Teaching At Its Best


Helping Students Become Independent Readers: Inspired by Three Teachers Talk

Helping Students Become Independent Readers: Inspired by Three Teachers Talk


Share The Class & Share Power.

Share The Class & Share Power.


The 6th Period I Thought I'd Never Miss. You know that one class you have every year? The one that…

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Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning


It was supposed to be a tough year, and this was, after all, that class of students. That class that derails every conversation -…

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Whitewater Rafting the Deschutes River

Whitewater Rafting the Deschutes River


I feel that I have had the support and opportunity to do some pretty incredible things in my 20-year teaching…

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Keeping Students Engaged Through Differentiated Anchor Activities

Keeping Students Engaged Through Differentiated Anchor Activities


Oftentimes, teachers strive to keep the "high fliers" in a subject area engaged and challenged independently while we supply other…

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Music, Math, & The Mind

Music, Math, & The Mind


When you think of math lessons, you probably don't usually think of "The Battle of the Math Bands," Fraction Egg…

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Teaching Kids About Forest Regeneration

Teaching Kids About Forest Regeneration


As a multi-grade teacher in a small church school, it is hard to teach hands-on math because of time constraints.…

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My Strategy Was To Just Be Nice

My Strategy Was To Just Be Nice


As an educator, building a relationship with your students is often the most delicate yet profoundly rewarding challenge you embark…

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A Holistic Approach to Teaching A Drug Free Program

A Holistic Approach to Teaching A Drug Free Program


Many of us in the “visiting teacher” category are from special interest organizations that target a specific subject area. My…

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The Future of Education

The Future of Education


I can remember the exact moment when I saw the future of education. It was around 2005, and I was…

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Technology in Elementary Art Class.

Technology in Elementary Art Class.


After over a year of distance learning, my art teaching practice has changed dramatically. I found new and exciting ways…

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Getting to the Root of the Problem: Strategies to help students succeed.

Getting to the Root of the Problem: Strategies to help students succeed.


Although I recognize that this institute targets K-12 educators, I find that their content also relates to older students. I…

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Revamping Seating Charts Promotes Community & Growth Amongst Students

Revamping Seating Charts Promotes Community & Growth Amongst Students


How can one design a seating chart with 24 unique students? Do you use rows or groups, or the E…

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Compassionate Listening Skills.

Compassionate Listening Skills.


There is a student of mine named Chris, who has become one of my favorite kids in the school. However,…

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Test Your Students Based On Their Strengths.

Test Your Students Based On Their Strengths.


A focus in my life science class is appreciating our differences and finding beauty in imperfection. I highlight this throughout…

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Building A Relationship Of Care, Respect, & High Expectations

Building A Relationship Of Care, Respect, & High Expectations


   In 2019 I was in my tenth year of teaching and teaching at a Title I school in a…

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Decreasing Disruptive Behaviors In The Classroom Using Mindfulness Techniques.

Decreasing Disruptive Behaviors In The Classroom Using Mindfulness Techniques.


In the past several years of my career, especially as we returned to school during the pandemic, my colleagues and…

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Math-Science Elective: Creative Ideas For Your Classroom

Math-Science Elective: Creative Ideas For Your Classroom


For most of my thirty-year career in education, I taught seventh and eighth-grade math. Several years ago, our school adopted…

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Helping Students Feel Safe

Helping Students Feel Safe


As a teacher, it is common to encounter many different kinds of students. It is even more common to meet…

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Teaching Should Not Be A Solo Act.

Teaching Should Not Be A Solo Act.


Last year during our Extemporaneous Speech presentation, one student went awry. This student walked to the front looking super confident,…

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Building Worlds with Backwards Thinking

Building Worlds with Backwards Thinking


     How does a teacher get students to write who don’t want to write? And what I mean is…

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Four Domains of Language Learning:  Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing

Four Domains of Language Learning:  Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing


As a language teacher, I enjoy operating in a field considered an elective but one that I consider imperative. We…

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Centering Wellness in the Social Studies Classroom

Centering Wellness in the Social Studies Classroom


After many years as a special education intervention teacher centering on social-emotional awareness and wellbeing while delivering academic instruction, I…

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A New Semester A New You

A New Semester A New You


Guest post written by Niko Yasui   A successful lesson I have used over the past ten years has been “A New…

