SchoolStuff

For every challenge a new teacher faces, there are many possibilities for managing a new teacher's time both in and out of the classroom. I am a great fan of checklists. They make my life so much easier and manageable. Having a working checklist is just so important if you're a new teacher trying to establish a positive relationship with your students or a seasoned teacher trying to teach fresh content. A working checklist really helps keep you on track to achieve what you really want in your teaching career. Teachers make many decisions both in and out of the classroom and a working checklist can help you become less frazzled and more focused on developing meaningful goals that are crucial for...

Effective Communicative Methods The goal of the communicative approach is to have the student communicatively competent which means using the language to communicate, which is the most effective way to learn a language. Here are four major principles of communicative methodology for lesson planning. Effective Communicative Techniques Know what you are doing. The starting and end point of every lesson should be an operation of some kind which the student might actually want to perform in the foreign language. of course, this communicative trigger for eliciting students' responses should be tailored and adapted to meet the students' skills and abilities. Example of a communicative activity: Asking...

New teachers often have to respond fast if they want to prevent discipline problems from taking over the flow of their lessons. For new teacher, this need to be on the lookout is also threatening to their authority as new teachers. One important tactic you can adopt to create more consistent flow of lessons (discipline free) is to catch the issues before they become discipline problems. Often this phenomenon happens as teachers are preparing the students for a new classroom activity. This often means that students might not respond as favorably as teachers would like them to as a class. But as you've already noticed, there are a great many things that need to be done before students can complete a...

All new teachers will have an easier time lesson planning if they use a Thinking in Threes strategy system to teach more strategically. A strategic lesson is like a good story: it has a beginning, a middle and an end. Any content can be presented strategically. In fact, it should be taught strategically in order to connect what your students already know about a subject with the new knowledge or skills you want them to learn. Brainstorming is a great way to start a lesson because it emphasizes prior student knowledge. It also gives everyone a chance to participate: the quieter ones are listening to the more verbal ones while the teacher writes all their responses on the board. All too often teachers...

Lesson planning with TEFL warmers: essential for effective teaching. Part I To ensure effective learning for a language class, the challenge is to secure the students' attention, and prepare their minds so that you have got a few vacant neurones to program linguistically. To achieve this, here are the main elements to include in a good warmer activity to start the class, and why they are important. 1. An easy to succeed activity. Always start the class with students doing something which they can succeed in. This makes them feel optimistic about their abilities, and sets a positive outlook to their frame of mind. What could be worse than being asked to do something at the beginning of the class...

In a previous article we talked about the importance of including a warmer in TEFL lesson planning and outlined the most important aspects to be included. Here is a summary of what we said the warmer should include: 1. An easy-to-succeed activity. 2. Include continuity from the last class. 3. Physical activity. 4. Physical contact. 5. Co-operation between students. 6. Break the usual classroom layout. 7. There should be an aim to the task. 8. Link into the next part of the lesson. 9. A 5 to 10 minute activity. But how can we put these things into practise? To illustrate how, we will go through an example warmer - a classic called 'Grab' - and each time one of the elements above is satisfied, it...

Why Use Video? Most educators know video content is a highly effective teaching tool because it is so engaging for students raised in today's video age. Research shows that humans, especially children, process visual information 600,000 times faster than text and that visual aids have, in some cases, improved learning as much as 400%. Using video, a teacher can develop a lesson plan that: - Provides a common experience for all students - Generates interest and stimulate imagination - Offers a different perspective or another approach to a topic - Connects students with far away times and places - Demonstrates abstract ideas - Stimulates the development of critical thinking skills - Enhances self...

When I first started the weekly lesson planning, I thought I needed to write everything from scratch from objectives, lesson goals and activities. The coursebook or textbook serves as a syllabus in addition to providing texts and learning tasks which were most likely written for the level you are teaching. This of course is a great time consuming tool especially for the new teacher who otherwise, might have to prepare all the necessary materials. There may be topics which are not necessarily relevant or motivating for your students.You might consider adopting or preparing from scratch additional materials as the need arises with your classes. It is also very easy to be teacher dependent on using the...

