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

Museum - Essay Example There are a number of ways that the museum attempts to discover this original context by interpreting the social languages evident in the objects they collect. Kavanaugh1 indicates that social languages have essentially three component parts, one of which is the direct use of signs and symbols in the form of objects and space while the other two, non-verbal communication such as gestures and body language and verbal communication such as speech and writing, can also be preserved somewhat in the objects that are left behind and can help in determining the culture from which the object originated. Because objects share a role in the interrelated social communication modes of a particular society, the interpretation of these objects may differ from one society to the next or even one time period to the next. The museum attempts to convey an idea of the original culture by grouping artifacts according to their age and date and place of discovery. By grouping things in this way, it is hoped an idea of the lifestyle of the people who created them will emerge that is free from the understandings of the modern age. Artifacts are shown with explanatory placards that tell what the object was used for and how old it is thought to be. Markings on the objects are interpreted as signs of the beliefs and legends of the originating society whenever possible and other contextualizing information is given. For example, a vase might be explained by the techniques used to make it, the markings that appear on its sides, the design or shape of its form and the anticipated use based on remnants of materials found within the vase. However, the way in which the object is interpreted can not only provide significant contextual clues to the society from which it was produced, but can also reflect the understanding of the society attempting to

To teach children Essay Example for Free

To teach children Essay The lesson plans on Comparing poems and patterns tested the students’ abilities to distinguish similarities and differences. Asking the students about details on the story helps them comprehend the story well. The Venn diagram visually segregates the commonalities and the differences. The lesson plan on patterns also made them aware of colors and shapes and sizes which is good for all members of the family. Many children enter first grade with the expectation that they are going to learn to read. They have enjoyed a variety of experiences that have made them aware of the fact that spoken language can be represented by written forms. Not including the children who are among the 1 to 2 percent who can read primary-level materials when they enter first grade, in the first grade that I am handling, there are several children who can identify familiar brand names they have seen advertised on television and in the supermarket, recognize road signs, and read their own and possibly some of their friends’ names. From having looked on and asked what a word was as someone read to them they have learned to recognize the written forms for a few familiar words. The might also know, from having followed along as parents or teachers read to them, that one reads a line from left to right and proceeds from the end of one line to the beginning of the next line. Other children might not have enjoyed similar experiences, although they may be just as eager to learn to read. For these as well as the other children, an environment that stimulates a curiosity about and interest in reading will provide the setting and a reason for learning to read. What can a teacher do to make the classroom a laboratory for beginning reading? Here are some suggestions from my own experience: Fill bookshelves with colorful picturebooks and storybooks. These are books which children can look at themselves or which will be read to them. Place some books on a table to attract the children’s attention. Some might be open to encourage handling and examination. Chairs should be placed nearby for anyone who wishes to look at the books. Attach children’s name tags, written in manuscript, to the front of each one’s place at a table or desk. The same might be done to identify the children’s storage bins and clothes hangers. Attach signs, in manuscripts, to objects or stations in the rooms – For example, the words—window, door, supplies, pencils, crayons, etc. One of the purposes for having these captions, signs and labels in the classroom is to help the children become word conscious. Another is to convey the idea that written words may be used like spoken ones. A third purpose is to provide Here is an example of a lesson plan aimed at teaching children how to begin reading. LESSON PLAN AIM: To teach children how to begin reading MOTIVATION: How children respond to different kinds of experiences provides a good indication of what they are likely to do when they are exposed to more formal reading activities. LINK TO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: The synthetic approach—the study of separate sounds with their associated written forms followed by the blending of known sounds into words—is not preferred. Two other systems, treated separate or blended into a favorable mix, some closer to meeting children’s learning requirements; these are the language-experience approach to reading and the basal reading program. Each program is characterized by its own set of distinctive features, although variations in the ways they are developed are common.

