Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this illustration — or, tell us about a memory from your own life that this image makes you think of.
Don’t forget that you can use the image not just literally (that is, you don’t have to write about hands or butterflies), but as a metaphor. What does it say to you?
Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn how The Times used the image.
Want more Picture Prompts? Find them all in this column.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
Adults who grew up with the original He-Man and kept the brand alive on fan websites and conventions like Power-Con, which starts Saturday in Anaheim, Calif., are excited about his comeback, but wary of overkill at mainstream retailers.
“I’m worried about there being too much and crowding the market,” said Danny Eardley, the lead author of “The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.” “Poor performance could signal to Mattel that there is not enough interest.”
But Mr. Dickson wants to allay those fears. “It’s obvious that we let the property go dormant over time,” he said. But “we are strategic about every toy that we put out.”
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word allay in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.
If you want a better idea of how allay can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
3. Below the response box, there is an option to click on “Email me when my comment is published.” This sends the link to your response which you can share with your teacher.
4. After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button to address that student directly.
On Wednesday, Oct. 13, teachers from our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, will facilitate this discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time.
5. By Friday morning, Oct. 15, we will reveal more information about the graph, including a free link to the article that includes this graph, at the bottom of this post. We encourage you to post additional comments based on the article, possibly using statistical terms defined in the Stat Nuggets.
Reveal
We’ll post more information here on Thursday afternoon. Stay tuned!
• Learn more about the notice and wonder teaching strategy from this 5-minute video and how and why other teachers are using this strategy from our on-demand webinar.
• Sign up for our free weekly Learning Network newsletter so you never miss a graph. Graphs are always released by the Friday before the Wednesday live-moderation to give teachers time to plan ahead.
• Go to the American Statistical Association K-12 website, which includes teacher statistics resources, Census in the Schools student-generated data, professional development opportunities, and more.
Students 13 and older in the United States and the Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
When two scientists tried to recreate cauliflowers in a lab, they found themselves perplexed and mesmerized by the vegetable’s fractal structure.
In this lesson, you will learn about fractal geometry and some of the ways that it appears in nature. You will closely read the opening of the article to match vocabulary words with their context. Then you will have the opportunity to draw a fractal pattern or photograph geometry in your own life.
Warm-Up
Look at the image at the top of this article. Before going any further, answer these questions:
What do you notice about this image?
What do you wonder?
Do you see any patterns in this picture?
What do you think this is a picture of? Why?
The Reveal
This is a picture of a vegetable: the Romanesco cauliflower. This type of cauliflower provides an example of a naturally occurring fractal structure. Margaret Wertheim explains how to recognize fractals in the article “Many Hands Make Fractals Tactile”:
Fractals possess the strange property of “self-similarity.” Zoom in on any part of a fractal, and each small section will have the same richly complicated structure as the whole.
Revisit the image above with this concept in mind. What patterns do you see? Zoom in to the image to see if you can notice the patterns replicated at a smaller scale.
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Instead of starting with the article itself, you will read the first few paragraphs as they appear in our related Vocabulary in Context quiz. This means that one word per paragraph has been replaced with a blank, and you’ll have to choose how to fill it in based on your knowledge of vocabulary and the context of the sentence.
It’s not as hard as it sounds — in fact, paying close attention to the author’s word choice as they introduce key concepts might make reading the rest of the article easier.
Now read the rest of the article, picking up where the quiz left off. This article includes some scientific concepts and other vocabulary you may be unfamiliar with. As you read, you might want to consult as reference this glossary of advanced vocabulary from the piece.
Then, answer the following questions:
1. In your own words, what is a cultivar? Consult the glossary if you are not sure. Of what plant is cauliflower a cultivar?
2. “There is no way you cannot notice it is such a gorgeous vegetable,” Dr. Parcy said, in reference to Romanesco. Do you agree? What do you consider your favorite plant, if you have one? What do you consider the most beautiful plant?
3. Look through the pictures in the article. How does the appearance of cauliflower differ from that of kale, brussels sprouts and broccoli, which are versions of the same plant?
4. What steps did Dr. Godin and Dr. Parcy take to model how cauliflower developed from Brassica oleracea?
5. In your words, describe the process by which a cauliflower grows.
Going Further
Option 1: Draw a fractal triangle.
One of the best ways to understand fractal geometry is to create it yourself. By drawing a Sierpinski triangle, you will use a triangle shape to explore how fractals replicate the same pattern at different scales, over and over.
The video below demonstrates how to draw this fractal triangle. As you watch, draw your own on a blank sheet of paper or using this template.
How many triangles total were you able to draw? How many triangles did you draw in the largest size? How many are the next largest size, and so on? What do you notice about these numbers?
