5 Books to Watch Out for in August

5 Books to Watch Out for in August There are so many big releases hitting Book Land this month that it was hard to whittle this list down to five.  For your diverse reading pleasure, I tried to hit every genre I could, from fantasy to (kind of) cookbook to graphic novel to essays. Lets hit it! The Magician’s Land, Lev Grossman (Viking August 5th) The Magician’s Land, with its haunting,  foggy-yet-crisp cover, is the third and final installment of  Grossman’s much beloved Magicians trilogy. And Rebecca Schinsky says it’s the best one yet! Trust Rebecca Schinsky! I obvs cant give many details being that its the conclusion of a trilogy BUT  if you like love letters to fantasy, you should start this trilogy now. And read all of it by August 5th.  YOU CAN DO IT. Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay (Harper Perennial August 5th) I know its probably not very scholarly to do this, but I am just gonna go ahead and give this book five stars based on the title alone. FIVE STARS. In reviews for  this book, the word provocative is used approximately a million times. Which, of course, is code for:  Smart woman of color tells shit like it is; people may wring their hands a lot. From  Sweet Valley High  to  Orange is the New Black, Gay examines culture and politics in a way that tells a deeply personal story while also calling on all of us to do better. I am awfully glad she exists. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, Haruki Murakami (Knopf August 12th) Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki  is being heralded as a Murakami tale thats short and straightforward in comparison with his  more recent meandering works.  It should be said that its still 400 pages, though, which I guess you only consider short when youre comparing it to the 946 of 1Q84. Tsukuru Tazaki is a lonely man in his mid-30s who is haunted by a great loss, and his pilgrimage involves  traveling into the past to help heal his present. And, yeah, thats all you really get in terms of description. It also sold over a million copies during its first week of publication in Japan. Holy cheeseballs. My Drunk Kitchen: A Guide to Eating, Drinking, and Going With Your Gut, Hannah Hart (Dey Street Books August 12th) Personally, I miss the old school, actually drunk, tiny NYC kitchen Hannah, as opposed to the new, shiny, always-looks-like-a-movie-star-even-when-shes-trying-to-be-sloppy LA Hannah. YouTuber success problems, amIrite? But, I mean, do I still like her face? Yes. Would I still read her book? Hell yes. Would I read it more for pun-filled talk about life and alcohol than for the recipes? Well duh. Sisters, Raina Telgemeier (Graphix August 26th) Sisters  is the companion to 2010s Eisner Award-winning  Smile,  and if you dont know how big  Smile  was/is, well, then, you probably dont work with children. But trust me that it was/is BIG. Like, changing the face of graphic novels for children big. Like, I am going to write a whole separate post about Raina Telgemeier when August 26th comes closer. Seriously. BIG. Like Smile, Sisters  is autobiographical in nature, this time focusing  on the not-always-chummy bond between a young Raina and her sister Amara, a bond that begins to strengthen with the arrival of a new baby brother and the rumblings of discord between their parents. Told in flashbacks, much of the action takes place during a road trip from San Francisco to Colorado. ROAD TRIP! Sounds like a perfect way to end the summer to me. What other August releases are you looking forward to? ____________________ Expand your literary horizons with New Books!, a weekly newsletter spotlighting  3-5  exciting new releases, hand-picked by our very own  Liberty Hardy.  Sign up now! Sign up to Unusual Suspects to receive news and recommendations for mystery/thriller readers. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Engagement The First of Four Steps in the Problem Solving...

Engagement is considered one of the most important parts of working with a client. Coady and Lehmann (2008) consider engagement the first of four steps in the problem solving model of social work. Engagement can begin as early as the first over the phone contact or referral notification with the client. To become aware of the client’s background (ecology and life circumstances) is crucial part of this stage. It is also important for the social worker to become in tune with their own thoughts and beliefs when coming into contact with this client for the first time. After tuning into the client it is key for any social worker to make a client feel welcomed with a sense of warmth, empathy and respect. Too much empathy and warm, however,†¦show more content†¦For some backgrounds, i.e. – Latinos, a social worker may be seen as an expert and not an equal. The ability to gauge a client’s understanding of authority is an important first step in the client-so cial worker relationship. This professional view of the social worker, as opposed to an equal looking to support and assist, can be traced back to Latino values. Becoming familiar with the client’s values is also of the utmost importance in developing a personal and professional relationship. This includes respecting my ability to make my own decisions, a commitment to my progress and the ability to work patiently through conflicting values and views. In addition, a respect and understanding of my background is of paramount. A client would appreciate is working with someone with a similar outlook on life. This similar outlook may be as simple as sharing a similar opinion on fitness or television. The ability to connect on a superficial way will help me be more open to speaking about deep seeded issues. Connecting to the client is, of course, a main part of the engagement phase. Using an empathic tone as Hepworth, Rooney, Dewberry Rooney et al. ( ) described a client’s ability to connect to the social worker. However, I feel as though occasionally this empathy is phony and unjustified. This is especially true for the first few sessions with a client. Even though the social worker may have time to review case notes and history, I do not feel as though using theShow MoreRelatedArgumentative Essay : Generalist Social Work Practice1192 Words   |  5 PagesGeneralist Social Work Practice Dating back to the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century two women who impacted the field of social work and its beginning were Jane Addams and Mary Richmond. These two ladies pioneered something that later became one of the most influential evidence based practices that has helped to bring social justice and social support to communities, individuals, and groups. The area of social work later developed the generalist practice model toRead MoreCommunity Conceptual Model1282 Words   |  6 PagesCommunity Conceptual Model Community Conceptual Model Conceptual models are effective guides and tools used for nursing practice. They merge concepts and ideas providing a framework for how to think or demonstrate the elaborate connections between concepts, structures, or a system. They categorize existing interrelationships amid concepts into ways that can effectively direct actions and interventions. The objective of this paper is to define and examine the social ecology model and its applicationRead MoreAction Research in Od3530 Words   |  15 PagesACTION RESEARCH ORG. MIRRORING IN OD Action research is a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a community of practice to improve the way they address issues and solve problems. Action research can also be undertaken by larger organizations or institutions, assisted or guided by professional researchers, with the aim of improving their strategies, practices, and knowledge of the environments within which they practiceRead MoreThe Ten Mastery Expectations Of The Social Cognitive Theory3179 Words   |  13 PagesThe Ten Mastery Expectations of the Social Cognitive Theory Chapter 1. Describe and exemplify the process of triadic reciprocal causality. What is the triadic reciprocal causality process? This is a process that contributes to learning through the cause and effect relationship between behaviors, the environment, and the individual in question. This is arguably one of the more important concepts that should be addressed in the classroom. 