Phy107 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Phy107 - Essay Example A blackbody emits infrared wavelengths at room temperature. As the temperature increases, the blackbody starts to emit visible light, starting from red to orange, yellow to white and blue with increasing temperature. When the blackbody turns white, it is already emitting ultraviolet radiation. Stefan's Law states that the total energy radiated by a blackbody per unit surface area is directly proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature. This means that as temperature increases, the wavelength of the radiation emitted decreases. Doppler Effect, or Doppler shift, happens when an observer is moving relative to the wave source - there is a change in the frequency of the wave perceived by the observer. This means that when we are approaching the wave source, we perceive a higher frequency. When we are receding from the wave source, we perceive a lower frequency. Spectroscopy refers to the dispersion of an object's light into its component colors. By analyzing the light emitted by an object, the physical properties of that object such as temperature, mass, luminosity and composition can be inferred by an astronomer. Continuous spectrum, as opposed to discrete spectrum, refers to energy at all wavelengths. It is emitted by warm objects. The spectrum of light with missing frequencies is called absorption spectrum. ... Continuous spectrum, as opposed to discrete spectrum, refers to energy at all wavelengths. It is emitted by warm objects. The spectrum of light with missing frequencies is called absorption spectrum. The missing frequencies correspond to wavelengths of light that were absorbed. 3. Explain how a beam of light passing through a diffuse cloud may give rise to both absorption and emission spectra. Suppose that a beam of light passes through a gas, some of the frequencies of the light will be absorbed by the gas. The rest of the frequencies will be able to pass through. When these surviving frequencies are dispersed through a prism, they will show a spectrum with gaps on it. The visible spectrum will correspond to the emission spectrum while the dark bands will correspond to the absorption spectrum. 4. List three properties of a star that can be determined from observations of its spectrum. a. Total energy that the star radiates b. Luminosity c. Surface temperature CHAPTER 5 1. List three advantages of reflecting telescopes over refractors. a. Refractors tend to be heavier overall than reflecting telescopes because of their longer solid tubes and require a larger housing and a more massive mount. b. Reflectors don't disperse color as most refractors are to one degree or another. c. In a refractor the lens can only be supported along the edge so that the path is clear for light to come through unobstructed. 2. How does Earth's atmosphere affect what is seen through an optical telescope The Earth's atmosphere is constantly moving, and different layers bend the light from a star in different directions, blurring our view from the ground. 3. What are the advantages of a CCD over a photograph The major advantages of CCD-based cameras are

Adolf Hitler Conspiracies Essay Example for Free

Adolf Hitler Conspiracies Essay Did Adolph Hitler really commit suicide on April 30, 1945? Hitler is believed to have poisoned and shot himself along with his newlywed wife, Eva Braun, on April 30, 1945 while in an underground bunker in Berlin. Then, Hitler and his wife’s body were burned outside the bunker. However, many questioned whether this really happened so they have conspiracies on Hitler’s death. Three main conspiracies that really challenge Hitler’s suicide are that the skull found in the bunker did not belong to him, no shots were heard by bystanders in the bunker, and he had an imposter kill himself. So Hitler’s death may have been a hoax due to the evidence from several sources, showing that Hitler may have never committed suicide in that bunker and he had escaped from Germany. The skull that was believed to be Hitler’s, which was taken by the Russian army and preserved by Soviet intelligence, is now proven by DNA analysis to be of a woman under 40 years old. The bodies of Hitler and Eva Braun, Hitler’s wife, after they died, were said to have been wrapped in blankets and carried to the â€Å"garden outside the bunker, placed in a bomb crater, doused with petrol and set ablaze† (Fresh Doubts over Hitlers Death†¦Ã¢â‚¬  3). However, Stalin, who was suspicious about Hitler’s fate, had the Russian forensics team dig up Hitler’s body, but a part of the skull was missing. The Russians eventually found the other fragment to make ensure Hitler’s death. However, American researchers were finally able to examine the skull fragment after it had been under strict possession of the Soviets. The researchers found out the skull fragment belonged to a women under 40 years old because in their DNA analysis of the skull they found that â€Å"the bone seemed very thin; male bone tends to be more robust. Also the sutures where the skull plates come together seemed to correspond to someone under 40† (Fresh Doubts over Hitlers Death†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2). But Hitler was 56 in April 1945 so the skull could not have belonged to him. Braun was believed to have been killed as well so the skull fragment could belong to her and she was 33 years old when she died. Overall, Hitler’s suicide has been greatly challenged by this astonishing discovery about the skull fragment believed to be Hitler’s. Skull Fragment Believed to Belong to a Woman, not Hitler (Fresh Doubts over Hitlers Death..† 1) Nobody actually saw Hitler shoot himself on April 30, 1945. The guards near the bunker claimed they heard nothing, but many of them withdrew their claims because they said Allied interrogators pressured them into saying that. Also some people who claimed to have heard the shot weren’t even there. Otto Gunsche, Hitler’s SS adjutant, claimed to have been in the conference room with Nazi Party Secretary Martin Bormann and Propagnda Minister Josef Gobbels when he heard the shot, and then he claimed they â€Å"rushed to the anteroom with Gobbels in lead† (Adolf Hitler Death and Survival Myths 2). However, Rattenhuber, commander of Hitler’s SS guards claimed that Gunsche was already in the anteroom when he arrived. So Gunsche could’ve helped Hitler escape from the bunker without anyone else knowing. Also Hitler’s chauffeur Erich Kempka and former Reich Youth leader Artur Axmann claimed that they saw a body being carried out of the bunker â€Å"which was wrapped in blanket and was dressed in Hitler’s trousers, shoes and socks†, but they didn’t get a valid identification of Hitler. If no one actually physically saw or heard Hitler shoot himself, how do they know he really shot himself ? Layout of Hitler’s Bunker (Navona Numismatics..† 1) Most of the conspiracies on Hitler’s death have to do with him having a double. Around 2 P.M on April 30, 1945, Hitler had a strange conversation with his personal pilot, Hans Baur. Baur begged Hitler to escape to Argentina, to Japan, or to an Arab country, but Hitler responded â€Å"I am ending my earthly stay.† (Adolf Hitler Death and Survival Myths 2). Notice Hitler said â€Å"earthly stay† instead of â€Å"life† which implies that Hitler was no longer going to be on Earth or that he was planning some sort of escape. Between 2:30 P.M and 3 P.M, Gunsche made a phone call to Kempka and asked him for two hundred liters of gasoline to be at the entrance of the Fuhrerbunker. Notice that Hitler did not make the phone. Could this have meant Hitler had already escaped and his double filled in his place? The Russian’s photo of Hitler’s corpse was indeed not Hitler, it was his double, or Doppelganger, Gustav Weber , who was executed with a gunshot to the forehead, and it’s obvious that it’s not Hitler because Hitler shot himself in the temple. Russian photo of â€Å"Hitler Corpse† (Adolf Hitler Death and Survival Myths 4). Adolf Hitler’s suicide on April 30, 1945 has been challenged by these three conspiracies: the skull found in the bunker did not belong to him, no shots were heard by bystanders in the bunker, and he had an imposter kill himself. In the first conspiracy, researchers were able to examine the skull that was believed to belong to Hitler, but after a DNA analysis of the skull, they found out that the skull belonged to a female under the age of 40 due to its thickness and structure. Then in the second conspiracy, Hitler’s bodygurads and comrades who were in the bunker with him claim to have never saw or heard the gunshot from Hitler’s suicide. In the final conspiracy, Hitler was believed to have a double take his place and commit suicide while he escaped out of the bunker. All three of the conspiracies have valid and credible evidence so if they are true, then Adolf Hitler may have indeed faked his death and escaped from Germany on April 30, 1945.

