Everyone can agree that a stable family background is most likely to Essay

Everyone can agree that a stable family background is most likely to deliver the enviroment that children need - Essay Example A stable family background, founded on marriage, and constituted of a mother and a father, provides the optimal environment for the child. It is the institution of marriage which provides the foundation for a stable family. Research has led to the consensus that â€Å"Families based on marriage are, on an average, healthier, wealthier, and more stable than any other family forms† (Civitas web site). Marriage contributes to the stability of the family and to the well-being of both adults and children in a plethora of ways. It ensures a mutual sense of responsibility towards the children and the sharing of resources. Children have a good relationship with their married parents, mainly due to the time spent together. Marriage increases the probability of the children themselves entering into stable marriages. Economically, marriage is linked to higher income and thus, a higher standard of living for the child. Children of married parents achieve greater academic success, earn university degrees and have high-status employment. These children also enjoy better physical health, have lower rates of alcohol and drug ab use, have fewer mental health problems, are less likely to indulge in delinquent behavior and are at less risk of experiencing child abuse (Civitas web site. Factsheets on the Family). The traditional family structure, composed of the two birth parents, contributes best to family stability and child well-being. Single parent families, which may be the result of bereavement, separation, divorce or bearing children outside wedlock, fail to meet the material and psychological needs of the child. Children of lone mothers have higher chances of living in poverty and deprivation, of getting into trouble at school, playing truant, being excluded and dropping out, having adjustment and socialization problems, being subject to physical, emotional or sexual abuse, indulging in smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, of running away from home and of becoming