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Instructors must first understand self-regulation and how it affects the learning process, as well as provide students the necessary tools to achieve self-regulation; however, these authors believe the path to self-regulation begins from the first moment of contact with students. A classroom environment in which students feel comfortable, clearly understand expectations and receiveRead MoreDefeating Pittsburgh s Water Contamination2537 Words   |  11 Pagesto improper waste treatment and disposal practices, many cities today face the problem of relying on heavily contaminated and polluted sources of water. This problem often arises when pollutants and particulates find t heir ways into lakes, underground reservoirs, and other accessible water sources. The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is just one example of how this problem is evolving and may do well to serve as a model for future water management plans. This essay will go over several causes of Pittsburgh’sRead MoreChildhood1618 Words   |  7 Pageslearning goals and educational programmes. Which are:- -Personal, Social and Emotional Development -Communication, Language and Literacy -Creative Development -Physical Development -Problem-solving, Reasoning and Numeracy -Knowledge and Understanding of the World These six areas are equally important; all areas are delivered through planning, child-initiated and adult-led activities. There are four distinct EYFS principles which guide the work of all practitioners. The elements of the principles into practiceRead MoreCase study--- McKinsey Company: Managing Knowledge and Learning2240 Words   |  9 PagesMcKinsey Company was founded in 1926 as the Accounting and Engineering Advisors and it grew rapidly. The case describes the steps taken by McKinsey Company to transform the firm into snowball makers and snowball throwers. 1. 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Customer Service Gap At Hilton - 1259 Words

Hospitality Management is a difficult and competitive market, and any lack in customer service can result in defecting customers or the termination of a relationship between a customer and a service provider. In this paper we will look at Hilton a company that has continually ranked amongst the top ranking hotels and continues to improve. Hilton’s customer service ranks as one of the top hospitality providers in the United States. We will look at the history of how Hilton came to be the name brand it is today and some of their process the used to narrow the customer service gaps such as Hilton Honors, the Hiltons Reservation Customer Care, and RESMAX. We will look at how they look at how Hilton manages the customer expectations through the use of employee training and their decreased the customer service gap through employee retention. We will also look as how Hilton co-partnered with Citibank in order to offer its Hilton Honors member additional benefits in order to keep in line with the customer service that the customers have come to expect. Hilton History Hilton was established nearly 100 years ago in Cisco, Texas (USA) in 1919 by Conrad Hilton and has since continued to grow and remained a leader in the hotel industry. Hilton has expanded its hotel family brand in 1997 by acquiring the Promus Corporation which added the Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites (Hilton, n.d.). Hiltons Brand, now either through direct ownership, or franchises isShow MoreRelatedCase Analysis : Hilton Hhonors Citibank Visa967 Words   |  4 PagesHilton HHonors CitiBank Visa Hilton Honors has co-partnered with CitiBank Visa to continue to add additional rewards and benefits to its HHonors members. 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In addition there are a number of substitute products and services in the hotel industry which takes actions to make differentiation and uniqueness among competitors. Furthermore the bargaining power of the buyers is relatively higher and existence of large customer base and hotels across Gold coast helps to develop partnership business to make profits. Loyalty programs are to be designed to reduce the power of buyers and increase the profit margin of Hotel Hilton. External factors:Read MoreManaging Customer Perceptions of the Business Environment for Competitive Advantage1743 Words   |  7 Pages Managing customer perceptions of the business environment for competitive advantage By: Toni Hilton, PhD Westminster Business School, UK and Warwick Jones, PhD University of the West of England, UK Journal of Customer Behavior, 2010, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 265-281 Article Summary Per Bendapudi and Berry, the environmental influences consumer behavior but does not influence consumers’ trust. 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Chapter 1 The Riddle House Free Essays

The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it â€Å"the Riddle House,† even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there. It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some of its windows boarded, tiles missing from its roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over its face. Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict, and unoccupied. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter 1 The Riddle House or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Little Hangletons all agreed that the old house was â€Å"creepy.† Half a century ago, something strange and horrible had happened there, something that the older inhabitants of the village still liked to discuss when topics for gossip were scarce. The story had been picked over so many times, and had been embroidered in so many places, that nobody was quite sure what the truth was anymore. Every version of the tale, however, started in the same place: Fifty years before, at daybreak on a fine summer’s morning when the Riddle House had still been well kept and impressive, a maid had entered the drawing room to find all three Riddles dead. The maid had run screaming down the hill into the village and roused as many people as she could. â€Å"Lying there with their eyes wide open! Cold as ice! Still in their dinner things!