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Music Class: A Note-worthy Adventure

Music Class: A Note-worthy Adventure


Guest post by Patrick Nearing   Last spring, my students and I had our first concert together. I was so proud of…

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Sight Word Recognition & Phonemic Components

Sight Word Recognition & Phonemic Components


Guest post by Tina Brady   Last year, first-grade students struggled with consistency with sight word recognition and phonemic components, such as…

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Project-Based Learning - PBL

Project-Based Learning - PBL


Guest post by Brad Cole Project-Based Learning (PBL). Getting the most out of your students, and students giving with passion the best…

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A Noteworthy Success Story

A Noteworthy Success Story


Guest post by Jennifer Wilson I have been teaching at Hood River Middle School for ten years now. I teach 8th grade,…

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Walking For Fitness

Walking For Fitness


Guest post by Alissa Lindeman   As part of our community outreach program, we connected with a JOBS program through the local…

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Why Do They Act Like This?

Why Do They Act Like This?


Guest post by THI instructor Michael Sedler   When students don’t respond to an adult in the manner in which is expected,…

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Raising Chickens:  A Noteworthy Teaching Success Through Chicken Husbandry

Raising Chickens:  A Noteworthy Teaching Success Through Chicken Husbandry


Guest post by Carrie Sullivan I had an opportunity to take a summer professional development offered by Oregon Agriculture.  This course provides…

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Intervention Strategies for Kids Who Stop Trying

Intervention Strategies for Kids Who Stop Trying


Guest post by Aimee Paulson Once upon a time, there was a middle school student who had given up on school. He…

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Wait Time Variation #1: Teach Like A Champion

Wait Time Variation #1: Teach Like A Champion


We all use Wait Time, a typical 7 second or so pause, to enhance the richness and quality of student…

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Starting the School Year Gritty

Starting the School Year Gritty


Let's face it teachers are gritty people. From completing a credential program to pursuing advanced degrees, it takes grit. If…

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If You’re Stuck, Please Know Renewal is Possible

If You’re Stuck, Please Know Renewal is Possible


If you’d been in the parking lot at Menucha Retreat and Conference Center on Thursday morning, July 18th you might…

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Podcast With Mike Seymour

Podcast With Mike Seymour


Holistic educatror Ba Luvmor interviews Heritage Institute President Mike Seymour as part of a series of interviews titled "Meetings with…

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Getting More Out of Classroom Textbook Reading: The Secret is in Engagement

Getting More Out of Classroom Textbook Reading: The Secret is in Engagement


Most teachers depend on textbook reading to provide the backbone of their subject matter to students. But, how many times…

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Online Interactive Reading [VIDEO]

Online Interactive Reading [VIDEO]


In this short, Tips for Teachers Video, learn from Heritage Institute instructor Charity Staudenraus as she talks about online interactive reading using…

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Back to School with Real-life Experiences: Get Going with Google Tours

Back to School with Real-life Experiences: Get Going with Google Tours


The idea of bringing the outside world of mathematics into a 20 x 40 square foot space to 30 squirrelly…

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Google Apps for the Classroom [VIDEO]

Google Apps for the Classroom [VIDEO]


Have you thought of using Google Apps for the Classroom? Find out more about how you can use Google Apps to…

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How a Student Transformed Her Learning When Exposed to Next Generation Science Standards

How a Student Transformed Her Learning When Exposed to Next Generation Science Standards


Two years ago our district began the process of textbook adoption for science. With the state recently adopting the new…

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Guaging Student Understanding—More Than a Hunch!

Guaging Student Understanding—More Than a Hunch!


During a lesson how do you mentally measure where students are in their progress towards learning goals?   If you are like…

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How to Stop Making the Same Behavior Management Mistakes Year after Year

How to Stop Making the Same Behavior Management Mistakes Year after Year


Have you ever reached the end of the school year and felt like it was all a blur? I know I…

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Do Multiple Ways Matter: Using Tech to Make the Connection

Do Multiple Ways Matter: Using Tech to Make the Connection


  Let's be clear counting in small quantities is a skill most kids do naturally without much prompting or coaching needed,…

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Bringing Math Into the Real World with Technology

Bringing Math Into the Real World with Technology


Okay you know the feeling it's math, and kids come into your classroom with all sorts of prior experiences and…

