The creation and growth of, The National Association for the Essay

The creation and growth of, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, after the Springfield Race Riot of 1 - Essay Example The Association is capable of bringing a shared national weight and personal local forces upon each aspect of the Negro's struggle for fairness of nationality. It encompasses the total collection of civil rights action and its constant programs of public awareness as well as its legal triumphs have made key contributions to the insurrection in race that is now witnessed. In one way or another, it has moved by far the irresistible mass of present leaders of the Negro society through its ranks. This includes several of those currently heading other civil rights groups. Moreover, it functions as a source of information and direction and as a clearing-house for private associations and government and for the majority of the broad public who refer to it for support every year. The association anticipates expanding its agenda to contain active concern with problems of community orientation, scarcity and retraining. This paper seeks to discuss the roots and foundation of the association and its development. It will also seek to explain its organization, its mandates and achievements throughout its growth. Introduction National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the biggest, oldest and most powerful civil rights organization in the United States. ... According to the fourteenth revision, blacks were full citizens of the United States, and were given the right to equal protection of the law as any other citizen1. The Association acts as a legal support society at the local level, but in fighting for the rights of black Americans at the national level, it chooses cases for their strategic significance, and in so far as possible goes in the courts only where there is good possibility of victory. The organization is an interracial society, but its membership is preponderantly black. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People legal defense and education fund established in 1939 is a related but officially separate organization with a staff of lawyers2. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is one of the most important societies in the United States promoting and attending courts for Africans Americans and other minority groups. The duty of the Association is dual: to wipe out racial prejudi ce, and to accomplish the legal, cultural, social and economic fairness of minority groups. Started in 1905 by a set of social activists, the organization primarily demanded the eradication of all differences in law and policy based on race or color. The primary official meeting of the Association was held in 1909. By 1945, the Association could boast of more than 1,600 branches and 300,000 members. More significantly, the organization had embarked on achieving reliability among lawmakers and using its power in the courts3. Lack of competition is one feature that is most outstanding about the debates among civil rights activists. There was no significance competition between the private civil rights bar and the Department

Prejudice experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prejudice experience - Essay Example However, prejudice is not necessarily a disadvantageous phenomenon as explained by Ruchlis because it may be in our favor in a few instances. Being a male Indonesian of Chinese ethnicity, I have also been the recipient of prejudice based on stereotypical thinking. A number of stereotypes portray Indonesians as essentially lazy South East Asians who lack discipline, are illogical and resist change. In Indonesia, the Chinese ethnic group is seen as financially dominant people most of whom own businesses in important town centers. However, this impression is fundamentally flawed as various ethnic Chinese living in Indonesia also do menial jobs such as brick layering and may not earn even USD 2 per day. Because of the business outlook, many Indonesians feel that the Chinese are here to steal the resources from the locals and have occupied all the important and well paid positions. While the income gap may be present but it is not significant enough to conclude the monetary dominance of one ethnicity over the other. Doing so is plain generalization without consideration of complete facts. Various generalizations regarding Indo nesia exist including those regarding religion with many people viewing Indonesia as a predominantly Muslim country although it is explicitly a secular state with diverse ethnicities. Moreover, there exist various stereotypes about age and knowledge. This view stems from the understanding that bigger age implies greater experience which is acquired over a long period of time rather than over night. However, to use this stereotype to form a judgment of one’s knowledge level may be misleading. In this world of technology, the internet acts as a useful resource for children at a very young age to acquire knowledge which previous generations might not have thought of. So, young age does not imply irrationality or lack of knowledge in any sense. In fact, the correlation between age and knowledge is very flexible and

The immune response Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The immune response - Coursework Example The macrophages engulf the pathogen entering the body and with the help of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) combine with the receptors on the T Cells. The type of pathogen entering the body depends as to where it would be taken by the antigen presenting cells. If it belongs to the group of viruses it would be presented to the CD-8 positive cytotoxic cell whereas if it is a microbe it would be presented to the CD-4 positive helper cells. The T Cells also have to be activated with the help of the lymphokines which are released by both the macrophages and t helper cells. The helper T cells produce lymphokines which further activate the inactive t helper cells and convert them to memory t cells which would be helpful in interacting with the pathogen on the second response. These lymphokines also help to enhance the MHC proteins on the antigen presenting cells and convert the immunological response into a broad spectrum of events. It is then that the T cells function by either d elaying the reactions of hypersensitivity or by killing the infected cells of the body (Hall & Guyton 2011; Levinson 2008). B Cell Response B cells constitute an important part of the humoral immunity by secreting antibodies against the antigens. The response of B cells to antigen is kind of different as the b cells themselves do not act upon the antigens. The B cells react by forming a complex with the antigens. They form similar B cells which are then converted into plasma cells. These plasma cells produce antibodies which can then act upon the antigens. These B cells also produce memory cells like the T cells which can act like quickly upon second exposure to the antigen. These antibodies can then perform different functions and deactivate the pathogens. Agglutination is one function of the antibodies through which they can destroy the pathogen (Ganong 2005; Levinson 2008). Passive Immunity Passive immunity is the type of resistance which one forms through antibodies which are pr eformed in another host. These antibodies are administered for certain types of bacteria and viruses. In some cases it is seen that passive immunity is also transferred naturally through fetus to the child and through breast feeding to the child. The advantage of passive immunity is that it helps to administer antibodies promptly whenever required, however the effects of antibodies are only limited and may last for a certain time (Levinson 2008; Kumar et al 2005). Active Immunity Active immunity is the type of resistance produced after contact with foreign antigens. This involves the usage of vaccines in the human body which allows exposure to a dead organism. This dead organism then helps to produce antibodies against the organism. In this case the immune system responds with a wide production of white blood cells and thus it is more helpful in preventing diseases. As the memory cells are formed in this type of immunity it is helpful in long term to prevent diseases. One disadvanta ge of active immunity is that the onset of the immunity is slow as compared to the passive immunity. It is because of this reason that in certain cases Passive-active immunity is preferred in which both the antibodies and vaccines are injected (Guyton & Hall 2011; Levinson 2008). Primary and Secondary Response Human body encounters the foreign antigens through different mechanisms. When a foreign antigen first enters the body the immune response is quite slow. The