† The police were summoned, and the whole of Little Hangleton had seethed with shocked curiosity and ill-disguised excitement. Nobody wasted their breath pretending to feel very sad about the Riddles, for they had been most unpopular. Elderly Mr. and Mrs. Riddle had been rich, snobbish, and rude, and their grown-up son, Tom, had been, if anything, worse. All the villagers cared about was the identity of their murderer – for plainly, three apparently healthy people did not all drop dead of natural causes on the same night. The Hanged Man, the village pub, did a roaring trade that night; the whole village seemed to have turned out to discuss the murders. They were rewarded for leaving their firesides when the Riddles’ cook arrived dramatically in their midst and announced to the suddenly silent pub that a man called Frank Bryce had just been arrested. â€Å"Frank!† cried several people. â€Å"Never!† Frank Bryce was the Riddles’ gardener. He lived alone in a run-down cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House. Frank had come back from the war with a very stiff leg and a great dislike of crowds and loud noises, and had been working for the Riddles ever since. There was a rush to buy the cook drinks and hear more details. â€Å"Always thought he was odd,† she told the eagerly listening villagers, after her fourth sherry. â€Å"Unfriendly, like. I’m sure if I’ve offered him a cuppa once, I’ve offered it a hundred times. Never wanted to mix, he didn’t.† â€Å"Ah, now,† said a woman at the bar, â€Å"he had a hard war, Frank. He likes the quiet life. That’s no reason to -â€Å" â€Å"Who else had a key to the back door, then?† barked the cook. â€Å"There’s been a spare key hanging in the gardener’s cottage far back as I can remember! Nobody forced the door last night! No broken windows! All Frank had to do was creep up to the big house while we was all sleeping†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The villagers exchanged dark looks. â€Å"I always thought that he had a nasty look about him, right enough,† grunted a man at the bar. â€Å"War turned him funny, if you ask me,† said the landlord. â€Å"Told you I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of Frank, didn’t I, Dot?† said an excited woman in the corner. â€Å"Horrible temper,† said Dot, nodding fervently. â€Å"I remember, when he was a kid†¦Ã¢â‚¬  By the following morning, hardly anyone in Little Hangleton doubted that Frank Bryce had killed the Riddles. But over in the neighboring town of Great Hangleton, in the dark and dingy police station, Frank was stubbornly repeating, again and again, that he was innocent, and that the only person he had seen near the house on the day of the Riddles’ deaths had been a teenage boy, a stranger, dark-haired and pale. Nobody else in the village had seen any such boy, and the police were quite sure Frank had invented him. Then, just when things were looking very serious for Frank, the report on the Riddles’ bodies came back and changed everything. The police had never read an odder report. A team of doctors had examined the bodies and had concluded that none of the Riddles had been poisoned, stabbed, shot, strangles, suffocated, or (as far as they could tell) harmed at all. In fact (the report continued, in a tone of unmistakable bewilderment), the Riddles all appeared to be in perfect health – apart from the fact that they were all dead. The doctors did note (as though determined to find something wrong with the bodies) that each of the Riddles had a look of terror upon his or her face – but as the frustrated police said, whoever heard of three people being frightened to death? As there was no proof that the Riddles had been murdered at all, the police were forced to let Frank go. The Riddles were buried in the Little Hangleton churchyard, and their graves remained objects of curiosity for a while. To everyone’s surprise, and amid a cloud of suspicion, Frank Bryce returned to his cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House. â€Å"As far as I’m concerned, he killed them, and I don’t care what the police say,† said Dot in the Hanged Man. â€Å"And if he had any decency, he’d leave here, knowing as how we knows he did it.† But Frank did not leave. He stayed to tend the garden for the next family who lived in the Riddle House, and then the next – for neither family stayed long. Perhaps it was partly because of Frank that the new owners said there was a nasty feeling about the place, which, in the absence of inhabitants, started to fall into disrepair. The wealthy man who owned the Riddle House these days neither lived there nor put it to any use; they said in the village that he kept it for â€Å"tax reasons,† though nobody was very clear what these might be. The wealthy owner continued to pay Frank to do the gardening, however. Frank was nearing his seventy-seventh birthday now, very deaf, his bad leg stiffer than ever, but could be seen pottering around the flower beds in fine weather, even though the weeds were starting to creep up on him, try as he might to suppress them. Weeds were not the only things Frank had to contend with either. Boys from the village made a habit of throwing stones through the windows of the Riddle House. They rode their bicycles over the lawns Frank worked so hard to keep smooth. Once or twice, they broke into the old house for a dare. They knew that old Frank’s devotion to the house and the grounds amounted almost to an obsession, and it amused them to see him limping across the garden, brandishing his stick and yelling croakily at them. Frank, for his part, believed the boys tormented him because they, like their parents and grandparents, though him a murderer. So when Frank awoke one night in August and saw something very odd up at the old house, he merely assumed that the boys had gone one step further in their attempts to punish him. It was Frank’s bad leg that woke him; it was paining him worse than ever in his old age. He got up and limped downstairs into the kitchen with the idea of refilling his hot-water bottle to ease the stiffness in his knee. Standing at the sink, filling the kettle, he looked up at the Riddle House and saw lights glimmering in its upper windows. Frank knew at once what was going on. The boys had broken into the house again, and judging by the flickering quality of the light, they had started a fire. Frank had no telephone, in any case, he had deeply mistrusted the police ever since they had taken him in for questioning about the Riddles’ deaths. He put down the kettle at once, hurried back upstairs as fast as his bad leg would allow, and was soon back in his kitchen, fully dressed and removing a rusty old key from its hook by the door. He picked up his walking stick, which was propped against the wall, and set off into the night. The front door of the Riddle House bore no sign of being forced, nor did any of the windows. Frank limped around to the back of the house until he reached a door almost completely hidden by ivy, took out the old key, put it into the lock, and opened the door noiselessly. He let himself into the cavernous kitchen. Frank had not entered it for many years; nevertheless, although it was very dark, he remembered where the door into the hall was, and he groped his way towards it, his nostrils full of the smell of decay, ears pricked for any sound of footsteps or voices from overhead. He reached the hall, which was a little lighter owing to the large mullioned windows on either side of the front door, and started to climb the stairs, blessing the dust that lay thick upon the stone, because it muffled the sound of his feet and stick. On the landing, Frank turned right, and saw at once where the intruders were: At the every end of the passage a door stood ajar, and a flickering light shone through the gap, casting a long sliver of gold across the black floor. Frank edged closer and closer, he was able to see a narrow slice of the room beyond. The fire, he now saw, had been lit in the grate. This surprised him. Then he stopped moving and listened intently, for a man’s voice spoke within the room; it sounded timid and fearful. â€Å"There is a little more in the bottle, My Lord, if you are still hungry.