Many forms of media can be used in math lesson plans placing the medium in the role of both instructor and as a tool used by the "live" instructor. This article touches on only a few but may give you some ideas for similar ways to do this in your classroom. One educator who developed and employed multimedia into math lessons found that:o mathematical vocabulary of the students increased (and they made a more conscious effort to USE the correct terminology)o students asked more questionso response quality improved Math Lesson Plans - Medium as Instructor Medium: Computer When teaching concepts or skills, the computer serves best in the role of tutor. There are many programs commercially available...

You've thoughtfully planned your lesson down to your classroom management steps and how you will respond to a difficult student. But you are still feeling shaky. What will happen if you don't succeed. Every new teacher needs a pep talk once in a while to help build confidence. Having a supportive mentor is important, but the real work begins with yourself, which happens even before you step foot in the classroom. What would your lessons be like if you were CERTAIN of your ability to teach? How would you engage your students if you always believed in yourself and your belief your lesson will succeed? Just for today, carefully consider what you need to do today in order to reach your goals. Then take...

Every fall parents and kids face the challenge of purchasing their school supplies. The list seems to grow every year and the items get more and more expensive. As children grow from grade to grade, the lists also get longer and more complicated because they are learning more complex lessons. There are a few key ingredients to a successful back to school shopping trip and if you plan ahead and prepare for your shopping experience, you will find the experience to be less stressful and maybe even fun. Kids may resist heading back to school after a fun-filled summer, but they will look forward to shopping with mom or dad in preparation for the new school year. Begin by gathering your list of needed...

Clearly the classroom is the place where the future begins to unfold. What better place than schools to use greener, healthier products and model environmental sustainability? The market is teeming with earth-friendly school and office supplies, guarding the health of students and their teachers. Non-toxic school supplies make a real difference in the quality of the indoor air and the level of toxins that we expose our children to daily. Why not shut the leading polluters - PCVs, BPA, lead and xylene - out of class? A new generation of green school supplies can send them packing. Many school supplies are made out of PVC - a plastic that contains chemical additives such as phthalates, lead, cadmium...

Stretching your dollar has never been more difficult most especially with the coming opening of the school year. Your kids will want so many new things, new bag, notebooks, lunchboxes, and school shoes on top of all the things you need to pay for. Here are several frugal strategies to keep your money in your pocket: 1. First, you should look around whether there items from the previous year that your child can still use. It's important to look around and try to see if there is really a need to buy new things. Check if the school bags are durable; their shoes don't have gaping holes, or their lunchboxes are still useable. If you see wear and tear in an item then that's the only time you can add them...

As the month of September approaches, young students and their parents get ready for school. Moms and Dads arrange their busy schedules so they can have time to prepare meals and pick their children from school. The young students, on the other hand, prepare their bags and things for the first day. Anyway, if you want to make the most of this vacation, you have to start a good business. You can sell handmade school supplies and handmade staples, for instance. You can use this opportunity in which a lot of people are on the lookout for new supplies. Your handmade school supplies and handmade staples can become a hit. To start, you must obtain the necessary permits. Obviously, any form of business has...

Ten years ago college supplies included books, notebooks, and pens and pencils. Some kids had computers, but not that many. However, that quickly changed and now kids today are required to have a laptop computer on many college campuses. That's certainly very helpful for kids studying, taking notes, doing research, and writing papers. However, it is not easy on the wallet and can actually be quite stressful for many college kids who don't have the money up front to buy a laptop computer. There are some options, however, for kids who need a laptop and other school supplies, but don't have the money up front. The best option for college students is to apply for a student credit card. Student credit...

While the summer months are relaxing, fun and without schedule, they are also the time to stock up and restock for the following school year. We have always found that it is much less stressful to do our shopping over the summer versus the week before school starts. Let's start with clothing. The stores tend to begin getting in their fall clothes midway through summer. When you shop early you and your children have your choice of both styles and colors. In addition, you'll also have your choice of sizes. Often, stores get only one or two items in a particular size. If your child will need a uniform for school or for a sport/physical education, summer is the only time to guarantee you'll get what...

It is getting that time of year again when parents go through the frustrating and expensive process of getting their children ready for school. They will pack the malls and big box stores looking for new clothes, notebooks, pencils, rulers, lunch boxes and all the other items the aspiring students need for back to school. Many will forgo the checkout lines and traffic problems and shop online for discount school supplies this year. They will discover the power of the internet to save them time, money, fuel and a head ache as they shop for their children's back to school needs. There are deals to be had all over the internet and you don't have to spend a dime on gas or stand in line to get them. The...