Astronomy Story Essay Example for Free

Astronomy Story Essay The day my life would change for ever was April 16th, 2013. This was the day that I left planet earth and embarked on one of the most important missions in NASA’s history. I should probably back up though, and explain to you how this came about. April 16th was sunny with only a few clouds in the sky, the smell of spring was in the air and with the end of second semester right around the corner, the quad was packed with people eager to catch some much desired sun rays. Unfortunately for me though I was stuck in astronomy. That day’s topic was our very own planet earth. Dr. Bozyan was lecturing about how planet Earth was actually very wet, that nearly 71% of earths surfaced is covered with water. I learned that while other worlds of the solar system have atmospheres, only Earths contains the oxygen that we humans and animals need to survive. I had really hoped that wasn’t true because I had big aspirations of one day living on mars. We learned about about the greenhouse effect and how clouds, snow, ice and sand reflect about 31% of the incoming sunlight back into space. The earth though also emits radiation into space because of its temperature. Fighting off the urge to day dream about the nice weather, I managed to also learn how Earths magnetic field produces a magnetosphere that traps particles from the solar wind. Like the motions of Earths tectonic plates, Earths magnetic field results from our planets internal heat. The last thing I wrote down in that class was a few interesting notes about how human activity such as Deforestation, burning of fossil fuels and industrial chemicals are damaging the ozone layer in the stratosphere. As I was seconds away from reaching freedom to the the spring air, Dr. Bozyan approached me and told me that she had a question for me. She was talking though in a soft almost secretive tone. She went on for about 10 minutes how she worked for a top secret NASA program that was interested in sending me on a mission. I laughed at that, it sounded like a calvin and Hobbs comic strip that I see in the Sunday paper. She went on and told me that the the great space race between Russia and the U.S.A. had never ended and that there was a race to gather observations from all nine planets in the solar system. They had top secret technology that would allow for this mission to be completed in only one week. The only catch was that it was so secret that I would be launching out of the URI planetarium that night, and that I couldn’t tell anybody where I was going. Me being the adventurous type decided this would be a great opportunity to become famous and in the process get to see some landmarks like the milky way and the man on the moon. Within hours I was in my very first space shuttle and on my way to the moon. The fastest time to the moon was 8 hours and 35 minutes by NASA’s New Horizons pluto mission. It was only going to take me 2 hours and 31 minutes and I was only supposed to stop at the moon for fuel because it was determined information about the outer planets was more important and we were trying to complete the mission in the quickest possible time. As the man on the moon figure approached within eye shot, I began to observe and take note of anything I could. Even though NASA had already explored the moon, that was no excuse for me not to absorb any observations of the moon for myself. I quickly began to observe that the moon was very dry and its surface was covered with plains and craters that is caused by the moon being bombarded by meteoric material also known as impact craters. As we touched down I quickly decided to throw on my space suit and check out the moon and its surroundings. I immediately found out that there was no atmosphere and no global magnetic field as it felt as if I were floating and that there was no gravity holding me down. There also appeared to be no liquid water of any kind. I realized that the 3476 km diameter of the moon was really just a spec in the cloudless pitch black sky of space. My last observation of the moon as my shuttle was just about done filling up was that it was pretty cold out. It was about -180 degrees Celsius that night, much colder then I was used too. Luckily though, I also packed my arctic ready winter hat and jacket. Next stop would be Venus. As the count down began to lift off I wondered if Venus had a â€Å"man on the moon†. On my way to Venus I decided that I should probably make myself a well deserved meal. I was gawking into the bag labeled food, in red sharpie that was handed to me right before take off, there was no pop tarts or my favorite barbecue chips . After much debate and thought, I narrowed my choice to a cup of NASA’S finest freeze dried ice cream. As we started to approach what I assumed was Venus but couldn’t tell until we landed because of the clouds that were hiding its surface from view. The first thing that I noticed was the size. It seemed to be about the same size of earth, I had always thought of Venus being smaller then earth. What I also observed, was that practically the whole surface was covered in lava! I felt like I was in some sort of sci-fi movie. Luckily for me I had a space suit because without it, I would have exploded. My Pressure meter on the left arm of my suit was telling me that the pressure was 90 atmospheres, which would be 90 times greater then the average air pressure at sea level on Earth. The temperature of Venus was very hot and I know that that was in my favor because if the temperature wasn’t so hot, the clouds would open up with a rain of sulfuric acid, and believe me I did not want that. I stored these mental snap shots in my head and finished the last of my notes and prepared for take off to Mercury. Mercury was definitely going to be one of the planets that I had to pay very close attention to when taking notes because only half of its surface had been viewed recently. Mercury was also going to be interesting to see because it has a very unique axis rotation, spinning three times on its axis for every two orbits around the sun. The first thing that I noticed on Mercury was that there was almost no atmosphere on the planet. That was pretty obvious because the planet looked life less and fried. I wrote in my observation notes that Mercury fried, literally because there was no atmosphere to protect against the harsh radiation of the sun. Mercury from my first view out the window reminded me a lot of the moon, there were craters every where. Mercury also from observation was definitely on the smaller side. As my time on Mercury was coming to a end, I realized that Mercury was a very boring planet to look at, only craters and low lying plains and cliffs. After the short trip from Mercury past Venus, Earth and the moon I approached Mars. I figured I could get a jump start on finding a future plot of land, for when humans were on Mars. As I approached Mars, I could see that the planet was full of craters. I was to stay on Mars for a full 12 hours while my rocket fueled up to make the trip to the outer planets. What I observed in those 12 hours was very interesting to me. I witnessed some incredible sights like vast canyons some 20,000 ft high, giant mountains and sand