† â€Å"Later,† said a second voice. This too belonged to a man – but it was strangely high-pitched, and cold as a sudden blast of icy wind. Something about that voice made the sparse hairs on the back of Frank’s neck stand up. â€Å"Move me closer to the fire, Wormtail.† Frank turned his right ear toward the door, the better to hear. There came the clink of a bottle being put down upon some hard surface, and then the dull scraping noise of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. Frank caught a glimpse of a small man, his back to the door, pushing the chair into place. He was wearing a long black cloak, and there was a bald patch at the back of his head. Then he went out of sight again. â€Å"Where is Nagini?† said the cold voice. â€Å"I – I don’t know, My Lord,† said the first voice nervously. â€Å"She set out to explore the house, I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You will milk her before we retire, Wormtail,† said the second voice. â€Å"I will need feeding in the night. The journey has tired me greatly.† Brow furrowed, Frank inclined his good ear still closer to the door, listening very hard. There was a pause, and then the man called Wormtail spoke again. â€Å"My Lord, may I ask how long we are going to stay here?† â€Å"A week,† said the cold voice. â€Å"Perhaps longer. The place is moderately comfortable, and the plan cannot proceed yet. It would be foolish to act before the Quidditch World Cup is over.† Frank inserted a gnarled finger into his ear and rotated it. Owing, no doubt, to a buildup of earwax, he had heard the word â€Å"Quidditch,† which was not a word at all. â€Å"The – the Quidditch World Cup, My Lord?† said Wormtail. (Frank dug his finger still more vigorously into his ear.) â€Å"Forgive me, but – I do not understand – why should we wait until the World Cup is over?† â€Å"Because, fool, at this very moment wizards are pouring into the country from all over the world, and every meddler from the Ministry of Magic will be on duty, on the watch for signs of unusual activity, checking and double-checking identities. They will be obsessed with security, lest the Muggles notice anything. So we wait.† Frank stopped trying to clear out his ear. He had distinctly heard the words â€Å"Ministry of Magic,† â€Å"wizards,† and â€Å"Muggles.† Plainly, each of these expressions meant something secret, and Frank could think of only two sorts of people who would speak in code: spies and criminals. Frank tightened his hold on his walking stick once more, and listened more closely still. â€Å"Your Lordship is still determined, then?† Wormtail said quietly. â€Å"Certainly I am determined, Wormtail.† There was a note of menace in the cold voice now. A slight pause followed – and the Wormtail spoke, the words tumbling from him in a rush, as though he was forcing himself to say this before he lost his nerve. â€Å"It could be done without Harry Potter, My Lord.† Another pause, more protracted, and then – â€Å"Without Harry Potter?† breathed the second voice softly. â€Å"I see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"My Lord, I do not say this out of concern for the boy!† said Wormtail, his voice rising squeakily. â€Å"The boy is nothing to me, nothing at all! It is merely that if we were to use another witch or wizard – any wizard – the thing could be done so much more quickly! If you allowed me to leave you for a short while – you know that I can disguise myself most effectively – I could be back here in as little as two days with a suitable person -â€Å" â€Å"I could use another wizard,† said the cold voice softly, â€Å"that is true†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"My Lord, it makes sense,† said Wormtail, sounding thoroughly relieved now. â€Å"Laying hands on Harry Potter would be so difficult, he is so well protected -â€Å" â€Å"And so you volunteer to go and fetch me a substitute? I wonder†¦perhaps the task of nursing me has become wearisome for you, Wormtail? Could this suggestion of abandoning the plan be nothing more than an attempt to desert me?† â€Å"My Lord! I – I have no wish to leave you, none at all -â€Å" â€Å"Do not lie to me!† hissed the second voice. â€Å"I can always tell, Wormtail! You are regretting that you ever returned to me. I revolt you. I see you flinch when you look at me, feel you shudder when you touch me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No! My devotion to Your Lordship -â€Å" â€Å"Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice. You would not be here if you had anywhere else to go. How am I to survive without you, when I need feeding every few hours? Who is to milk Nagini?† â€Å"But you seem so much stronger, My Lord -â€Å" â€Å"Liar,† breathed the second voice. â€Å"I am no stronger, and a few days alone would be enough to rob me of the little health I have regained under your clumsy care. Silence!† Wormtail, who had been sputtering incoherently, fell silent at once. For a few seconds, Frank could hear nothing but the fire crackling. The second man spoke once more, in a whisper that was almost a hiss. â€Å"I have my reasons for using the boy, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other. I have waited thirteen years. A few more months will make no difference. As for the protection surrounding the boy, I believe my plan will be effective. All that is needed is a little courage from you, Wormtail – courage you will find, unless you wish to feel the full extent of Lord Voldermort’s wrath -â€Å" â€Å"My Lord, I must speak!† said Wormtail, panic in his voice now. â€Å"All through our journey I have gone over the plan in my head – My Lord, Bertha Jorkin’s disappearance will not go unnoticed for long, and if we proceed, if I murder -â€Å" â€Å"If?† whispered the second voice. â€Å"If? If you follow the plan, Wormtail, the Ministry need never know that anyone else has died. You will do it quietly and without fuss; I only wish that I could do it myself, but in my present condition†¦Come, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my faithful servant will have rejoined us -â€Å" â€Å"I am a faithful servant,† said Wormtail, the merest trace of sullenness in his voice. â€Å"Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfill neither requirement.† â€Å"I found you,† said Wormtail, and there was definitely a sulky edge to his voice now. â€Å"I was the one who found you. I brought you Bertha Jorkins.† â€Å"That is true,† said the second man, sounding amused. â€Å"A stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you, Wormtail – though, if truth be told, you were not aware how useful she would be when you caught her, were you?