How to Read a Glass Thermometer – Instructions and Practice

Step-by-Step Guide to Reading Thermometers - Photo by Zwager at Wikimedia Commons

Reading a glass thermometer is a helpful skill to learn. Although many thermometers now have a digital reading, quite a few people have glass thermometers in their homes, and some facilities use glass thermometers in certain circumstances. Glass thermometers may be invaluable for assessing temperature in areas without easy access to electrical power or batteries.

Below are a few tips for reading a glass thermometer. This is not a complete list of steps for the procedure of taking a temperature but simply focuses on how to read the thermometer. Use standard precautions to protect oneself, obtain informed consent, and provide for privacy.

• Shake the liquid in the thermometer down below at least 96 degrees F using a flicking motion of the wrist - stand away from furniture and other hard objects to avoid breaking the thermometer.
• Choose an appropriate route (oral, axillary, rectal).
• Leave the thermometer in place for the length of time appropriate for the route.
• After removing the thermometer, use care not to clean with alcohol before reading it, but wipe it with a tissue instead. (The thermometer should be thoroughly cleaned after recording the number.)
• Hold the thermometer at eye level, slowly rolling it between the thumb and forefinger until a colored line appears and focus on where the line stops.
• Read the temperature to the closest line and record.

Here is a graphic showing what the lines and numbers on a glass thermometer represent (click on the image to enlarge):

How to Read a Glass Thermometer

Here is an example of how to read a glass thermometer:

Example Showing How to Read a Mercury Thermometer

Practice reading the following thermometers below. The correct answer follows each example.

How to Use the Thermometer Practice Flash Cards:

1. Click on the first image below to enlarge. 
2. Click on the slide to advance to the next slide. (Click on the next thumbnail at the bottom of the screen if that does not work.)

Readers may also wish to review:

• How to Convert Temperature: Fahrenheit to Celsius and Celsius to Fahrenheit
• Free Nursing Practice Test: Vital Signs
• Blood Pressure Trouble-shooting Guide: How to Keep BP Accurate & Avoid Common Mistakes

I hope you have found these practice flash cards for reading a glass or mercury thermometer to be helpful! Find more flash cards, practice tests, and tips at the Student Survive 2 Thrive site map.

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Missed an Assignment in an Online Class? What to do and What to Avoid

An assignment is posted in an online class and alas, the date has already come and gone. It happens. So, now what?

Overdue Assignment in an Online Class? - Photo by S Sepp at Wikimedia Commons

What to do if you Miss an Online Assignment

First, it is important to review the information that was missed if possible. If you had a reading assignment in a textbook, online, within the online class, etc., studying the information should be the primary focus initially. Online instructors provide assignments with the hope that students will internalize the information, and you are likely to see this information again in the form of future assessments. Unfortunately, some online learning information and opportunities may not be available after a due date.

Check the syllabus and other class documents to see if the online instructor has provided specific directions regarding what to do if an assignment is missed. He or she may provide make-up assignments, extra credit, or may allow re-sets. If these are already in place, take advantage of them or plan to schedule time to complete these opportunities for additional points.

Even if you will not receive credit for a missed assignment, you may wish to complete the assignment after the due date. For example, if a discussion board or forum is still open but grading has closed, it is a good idea to complete the assignment. You might still receive valuable feedback from the instructor for future reference. Do not attempt to email the instructor and claim that you posted the information before the due date – online assignments can easily be tracked by the online instructor, and trying to falsify information typically violates the honor code at an institution of higher learning.

Next, touch base with the online instructor and acknowledge that you have missed the assignment. You may want to give added information about why the assignment was missed. Be honest. I do have respect for a student who can email me and simply say that he or she forgot to complete an assignment. Honesty and integrity have a much greater impact on one's life than any letter grade.

Explain to the online instructor what you have done to attempt to learn the information and ask about any opportunities that the teacher may provide to make up the work. Do not automatically expect that an assignment will be re-set. Even if you have a great reason for missing an assignment, an online instructor may or may not extend a due date for an individual student. Part of the learning process in an online class is being self-motivated and managing one's time in order to complete assignments.