Reading Fluency Essay Example for Free

Reading Fluency Essay Reading fluency is defined as the ability to read smoothly and accurately, while using proper phrasing and expression (Bengeny,etal. ,(2010). It is important that students add emphasis and make inferences while reading to process the meaning to the information being read. When practicing reading fluency it is important that students develop automacity. A professional ballet dancer no longer consciously has to think about her form or steps to a routine, a fluent reader should no longer remember to be aware of phonics or spelling rules while reading fluency. These skills will be embedded in the process of reading that it will just come natural to the student. In order for a student to read fluency without consciously thinking of the skill they must be taught systematically and explicitly, at the proper time and sequence. Word recognition, phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition are areas struggled readers need most help in (Bengeny,etal. ,(2010). Without this knowledge the reader’s fluency slows down and it will affects their comprehension to the information being read. These are skills that need to be taught to become automatic. Researchers indicate that phonemic awareness and letter knowledge are very important in learning to decode (Bengeny,etal. ,(2010). A student’s inability to identify the sounds in a word as well as blend them to form the words pronunciation may lead to multiple attempts to pronounce unknown words, decreasing the students speed and comprehension. Many students, from elementary school to high school struggle with reading fluency and comprehension. For years researches have studied and investigated elements of effective reading and why there are such a high number of struggled readers. Statistics have shown that 65 percent of eight graders in secondary school students with learning disabilities read below the 20th percentile and the numbers are even greater in urban school districts (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2007). Theorists argue that characteristics of proficient readers are to read reasonable and at an efficient rate (Spencer, S. A. , Manis, F. R. (2010). It is common for students who are struggled readers to have trouble achieving fluency in word and passage reading. Fluency is identified as a critical component to successful reading. Two reading theorist Laberge and Samuels made a direct link between reading fluency and comprehension as cited by (Spencer, Manis. 2010). Student must develop automatist in order to properly comprehend the text they are reading. If the student has not mastered fluency in reading, they will have difficulties learning new reading skills. LaBerge and Samuels (2010) state that as a reader’s fluency increases the cognitive resources are opened and the reader’s comprehension will increase. Many researchers suggest that early readers should develop fluency at an age appropriate level. Students between first and third grade should read connected text identified as the approximate time when most readers should develop this skill. In 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress founded a strong correlation between fluency and comprehension, and oral reading fluency and students overall reading abilities. There are effective ways that help improve a student’s reading fluency when implementing specific methods of instruction (OShea, L.J. ,Sindelar,P. T. OShea,D. J (1985). There are several fluency- based strategies that a reported to improve the range of students reading abilities, when specific instructional component are combined. Therrien believed that the Repeated Reading strategy (RR) was the most effective strategy to help students who struggled in fluency and reading compression (as cited by Bengeny,etal. , 2010). The RR strategy required the student to reread a short passage for a set number of times or until a certain criterion was met. This strategy was effective with both students who were struggle readers and students without learning disabilities. Therrien believed that a certain protocols must be followed in order for this strategy to be affective (Bengeny,etal. , 2010).. RR is most affective when a first reads a passage aloud to an adult, is provided with a cue during instruction (for example to read with comprehension, fluency, or speed), repeat reading passage at least three or four times, receive corrective feedback as part of instruction, and read until a performance criterion is met (Spencer,S. A. , Manis,F. R. 2010). Morgan and Sideridis (2006) conducted a meta-analysis with students who were identified as at-risk students with learning disabilities. They found that affective fluency strategies integrate goal setting, feedback, reinforcement and instructional components, like RR and listening to more skilled readers read (as cited by Bengeny,etal. , 2010). When using strategies in reading fluency its important follow right components that are associated with benifical outcomes for students. The first component being model reading, allowing students listen to a more skilled reader, either a classmate or an adult. Having a systematic error- correction procedure is important because the student is aware of the errors being made and will learn the proper way to correct it and will be prepared to self-correct errors before made again. Goal setting gives the students a criterion and applies a practicing text until the predetermined performance is met. Performance feedback combined with graphical display of student’s progress; keep the student informed with their performance. Graphs can be shown as visual improvements or regression. Use of a systematic praise and structured reward system are used for students reading behaviors and accomplishments (Spencer, S. A. , Manis, and F. R. 2010). Use verbal cues for students to read with fluency, by promoting greater speed and accuracy. Verbal cues for students to read for comprehension are repeated reading of ability appropriate text out loud to an adult at least three times (OShea, L. J. , Sindelar,P. T. OShea,D. J. 1985). By combining fluency based instructional components; a fluency based instructional package has been created with ready to use materials for teachers to use ad a form of intervention. The foundation of these programs were developed to serve as a addition to a students core reading program; providing systematic guidelines for easy implementation; and allow for greater publication across schools, districts, and states (Spencer,S. A. , Manis,F. R. 2010). Great Leaps is a reading program that is used to help struggled readers. Great Leaps includes two primary sets of materials. Its has a K-2 program used as and addition to a students core reading program and a third through fifth grade program that is used to remediate low-performing students’ reading skills. Great Leaps Reading program is used throughout the United States, Canada and over 40 countries. Over 1,400 schools in New York City Department of Education have adopted Great Leaps reading program in elementary schools (Bengeny,etal. ,2010). Great Leaps is currently one of the most popular and most used reading programs that educator’s uses in addition to students core reading curriculum in pursuit to improve a students reading fluency and comprehension. Great Leaps primary emphasis is on fluency, with the assumption that comprehension will improve if the student becomes a more fluent reader. This program is easy to implement, teachers will administer the lesson in a one-to-one setting for approximately 10 minutes per session daily. The procedure includes three of the evidence- based components such as; modeled reading, goal setting, and performance feedback with graphical displays of student’s progress (Bengeny,etal. ,(2010). During the session student will be reading three timed readings. Each reading will be under the following three headings; phonics, sight phrases, and stories. Each reading is timed for about one minute. The goal for the student is to read each page with no more than two errors a page. Instructors are encouraged to use some form of error correction and to reward students for accomplishments, with praise and small tangible rewards. Error correction must be immediate and followed by modeling of the correct response. When the student successful masters the page, he/she will then progress â€Å"leap† on to the next page, which contains slightly more difficult material (Mercer Campbell. , 1998,p137). Great Leaps reading intervention allows students to frequently practice reading material that are to par with their reading capabilities; practice does not occur during the same session. Furthermore, fluency and comprehension are learning disabilities that are increasing overtime. There are numerous intervention programs available to assist students with their disability. Every district and school has their own techniques and programs they use to help struggle readers with fluency. When choosing the right intervention program for students, research must be done on the program being used. Educators need to be aware of the eight components that are associated with beneficial out comes in students who struggle in reading fluency. The program Great Leaps after being evaluated has been fundamental, due to the minimal research done on this intervention. One study stated that Great Leaps (K-2) program did not aim to evaluate the portion independent from another reading program that was being implemented concurrently (Trout, etal. , 2003). Through researcher Great Leaps is proven to be an effective strategy to improve reading fluency. Researchers have found that this program can be improved by integrating more of the instructional components, such as repeated reading and systematic errors correction. If these improvements are made to the program, the effectiveness of Great Leaps will increase in students (Bengeny, etal. , 2010).