An entrepreneurial firm

An entrepreneurial firm Introduction A business that is privately owned and operated with a small number of employees and has relatively low volume of sales is called a small business. It can be started at a very low cost and on a part-time basis. Small Business Management refers to management of such small businesses. A firm which undertakes risky ventures and engages in product-market innovation is called an entrepreneurial firm. (www.highbeam.com) An Entrepreneur is a person responsible for setting up a new enterprise. He has the initiative, skill for innovation and ideas. He looks for high achievements and assumes significant accountability for risks taken and their outcome. Entrepreneurship involves taking risks, investing under uncertain conditions innovating, planning and taking decisions to increase productivity and profits. The purpose of this project is to understand and analyze the characteristics of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial firms by critically evaluating the entrepreneurial orientation of the Google Inc and entrepreneurial traits of its founders, critically evaluating the entrepreneurial orientation of a local small business and entrepreneurial traits of its founders and commenting on the differences/similarities between the two. The local small business chosen for this project is Layali al Asalah. It is an institution which encourages Omani women fashion designers to hone their skills to become more creative and innovative. Entrepreneurial Orientation Entrepreneurial Orientation refers to the processes, practices, and decision-making activities that lead to new entry(Lumpkin Dess, 1996, p. 136).It is a key ingredient for a firms success. Entrepreneurial Orientation is a strategic response to a complex set of institutional environment and firm factors. Entrepreneurial behaviour, behaviour that is more aggressive, innovative, proactive and risk taking, is significantly associated with specific attributes of the institutional environment of the firm. It is also associated with the perceptions that firm leaders have of that environment and the resources available to the firm for responding to environmental conditions. (www.freelibrary.com) Entrepreneurial Traits Entrepreneurial Traits, also known as entrepreneurial competencies refer to a mixture of knowledge, skills and personality required to successfully run a business with superior performance. Some of the most prominent traits possessed by successful Entrepreneurs are: Initiative: It is an inner urge in an individual to do or initiate something. Entrepreneur is an innovator who explores new ways of working to initiate and accelerate the process of economic development. He is always on the lookout for opportunities and is ready to exploit them in the best interests of the organization. Motivation Persistence: An entrepreneur is self motivated towards achievement, is never disheartened by failures and is dedicated to what he does. Commitment to efficiency: An entrepreneur is always keen to devise new methods aimed at promoting efficiency, making work easier, simpler, better and economical. Idea generation: An entrepreneur generates new ideas through vision, insight and observation and also through environmental scanning and market survey. Creativity: Creativity refers to richness of ideas and originality of thinking and ability to produce something new through imaginative skill. Innovation: Innovation means doing new things or doing things in a new way. It includes new processes of production, introduction of new products, creation of new markets, discovery of a new and better form of organization and the like that enable the organization to gain competitive advantage in the market. Introduction to Google Inc. Mission: To organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful. (www.google.com) About Google Inc.: Google Inc. is a search engine, an entrepreneurial venture by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Google, initially named Backrub, was started as a research project by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. In 1997 they registered the domain name google.com derived from the word googol, a mathematical term to representing one followed by 100 zeros. It was named so to reflect the immense volume of information that exists, and the scope of Googles mission. In 1998, it became a privately owned incorporate known as Google Inc. With use of state of the art technology and extensive research on search algorithms, Google successfully established its brand name in internet search engines. It now employs almost 20,000 employees world over with a management team which boasts of having some of the most experienced technology professionals in the industry. Google became successful because it was faster and better at finding the correct answer than other search engines at the time. Over the years Google has grown an d expanded offerings from a single service to dozens. Its dedication to its users and belief in the possibilities of the Internet remain unchanged. Products and Services offered: Online productivity software like the Gmail e-mail software, applications such as the web browser Google Chrome, social networking tools like Orkut and Google Buzz, the Picasa photo organization and editing software, Google Talk instant messaging and phone operating system like the Android mobile. Culture: Google is known for having an informal corporate culture. Google still maintains a small company feel even though it has grown a lot since its inception. Its commitment to innovation depends upon everyone feeling comfortable sharing ideas and opinions. No employee hesitates to directly pose questions to Larry or Sergey. When not at work, the employees pursue interests from wine tasting to flying Frisbee. Entrepreneurial Orientation of Google Inc. Risk taking: Embarking on new ventures like Google Green and Google Venture gives evidence that Google inc. is a risk taking firm as significant amount of resources were committed in these ventures without surety of their success. Google is the only company in the world which was bold enough to take the risky step of playing with the Companys logo by creating doodles. In 2011, Google will launch Google TV which is a combination of TV, applications, search and entire web on TV. This is a risky venture considering that it will be in direct competition to conventional TV. Innovation: Even after having successfully established a brand name, Google Inc. has continued to invest heavily in innovation and launched many new products and designs over the years. They have kept the element of imagination that transforms designs from simple to delightful alive and kept evolving products in new directions. Some of their innovative products are: Google Translate: It is the worlds largest machine translation engine having more than 50 language pairs. Google Translate mobile version can transcribe ones voice, translating the content into any other language of choice and then speaking it back to the User. Android: It is a mobile service which lets Users access information at will. Users can carry out various tasks like checking mail, online shopping etc from their mobile phones. Google Instant: It predicts Users search and shows results instantly even before typing is finished. Google Books: It allows users to manage a personal bookshelf, see what books friends are readings, share books etc. Google Chrome: It is a modern browser designed to handle complex dynamic web. Chrome was built based on three ideas: simplicity, speed and security. Its powerful JavaScript engine helps Chrome handle complex web applications at lightning speeds. It includes features designed for efficiency and ease of use. For example, one can search and navigate from the same box. It has built in features like translation, built-in malware, phishing protection and auto updates to ensure the browser is up-to-date with the latest security updates. Service consciousness: Google Inc. is committed to providing best quality of services to the Users. The company knows that time is valuable for Users and therefore it aims to provide fast, accurate and easy-to-use services. Googles search interface is offered in more than 110 languages and translation tools are available to translate web pages to address the needs of people around the globe. Competitive aggressiveness: Competition keeps Google Inc. on the toes. Google continuously invests in research technology to keep ahead of competition. Owing to cut throat competition from rivals like Microsofts Bing, Google has enhanced output potential of every internet search by introducing Google Instant which makes the search faster by almost 2 to 5 seconds. Autonomy: It refers to the independent actions taken by entrepreneurial leaders or teams to start a new venture and seeing it succeed. Google Inc. has started various new ventures like Google Org Google Green and worked hard to make them successful. Entrepreneurial traits of Googles Founders: Vision: Googles founders were very technology savvy and wanted masses world over to have access to the vast information available all over with the help of technology. They had the vision to make internet and power of search to help people use information to improve their lives and contribute to economic development. Passion: Googles founders are passionate about their business. Being one of the worlds largest research groups focused primarily on addressing search related problems, they know what they do well, and how they could do it better. Their dedication to improving search helps them apply what they have learned to new products. Creativity: From the beginning, Googles founders have been working on technology that can help improve existing ways of doing business. They have built an informal culture and a working environment where employees are encouraged to be creative and create innovative products that solve real-world problems. To motivate the employees, a Founders Award is presented to teams who create innovative products. Risk taking: Larry and Sergy saw an opportunity for search engines and took a risk by creating Google Inc. after heavily borrowing money. Opportunity seeking: They believed in the possibilities of internet and saw an opportunity in the market for search engines. Their idea was new and risky but they were determined to make it work. Even after its success they are always on the lookout for opportunities and ready to exploit them in the best interests of the organizations. They work with their teams to discover peoples actual needs, including needs they cant always articulate. Armed with that information, they create products that solve real-world problems. There was a need to be able to access information on the move, saw that as an opportunity and developed android. There was a need for Search results being faster, so developed Google instant. Small Business: Layali Al Asalah Vision: To promote fashion as a great medium to showcase the designers creativity as well as empower, teach women about business and entrepreneurial skills. (www.layalialasalah.com) About Layali Al Asalah: Layali Al Asalah which means Night of Culture is a small business entrepreneur venture in Oman started by three friends Samah al Wahaibi, Najla al Kindi and Nadia al Zakwani, It is a fashion institution which trains Omani women fashion designers to make it big in the fashion industry. It encourages Omani women interested in fashion designing to think creatively, improve their technical skills and discover the entrepreneur within them. The three friends realized that many Omani women were into fashion designing but lacked formal fashion know-how. They wanted to do something interesting and different for female fashion designers in Oman but had no formal plans of establishing any business. Samah got an opportunity to attend a seminar Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Salzburg which was about accomplishments of women from worldover. The success stories of the talented women inspired her to start a business venture of her own. Upon returning to Oman she got together with her two friends and in 2006 founded Layali Al Asalah Co. to provide formal training and education in fashion designing aimed at attracting emerging Omani women fashion designers. They started off the venture by organising a competition called When Authenticity Speaks, where the theme centred on the Omani embroidery. The competition categories included Omani outfits for women and handbag shoe designing. This competition is now an annual event. Scholarships to pursue courses in University of Milan are awarded to the winners to who then go on to create their own fashion brands. Products and Services offered: In addition to providing formal training and education, their offerings include arranging Concerts, Event Management, Fashion Shows and organizing Workshops and Exhibitions. In 2009, they created an Asalah villa, which rents space at reasonable rates to budding designers who are otherwise compelled to operate from home due to high market rental. Â  Building upon the success of Layali Al Asalah Asalah villa, they opened up a store called Layali Al Asalah Shoes. The strong selling point about their shoes is that all shoes have a strong Omani presence with glimpses of several other cultures in it. Entrepreneurial Orientation of Layali Al Asalah Innovation: Layali al Asalah is an innovative venture as there was no such fashion institution in Oman till this venture, which offered any training to Omani women in fashion designing. The competition When Authenticity Speaks also is one of a kind in Oman where themes include Omani embroideries and the designers get to show their creativity in Omani garments, handbags, shoes, etc. The winners are chosen through online voting which is also an innovative idea using latest technology. The competition is made more lucrative attractive to women by offering of Scholarships for further studies at University of Milan. The concept of Asalah villa helps budding designers promote their business, create a client base and participate in exhibitions. Layali Al Asalah Shoes churn out shoes with innovative designs. Each shoe is wrapped in Omani and various other cultures. For example authentic Omani silver jewellery is incorporated into rainbow hued shoes representing Omani culture. Annual bazaar under the name Asalah Bazaar is another innovative idea where the participants display their collections sell the products at discounted prices. Risk taking: Layali al Asalah is willing to accept business risks as is evident from their various new ventures like Layali Al Asalah Shoes Asalah villa started over the years since their establishment even though there was no surety of success. Funding for the new business ventures is a challenging task for the organisation due to limited availability of resources. Proactiveness: Layali al Asalah is an opportunity-seeking, forward-looking venture which has been proactive in introduction of new ideas like the Design competition, organisation of annual bazaar for display sale of products, etc. It has created new products like shoes with glimpses of Omani other cultures. It has stayed ahead of the competition and has been acting in anticipation of future demand of their offerings. Autonomy: Asalah villa and Layali Al Asalah Shoes were new ventures by Layali al Asalah where the founders took the necessary steps independently to ensure success. Service consciousness: The organisation is fully devoted to ensure that their services are of highest quality standard and it puts in its best for achieving these standards. The organisation believes in excellence which is reflected in everything it does. The workshops and exhibitions are held in line with the progress in world fashion industry. Scholarships to desiring candidates ensure that they can compete with the latest in fashion industry. Entrepreneurship traits of Layali Al Asalahs Founders: Risk taking: The founders were very young and inexperienced in the field of business management. Although they were highly motivated and enthusiastic, they were not familiar with the risks of the business. However, they took the risk of starting the business without worrying much about the consequences. Even after successfully establishing the organisation, they continued to venture into implementation of innovative ideas like Asalah villa and Layali Al Asalah Shoes. Self confidence: Though the founders lacked resources and knew it was a risky venture, they were determined to convert their idea into a reality and were not cowed down by difficulties as they believed in their abilities and strengths. Not only did they make the venture successful, they continued to grow it by opening more branches. Creativity: It refers to the phenomenon whereby a person or a group of persons create something new which may be a product, a solution, or an enterprise which has some kind of value for the society. The creativity of founders of Layali Al Asalah is evident from their ability to use their imagination, analytical approach and intelligence to convert their idea of fashion designing institute into a reality. They continued to explore new ideas like designing shoes with Omani jewellery and gluing Chinese embroidered silk fabric onto the shoes. The concept of Asalah Villa Bazaar to help budding fashion designers also depicts their creativity. The founders came up with I Read A Book a creative concept aimed at promoting reading of books amongst Omani people, through a fashion show with the theme of libraries, books and reading which brought to light the libraries available locally. Opportunity seekers: The 3 founders saw an opportunity for opening an organization that would encourage those interested in fashion designing to improve their technical skills and discover the entrepreneur within them. In Oman there were several shoemakers who made slippers for Omani men but hardly any for womens shoes. Hence an opportunity in shoe making market was discovered and Layali Al Asalah shoe was created. Rentals are considerably high in Oman and therefore budding entrepreneurs are compelled to limit their businesses to their homes. Capturing this as an opportunity, the founders launched Asalah villa, which rents space at reasonable rates to budding designers. Â   Conclusion The prime difference between a an entrepreneur and small business owner is that the small business owner remains contented with earning enough profits to live his life a comfortably and keep his business running, is not really interested in expanding his business and is more than likely to keep the business within the family. Another notable difference between the two is that a small business owner tends to need motivation; whereas, an entrepreneur is fuelled by ambition, drive and inspiration. Small business owners are not the ones to think out the box; whereas, entrepreneurs come up with new ideas, innovative products, as well as construct creative strategic marketing plans. In a competitive environment innovation provides the basis for sustainability of an organization. Entrepreneurs innovate and the instrument of entrepreneurship is innovation. Entrepreneurship is a creative activity and an innovative function. Innovation may be in the form of a new product or production process, opening a new market or a new form of organization. Economic growth depends on the rate of applied technical progress i.e. innovation which in turn depends on the supply of entrepreneurs in the society. Thus the entrepreneur is the agent of change in the society because he is the one who always searches for change, identifies needs, responds to them and exploits them as an opportunity and in turn generates employment opportunities for others. Upon analysis of the traits of Google Inc. Layali Al Asalah, it can be concluded that Google Inc. is an entrepreneurial firm while Layali Al Asalah is a small business with very strong entrepreneurial orientation and therefore can also be considered an entrepreneurial firm. Both the firms have similarities in certain prominent traits like risk taking, innovation, autonomy and service consciousness. Both firms had humble beginnings at a small scale and went on to grow and expand their operations. Important differences exist in the level of innovation and competitive aggressiveness. While Google Inc. is more innovative competitively aggressive, Layali Al Asalah is limited in its scope of innovation and competitive aggressiveness as it competes in a very small market compared to Google Inc. which has a global reach. Google Inc. has stronger impact on the economy due to its huge size, extensive reach to the world masses and available resources while Layali Al Asalahs impact is more at the local economy level as it addresses the needs of a smaller population of masses, is smaller in size and has limited resources. Google Inc.s business is largely dependent on innovation for growth and therefore it invests heavily in the employees thereby creating jobs all over the world further contributing to the economic development of many countries. Entrepreneurial firms like Google Inc and select small businesses with very strong entrepreneurial orientation like Layali Al Asalah contribute significantly to the strengthening of the economy by efficiently utilising resources and creating opportunities for people prevent the economy from stagnation as they continuously innovate and sustain competition. In comparison, the small businesses without any entrepreneurial orientation are unlikely to fuel the economic growth of any country. It is therefore better to have entrepreneurial firms instead of small businesses without any entrepreneurial orientation.