If a re-set is provided, the instructor may give additional instructions, such as a password or a time and place for a proctored make-up, and will generally set a due date for the assignment. It is very important to check one's email frequently if you have special requests in an online class. Missing a requested re-set because you didn't check your email for a couple of days is not going to be a satisfactory resolution for you or the instructor.

How Serious is a Missed Assignment? - Photo by Ed Sweeney at Wikimedia Commons

Determine How Serious This Missed Assignment Is

Some missed assignments may cause minimal damage while others could severely affect one's ability to successfully complete the course. Some assignments may carry a heavier weight than others, meaning that they are worth a higher percentage of one's overall score. You may find it helpful to review How to Calculate Your Grade in a Class.

If your previous grades are borderline and/or if the missed assignment carried a heavy weight, you may determine that the missed assignment may make it impossible for you to successfully complete the course. If that is the case, you may wish to check to see if you may drop the class. Most courses have a deadline for dropping a class with certain coding. Other classes might hinge on successful completing of certain courses, so you might need to change plans for future semesters. You may wish to seek guidance on this decision because financial aid and major courses of study may be affected. Always notify the online instructor before dropping a class as well.

Some students choose to continue with the class even if they cannot successfully complete the course. Learning opportunities are not lost simply because one cannot achieve a desired score. Success can be measured in many different ways, and students may find their own personal sense of accomplishment by finishing what they started, regardless of the final grade.

Timing might not be right for some students. Even if you have the potential to successfully complete the course, you might determine that this is not the best class for you to take at this time. Sometimes life circumstances dictate a need to change direction, even in the middle of a semester.

What to do if You Miss an Assignment - Photo by Dion Joel at Wikimedia Commons

How to Avoid Missing Future Assignments

Examine the circumstances that led up to the missed assignment. Many situations might be avoided with a bit of planning. Develop a clear strategy for completing future assignments within the assigned time frame. Sometimes assignments are missed due to an unforeseen emergency, but online classes often offer much more flexibility than on campus classes, and smart time management skills may help students to avoid missing additional assignments.

First, determine when all future assignments are due and how long each is available. Make notes of when each assignment is due. If the instructor provides a calendar of assignments, print that information and highlight or check assignments when complete. You might write or type that information into your calendar, making sure to check it on a regular basis.

Use online resources to your advantage! Some instructors might send email reminders of assignments, or you might want to send yourself an email when each assignment becomes available. Keep that reminder in your inbox until you complete the assignment and develop a schedule for ensuring that you check your email and the online class on a scheduled basis just as you would attend class on campus at a set time.

Avoid the temptation to wait until the due date to start working on an assignment. Plan to complete each assignment early so that you have time to trouble-shoot if you are experiencing technical difficulties. It can be quite freeing to be able to do spur of the moment fun activities later with the knowledge that your work is completed! This can also be helpful if an emergency occurs close to the due date.

Look at your environment and determine whether or not additional help should be enlisted. For example, if you have small kids, you might make arrangements for babysitting during times that you plan to take online tests. If you can anticipate a major conflict with your schedule during future weeks in the class, communicate those issues with the instructor. He or she might provide special arrangements for completing an assignment in the future. Being proactive will often achieve better results.

Develop a schedule for completing assignments and a back-up plan with alternative dates, times, and places for completing assignments in case the original plan is not working. Taking online classes can be a great alternative to traditional classrooms, especially for people with busy schedules and who are self-motivated to learn the material.

I hope you find these tips to be helpful in your future endeavors! Find additional tips, flash cards, and practice tests at the Student Survive 2 Thrive site map.

What Grade Do I Need on the Final Exam?

What grade do I need on the final exam?

A frequent question asked by many students is "What grade do I need on the final exam to get a B, C, (or other grade desired)?" This question involves a little math that any student can apply successfully with a little information.

Determine the Grading Scale

First, determine the grading scale for the class. This information is typically found in the course syllabus. Find the range of scores for earning an A, B, etc. Some classes are set up in which students either successfully complete the course or not, so if this is the type of class, look at the minimum score for successful completion. Once you have found this information, write the lowest number in the range for the grade for which you are looking.

