Sunday, January 26, 2020

Planning a Classroom for Preschool Children

Planning a Classroom for Preschool Children Brandy McCauley Plan and Grade levels addressed Preschool: The purpose of this early education program is to promote an environment and atmosphere appropriate for a childs development. Preschool/General Subject 18-22 Students I have a wide varied of students. English speaker, Spanish Speakers, new your children and southern children,, My approach to classroom management is to have a fun, safe, and healthy learning environment for my children. I have found that when you include your children in decisions, it teaches them to make the better choice than to misbehave and be disciplined. Classroom rules should be created by the educator and the students in the classroom on the first day of school. Some teachers set their own rules for the kids to follow, but it is good if the children are involved in making the rules. If the rules were agreed upon by everybody in the class, each of them will feel the responsibility of their own actions. Carrying out the rules daily is necessary for them to be reminded and their obedience to the rules to be established. It is important that the rules be set in their hearts and minds and this will be achieved by applying it daily until it becomes a part of their daily routine in the classroom. Create and follow a daily classroom schedule. When children get use to a schedule they know what is coming next and can prepare themselves for the next step. When I can organize my classroom and make my material easily accessible for myself and the children in class, I am able to prepare and gather my materials for that day in a timely manner. Expecting preschoolers to sit diligently and wait for me to cut out patterns and collect supplies for an art activity is not going to happen. I have learned from previous experiences and I will have an emergency activity planned and ready. That way if something comes up I am ready to handle it. Having all of your materials prepped and ready to go will prevent the kids in my class from getting bored and acting up. This will allow transition time to run smoothly. Providing simple activities such as games, stories, songs, and coloring sheets will reduce mayhem. Rules and Expectations In my classroom, my children and I sit down at the beginning of the year and brainstorm to create a set of rules that we agree upon and expectations that we all can accomplish. Hands are for helping-we use loving touches. Keeping hands to your self is always nice. Cleaning up our toys is fun to do. Washing our hands- keeps germs away. Stop, Look, and Listen to your teacher. (Keeping rules positive encourage children to be positive) Roles students have in the classroom I have a bulletin board in my classroom that has daily responsibilities. Line leader, helper for paper towels, crayons, and activity books. The children take their colored Velcro butterfly and put them under the one that they want to take their turn at. Each week every child gets to do at least one responsibility, this also helps with taking turns. This is good for all children because it helps them to develop responsibilities and helps them develop self-esteem and awareness of themselves and others. The idea for a print rich environment is for children to be engaged in significant learning, either alone or with their peers. When children work in centers they learn and develop new skills such as, the ability to share with peers and engaging with each other by developing better knowledge of the spoken and written language. â€Å"Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources† (ISTE, 2.C). Roles you play in the classroom The teacher must be hands-on in her approach to efficient instruction, classroom supervision, and positive performance. As the teacher, I will be actively moving around the room, helping, correcting, answering, encouraging, smiling, correcting, caring, and showing children steps, procedures, and lessons. Implementation plan: My classroom arrangement and order Effective management of classrooms should use these procedures so that the children can function in class properly. â€Å"Learning occurs only when students are actively engaged and in control of their own learning.† (Wong, 2009, p167). â€Å"If a classroom is not properly organized to support the type of schedule and activities a teacher has planned, it can impede the functioning of the day as well as limit what and how students learn. However, a well-arranged classroom environment is one way to more effectively manage instruction because it triggers fewer behavior problems and establishes a climate conducive to learning.†(Weinstein, 1992). The materials and equipment available for young childrens use should reflect their ethnic backgrounds, cultural families, and communities. Recordings, books, posters, recipes, signs, and dress-up clothes and props reflect these diverse children backgrounds and home languages. These materials match the individual, group association a nd developmental skills and interests of the children. Creative room arrangement promotes a childs positive self-image and encourages a wide variety of age appropriate activities. Organized centers help children develop a sense of play, responsibility, and cleanup procedures. Children want sufficient indoor space so that they can play and learn in a safe loving environment. Appropriate furnishings need to meet the demands of their daily schedules. It is important to keep children’s arts, crafts, stories, and doodles at their eye level so that they can see it on display everyday and this can create and promote positive feelings and self esteem. This work being on display for everyone to see can promote good valued and appreciated greater esteem in them self..All of the needs described above provides an environment that supports developmentally appropriate practices. My children are able to choose their centers with their butterflies. Each child has color coded butterflies that match their cubbyholes, jacket rack, table and chair an d a Velcro butterfly that they can attach to the center or activity they have chosen for that time frame. This is how my children choose between their centers and learn to make decisions from a variety of choices. It’s