Measure the side length of the largest triangle and write it down. Then, measure the side lengths of the next few smaller triangles. What do you notice about these numbers?
Option 2: Find and photograph geometry in your own life.
This article is a good example of the fact that geometric concepts do not only exist in the pages of your math textbook — you might find them in nature or on your dinner plate.
Where else can you find geometry in your life? Find an example, photograph it and report back to your class. Write a two-sentence caption for your photo explaining what geometric concept it captures.
In the articles below, New York Times journalists explored how geometry is all around us: in nature, sports formations and even pasta. Choose one article and look through the images to get inspiration for your own.
About Lesson of the Day
• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column. • Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.
Monks once hoped to turn lead into gold through alchemy. But consider the cauliflower instead. It takes just two genes to the ordinary stems, stalks and flowers of the weedy, tasteless species Brassica oleracea into a formation as marvelous as this fractal, cloudlike vegetable.
This is the true alchemy, says Christophe Godin, a senior researcher at the National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology in Lyon, France.
By Kevin Mills, Head of Public Sector Partnerships
In early 2020, we launched the Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative to help governments around the world respond to the unemployment crisis caused by the pandemic and automation. Through the program, governments from over 25 U.S. states and 100 countries provided immediate support to displaced workers with free access to online skills training.
Among the participating governments, we collaborated with the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) to launch a state-wide training program that has helped thousands of displaced workers develop job-relevant skills.
Today, we’re honored to expand our partnership with MDHEWD and support the state’s ongoing recovery efforts by equipping Missourians with the digital and job-readiness skills needed to unlock new career opportunities.
“Last year, Coursera played a major role in our department’s mission to help Missouri’s displaced workers advance their careers,” said Zora Mulligan, Missouri Commissioner of Higher Education. “Coursera provides a free and flexible avenue for Missourians to learn new, marketable skills as they seek new employment or work towards a promotion.”
Through our expanded partnership, Missourians will have free access to over 4,000 of high-quality, job-relevant courses from over 200 top university and industry educators, including the University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, AWS, and Microsoft.
This includes entry-level Professional Certificates taught by leading technology companies like Google, IBM, Facebook, and Salesforce. These certificate programs only take a few months to complete, and will help prepare workers without a college degree or technology experience for a wide range of well-paying jobs, such as IT support specialist, project manager, data analyst, and social media marketer.
To ensure accessibility for all learners across web and mobile platforms, we’ve emphasized providing support for screen readers and keyboard navigation, closed captions, visual affordances, and much more.
This expansion marks Coursera’s ongoing commitment to help Missourians unlock economic opportunity through high-quality online learning. We’re excited to welcome Missouri to the growing number of leading U.S. state and local governments partnering with Cousera to drive modern workforce development programs, including the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the New York State Department of Labor, and the City of Chicago.
Nothing teaches you how to write better code than sitting down and actually writing code. After you’ve built up your knowledge of a programming language with online courses, books, traditional education, and videos, the next step is to put those skills to use. And, one of the quickest and easiest ways to do this is by solving code challenges.
Code challenges are mini problems you’ll solve by writing code, and since they’re small, they don’t take that long to finish. You’re not required to create a complete programming project either. They can also be focused on the type of problems you’ll run into in your coding career, making them useful for practicing skills you’ll use on the job.
In this article, you’ll find 10 advanced Python code challenges, plus where to find more challenges. We also have a set of Python code challenges for beginners, if that’s a better fit for you.
10 Python code challenges for experienced coders
Every challenge in this list of challenges requires advanced knowledge of programming concepts and the Python programming language. So, brush up on your knowledge of Python data structures and algorithms before you get started. Or, if you need to refresh your knowledge of Python, check out our Learn Python course.
1. Create a Morse code translator
We no longer use Morse code to transfer information, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it in a code challenge. Write a function in Python that takes in a string that can have alphanumeric characters in lower or upper case.
The string can also contain any special characters handled in Morse code, including commas, colons, apostrophes, periods, exclamation marks, and question marks. The function should return the Morse code equivalent for the string.
2. Write a Friday 13th detector
Create a function in Python that accepts two parameters. They’ll both be numbers. The first will be the month as a number, and the second will be the four-digit year. The function should parse the parameters and return True if the month contains a Friday the 13th and False if it doesn’t.
3. Find the domain name using an IP address
For this Python challenge, you’ll want to import the Python socket library. That’s the only hint. Write a function that accepts an IP address, makes a DNS request, and returns the domain name that maps to that IP address using PTR DNS records.
4. Parse an encoded string
In this Python challenge, you need to write a function that accepts an encoded string as a parameter. This string will contain a first name, last name, and an id.