Pencils. Everyone needs pencils with a good eraser. When it comes to school supplies, the best type of pencil to have are the ones with refillable lead. This saves repeated trips to the pencil sharpener and is less likely to cause disruption in the classroom. Pens. One of the most important things to have is a good writing pen. Even though most teachers prefer that work be done in pencil, there are always plenty of uses for pens. Blue and black ink are the most common among school supplies. Ruled Notebooks. If possible, a separate notebook should be kept for each subject. This will help students to remain organized and will keep their school supplies in order. Binder. Commonly used to hold loose...

This is the time to start stocking up on school supplies. Many stores hold early-bird low price specials starting as early as the end of July. You must have seen parents who are trying to search the perfect supply aisle. And, true to form most kids see school shopping as an opening to beg, bug, demand and coerce. In a frantic attempt, to meet the expectations of your kids, as a parent you may have to flit from one supply store to another to purchase back-to-school supplies. Shopping early for back-to-school supplies give you a head start and a chance to look for bargains and options. Supply stores are open with their sales and marketing technique. Now, they have capitalized upon school supplies by...

The Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo is rapidly approaching and if you are like a lot of teachers, you may be looking at putting together some Cinco de Mayo lesson plans to impart some of the historical facts behind this holiday to your students. Even though the holiday originated in Mexico, it has become very popular in the United States; so well, as a matter of fact, that it is more widely and enthusiastically celebrated here than it is in Mexico! There are both historical and cultural reasons for this difference - and of course, you will want to get your students up to speed while keeping them engaged in learning a little more about Mexican and US history at the same time. Depending on the age of...

Having a good self esteem is essential to the overall development of a person. The way someone values himself directly affects his daily tasks and performance, whether it is in the academic or workplace setting. Thus, it is important for anyone to engage in constructive and systematic activities aimed at building self-esteem. One of the best ways to do this is to use self esteem lesson plans. These are well structured educational activities that are specially designed to teach self esteem lessons to students in various age groups. Self esteem lesson plans are important because it caters to the emotional needs of students. While academic lessons provide intellectual nourishment, self esteem lessons...

To design out your budget planner worksheet, you can either use Excel or Word. 1. You should decide on a budget schedule according to your pay periods and bill due dates. 2. Next, divide the worksheet into budget categories - income at the top followed by salary, bonuses, commissions, business profit, investments, etc. 3. After point 2 is complete, complete the rest of the categories - must pays, family necessities, needs, pocket money and emergency. 4. Type in the budget types - savings, household, automotive, entertainment, personal allowance. 5. After sorting out your income and expense categories, make two columns at the top of the worksheet for entering the budget amount. 6. One column should...

Aboriginal Dot Painting is a popular art lesson classic suitable for learners of all ages as it features an irresistible combination of music, art, culture and history. The beauty of this subject is that the lesson engages learners on a number of different levels - practical painting technique, cultural understanding, linking art with music, dance and storytelling, and getting their fingers nice & dirty in the process! AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL DOT PAINTING For beginners through to advanced level learners 3~4 hours contact time in class, extra time for research/homework Lesson Aims: * Students will be able to select colours, mix paint, make a preliminary sketch, complete an authentic aboriginal...

As an educator, regardless of whether you use a paper or an electronic planner, there are several aspects that you need to attend to if you want to be productive (in a peaceful manner, that is). This article has some specific ways to use your planner to help this happen. 1. Block time for re-entry. If you have been out of the classroom (and/or home), you need time to "re-enter" or "re-cover." Whenever you are planning a professional trip, a vacation, or surgery, block out time on your planner for "re-entry." This allows you to process the email, voice mail, and paperwork that have accumulated during your absence. 2. Use a month-at-a-glance calendar or view. Any good planner is going to give you a...

"body"> Ever wonder what a wedding planner REALLY does? Most people rely on movies like "The Wedding Planner" to form their definition of a typical wedding planner. For the most part, J.Lo as a headset wearing ''star of the show'' is fantasy when it comes to being a wedding planner. Unlike Matthew and Bridget's unlimited budget, you will be hired for your budgeting skills. But your bride will be stressed and this is where you DO shine. You will be called upon and hired or not hired based on your abilities to perform under pressure, like there is no pressure. Learning your role in brides' and grooms' weddings is the first piece of the wedding planning puzzle. Below is a list of the 3 most recognized...