dunes. The air was very dusty and left a orange tint in the air. I quickly learned also that there was little atmosphere because as night started to fall tempters fell very rapidly and quickly well below 0. My rocket was fueled up again and it was time for take off. As I sat down in my space craft, I noticed that Mars definitely lived up to its nick name of the red planet because my white space suit was now covered in red dust. Just like that though, it was time to leave Mars and head straight to the big guys, Jupiter and Saturn. I quickly learned that Jupiter was just as advertised; very big! I could see Jupiter from my rocket almost the whole trip there. Jupiter was very bright definitely brighter then any star I had ever seen. I noticed the dark and light bands as they appeared from the space craft window, I learned later on that these are called belts( darker bands) and zones( lighter bands). Jupiter was very hard to land because there was no solid surfaces. Using a scientific tool on the space craft I was able to determined that Jupiter made up almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, with some other trace gases. For this case it was very hard for me to take observations since I could not actually get out and explore Jupiter. For the lack of mobility and time I was quickly just like that on my way to to explore the great ring planet of Saturn. While approaching Saturn the ring that it is most famous for was very visible, I actually managed to ta ke a photo with my space issued camera that was provided to me by NASA. Saturn was also huge although not as big as Jupiter it was definitely the second biggest thing I had ever seen, the first thing obviously being Jupiter. Like Jupiter I was unable to land on Saturn because of the chemical make up being mostly hydrogen and helium but the observations I was able to take away were that Saturn’s rings were made of thousands of narrow, closely spaced ringlets. Uranus and Neptune were next and if I wanted to make this trip in one week, I had to say good bye to the two gas giants and say hello to the trans-Saturnian planets. The two sister planets Uranus and Pluto were very much alike. My time on both planets were relatively the same experience. I was able to observe that both planets had many moons. Also the atmosphere on both planets was generally the same made up of mostly hydrogen and helium indicated by special tools on board the space craft. The one difference I did notice between these two sisters, is that Uranus actually rotates clock wise instead of counter clock wise. My visit with Uranus and Neptune was short and sweet. I packed my space craft and prepared it for lift off. 3..2..1 blast off were the words that I heard through the microphone that was hooked up with NASA. I awoke laying in the quad. The sun was high in the sky and there was a slight breeze. I realized that I had accidentally snoozed off in the quad, and what started off with me closing my eyes for 5 minutes to catch some rays ended with a nap that lasted 3 hours. I unfortunately soon realized quickly after that my amazing top secret to space was actually nothing more then a dream. There was no fame to come of it, and my professor never actually gave me the trust to go on this top secret mission. Although my trip to the solar system may not have been real, it will be something though that I will never forget.

Analysing Specifications for a New System

Analysing Specifications for a New System Computer science SDLC assessment z A C First step in analysing the specifications for the new system is data collection.Data collection is the process of gathering and absorption of information on targeted aspect in an established systematic fashion, which then allows one to answer related questions and evaluate outcomes. The 3 best ways are through interviews, on-site observation, and surveys. Through these forms of data gathering certain information can be obtained for example what aspects of the last system should be pulled through to the new system, any new ideas to better the new system and thoughts on the proposed ideas contributed by the analyst. The first and most efficient way of collecting data is through 1 on 1 interviews. An interview is where a data collector or in this case the system analyst asks either an employee or client about what they would like to see in the new system. Possible questions include the ones mentioned above as well as questions like is there any ideas that you have that you would like to share?. Information like this will be of major value for the system analyst as it gives a face to the name as in you see real people and not just messages which would make communication much easier and efficient. In regards to who should be interviewed it would be best to interview at least 2 stakeholders from each department in the work so in other words two people from the management/administration department, two accounting staff, two medical staff. The reason two people from each department are to be interviewed is to provide at least two different perspectives which would make the system the middle ground and in turn make it generally welcoming to most users. Another question that should be asked particularly to the medical staff is whether they think that the current equipment is in good enough condition or in need of replacement. On site observation is when the analyst goes to the offices or field and observes the staff working and gathers information on what the system needs. This form of data gathering is very time consuming but is rewarding just as much as it gives the system analyst the ability to see the system in use in the workplace which is what would greatly improve the performance of a system as it is shaped to the way the staff practice it. On site observation will provide the answer to one of the most important question which is are the current staff experienced and deemed capable of learning and implementing new solutions?. By answering this question, the weak links can be identified and terminated which would increase efficiency and standard of performance as well as the system being used to its full potential. A survey is when the analyst creates a page or webpage of questions (usually multiple choice) to gather the thoughts and feelings of people about his proposed ideas on what could be implemented in the new system. The best characteristic of using surveys is that it can even be sent out to external agencies such as Medicare and equipment suppliers. The reason why maintaining communication with the external agencies is because when the agencies and the hospital agree they can synchronize and increase efficiency in supply delivery or funding. This would make it easier to allocate the proposed budget and check whether its worthy or not. The information should be gathered from the key stakeholders like the management/administration, accounting staff and the medical staff. Sources of information for example current procedures, equipment, documentation like medical records, account information and equipment manuals, as well as external agencies like Medicare and the equipment suppliers. The main points that should be focused on are the weaknesses of the old system and what is needed for the new one. In this case one of the biggest flaws of the current system is that it cannot adequately manage current billing and funding models. This is needed to maintain the funding to the hospital so that they can get their equipment and pay their staff. The current software also was unable to expand further for the rapidly growing home care service which is guaranteed to pose a problem in future so the new system must be created with enough flexibility to allow further development and additional upgrades. The fact that the home care department is in a separate building gives an opportunity and a reason for creating their own separate system with their own secretary, postal address, and billing information. This would decrease the traffic on the system and increase efficiency.