important that I choose names for the interest areas that make sense to children and are easy for them to identify. All of my areas are appropriate for my two, three, and four year olds. â€Å"Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness†. (ISTE,1.A). This area is specifically designed to support language development because children can communicate their ideas to others vocally, or visually on the paper or board. The activity or experience that the children can specifically be engaged in block construction of different types while developing language skills by communicating with teachers and peers. While discovering this area they can also use the poster cues and print rich environment to enhance vocabulary. The role of the teacher will be to assist in providing and developing conversation while building. The effectiveness of this area on language development will be assessed on the amount of interactions between children. The art/easel area is set up with three easels in a circle with posters on the surrounding walls. The area supports language development by encouraging the children to show their work and discuss what their drawings. The posters and wall art provide inspiration to the children and their imaginations. The childr en can specifically be engaged in activities designed to encourage language and communication while in the middle of creative and imaginative artwork. The role of the teacher will be to encourage children to take in their surroundings to develop emotional ties to their artwork and in return communication to others will be enhanced. The effectiveness of this area on language development is determined by an explanation of their work. The learning area is set up with a few different components, including an alphabet tree, a kidney table with label rich environment, a learning wall that has daily routines, rules, calendar, weather, and white board, along with carpet squares so that each child has their own space to sit. This area supports language development because as a class, the information on the wall is provided and reviewed along with adding letters to the tree as they are discovered. The experience that the children can specifically be engaged in considers the educational learni ng activities that allow children knowledge of letters, months, weather, etc. When discovering all of the previously mentioned lessons, children can communicate with each other. The role of the teacher will be to facilitate the discovering process. The effectiveness of this area on language development will be accessed by listening to the children teach each other and communicate what they have been reviewing. My classroom walking paths allow children and adults to move comfortably throughout the room. The pathways are defined with the layout equipment. In my classroom I have 6 centers set up and during the morning play, the children can choose from 3. During the evening play they have a choice of the other 3. I have designed several different play centers. The kitchen center has a wooden, three piece set that is durable and safe for children to lean on and play with. The block center has both foam and wooden blocks. It also has large legos so that the children are given the opportunity to learn to put all types of blocks together or build things with. The next center is family living, where I have a child size church jacket, a dress, an apron, and career sets, such as medical kit, vet supplies, teaching clip board, a construction hat, and an army hat. Also in that area is baby dolls and stuffed animals. I have a center for matchbox cars, which includes many cars, a race track, wooden traf fic signs, a garage, and a neighborhood rug to play on. I have a center designed for science that includes dinosaurs, plastic animals, classroom board books, large magnets, and oil and water bottles. My last center is my lounge area. I have a child-sized plastic pool with pillows that include a shelf with puppets, books, and stuffies. All of my areas are appropriate for my two, three, and four year olds. The materials that I have placed in my early childhood program have been chosen carefully to ensure that they are developmentally appropriate and that they support young children’s interests, cultural backgrounds, and their developmental stages and abilities. By creating and implementing a learning environment means careful planning for the start of the school year. The learning environment must be envisioned in both a physical space and a cognitive space. My program is designed to provide a positive experience to all children and their families, where their economic, cultural, and educational diversity is valued. Classroom Layout References Decker, C., Decker, J., Freeman, N., and Knorpf, H. (2009). Planning and administering early childhood programs (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE Standards Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Puckett, K (2013). Differentiating Instruction: A Practical Guide. Bridgepoint Education: San Diego, CA. Read, M. A., Sugawara, A. I., Brandt, J. A. (1999). Impact of space and color in the physical environment on preschool childrens cooperative behavior. Environment Behavior, 31(3), 413-428. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00139169921972173 Weinstein, C. S. (1992). Designing the instructional environment: Focus on seating. Retrieved from: http://education.odu.edu/esse/docs/classroomenvironments.pdf Wong, H. K., Wong, R. T. (2009). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher. Mountainview, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Genre Theory †Robocop Essay

