Elements of Reading Essay Example for Free

Elements of Reading Essay Reading is the process of making sense from print; comprehension is the goal of all reading. Comprehension is constructed by the reader, so no one understanding will match another’s, but how readers apply strategies as they process text influences the depth of understanding. There are four elements of reading: word identification, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary. We will begin with word identification, since it is the foundation of the reading process. Word Identification  Several terms are associated with the identification of words: word attack, word analysis, word recognition, decoding. These are often used interchangeably and suggest the act of translating print into speech through the analysis of letter-sound relationships. Each term is connected with what is commonly called â€Å"phonics†Ã¢â‚¬â€a tool to analyze or attack words—which focuses attention on words parts and builds on phonemic awareness. â€Å"Word recognition† suggests a process of immediate word identification i. e. words retrieved from memory. It includes the concept of sight words (or sight vocabulary) and suggests a reader’s ability to recognize words rapidly/automatically by making an association between a particular spelling/pronunciation/meaning by applying an internalized knowledge of letter-sound relationships. Word recognition together with word attack skills leads to word identification. Many children develop knowledge about print before entering school through purely visual cues. These children enter first grade fully ready to analyze words, but others do not. They rely on your explicitly-planned lessons. Ehri’s study (as cited in Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, McKeon, 2003) claimed that there were developmental phases in word identification, whose characteristics could be readily identified, as children progressed. †¢The pre-alphabetic stage includes visual clues, such as those found on cereal boxes, traffic signs, and restaurant logos (stop sign, Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s). †¢The partial alphabetic stage, emerging during kindergarten and grade 1, includes some knowledge about letter-sound relationships (â€Å"S† looks and sounds like â€Å"Sammy, the snake†). †¢The full alphabetic stage includes enough knowledge about segmenting sounds (/c-l-o-ck/) to unlock the pronunciation of unknown words. †¢The consolidated alphabetic stage includes the ability to analyze multisyllabic words, using onsets and rimes. Fluency Fluency is the ability to read text in a normal speaking voice with normal intonation (the rise and fall of the human voice) and inflection (the pitch, stress and pauses). In the context of literacy, one is â€Å"fluent,† who can read with expression and comprehension. Students who are fluent have automaticity. They do not devote attention to decoding, but focus on the construction of meaning. Problems in fluency are a major contributing factor to students’ lagging achievement. They often arise due to the lack of early contact with literacy or diverse linguistic background. Repetition is key to increasing fluency. A mixture of six methods helps to increase fluency. †¢Predictable text: Children can rely on their intuitive knowledge of language and sense to read with less and less assistance. Ex. Max’s Pet †¢Repeated readings: Children can practice reading aloud alone, with a classmate or parents, and to the principal. †¢Automated reading: Children can listen and read along with a tape, a CD, or a computer program. They can also record themselves, listen, and repeat until fluent. †¢Choral reading: Children need to hear mature readers with expression. The oral reading of poetry with various voice combinations builds on a natural interest in rhythms and highlights the beauty of tonal qualities in spoken English. In choral reading, all fluency levels can participate in unison, take parts, or read refrains without embarrassment. †¢Readers’ Theater: This oral presentation of drama, prose or poetry involves children of all ages reading literature to audiences of children. With a few props, perhaps, but no costumes and no memorized lines, the emphasis is on what the audience hears. †¢Sustained Silent Reading (SSR): Classes and sometimes entire schools establish a daily, fixed time period for silent reading of self-selected material. Teachers also read, and there are no content-related questions asked. Stories (or a copy of them) can be sent home for rereading, after students have become very familiar with them by rereading during class. The goal is to increase the â€Å"pleasure principle† and enable children to become lifelong readers. Comprehension To understand text, a reader actively searches for meaning and responds to text as s/he decodes. Readers learn to monitor their own comprehension through metacognition. The dimensions of active reading comprehension involve specific questioning skills that require readers to â€Å"grapple with text† in order to organize their background knowledge, clarify ideas and support opinion. †¢Question/Answer Strategy †¢Ask questions that elicit questions in return. Such questions stimulate interest/arouse curiosity; they draw students into the story. Ex. Not â€Å"What is this picture about? † but â€Å"What would you like to know about this picture? † †¢Question/Author Strategy †¢Students engage in dialog with the author: What is the author trying to say? What does the author mean? Is x consistent with what the author told us before? †¢Think-Aloud Strategy †¢Teachers model the think-aloud process initially in order to help students learn to make inferences, using clues from the text and background knowledge to make logical guesses about meaning. K-W-L (What do I Know? What do I Want to learn? What I Learned) is one kind of graphic organizer, which is a visual to help students summarize and organize expository information. Building an awareness of underlying story structure enables students to organize information from narratives, so that they can better anticipate and make sense of what they read! †¢Simple structure: †¢Setting (Where? When? ) †¢Characters (Who? ) †¢Plot (Problem for which characters take action) †¢Complex structure: †¢Setting (Maybe more than one) †¢Characters †¢Plot (Two or more episodes with a chain of events; flashbacks, sometimes! ) Organizers are available commercially, but most teachers have a collection they may be happy to share. Vocabulary English has the largest vocabulary in the world: 600,000one million words. Students learn about 88,000 words by ninth grade in order to process text. It’s been estimated that children learn about three-four thousand words per year, which averages 16-22 words per day. Do we teach every single word? No; students acquire vocabulary on their own through usage, not via systematic instruction. What are words? They are labels for concepts, mental images of something. Ex. The word â€Å"picnic† will call to mind different ideas for everyone. We organize concepts into hierarchies by common features or similar criteria in order to make sense of complexity in our environment. Ex. The concept of â€Å"dog† has common characteristics, despite different breeds and behaviors. We have five vocabularies: listening, speaking, writing, reading, and body-language. The listening vocabulary develops first and is the largest until middle school, when the reading vocabulary becomes and ultimately remains the largest vocabulary. Our job as teachers is to promote students’ conceptual understanding of key vocabulary words, because learning words and expanding vocabulary has a strong influence on comprehension. What is the best means to teach vocabulary? Through multiple, varied encounters with words. Six principles to guide vocabulary instruction include featuring key words: †¢that convey major ideas in literature and content areas; †¢in relation to other words to develop shades of meaning; †¢in relation to students’ background knowledge; †¢in pre- and post-reading activities; †¢taught systematically, in depth, and reinforced; †¢that interest you: telling stories about the origin and derivation of words helps to create student interest in words. We organize knowledge into conceptual hierarchies, and vocabulary study is a key factor.