Alexander the Great Essay -- Biography

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Humanity has known a few distinguished consolidators of civilizations. Alexander the Great is one of them, and the first to accumulate power in his hand beyond any conqueror’s dream. His feats served as guidelines for other rulers like Cesar Augustus and Napoleon, who, by means of outstanding military prowess, conquered and ruled most of the civilized world of their times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander was born in 356 B.C., as the son of King Philip II and Olympias. He was taught by the great philosopher, Aristotle, inspiring him in the fields of, philosophy and medicine. Although he had a broader view of humanity than that of Aristotle’s perception, that all non-Greeks, should be treated as slaves. Alexander, after the death of his father, King Philip II in 336 BC, was to become the next king of Macedonia at the tender age of 20. Although young, Alexander was determined and willing to become the next great king of Macedonia. Because of his young age Greek cities, who had pledged loyalty to his father, were not certain that they wanted to allow a twenty-year-old boy to lead a kingdom. Also, barbarians from the north and west, whom Philip had repressed, were becoming a threat to Macedonia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those close to Alexander had recommended that he let Athens and Thebes go and be careful with the barbarians to prevent them from rebelling. Alexander however, had other plans. So he proceeded north, and drove the barbarians past the Danube River. The rumor of Alexander’s supposed death, were being spread throughout Athens and Thebes, claiming that it was the moment for them to disconnect from Macedonia. Infuriated by these rumors, Alexander showed up at the gates of Thebes, in 335 B.C., only to find the refusal of surrender by the Thebans. The Thebans sent a small body of soldiers, with whom Alexander sent his own of archers and infantry. The following day, Alexander's general, Perdiccas, attacked the gates. The Macedonians then rushed into the city, killing almost everyone in sight, including women and children. They continued on and burned the entire city of Thebes to the ground. This display proved as an example to the rest of Greece. Athens quickly rethought their decision of before to not follow Alexander, and chose to come to terms with their new leader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander was determined to achieve the dream of his father, the takeover of the Persian Empire. T... ...ly three quarters of his army to starvation and the harsh conditions of the desert. When the survivors reached the region called Carmania, their fortune changed dramatically as they were welcomed into the prosperous land. Alexander and his men celebrated the end of their ordeal in the desert and traveled in luxury to Harmezeia, where they rejoined Nearchus and his soldiers. Then the whole army marched inland to Persis to rest. In 324 B.C.E., Alexander furthered his mission to assimilate Macedonian and Persian cultures when he arranged thousands of marriages between the Greek soldiers and Persian women in Susa. Alexander himself took a second wife, Stateira, one of Darius' daughters. In the spring of the same year while Alexander's army was stationed in Ecbatana, his best friend, Hephaestion, died of a fever. He was overcome with grief, and he consoled himself by leading a campaign against a tribe of brigands called the Cossaeans. The next year, Alexander traveled with his men to Babylon despite numerous threatening omens. The omens were so frequent and ominous that Alexander feared that he had fallen out of favor with the gods. He died of a fever on June 10, 323 B.C.E. Alexander the Great Essay -- Biography   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Humanity has known a few distinguished consolidators of civilizations. Alexander the Great is one of them, and the first to accumulate power in his hand beyond any conqueror’s dream. His feats served as guidelines for other rulers like Cesar Augustus and Napoleon, who, by means of outstanding military prowess, conquered and ruled most of the civilized world of their times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander was born in 356 B.C., as the son of King Philip II and Olympias. He was taught by the great philosopher, Aristotle, inspiring him in the fields of, philosophy and medicine. Although he had a broader view of humanity than that of Aristotle’s perception, that all non-Greeks, should be treated as slaves. Alexander, after the death of his father, King Philip II in 336 BC, was to become the next king of Macedonia at the tender age of 20. Although young, Alexander was determined and willing to become the next great king of Macedonia. Because of his young age Greek cities, who had pledged loyalty to his father, were not certain that they wanted to allow a twenty-year-old boy to lead a kingdom. Also, barbarians from the north and west, whom Philip had repressed, were becoming a threat to Macedonia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those close to Alexander had recommended that he let Athens and Thebes go and be careful with the barbarians to prevent them from rebelling. Alexander however, had other plans. So he proceeded north, and drove the barbarians past the Danube River. The rumor of Alexander’s supposed death, were being spread throughout Athens and Thebes, claiming that it was the moment for them to disconnect from Macedonia. Infuriated by these rumors, Alexander showed up at the gates of Thebes, in 335 B.C., only to find the refusal of surrender by the Thebans. The Thebans sent a small body of soldiers, with whom Alexander sent his own of archers and infantry. The following day, Alexander's general, Perdiccas, attacked the gates. The Macedonians then rushed into the city, killing almost everyone in sight, including women and children. They continued on and burned the entire city of Thebes to the ground. This display proved as an example to the rest of Greece. Athens quickly rethought their decision of before to not follow Alexander, and chose to come to terms with their new leader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander was determined to achieve the dream of his father, the takeover of the Persian Empire. T... ...ly three quarters of his army to starvation and the harsh conditions of the desert. When the survivors reached the region called Carmania, their fortune changed dramatically as they were welcomed into the prosperous land. Alexander and his men celebrated the end of their ordeal in the desert and traveled in luxury to Harmezeia, where they rejoined Nearchus and his soldiers. Then the whole army marched inland to Persis to rest. In 324 B.C.E., Alexander furthered his mission to assimilate Macedonian and Persian cultures when he arranged thousands of marriages between the Greek soldiers and Persian women in Susa. Alexander himself took a second wife, Stateira, one of Darius' daughters. In the spring of the same year while Alexander's army was stationed in Ecbatana, his best friend, Hephaestion, died of a fever. He was overcome with grief, and he consoled himself by leading a campaign against a tribe of brigands called the Cossaeans. The next year, Alexander traveled with his men to Babylon despite numerous threatening omens. The omens were so frequent and ominous that Alexander feared that he had fallen out of favor with the gods. He died of a fever on June 10, 323 B.C.E.

