôhard knocks,Ő is one of them. But in the business environment, a ÔknockŐ (or lesson learned) may come at the expense of your credibility through a blown presentation to a client.Ó Effective communication skills are a prerequisite for succeeding in business. Communication tools and activities connect people within and beyond the organization in order to establish the businessŐs place in the corporate community and the social community, and as a result, that communication needs to be consistent, effective, and customized for the business to prosper. Business Communication for Success provides theories and practical information that represent the heart of this course, while additional resources are included to expand or pose alternatives to the approaches chosen in the textbook. You will receive maximum benefits from this course if you complete the readings first and then use the additional resources to fill in the blanks and/or reconsider the topics in the textbook.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Full Course, Homework/Assignment, Reading, Syllabus

The Day Jimmy's Boa Taught Cause and Effect

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This lesson introduces the concept of cause and effect with Trinka Hakes Noble's books about Jimmy and his boa constrictor. Each lesson begins with the teacher reading a new story about Jimmy and his boa and the chaos they bring to each place they visit. Class discussions about each event and its cause are followed by tasks for the students to help illustrate understanding of the concept. Students create cause-and-effect pictures, puzzles, and flow charts as they explore the genre. As a culminating activity, students write their own book with causes and effects, which are assessed with a rubric.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Author: Vanessa Udry

ELM Interactives for Grades K-8

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Welcome to our website full of fun online activities! ELM Interactives for Grades K-8 is designed to help young students develop and practice computer, online literacy and research skills. ELM Interactives for Students is a collection of instructional activities on the Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM) databases created by librarians in the Reference Outreach and Instruction unit of Minitex utilizing the Student Interactives hosted on the ReadWriteThink site and provided by the International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, and the Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity. Each set of ELM instructional activities and Student Interactives are organized by activity and grade level and intended to be teacher initiated and guided. However, any of the activities can be modified to fit any grade, student, or assignment. The Student Interactives highlighted on this website require Flash and are best used on a desktop or laptop computer. These instructional activities can be viewed and used on-demand, whenever they're needed.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Homework/Assignment, Interactive, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Jennifer Hootman, Minitex Reference Outreach & Instruction

Depth Perception

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In this easy demonstration (3rd on the page), learners explore depth perception by conducting a test with two pencils. Learners hold the ends of two pencils, one in each hand at arm's-length from their body. With one eye closed, they try to touch the points of the pencils together. They will discover this task is much easier to complete with two eyes open. This experiment can also be done with fingers, but pencils make the effect a bit more dramatic.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game, Simulation

Authors: Eric H. Chudler, Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D., University of Washington

Find Your Pack

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This activity introduces learners to wolf behavior and communication. Learners explore how wolves communicate with each other by using their sense of smell to identify members of their "pack." Activity also includes suggestions for connecting this activity to a discussion of how habitat loss can affect wolf populations.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Simulation

Authors: Best Buy Children's Foundation, Eduweb, Minnesota Zoo, National Science Foundation, The ADC Foundation, The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

Design a Park

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In this activity, learners are invited to imagine the park of their dreams! In small groups, learners place moveable pieces on a grid, iterating on their plan together to create a plan for a community park. A variety of park features are offered as choices to include on the map, including a playground, skate park, water features, picnic areas, trails, and more. Like real-world projects, the plan is limited by the realities of space and funds. For younger learners, groups are limited to choosing less than 10 features. Learners ages 9 and up are limited not by the number of features, but by their cost in terms of points: They are challenged to keep track of the points on the park features cards and use less than 250 total points. Some park features, including a natural wetland and ice cream shop, promise to provide revenue back to the community and are worth points. Others, like a skate park or swimming pool, "cost" points. This activity is part of a curriculum designed to engage learners in hands-on engineering challenges.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Simulation

Authors: Lunar and Planetary Institute, NSF, STAR Library Education Network