Standing Out for the Common Good Essay -- Literacy Analysis

C.S. Lewis’s, â€Å"Democratic Education,† is story that exemplifies our democratic government and how it is to be preserved through education. He gives an account of a school system where all children had equality. The equality was not that of â€Å"they were getting taught and treated the same†, but equality of the inner being. Every child should feel the same about where they are intellectually and no person should feel more or less educated and smart than the other. The account gives propositions of what society would be like in different situations depending on the other interpretations of democratic education and what prompts the positivity or negativity of having democratic education. This analysis will explore why there is strong hint that there are negative connotations about a democratic education system when the text seems to be for this particular idea. C.S. Lewis has a distinctive style of sarcasm that is found within the piece and he uses this style to make the reader realize why the idea represented is one of stupidity. He explains what would have to happen in school systems, the sources of equality, how this type of equality and democracy do not relate, how the examples given are actually not examples of democracy, and what would happen if democratic education system (despite everthing) would, in the end, hinder the boy rather than help him. Lewis begins by stating, â€Å"Until we have realized that the two things [democracy and education] do not necessarily go together we cannot think clearly about education.† Here he is bluntly stating his point of view before we even get into the argument. He then, spends the next three to four paragraphs of the text giving examples of how people may think democracy and ... ... If someone is in a high position that they are not qualified for then it will fail. If we promote democratic education in order to preserve political democracy then these people may find themselves in a position that they are not qualified for because they were lied to and as a result we still have not preserved our original goal of political democracy. Lewis is pro political democracy and therefore, against democratic education because it covers up an initial problem in order to make someone feel more superior and better about themselves for the time being. Later on there will be consequences and Lewis is trying to prevent those consequences. References Lewis, C. (n.d.). Democratic Education. . Retrieved April 2, 2012, from https://mycampus.umhb.edu/ICS/icsfs/Democractic_Education_(Lewis).PDF?target=bccee72d-d8f9-45bc-985d-dd7a86b570ad

Communication Theories Matrix Essay

Instructions: Complete the following matrix by filling in the box for each of the five communication theories with the following four items: the theory definition, the main principles of the theory, a real-world theory example, and an application of each theory to virtual communication. Theory definition Main principles of the theory Real-world theory example Application of each theory to virtual communication Social Exchange Theory Theory that attempts to explain human behavior in terms as behavioral psychology. The main principle of this theory is social relationships are the outcome of an exchange process with the purpose of maximizing the benefits and minimizing costs. An example of this theory is asking someone out on a date, but you dislike the fact that he/she lacks money or good looks, but he/she is caring and fun to hang out with the therefore you go because the benefits outweigh the cost. The rewards of virtual communication include freedom from the constraints of time and space but the costs is the possibility for misunderstanding when we are not able to see each other’s facial expressions or tone of voice. Systems Theory Systems theory is an open system of interdependent elements, employing input variables and process variables to yield output. The main principle is to receive input, process input and yield an output An example would be in a group you collectively develop a task from input and expect productivity as a output. Connection through the internet can alter patterns in many ways making the system more open. Symbolic Convergence Theory Theory of communication that explains how certain  types of communication shape a group’s identity and culture, which in turn influence other dynamics. Share group fantasies create symbolic convergence.  In a business symbolic convergence is used to determine what the customers like about the business and that allows the business to cater to the customer. In, virtual communication the possibilities for visual, verbal, or auditory communication can make new avenues for fantasy themes and group identity. Structuration Theory Theory that provides a general framework  and explains how people structure their groups by making active use of rules and resources. The main function of this theory is to focus attention on individuals’ behaviors in groups rather than on dynamics of groups. Basketball team is a example of structuration theory, because it has structure and rules that all members must follow. The coach is the leader and implements the rules for the team to follow. use of computers, e-mail,  and the internet as resources can expand the repertoire of structures available to group members. Functional Theory Communication in groups that functions to promote sound reasoning, prevent errors, and build relationships among all members. Focus on results and outcomes of group behaviors and structure. In a group where members use this theory to make decisions and to solve problems. Use of virtual group communication to enhance areas of group interaction by extending dialogue beyond a meeting room.

