A Ton of Crap (6 page)

PHONICS

Synthetic Phonics
Synthetic phonics involves teaching children unfamiliar words through translating the sounds of each letter and blending them together, or synthesizing. This is used particularly when teaching very young children how to read. Synthetic phonics does not focus on names of letters until the sound of each letter is understood. This is to develop phonic awareness, meaning listeners can differentiate the smallest units of sound in a word.

ZERO

A Number That Means Nothing
Zero precedes the number one, meaning it represents an absence of value. It is an even number; however, it is neither prime nor composite and neither positive nor negative. The use of zero as a number, meaning a symbol representing a value of nothing, was first found in India around the eighth century a.d.

CELLS

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
There are two basic types of cells; prokaryotic and eukaryotic.
Prokaryotic
means “before a nucleus,” and
eukaryotic
means “possessing a true nucleus.” Prokaryotic cells have no nucleus, are usually single-celled organisms, and were the first organisms to live on Earth. Examples of prokaryotic cells are bacteria. On the other hand, eukaryotic cells have a nucleus and organelles, and are the types of cells found in humans, plants, and animals.

SPANISH

Making Spanish Official
Early standard Spanish was the direct result of Alfonso X the Learned, king of Castile and Leon. Though Latin was partly abandoned by the previous king, Alfonso X became the first king to establish Castilian, a form of Spanish spoken in northern and central Spain, as the official language to be used in the churches, courts, official documents, and books, instead of Latin.

XIA DYNASTY

The Political Systems
Yu the Great chose to set up the Xia Dynasty under an abdication system, which meant choosing a leader based on ability. Following his death, his son, Qi, made himself emperor, officially ending the abdication system and creating a hereditary system. Fifteen offspring of Qi succeeded him, forming the first imperial dynasty in China.

PHONICS

Analytical Phonics Analytical phonics
relies on looking at word forms. In particular, analytical phonics looks at word groupings or patterns that are common. For example, if a child knows the words
moat
,
boat
, and
goat
, then they should know the word
coat
even if they have never seen that word before. Analytical phonics looks at two parts: the onset and the rime. The onset is the first consonant part of a word, and the rime is the second part of the word that begins with a vowel.

ZERO

The First Use of Zero
In a.d. 825, Persian scientist Khwarizmi used the zero for the first time as a number in an arithmetic book that combined Greek and Hindu mathematics. Also included in the book was an explanation on how to use zero properly, where Khwarizmi explained it was to be used as a placeholder.

CELLS

Plant Cells
Though structurally similar, there are some major differences between the cells found in plants and those found in animals. Plant cells have very rigid walls made of cellulose and contain chloroplasts. Chloroplasts, which contain chlorophyll, utilize the sun’s light and enable the process of photosynthesis. They are also responsible for the green color found in plants. Plant cells have a larger central vacuole and contain, within their cell walls, linking pores that connect to transmit the information.

SPANISH

Spanish Spreads
When Christopher Columbus, backed by the Spanish Empire, came to the New World in 1492, he opened the door for the Spanish conquest of what is now known as Central America. Four hundred years of colonization of this new land by the Spanish Empire followed, which included bringing over their culture, religion, and language. The Spanish would come to control Central America, much of North America, Mexico, and much of South America.

XIA DYNASTY

Decline of the Xia Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty followed the Xia Dynasty. The last leader of the Xia Dynasty, Jie, was an oppressive and tyrannical emperor who killed many of his people. Eventually, the people of the Xia Dynasty began to revolt and followed the leadership of Shang Tang, chief of the Shang tribe. The successful uprising led to the demise of the Xia Dynasty and the beginning of the Shang Dynasty, which would hold power from 1766 b.c. to 1122 b.c.