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The Power of Expectations

The Power of Expectations


On my first day of school, in my new job teaching seventh-grade language arts and social studies in an inner-city…

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Strategies for Attention Seeking Behaviors

Strategies for Attention Seeking Behaviors


It’s frustrating when your students are constantly misbehaving in order to get your attention or the attention of their classmates.…

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NEW COURSE: LGBTQ Students: Creating a Supportive School Environment

NEW COURSE: LGBTQ Students: Creating a Supportive School Environment


"Mr. Long, can you call me Jason?", a former student asked me a few years ago. I could tell that…

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A Step-by-Step Guide for Using Puppets to Nurture Your Primary Students’ Reading Development

A Step-by-Step Guide for Using Puppets to Nurture Your Primary Students’ Reading Development


Young children benefit from interacting with the same story again and again. They develop rich story language, learn new vocabulary…

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Avoid “Aboutitus”: Curate Your Classroom with Insiders

Avoid “Aboutitus”: Curate Your Classroom with Insiders


What exactly is “Aboutitus?” It’s our tendency and habit of presenting a subject as bits & pieces, isolated elements, small topics,…

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My Boys Can’t Sit Still on the Carpet: Does Gender Really Matter?

My Boys Can’t Sit Still on the Carpet: Does Gender Really Matter?


Most kinder and first grade teachers will agree a class group where the majority of students are boys will call…

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Then One Day I Decided, “Why Fight It?”

Then One Day I Decided, “Why Fight It?”


In 2015, I started out with a great group of third grade students. I knew many of the students as…

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Common Misconceptions about Socratic Seminars and How to Use Them Effectively

Common Misconceptions about Socratic Seminars and How to Use Them Effectively


I’ve talked to a lot of teachers about using Socratic seminars in class, a lesson format in which students take…

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Teaching Invasive Species in the Classroom to meet Next Generation Science Standards [VIDEO]

Teaching Invasive Species in the Classroom to meet Next Generation Science Standards [VIDEO]


Learn about Teaching Invasive Species in the Classroom to meet Next Generation Science Standards with online continuing education instructor and…

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Helping Students of Mixed Abilities Achieve in the Special Ed Math Classroom

Helping Students of Mixed Abilities Achieve in the Special Ed Math Classroom


There is nothing in the world more that I would want to do as a profession than be a high…

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Tips for Teachers on How to Better Manage Overwhelm [VIDEO]

Tips for Teachers on How to Better Manage Overwhelm [VIDEO]


Teachers have a lot to manage in the classroom and in their lives. Here are some tips for teachers on…

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Ways to Include Student Voice in Your Teaching

Ways to Include Student Voice in Your Teaching


Some of the most impactful learning comes from activities that allow students to speak their minds and volunteer their own…

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Mindsets in the Classroom [VIDEO]

Mindsets in the Classroom [VIDEO]


Mindsets in teaching and learning are being recognized as a core foundation in education according to Heritage Institute instructor Brenda…

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5 Ways to Use Movement in Lessons to Help Students Refocus

5 Ways to Use Movement in Lessons to Help Students Refocus


Getting kids to sit still for six hours a day is an almost impossible task!  In the lower grades, recess…

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Using Personal Maps to Better Get to Know Your Students

Using Personal Maps to Better Get to Know Your Students


Getting to know your students can be a challenge, especially when you see over 100 different kids in one day.…

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6 Simple Ways To Promote An Attitude Of Gratitude In Your Classroom

6 Simple Ways To Promote An Attitude Of Gratitude In Your Classroom


In the wake of school violence, suicide and a host of other social problems that plague children and youth, teachers…

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When All Else Fails, Turn up the Music!

When All Else Fails, Turn up the Music!


