Worksheets are valuable teaching aids that benefit students across different grades. Schools and tutoring classes assign worksheets to students at regular intervals, often immediately after a particular concept is taught, such that they get a chance to put their knowledge to test. Attempting a worksheet provides clarity to teachers on whether learners are on-par with the rest of the class and if otherwise, then, provide extra attention to those who are struggling with studies.

Different Kinds of Worksheets

There is no thumb-rule as to the kind of worksheet that works best for students. It really depends on the grade of the child and the complexity of the subject matter. There are worksheets that are available online and Mathseeds is one such platform that allows teachers to print readymade worksheets for the benefit of the class. If you don’t wish to opt for the pre-designed worksheets, you may choose to prepare one yourself on MS Word.

Labelling Worksheets

Surprisingly, a labeling worksheet is multi-faceted, and not only do kids enjoy labeling, but even senior class students find it handy to remember things like; different parts of the heart & the brain, and also labeling different components of a male and female flower. This kind of worksheet is usually used for Science subjects, and even for Geography. For example; identifying major cities in the Middle East on the region’s political map, or labeling the locations of the Seven Wonders of the World on the Atlas, is part of the deal. When children attempt to label objects their visual memory is used optimally and recalling important information becomes easier.

Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ) Worksheet:

MCQ or multiple choice questions are fun and seem more like playing a game of quiz. Worksheets that are dedicated to MCQs can judge the student’s confidence and learning capabilities by throwing tricky options that are tough to tell which one’s right from the other. Sometimes, MCQs are more strenuous than essay-type questions, as the likelihood of guesswork doesn’t apply here and there is only one right answer that can earn you marks. MCQ worksheets are suitable for all subjects be it; Math, Science, Social Studies, and even Language. With the advent of digital teaching aids in K-12 schools across Dubai and other parts of the UAE, MCQ worksheets are designed online and children are asked to finish the test by attempting to answer questions from their tabs or laptops, rather than the pen-and-paper format.

Logic Worksheets:

Brain teasers help stimulate the child’s cognition and make them think differently. Problem-solving techniques are not learned from a textbook, but such activities as brain teasers allow children to think out of the box. The deeper you think, the more profound you become. This method also enhances the concentration capacity of students and they start to become more sincere with time. Parents in GCC regions motivate children to sign-up for after-class sessions where ‘an hour’ is dedicated to teaching children logical reasoning. The worksheets may comprise; crossword puzzles, Sudoku, sequential sorting, word riddles, matching & correspondence, probability, and many other interesting activities.

Motor Skills Worksheets:

When children learn to practice their tripod grip they need lots of patience and concentration. To upskill your little toddlers, introduce them to worksheets that have different line-forming patterns. In the beginning, one can start simple with straight line formation, and as they start getting the hang of it, give them the confidence to form zigzag lines and curvatures. Simple exercises such as these come under the pre-writing phase of learning development. Thereafter, writing letters both capital and small on paper become easier, and transitioning to the red and blue book seems no big a deal!

To conclude the blog, we would like to enforce the importance of Worksheets as a teaching aid to students and highlight the numerous benefits that are derived from them. Worksheets train students to become active learners, reinforce concepts, gain confidence, become more apt with time management skills, and develop active independence.

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Parents often complain of having a tough time coping with their children, as they refuse to study math, always giving excuses to drop math classes. To combat the ‘math phobic’ phenomenon, it is vital to have kids love the subject and develop an interest towards it right from the beginning. So as to say, the foundation should be strong, which is set during the Early Year schooling of children. Children start by learning ordering of numbers, just as they learn to recite A to Z. Counting 1-10 is learnt via the rote learning method and repetition is key.

After being comfortable with identifying numbers, children are introduced to counting. Counting essentially means being able to put a figure to the number of items that are before you. In our daily lives, we count money and calculate the change the shopkeeper owes us. We require math to figure out how much time it will take to finish a job task at hand and thereby count & estimate the number of hours required. Counting comes in handy even in sports matches, where the referee is actively involved in announcing the score, to determine which team is leading the game. These are just a few examples of how counting is so important, and acing it will only do us good.

Different strategies to learn to count:

There are different strategies and stages of counting that were formulated to make it easy for children to grasp the concept. Read further to understand and apply these simple methodologies while teaching your children the correct techniques of counting.