The #1 Left-Handed Scholarship

The #1 Left-Handed Scholarship SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’ve struggled all your life with scissors. You felt distinctly discriminated against during handwriting classes in grade school. And shaking hands feels downright unnatural. In short, you’ve suffered. And everyone knows that for every challenge out there, there’s a college scholarship to reward those who have struggled through it. Read on to hear about scholarships for you long-suffering lefties. Unique Scholarships for Unique People Did you know that one of the top search terms for scholarships is â€Å"left handed scholarships†? There is certainly a lot of demand, and many students have heard rumors of scholarships that will reward them for interesting physical attributes that they were born with. In fact, there are several scholarships out there for tall people, short people, fat people, healthy people, disabled people, and people who are visually impaired. And it’s true – there’s also a scholarship out there for you lefties! Congratulations! But let me emphasize that: there is A scholarship out there for you lefties. As in singular. One. And it’s from a college you’ve probably never heard of. You’re Just Not That Special Just kidding. You are special. Really. â€Å"But why only one?!† I can hear you shouting despairingly. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but left-handed people are just not that special. The government doesn't consider left-handed people to be handicapped. Left-handed people haven't really suffered in any significant way. And they haven’t been discriminated against apart from in the relatively minor ways mentioned at the beginning of this article. In fact, about 10percent of the population is left-handed. There are approximately 700 million of you in the world. I’ll repeat: You are just not that special. (At least, not because of your dominant hand. Otherwise, you're a snowflake! Promise!) The good news is now that you know this, you can move on and start finding better scholarships. If you're determined to get an unusual scholarship, check out our list. There are alsothousands of scholarships out there and you are most likely qualified for at least some of them already, and others you can work to get qualified for. In short, the sooner you stop looking for left-handed scholarships, the better. The Only Left-Handed Scholarship But in case you're not convinced that you should seek money elsewhere, read on to hear about the only scholarship in the country for left-handed people. The Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship is awarded to one or two left-handed students each year at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Never heard of Juniata? According to a press release on their web site, this is quite common. Many students only learn about the college when they are looking for a left-handed scholarship. In case you would like to learn more, Juniata is a quite strong liberal arts college with about 1,600 students. In addition to offering the country’s only left-handed scholarship, they are unique for having â€Å"Programs of Emphasis† instead of majors, a very eco-friendly campus, and accomplished men’s and women’s Division III volleyball teams. They also host some fun annual events, including a Pig Roast and the Mr. Juniata Pageant. So How Did This Scholarship Come Into Being? Back in 1919, students Frederick Beckley and Mary Francis were paired together in their tennis class because the coach thought that left-handed people couldn’t play tennis as well as the other students. Though they ended up married because of this, Frederick and Mary apparently took the discriminative act to heart and set out to help future generations of Juniata students who might also be unfairly treated because of their unusual dominant hands. The final question on the Juniata’s financial aid questionnaire asks if students are right or left-handed, but students who choose the â€Å"left-handed† option don’t have to prove it. From this, demonstrated financial need, and academic record at the college (the award is only for sophomores and above), a few students are chosen every year for the award. Once students receive the scholarship, they continue to receive the scholarship yearly until they graduate. In case it isn’t obvious, you cannot receive this scholarship unless you attend Juniata College. And seeing as there is no application process, even if you do choose to attend Juniata College to be awarded for your left-handedness, you can’t do much to ensure you get this scholarship except do well academically. The awards range between $1,000 and $1,500. Juniata’s estimated cost of attendance is $51,740 per year. In conclusion, Juniata may be a great fit for you – for a lot of reasons that do not include this scholarship. But if money is a big consideration, and being left-handed is your only distinguishing feature, it seems like a gamble to choose this school on the off-chance that you will get awarded a minor scholarship for three of the four years. What’s Next? As I’ve said, there are hundreds of thousands of scholarships out there. Check out our list of crazy scholarships if you would like to be unique. Many of them are open to all students willing to put in a bit of effort. If you can't get a full ride, don't give up! There are a lot of otherscholarships out there based on extracurriculars, such as community service, instead of academics. Not sure how much college would cost without a free ride? Check outthe real cost of attending college. Have you heard about a left-handed scholarship that we missed? Let us know in the comments. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Dynasties of China essays

Dynasties of China essays Religion and philosophy embraced in 550 BC and continued to play an important role in China. Confucianism is the accepted philosophy of China 2000 years later. Daoism, Naturalism, and Buddhism are part of Chinese beliefs and customs. These philosophies are at the very core of Chinese life and society. During the Qin Dynasty China was ruled by Legalism. The Great Wall was built by the forced obedience of all the people for the emperor. The people of China were treated poorly and the advancement was not achieved do to the philosophy inacted. However, during the Han Dynasty they thought the government should be to serve the people and legalism lost support and the Han Dynasty replaced it with Confucianism. There were dramatic cultural and scientific advances during the Han Dynasty. Poetry was written and the first Chinese dictionary was compiled. Chinese history was written and modeled for the late historians. Inventions of the sundials, water clocks, water mills and the first seismograph advanced the society. Paper was invented during this dynasty. Steel was being a produced as well as farming tools . Irrigation systems were developed and new inventions of spinning, weaving, and dying silk were invented. After the collapse of the Han Dynasty came 359 years of disunity. Many people migrated to the south and contributed to its development. As a result there were major improvements in the cultivation of rice. Buddhism was introduced to China from merchants and missionaries. Buddhism was a calming force during this period of upheaval. Buddhism inspired many artists to create works of art. The Sui Dynasty followed this period of difficulty. Wendi united the North and the South of China into the empire. He stated the great building program. An entire empire was rebuilt and became a model for other cities. Canal systems were built that linked rice region that provided food during famine. However, the Sui Dy ...

Free Essays on Financial Services Report

Financial Services Industry Report In order to succeed in the global market, it is imperative to know the various global financial institutions and the sources of funds for international operations. This paper will identify the role of financial institutions in the global economy and explore changes this industry will be experiencing during the next decade. In addition, this paper will demonstrate the impact these changes will have on Campbell Soup Company. Financial institutions have the ability to serve as agents for its clients providing financial services. These services include, but are not limited to the facilitation of money, such as credit; investments-related services; stock exchange; and any other accounting or finance services. The global financial system (GFS) refers to those financial institutions and regulations that act on the international level, as opposed to those that act on a national or regional level (Global financial system, 2005, p1). The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Bank are considered to be the most important international institutions. The Internal Monetary Fund acts as a lender of last resort to governments in financial distress, e.g. balance of payments crisis, currency crisis and debt default. Decisions are based on quotas, or the amount of money a country provides to the fund (IMF at a glance, 2005, p1). The World Bank aims to provide funding, take up credit risk or offer favorable terms to development projects mostly in developing countries that could not be obtained by the private sector (What is the World Bank, 2005, p1). The only global international organization that deals with the regulations of trade between nations and settles trade disputes and negotiates international trade agreements is the World Trade Organization (What is the WTO, 2005, p1). An important area of international finance is the financing international trade and ... Free Essays on Financial Services Report Free Essays on Financial Services Report Financial Services Industry Report In order to succeed in the global market, it is imperative to know the various global financial institutions and the sources of funds for international operations. This paper will identify the role of financial institutions in the global economy and explore changes this industry will be experiencing during the next decade. In addition, this paper will demonstrate the impact these changes will have on Campbell Soup Company. Financial institutions have the ability to serve as agents for its clients providing financial services. These services include, but are not limited to the facilitation of money, such as credit; investments-related services; stock exchange; and any other accounting or finance services. The global financial system (GFS) refers to those financial institutions and regulations that act on the international level, as opposed to those that act on a national or regional level (Global financial system, 2005, p1). The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Bank are considered to be the most important international institutions. The Internal Monetary Fund acts as a lender of last resort to governments in financial distress, e.g. balance of payments crisis, currency crisis and debt default. Decisions are based on quotas, or the amount of money a country provides to the fund (IMF at a glance, 2005, p1). The World Bank aims to provide funding, take up credit risk or offer favorable terms to development projects mostly in developing countries that could not be obtained by the private sector (What is the World Bank, 2005, p1). The only global international organization that deals with the regulations of trade between nations and settles trade disputes and negotiates international trade agreements is the World Trade Organization (What is the WTO, 2005, p1). An important area of international finance is the financing international trade and ...

Week 2 assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 2 assignment - Essay Example Each of these perspectives and corresponding strategies has their advantages and disadvantages; one approach reinforces individual attributes at the expense of group identity, while the other approach upholds group adherence at the expense of individual identity. The choice of one or the other approach will suit particular businesses, a decision which will rely on the manager’s understanding of his organization and perceptiveness of human nature. The report by Plaut, Thomas and Goren (2009) sought to determine the impact of diversity efforts from two positions – that of the cultural majority (i.e., Whites), and that of minorities. The study showed that multiculturalism on the part of Whites enhanced engagement among minorities, while minimization of differences (i.e., color blindness) among the majority intensified feelings of bias among minorities. I favor multiculturalism rather than color-blindness, because it assures the minority individual of acceptance of his individuality and uniqueness, maintaining his/her cultural identity and according him/her the respect and dignity due as an equal. It further preserves cultures that may otherwise pass on to obscurity, enriching the cultural fabric of the pluralist society. This plurality is more difficult to apply in other target aspects of diversity such as gender equality. An example is the case of women contending for promotion and equal compensation in traditionally ma le-dominated businesses (e.g. sports, technological, construction and other heavy industries) (Burke, 2009), and the specifically female dilemma of work-home interference (Beauregard, 2009). Two perspectives are identified by Rink and Ellemers (2011): the information decision-making perspective, and the social identity/self-categorization perspective. The former maintains that demographic differences produce greater value in

Leadership a tale of two coaches Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership a tale of two coaches - Essay Example Bobbi Knight and Coach K are two famous basketball coaches that achieved great success and whose leadership styles were completely different. This paper will discuss those two coaches and their leadership styles. Fielder's contingency theory is made up of leaders who are task oriented and those that are relationship oriented. It is based on the orientation of the leader, the elements of a particular situation and the leaders' orientation. Task oriented leaders do best in low to moderate control situations while relationship oriented leaders do best in moderately controlled situations. In the case of our two coaches, we would have to place Bobbi Knight in the task oriented leadership and Coach K in the relationship type. Furthermore each leader has a different kind of leadership power. That power is referent, expert, legitimate, reward and coercive. Power is part of the leadership influence. Coach Knight used coercive power, though many people liked him, he was able to accomplish what he did through coercion. On the other hand Coach K had referent power. His team sincerely liked him and played well because of it. He also used some coercion but his primary power was referent. In determining which of the coaches was a leader and which a manager, it appears that Coach Knight was the manager and Coach K the leader. The reason for that is that Coach Knight wielded the big stick. Do it my way or not at all which is more a management style, although not a great one. On the other hand, Coach K allowed some critical thinking from his players and brought them through the processes together, this is really leadership style. Five Factor Model The Five Factor Model supported in the text by McCrae & Costa (1987), is a model that describes human personality disorders and gives a basis for the general understanding personality. There are five factors that are considered and they are called the "big 5" (Bradshaw, 1997). These big 5 factors are neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness (Northouse, 2010). The OCEAN concept combines. Each of these traits has characteristics. These characteristics are noted in the table. Characteristics High Scorers Factor Characteristics Low Scorers Creative, original, curious, imaginative Openness-Toleration for exploration of the unfamiliar Unartistic, conventional Organized, reliable, neat, ambitions Conscientiousness-Individual has degree of organization, persistence, and motivation in goal directed behavior. Unreliable, lazy, careless, negligent Talkative, optimistic, sociable, affectionate Extraversion-Capacity for joy, need for stimulation Unartistic, conventional Good-natured, trusting, helpful Agreeableness-Ones orientation along a continuum from compassion to antagonism in thoughts, feelings, and actions Rude, uncooperative, irritable Calm, content, secure, unemotional, relaxed Neurotism-proneness to psychological distress, excessive cravings or urges, unrealistic ideas Self-pitying, worrying, insecure, emotional, nervous According to the text, most managers have an extroverted personality. Certainly in the case of both of these coaches there are extroversion traits in their personalities. They are both talkative and optimistic while Coach