Bioprospecting :: Geology

Abstract The world's rainforests are host to a multitude of plant and animal species, thus comprising Earth's richest and most diverse natural resource. One of the greatest benefits that rainforests have to offer is its plentiful supply of active compounds, which are used presently in many pharmaceuticals and hold the potential for the next "miracle drug." Bioprospecting is the term used to describe the extraction of natural medicines from our rainforests. Present rates of deforestation, however, pose a serious threat to our "natural pharmacy" and are daily eliminating species of plants that might provide a possible cure. Establishing policies to regulate the bioprospecting industry is challenging, but underway so that humans can benefit from our rainforests while still protecting and conserving the environment. Return to Table of Contents Introduction 2100 AD : It's a horrible situation. Your loved one has been suffering from cancer and there is almost nothing you can do. All possible combinations of drugs have been tried, but still he is suffering from pain. For some reason, medical technology cannot find a way to leave him in peace, allowing him to enjoy his days until he fully recovers. Feeling helpless, you decide to do some research on your own, where you come across a native plant that indigenous peoples have been using for centuries to cure all kinds of pain resulting from various illnesses. This fills you with hope, thinking that you might be able to ease your loved one's pain. Pursuing this line of hope, you consult with some specialists in the medical field, only to become disheartened once again. The plant you read about no longer exists; due to the massive destruction of the rainforests the environment where this plant originated is long gone. 1998: Indigenous peoples have been using the natural resources of our rainforests for centuries to cure a variety of ailments. Medical science is very advanced, yet still cannot duplicate what nature has given us. The simplistic problem illustrated above is very real. Deforestation is not only disrupting ecosystems and wiping out precious animal species, it is also eliminating an enormous potential supply of medicines available in our rainforests. If proper action is not taken today, we will be sacrificing potential "miracle drugs" and losing an extremely valuable source of medicines. Return to Table of Contents What is Bioprospecting? In order to understand bioprospecting, the concept of biodiversity must first be clarified. Biodiversity is defined as "the totality of genes, species, and ecosystems in a region", or "the variety and variability of life.