Varieties of English: Effects on Teaching English

Varieties of English: Effects on Teaching English The Varieties of English and Its Affects on Teaching English as a Foreign Language English is considered to be the most important language and has gained importance internationally. The English is treated as a means of communicating in the areas of the economy, technology, science, arts, tourism, and sports. English language can be described as a truly global language that people all over the use more than any other language and it functions as an international or world language and it serves as lingua franca for facilitating communication between people who do not share the same first (or even second) language (Harmer, 2007). Since English is considered to be the most important tool for communication globally, the understanding of its varieties also becomes necessary. To give clear view of the use of English in different countries, Kachru (1992) presents the three concentric circles of language. The inner circle represents the places where English is used as first or native language such as Britain, the USA, Australia etc. According to Crystal (2006), there are 400 million native speakers of English language. The outer circle includes the places, such as India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore etc, where English is used as an official language or second language. Crystal (2006) states that there are 400 million speak English as a second language. The Expanding circle represents the countries where English plays no special status but widely used as a lingua franca or medium of international communication and studied as a foreign language, for example, Japan, Egypt, Mexico, Indonesia etc. There are around 600-700 million people use English as a foreign language around the world (Crystal, 2006). These circles clearly show the high status of Englis h language as it becomes an official or second language in more than 100 countries. There are about 2 billion people, one third of the world population speak English all over the world. Varieties of world English include American English. British English, Singapore English (Singalish), Indian English, Australian English, Philippine English, Scottish English, Spanglish, Taglish etc. The existence of different varieties of English around world is because of the spread of English. The spread of English is the result of a number of historical and pragmatic factors (McCrum, 2010). The first factor is the expansion and the influence of British colonization to many parts of the world in the nineteenth century. The second factor is the great influence of United States in world economy and military and Harmer (2013) states that these influences make English to become one of the main language of international businesses. Thirdly, according to Crystal (2003), American technology takes a leading role in the world technology. Besides, the great deal of advertising, broadcasting, popular music and literature around the world use English to express the ideas around the world. Moreover, in education, the most of the academic discourse use English language and it can be one of the main reasons why many countries use English as the foreign language or medium of instruction in schools. Therefore, it is obvious that English becomes a global language as it is the most commonly used in many important fields such as business, education, media, science and technology. According to Greenbaum and Quirk (1991), there are five reasons why varieties of English has evolved: regional, social group, field of discourse, medium and attitudes. The variation occurs in the distinctive features of English which include spelling, pronunciation, lexis, grammar and preferred usages. The varieties of English, as shown in the verbal structures, which express the variations in the aspects are commonly seen in all the varieties around the world. Pronunciation and morphology can be classified in accordance with the frequency of variation seen in the non-standard forms of the English language. The variation in vocabulary is restricted to two types. First, the presence of archaic words and second, the presence of flora and fauna words. The phonological, morphological and syntactical features are the three main features which show the variations in the English language as compared to be the standard form of the language. Out of all the countries around the world, Britain and America are the two main countries that have used a standard form of English. In Britain, the standard form is called as received pronunciation (RP), and in America, the standard form is called by various names, but most common being- general American and network American. Maximum people in America, use General American while speaking. Whereas, a very few people in Britain, use Received Pronunciation while speaking. Other than these two standard forms of English are considered to be the varieties of English. The varieties of English (Fairclough,2014) spoken out of Britain and America are called to be overseas or extraterritorial varieties. English is considered to be an official and often native language. English fulfills the function of a lingua franca (ELF). Many countries, like Nigeria, have used English as a lingua franca (which means a general means of communication). More attention shall be given to the varieties in ELT from various perspectives like grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary (Pennycook.2014). The variations are least at the level of grammar. Thus, are not to be addressed in the English language classroom in detail. But if we talk about pronunciation, the case is totally different. It requires to be studied in detail. The role of varieties of English in ELT to some extent also depends on the teacher. It has been seen that the prospective teachers of ELT are not prepared properly for coping up with the variety-related problems that arise in the classroom. Due to lack of proper training, teachers hesitate to include varieties of English in ELT as they consider it a complex thing (Llurda, 2016). Also, varieties are not considered important by teachers as they usually are not important in exams. The challenges of variation of English language in ELT context can be overcome by strengthening the regional and social varieties in the areas where English is used traditionally as the traditional language by the majority of the population, by growing the self-confidence of the native and non-native users of English to use the regional varieties in the English language without sticking to the norms of using the traditional language as standard as exposing students to as many varieties of English as possible would do more to ensure intelligibility than trying to impose a single standard on everyone (DSouza, 1999) and by adopting ELF in the ELT, due to globalization as English learners will most likely to communicate in English with other non-native ELF speakers in ELF interactions. Although it is impossible and unnecessary to teach all varieties of English in the classroom, students should be given proper training to be able to understand the speakers from different geographical and social differences which needs to include more exposure to varieties and variety-related training in ELT to create awareness, for example, teaching listening skill with the recordings of different speakers with different accents. To conclude, because of the spread of English in British colonization and the influence of USA in economic and military and a wide use of English language in different areas to share the ideas with the world such as media, technology, science and education can make English to become global language. As English become global language, there are many users of English around the world and this lead to different varieties of English. The existence of varieties of English influence in teaching English as the role of varieties in the ELT classroom has gained major importance and thus, can be said to be the most promising way to provide users of English an education which makes them highly competent in terms of communication globally.