As a fourth grade social studies teacher I am often faced with comments such as, “History is so boring! How…

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Building Confident Readers

Building Confident Readers


“I don’t read.”   As a teacher of social studies and English, I’ve heard this more times than I can remember. Every…

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Why We Need to Discuss Controversial Issues in the Classroom

Why We Need to Discuss Controversial Issues in the Classroom


Our students may not watch the news with the same kind of habitual regularity as their parents (or our parents)…

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An Experiment in Mindfulness

An Experiment in Mindfulness


When I hit my fifth year of teaching, I felt pretty confident. I’d worked in three different schools, from inner-city…

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4 Questions to Ask Yourself for Successful Seating Charts

4 Questions to Ask Yourself for Successful Seating Charts


“So, when are we moving seats?”   I get this question about once every six weeks, and it works like an unofficial…

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Developing and Reinforcing Responsibility in Your Students

Developing and Reinforcing Responsibility in Your Students


Early on in my teaching career, I recognized that while students were expected to take on more responsibility in high…

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Why You Should Consider Allowing Cell Phone Use in Your Middle School Music Classroom

Why You Should Consider Allowing Cell Phone Use in Your Middle School Music Classroom


The bell rings and the students amble into the room. You stand at your post, greeting your middle schoolers, and…

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What Assessment Really Means

What Assessment Really Means


I remember when, in my first year of teaching, I decided that Fahrenheit 451 would be a good choice for…

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A Time Filler Triumph

A Time Filler Triumph


This article is dedicated to my esteemed colleagues who, like myself, belong to the Band Directors Facebook Group. This is…

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A Fresh Look at the First Day of School

A Fresh Look at the First Day of School


The first day of school is fast approaching, and with it, the question of what you’re going to do on…

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Be an Inspiration for Organization!

Be an Inspiration for Organization!


As teachers, we all want our students to be organized. We want them to be able to find any supply…

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Making the Most of the End of Summer

Making the Most of the End of Summer


Maybe you saw the first one in mid-July, or just a few days ago. Maybe you saw it in early July,…

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The World We Want Program: Life Learning that Makes a Difference

The World We Want Program: Life Learning that Makes a Difference


Are you and your students passionate about making the world a better place? Are you a teacher who strives to…

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5 Tips for Using Fidget Toys in the Classroom (and Staying Sane!)

5 Tips for Using Fidget Toys in the Classroom (and Staying Sane!)


Love them or hate them, fidget toys are one of the latest fads to storm the world of education. These little…

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Meet THI Instructor Kelly Lickteig

Meet THI Instructor Kelly Lickteig


Q: Kelly, how did you come to be an instructor for the Heritage Institute? In 2012, I was taking courses through…

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In Defense of Fidget Spinners

In Defense of Fidget Spinners


If you work in a school, you probably know what a fidget spinner is.  You may have even seen other…

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Meet THI Instructor Suzanne Warner

Meet THI Instructor Suzanne Warner


Meet Suzanne Warner, Instructor of several Heritage Institute continuing education courses for teachers.    Q:  Suzanne, how did you come to…

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How Mindset Can Transform Your Math Class

How Mindset Can Transform Your Math Class


One of the things I truly enjoy about teaching is that I also enjoy learning, and decades into my teaching…

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Google Classroom 2.0

Google Classroom 2.0


Welcome to May! This month we are featuring: Google Classroom 2.0. Expand your use of Google Classroom with Instructor Charity…

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Strategies for When Teaching Gets Tough

Strategies for When Teaching Gets Tough


Teacher burnout. Unfortunately, this is too common in our profession. I think back over my years of teaching and think…

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5 Women Teachers Who Made History by Never Giving up

5 Women Teachers Who Made History by Never Giving up


All teachers who inspire kids to believe in themselves and that they are worthy of living the life of their…

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The Principalship:  Leadership 24/7

The Principalship:  Leadership 24/7


Moving to the role of the principalship from classroom teacher is one of the biggest lifts in life of an…

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Reluctant Writers

Reluctant Writers


This guest article is by Deb Lund, THI Instructor and was originally published at www.deblund.com. This morning I saw…

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Mindsets in the Classroom In Rwanda: A Continuing Education Journey

Mindsets in the Classroom In Rwanda: A Continuing Education Journey


Guest post by Natasha Edinger Every summer I take a course or two through The Heritage Institute and am able to…

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Featured Course: Writing with Kids: Real Writing with Real Results

Featured Course: Writing with Kids: Real Writing with Real Results


Welcome to February! This month we are featuring: Writing with Kids: Real Writing with Real Results.  Inspire great writing from…

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Featured Course: Preschool Mathematics

Featured Course: Preschool Mathematics


Welcome to 2017! This year we are excited to feature a different continuing education course every month that we know…

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Welcome to Our New Website!

Welcome to Our New Website!


Welcome to our new website with a brand new learning environment for online courses, making your continuing education more accessible, convenient, interactive…

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