Stable Order

When objects are counted in a fixed or consistent manner, it is referred to as Stable Order Counting. The order in which the objects are counted is important, as it starts from 1, 2, 3, and goes on in the normal way of counting. Here each object is assigned a number on a one-to-one-correspondence basis. For example; place 5 apples on the table and give children a set of number cards that they will place under each apple starting from left to right or top to bottom depending on whether the apples are positioned horizontally or vertically. This is the most commonly taught method to students in Schools across Dubai in their early years and children as young as 3 years of age should be able to understand and apply stable order counting techniques. Preschools in UAE and across the world use different teaching aids such as; colorful objects (cups, pom-poms, different fruit replicas, etc.) to make stable order counting easy to follow and implement.

Cardinality

Cardinal counting or numbering is a simple process by which the child assigns cardinal numbers to a set or group of objects. By doing so, we can determine the quantity or amount of items that are present in the set. When questioning the student ask the following; ‘can you tell me how many articles are there in this sample collection? By cardinal counting, we can know and compare the number of objects in each set. This method is even used by economists and mathematicians to analyze things like; the population of one region than in the other, the batch of shoes in one box as compared to the other, and so on.

Conservation Counting

Let us dive into an example to explain the concept of conservation counting more meaningfully. Just close your eyes and imagine there are 5 ping pong balls kept in front of you, now move the balls slightly away from each other or change the pattern in which the balls are placed. Does that affect the count of the balls that were originally given to you? The answer is No! This can teach our children that the size of the object does not mean that the count is more. When there are 3 real cars and 3 toy cars kept before you, it does not mean the 3 real cars are more in number than the toy cars, just because they are big. It is just larger than the other, but the count remains the same. Mathseeds is a prominent Math digital platform that encourages children to grasp basic math concepts in a fun & engaging manner. Suited for kindergarten and primary school-going lads of ages 3 years to 9 years, Mathseeds has earned a reputation in GCC regions of the Middle East. We urge you to try out their one-to-one lessons and motivational modules, to believe it for yourself.

Unitizing

To make the process of counting faster, for large quantities of units, unitizing comes in handy. If you were working in a candy factory that produces lakhs of sweets per day, how is it possible to count each unit? In order to do so, the units are grouped equally having the same count. You may want to create groups of 10’s, 20’s or 40’s and use the skip-counting method to create the packages.

Having a strong hold on counting can go a long way in understanding more important math concepts that will be taught in higher grades like; multiplication, addition, fractions, place value, and so on. Once your kid starts doing well with counting, celebrate the milestone and reward him for all his achievements.

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Languages can be one’s best friend when the techniques of learning it are taught in the right and fun manner since childhood. Having strong communication skills, half the battle is won and any given task can be achieved. When a child learns English or any other foreign language or even a local language of Dubai or the Middle East, the key to master it, would be to have control over the words that make up the grammar and the meaning and eventually which forms the sentences to be able to write and speak. Bringing several letters together and the formation of words is the main crux of a language and for that it is very important that the spellings of these words are accurate. When children are made to learn in an enjoyable way, they will never forget the spelling of a word however tricky it may be. There are creative methods to teach kids how to spell words. We have listed few below.

Break Down Words

The simplest way to learn spellings would be to break down the main word into two or more parts or syllables. The broken-down parts of the word separately may or may not make any sense in meaning on their own but when the syllables are joined bit by bit, sounded and pronounced together, that is when the entire spelling comes together with the formation of the whole word. It gets easier for kids to remember syllables rather than memorizing a whole word at once. The next time they may forget what was probably mugged up but, the different syllables which are broken down, they will always find ways to connect them and remember their words and never make a spelling mistake.

Jot down tricky words

Usually it is always said, first start with the difficult task and then progress to the easy one. When your child is reading any text, you may often come across certain words that you know they find it tricky to spell and pronounce. They always get stuck with that particular word or similar kind of tough words. The best thing to do would be to jot down those list of words, constructively work on them to learn them and the next time the kids find those words in their text they will read them like a pro, the spelling will be remembered and the pronunciation will too come together correctly. They can jot or note it down in their books, on colourful pieces of paper, on a slate or on their palms. The association of these elements with the written down words will help children to memorize spellings easily.