Violent Behavior in Healthcare Institutions Research Paper

Violent Behavior in Healthcare Institutions - Research Paper Example Workplace violence can be categorized into different forms depending on the nature of healthcare institute, characteristics of patients and external environment, for instance, physical assault and verbal abuse is experienced by most of the medical staff. Violent behavior particularly in the mental healthcare setting has become a reality and also a major concern for both healthcare providers and policy makers. Therefore mental illness and psychological issues are thought to be the precipitating factors of violent behavior among patients. This paper aims to discuss the basic factors giving rise to sadistic behavior in healthcare institutions along with the responsibilities of medical stuff and dynamics of violence. Moreover, the intervention strategies and effective methods to follow up with victims shall also be discussed. Precipitating Factors There are number of factors contributing to the violent behavior of patients and physical assault of medical staff in Healthcare Institutions. Human Service providers in general, and nurses in particular are often exposed to critical conditions where they need to identify the precipitating factors of violent behavior in order to make security measures and also to safeguard the victims. Following are the most common factors which excites violent behavior among patients: Mental Illness: Mental illness is an abnormal psychological pattern which often leads to behavioral issues. There are different forms of mental illness which might result in violent behavior against the healthcare professionals. For instance, delusions have a very close relationship with violence since these patients frequently experience physical or mental insecurity due to which they harm others in order to save themselves. However, in this case anger contributes as the major element to excite the violent behavior. Study shows that Delusions might cause minor forms of violence but the extreme violent behavior is usually supported by anger which is a perso nality disorder (Coid, 2013). Another important precipitating factor is hallucination which causes an individual to feel, hear or visualize things which aren’t present. In such a situation patients who do not have command over the hallucinations harm the medical staff while others does not pose any significant threat to the service providers (McNiel, 2000). Violent fantasies such as desire to murder or rape also lead to aggressive behavior if not addressed on time. Homicides in healthcare setting are often due to the violent fantasies (Gellerman, 2005). Organic Issues: These largely include diseases and injuries related to brain. Patients with organic brain issues are reported to have been involved in violent behavior. For instance, Dementia causes damage to the memory, speaking abilities, problem solving skills and other significant brain functions of an individual which ultimately leads to aggression and sadistic conduct. Similarly brain injuries caused by accidents might a lso lead to considerable behavioral changes which might transform an individual into a violent personality (Fountoulakis, 2008). Personality Disorders: These occupy the largest proportion as precipitating factor of violent behavior against healthcare service providers. Mood swings, anger, impulsivity, lack of control over emotions, psychopathy etc. are the most common examples of personality disorders. Research indicates that issues concerning the social life of an

Prison Overcrowding in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Prison Overcrowding in the United States - Essay Example This has led into inmates being forced into open dormitories and double-bunking in a single cell. Many critics have termed such overcrowding as dehumanizing and degrading for inmates. It is also contradictory to the present correctional reforms that emphasize on maximizing the opportunities that are available to inmates (Farrington 222). The United States reports the highest number of incarceration rate in the world. At the end of the year 2009, the incarceration rate was 743 adults per 100,000 people. U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics quotes that 2,266,800 people were incarcerated in the US state, federal and county jails by the end of 2010. This is approximately 0.7% of the US adult resident population. In addition, there were 4,933,667 adults by the end of 2009, who were on parole or probation. Therefore, the total number of adults under correctional supervision totals to 7,225,800. This is approximately 3% of the total population of US adults (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics). The number of juvenile detentions was 86, 927 in 2007. Despite this increased numbers, the crime rates have been shown to be on the decrease. 70% of prisoners in the US are non-white. The states with the highest ratio of incarceration include Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Approximately 90% of the inmates comprise males. The total number of foreign prisoners is estimated at 6% (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics). There are several causes of this pertinent issue. There has been an increase on the number of offenders that are sent to prison. This can be attributed to high rates of recidivism, which have been on the rise. There has been an increased rate of offenders that return to prison for unsuccessfully completing or violating community supervision. The increased number of offenders can also be attributed to new criminal offences that have been added to the penal code. Certain types of offenses have harsher penalties resulting in

TURING MACHINE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

TURING MACHINE - Essay Example In spite of its minimalism, a Turing machine could be modified to reproduce the logic of some computer algorithm, as well as this machine is mainly useful in illuminating the operations of a CPU within of a computer (Suber, 2002). This paper will present deep analysis of the different functionalities, operations, and uses of Turing machine. According to Weisstein (2009) the concept of the Turing machine was initially presented by Alan Turing in 1937. He also invented the initial Turing machine that was presented like an idealized model intended for mathematical computation. A Turing machine composed of a line of cells acknowledged as a "tape" that can be moved back as well as forth. In a Turing machine there is an active component "head" that has a feature acknowledged as "state" that is capable to transform the attribute recognized as "color" of the active cell below it, and also a set of commands for how the head needs to be adjusted by the active cell as well as shift the tape. In addition, the machine can transform the color of the Turing machine active cell at any step. Also, it can transform the position of the head, and moving the tape one step towards right or left (Weisstein, Turing Machine, 2009; Sipser, 2005). Copeland (2000), discusses about Universal Turing Machine (UTM), which is a Turing machine that is capable to replicate other Turing machine. An additional mathematically-oriented description by a related "universal" nature was presented by Alonzo Church, whose effort on lambda calculus linked with Turing in a prescribed hypothesis of computation identified as the Church–Turing theory. The theory presents that a Turing machines certainly holds the informal view of useful technique in mathematics as well as in logic, and also offers an accurate explanation of a mechanical procedure or algorithm (Copeland, 2000). According to Aanderaa (2006), a

Community based corrections, a issue that is most critical today, Essay

Community based corrections, a issue that is most critical today, - Essay Example As well, there is a demonstration of the valuing of diversity in the organization and the environmental trends faced. This serves as a good example of community based corrections, an issues that is most critical in the present day. Introduction: Characteristics and Environments of Medicare Program In a community, it is necessary to have all needs exampleof the people catered for. In an urban setting, there are very many needs which have to be considered and be put in place. For instance, in a city of five thousand people, it is necessary to have all considerations put in place in a manner which solves the major needs and requirements for all. Whenever planning a new urban setting, all human needs should be appropriately considered. The major needs in such a setting include water availability, electricity, sanitation, health services, jobs, building types, transportation systems, and recreational land. These are some of the issues every community faces in the recent period. However, i n this paper we will examine certain programs, which are symbolic of the issues being faced recently. The use of examples and relevant illustrations as well as organizations has been cited to shed light on the issue accordingly. Human service organizations should be able to come up with appropriate programs and environments which have the capability of meeting the basic needs for the clients and the society in particular. This can be achieved through having intellectual characteristics which shall help in building a better environment which promotes the human services being offered from the organization (Brian, 2009). For instance, the Medicaid and Medicare programs in the United States are very important in ensuring that the country has been given within the necessary services. Generally, there is a very big importance with the appropriateness of characteristics and environment for all human service organizations (Medicare Program, 2008). This paper will thus discuss in details the characteristics and the environment of Medicare Program in United States of America. Medicare Vision and Mission For any kind of organization which is offering human services such as the Medicare Program, there is a very big necessity of coming up with appropriate missions and visions statement which keep a good characteristic and a better environment for the organization. This as well ensures that proper operations being done in the organization are always aimed in the realization of the organization’s goals and objectives (Taylor, 2008). The Vision of Medicare has been the provision of a program which has to be of high quality, purely equitable as well as a sustainable health program which shall meet the needs and expressions of all the people in United States. Such a vision has been playing a major role in elevating the services which are on offer by the organization (Marmor, 2000). The Mission as well has been in making sure that the best voice and care has been given to all the people of the country and as well strengthen the health care system of the country through improved healthcare access and equitable future health care for all. Medicare Organization: Governance and Staffing In this organization, governance and staffing have been seriously undertaken in order to ensure that the right environment has been created which sees all the people being given the necessary

Prison Overcrowding in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Prison Overcrowding in the United States - Essay Example This has led into inmates being forced into open dormitories and double-bunking in a single cell. Many critics have termed such overcrowding as dehumanizing and degrading for inmates. It is also contradictory to the present correctional reforms that emphasize on maximizing the opportunities that are available to inmates (Farrington 222). The United States reports the highest number of incarceration rate in the world. At the end of the year 2009, the incarceration rate was 743 adults per 100,000 people. U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics quotes that 2,266,800 people were incarcerated in the US state, federal and county jails by the end of 2010. This is approximately 0.7% of the US adult resident population. In addition, there were 4,933,667 adults by the end of 2009, who were on parole or probation. Therefore, the total number of adults under correctional supervision totals to 7,225,800. This is approximately 3% of the total population of US adults (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics). The number of juvenile detentions was 86, 927 in 2007. Despite this increased numbers, the crime rates have been shown to be on the decrease. 70% of prisoners in the US are non-white. The states with the highest ratio of incarceration include Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Approximately 90% of the inmates comprise males. The total number of foreign prisoners is estimated at 6% (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics). There are several causes of this pertinent issue. There has been an increase on the number of offenders that are sent to prison. This can be attributed to high rates of recidivism, which have been on the rise. There has been an increased rate of offenders that return to prison for unsuccessfully completing or violating community supervision. The increased number of offenders can also be attributed to new criminal offences that have been added to the penal code. Certain types of offenses have harsher penalties resulting in