Analysis of Woman to Man by Judith Wright Essay -- Judith Wright Woman

Analysis of Woman to Man by Judith Wright  Ã‚   I was slightly confused when I read this poem at first, but it became apparent from the rich metaphors, that it was about the sexual relation between the woman and man. It is also about conception - or rather the potential of creating a child from this sexual act - told from the woman's point of view. Judith Wright was very bold in writing such a poem since it was published in 1949, when such issues weren't discussed in the public, but as a well-regarded poet, she had achieved a good reputation for expressing herself, and therefore could write a subjective poem about this issue. The main idea of this poem, is based upon female sexuality and sensuality, and that sex is symbolic of life, or death if pregnancy fails. The title seems to mean now, "Woman to Man" as if the woman is offering herself to the Man, offering her body to create a child, through the act of sex. It also means that the woman has something to give to the man, not only the pleasure, but through blood and pain, a child. The language compliments the mood of this poem, as it varies from a sad and melancholy cry, to a voice of hope, all in a constant confident feel, and by this, the poet's reflections and contemplation?s are communicated successfully to us, making us feel in the same way she has felt. The first stanza begins with a bold and confident entry describing in a simple way the sexual relation between the man and the woman; or better said; Woman to Man. The 'seed' which the woman holds - has the potential of becoming a child. The image of the day of birth as a ?resurrection day? is important in this respect for, just as the resurrection of Christ defeated death, so too, does each individual... ... final line - "Oh hold me, for I am afraid." This line is wholly successful on a dramatic level; for here the real world of passion and pain breaks in. At the same time the poem as a whole has suggested that in each sexual act there is the potential for the creation of new life which challenges time and death. The woman is the proud yet fearful instrument of this process. The poem has   a   rhythmic pattern that compliments the metaphors and paradoxes. The stanzas begin and end, individually, for the first and last lines rhyme, which creates a feeling of ?wholleness? to each stanza, quite appropriate to the act of creating or bearing a child. It is like a song, a pentameter that begins bold, but ends in a quiet tone, making its reader reflect, not only about the ending, but the entire poem as a serious issue, that fornication is, or can be, a holy act.

What Doesn’t Kill You Make You Stronger

Survival is a word that has a pretty basic meaning, â€Å"To continue existence† I the name from Microsoft Office, there is really nothing to argue about. As I remember Living at 528 N. Bayard Ave; the only way you could live is if you had thick skin. Our definition of thick skin was being able to takes joke and being bullied without crying or running and telling Aunt Sabrina what happened. My cousin Darnell and I would play as much jokes on my sister Desiree and cousin Ruby. Every since I was younger I could remember everyone I know had jokes. Everyone was made fun of, and the only you made it through it is you had to get back at them by a joke or a prank believe that through all the jokes and pranks I am able to not be so offended by the little things people do to bother me and shaped me into a stronger person. I believe in the social world if someone does an act to diminish your character and you don’t shutdown and go in to social isolation then you have thick skin. In this paper I will argue that with more details that when it comes to the saying â€Å"what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger† is the main key is survivalin a social aspect the saying is true. Living in most urban neighborhoods with as many as fifty young children of all ages for all my life you are bound to get teased by someone; especially if you are not the best dresser or have the coolest sneakers on, or the most money. You have to be able to bend and not break. I can remember a time where I was the butt of all jokes but since I didn’t let anything make me go under a rock. These experiences allow me to one a day to be the joke maker and not be subjected to being that weak loser. I can remember a being in Tenth grade at Overbrook High School. Every day I would go into Biology class and we would tell momma jokes so like three kids would gang up and talk about my mom; at this age being 16 I was already prepared since all the encounters in my past that helped me I this situation. That’s the only I made it through high school and it’s the reason why I can hold my own in the world today. On the other side of this debate; I can remember being in my house and my parents bring up how my little sister tell them that me and my others siblings were picking in her. So I said that, â€Å"Well teasing her is not killing her and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and I only trying to prepare her for all the people that will talk to her so it cannot effect her†. Then my dad responded, â€Å"It may kill her and but you are hurting her, or maybe even crippling her and make her socially inapt†. He continue by saying that she may not even want to take risk because of the things that people may say about the from the withdrawal state I may have cause. After making me feel guilty he used a wildlife analogy saying, â€Å"If a lion is hurt in battle then is he stronger†. Then I said another way I can prove how my saying is true is how you see all the people that commit suicide form cyber bullying and from people making jokes about them. They couldn’t handle the joking around or hazing; since it didn’t make them stronger it killed them. Living as long as did you are bound to have days were you are going to receive an amount of jokes, but its up to you if you let them get to you and mess up your life. Your never going to get away from. So when it to survival (at least the social aspect of survival) I believe that the key is â€Å"whatever doesn’t kill you make you stronger. Even though people may say the word â€Å"survival† they have a tendency like Darwin’s theory of evolution â€Å"only the strongest survive†. What I say to that is how do I people get to the â€Å"strongest†. That is where my definition comes in to play you have to endure all the negativity or the positive things that happened to you. So you get to the point of being the â€Å"strongest†.