Ellasaurus Product Essay

Ellen will use some copyrighted illustrations from her books on the Website. She will also include themes from the story lines of her books in some of the games that will be available (free) on the site to registered visitors. What are at least two intellectual property issues that might arise in the operation of the website? The first intellectual issue in the operation of the website will be in relation to the copyrighted illustration and contents which will be used on the website. Ellen will need to ensure that such use of copyrighted content does not violate intellectual property laws and due permission and authorization is taken from the owners of such copyrighted content, ie, the publisher of the books. Secondly, the games used on the website should be proprietary and if such games are taken from another website, permission from the owner of such content should be taken in advance. Ellen cannot display any proprietary or copyrighted content from another website or from any other source. Permission should be taken in advance and legal formalities should be completed before using any such material. What are some of the potential ethical issues that Ellen faces because of the ages of her intended audience? The primary ethical issue, due to the age of the target audience, is that the content of the website should be carefully developed so as to ensure that it is fully appropriate for the children and kids visiting the website. The owner of the websites should be ethically conscious in creating content that does not impart any wrong message to small kids and should enhance their knowledge and does not result in any harm. For example, the site should not display pornographic content. What are some of the laws with which the site must comply with when it registers site visitors under the age of 13? What are some recommendations regarding how Ellen can best comply with those laws? One of the laws is that the site does not knowingly collect or solicit Personally Identifiable Information from or about children under 13 except as permitted by law. Another one is that Company will not disclose information collected from children under the age of thirteen (13) (or from adults for that matter) to third parties unless indicated otherwise or in special cases where Company has reason to believe that disclosure is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interference (whether intentionally or unintentionally) with Company’s rights or property or anyone else who may be harmed by such actions or if required by law Ellen can best comply with such laws by hiring the services of a lawyer or legal professional who has significant expertise with cyber laws.