Planning any event can be tedious, stressful, and difficult. Corporate events are even more overwhelming than your average event because of the large scale, number of tiny details, amount of time they take to plan, and the many things that could possibly go wrong that may ruin the event. You can avoid the headaches of planning your own corporate event by hiring a planner. Choose a company that specializes in planning corporate events and who is experienced, trained, and offers a long list of event production services that can make your event the event of a lifetime. Why You Should Consider Hiring A Corporate Event Planner Many people can throw together a birthday party or a small luncheon in a snap...

When you're designing your kitchen it can be a complicated and somewhat confusing process but a kitchen planner can make things that much easier. Fortunately, if you're looking for a kitchen planner, there are plenty to choose from. All the major kitchen retailers have them from IKEA to MFI and they all have their benefits are drawbacks, but what should you be looking for in software. Well for starters, you have to decide how in depth you want to go with your kitchen planning. If you're just trying to get a rough sketch together to pass on to a kitchen designer then the most straightforward kitchen planner will work best. Do a simple search and take advantage of the free software you can download...

The Main Event Company   EVENT - something that happens or is regarded as happening; an occurrence, esp. one of some importance. PLANNING - a scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc. developed in advance. COORDINATION - harmonious combination of interaction. MANAGEMENT - the act or manner of managing, handling, direction or control. A Professional Event Planner carries many names; Event Planner, Event Coordinator, Event Manager, etc, however, they all have one main objective, to produce an event that exceeds both client and guest expectations by going beyond the details of the event itself. A Professional Event Planner is a passionate individual. Creativity, attention to...

Using labels to organize student and teacher supplies is a key component to an efficient classroom environment. Begin by printing an entire sheet of labels with each student's name from your work printer. After printing, begin placing labels on each colored folder, student information file, binder, ruler, supply box, dictionary, and whatever other materials you have that the student retains ownership of (I tend to use community property supplies for the most part in my classroom). From that point, then begin by making labels for each subject. Make a sheet of labels for spelling, reading, writing, science, math, social studies, data folders, homework folder, et cetera. Make a sheet of labels for each...

Whether you are a public school teacher, a private school teacher, tutor or homeschooling parent scavenger hunts can be used to spice up your lesson planning. They can be a fun way to introduce a new theme or topic. They can also be used as a good review or to reinforce a lesson. First you need to decide if the hunt will take place in the classroom, at home for homework or around the school grounds. Then, decide if you want your students to work on their own, in pairs or in groups. Next, get creative. Decide what concepts or state standards that you want to introduce or reinforce and come up with scavenger hunt clues that fit this theme. This is the fun part, but it can also be the most challenging...

Today teaching is using space age technology to combine computerization and daily lessons on a grand scale. Interactive boards have been available for several years but now their popularity has made them an important element in the majority of classrooms around the world. A whiteboard is one of the most technologically advanced student response systems currently on the market. The whiteboard comes equipped with a packet of software that can be installed directly onto the PC of your choice. Then the board is connected to the PC with either a USB port, wireless Bluetooth connection or some type of serial port cable. Then the software is able to transform the whiteboard into a fully interactive system...

What is the objective of your lesson? What do you want your students to be able to do? Entire segments of undergraduate work in education are devoted to teaching the composition of an educational objective. However, in the day-to-day effort to engage our students, we can get so caught up in a great activity that we forget to first drop anchor with a solid objective. We can develop better lessons that engage all of the different types of learners in our classrooms if we drop that anchor and develop lessons that teach to the nexus. Nexus? What does that mean? Research has indicated that 50% of the general population prefers left-brained learning activities. That is, they work best with content that is...

The purpose of bowling lesson plans is to help all bowlers regardless of whether they have been bowling for 3 weeks or 30 years!  The basics of bowling are the same regardless of how long you have been bowling for.  I want to show you exactly what I mean! If you are new to bowling, you understand that it could be frustrating at first.  You want to bowl better, but you just can't figure out EXACTLY what it is that you need to do.  Do you need to throw the ball faster?  Should you use a heavier ball?  What about a different pair of bowling shoes?  These are all questions that you may be wondering.   Bowling lesson plans though can really help you structure ALL of these different questions in a...