Imposing Strict Punishment for Driving Offences

Two weeks back, my friends and I witnessed a car accident in front of our very own eyes. The night was still as there were not many cars on the road. However, the silence was disrupted by a loud screeching noise. The flow of conversation came to a halt as we turned our heads in unison towards the source of the noise. At that exact moment, we saw a black car crashed into a lamp post. The front of the car was severely damaged and minutes later, the bleeding driver could be seen limping out of the car. What we have just witnessed serves as proof that road accidents are becoming more and more rampant with every passing day. Some suggest imposing strict punishments for driving offences as a mean to reduce road accidents. In most situations, this holds true because punishments such as heavy penalty, community service and a prison sentence are able to change an offender’s behavior. Moreover, it deters the public from making traffic offences. Heavy penalty should be imposed on those who defy the road rules. For example, those who fail to obey the speed limit on Malaysian roads and expressways can be fined up to RM300, depending on the difference between the speed limit and the driven speed.Compare and Contrast Driving in the Winter and Driving in the Summer A heavier penalty of RM500 should be imposed on the road offenders to deter them from committing the offence again. Besides that, a stricter punishment in the form of a heavier penalty will act as a deterrent to potential road offenders. This method has been proven to be rather successful as a statistics have shown that the number of road accidents have reduced by 39% when a heavier penalty was imposed. If this continues, nobody will dare to go at high speed. After all, money is what motivates or deters people from doing or not doing something. Not only that, I believe that the community service is a good form of punishment especially for the younger offenders. Young being those who are aged between 17 to 35 years of age. In this form of punishment, offenders are forced to carry out between 40 to 300 hours of unpaid work as ‘Community Payback' which includes cleaning public areas such as the community halls, playgrounds and schools. They are also made to wear uniforms while carrying out their duties. Undoubtedly, they would be embarrassed as people would take notice of them and more so if it were their very own friends. They might even be mocked at or ridiculed by passers-by. However, the main aim of the community service is not to make a fool of these people but to bring about a change of attitude in them. By doing the community service, hopefully they are able to experience and appreciate the hardship that others face in maintaining the public areas even though the offence committed was not related to it. One way or another, this might just help them to be a better person. A prison sentence could also be seen as an effective method to reduce road accidents. However, this will take into account the severity of the road offence committed. If it involves the lost of an innocent life then a prison sentence should be compulsory. For instance, the punishment of a two year long imprisonment to those who commit a road offence such as driving under the influence (DUI). If there happens to be a lost of a life due to that person’s irresponsible act, then the prison sentence should be extended to four years. This might seem rather cruel to some but these offenders should think of the consequences before they decide to go behind the wheels while under the influence of certain substances such as alcohol and drugs. Life in prison would be a deterrent to the public in committing driving offences as it strips them of their freedom. Undeniably, the mere thought of losing one’s freedom is enough to send shivers down the spine. With that being said, we can conclude that most people will abide by the law if a sense of fear is instilled into them. Nevertheless, I am also of the opinion that other methods that are not punishment based could also reduce road accidents. For instance, tightening the rules on obtaining a driving license and holding campaigns on road safety in schools. Some may argue that the subtler methods do not work well with today’s society but I think that we should look into the core of the matter to find out where the problem lies. By doing so only then we are able to decide on the best solutions to overcome this ever growing problem. The subtler methods are effective in its own ways as it helps to instill the right mentality into teenagers’ and children’s minds from a young age. In other words, the law enforcers, police and government should find the best solution to this problem and it should incorporate both the elements of the harsh punishments and also the subtler methods.

