Mathematics Teaching In Early Years Settings Education Essay

Mathematics Teaching In Early Years Settings Education Essay Learning is a fundamental process, and one believed to be life long. Subsequently, education allows for learning to be progressed through the acquisition of knowledge and development of reasoning and judgment. Providing children with the necessary attributes to both read and communicate fluently, as well as count and calculate confidently are of significant importance, hence, to review progression, the Government insist on the analysis of frameworks. In July 2007, the Secretary of State asked Sir Peter Williams to review the teaching of Mathematics within Early Years and Primary schools. Through extensive research, Williams (2008) made ten final recommendations about how to improve the teaching of mathematics, addressing its distinctive requirements. Williams (2008) expressed that, The high standards achieved in mathematics in recent years can be maintained and improved further only by addressing the unique needs of this subject, a discipline which is not always embraced with enthusiasm and confidence. (ibid 2008 p.1) The recommendations highlighted that the improvement for the quality of mathematical teaching should not solely rely upon teachers and practitioners. Parents and families are of significant importance, particularly where an intervention programme is required. In addition, Head Teachers and members of Senior Management play an active role in ensuring that every child receives the best mathematical education. The accomplishment of this is very much dependent upon children having an unassailable start to their educational journey; hence, Williams (2008) proposed three specific recommendations for early years. Recommendation six highlighted that there should be a continuing increase in the proportion of graduate practitioners in early years settings: The review agrees that the presence of someone with Qualified Teacher Status, with early years specialism, working with children wherever possible is vital. (Williams 2008 p.38) This recommendation could signify considerable changes for early years education, encouragingly echoing a key aim outlined within The Childrens Plan; Building brighter futures (2007), that there shall be a graduate early years professional in every full day care setting in England by 2015. Furthermore, practitioners would require a firm understanding of mathematical pedagogy, expressing distinctive features that would support high quality learning. Children require an array of opportunities to learn in an environment that is stimulatingly rich and appropriate to their development, achieved through positive enthusiasm and direct teaching of mathematical skills and knowledge. There is significant value for the understanding of how the range of childrens educational experiences, during their first five years, can have profound implications on their mathematical learning. Consequently, Williams (2008) expressed there was a broad consensus on the importance for the need of uniformly good early years environments providing quality teaching. Central to that are the teachers and practitioners creating enabling environments and positive relationships, adopting effective pedagogy throughout all aspects of learning. Williams (2008) explored how childrens experiences with mathematics should be built upon play and spontaneous learning, fostering their natural interest in numeracy and problem solving. Achieving this requires the understandin g of how the use of childrens own graphical explorations, though mark making, is highly significant and of great value to practitioners. Williams (2008) however discovered that support for mathematical mark making was very rare, needing specific focus, as allowing children to develop their ability to extend and organise their thinking was defined as highly important. Williams (2008) commissioned recommendation four to highlight the significance of early years practitioners having specific mathematical mark making materials to support their professional development. Previous research into childrens mathematical graphics lays further emphasis on the value of these materials as Worthington (2008) expressed: The emphasis with childrens mathematical graphics is very much on children making sense of the written language of mathematics and effective pedagogy to support their thinking. (Ibid 2008) Worthington (2008) highlighted the importance of understanding how mathematical mark making could have dramatic effects on childrens learning, as allowing children to adopt their own form of mark making to symbols, will in future years, encourage them to combine their representations with that of standard mathematical symbols. As children progress through the primary curriculum, it is clear how there is a logical pattern to teaching and learning. Williams (2008) stressed the significance of children receiving excellent teaching and a high quality curriculum: each relying on the other for successful learning. Furthermore, within the mathematic curriculum, Williams (2008) believed there to be a well-structured programme that took into account how to develop most childrens learning. From this, Williams (2008) proposed, under recommendation nine, that the primary national curriculum for Mathematics should continue as currently prescribed, subject to any changes proposed by Sir Jim Rose. On the other hand, however, Williams (2008) identified how the transition from Early Years to Key Stage one can lead to discontinuity in learning through attempts to match early learning goals to the National Curriculum. A preceding review to Williams (2008) report expressed the importance of smooth transitions, conveying furth er certainty of its significance. The Childrens Plan: Building brighter futures (2007) expressed, Smoothing these transitions will benefit all children and allow each child to progress at a speed that best suits their needs while they are adjusting to their new environments. (ibid 2007 p.63) The effects of this transition on childrens mathematical learning may generate significant problems, leading to a loss in interest, omitting the opportunity to develop good attitudes towards the subject. Ensuring that a positive approach towards mathematics is a predominant feature, Williams (2008) outlined his key recommendation; a mathematical specialist in ever school. Engaging with a deep mathematical knowledge, the specialist would be central to effective teaching and learning, aiding quality instruction and intervention. The specialist would encompass attributes and characteristics that could advance mathematical learning, developing enthusiasm across the school. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) would incorporate a specifically designed programme, facilitating critical reflection on how to implement learning practices, and how to interrelate all strands of the mathematical curriculum. Williams (2008) also expressed how such programmes of studies could build upon complimentary Government aspirations, leading to the introduction of teaching becoming a Masters level profession. Through greater access to valuable recent research into mathematics, the specialist would offe r head teachers an array of opportunities to circulate effective practices and models of learning. Consequently, the mathematical specialist would become an invaluable constituent to primary schools; however, Williams (2008) needed to address the necessary training and professional development concerns. Williams (2008) proposed that mathematical specialists would receive an additional five days for Continuing Professional Development; however, the logistics could raise considerable barriers, and therefore still require further analysis. Effective learning through curriculum and pedagogy are central to both classroom practice and teachers knowledge and beliefs. Predominantly, pedagogy should be learner centred; embracing models of learning that encompass a collection of technique and effective assessment. Implementing this is very much dependent upon the teacher and through Williams (2008) recommendation, in future years includes the mathematical specialist. Assessment for Learning (AFL) is a tool used within schools to establish the progress of all children, aiming to improve individual attainment levels. Allowing children time to question, as well as answer and try out their own strategies, ensure that assessment becomes a collaborative procedure, offering teachers an array of opportunities to develop childrens learning. From reviewing evidence of mathematical achievement, Williams (2008) concluded that it appeared there was no single cause for under attainment, consequently leading to no single answer. One solutio n adopted by the Government is intervention programmes, aimed at children who are failing to achieve the basics. Intervention occurs across the curriculum, through, as the National Strategy describes, the three waves model. Wave one outlines the necessity for quality, inclusive teaching, targeted at all pupils needs. Wave two furthers this with group intervention, designed to accelerate the learning for particular groups of children expected to draw level with their peers. The individualised programme of intervention occurs during wave three, when teaching becomes specifically targeted and personalised. According to Williams (2008), the importance of intervention to the subject of mathematics, is paramount. There is a growing body of international evidence showing that a carefully considered response to these problems of under attainment in mathematics can restore young learners to a successful pathway for future study in the subject. (Williams 2008 p.45) Throughout his review, Williams (2008) put forward a strong recommendation for early intervention and under recommendation eight, outlined that children with serious difficulties should receive daily intensive one to one teaching from a qualified teacher. Previous research into early intervention can lay further significance on Williams (2008) recommendation. Dowker (2004) set out general principles outlining that intervention should ideally take place during the early stages of a childs education, aiming to reduce the risk of negative attitudes. Subsequently, Williams (2008) review sincerely welcomed the new initiative Every Child Counts (2008), a coalition partnership, between the Government and the charity Every Child a Chance, aiming to engage in the search for solutions for mathematical under attainment. The Every Child Counts (2008) programme is aimed at the lowest attaining Year two children, imposed at this stage, as it is believed to have maximum impact at a timely and prac tical period of a childs learning. In January 2009, Ofsted released the publication, An evaluation of National Strategy intervention programmes, incorporating a small-scale survey concluding on the impact of intervention. Ofsted explained that: Intervention is most successful when confident leaders and well organised teachers select from the National Strategy programmes and develop a curriculum that meets the needs of pupils and the circumstances of the school. (Ofsted 2009 p.18) Building upon this, Williams (2008) outlined that intervention should be led by a qualified teacher, generally involving one child, and incorporate the appropriate use of multi sensory resources and diagnostic assessment. Achieving this lays further emphasis on the importance of having well-trained teachers, with support from mathematics specialists. Leading an intervention programme would require significant support from head teachers and senior management, but additional to this the child must be committed, supported comprehensively by parents. Although this encouragement and assistance should occur for all children during their educational journey, it has been made evident how parents can further aid a child with mathematical difficulties. Williams (2008) identified that parents often miss the opportunity to help their child, as they are not aware of current mathematical teaching methods. Addressing this, teachers and practitioners should encourage parents, bringing them up to date on how they can support. Furthermore, Williams (2008) expressed the imperative need for teachers to recognise the wealth of mathematical knowledge a child learns outside of school, therefore, aim to encourage parents to use this out of school knowledge to participate in mathematical activities together. Williams (2008) review of mathematics could implicate significant changes within the structure of primary education and training of new and established teachers. Having an extensive knowledge of how effective interaction and instructive teaching can extend childrens thinking, with particular attention to their use of accurate mathematical language, lays further importance of having highly qualified and skilled teachers. Furthermore, Continuing Professional Development, with predominant reference to mathematics, is essential; with Head Teachers ensuring teachers have many opportunities to progress. With regard to intervention programmes, it is clear how essential training may need implementing, with specific focus on Initial Teacher Training and Continuing Professional Development programmes. As intervention is more widely adopted across primary education, it may become apparent for the review of Initial Teacher Training courses, ensuring that all trainees experience an intervention p rogramme. With regard to my personal teacher training, the Williams (2008) review made it evident how securing curriculum knowledge and effective pedagogy is paramount in aiding children to achieve their potential. Building upon the standards outlined by the Training and Development Agency (2009) it is apparent how knowing and understanding relevant national strategy frameworks can aid with the execution of inclusive teaching, overcoming barriers to learning and assessment. Furthermore, with the proposed national roll out of the Every Child Counts (2008) scheme in 2010 2011, the Williams (2008) report would become of significant value to my teacher training and future career, providing substantial information about the importance of effective mathematical teaching, encompassed with a positive and enthusiastic approach.