Eva Luna and A Dolls House: The Nature Of Power Essay -- A Dolls Hous

Discuss the nature of power explored in the texts, Eva Luna, and A Doll’s House In the two texts Eva Luna, and A Doll’s House, by Isabel Allende and Henrik Ibsen respectively, there are various people who have power over others. However this power comes in a number of forms, different characters use it for different purposes, and the ways the characters achieve it also differs. These different natures of power allow some people to succeed where others fail, and it is those who succeed that, in the end, have the true power. In the novel Eva Luna, there are various people who are in positions of power. The one who is the most obvious to the reader is the General; a dictator. He has the power to control and manipulate others to do as he wants, in order to benefit himself. His power comes about through the use of force, violence, propaganda, and persuasive tactics. He can control people, but it is only because they fear him. There is no feeling by the people he has power over, that he deserves it, they have no respect for him, and so without his armies, his power is meaningless. Rolf Carle’s father in Eva Luna parallels this nature of power. Lucas Carle has total control over his wife and children, to the point where he treats his wife more like a prostitute, and his children hide from him when he comes home because they fear a beating from him. It is this fear of being punished if one does not obey that gives Lucas Carle his power, and as in the case of the General, if the only reason to give in to someone’s power is fear of the consequences if one doesn’t, then this power gains no respect from those it affects. The kind of power that the General possesses is totally different to that of Eva herself. Both of them are able to change people, however, where the General changes people through the force he puts onto them, Eva changes people from the inside. She is able to change people by bringing out what is already inside of them, and of herself. She does this by focusing on the positive parts of any situation, and in this way inspiring hope. Her power is based on having the courage to rise up against her oppressors, and the ability to lead others by evoking feeling and passion within them, instead of a power based on the fear of the consequences of not conforming. She doesn’t need an army behind her to enforce her ideas; people are drawn to her. One ... ...verse circumstances, but through their self-determination, they are able to triumph over these circumstances, and gain the power they lacked at the beginning of their journeys. I believe that the authors of these texts are putting forward the message that true power is something that is innate in people, not something that can be achieved in the ways that the General, and Lucas Carle did. Where the power lies in a certain situation is not always where it first seems most obvious. In these two texts there are different people who posses different forms of power in society. There are those who force ideas upon others, and who only wish to benefit themselves, and seek absolute power, but there are also those who have power because they are able to communicate to the core of other people, and they are able to give people the courage to stand up for what they believe. These are the people who have the true power, and who, in these two texts, eventually, in one way or another succeed. Bibliography: 1) Isabel Allende, Eva Luna, Alfred A. Knopf (trans), (New York; Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1988) 2) Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House, Michael Meyer (trans), (London; Methuen Drama, 1985)