Pictures Speak a Thousand Words

We have easily heard this phrase and it is indeed a well-known factor that pictures have lasting impressions on one’s mind. To help kids memorize spellings and remember the word, it would be apt to associate certain words with their relevant picture. While reading the text, they may forget the word initially, and would take some time to remember the spelling but while learning, if that same word was connected with a prominent picture, they would easily recollect the word associated with that image and not forget the spelling too. Using pictures, flip cards can also be made. The kids can be made to play a guessing game. Just the first letter of the word could be revealed with the picture and the child has to guess the full correct word present behind the picture of the flip card.

Play Games

Learning is always fun when combined with play. Much as outdoor games are crucial for physical activity, indoor board games prove to be a great stimulator for the minds of the children. Scrabble and Boggle are amazing word games to play with them from a very small age to help increase their vocabulary and polish their spellings at the same time. Apart from board games, parents and teachers can also make the children play word search. They may give them a grid of letters and ask them to search for words hidden in the grid. In that manner, they are going to learn the spellings of the words and remember those better next time. You can also give them newspapers or magazines and have a time-based activity to find certain words inside the text. This way they will again learn words and memorize spellings creatively.

Use of Audio-Video

You have played around with just text, pictures, and board games with your children. Another way to help them memorize their spellings is through videos since it has sound and visuals. You can make videos of your children learning spellings with those same picture cards and textbooks, reciting the spelling of the words loudly. They have to call each word out or mainly the difficult words and you will record it. They will watch their own videos shot by you and will never forget the spellings of words learnt through this activity. Even if you have poems in video format, play them on the screen, the words and sentences of the poem running on the screen like a ticker along with the song playing together, kids retain such learning for a long time and spelling words will never be a worry.

“Reading Eggs” is an online reading programme for kids aged two to 13. Their team consists of highly experienced educators, animators, and web developers. The programme has been used by over 20 million children in 169 countries including the UAE and the GCC region. Their mission is to create better ways for children to learn. The online games and activities motivate children to keep exploring and learning. It is self-paced and highly engaging. By incorporating “Reading Eggs” into your child’s daily routine, you will be helping to prepare them for the same structured learning they will need to succeed and feel confident at school.

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Mobile Apps are evolving by the day and becoming more sophisticated and user-friendly. There is an App for almost everything that we do like; gaming apps, educational apps, smart home apps, social media apps, banking apps, shopping apps, news apps, and many more. Every business wants to move ahead with time and therefore building an app is a part of their marketing strategy. Through this Blog, let us get you acquainted with some interesting app-related trivia that you wouldn’t have heard of.

What is a Mobile App?

An app is the brand’s individual identity to reach out and stay connected with its customers. Smartphone apps are coded by software developers and are suitable for devices that are handy and pocket-friendly; such as; mobiles and tablets. iOS and Android users are entitled to download apps through The Apple Store (iOS devices) and Google Play (Android devices) onto their phones and tabs. Some apps are free, while others have a subscription plan to pay for. There are different categories of apps based on technology.

Native apps

These are designed for a particular mobile platform like iOS or Android and need to be downloaded from the respective stores. Examples of native apps are; Spotify, WhatsApp, SoundCloud, Facebook, and Wix.

Web-Based apps

These don’t need to be specially installed on mobile devices. Simply use the URL through the mobile or tablet and browse through the content. Most websites have a mobile version that is specially designed and coded to ease the viewing access of visitors. Web-based apps can be accessed via the browser itself. Customers can browse through numerous pages of the website and even fill out forms via their phones, just as they would do from their laptops/desktops. Examples of web apps are Netflix, Google Docs, and Microsoft Office, among others.

Hybrid apps

As the name suggests, a combination of web and native apps manifests the Hybrid type. This system follows a mid-way approach by sharing a few properties of both types of apps. It is essentially a web app but gives the users some features that native apps comply with. For example; you can access push notifications, use the calendar function, and link the device camera. Examples of hybrid apps are; Amazon app, Instagram, Twitter, Uber, Gmail, and other similar ones.

Spending More Time on Apps

According to a recent article, users spend about 4 to 5 hours per day on mobile apps and are even getting addicted to gaming and entertainment apps. In comparison to that, on websites, the audiences may spend only about 45 seconds, before switching off the window. People in the UAE are hooked to smartphones rather than desktops and computers. Even some modern schools in Dubai allow children to access Tablets to undertake assignments and engage in interactive content with the help of smart EdTech tools such as apps and whiteboards.