Child Observation

Child Observation Background The child that I chose to observe was a nine year old boy that I will refer to as Dan. Dan is a highly gifted child who, unfortunately, suffers from cerebral palsy, as well as panic attacks. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, who has remarried. His father who also has remarried, does have contact with him, though the relationship is somewhat strained. He comes from an upper middle class background, and has no brothers or sisters. I observed Dan in the waiting room for about an hour (his mother was good enough to bring him in for his appointment a little early so that I could observe him).The room contained many toys and books for varying ages, as well as a number of magazines for both kids and adults. The walls were covered with different pictures and posters, and there were a number of chairs. Observation Dan’s mother, Molly, helped him into the office by supporting him under his arms. His upper body works normally but he has t rouble with his legs, particularly his lower legs, and is unable to walk on his own. His mother took him immediately to the corner of the room containing the toys and books, then lowered him to the floor.Dan picked out a science book that appeared to be geared towards children a few years older than he. Lying on the floor, he began to read aloud and frequently questioned his mother, who sat in a nearby chair, about pronunciation of words, as well as dates and background information on famous scientists mentioned in the text. His mother answered all of his questions, and when she did, he engaged her in further conversation about the subject until he was sure that he understood. His mother was then called into the office to speak with the doctor alone.Before leaving, she asked Dan if he needed to use the restroom (he needs her help to do so). He told her he was fine, and she went into the office. At this point, Dan and I were the only two people in the room. He continued to read aloud after his mother had left. With her gone, he engaged in private speech when he came to a word he did not know, or a subject he was unfamiliar with. His conversations with himself were very similar to those he had with his mother. About ten minutes after his mother had left, Dan began looking over at me occasionally, but only for a second before going back to his reading.When he was unsure of a word, he repeated it several times before moving on. His reading grew gradually quieter until I could not always make out the words. At one point, he came across a word that he did not know and began reasoning to himself as follows: â€Å"This must be an English word†¦although I speak English, so maybe it’s from a different country†¦ or maybe they only use it in England. † Dan looked at me several times as he attempted to reason through this, but did not ask me for help. After that, he closed the book and looked around the room.He pulled a rock the size of a large marb le from his pocket, and began brushing it lightly against first a nearby chair leg, then his own sneaker. He sat up, experimented with throwing the rock at his left hand, which he held open, palm facing his right hand. I should note that he did not appear to be trying to catch it, but I could not be sure. At any rate, he never did catch it in the several times that he threw it. He then rolled it down his arm a couple of times, before throwing it straight up in the air, leaving his hand out, but not moving it at all as the rock fell past it.At this point Dan looked at me for about five or ten seconds straight, the first time he had done more than glance at me. He then pushed the book away and crawled over to a large aluminum can with a lid on it that was filled with toys. He brushed the rock lightly against it, but did not open it. Next, he looked at me and smiled. He asked me if he was bothering me and I told him he was not. He told me he did not want to distract me if I was studyin g. I answered that I was just writing something for school and that he was not distracting me at all.He said that he did not want to be bothersome and that he had been trying to be as non-distracting as possible. I told him not to worry about it and to just do whatever he wanted. After that, he began to talk to me a great deal. He told me about a book that he had read in the waiting room before and asked if I had ever read it. I answered that I had not and he told me all about it. He said it allowed you to put different wigs and clothes on different people and that he really liked it a lot. He went on to say that it was â€Å"a lot of fun, but it’s not here anymore so someone must have took it.I don’t know who took it though. † He then pulled down another book with big wobbly eyes that were placed to be on a different picture every time you turned the page. He asked me if I ever saw this book and I told him that I had. He said that it was â€Å"a really cool bo ok. † He then started reading it aloud, looking over at me occasionally as he did so. A little later, as he continued to read, his mother came back in and asked again if he needed to use the restroom. He told her he did not, and she lifted him up and helped him into the office for his appointment.Interpreting the Observation The first thing that struck me about Dan’s behavior was that he ignored the toys and magazines, and went straight for the books. Not only that, the first book that he picked out was obviously geared towards kids several years older than he. I knew going into the observation that Dan was highly gifted, and combining that with his physical disability, it made sense that he would be an avid reader and , relative to the other kids his age, a very advanced one. This proved to be true.Gambrell (1994) says that a child who is motivated to learn will read for a number of reasons, including to gain knowledge. This certainly seemed to be the case with Dan as he was very intent on being sure that he understood exactly what he was reading. Many kids read because they have to, and they learn so that they will get an â€Å"A† in school; Dan was reading and learning for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge. This is not surprising given the fact that gifted children have been found to have significantly higher intrinsic motivation to learn all subject areas than do their peers (Gottfried & Gottfried 1996).This study went on to say that â€Å"From the early years through adolescence, children who are identified as gifted evidence superior persistence, attention, curiosity, enjoyment of learning and orientation toward mastery and challenge. This was mirrored in the enthusiasm with which Dan went about the task of reading and being sure that he understood what he had read. The fact that his mother allowed him to pick out a book himself could be relevant to Dan’s apparent motivation to read.Gambrell (1994) reports that over 80% of