† â€Å"I – I thought she might be useful, My Lord -â€Å" â€Å"Liar,† said the second voice again, the cruel amusement more pronounced than ever. â€Å"However, I do not deny that her information was invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for that, you will have your reward, Wormtail. I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"R-really, My Lord? What -?† Wormtail sounded terrified again. â€Å"Ah, Wormtail, you don’t want me to spoil the surprise? Your part will come at the very end†¦but I promise you, you will have the honor of being just as useful as Bertha Jorkins.† â€Å"You†¦you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Wormtail’s voice suddenly sounded hoarse, as though his mouth had gone very dry. â€Å"You†¦are going†¦to kill me too?† â€Å"Wormtail, Wormtail,† said the cold voice silkily, â€Å"why would I kill you? I killed Bertha because I had to. She was fit for nothing after my questioning, quite useless. In any case, awkward questions would have been asked if she had gone back to the Ministry with the news that she had met you on her holidays. Wizards who are supposed to be dead would do well not to run into Ministry of Magic witches at wayside inns†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Wormtail muttered something so quietly that Frank could not hear it, but it made the second man laugh – an entirely mirthless laugh, cold as his speech. â€Å"We could have modified her memory? But Memory Charms can be broken by a powerful wizard, as I proved when I questioned her. It would be an insult to her memory not to use the information I extracted from her, Wormtail.† Out in the corridor, Frank suddenly became aware that the hand gripping his walking stick was slippery with sweat. The man with the cold voice had killed a woman. He was talking about it without any kind of remorse – with amusement. He was dangerous – a madman. And he was planning more murders – this boy, Harry Potter, whoever he was – was in danger – Frank knew what he must do. Now, if ever, was the time to go to the police. He would creep out of the house and head straight for the telephone box in the village†¦but the cold voice was speaking again, and Frank remained where he was, frozen to the spot, listening with all his might. â€Å"One more murder†¦my faithful servant at Hogwarts†¦Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail. It is decided. There will be no more argument. But quiet†¦I think I hear Nagini†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And the second man’s voice changed. He started making noises such as Frank had never heard before; he was hissing and spitting without drawing breath. Frank thought he must be having some sort of fit or seizure. And then Frank heard movement behind him in the dark passageway. He turned to look, and found himself paralyzed with fright. Something was slithering toward him along the dark corridor floor, and as it drew nearer to the sliver of firelight, he realized with a thrill of terror that it was a gigantic snake, at least twelve feet long. Horrified, transfixed, Frank stared as its undulating body cut a wide, curving track through the thick dust on the floor, coming closer and closer – What was he to do? The only means of escape was into the room where the two men sat plotting murder, yet if he stayed where he was the snake would surely kill him – But before he had made his decision, the snake was level with him, and then, incredibly, miraculously, it was passing; it was following the spitting, hissing noises made by the cold voice beyond the door, and in seconds, the tip of its diamond-patterned tail had vanished through the gap. There was sweat on Frank’s forehead now, and the hand on the walking stick was trembling. Inside the room, the cold voice was continuing to hiss, and Frank was visited by a strange idea, an impossible idea†¦This man could talk to snakes. Frank didn’t understand what was going on. He wanted more than anything to be back in his bed with his hot-water bottle. The problem was that his legs didn’t seem to want to move. As he stood there shaking and trying to master himself, the cold voice switched abruptly to English again. â€Å"Nagini has interesting news, Wormtail,† it said. â€Å"In-indeed, My Lord?† said Wormtail. â€Å"Indeed, yes,† said the voice, â€Å"According to Nagini, there is an old Muggle standing right outside this room, listening to every word we say.† Frank didn’t have a chance to hide himself. There were footsteps and then the door of the room was flung wide open. A short, balding man with graying hair, a pointed nose, and small, watery eyes stood before Frank, a mixture of fear and alarm in his face. â€Å"Invite him inside, Wormtail. Where are your manners?† The cold voice was coming from the ancient armchair before the fire, but Frank couldn’t see the speaker. the snake, on the other hand, was curled up on the rotting hearth rug, like some horrible travesty of a pet dog. Wormtail beckoned Frank into the room. Though still deeply shaken, Frank took a firmer grip on his walking stick and limped over the threshold. The fire was the only source of light in the room; it cast long, spidery shadows upon the walls. Frank stared at the back of the armchair; the man inside it seemed to be even smaller than his servant, for Frank couldn’t even see the back of his head. â€Å"You heard everything, Muggle?† said the cold voice. â€Å"What’s that you’re calling me?† said Frank defiantly, for now that he was inside the room, now that the time had come for some sort of action, he felt braver; it had always been so in the war. â€Å"I am calling you a Muggle,† said the voice coolly. â€Å"It means that you are not a wizard.† â€Å"I don’t know what you mean by wizard,† said Frank, his voice growing steadier. â€Å"All I know is I’ve heard enough to interest the police tonight, I have. You’ve done murder and you’re planning more! And I’ll tell you this too,† he added, on a sudden inspiration, â€Å"my wife knows I’m up here, and if I don’t come back -â€Å" â€Å"You have no wife,† said the cold voice, very quietly. â€Å"Nobody knows you are here. You told nobody that you were coming. Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, Muggle, for he knows†¦he always knows†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Is that right?† said Frank roughly. â€Å"Lord, is it? Well, I don’t think much of your manners, My Lord. Turn ’round and face me like a man, why don’t you?† â€Å"But I am not a man, Muggle,† said the cold voice, barely audible now over the crackling of the flames. â€Å"I am much, much more than a man. However†¦why not? I will face you†¦Wormtail, come turn my chair around.† The servant gave a whimper. â€Å"You heard me, Wormtail.† Slowly, with his face screwed up, as though he would rather have done anything than approach his master and the hearth rug where the snake lay, the small man walked forward and began to turn the chair. The snake lifted its ugly triangular head and hissed slightly as the legs of the chair snagged on its rug. And then the chair was facing Frank, and he saw what was sitting in it. His walking stick fell to the floor with a clatter. He opened his mouth and let out a scream. He was screaming so loudly that he never heard the words the thing in the chair spoke as it raised a wand. There was a flash of green light, a rushing sound, and Frank Bryce crumpled. He was dead before he hit the floor. Two hundred miles away, the boy called Harry Potter woke with a start. How to cite Chapter 1 The Riddle House, Essay examples