Genre theory is essentially a structuralised method of categorising films by common traits or conventions. The basis for genre theory comes from humans need to categorise things into neat sections and is one of the few film theories actually implemented more by the audience of films rather than film theorists and academics. ’ As intelligent entities, human beings have a natural proclivity towards organizing the components of the world around them into ordered filing systems. ’ (lumiere revolution 2004). However most films in a genre actually share conventions with films from other genres and borrow styles from other genres to make hybrid genres such as action comedies, science fiction/horror etc. The genre of a film depends on many features that make up the film text itself, from narrative to settings and themes in the story which the film has in common with other films (conventions). A collection of films with similar conventions which are grouped together make up a genre category such as horror, romance etc. The theory of semiotics also comes into genre as semiotics is essentially the language of signs such as red usually means danger, relating to genre signs are used to show the audience what type of film they are watching, visual cues such as the place setting or main characters which create the conventions of that genre. For example if someone goes to see a film in the action film genre they can expect to see a fast paced film with lots of spectacle possibly with special effects overshadowing the narrative, with the narrative usually based around conflict resolution. To look into how genre theory applies to Paul Verhoven’s Robocop (1987) it is useful to look at the science fiction genre and exactly what conventions go into putting a film into the science fiction genre. The main convention in a science fiction film is in the setting, often set in a futuristic utopia or dystopia on Earth or in space where technology plays a large part in people’s lives. A major theme seen in science fiction is technology, again it hinges on the premise of what the future holds, and is usually either man against machine or a commentary on mans over reliance on machines. Science fiction films also often feature a social commentary on past events or present political or social issues which are paralleled in the film text. Refer to films like Paul Verhoven’s Starship Troopers 1997, which is essentially world war two in space and the theme of the Terminator films which features machines becoming so intelligent they nearly wipe out mankind, reflection on the increasing reliance on computers to do pretty much everything. The reason I have chosen Robocop to apply genre theory to is simply because it is a very clear example of all the conventions which place a film in the science fiction genre. The setting makes it an obvious example of a science fiction film, set in a futuristic dystopia (not ideal future) where the city of Detroit is run by big companies who have privatised the police force (social commentary on privatisation in America at the time, health care etc.) The future setting is a standard science fiction convention which clues the audience into what genre this film fits into as soon as they see the setting. The main story arc is centred on a project to create a robotic super police officer, future technology being another major convention of the genre. To bring the robots to life on screen require some very impressive special effects which again is something that the science fiction audience has come to expect in order to make the setting and subject matter of the genre believable. As I mentioned earlier science fiction films also tend to have subliminal commentaries on social issues and Robocop is no exception. The transformation of America into a consumerist nation is a big theme that runs clearly through this film, everything is about selling products, even the police force has been privatised and is treated as a product. Robocop is even directly referred to as a product when the subject of his name comes up Bob Morten simply states ‘He doesn’t have a name, he has a programme, he’s a product’ (Robocop . P. Verhoven 1987). Verhoven also stages commercials throughout the film advertising fictional futuristic products again suggesting consumerism as a theme, even the main company in the film is called Omni Consumer Products. Replacing old with new is also a major part of the film, not only in the sense of Murphey being rebuilt into Robocop but also OCP’s plans to demolish old Detroit in favour of building Delta city, a city they can have total control over much like they have control over Robocop by programming him. ‘Omni consumer products or OCP, a company that functions as the unseen and seemingly irresistible casual principle, as it sets about redesigning the human environment – replacing old Detroit with the gleaming modern planned community of Delta City, complete as we learn , even to an element of planned crime and corruption. ’ (J. P. Telotte Science Fiction Film pg 166) The main plot is about OCP creating a super cop robot that doesn’t have the frailties of a human being, there are two projects seen in the film the first to be tried out is the Ed 2009 project which is totally made of mechanical parts and is run by a computer. The Ed 2009 project ultimately fails suggesting that with no human element to control the machines cannot function properly, rather than the other way round. The Robocop project is a combination of human and machine, with the brain programmed to take orders from OCP, with the human brain and mechanical body the project is a success which is perhaps a reference the ability of humans to think for themselves rather than blindly following orders that may not be applicable in the context of the situation. Robocop is in my opinion a shining example of what makes a science fiction film fit into its genre, this is supported by the very conventions of the science fiction genre, it has a distinct future setting which raises questions on what the future might hold, technology is also a major theme which is so often the case in the science fiction genre and also raises questions about morality and socialist issues. So just by looking at this film in particular you can use it as an example to show exactly what the typical conventions of a science fiction film should be. Film Theory Explication. Bibliography. Web Sites: * http://www. main-vision. com/richard/genre. shtml * http://lumierevolution. blogspot. com/2004/10/genre-theory-science-fiction. html Internet source: An introduction to genre theory – Daniel Chandler. Texts: An Introduction to genre theory – Daniel Chandler. Science Fiction Film – J. P. Telotte. The Science Fiction Film as an uncanny text – pg 161 – 178 – J. P. Telotte. Filmography. Robocop – P. Verhoven 1987. Starship Troopers – P. Verhoven 1997 The Terminator- J. Cameron 1984 Terminator 2 – J. Cameron 1991.