children name books that they picked out themselves when asked about those they most enjoyed. In contrast, only 10% talked about books that were chosen for them. A strong correlation was shown to exist between a child’s being allowed to choose his own book and his intrinsic motivation to read. Gambrell further reports that learning through books is enhanced by social interactions, which further increase his desire to read. Dan obviously demonstrated this through the conversation he had with his mother while reading.After his mother left, Dan made frequent use of Vygotsky’s private speech (overt verbalizations not intended for a listener), particularly in the form of questions to himself. I saw this as both modeling his earlier conversations with his mother, and actively trying to learn new words and information. Goodman (1981) found that, in problem solving tasks, questions to self occurred more frequently following failures. This too, was the case with Dan who would often ask himself questions after being unable to pronounce a word or figuer out its meaning.Goodman also found that a hight rate of verbaliztions during problem solving tast was associated with increased efficiency. This is consistent with the fact that Dan, who made frequent use of such verbalizations, was a very advanced reader for his age. His frequent glances at me during particularly troublesome spots could have been related to social referencing. He appeared to want to ask me for help, but never did. Instead he simply looked at me as he tried to pronounce the word, as if trying to guage my facial reaction to see if he was right.Conclusion Dan appeared to be, aside from his diagnosed problems of cerebral palsy and panic attacks, a fairly normal, though cognitively advanced, nine year old boy. His reading every thing aloud struck me as somewhat unusual, and I have no sure explanantion as to why; perhaps he feels that he learns better through auditory stimulation. He also seemed to use private speech more than the average nine year old would, but as I discussed earlier, some studies have linked this to better problem solving abilities and high cognitive performance.References Gambrell, L. B. , (1994). What motivates children to read? Scholastic Literacy Research Paper, 2 Gottfried, A. E. & Gottfried, A. W. , (1996). A longitudinal study of academic intrinsic motivation in intellectually gifted children; Childhood through early adolescence. Gifted Child Quarterly, 40 (4), 179-183 Goodman, S. H. , (1981). The intergration of verbal and motor behavior in preschool children. Child Development. 52 (1), 280-289 Child Observation PSY 122 Child Growth and Development *Key Assessment: OBSERVATION *OF A CHILD and GROUP OF CHILDREN (This key assessment will be in 2 parts; *a total of 4 separate observation papers*) NAEYC Standards and Supportive skills: Standard 1 Promoting Child Development and Learning a Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs 1b Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on development and learning Standard 3 Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families 3b Knowing about and using observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and techniques 3c Understanding and practicing responsible assessment Supportive Skill 2 Mastering and Applying Foundational Concepts from General Education Supportive Skill 3 Written and Verbal communication Skills Supportive Skill 4 Skills in Making Connections between Prior Knowledge/Experience and New Learning Observation 2: Observe a different child in 2 new area/activities* Part 2: *Observation 3: Observe a group of children inte*racting in one of the following *area/*activities* Observation 4: Observe another group of children interacting in a different area/activities* *Areas/Activities include: PSY 122 Child Growth and Development Key Assessment: OBSERVATION *OF A CHILD and GROUP OF CHILDREN (This key assessment will be in 2 parts) Observation Paper Format Observation Paper # 4 REMEMBER: To use pseudonym (not real name) Describe what the child (ren) are doing and saying (use quotation marks) during the length of your observation. Be specific, objective, and descriptive. Avoid judgmental statements (i. e. â€Å"That little boy was bad. † ). Kids Towne day care is located in an industrial park in Branford, CT. It currently has 75 children enrolled. Inside, the daycare is broken up into class rooms by age. On this day, I chose to observe the preschool room. The classroom currently has 20 children enrolled but not all the children attend daily. On this day there were 14 children in the classroom. The ages range from 3 years old to 4. 5 years old. The ratio of boys to girls is 2:1. Around 8:00am, I began watching the entire group of children. The structure of their day begins at 8:00am with â€Å"circle time. † Miss Sam, the teacher of the preschool room, announces to the children â€Å"Circle time! † I watched as they all came running. â€Å"Sit on a letter. † Miss Sam instructs the children. In the middle of the room there is a huge carpet with all the letters of the alphabet on it. Each child sits on a letter of their choice. â€Å"I want J† says a little boy named Jonah. Once all the children are seated Miss Sam begins with the date and the weather. â€Å"Its chilly outside today† she tells the students. â€Å"Mommy made me wear my jacket but I didn’t want to. † Says a boy named Alex. Shortly after the date and weather, the room breaks out in song. â€Å"The wheels on the bus go round and round†¦Ã¢â‚¬  sing the children. I notice that one girl is not singing. She is sitting with her legs crossed with her elbows on her knees and her head down. When the song finishes, Miss Sam asks Meghan, â€Å"What’s wrong? † â€Å"I have a headache Miss Sam. † â€Å"Well, maybe you’ll feel better after we make our monster puppets? † Meghan didn’t answer. â€Å"Who wants to make monster puppets? † asks Miss Sam. â€Å"Meeeeeeee! † several children proclaimed. I watched as the kids ran to the art center where two long rectangular tableswere side by side. All the boys sat at one table, and all the girls sat at the other. Miss Sam gave each child a brown lunch bag and spread crayons, markers, feathers, pom poms and glue on the table. Miss Sam showed the children a monster puppet that she had made. Mine is going to be pink† said one of the little girls. â€Å"Mine too† said another. I watched as the children worked on their puppets. â€Å"Roarrrrrrrr† said one boy who was coloring his bag green. When the children finished their puppets they all held them up and shared them with pride. Section II. Inferences/Interpretations: Section III: Theorist: Choose a theory/theorist (i. e. Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Skinner, Bronfenbrenner, etc. ) and include a discussion on how this theory would explain what you have observed about the child (ren)’s behavior and development. Child Observation Child Observation Background The child that I chose to observe was a nine year old boy that I will refer to as Dan. Dan is a highly gifted child who, unfortunately, suffers from cerebral palsy, as well as panic attacks. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, who has remarried. His father who also has remarried, does have contact with him, though the relationship is somewhat strained. He comes from an upper middle class background, and has no brothers or sisters. I observed Dan in the waiting room for about an hour (his mother was good enough to bring him in for his appointment a little early so that I could observe him).The room contained many toys and books for varying ages, as well as a number of magazines for both kids and adults. The walls were covered with different pictures and posters, and there were a number of chairs. Observation Dan’s mother, Molly, helped him into the office by supporting him under his arms. His upper body works normally but he has t rouble with his legs, particularly his lower legs, and is unable to walk on his own. His mother took him immediately to the corner of the room containing the toys and books, then lowered him to the floor.Dan picked out a science book that appeared to be geared towards children a few years older than he. Lying on the floor, he began to read aloud and frequently questioned his mother, who sat in a nearby chair, about pronunciation of words, as well as dates and background information on famous scientists mentioned in the text. His mother answered all of his questions, and when she did, he engaged her in further conversation about the subject until he was sure that he understood. His mother was then called into the office to speak with the doctor alone.Before leaving, she asked Dan if he needed to use the restroom (he needs her help to do so). He told her he was fine, and she went into the office. At this point, Dan and I were the only two people in the room. He continued to read aloud after his mother had left. With her gone, he engaged in private speech when he came to a word he did not know, or a subject he was unfamiliar with. His conversations with himself were very similar to those he had with his mother. About ten minutes after his mother had left, Dan began looking over at me occasionally, but only for a second before going back to his reading.When he was unsure of a word, he repeated it several times before moving on. His reading grew gradually quieter until I could not always make out the words. At one point, he came across a word that he did not know and began reasoning to himself as follows: â€Å"This must be an English word†¦although I speak English, so maybe it’s from a different country†¦ or maybe they only use it in England. † Dan looked at me several times as he attempted to reason through this, but did not ask me for help. After that, he closed the book and looked around the room.He pulled a rock the size of a large marb le from his pocket, and began brushing it lightly against first a nearby chair leg, then his own sneaker. He sat up, experimented with throwing the rock at his left hand, which he held open, palm facing his right hand. I should note that he did not appear to be trying to catch it, but I could not be sure. At any rate, he never did catch it in the several times that he threw it. He then rolled it down his arm a couple of times, before throwing it straight up in the air, leaving his hand out, but not moving it at all as the rock fell past it.At this point Dan looked at me for about five or ten seconds straight, the first time he had done more than glance at me. He then pushed the book away and crawled over to a large aluminum can with a lid on it that was filled with toys. He brushed the rock lightly against it, but did not open it. Next, he looked at me and smiled. He asked me if he was bothering me and I told him he was not. He told me he did not want to distract me if I was studyin g. I answered that I was just writing something for school and that he was not distracting me at all.He said that he did not want to be bothersome and that he had been trying to be as non-distracting as possible. I told him not to worry about it and to just do whatever he wanted. After that, he began to talk to me a great deal. He told me about a book that he had read in the waiting room before and asked if I had ever read it. I answered that I had not and he told me all about it. He said it allowed you to put different wigs and clothes on different people and that he really liked it a lot. He went on to say that it was â€Å"a lot of fun, but it’s not here anymore so someone must have took it.I don’t know who took it though. † He then pulled down another book with big wobbly eyes that were placed to be on a different picture every time you turned the page. He asked me if I ever saw this book and I told him that I had. He said that it was â€Å"a really cool bo ok. † He then started reading it aloud, looking over at me occasionally as he did so. A little later, as he continued to read, his mother came back in and asked again if he needed to use the restroom. He told her he did not, and she lifted him up and helped him into the office for his appointment.Interpreting the Observation The first thing that struck me about Dan’s behavior was that he ignored the toys and magazines, and went straight for the books. Not only that, the first book that he picked out was obviously geared towards kids several years older than he. I knew going into the observation that Dan was highly gifted, and combining that with his physical disability, it made sense that he would be an avid reader and , relative to the other kids his age, a very advanced one. This proved to be true.Gambrell (1994) says that a child who is motivated to learn will read for a number of reasons, including to gain knowledge. This certainly seemed to be the case with Dan as he was very intent on being sure that he understood exactly what he was reading. Many kids read because they have to, and they learn so that they will get an â€Å"A† in school; Dan was reading and learning for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge. This is not surprising given the fact that gifted children have been found to have significantly higher intrinsic motivation to learn all subject areas than do their peers (Gottfried & Gottfried 1996).This study went on to say that â€Å"From the early years through adolescence, children who are identified as gifted evidence superior persistence, attention, curiosity, enjoyment of learning and orientation toward mastery and challenge. This was mirrored in the enthusiasm with which Dan went about the task of reading and being sure that he understood what he had read. The fact that his mother allowed him to pick out a book himself could be relevant to Dan’s apparent motivation to read.Gambrell (1994) reports that over 80% of