Community based corrections, a issue that is most critical today, Essay

Community based corrections, a issue that is most critical today, - Essay Example As well, there is a demonstration of the valuing of diversity in the organization and the environmental trends faced. This serves as a good example of community based corrections, an issues that is most critical in the present day. Introduction: Characteristics and Environments of Medicare Program In a community, it is necessary to have all needs exampleof the people catered for. In an urban setting, there are very many needs which have to be considered and be put in place. For instance, in a city of five thousand people, it is necessary to have all considerations put in place in a manner which solves the major needs and requirements for all. Whenever planning a new urban setting, all human needs should be appropriately considered. The major needs in such a setting include water availability, electricity, sanitation, health services, jobs, building types, transportation systems, and recreational land. These are some of the issues every community faces in the recent period. However, i n this paper we will examine certain programs, which are symbolic of the issues being faced recently. The use of examples and relevant illustrations as well as organizations has been cited to shed light on the issue accordingly. Human service organizations should be able to come up with appropriate programs and environments which have the capability of meeting the basic needs for the clients and the society in particular. This can be achieved through having intellectual characteristics which shall help in building a better environment which promotes the human services being offered from the organization (Brian, 2009). For instance, the Medicaid and Medicare programs in the United States are very important in ensuring that the country has been given within the necessary services. Generally, there is a very big importance with the appropriateness of characteristics and environment for all human service organizations (Medicare Program, 2008). This paper will thus discuss in details the characteristics and the environment of Medicare Program in United States of America. Medicare Vision and Mission For any kind of organization which is offering human services such as the Medicare Program, there is a very big necessity of coming up with appropriate missions and visions statement which keep a good characteristic and a better environment for the organization. This as well ensures that proper operations being done in the organization are always aimed in the realization of the organization’s goals and objectives (Taylor, 2008). The Vision of Medicare has been the provision of a program which has to be of high quality, purely equitable as well as a sustainable health program which shall meet the needs and expressions of all the people in United States. Such a vision has been playing a major role in elevating the services which are on offer by the organization (Marmor, 2000). The Mission as well has been in making sure that the best voice and care has been given to all the people of the country and as well strengthen the health care system of the country through improved healthcare access and equitable future health care for all. Medicare Organization: Governance and Staffing In this organization, governance and staffing have been seriously undertaken in order to ensure that the right environment has been created which sees all the people being given the necessary

Te Whariki and Concepts of Play Essay Example for Free

Te Whariki and Concepts of Play Essay How important is play to children’s life? Is it just for fun, or is it actually a passage for children to learn? According to a research conducted in French and Canadian schools, children who spent one-third of school time engaging in physical activity were â€Å"increased in fitness, improved attitudes, and slight improvements in test scores.† And the outcomes correspond with nearly 200 other studies suggesting that â€Å"physical activity supports learning.† (Olga S, 2003.) In this essay, I am going to discuss the influence of play on children’s development and learning, by referring to Vygotsky and Parten’s theories and Te Whariki. What is play? Play is a significant part of children’s development, and it is also a part of their nature. Children love to play, they are more motivated to learn during play, and they obtain all kinds of experiences and knowledge through play. Moreover, play provides opportunities for children to establish good relationships with teachers and peers. For example, in the first week of my last practicum, I helped a four-year-old girl to play number-matching puzzles. We had a very good time playing together, and this girl stayed very close to me for the rest of my practicum. I have also observed in my practicum that children who played together earlier in the day tended to stay together for the rest of the day. This emphasizes the important connection between play and social development of children. Moreover, according to Vygotsky’s theory, culture such as language, values and perspectives is transmitted through social interactions. (The Mozart of Psychology Lev Semenovich Vygotsky, 2005.) He also believed that, children’s cognitive development is socially and culturally mediated, and it depends on and is affected by social interactions. (Berk, 2007.) Children interact with each other through verbal and non-verbal language, and play is a starter to these interactions. Throughout play, they obtain knowledge, practical skills, share ideas and experiences, learn about sharing and turn taking, right and wrong and boundaries and limits. In 1932, Mildred Parten (as cited in R. Tomlin, n.d.) came up with the theory â€Å"Categories of Play†. It classifies children’s play into six categories that represent six types and degrees of children’s social behaviors and development. They are unoccupied play, onlooker play, solitary play, parallel play, associative play and co-operative play. The unoccupied play is a stage where the child does not engage himself in play, not with any other children or toys. The child is more like an ‘observer’ than ‘player’, he may watch other children play and take notice of the things that happen around him. He may stay in one location or move around randomly. During the onlooker play, the child is still more of a ‘watcher’ than ‘player’, he may engage himself with other children verbally during their play, such as asking questions, offer suggestions, but not engage in participating in the activity. Solitary play is a st age where the child plays by himself. There are no interactions with other children, and no interests of what other children are doing. However, when a child plays alone it does not necessarily mean he is socially isolated, it can be that the child just needs some time by himself. Parallel play is a stage that occurs in all age groups. It is when children play with similar toys or engage in similar activities at the same time and location, but play separately. They are more focused on what they are doing than on other children. Associative play mostly occurs between three and four years of age. It is a stage about socialization. Communication and interactions start to occur, children start to learn to share, to take turns. The main focus is not on the objects anymore but on their peers. The last stage is co-operative play. It is a stage that children start to have a concept of ‘team’ and ‘team work’. Everyone is working together toward the final goal by fulfilling the roles they assigned to. Play can be considered as an excellent tool to enhance children’s development. For example, in my last practicum, we often played a game called â€Å"The Rainbow†. It is to ask all the children and teachers to hold a large colorful fabric together, and the children are assigned to different numbers from one to three, then we start to sing a song, when the song finishes, we lift up the fabric, the teacher will call out the number, and the children who are assigned to this number will have to run under the fabric and switch positions. This game offers an opportunity for children to exercise their body by running, lifting up their arms, to practice their thinking skills by understanding the rules of the game, to practice their language skills by singing the song, and to recognize numbers. The children have a really great time playing the game, their emotional well-being has been nurtured, and by playing the game with all teachers together, they would feel safe and protected from harm. Moreover, a sense of belonging has been developed by playing the game together with the whole team. (Ministry of Education, 1996.) Other types of play, such as pretend play, symbolic play also help children to obtain a higher level of cognitive competence. For example, in pretend play, children have to have â€Å"the ability to transform objects and actions symbolically† (Bergen, 2002) Through these various types of play, children start to make sense of the world, to separate fantasy from reality, to learn self-regulation, to practice their thinking skills. It also provides children with opportunities to revisit joyful experiences, or to deal and cope with negative emotions. In terms of making sense of the world, a child who pretends to be a bus driver, and sits at the front of the ‘bus’. The idea of where the bus driver is on a bus comes from the child’s real life experiences, where he gets on the bus with his parents and sees the bus driver sitting in the front, then he starts to release that is the way it is. Also, when a child pretends to be a doctor, he has to understand its characteristic, such as costume, postures and vocabulary, in order to carry out the role. And an example of how children separate fantasy from reality is the ‘cooking’ game that I observed in my last practicum. The children used lots of containers, bottles, spoons and sand to ‘cook’. A four-year-old girl brought me a bottle filled with sand and said, â€Å"It’s milk, it’s for you.† And when I took over the bottle and start to ‘drink’, she said, â€Å"We are not really drinking it, we just pretend it’s milk, ok?† However, some other younger children would actually eat the sand, because they have not yet developed the concept of fantasy and reality. As previously said, pretend play and symbolic play help children to learn self-regulation, to practice thinking skills. They learn to control their emotions, to share toys and take turns, and underst and the reason to do that. They learn that daycare is different from home, and there are different sets of rules to follow. Children also love to re-act the joyful moments they had in previous experiences. For example, on a Monday morning, A came to my practicum centre telling us she had a great time on the beach during the weekend. Then later during the day, A and two other girls took bags, sun glasses and sunhats pretending they are on the beach. From these examples, we can see how children benefit from play. Play improves and enhances the holistic development of children, so for adults, it is important to encourage and enhance children to play, identify children’s learning and provide them with a safe environment, materials, various types of learning experiences and appropriate responds and assistance. Moreover, most importantly, â€Å"adults should make children aware of any hidden risks in physical challenges they set for themselves.† (Fernie, 1988) The four principles of Te Whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996.), empowerment, holistic development, relationship and family and community facilitate appropriate curriculum for children’s development through play. The principle of empowerment ensures that children’s physical and emotional well-being is nurtured. This may include, nutritious meals, appropriate food for children with allergies, sufficient amount of outdoor activity and rest, and knowledge of their body, body function and self-help skills, awareness of harm and skills, sense of safety, and understanding of rules about harming others and the environment. As for the emotional well-being, the principle of empowerment ensures that children take responsibilities of their own decision and actions, develop sense of self-recognition, ability of self-regulation and self-adjustment. The empowerment principle contributes significantly to the second principle, holistic development. It enables children to have a concept of the ECE settings, home and the world, and the links and differences between them, the knowledge of people, objects, communities and natural recourses, and interests in discovering them. Also, it helps children to build confidences through participating in activities and social interactions, initiatives awareness of daily routines and tolerance of changes, enhances their ability to accept new things, and to understand boundaries and limits. The third and forth principles, relationships and family and community work together to enable children to develop communication skills, build confidences in communication and establishing relationships with people from different gender, age group and cultural background. In my last practicum, one of the under two babies held a birthday party together with the over two children, the teachers and parents. The over twos also performed a song they had been practicing for the past two weeks to the parents. During the party, there were lots of interactions going on. The children were communicating with each other and adults verbally and non-verbally, they talks about the previous birthday parties, plans for their future birthday parties, they used facial expressions, gestures, postures and body movement to express themselves, some of the children showed their counting skills to the parent by counting the candles on the cake. The teachers and parents always respond to the children’s questions or needs, and encouraged them to bring their plate and water bottle to the kitchen branch by themselves and wash their hands after eating. Play is an important and significant part a child’s life, it provides opportunities for children to take initiatives in learning. As adults, we should provide children with helpful and suitable resources, materials and assistances to enable appropriate learning to occur. Moreover, it is our responsibility to arm ourselves with skills and knowledge in order to assist children to achieve their goals. We should start to be aware of the value and the significance of children’s play, guide and teach them during their play. Family, educators and caregivers should be working together, to help children to grow up into successful adults, and to make our world a better place. Reference List Bergen, D. (2002). The role of pretend play in childrens cognitive development. Retrieved March 23, 2010 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6893/is_1_4/ai_n28132540/?tag=content;col1 Berk, Laura E. (2007). (4th Edition). Development Through the Lifespan. USA: Pearson Allyn and Bacon. Fernie, D. (1988). The Nature of Childrens Play. Retrieved March 23, 2010 April 2, 2010 from http://www.silkysteps.com/family.cfm/auid/481/Hope-Hedgehog/Hopes-Articles/Childrens-Play Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whariki: He whariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o aotearoa/ Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media. Olga S, J. (2003). Recess in Elementary School: What Does the Research Say? ERIC Digest. Retrieved January 23, 2010 from http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-2/recess.html R. Tomlin, C. (n.d.). Play: A Historical Review. Retrieved March 20, 2010 from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=618 The Mozart of Psychology Lev Semenovich Vygotsky. (2005). Retrieved March 13, 2010 from http://vygotsky.afraid.org/