To Kill a Mockingbird

The phrase ‘to kill a mocking bird’ stands out as a metaphor in the book To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus laments that â€Å"Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird† (Lee, 1988, p. 87). Mocking birds symbolizes innocent people like Boo and Radley in the novel. Despite the innocence of the mocking birds, which only sings to people, some evils such as Boo’s abusive father harm them. The likening of the innocence to songbirds comes out clearly, when Boo appears not to contemplate to harm Jem.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on To Kill a Mockingbird specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During the fire, he covers scout with blanket and consequently secures kids from Bob. Such acts depicts Boo’s cleanness of heart which proves not to hypocritical as he puts it into action just like mockingbirds sing out their hearts. The idea of using the metaphor is to inculcate the mora ls in people to see them find out a need to safeguard the venerable species: analogous to songbirds, which are ever prone to damage by children and people at large. The mother adds, â€Å"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird† (Lee, 1988, p.197). The author achieves an imperative moral sense as Atticus makes a decision to consider Tom’s case. On the other hand, Jem aims to protect Roly-poly. Lee uses a number of symbols and motifs to deliver the intended message in the novel. A symbol like mockingbird permits the author to portray abstract ideas vividly. Ideally, mocking bird, as a symbol takes the place of innocence. Thus damaging mocking birds, in contemporary language would be tantamount to destroying innocence. Several characters such as Boo, Jem, Radley, and Tom Robinson among others stand out as mockingbirds, which suffer destruction when they encounter the evil. Mr. Underwood relates Tom Robinson’s shooting to a â€Å"†¦senseless slaughter of song birds† (Lee, 1988, p.237). Further, in the novel, scout attributes attempts to hurt Boo Radley to â€Å"‘shooting’ a mockingbird† (Lee, 1988, p.250). Fragile innocence of children in particular seems endangered by the world of racists who treat it harshly. On the other hand, Lee’s choice of motif allows informing and development of the novels major themes. The motifs employed included: mad dog incident, or the items Boo Radley leaves for the children in the tree. The deployment of motifs serves to provide gothic details in the text. This way, Lee is capable to bring up the spirit of drama in the novel. The incorporation of elements such as the fire, which damaged Miss Maudie’s house, the mad dog shot by Atticus, superstitions of the children concerning Boo Radley among others help to create tension in the narration of th e events surrounding the novel.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Scout learns life lessons on the significance of the moral subscription not to hurt the innocent. The innocent are always vulnerable and have no mechanism to self protect from abuse. Atticus bears a gothic name ‘finch’, which is a typical small harmless bird. By revolving issues around him, Lee is able to explore and create avenues for making recommendations on how right society should live. Atticus finch stands out as morally upright character whose ideologies amounts to heroism making all other characters subscribe to his way of doing things. Upon reading To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader hardly leaves without a different sense of life. Lessons on coexistence of evil and good in the society and the importance of moral education as bridge to emergence of socially upright society are worth noting. Through an entertaining tone, literature is able to educate the society in various indulgencies, which by scaly scrutiny may seem right. ‘To kill a mockingbird’ also serves to solve even the modern world’s prevailing challenges such social inequalities and inhumane acts toward innocent citizens for instance corruption which can be compared to an act of killing a mockingbird. Reference Lee, H. (1988).To Kill a Mockingbird. New York, NY: Popular Library. This essay on To Kill a Mockingbird was written and submitted by user Darwin Rivas to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. To Kill a Mockingbird

Understanding Division Of Labor

Understanding Division Of Labor Division of labor refers to the range of tasks within a social system. This can vary from everyone doing the same thing to each person having a specialized role. It is theorized that humans have divided labor since as far back as our time as hunters and gatherers  when tasks were divided based mainly on age and gender.  Division of labor became an important part of society after the Agricultural Revolution when humans had a food surplus for the first time. When humans werent spending all of their time acquiring food they were allowed to specialize and perform other tasks. During the Industrial Revolution, labor that was once specialized was broken down for the assembly line. However, the assembly line itself can also be seen as a division of labor.   Theories About Division of Labor   Adam Smith, a Scottish social philosopher and economist, theorized that humans practicing division of labor allows humans to be more productive and excel faster. Emile Durkheim, a French scholar in the 1700s, theorized  that specialization was a way for people to compete in larger societies. Criticisms of Gendered Divisions of Labor Historically, labor, whether inside the home or outside of it, was highly gendered. It was thought that tasks were meant for either men or women, and that doing the work of the opposite gender went against nature. Women were thought to be more nurturing and therefore jobs which required  caring for others, like nursing or teaching, were held by women. Men were seen as stronger and given more physically  demanding jobs. This kind of labor divide was oppressive to both men and women in different ways. Men were assumed incapable of tasks like raising children and women had little economic freedom. While lower class women generally always had to have jobs the same as their husbands in order to survive, middle-class and upper-class women were not allowed to work outside the home. It wasnt until WWII that American women were encouraged to work outside the home. When the war ended, women didnt want to leave the workforce. Women liked being independent,  many of them also enjoyed their jobs far more than household chores. Unfortunately for those women who liked working more than chores, even now that its normal for men and women in relationships to both work outside the home, the lion share of household  chores are still performed by women. Men are still viewed by many to be the less capable parent. Men who are interested in jobs like preschool teacher are often viewed with suspicion because of how American society still genders labor. Whether its women being expected to hold down a job and clean the house or men being seen as the less important parent, each is an example of how sexism in the  division of labor hurts everyone.