Car Accidents †Problem and Solution Essay

The world would be a much better place if there were fewer car accidents. Car accidents happen daily and regularly these days. They leave pains behind for the victims’ families. Many people think that they will never get involved in car accidents. They don’t wear their seat belts, they drive after drinking, and they use their cell phones while driving. They do all these things without even giving a second thought, yet all these things are preventable. No one knows what will happen to them in the future except for God; thus, they should always stay alarmed. People don’t realize that doing those minor things cause them severe pains or even deaths. There are more than six million car accidents each year in the United States. A person dies in a car accident every twelve minutes and each year car crashes kill 40,000 people. Someone is injured by a car accident every fourteen seconds and about two million of the people who are injured in car accidents suffer permanent injuries. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for the people between two and thirty-four years old. Car crashes cost each American more than $1,000 a year; $164. 2 billion is the total cost each year across the U.S. (http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/statistics.html). As you can see, preserving car accidents not only saves the lives of the people, but also saves the money for their countries. This makes everyone to be involved in car accidents happen in their countries. So what causes the problem? There are many different reasons why car accidents happen. Some people are distracted while driving. They are on the phone, sending text messages, fixing their make-ups, and most of the drivers are distracted because of rubbernecking. They set their eyes on something else and run into walls, other cars, or posts. Another major reason is drinking. People do not know how dangerous it is to drive drunk; furthermore, they don’t even know they had been drinking because they drank too much. The fatigue of driving for many hours causes many accidents too. Drivers get tired and fall asleep without even noticing it. The speeding is also one of the reasons for accidents. Even though there are speed limits for different places, people don’t keep them. Teens race on highways with motorbikes or cars. Adults get drunk and drive as fast as rockets. Some people face accidents because of others. Other people may ignore the laws of traffic and run into you. You may not deserve it, but accidents happen at any time. It is your responsibility to always stay awake and be alarmed. There is no simple or specific solution to the problem of car accidents. All of us just need to keep the basic rules and laws. People need to be aware of accidents at anytime and anywhere. Individuals cannot solve this problem. We all have to work on it as one nation to solve it. Only one or two people keeping the warnings in their mind won’t help that much to prevent the accidents. Everyone should obey and follow the rules. That’s why there are rules, to keep them. However, people think lightly about the traffic laws. They just think driving as their daily routine. This mistaken thought would lead not only them but other people to death. To be stricter so people would follow the laws, I think we should raise the fines for not keeping the laws. For example, people who cross the mid lines, people who pass the red lights, people who litter out the window, and etc. They all should pay the fines with conscience. I saw Malaysian people ignoring the warning stickers on their cars and throwing them on the floor. They think that bribing the police officer would do the magic trick. There are some police officers’ faults too, but it is wrong for us to bribe at the first place. We should take responsibilities for what we’ve done and pay them. Another basic solution we could do is to not drive after drinking. People who get drunk should take a taxi or ask one of their friends to drive them home. We should place the police officers more often on the roads at night, so people would not drive after drinking. Another thing we can do is to put more cameras on the road to take more pictures of those who speed up over the limit. We can put warning signs of cameras to help the people stay alarmed. Then the teens would not race anymore, and the adults would not drive fast for any reason. All the drivers should have a rest every two hours. People should ride on the trains, ships or airplanes for long trips. Drivers should get enough sleep or rest before they drive. They should not go for long journey after heavy loads of work. All of these can prevent the fatigue of driving for many hours. We should teach about car accidents, and about its consequences more often in school. So we can show the students how dangerous car accidents can be. I know people don’t wish to get involved in car accidents, but people don’t take it seriously until they actually get involved. The problem would not be solved until the drivers take actions and people take the warnings seriously. Fines and policing would not solve everything because people would only slow down in front of the cameras, and police officers. They would speed up again when no one is watching. If this continues like this, no one can solve it. The solution lies within our conscience and honesty.