Theories of Criminology | What Causes Crime?

Theories of Criminology | What Causes Crime? This paper focuses on the information about the crimes. Different theories about the criminology are described. Main focus will be on the criminology and its two theories. Criminology is the study of factors about the crimes that lead to its phenomena. This crime may be of individual or social nature. It includes making laws, breaking laws and attempts to break the laws. Criminology focuses on the social, cultural and individual causes of the illegal behavior. Criminology is directly related to sociology and psychology in all disciplines that deal with a group or individual behavior. However an act that is immoral or indecent can be criminal act unless it is not outlawed by the state. Criminology consists of our organized ways of thinking and talking about crime, criminals and crime control (Garland and Sparks, 2000, 192). Personal and neighborhood income are the strongest predictors of violent crime (cited in Wasting Americas Future (Arloc Sherman, 1994, p88). Demonstrates that glaring social and economic inequalities in our society impose correspondingly high costs in the form of street crime. (John Hagan Ruth D. Peterson, Crime and Inequality, 1995, Stanford U, p4) Causes of Crimes: Causes of crime may be environmental, hereditary or psychological. Environmental causes are ruled out as independent causes of crimes. But psychological conditions are said to be determinant of an individuals reaction to persuasive environmental influence. Criminologist says that certain offenders are born to create crimes in the environment. Other cause may be the poverty. Due to low condition of their living, they are enforced to commit crimes. Discrimination against minorities may become the cause of crimes. Emotional disorders are also cause of crimes. Crime Prevention: Ultimate aim of crime prevention is to reduce the risk of victims. Here we find the ways to prevent crimes. Do not provide the opportunity to the thief to take advantages of your property. Fewer opportunities may become the cause of reduction in the crime rates. States should enhance the way of living of poor of that country. Poverty alleviation programs on sound basis can reduce the crime rates. Law and enforcement agencies are key role player in prevention of crimes. Delay in justice must be avoided. Issues in Criminology: Several issues arise which are serious causes to put the crimes rate not reducing. These issues vary from the level of crime. Due to difference in the legal and criminal justice system the crime rate is not reducing. Contrast in the police reporting and actual crime report is another issue. Proper prosecution is not observed when a crime is committed. Due to differences in data quality a crime rate can not be feasible work to reduce the rate of crime. Difference between micro-and macro theories: Differences between micro and macro level theories exist. To identify a theory whether it is macro or micro level is to check what the theory predicts. Focus of the micro-level theory is on the individual interaction. Individual characteristics can be explained by the interactions of people within an environment. These are described as epidemiology. Epidemiology here is concerned with the overall crime rates. Example of this kind of theory is the relationship between adult children and their parents. Macro-level theory is most extended and focuses on the social problems, social conditions and social processes. For example; how the old peoples status is affected by industrialization. Micro level theories are called role theories while macro level theories include age stratification theory. Macro theory shows the criminal behavior of the crimes across the world. Micro-level, or individual-level theories link individual characteristics to the probability that an individual will engage in criminal behaviors. (Bernard Snipes 1996, p.335). Crime States: Crimes consists of following states. Crime can be measured from the intensity and nature of the individual as well as group violence involved in that crime. Crimes are identified as harm someone for self benefits. Murder: It is a big loss of life. Rape: It is an immoral act that becomes the cause of this kind of crime. Robbery: It involves carrying of any valuable things by the force. Assault: Physical attack Burglary: Elite classes are the offenders in some cases. Motor Vehicle Theft: It includes stealing the cars in public places. Robbery: It is mostly found in streets. Hence mobile snatching is an example of the robbery. All the states related to crime and its nature has priority over the other states. Criminology should have concern itself with the big things global, geo-political and transitional. Central point of this work is that how crimes are related with the society and what effects they have on it. What implications are found in macro and micro level theories? Correlation is found but most differences exist between these types of theories.

Matrix Review :: essays research papers

The Matrix Action / Sci-Fi (US); 1999; Rated R; 135 Minutes Cast Keanu Reeves: Thomas "Neo" Anderson Laurence Fishburne: Morpheus Carrie-Anne Moss: Trinity Joe Pantoliano: Cypher Hugo Weaving: Agent Smith Produced by Bruce Berman, Dan Cracchiolo, Andrew Mason, Barrie M. Osborne, Joel Silver, Erwin Stoff, Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski Directed and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski Keanu Reeves as a martial-arts master and savior of the earth? Laurence Fishburne as his mentor? The world as we know it does not even exist? Surely, you can't be serious. Welcome to the fascinating and confusing world of "The Matrix." In this sci-fi thriller, Reeves stars as Neo, a computer programmer by day and cyber-hacker by night. Out of nowhere, he is contacted by a group of super hackers who tell him that his life is in danger and his only hope is to trust them. The group's leader, a quiet but confident man known as Morpheus (Fishburne) tells Neo that he is the one chosen to save the world and that the "Matrix is the wool that has pulled over your eyes - that you are a slave." Neo is the world's only hope. In a nutshell, Morpheus explains that computers developed on their own and won a brutal war against man. So the computers made a program to put all of the slaves back in the past, which is our present day. He tells Neo that he can chose either to live now or to see what the world is truly like. Neo chooses the latter, and the trip down the rabbit hole begins as does the fight for the salvation of humanity. But the battle must be fought out in â€Å"The Matrix†, not the real world, where computer sentinels are seemingly invincible and where the laws of physics can not only be bent, they can be tossed right out the window. With that kind of freedom, characters can run up the sides of walls, leap incredible distances, dodge bullets, and with the help of Hong Kong stunt specialist Yuen Wo Ping, pull off some of the most impressive kung fu fight sequences ever filmed. Slow-motion film sequences, some shot at the rate of 12,000 frames per second, allow the filmmakers to manipulate the on-screen action much like in the Gap commercials where the dancers are frozen and the camera angle shifts around them. Andrew Mason lends the film the same look he gave Dark City, only this time the good guys wear black and everyone else is either a sentinel or prime fodder for target practice.

The AIDS Quilt: Another Dimension :: Free AIDS Essays

The AIDS Quilt: Another Dimension "Jones originally envisioned the AIDS quilt as a message that would call upon the conscience of the nation." (Sturken 186) "The AIDS quilt raises the question of the purpose of mourning. For whom do we mourn when we mourn? The foregrounding of the needs of the living and the creation of a community through the quilt point to mourning not simply as a process for remembering the dead and marking the meaning and value of their lives but also an attempt to create something out of that loss." (Sturken 199) Although the AIDS quilt is thought of by most to be a mourning device, there are in fact panels in the quilt that actually oppose the idea of mourning. In this section of the quilt, one out of the eight sections clearly stands out. It is one that reads: "Terry Sutton; He hated this quilt†¦and so do we." This panel, surrounded by the seven more traditional panels shows how although, on a broad level, the quilt is thought of as a non-activist mourning attempt, there are definite aspects of activism that show through despite discourses popularly associated with the quilt. The other panels pictured here typify the finds of panels that are made for the victims of AIDS. "In memory of†¦" and "we will remember†¦" are some of the more common inclusions in the panels. Terry Sutton’s panel is incredibly significant because juxtaposed against the other panels it shows an opposite reaction to the quilt. It illustrates Sutton’s hatred of what other victims and families think is an amazing coping device. More often than not, the families and friends who decide to make panels for AIDS victims think it is a wonderful idea. Although the creators of the Sutton panel are certainly in the minority, creating a panel of this nature makes an intense impact. The "ACT UP’ t-shirt that is included in Sutton’s panel is most likely a symbol of his involvement with the well-known activist group, ACT UP. The letters stand for AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. They define their organization as follows: "ACT UP is a diverse non-partisan group of individuals united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. We advise and inform. We demonstrate. We are not silent." Because ACT UP is a well-known activist group, the fact that Terry Sutton’s panel associates him with the group shows the audience his feelings toward the idea of making a quilt as a strategy to fight AIDS.