children name books that they picked out themselves when asked about those they most enjoyed. In contrast, only 10% talked about books that were chosen for them. A strong correlation was shown to exist between a child’s being allowed to choose his own book and his intrinsic motivation to read. Gambrell further reports that learning through books is enhanced by social interactions, which further increase his desire to read. Dan obviously demonstrated this through the conversation he had with his mother while reading.After his mother left, Dan made frequent use of Vygotsky’s private speech (overt verbalizations not intended for a listener), particularly in the form of questions to himself. I saw this as both modeling his earlier conversations with his mother, and actively trying to learn new words and information. Goodman (1981) found that, in problem solving tasks, questions to self occurred more frequently following failures. This too, was the case with Dan who would often ask himself questions after being unable to pronounce a word or figuer out its meaning.Goodman also found that a hight rate of verbaliztions during problem solving tast was associated with increased efficiency. This is consistent with the fact that Dan, who made frequent use of such verbalizations, was a very advanced reader for his age. His frequent glances at me during particularly troublesome spots could have been related to social referencing. He appeared to want to ask me for help, but never did. Instead he simply looked at me as he tried to pronounce the word, as if trying to guage my facial reaction to see if he was right.Conclusion Dan appeared to be, aside from his diagnosed problems of cerebral palsy and panic attacks, a fairly normal, though cognitively advanced, nine year old boy. His reading every thing aloud struck me as somewhat unusual, and I have no sure explanantion as to why; perhaps he feels that he learns better through auditory stimulation. He also seemed to use private speech more than the average nine year old would, but as I discussed earlier, some studies have linked this to better problem solving abilities and high cognitive performance.References Gambrell, L. B. , (1994). What motivates children to read? Scholastic Literacy Research Paper, 2 Gottfried, A. E. & Gottfried, A. W. , (1996). A longitudinal study of academic intrinsic motivation in intellectually gifted children; Childhood through early adolescence. Gifted Child Quarterly, 40 (4), 179-183 Goodman, S. H. , (1981). The intergration of verbal and motor behavior in preschool children. Child Development. 52 (1), 280-289 Child Observation PSY 122 Child Growth and Development *Key Assessment: OBSERVATION *OF A CHILD and GROUP OF CHILDREN (This key assessment will be in 2 parts; *a total of 4 separate observation papers*) NAEYC Standards and Supportive skills: Standard 1 Promoting Child Development and Learning a Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs 1b Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on development and learning Standard 3 Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families 3b Knowing about and using observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and techniques 3c Understanding and practicing responsible assessment Supportive Skill 2 Mastering and Applying Foundational Concepts from General Education Supportive Skill 3 Written and Verbal communication Skills Supportive Skill 4 Skills in Making Connections between Prior Knowledge/Experience and New Learning Observation 2: Observe a different child in 2 new area/activities* Part 2: *Observation 3: Observe a group of children inte*racting in one of the following *area/*activities* Observation 4: Observe another group of children interacting in a different area/activities* *Areas/Activities include: PSY 122 Child Growth and Development Key Assessment: OBSERVATION *OF A CHILD and GROUP OF CHILDREN (This key assessment will be in 2 parts) Observation Paper Format Observation Paper # 4 REMEMBER: To use pseudonym (not real name) Describe what the child (ren) are doing and saying (use quotation marks) during the length of your observation. Be specific, objective, and descriptive. Avoid judgmental statements (i. e. â€Å"That little boy was bad. † ). Kids Towne day care is located in an industrial park in Branford, CT. It currently has 75 children enrolled. Inside, the daycare is broken up into class rooms by age. On this day, I chose to observe the preschool room. The classroom currently has 20 children enrolled but not all the children attend daily. On this day there were 14 children in the classroom. The ages range from 3 years old to 4. 5 years old. The ratio of boys to girls is 2:1. Around 8:00am, I began watching the entire group of children. The structure of their day begins at 8:00am with â€Å"circle time. † Miss Sam, the teacher of the preschool room, announces to the children â€Å"Circle time! † I watched as they all came running. â€Å"Sit on a letter. † Miss Sam instructs the children. In the middle of the room there is a huge carpet with all the letters of the alphabet on it. Each child sits on a letter of their choice. â€Å"I want J† says a little boy named Jonah. Once all the children are seated Miss Sam begins with the date and the weather. â€Å"Its chilly outside today† she tells the students. â€Å"Mommy made me wear my jacket but I didn’t want to. † Says a boy named Alex. Shortly after the date and weather, the room breaks out in song. â€Å"The wheels on the bus go round and round†¦Ã¢â‚¬  sing the children. I notice that one girl is not singing. She is sitting with her legs crossed with her elbows on her knees and her head down. When the song finishes, Miss Sam asks Meghan, â€Å"What’s wrong? † â€Å"I have a headache Miss Sam. † â€Å"Well, maybe you’ll feel better after we make our monster puppets? † Meghan didn’t answer. â€Å"Who wants to make monster puppets? † asks Miss Sam. â€Å"Meeeeeeee! † several children proclaimed. I watched as the kids ran to the art center where two long rectangular tableswere side by side. All the boys sat at one table, and all the girls sat at the other. Miss Sam gave each child a brown lunch bag and spread crayons, markers, feathers, pom poms and glue on the table. Miss Sam showed the children a monster puppet that she had made. Mine is going to be pink† said one of the little girls. â€Å"Mine too† said another. I watched as the children worked on their puppets. â€Å"Roarrrrrrrr† said one boy who was coloring his bag green. When the children finished their puppets they all held them up and shared them with pride. Section II. Inferences/Interpretations: Section III: Theorist: Choose a theory/theorist (i. e. Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Skinner, Bronfenbrenner, etc. ) and include a discussion on how this theory would explain what you have observed about the child (ren)’s behavior and development.