Values in the string can be separated by any number of zeros. The id is a numeric value but will contain no zeros. The function should parse the string and return a Python dictionary that contains the first name, last name, and id values.
An example input would be “Robert000Smith000123”. The function should return the following using that input:
For this challenge, you need to write a function in Python that accepts a string of ASCII characters. It should return each character’s value as a hexadecimal string. Separate each byte by a space, and return all alpha hexadecimal characters as lowercase.
6. Find the difference between the strings
Write a function in Python that accepts two string parameters. The first parameter will be a string of characters, and the second parameter will be the same string of characters, but they’ll be in a different order and have one extra character. The function should return that extra character.
For example, if the first parameter is “eueiieo” and the second is “iieoedue,” then the function should return “d.”
7. Shadow sentences
For the purpose of this challenge, shadow sentences are sentences where every word is the same length and order but without any of the same letters. Write a function that accepts two parameters that may or may not be shadows of each other. The function should return True if they are and False if they aren’t.
An example would be “they are round” and “fold two times,” which are shadow sentences, while “his friends” and “our company” are not because both contain an r.
8. Tic Tac Toe blocker
In this Python challenge, write a function that’ll accept two numbers. These numbers will represent a position on a tic-tac-toe board. They can be 0 through 8, where 0 is the top-left spot, and 8 is the bottom-right spot.
These parameters are two marks on the tic-tac-toe board. The function should return the number of the spot that can block these two spots from winning the game.
9. Rearrange the number
To complete this challenge, write a function that accepts a number as a parameter. The function should return a number that’s the difference between the largest and smallest numbers that the digits can form in the number.
For example, if the parameter is “213”, the function should return “198”, which is the result of 123 subtracted from 321.
10. Duplicate letter checker
Create a function in Python that accepts one parameter: a string that’s a sentence. This function should return True if any word in that sentence contains duplicate letters and False if not.
Build your Python skills
If you like testing your Python skills with these challenges and want to find more of them to take your Python skills further, then sign up here. Then, check out the details on our weekly and daily code challenges here. Or, you can find more advanced Python code challenges on our forums.
To build your Python knowledge to tackle these tough challenges, you can check out our extensive selection of Python coding courses. If you’re new to the Python programming language or your knowledge is a little rusty, then our Learn Python course could be the right option for you.If you already know the fundamentals of Python, our Learn Intermediate Python or Learn Data Structures and Algorithms in Python courses dive deeper into this powerful programming language.
What do you think this image is saying? How does it relate to or comment on society or current events? Can you relate to it personally? What is your opinion of its message?
Want more Picture Prompts? Find them all in this column.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
The term terra firma has appeared in two articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on June 17 in “‘Luca’ Review: Calamari by Your Name” by A.O. Scott:
A lot of movies can be described as fish-out-of-water stories, but few quite as literally as “Luca.” The title character, voiced by Jacob Tremblay, is an aquatic creature who lives with his family off the Mediterranean coast of Italy. The undersea equivalent of a shepherd, tending an amusing flock of sheeplike fish, Luca has a natural curiosity that is piqued by his mother’s warnings about the dangers that await on dry land.
Like many a Disney protagonist before him — Ariel, Nemo and Moana all come to mind — he defies parental authority in the name of adventure. (His mom and dad are voiced, in perfect sitcom disharmony, by Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan.) According to the film’s fantastical version of marine biology, sea monsters turn human on terra firma, though their fins and gills re-emerge quickly on contact with water. Luca is a bit like a mermaid and a little like Pinocchio, a being with folkloric roots and a modern pop-culture-friendly personality.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the term terra firma in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.
If you want a better idea of how terra firma can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
Register for the live webinar on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Learning Network mentor texts aim to demystify the writing process through examples that students can learn from and emulate. We spotlight journalism from across sections of The New York Times to show students real-world narrative, argumentative and informational writing, then we break down the “craft moves” that make each piece successful. We also have a series of mentor-text videos, in which students who have won our previous writing contests walk us through how they made their sentences sing.
In this interactive webinar, Learning Network editors and teachers will discuss and demonstrate how these mentor texts can be used to inspire powerful student writing.
Together, we will …
Discuss the role and benefits of using mentor texts to improve student writing.
Explore the mentor texts that The Learning Network and The Times have to offer.
Show you how to find your own mentor texts across sections of The Times.
Practice writer’s moves via exercises you can immediately bring back to your classroom.
This webinar will be about one hour long, including a live Q. and A. New York educators may receive C.T.L.E. credit. All participants will receive a certificate of completion.
Register now to join our live webinar or to receive a link to view the on-demand recording.