How to Improve Reading Comprehension 8 Expert Tips

How to Improve Reading Comprehension 8 Expert Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Reading is a skill many people take for granted, but the act ofreading and properly comprehending a textis a complex and interactive process.It requires several different brain functions to worktogether and most often requires one to puzzle through multiplelayers of context and meaning. Because reading comprehension is so complicated, we can often find ourselves understanding the most basic interpretation of a text, but missing the emotional core or the â€Å"big picture.† Or we might just find our brains spinning with no clue at all as to what atext is attempting to convey. But luckily for everyone who struggles in English classes, on standardized tests, or in daily life, reading comprehension can be improved upon (and it’s never too late to start!). In this guide, I explain step-by-step how to improve reading comprehension over time and offer tips for boosting your understandingas you read. What Is Reading Comprehension? Reading comprehension is the understanding of what a particular text means and the ideas the author is attempting to convey, both textual and subtextual.In order to read any text, your brain must process not only the literal words of the piece, but alsotheir relationship with one another, the context behind the words, how subtlelanguage and vocabulary usagecan impact emotion and meaning behind the text, and how the text comes together as a larger, coherent whole. For instance, let's look at the first line from Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Now, a completely literal interpretation of the text, just based on word-meaning, would have us believethat'all rich men wantwives.' But the context, word choice, and phrasing of the text actually belie that interpretation. By using the phrases "universally acknowledged" and "must be in want of" (emphasis ours), the text is conveying a subtle sarcasm to the words. Instead of it being an actual truth that 'rich men want wives,' thisone sentenceinstantlytells us that we're reading about a societypreoccupied withmarriage, while also implyingthat the opening statement is something people in that society may believe, but that isn't necessarily true. In just a few short words, Austen conveys several ideas to the reader about one of the main themes of the story, the setting, and what the culture and peopleare like. And she does so all the while seeming to contradict the literal words of the piece. Without practice in reading comprehension, nuances like these can become lost. Andso it can happen thatsomeonemay find themselves reading, butnot truly comprehending the full meaning of a text. As you can see, reading comprehension involves many processes happening in your brain at once, and thus it can be easy for some aspects of a text to get lost in the muddle.But the good news for anyone who struggles is that reading comprehension is a skill just like any other.It must be learned through practice, focus, and diligence, but it absolutely CAN be learned. Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. Why Reading Comprehension Is Important Proper reading comprehension can be difficult, so why bother? Even though learning how to properly read and comprehend texts is a complicated process, it is a necessary skill to master, both for work andfor pleasure. You will need to know how to read and interpret all kinds of different texts- bothon the basic, literal level and on a more in-depth level- throughout your schooling, in college, and in the working world (as well as in your recreation time!). If we think about "reading" just as a literal or surface understanding of a piece and "reading comprehension" as the completeunderstanding, a personcan only get by in the world on pure "reading" for so long. Readingcomprehensionis essential for many significant aspects of daily life, such as: Reading, understanding, and analyzing literature in your English classes Reading and understanding texts from your other class subjects, such as history, math, or science Doing well on both the written and math sections of the SAT (or all five sections of the ACT) Understanding and engaging with current events presented in written form, such as news reports Properly understanding and responding to any and all other workplace correspondence, such as essays, reports, memos, and analyses Simply taking pleasure in written work on your own leisure time Just like with any goal or skill, we can master reading comprehension one step at a time. How to Improve Reading Comprehension: 3 Steps Because reading comprehension is a skill that improves like any other, you can improve your understanding with practice and a game plan. Dedicate yourself to engaging in a combination of both "guided" and "relaxed" reading practice for at least two to three hours a week.Guided practicewill involvestructure and focused attention, like learning new vocabulary words and testing yourself on them, while relaxed practice will involvemerely letting yourself readand enjoy reading without pressure for at least one to two hours a week. (Note: if you already read for pleasure, add at least one more hour of pleasure-reading per week.) By combining reading-for-studying and reading-for-pleasure, you'll be able to improve your reading skill without relegating reading time to the realm of "work" alone. Reading is a huge part of our daily lives, and improving your comprehension should never come at the cost of depriving yourself ofthe pleasure of the activity. So what are some of the firststeps for improving your reading comprehension level? Step 1: Understand and Reevaluate How You’re Currently Reading Before you can improve your reading comprehension, you must first understand how you’re currently reading and what your limitations are. Start by selecting excerpts from different texts with which you are unfamiliar- text books, essays, novels, news reports, or any kind of text you feel you particularly struggle to understand- and read them as you would normally.As you read, see if you can notice when your attention, energy, or comprehension of the material begins to flag. If your comprehension or concentration tends to lagafter a period of time, start to slowly build up your stamina. For instance, if you continually lose focus at the 20minute mark every time you read, acknowledge this and push yourself to slowly increase that time, rather than trying to sit and concentrate on reading for an hour or two at a stretch. Beginby reading for your maximum amount of focused time (in this case, twenty minutes), then give yourself a break. Next time, try for 22minutes. Once you've mastered that, tryfor 25and see if you can still maintain focus. If you can, then try for thirty. If you find that your concentration or comprehension starts to lag again, take a step back on your timing before pushingyourself for more. Improvement comes with time, and it'll only cause frustration if youtry to rush it all at once. Alternatively, you may findthat your issueswith reading comprehension have less to do with the time spent readingthan with the source material itself. Perhaps you struggle to comprehendthe essential elements of a text, the context of a piece, character arcs or motivation, booksor textbooks with densely packed information, or material that is heavily symbolic. If this is the case, then be sure to follow thetips belowto improve these areas of reading comprehension weakness. Improving your reading comprehension level takes time andpractice, but understanding where your strengths and weaknesses stand now is the first step towards progress. Step 2: Improve Your Vocabulary Reading and comprehension rely ona combination of vocabulary, context, and the interaction of words. So you must be able to understand each moving piece before you can understand the text as a whole. If you struggle to understand specific vocabulary, it's sometimespossibleto pick up meaning through context clues (how the words are used in the sentence or in the passage), but it’s always a good idea to lookup thedefinitions of wordswith which you aren't familiar. As you read, make sure to keep a running list of words you don't readily recognize andmakeyourself a set of flashcards with the words and their definitions.Dedicate fifteen minutes two or threetimes a weektoand quizzing yourself on your vocab flashcards. To get started, you'll need some blank index cards and a system to keep them organized. Thesebasic cardsare an affordable option that arealso available infun colors. You