Street Racing Essay Example

Street Racing Essay Example Street Racing Paper Street Racing Paper Street racing is a type of automotive racing that takes place on public roads. According to Wikipedia (2006) â€Å"the street racers conduct their activities either during normal traffic or during empty hours of traffic. This is often happening within the industrial areas of cities. This form of racing is illegal such that driving is prohibited by many traffic regulations.†The law prohibits these races (McClurgs, 2001), chase and pursue the violators. â€Å"But because of the frequency of the illegal street racing, most of the time, the racers either are not caught or they get away (Wikipedia, 2006).† â€Å"Speeds in an illegal street race can reach over 200 miles per hour. Car crashes can and do occur (Lopez, 2001).†The most common form of street racing in the US is a drag race of modified stock cars. According to Wikipedia (2006), â€Å"this is usually held late at night on straight public roads with very low traffic that are often illegally closed by the race organizers.†Wikipedia (2006) further explained that â€Å"professional drag racers who race on sanctioned drag strips often object to the use of the term drag race to describe an event of this type. The motivations behind illegal street races are many.† â€Å"For instance, lack of a nearby drag strip, the temptation of illegality street racing which could be interrupted by a police squad any time, or just the similarity to a day to day situations at a traffic light are some of the motivations (McClurgs, 2001).†Street racing is also a growing business. These street racers are consumers of a billion dollar aftermarket tuning industry. They are also the big market in the automotive industry.   Street races can also occur on expressways and highways, like in Japan. The most notorious group to be associated with it was the MidNight Club who gave street racing a worldwide attention with its 198 mph (300 km/h) antics. The group was known for its high standards and or ganization. But in 1999, they were disbanded following a fatal accident involving a competing group of motorcyclists. Presently, with heavier punishments, patrolling police cars and speed cameras, expressway racing in Japan is not as common as it was during the 80s and 90s. However, street racing still occurs in Japan on a regular basis (McClurgs, 2001).The blackracers, is a legal street races that occurs in some places This is not the same as road racing. It is strictly an amateur sport with road legal vehicles. Usually the races are done on a closed road and run on time and not against another vehicle (Wikipedia, 2006). The most famous blackracer is the annual Silver State Classic. In Japan, racers slide around the corners of remote winding mountain passes (Wikipedia, 2006). This sports is called Touge. Touge is the origin of drifting (Lopez, 2001).Street races occur all over the United States. It is almost inevitable that street races will occur anywhere there are public roads. U nsanctioned racing with unknown participants on an unknown course for an unknown duration is the most common type of road racing sport. A contest may last seconds or many hours. The informal events have the common characteristic that the car in front at the finish wins, the leading car chooses the course, and the finish is when the stalking car quits.Some states have more active racing scenes than others. For instance, there is a strong racing culture in Southern California, which centers quite heavily around imports, as well as such American muscle cars as the Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, and Chevrolet Camaro. There are also very active street racing cultures in New York, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada and Texas. In some cases, the popularity has led to tough anti-street racing laws which give more strict punishments than normal traffic citations and also often dedicated anti-racing task forces.In the year 2005, a law in Tennessee that was passed prohibited cars to have Nitrous Oxide hooked up or even present inside a car, among other performance enhancers. Penalties include impoundment, taking of driver’s license for a period of time or permanently, This came about after a fatal crash in Johnson City, Tennessee (Yates, 2004).The programs like RaceLegal.com, DragNet and others are borne because there is a problem. These programs are also created by people that care about not only the innocent victims who street racers run into, and kill, maim, or burn to death. Most of these programs are run by, and created by the law enforcement.Law enforcers are not out to harass street racers. It may be probable that a number of law enforcement officers would rather let the street racers do their own thing if these street racers would simply do it safely, and not endanger the general public.A number of these street racers have little or no regard for life. Some even have no driving experience. These racers see all the hype of street racing on television but some of the m do not have a clue that, they, do not even come close, to having the experience and expertise it takes to become a true racer. The true racer uses a legal track not the streets. I am in favor of a mandatory five years sentence