Action Research Project for Reading Essay

The problem stated in the Action Research Project was that 66% of third grade students lack the ability to draw conclusions and make inferences to answer comprehension questions correctly. This was evident by the state reading test scores, specifically the inference test given by their teacher. This indicated a need for increased student achievement in making inferences and drawing conclusions. Third grade students were not proficient at making inferences to gain a deeper understanding of the texts read and thus answer open ended questions correctly. Therefore, they did not get all the inference based comprehension questions correct based on the end of grade test scores that these third grade students are required to take. This indicated a need for additional support making inferences through direct instruction, peer discussion and independent practice in the classroom setting. Students had previously been taught how to make inferences through discussion and worksheets. B) Review of main strategies The basic strategies used in this project included interactive read aloud, a reading response journal, and making inferences with photographs. An important component used in the implementation plan was the integration of the read alouds with the reading response journal as well as a great deal of modeling. The teacher gave the students time before, after, and during reading to write responses in their journals. They were encouraged to make predictions, connections, share reactions, opinions, visualizations, ask questions and make inferences. By having the students use those various strategies, they were learning how to really think about what they were reading in order to get a deeper understanding of their texts. Using these various strategies would ultimately increase their understanding and thus improve their ability to make inferences about what they read. The students were given time before reading to make predictions about what they thought might happen and any reactions or opinions from the previous reading. While the teacher was reading, the students were encouraged to make connections and inferences. They also began a section of vocabulary words they found challenging or interesting. This list of words was ongoing and the students  had to find the definition that went along with their word. The teacher also listed those words on chart paper during the reading time. Once the teacher had ended the read aloud time, the students had time to reflect on what they read. They might make inferences based on what they had learned or share how they visualized the scene taking place. The teacher also modeled what she was thinking as she came to different parts of the story. C) Description of post implementation data collection tools Post implementation, the teacher used a variety of tools to test the effectiveness of the ARP. Students took a teacher created â€Å"Inference Assessment† (Appendix A, p. 7) that consisted of two reading passages and ten short answer questions. The students had to read each short story and then answer five questions based on each story. The questions to the answers had to be inferring from the short passages. Students needed to get eight of the ten questions correct to receive a passing score. The assessment was scored by hand and scores were recorded as a percentage. The class completed a â€Å"Charles Assessment† (Appendix B, p.8) Students had to read a short story by Shirley Jackson entitled â€Å"Charles,† and answer several questions and write a short essay based on their interpretation of the story. Their interpretation of what they read showed how well they were able to infer what the story was about. Students had to complete the various questions and tasks to the best of their ability based on their interpretation of the story. Students’ answers were scored based on their vocabulary answers, ability to create an appropriate book cover, set of classroom rules, a comic strip, or to follow the RAFT format in creating a short essay. Students’ work was scored based on their ability to follow the directions and their ability to infer what had happened in the story. The students used the Inferencing Rubric (Appendix C, p. 12) to guide them as they write a narrative. The rubric was had five columns and each column had the criteria to earn one to four points, totaling twenty points. This rubric was used to show the students what the expectations were before they began writing their paper. The rubric was also used by the teacher to score their final paper. Scores were tallied up and fifteen through twenty points would be passing scores. The students were required to take an Inferencing Post Test (Appendix D, p. 13) after they had been taught the lessons in the action research project. This is the same test they took before the implementation. It was administered during consists of several reading passages and multiple choice answers. There were fiction, non-fiction, and poetry selections the students read and then answered questions based on inferences created from the passages. Students answered the circled questions. These results were compared to the scores gathered prior to the implementation. The End of Grade Test (Appendix E, p. 21) was administered to all third grade students in Wake County are required to take at the end of each year. This is a multiple choice test that is given at the end of each school year. This assessment is given in a secure setting over three days. The first day is reading comprehension; the next two are for math calculator active and calculator inactive. The students record their responses by bubbling on an answer sheet that is electronically scored. These results were compared with the pretest scores to see how much progress the students made throughout the year. D) Results for each objective The first objective was for the students to be able to accurately identify and analyze inferences in context with a minimum of 80% accuracy as measured by the teacher created Inference Assessment (Appendix A, p. 7). After the students had been taught how to make inferences through various classroom activities, they took the assessment and the entire class met or exceeded the passing score. Two students scored 70%, four students scored 80%, five students scored 90%, and ten scored 100%. The scores show a vast improvement in the students’ ability to make inferences. The second objective was for seventeen of twenty one students to improve their ability to interpret inferences and comprehend reading passages by achieving a score of 80% or better on the Charles Assessment (Appendix B p. 8). Only thirteen students met that goal. Four students scored 60%, five scored 70%, nine scored 80%, two scored 90%, and one scored 100%. Although the students did not all meet the desired goal, they showed improvement based on their earlier assessments and the individual scores were higher. The third objective stated that the students would be able to accurately incorporate two or more inferences into their personal narrative writing pieces as measured by a teacher created Inferencing Rubric (Appendix C p. 12). The entire class was able to incorporate at least two inferences into their narrative based on the rubric. Before the implementation, most students could not interpret an inference, so being able to create two or more shows a vast improvement. The fourth objective stated that the students would increase their ability to identify and interpret inferences to increase their reading comprehension to 80% as measured by the teacher created Inferencing Pre/Post Test (Appendix D, p. 13). All but three students met the specified goal. Of the twelve questions posed, three students correctly answered nine questions, three answered ten, nine answered eleven, and six answered all twelve correctly. Based on the previous scores on this test, students’ scores greatly increased. The lowest score went from four questions correct up to nine, and all students grew, except for the one student who scored perfect on the pretest. Scores identify that the students were able to increase their comprehension and infer what they had read. The last objective was that the students would increase their ability to identify and create inferences to increase their reading comprehension to 52% as measured by the North Carolina End of Grade Test (Appendix E, p. 21). Eighteen of twenty one students met or exceeded that goal as opposed to only seven who passed the pretest. Three students scored a level one (3-20 percent), one scored a level two (31 percent), ten scored a level three (52-74 percent), and seven students scored a level four (87-99 percent). This shows a tremendous growth based on previous scores that showed many more students at the bottom range. Ten students scored a level one (11-35 percent), four scored a level two (48-69 percent), five scored a level three (74-89 percent), and two scored a level four (92-97 percent). E) Summary Based on the data collected from all the assessment tools, the teacher’s implementation plan was successful. Most goals were met and her students proved to be successful in their final assessments. Even though not all the students reached the set goal, each student showed improvement through the various assessment tools, especially in the state test . Appendix A Name/Number: Date: Inference assessment Read the passage carefully and then answer the questions that follow. One gloomy morning, Bailey woke up and stretched out in her bed. She jumped out of bed, walked to the kitchen and had a long drink of water. As she was drinking, Waleed came in the kitchen and gave her some breakfast. She quickly gobbled up her food and noticed that it was grey and dreary outside. There was a white blanket draped across the backyard. Waleed noticed the weather too, so he crawled back into his warm bed. Bailey followed him back in the bedroom and jumped up into bed so they could snuggle. She licked his face as she curled up at his feet. Her tail wagged until she peacefully fell back to sleep. 1. Who is Bailey? 2. What was the weather outside? 3. Did Bailey drink her water from a glass? 4. What did Bailey have for breakfast? 5. Who is Waleed? Sarah and Renee were enjoying the hot day at home. They were splashing around and having fun since they didn’t have to go to school. They had been outside all day and Renee’s skin was turning bright pink. All of a sudden, there was a roll of thunder and the sun was blocked by several clouds. The sky turned dark and the sun was no longer shining. Sarah and Renee quickly packed up their towels and beach balls and ran inside just as the sky opened up. 6. What season is it? 7. Where are Sarah and Renee? 8. What happened to Renee’s skin? 9. What time of day is it? 10. Why did Sarah and Renee have to run inside? Appendix B Charles Assessment [pic] [pic] [pic][pic] Appendix C. | |Inferences |Focus |Topic and conclusion|Elaboration |Spelling/grammar | | | | |sentences | | | |4 |Paper contains more|Paper maintains a |Paper has a strong |Paper has specific |Paper contains virtually no | | |than two detailed |specific focus |topic and |details that |spelling or grammar mistakes | | |inferences |throughout |conclusion sentence |elaborate on the | | | | | | |topic | | |3 |Paper contains two |Paper is focused on|Paper has a weak |Paper has vague |Paper contains fewer than 5 | | |detailed inferences|one event, but may |topic and conclusion|details that |spelling and/or grammar | | | |have minor lapses |sentence |elaborate on the |mistakes | | | | | |topic | | |2 |. Paper only contains|Paper may be |Paper may have a |Paper does not have |Paper contains more than 10 | | |one detailed |focused on one or |weak topic or |details that support |spelling and/or grammar | | |inference or two |more events, but |conclusion sentence |the topic |mistakes | | |that are not |has major lapses |that does not follow| | | | |detailed | |the topic | | | |1 |Paper does not have|Paper is not |Paper does not have |Paper has no |Paper contains more than 15 | | |any inferences in |focused and has |a topic or |supporting details |spelling and/or grammar | | |it |major lapses in |conclusion sentence | |mistakes | | | |time | | | | | | | | | | | |Total scores: | | | | | | Writing and Inferencing Rubric Student Name and Number:_____________________________________ Date:________________________________________________________ Appendix D [pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] Appendix E Since this assessment was administered to every third grade student in North Carolina in a secure setting, there are no available copies of the test. The Inferencing Pre/Post Test in Appendix D used sample End of Grade test questions that were posted by the North Carolina Department of Instruction. These sample articles have a very similar format to the passages and questions the students saw when they took the End of Grade Test.