Friday, January 10, 2020

The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness Essay

Correctional Policies Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Correctional policies are the mechanisms put in place to act as rehabilitative guides on offenders and criminals. Based on the restorative theory of justice, several policies are developed to act as guide for administration of justice to all. Restorative principles strive to renew personal damages and communal relationships. Victims are the point of focus and the major goal is to heal and renew the personal well-being and retain the offender’s dignity and trust in the community (Furio, 2007). For instance, victims and offenders participation should be based on voluntary free and informed consent. They must be offered a comprehensible explanation about the process, what is likely to occur because of their participation and the condition at which the free consent may be withdrawn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The participants in a case must accept the essential truth of the offence and admit the responsibility arising from the offence (Furio, 2007). Additionally, these facts should offer adequate evidence to proceed with the charge and law must not bar the prosecution for the offence alongside granting each participant right to seek legal advice before and at all stages of the process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Restorative justice may take place at all phase of criminal justice system starting from pre-charge, sentencing and release from custody (Furio, 2007). However, the compatibility of the policies find a divers application on different cases. It is best applicable in criminal offences but finds limitations in traffic offences. It is evident that most of the crimes are committed by the youth. This may be accredited to the fact that the offending peak is in the late adolescence. There exist conspicuous discrepancies in the juvenile justice systems whose explanations remain a myth to scholars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Alexander (2010), USA has two systems of justice, one for privileged class of whites and the other for the disadvantaged blacks. This discrimination was demonstrated in 1980s during cocaine crack down that majorly involved black minors. This discrimination is based on color and socioeconomic status of both American whites and blacks (Alexander, 2010). References Alexander, M. (2010). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. New York: New Press. Furio, J. (2007). Restorative justice: Prison as Hell or a Chance for Redemption. New York: Algora Pub. Source document

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Writing Skills A Personal Narrative - 850 Words

Claude Sumner Mr. Rich Writing Skills: A Personal Narrative 15 January 2016 Throughout my life, I have faced many challenges. Like being kicked out of school, being kicked out of the house, and a lot of others. But all of those things add up to one challenge to me; myself. Everything I’ve been through in my life, now that I look back on it, has all been placed there so that I can learn about myself and who I am as a person. Coming from the area that I come from, an individual might be subjected to seeing a lot of crime. Back in 2010, I was living in a â€Å"suburban† neighborhood on the Northside of Charlotte, NC. I had been living there for a couple of years and the place I was living in was one of the best places I had lived in while I was up there. I don’t mean best as in the nicest neighborhood, but the best because it was the place that had the most impact on me. At the beginning of the school year, I was a pretty good student. I got most of my work done and I did not get into too much trouble with my teachers. The kinds of people I hung around and the groups of friends I had were the type of people that most people would stereotype. You know; big, burly, dreadlock wielding black men (I feel like I just described myself). One day while I was out with my friends, we all decided we wanted to walk to the Shell gas station. When we got there, I went to the back to get something to drink. While my back was turned, I heard the cashier lady scream. I turned around and I saw myShow MoreRelatedPersonal Narrative For The Nebraska State Writing Test761 Words   |  4 Pagesprepare my students to write a personal narrative for the Nebraska State Writing Test in January. Reading and writing are intertwined in my area of professional responsibility as I motivate my students to write a well-organized, creative personal narrative. As I have taught writing, I have found reading, writing, speaking, and listening go hand in hand when composing a personal narrative (Bruning, 2011, p. 299). First of all, reading is an important part of the writing process. It can be difficultRead MoreAppendix N1203 Words   |  5 Pages The first sentence is the topic sentence: It tells the readers they will learn about past