bio lab pill bug Essays

bio lab pill bug Essays bio lab pill bug Paper bio lab pill bug Paper What are the Effect of Different Environments and the Movement of Pill Bugs? Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to analyze pill bugs activity in different environments and determine the effect of wet/dry or dark/light environments have on them and how taxis takes place in their choices in living in areas. Background information: Terrestrial isopods are commonly referred to as sow bugs and pill bugs and have other nick names as well. These pill bugs are also related to lobsters, crabs and shrimp making them breathe with gills. Pill bugs also tend to live in moist cool areas such as underneath rocks and soil in order to keep them from ehydrating. These pill bugs seem to sense their environment with the antennae in front of their body. Males and females are typically distinguished through darker and lighter colors, darker bottom sides being males and lighter being females. They also breathe through their gill like structures within their bodies. Through the first lab experiment that I did, I allowed the pill bugs to move freely without interfering with any of their decisions. After recording the numbers after every thirty seconds I believe that through taxis they chose to move the side where the moist was much higher. Based on my data I have concluded that pill bugs prefer moist living condition than dry. Hypothesis: If pill bugs naturally live under rocks and typically come out during the night, I predict that most of the will prefer the darker setting more than the lighter Materials: Dirt/S0il Roly-polies An apple Mister Shoe box Foam cup Duct tape Procedure: Isopod tracking chart in wet and dry conditions Time (min:sec)# Wet# Dry o:oo 0:30 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 3:30 4:30 5:00 5:30 6:00 7:00 7:30 8:00 8; 30 9:00 9:30 100 8 9 7 6 2 3 4 10:oo 9 Isopod tracking chart with light and dark setting Time (min:sec)# Light # Dark :oo 5 5 4:00 6:30 8;30 5 10:oo 7 Discussion: The purpose of this lab was to identify how pill bugs react in different environments and how taxis takes a role in their decisions. Through this lab I was able to acquire an abundant amount of information to support my hypothesis. Based on the data that came out of the light vs. ark experiment I have concluded that pill bugs prefer darker environments than light. In order to support this data IVe done research, which spec ifically states the isopods, like pill bugs prefer darken areas than light due to the fact that the sun puts these bugs at risk of drying out. The most otable error that could have occurred was the bugs themselves run into each other. In order to fix this problem I could have open the passage wider so that they can easily move freely to each side. For future experiments i believe it should be done outside so that the bugs can feel the heat waves so that it gives the lab a little bit more credibility. This lab should also be done on a larger scale with more details, like either giving them more room on in each environment like a shoe box and having the experiment go on for a couple of days instead of minutes. Conclusion: Through this lab IVe discovered that in order for an animal to survive hey go through one of two actions, kinesis or taxi. This is also proof that animals go through natural selection and the fittest will survive. Conclusion Questions: (B) 1 . Based on your observations, do isopods prefer a moist or dry environment? -Based on my results, these bugs prefer to live in moist areas. (B)2. Would the movement observed be an example of taxis or kinesis? -l believe their actions were an example of kinesis due to higher numbers in wet areas. (B)3. Suggest a reason characteristics could lower the possibility of being eaten due to the fact that not very many predators live where they do (C)l . Did the isopods exhibit kinesis and/or taxis? -l believe that the bugs exhibited kinesis until the darker environment was found, and then after experiencing the darker area they chose to stay there by taxis. (C)2. What is the adaptive significance of the behavior you observed? -In order to prevent dehydration these pill bugs instinctively stayed in the darker cool area. (C)3. How can we apply the findings of this experiment to the study of behavior in other organisms? -Through this experiment I found that this sets an example of the animal kingdom and demonstrates how animals encounter different challenges and come about surviving.

Death of Salesman essays

Death of Salesman essays The book Death of a Salesman is all about the American Dream. However, some take the American Dream a little too far, and thats all they want in life. Willy took this a little too far. He had a false sense of importance in the world. When you do that and shut everything else out, you will lose everything, even yourself. The main character in this book does just that. He is a salesman who wants nothing but to be rich and well liked. After trying and trying to do this and never succeeding, he loses everything and even takes his own life. Its just as Willys son, Biff states at the end: The man didnt know who he was. (Miller138) Willy is the main character in the play. He is a crazy man who develops many problems because of his outlook on life. He let the American Dream take over and basically kill him. He spends all of his life thinking that if you are well liked you will succeed in life and become rich. Success in his mind is being rich and well liked. Even though he thinks that being well liked is so important, he isnt well liked. I know when I walk in. They seem to laugh at me. (Miller36) Over these invalid statements he loses his mind, friends, family, job and his whole life. His way of thinking also carries onto his children. You see this because his two sons turn out to be much like him for the most part. Biff is Willys perfect son, he is Willys pride and joy. Willy thinks that Biff will make it in life and be well liked and successful. Biff while in high school accomplished so much and was very successful. He was an all star football player and was the most popular guy in school. He looked up to his Dad and wanted to be just like him up until the night he went to Boston. That was the night that everything in Biffs life ended. After that he flunked math, didnt graduate, and became nothing at all. Willy throughout ...