In case you are unsure what a grading scale looks like, here's an example of a 7-point grading scale:

Letter Grade	Range of Scores
A	93-100
B	86-92
C	79-85
D	72-78
F	0-71

In the above example, minimum scores for a desired grade include:

• If you want to achieve a grade of C, your final average must be at least 79.
• If you want to achieve a grade of B, your final average must be at least 86.
• If you want to achieve a grade of A, your final average must be at least 93.

Determine the Weighting of Grades

Next, determine whether or not scores are weighted differently for the various sections in the class. This information is also typically found in the course syllabus. Sometimes the final exam may be worth 50% or more of the final grade for the class, so this is very important information to consider!

In case you are unsure what weighting of grades looks like, here is an example:

Class Assignments	Percentage of Weight
Tests	60%
Quizzes	20%
Group Project	10%
Final Exam	10%

  
Classes Without Weighted Scores (Equal Weighting)

Some classes may offer grading in which all scores count equally. These are the easiest ones for determining your minimum final exam score to achieve a certain overall grade in the class; however, most classes do have weighted scores and the below equation will not work for those classes – see the next section for the equation with weighted scores.

Directions for determining a minimum final exam score without weighted grades:

1. Multiply the minimum score for your desired grade by the number of scores plus 1.
2. Add all grades that you have achieved up until the final exam.
3. Subtract the second number from the first number.

Let's do an example. Let's say you want to achieve a letter grade of B in a class without weighted scores (equal weighting of all grades). Let's say that this instructor is using a 7-point grading scale and that the minimum grade you need for the class is an 86 and here are all the grades you have for the class before the final exam:

• 88
• 78
• 96
• 70
• 65
• 78
• 92
• 94
• 99

In the above example, I would do the following:

1. 86 X 10 = 860 (there are nine grades listed, so I added one to 9 to get 10 and then multiplied by the minimum grade for a B, which is 86)
2. Add the above nine grades = 760
3. 860 - 760 = 100

So, in the above example, I would need to score 100 on my final exam in order to achieve a letter grade of B in the class, assuming that no grades were dropped and no extra credit was offered to be added to the final grade.

In case you want to see how this would look in an algebraic equation, here is the above example:

How to Determine Minimum Score for Final Exam to Get a Grade in Class

Classes With Weighted Scores

Most classes are set up with weighted scores, so this will require a few extra steps in your math equation.

Directions for determining a minimum final exam score with weighted grades:

1. Determine the average of each set of scores within the weighted sections (disregard the final exam section because this would be zero if you have not taken the exam).
2. Multiply each average by the percentage in decimal form (multiply by 0.5 for 50%, multiply by 0.4 for 40%, multiply by 0.2 for 20%, etc.)
3. Add these totals together.
4. Subtract this total from the minimum score for your desired final grade.
5. Divide that number by the percentage weight for the final exam in decimal form.

Let's do an example. We'll use the weighting in the chart above in which tests are worth 60%, quizzes are worth 20%, group project is worth 10%, and the final exam is worth 10%. Determine which grades you have achieved in each section and find the average score for each section. If you need a refresher on how to do this, I have detailed instructions in How to Calculate Your Grade in a Class. This article also gives directions for determining your highest possible and lowest possible scores in a given class.

Let's say you determine the following averages in the chart. You would then then multiply by the percentages in decimal form and finally add all of those average scores together.

Sections	Average	Multiply by	Totals
Tests	82	0.6	49.2
Quizzes	95	0.2	19
Group Project	88	0.1	8.8
Added Totals			77

In this example, if you wish to achieve a grade of B on the above 7-point scale, then you would subtract the above added total of 77 from 86, which would give you a result of 9.

In this example, the final exam is worth 10% of the grade, so you would then divide 9 by 0.1, which equals 90. Therefore, in this example, you would need to achieve a score of 90 on the final exam in order to earn a final grade of B in the class.

If you would like to see how this would look in an algebraic equation, here is the above example:

How to Figure Out Score for Final Grade to Pass a Class

Find additional resources for students, including tips, flash cards, and practice tests at the Student Survive 2 Thrive site map and I wish you the best with your final exam!