narratives. The sentences that follow the topic sentence relate to the topic sentence because they provide examples of past narratives. Finally, the last sentence is the thesis of the essay, which expresses the author’s position on the topic and previews what the entire paper is about. You learn more about writing effective introductions later in this course. Supporting Paragraphs Every paragraph afterRead MoreI Am The Product Of Clark County Educational System Essay1503 Words   |  7 PagesReflection Introduction Writing has never been my forte. Nevertheless, this is not to say that I could not write. Throughout the semester with the assigned reading assignments and the given practical writing exercises I have come to grasp a vague understanding, I had never been taught how to write essays correctly. I am the product of Clark County Educational system. I have always struggled through my last classes and hoped to get out of my struggles this semester. One the greatest challenges thatRead MoreImportance Of Personal Writing915 Words   |  4 PagesFrom an early age, I’ve had trouble with writing effectively. I had absolutely no interest in learning to write, which was mostly because of how difficult it was to me. Often, I found it boring. As I got older, I found interest in music and poetry, sparking my interest to learn to write like musicians and poets. Up until that point, I had always been writing papers for school, often to write research papers or to write forced narratives. I neve r wrote anything for myself until about junior year inRead MoreReflection1179 Words   |  5 Pages Writing has always been one of my strengths, enabling me to freely express my creative thoughts in a controlled manner onto a piece of paper. Although my writing process takes a long time, I have complete power over the sentences and structures that I am weaving together to form a cohesive whole. Throughout High School, I was trained to write a structured essay in an ample amount of time by writing, editing, and finalizing my draft. Most of our work involved writing individual essays and researchRead MoreWhy I Am A English?947 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish Composition has taught me countless different skills that I can now apply to future writing projects. Among many things, the three lessons that I got the most use out of are the following; how to correctly structure an essay, different methods of writing, and the personal growth that I’ve had since taking this class. With English being my second language, it is difficult for me to express myself in writing form. It is extrem ely frustrating to have countless ideas and opinions that I wouldRead MoreExpository Writing : Writing, Expository, Persuasive, Descriptive, And Narrative757 Words   |  4 Pagesprobably not going to a job interview. Just like anything else, writing has different expressions. Writing is a form of communication; the person is writing to inform, persuade, describe, or tell a story. There are four main types of writing styles, expository, persuasive, descriptive, and narrative. We then choose what we want to read according to our interest in each category. Let’s look at expository writing. Expository writing is usually developed around one topic and is used to describe orRead MoreMy First Time Making A Career Goal1516 Words   |  7 Pagescourse in a short period of time. I learned how to study different methods of writing and writing in different purposes. I also learned different things just by having online discussions and most importantly, I learned how to improve my writing skills and how this course changed my perception of English and apply it in the future. I have gained so much knowledge about writing in this class and it made a great impact on my skills. These lessons I have learned in this class has been very beneficial andRead MoreDifference Between High School And College1294 Words   |  6 Pagessimilarities and difference between two or more things to make a topic more clear and understandable. For example, â€Å" Reason 5, when the authors were talking about studying skills, saying students really didn’t have to study in high school, but in college studying requires more time.† The difference between high school and college study skills is great example of showing comparison and contrasting, because it makes the essay effective by getting an idea across to the intended audience. While comparing andRead MoreSelf Reflection Essay984 Words   |  4 PagesThere were three other essay assignments. The first one was called a literacy narrative, the second one, a single source essay, and the third one, a multi-source essay. But how can I write about things I do not understand? I had never taken an online class before, much less, a class that required so much reading and writing. This is a college level course and I am just a junior in high school. I was clueless about writing a paper in a format and I possessed no knowledge of a works cited page. So, what