for the street racers violators along with the same amount of time with a suspended license. The second offence should be a total life time ban of their driving privileges. Driving is a privilege, not a right, so as citizens we have the right to expect a safe commute to and from our destinations without having these street racers interrupting it or killing people (Smith, 1996).The law breakers are not being slap on the wrists and put them in community service but they are given a five year sentence for speeding in town. I do not think that that is harsh. It is true that there are more deaths by Drunk Driving than Street Racing. But at the rate this going it wont be long before Street Racing catches up. Some people think that only the people Street Racing get hurt or killed. It is not true. There have been many innocent lives lost to Street Racing.Street racing has been around since the first car rolled off the assembly line. Nowadays, the cars are faster and the drivers are younger. Places like Qualcomm and Carlsbad are helping to decrease street racing, but since they are not open at later hours, they cant do it all. Street racing will never cease. It is American as apple pie. By opening more places to race and/or keeping current tracks open later, the street racing will decrease more. Instead of persecuting everyone that has a fast looking car, people should try to come up with ways to help (Ryan, 1998).Street racing done on city streets is illegal. You can be hurt or killed or even hurt or kill someone else. These are not merely speculations that some might say could happen. They have happened and continue to happen everyday due to those people who think that it is cool or fun to race cars on the streets. Nationwide statistics have shown that almost fifty people in every one thousand who are participating in  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   street racing, are killed. That is a lot of young people that would be alive today if not for illegal street racing (Smith, 1996).If you are caught street racing, there are stiff penalties. Your can be arrested and spend as much as three months in jail, and your car be impounded for up to thirty days. You will also be charged with a fine of up to $1,000 while your driver’s license is revoked and your insurance can be cancelled. Onlookers are also fined and their cars impounded as well.Street racing is a big problem. Places to legally race should be a priority. Even if there are only a few places, at least there are choices on the places that the street racing should take place. The driving time is truly worth your life, and the life of anyone who might be hit while racing on a public street.For as long as these young people are merely trying to have fun it will be a good hobby. I t will be a good thing if one of these street racers could be the next Jimmie Johnson. It will be a good project if a racetrack will be built for all these young people to go race until their hearts content. It would keep street racing off the road and the anti-fun crowd would maybe stop their whining. Likewise, it would give the potential future Nascar stars a place to race and have fun.But at this period, the bottom line is that street racing, while it might seem like fun, it is illegal. Stubbornly continuing these illegal street racing may completely change your life in the short time that it takes to start up that car and take off. There are many proofs of these. Just turn on the television, listen to the radio, read newspapers, magazines, books, etc., there are enormous instances that will remind us how dangerous and destructive street racing is. You can even ask those who now speak out about the dangers of street racing from their hospital beds or their prison cells (Yates, 20 04).However, it is interesting to note that street racers do have options. They can race legally on the race tracks that provide them with a certain amount of safety and peace of mind. Think about these professional racers that are seen on television. These are the people that most of those involved in illegal street racing are trying to mimic. Yet, they have never seen these folks racing on a city street. Their racing takes place on a track and so should the others.Racings prevailing attitude in this country toward safety begins with the waiver. Everyone signs a waiver before they get a racing license or go through the back gate at any track in the United States of America. It is possible that no one ever reads it. However, they all know what the waiver says – that racing is dangerous. One can meet death doing street racing. When someone gets hurt, racers shuffle their feet, shrug their shoulders, and mentally review the waiver they have never read.Therefore, it is really a must that when you enter any activity, precaution should be taken into consideration. Study the waiver. Study the advantages and the disadvantages of any endeavor that you will enter into. Also, put in place all the necessary safety gadgets and documents.But better than all these, when an activity is considered illegal, better refrain from indulging in it. This is very important to preserve the life of the others who might be accidentally hurt because of street racing, but also, in preserving the racers’ own life.