Mobile Shopping is the Future

Especially if you are in the retail space, it is beneficial to have an app such that consumers feel more comfortable shopping via the app. Post the pandemic phase, online shopping has picked up pace and now it’s become a habit. According to a survey, 64.5% of shoppers felt safer using apps rather than indulging in in-store shopping. And why not? When food, clothes, jewelry, and home essentials are delivered to your doorstep at the click of a button, it is just so convenient. The millennial population in the Middle East wants to stay up-to-date with the latest fashion trends and as soon as they hear the launch of a ‘new collection’ they start to add items to their app’s shopping cart and buy them before their friends do.

InApp Advertising

You must have noticed advertisements popping up while you are busy navigating through your apps. Little do you know, that in-app advertising is the largest source of income generation! In 2022 alone businesses were able to reach 81.3 $ billion worth of revenue, just by promoting their brands via in-app advertising. App ads are cheaper than shooting a full-blown commercial and the chances of conversion rate are higher because the Ads are linked to a landing page from where your customers can make an immediate purchase.

New Apps being released

Coding has become very common and everyone who has a passion for the tech space is entering the domain of app development and making good money. Plenty of self-study and DIY tutorials on app making are available online and even kids as young as 10 years of age participate in competitions and display their innovative apps. The Google Play Store has more than 5 million apps and several new ones are added daily. In conclusion, the app revolution is here to stay and evolve extensively. Schools in GCC are going ‘all out’ to include coding in the student’s curriculum, such that they are ready to face the outside world and be on par with the latest technologies. Robotify is used by tutors to teach kids computer science and coding by adopting Python and Blockly. The module allows learners to code virtual robots by building interactive APIs and even testing bugs to resolve errors. Who knows one day our little genius children will make it big in life by introducing life-changing apps.

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Probability in simple words means possibility. The mathematical definition is that Probability is a measure of the likelihood of an event to occur. It can be expressed with a value from zero to one where zero indicates an impossibility to occur and one means the event has a very high chance of occurring. This is useful in probability distribution, where you will also need to know the total number of possible outcomes. Probability is not to be confused with the actual occurrence of the event. You can only predict the chances of the occurrence. It is a topic that is widely covered in the tenth grade in all schools in the UAE.

Probability Formula:

The possibility of an event happening is equal to the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes and the total number of outcomes. Also written as 

Probability of event to happen P(E) = Number of favorable outcomes/Total Number of outcomes

What are Equally Likely Events?

Equally likely events are those that have the same theoretical chances of happening within a sample space. For example, if you throw a die, then the probability of any of the numbers falling is 1/6 as all numbers have an equal chance. Complementary Events are those that have only two possible outcomes of either occurring or not. For example, it would either rain or not rain today. There can be no other possibility for this.

Types of Probability

Let us briefly discuss the 4 types of Probability commonly taught in the schools of Dubai.

• Theoretical Probability is largely based on the logical sequence of events. It is founded on the possible chances of something happening. For example, if you toss a coin into the air, given that the coin has only 2 sides, the probability of either face will be 50:50.
• Experimental Probability is solely based on the observations of the experiment that is being conducted. It can depend upon the possible outcomes of the total number of trials conducted. For example, if a coin is tossed into the air 10 times, then all 10 results will be taken into consideration before determining the probability.
• Axiomatic Probability is derived from a set of rules called Kolmogorov’s three axioms. With this approach, the probability of the events can be quantified. Conditional Probability is the possibility of an event occurring based on an earlier event or conclusion.

Probability Theory

J. Cardan, an Italian mathematician and physician first introduced the concept of probability through The Book on Games of Chance in the 16th century. The Probability Theory deals with the likelihood of the occurrence of certain events.

Although probability can be interpreted in many ways, it is best represented through a set of axioms or hypotheses that allow us to measure it between the values of zero and one. These are probability measures that help you to understand the possible results of the sample.

Probability Density Function

The Probability Density Function (PDF) is a probability function that represents the density of a continuous random variable within a specific range of values. It helps to explain the normal distribution and the existence of mean and deviation. The standard normal distribution is commonly used in science to create a database or statistics for real-valued variables whose distribution is not known.

