Problem: Article: The best speeches are those that engage the audience with an interesting, relevant topic. Preparation will depend, to some extent, on whether your child has been assigned a specific topic or gets to choose one. If your child has been assigned a specific topic already, ask what he or she knows about that subject. If this knowledge is lacking, point your child toward books, articles, websites, or other sources of information. Otherwise, simply talk about how your child might elaborate on the topic at hand. If your child gets to select the subject, brainstorm together about possible topics. Decide on something appropriate to the assignment and interesting to your child. Your child should pitch his or her speech to the particular audience: are they students, adults, or both? The content and tone of the speech should reflect the audience and the occasion. Your child's assignment may vary, but in general, a speech should have an introduction, a developed and persuasive middle, and a conclusion. Your child should include both facts and opinions. After you've chosen a theme, your child should write a rough draft of the speech. You can then check the draft, point out any major problems, and make suggestions for improvement. Your child should revise his or her speech, using your suggestions for guidance. Teach your child how important this step is: the best writers and the best public speakers all draft, revise, and revise again. Your child's speech will be clearer and more effective with a few pictures, diagrams, or slides. Remind your child to select these visual aids carefully, choosing relevant images that will interest the audience. You can also point out, if your child is nervous, that good visual aids will take the audience members' eyes off the child. They will be looking at the images instead. Whether or not your child uses visual aids, a few note cards can provide some security against forgetting parts of the speech. Have your child jot down the basic structure of the speech, plus any parts he or she is likely to forget. Depending on the situation, some children (especially younger children) may be encouraged to put their entire speech on note cards and to read directly from the cards. Find out what your child is expected to do.
Summary: Think about the subject. Encourage your child to consider the audience. Discuss the structure of a speech. Have your child draft the speech. Teach the importance of revision. Suggest visual aids. Prepare note cards.

Problem: Article: How much you use is up to you. If you like things spicy, use more pepper. If you like things salty, use more salt. Place 1 tablespoon (14.2 grams) of unsalted butter or 1 tablespoon (15mL) of olive oil in the pan and turn on the heat. Gently swirl the pan to coat the bottom evenly with the butter or oil. The pan needs to be very hot in order for the scallops to cook properly. You can tell the pan is hot enough if you drop some water on the pan and it evaporates instantly. Keep them in a single layer. If you are cooking a lot of scallops, you may need to cook them in several batches. The scallops won't cook properly if the pan is overcrowded. The first scallop should sizzle when you place it on the pan. If it doesn't, wait a few more seconds before adding the rest. Don't move them around or jiggle the pan. If you do this, they won't sear or heat evenly. The scallops need to sit undisturbed in the pan long enough to develop a slightly hardened, golden-brown layer on the side facing the pan. If the scallops don't peel off the pan easily, let them cook for a few more seconds. You can use a pair of tongs or a flat spatula to flip them. Again, don't jiggle the pan or move the scallops around while they're cooking. Both side of the scallop should be opaque and golden-brown, and they should look opaque all the way through. They should be firm, but somewhat squishy, when you press down on them. Don't overcook the scallops, of they'll end up tough and chewy. Serve the scallops immediately with your favorite sauce, pasta, or vegetable. The longer they sit, the less fresh they will taste. You can serve these scallops over pasta or couscous with a little lemon or olive oil, or add them to a salad! If you don't eat all of your scallops, you can store them in the refrigerator in a well-sealed container for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them in an airtight container for 2-3 months.
Summary: Sprinkle the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat with butter or olive oil. Place the scallops on the pan about 1 inch (2.5cm) apart. Cook the scallops for 2 minutes. Flip the scallops and cook them for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the scallops to a plate once they are done. Serve up the scallops while they're still warm.

Problem: Article: Knock on the ends of each line you drew. If the wall sounds solid, you're still on the wood that frames the window, and you can install the rods with screws only. If the wall sounds hollow, you should first install anchors. You could also use a stud finder to determine if the walls are strong enough to install the rod without anchors. Stud finders can be found at any hardware store. Once you are satisfied with the line's placement on the wall, you should mark it. At the end of each line use an awl to punch a starter hole. Awls are common woodworking tools used to mark the beginning of a hole. Don't make the hole too large. It is best to make a smaller hole to help you align the screws later in the process. If you can't or don't want to drill holes in your wall, use adhesive hooks to secure the rod to the wall. Choose hooks that are strong enough to support the rod and curtains. Simply put the hooks where you would put the holes on either side of the window and set the rod in the hooks. To ensure a secure hold of the curtains use traditional toggle bolts. Screw the metal wall anchor into each hole, if necessary, with a power drill and a phillips head drill bit. It should be an easy installation and only require you to fully thread the anchor into the wall. Skip this step if you're installing directly into the wood. If your wall sounded hollow and you don't use an anchor, you could damage your walls. Your curtains could fall out of the wall and potentially injure someone. Hold a bracket against one of holes you punched. If you installed screw anchors, hold the bracket over one of the anchors you installed. Your brackets probably have two screw holes. Place the bracket's top screw hole over the hole or anchor. Hold up the bracket. Tape the bracket firmly against the wall with a couple of strips of masking tape. Repeat the process for the other bracket. This will help you attach the brackets to your walls. You can skip this step if you have a friend to help you hold the brackets. Screw the brackets to the wall with their attached hardware. Remove the tape once the rods are firmly attached to the wall. Many find that it is beneficial to attach the curtains to the rod before mounting them to the brackets. It might be easiest to test the hold of the brackets before thinking about the curtains. Test the hold of the brackets by mounting the rod into the bracket's slot.
Summary:
Test the walls. Punch a starter hole. Install an anchor. Mount the brackets. Attach the rod brackets.