Although we live in a world in which pocket calculators and computer are ubiquitous, multiplication skills are still very important and are of course still taught by teachers. Teachers know, that multiplication skills, just like other mathematical skills, can improve as a result of regular practise - and this includes both the simple multiplication sums that most of us memorized when in school ("times tables"), and more complex long multiplication problems. Of course, doing the same thing again and again can soon boring for students. Teachers know that when students' minds start to wander, then learning tends to be reduce, and in some cases, behavior problems can follow too. As a result, all...

While school videos are often the topic of debate between educators and administrators, the educational value associated with the use of such media in the classroom is indisputable. Of course, none of the promised benefits can be realized without some effort on the part of the educator and participation on the part of the student. What Does Video Offer? With visual tools, you can offer your students so much more to a lesson than other tools can provide. Such an approach allows your students to almost experience the same thing they are viewing without ever leaving the room. This allows students to travel to different places and through time. Events and places are brought to life for students...

Over the past few years, deep funding cuts have forced school administrators to reduce the amount of basic supplies for the classroom and eliminate programs designed to raise awareness of environmental issues. In addition, teachers are not provided with funds to obtain adequate hands-on training materials for each student in their class, which results in lower participation and graduation rates. This results in teachers spending a yearly average of over $1000.00 out of their own salary, as well as countless hours after school, to purchase materials and produce curriculum-based projects to overcome these hurdles. Meanwhile, local businesses are literally throwing away tons of usable products into our...

Ask almost any adult, and I think that you will find that they know how to play the game of bingo. If you were to ask them to explain how the game is played, I expect they could tell you in very short space of time - it is that simple to learn the rules. This simplicity also means that the game can be enjoyed by children, and with a few simple modification used as a teaching aid in many different subjects, including math. The most obvious way to apply bingo to the teaching of math is to use bingo cards printed with numbers, although this may not be the numbers that appear on standard bingo cards, but instead numbers that have been specially selected by the teacher. The students are each given a...

While most of tend to think of bingo as a pastime enjoyed purely for leisurely purposes, it is also true that many K-12 teachers have adapted bingo for use in their classrooms. Bingo is today being used to help teach a diverse range of school subjects including reading, English, foreign languages and math. Education versions of bingo are generally played according to roughly the same rules as the standard game - with the teacher acting as bingo caller, and the students as the players - but they often played with specially modified bingo cards containing items chosen by the teacher rather than the usual numbers. Additionally, in some cases, the teacher may tweak the rules somewhat. Here are a few...

Most people think of bingo as a purely social or leisure activity, but nowadays variants of the game are also being used for serious educational purposes. Many K-12 teachers have introduced bingo into their lessons, and are using the game to assist them in teaching a wide variety of different subjects including English, foreign languages and math. In educational variants of bingo, the teacher plays the part of the bingo caller, and the students are each given a bingo card (although you can also put students into groups if you want). Generally speaking, the educational versions of bingo are played according to roughly the same rules as the standard game, although in some cases it may be necessary to...

One of the most popular free high school pottery lessons plans presently available is "Mi Casa, es Tu Casa", in which students vie to create fanciful and whimsical model houses using an easy, slab-built ceramic clay technique. Besides releasing the students' creative imaginations, this lesson also teaches them how to compose images on a three-dimensional object, teaching them how to visualize spatially and see the object as a whole. Also this project is a good introduction to the majolica technique for finishing ceramics. Students are first encouraged to make a drawing of what the finished house will look like, taking into account the shapes of the walls (which do not have to be rectangles - indeed...

Become an expert persuader in 20 days click here As everyone knows,persuasionis an art of comunication which could be conveyed with suitable languageexpression and flexible contact tactics,such as business negotiation ,the mosttypical persuasion phenomenon,needs not only your patience and assetcapacity,but also the skills to acquire your pateners' trust and good impression,socould you make a quick buck,however,persuasion should not be defined just inthe field of arguments and negotiations,many other affires could adapt as well, Michael Lee introduced us with lots of daily essential things of our lives to bepersuaded,and more vital,the varies tactics of persuasion from commercialnegotiaton to social...