Applications of Probability

Probability is something we intentionally or even unintentionally use in everyday life. From playing the lottery to a game of cards, throwing the dice, or selecting fruit from the bazaar, it is all linked to probability or even what we generally refer to as chance or luck. But it is actually a very simple mathematical event. Probability also has a wide variety of applications in other spheres of life such as predicting the weather, commercial and industrial risk assessment, and within the share market to predict rising or falling stock. It even extends to the sports sector where the probability of a team winning or losing is determined by its players and their strengths and weaknesses.

Mathletics is a highly regarded online math’s platform in the GCC countries. It is an extremely useful tool for students, teachers, and parents alike as it uses engaging and gamified learning content. It provides benchmarked assessments and curriculum-aligned activities appropriate for each grade. Those using it in the Middle East will find extensive coverage of the Probability topic which uses Mathletics data and has targeted task assessments. Mathletics is a 3P learning product that saves you hours of work with its comprehensive library of ebooks, activities, and preparation capabilities.

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Some wise person said that ‘the more you use creativity, the more you have it.’ This means you can never be out of stock with creativity and as humans, all of us have different expressions of artistry within us. Adobe Photoshop has been in use for decades and never got out of fashion. Photoshop in 2023 is still the ‘go-to’ tool for Graphic Designers and digital creators. Let us see how Adobe is adding a dash of color, some positivity, and a whole lot of meaning to our lives today.

Editing Images

As the name suggests ‘Photoshop’ has the word ‘Photo’ in it and thus we can safely assume that it can be used for editing images. Not all of us understand the nitty-gritty of capturing the best shot in a frame. What then can we do once the scene is over and the next destination has arrived? Well, Photoshop comes to our rescue. We can beautify the Photos with the help of this magical tool and even crop unwanted backgrounds. Add some finishing touches to your picture by using the light correction feature or change the background entirely, with your knowledge of Photoshop. If you wish to add a different layer to the picture, it is possible to do so and adjust the opacity of it, to enhance the aesthetic appeal.

Website Designing

Website designers depend heavily on Photoshop to get the layout or design elements of the website pages ready before the content and coding bit are integrated. In order to make a difference and ‘stand out’ in the market, the brand’s most important ‘digital asset’ its website, must look smart, be eye-catching, and convey the message to the audience without them getting bored. Using Photoshop, the designer can design buttons, add elements, choose vibrant colors, and add relevant backgrounds, to web pages.

Marketing Material

Promotional marketing materials are the most important give-outs at exhibitions that audiences carry home with them. If you visited the grand Dubai Expo 2020, you would witness various branding strategies and marketing collaterals used by companies to attract visitors to their booths to boost sales. Brochures, flyers, standees, coffee-table booklets, magazines, product catalogs, and business cards, are only a few printed materials that are curated by designers to promote their organization’s services/products. Behind every pretty-looking marketing flyer is the hard work of a Graphic Designer. Even the stall branding that we see on vinyl booths is first designed in Photoshop and digitally printed to decorate the stalls. Several versions of the artwork must have been produced until the final masterpiece got approved by the management. Thanks to Photoshop, all behind-the-scene ideas can finally fructify.

Social Media Campaigns

Social media is the current obsession and if you’re not moving with the trend, consider your company to be obsolete and incompetent. There is so much competition in the market and no matter whether you’re a start-up or an established firm in the Middle East (UAE) since 1990, you are required to make an impact on social media and let your presence be felt. Social Media campaigns are paid and also organic, with the motive to showcase ‘out-of-the-box’ proposals for launching a new product, sales promotions, or announcing festive discounts. Facebook & Instagram posts and stories carry the most important visual branding instruments and this tiny 1:1 box should be designed meticulously to grab eyeballs and followers alike. Photoshop is the appropriate software to conceptualize and execute media (posts and videos) to roll out various SoMe campaigns.

As mentioned above, Photoshop is still the ‘king’ of software for designers and illustrators, though numerous other online and offline design-based platforms have been launched in the market. Photoshop is simply versatile and offers great flexibility to enhance your design language and can be used across marketing agencies, by freelancers, animation experts, and even interior designers.

Gen-Z students from K-12 schools in GCC regions and other parts of the world, are expected to learn the basics of Photoshop and are even graded for their design projects. TechnoKids is an excellent project-based platform that offers technology projects to kids in Grades 1 to 12. Through fun lesson plans, children get to learn Photoshop by illustrating stories on the TechnoPhotoshop module. At the end of the session, students are rewarded with a Certificate to testify Photoshop skills, which can be added to their future job application resumes.

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