can keep them organized with plastic baggies or rubber bands, or you can get anorganizer. Alternatively, trytheseeasy-flip flashcardsthatinclude binder clips.Though we strongly recommend making your own flashcards, you can also buy pre-made ones - the best option is Barron's00 Words You Need to Know, a series of exercises to master key words andidioms. In order to retainyour vocabulary knowledge, you must practice acombination of practiced memorization (like studying your flashcards) and make a point of usingthese new words in your verbal and written communication.Guided vocabulary practice like this will give you access to new words and their meanings as well asallow you to properlyretain them. Step 3: Read for Pleasure The best way to improve your reading comprehension level isthrough practice. And the best way to practice is to have fun with it! Make reading a fun activity, at least on occasion,rather than a constant chore. This will motivate you to engage with the textand embrace the activity as part of your daily life (rather than just your study/work life). As you practice and truly engage with your reading material,improvement will come naturally. Begin by reading texts that are slightly below your age and grade level (especially if reading is frustrating or difficult for you). This will take pressure off of you and allow you to relax and enjoy the story. Here are some fun, easy reads that we recommend to get you started: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roksani Chokshi Brown Girl Dreamingby Jacqueline Woodson Ghostby Jason Reynolds The Westing Game by Ellen Rankin From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.Frankweilerby E.L. Konigsburg The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson I Am Malala byMalala Yousafzai Harry Potter and the Sorcerer'sStoneby J.K .Rowling Once you feel more comfortable reading and practicing your comprehension strategies (tips in the next section), go ahead and allow yourself to read at whatever reading or age level you feel like. Even if you feel that you don't understand some of the text right now- or even a large portion of it!- if you enjoy yourself and give it your best shot, you'll find that yourreading comprehension levels will improveover time. Ultimately, reading should be a fun and functional activity. So try to keep yourreading exercises balanced betweenwork and pleasure. 5 Reading Comprehension Tips Improvingyour vocabulary and increasing the amount of time you spend reading overall will help you to improve your reading comprehension over time, but what do you do to help you tocomprehenda particular piece of text? Here, I'll walkyou through the steps to take as you're readingso that you can understand the text and improve how you're reading, when you're reading. Tip1: Stop When You Get Confused and Try to Summarize What You Just Read As you read, let yourself stop whenever youlose focus or feel confused. Just stop.Now, without re-reading, summarize aloud or in your head what you've comprehended so far (before the place where you became confused). Skim back through the text and compare how you've summarizedit with what's written on the page. Do you feel you've captured the salient points? Do you feel a little more focused on what's going on now that you've put the material into your own words? Keep readingwith yoursummation in mind and let yourself stop and repeat the process whenever the piece becomes confusing to you. The more you're able to re-contextualizethe work in your own words, the better you'll be able to understand it and lock the information in your mind as you keep reading. Tip 2: If You’re Struggling, Try Reading Aloud Sometimes, we can form a sort of â€Å"mental block† that can halt our reading progress for whatever reason (maybe the sentence looks complex or awkward, maybe you’re tired, maybe you feel intimidated by the word choice, or are simply bored). Reading these problematic passages aloud can often help circumvent that block and help you to form a visual of what the text is trying to convey. Tip 3: Re-read (or Skim) Previous Sections of the Text For the most part, reading is a personal activity that happens entirely in your head. So don’t feel you have to read just like anyone else if "typical" methodsdon’t work for you. Sometimes it can make the most sense to read (or re-read) a text out of order. It is oftenhelpful to glance backwards through a piece of text (or even re-read large sections) to remind yourself of any information you need and have forgotten- what happened previously, what a particular word means, who a person was...the list is endless. Previous sentences, sections, or even whole chapterscan provide helpful context clues. Re-reading these passages willhelp torefresh your memory so that you can better understand and interpretlater sections of the text. Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. Tip 4: Skim or Read Upcoming Sections of the Text Just like with the previous step, don’t feel that the only way to read and understand a text is to work through it completely linearly. Allow yourself the freedom to take apart the text and put it back together again in whichever way makes the most sense to you. Sometimes a current confusion in a work will be explained later on in the text, and it can help you to know that explanations are upcoming or even just to read them ahead of time. So skip forward or backwards, re-read or read ahead as you need to, take the piece in whatever order you need to in order to make sense of the text. Not everyone thinks linearly, and not everyone best understands texts linearly either. Tip 5: Discussthe Text With a Friend (Even an Imaginary Friend) Sometimes discussing what you know so far about a text can helpclear up any confusion. If you have a friend who hasn't read the textin question, then explain it to them in your own words, and discuss where you feel your comprehension is lacking. You'll find that you've probably understood more than you think once you've been forced to explain it to someone who's completely unfamiliar with the piece. Even if no one else is in the room, trying to teach or discusswhat a passage says or meanswith â€Å"someone else†can be extremely beneficial.In fact, software engineers call this technique â€Å"rubber duck debugging,† wherein they explain a codingproblem to a rubber duck. This forcesthem to work through a problem aloud, which has proven time and time again to help people solve problems. So if a piece of text has your headspinningfrom trying to work through it by yourself, start chatting with your nearest friend/pet/rubber duck. You'll be surprised with how much easier it is to understand a text once you've talked it through with someone. Even if that someone is a duck. Quack. The Take-Aways Improving reading comprehension takes time and effort, but it can be done. Be patient with yourself, work through your reading comprehension steps, andtrynot to get frustrated with yourself if you feel your progress is slow or if you feel you’re â€Å"falling behind.†You will utilize your reading skills throughout your life, so go at a pace that works for you, andtake care to maintain thatbalance between reading for pure pleasure andreading for dedicated improvement. As you begin to incorporatemore and more reading into your daily life, you'll find that comprehension will become easier, and reading will become more fun. In every piece of text, there are worlds of meaning to explore, and learning how to uncover them can be the ultimate rewarding journey. What's Next? Can't get enough reading?Whether as part of your reading practice or just for fun, check out our picks for the31 best books to read in high school. Problems with procrastination? Whether you're studying for the SAT's or studying your reading comprehension vocabularycheck out how to beat procrastination and get your studies back on track. Want to earn better grades? Our guide will help you get that 4.0 you're striving for. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Courtney Montgomery About the Author Courtney scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT in high school and went on to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology. She is passionate about bringing education and the tools to succeed to students from all backgrounds and walks of life, as she believes open education is one of the great societal equalizers. She has years of tutoring experience and writes creative works in her free time. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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