President Roosevelt s New Deal - 1025 Words

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is consistently listed just behind Lincoln and Washington on ratings of American presidents by many historians. There are even some media sources, such as Newsweek and the Schlesinger Presidential Poll that list FDR as the top modern president. He was loved by the American people at the time, as evident by his four terms, the only president to do so. To the average and uninformed American, this may seem to be a fair assessment of the president that led his country out of the Great Depression and through World War II. President Roosevelt’s New Deal undoubtedly strengthened American confidence while significantly extending the scope of American government. While FDR has built his high rating on his achievements and influence, this is not the criteria that should be used to judge a leader of his position. The President’s conduct should be judged on the moral principles and ideals that this country was founded upon; FDR failed tremendously in this area. On January 14th, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Presidential Proclamation No. 2537, requiring aliens from World War opposition countries, such as Italy, Germany and Japan, to register with the United States Department of Justice. The west coast of the United States was occupied by a large population of Japanese Americans, generating a fear of sabotage from within the country. This proclamation allowed the arrest, detention and internment of enemy aliens who violated restricted areas, evenShow MoreRelatedPresident Roosevelt s New Deal971 Words   |  4 PagesWhen President Roosevelt took office, the odds were stacked against him almost immediately. This was due to Roosevelt having to take on the task of getting America out of the Depression that It plunged into during the Herbert Hoover administration. The Great Depression happened through a myriad of events that ranged from bank failures to the stock market crashing multiple times in a short amount of time. The nation s economy was in turmoil and unemployment and poverty were at an all-time high andRead MorePresident Franklin D. Roosevelt s New Deal1374 Words   |  6 PagesPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal did not solve the problems of the Great Depression and slowed economic recovery for America until World War II. The Great Depression brought about a high unemployment, and the New Deal did not deal with it successfully. The Democratic Party benefited from the New Deal’s social and work programs because it shifted the African American vote from Republican to Democrat. (Powell, 2003) Some of the programs from the New Deal that exist today are broken and manipulatedRead MorePresident Franklin D. Roosevelt s New Deal1119 Words   |  5 PagesWhen President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1932, he took office in one of the worst economic crises in American history. The preceding three years were three years of significant hardship that took a toll on the natio n’s morale. He won the presidency in a landslide vote over the fairly conservative incumbent Herbert Hoover showing the American people were desperate for changes that could restore the nation to economic prosperity seen in the 1920’s. Once he was inaugurated, he quickly jumpedRead MoreThe Great Depression And President Roosevelt s New Deal894 Words   |  4 Pagesremembered for the Great Depression and President Roosevelt’s New Deal, demonstrated a time of great racial tension and segregation in America. Slavery dissolved and the Ku Klux Klan became less popular; the struggle of African Americans, however, was not over. Racial segregation thrived with half of African Americans out of work, their jobs transfered to whites who were struggling from the Great Depression (â€Å"Race During the Great Depression†). The New Deal, created to promote equality and produceRead MorePresident Franklin D. Roosevelt s New Deal1279 Words   |  6 Pagesnation was in a state of crisis when Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933. The Great Depression had caused severe unemployment (up to 90% in some cities!), business failures, and serious disruptions in international trade. It’s no understatement that Roosevelt had a lot of work to do to fix the nation and restore trust in the government! This is when FDR’s New Deal comes in. As an AP US History student, it is important for you to know what the New Deal is, but also why it is important. This APUSHRead MoreThe Great Depression And President Roosevelt s New Deal895 Words   |  4 Pagessegregation, is historically remembered for the Great Depression and President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Slavery had ended and the Ku Klux Klan started to become less popular; the struggle for African Americans, however, was not over. Racial segregation continued to thrive with half of African Americans out of work, their jobs given to whites who were struggling from the Great Depression (â€Å"Race During the Great Depression†). The New Deal, created to promote equality and produce jobs, was largely ineffectiveRead MorePresident Franklin Delano Roosevelt s New Deal1364 Words   |  6 PagesWhen people think of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, they see a President that inherited a horrible economy and turned it a round through his popular New Deal. He also led us through a World War. However, when different perspectives are taken into account, Roosevelt’s New Deal wasn’t the economic restorer that it is thought to be. The New Deal actually hindered the United States’ recovery. The New Deal prolonged the Great Depression because the New Deal inhibited the private sector, it droveRead MoreThe Social Security Act ( Ssa ) Of President Franklin D. Roosevelt s New Deal1102 Words   |  5 Pagesdrafted during the Great Depression as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The SSA was an attempt to limit what were seen as dangers in the American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burden of widows and fatherless children. The SSA was intended to provide a minimal level of sustenance to older Americans, saving them from poverty. By signing the Social Security Act, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate federal assista nce for the elderlyRead MoreTheodore Roosevelt And The Progressive Era1392 Words   |  6 PagesVice President of William McKinley died in November 1899 Theodore Roosevelt won the nomination unanimously. Little did Theodore know that this was the beginning of his rise to the presidency. He campaigned vigorously for McKinley which eventually lead to their landslide victory in 1900. Roosevelt spent six uneventful months as Vice President, as his most notable action was thrilling his supporters with words â€Å"Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far.† On September 6th, President McKinleyRead MoreThe New Deal: Franklin Roosevelt879 Words   |  4 Pages The term, The New Deal, comes from Franklin Roosevelt’s 1932 democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech, Roosevelt says, I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people.(Referring to the great depression) Roosevelt explains the New Deal as a use of the authority of government as an organized form of self-help for all classes and groups and sections of our country. The New Deal program was born in a Brain Trust meeting prior to Roosevelt’s inauguration. (Anonymous)