1) Number Circles - Counting to 10 Draw 10 large circles on a colored card (you could also use paper plates). These can now be the focus of a number of activities. Hold the circles up when counting to ten (they can be pointed to if fixed to a notice board). Give a plate to each of 10 students and then ask them to move around until they are in the right order. Mix the circles up and ask small groups of students to put them in the right order. They can lay them on the ground in a line. Lay them on the ground, with 1 number missing. Ask the class to say what figure out what number is missing. Lay them on the ground outside to make a stepping stone pathway to follow. Lay them outside along an obstacle...

When I was a little girl, I remember reading "Mr Willowby's Christmas Tree" by Robert Berry. First published in 1963, this story is lovely tale about how a Christmas tree was too too tall and tossed aside. Throughout the story, many people and creatures found this little discarded tree, provided a home for it but once, chopped it as it too tall for their homes. In the end, a mouse who lived in Mr Wallowby's house was thrilled to have a tree for Christmas just like Mr Wallowby! The lesson: When I planned a lesson for the children, I thought this would be a perfect story to reinforce the power of recycling, sharing and giving away unwanted things during Christmas time. That someone's "trash" maybe...

Environmental education needs to be incorporated from a very early onset. After all, it is when we are young that we begin to form our world view and start to form many of our habits. And everyone knows that bad habits die hard! Environmental education should be taught even to our youngest students. Even young children can begin to understand how their individual actions can affect the environment. Even young children can learn to take personal responsibility for the preservation and restoration of our environment. This does not mean that you need to involve young children in an in depth discussion about global warming and how the emissions of our cars contribute to it. After all, these kids do...

The problem: If teachers tend to go bald, its most likely from tearing their hair out in an attempt to find stimulating classroom activities for demanding age groups or classroom situations. What we propose here is how to avoid follicle transplants by using the amazing activity multiplier! The principle is presented here as I use it in language teaching, but it can be applied to any subject being taught. What to do: 1. Draw up a grid on a sheet of paper and write the names of your favourite activities in separate boxes across the top of the page. Use specific activities rather than types of activities e.g. 'Chinese whispers', or '20 questions' rather than 'warmers'. 2. Write the same activities...

I. Biblical Base for Personal and Community Life (Mark 4:3-32). * Simple & straight forward * Natural life understood by anyone * Where kingdom of God starts. The very basics. * If you can't get this part right the rest will be lost. A. You've got to start with a sower in the field. B. You've got to start with the right seed: the word of God (v.14). C. You've got to sow much seed every where you can There are four types of soil, people that you can contact: 1) Hard and unreceptive to Jesus (v.15). 2) Shallow, without commitment (w. 16-17). 3) Distracted by other things (w. 18-19). 4) Good, deep and receptive soil (v. 20). Luke 8:15 Good soil: noble and good heart, hear the word, hold to it...

p>You can feel it in the air. Long-awaited change is afoot. In the Northeast, the summer that almost wasn't has finally arrived with a vengeance, just in time for "back to school." And, although lagging job growth continues to inflict pain (perhaps more than in the past), the recession that wouldn't end is finally showing signs of abating. And with it, a shift in national attitude that has been bubbling beneath the surface has begun to emerge. A couple I met with last week said it beautifully: "We're not saying we're glad the recession happened, but the truth is, it was a timely wake-up call." In other words, enough of the grieving over what's been lost and what never should have been and whose...

Make Simple Stick Puppets Ask your students to do the following. - Draw the main characters from the story you are exploring onto thick paper. - To control the size, fold the A4 paper into 8 and draw each character in one of the rectangles. - Also draw any other important elements of the story. If you are doing "The Three Little Pigs", you will need the three houses as well. If you are doing "Cinderella", you will need the pumpkin coach as well. - Color your puppets, cut them out and glue them onto sticks. - Store the puppets in an envelope or piece of A4 paper folded in half and stapled at the sides. - Decorate the envelope and write the title of the story and the name of the characters on it. Once...

No matter your passion, Philadelphia is an ideal destination for travelers. The city and surrounding area is chock full of history, great restaurants, and sporting events. Here are a few tips on getting the most from Philadelphia on a baseball road trip... Philadelphia Baseball: An Overview One of the oldest and most revered franchises in major league baseball, the Phillies proudly represent Philadelphia and their baseball fans. Their stadium, Citizens Bank Ballpark, is located just a few minutes south of the city's historic downtown. In fact, all of Philadelphia's major league sports venues are clustered together in the same area, which is surrounded by ample parking lots and choices for a pre or...