Myself and Others [pre-kindergarten]

This unit addresses the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline “Child identifies similarities and differences in characteristics of people.” At the conclusion of this unit, students will know that people are different from one another, people share some characteristics, personal characteristics can be physical or behavioral, and we can describe or name characteristics of people. Students will be able to identify similarities and differences between self and others, identify physical similarities and differences between others, and identify unique characteristics about themselves

Personal Safety [pre-kindergarten]

This unit addresses the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline “Child practices good habits of personal safety.” At the conclusion of this unit, students will know that we should always try to make safe choices, safety is everyone’s responsibility, and rules help keep us safe. Students will be able to identify safe and unsafe choices at school; give examples of safe and choices at home, on the street, and in vehicles; and practice safe behaviors at school (with occasional reminders). Specific areas of safety addressed include school, street, fire, vehicle, and animal safety and safe people vs. strangers

Our Families

This unit addresses the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline “Child identifies similarities and differences in characteristics of families.” At the conclusion of this unit, students will know what a family is, that families can be different, and that changes occur in families and will be able to identify differences between families, identify similarities between families, and identify members of their own families

Shapes

This unit addresses the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guidelines “Child recognizes/describes common shapes” (MVC1) and “Child slides, flips, turns shapes to demonstrate they remain the same” (MVC4), as well as the math standard “Child covers an area with shapes.” At the conclusion of this unit, students will know: - names and features (number of sides/angles) of common shapes: rectangle, square, triangle, circle, oval, and rhombus; and - shapes remain the same regardless of their position; and will be able to: - identify and describe common shapes: rectangle, square, triangle, circle, oval, and rhombus - cover an area with shapes and explain how they did so - combine shapes to create an imag

Nutrition and Exercise

This unit addresses the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline “Child identifies good habits of nutrition and exercise.” By the end of the unit, students will know that: - exercise is necessary to stay healthy - how the body is affected by eating healthy vs. unhealthy foodsand will be able to: - identify healthy and unhealthy foods; - sort ‘go,’ ‘slow,’ and ‘whoa’ foods; and - demonstrate and discuss the need for exercise and rest to stay healthy

Animal Habitats

This unit addresses the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline “Child recognizes, observes, and discusses the relationship of organisms to their environments” (SCVIB3). At the conclusion of this unit, students will know that animals and humans depend on plants and vocabulary related to animal habitats (ie: nest, cave). They will be able to investigate organisms in their natural environments and describe and explain animal behaviors

Changes in the Earth and Sky: Shadows, Day, and Night [pre-kindergarten]

This unit is based on the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline, “Child identifies, observes, and discusses objects in the sky.” At the conclusion of this unit, students will know that natural changes occur in the sky, that changes in the sky affect objects on the ground, and differences between the day and night skies and be able to observe and discuss characteristics of clouds and make representations, ask questions and/or make comments about the sun, stars, and moon, and investigate what happens to things exposed to the sun

Energy: Electricity, Heat, and Light

This unit is based on the Pre-Kindergarten Science Guideline “Students will investigate and describe sources of energy, including heat, light, and electricity.” By the end of the unit, students will know that energy comes in the forms of electricity, heat, and light and be able to identify sources of energy and safely use electricity

Being in the Room Where It Happens: Celebrating Virginia’s First Female Law Clerks

The first female law clerk was hired in 1944. However, the entry of women into the law clerk profession was met with sexism. The accomplishments of the first few female law clerks also received little attention. This article seeks to rectify this historical injustice by highlighting the accomplishments of Virginia’s first female law clerks: Doris Bray, Jane Caster Sweeney, and Penelope Dalton Coffman. Doris Bray clerked for Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge J. Spencer Bell in 1967. Jane Caster Sweeney clerked for Federal District Court Judge Oren Lewis from 1960 to 1962. Penelope Dalton Coffman clerked for Virginia Supreme Court Judge C. Vernon Spratley from 1966 to 1967. This article highlights their careers, accomplishments, and their impact on the legal profession

xCT-Driven Expression of GPX4 Determines Sensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells to Ferroptosis Inducers

Inducers of ferroptosis such as the glutathione depleting agent Erastin and the GPX4 inhibitor Rsl-3 are being actively explored as potential therapeutics in various cancers, but the factors that determine their sensitivity are poorly understood. Here, we show that expression levels of both subunits of the cystine/glutamate antiporter xCT determine the expression of GPX4 in breast cancer, and that upregulation of the xCT/selenocysteine biosynthesis/GPX4 production axis paradoxically renders the cancer cells more sensitive to certain types of ferroptotic stimuli. We find that GPX4 is strongly upregulated in a subset of breast cancer tissues compared to matched normal samples, and that this is tightly correlated with the increased expression of the xCT subunits SLC7A11 and SLC3A2. Erastin depletes levels of the antioxidant selenoproteins GPX4 and GPX1 in breast cancer cells by inhibiting xCT-dependent extracellular reduction which is required for selenium uptake and selenocysteine biosynthesis. Unexpectedly, while breast cancer cells are resistant compared to nontransformed cells against oxidative stress inducing drugs, at the same time they are hypersensitive to lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis induced by Erastin or Rsl-3, indicating that they are \u27addicted\u27 to the xCT/GPX4 axis. Our findings provide a strategic basis for targeting the anti-ferroptotic machinery of breast cancer cells depending on their xCT status, which can be further explored