The Lewis And Clark Expedition :: essays research papers

American history is accompanied by a long list of explorers who first discovered and who explored the massive continent. All of the explorers had an impact on the development of America. The Lewis and Clark expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, stands prominently at the top part of this list. The Lewis and Clark Expedition has had a significant political, social, and economic effect on America. They were the first to map out the west and set off westward expansion. Without the success of the expedition growth of America would have taken five times as long, as predicted by Thomas Jefferson.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Expedition had a drastic political effect on The United States of America. The area in which the expedition was to explore was very close along Spanish territory and a portion of the expedition was in Spanish territory. The Spanish government was very uneasy with the Corps advancing towards them because they thought The United States was attacking them. They dispatched a small group to intercept the Corps however they nearly missed them. Another political impact was the now issue of Indian relations. America just acquired a great deal of land that was formerly owned by Indians and they now had to explain to them that the land was no longer theirs and that they were now a part of the United States. Indian relations would be fine until they were forced to move off their land. The United States had to set up a new branch of government just for Indian relations. Previous to the expedition there were only little issues of dealing with Indians.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Exploration of the west could have had the greatest economical impact on the United States ever. After the west had now been explored they realized they had a great deal of land that now had to be settled. The land was so vast and so cheap that it was sold for very low prices and sometimes just given away. This caused a huge surge of people to begin flowing west and sparked westward expansion. People began setting up farms and more and more people had opportunities to make a good living. Also people now had the chance to look for gold out west and the Gold Rush began. This is when America really had its boom. Lastly we now had twice as much if not more natural resources than we had before.

hamlet :: essays research papers

In the story â€Å"Hamlet†, written by William Shakespeare, the main character Hamlet starts to loose his mind, and goes completely crazy. He starts to go crazy shortly after his father’s death, because his mother married his uncle the new king of Denmark. And later in the story his girlfriend leaves because she is forced by her father to leave him for the good of her own and her fathers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When his father was killed no one knew who really killed him, everyone thought that his just died of natural causes. By soon Hamlets father’s ghost started to appear, some of the night watch men saw him and they thought that it would be a good idea to let Hamlet know about it. So later that night Hamlet and the night watch men went out on patrol and that’s when Hamlets dad’s ghost appeared to him. Hamlet followed him into the woods and that’s where he spoke to it. The ghost told him the whole story about how his brother poured poison into his ear and killed him to take over the throne. The ghost asked him to avenge his death. And that’s when Hamlet started to go crazy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamlet was a bit sadden by his mothers actions, she went off and married her brother in law, which was the Kings brother, only two weeks after his death, and she had already forgotten about her other husband. Hamlet didn’t really know what his mother was thinking when she did this. But after the ghost appeared to him and he knew the truth he thought that his mother might have had something to do with the murder. Soon Hamlet starts to find ways to kill his uncle. One for killing his father, and the other for marrying his mother. Hamlet tries to put get his uncle to confess to the murder by making plays about how his father was killed and then how his mother goes off and marries his brother. He tries to talk to his mother but his mom thinks that he crazy and doesn’t really believe him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then his girlfriend leaves him because she was forced by her father to do so because he didn’t want his daughter to be with a mad man, and because it was going to make him look bad. So when she does leave him Hamlet gets heart broken and really goes over the edge.

Chapter 4 The Leaky Cauldron

It took Harry several days to get used to his strange new freedom. Never before had he been able to get up whenever he wanted or eat whatever he fancied. He could even go wherever he pleased, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the Muggle world. Harry ate breakfast each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, where he liked watching the other guests: funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava. After breakfast Harry would go out into the backyard, take out his wand, tap the third brick from the left above the trash bin, and stand back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall. Harry spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under the brightly colored umbrellas outside cafes, where his fellow diners were showing one another their purchases (â€Å"It's a lunascope, old boy — no more messing around with moon charts, see?†) or else discussing the case of Sirius Black (â€Å"Personally, I won't let any of the children out alone until he's back in Azkaban†). Harry didn't have to do his homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore; now he could sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, finishing all his essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave Harry free sundaes every half an hour. Once Harry had refilled his money bag with gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from his vault at Gringotts, he had to exercise a lot of self-control not to spend the whole lot at once. He had to keep reminding himself that he had five years to go at Hogwarts, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spellbooks, to stop himself from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point). He was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant he never had to take another Astronomy lesson. But the thing that tested Harry's resolution most appeared in his favorite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, a week after he'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. Curious to know what the crowd in the shop was staring at, Harry edged his way inside and squeezed in among the excited witches and wizards until he glimpsed a newly erected podium, on which was mounted the most magnificent broom he had ever seen in his life. â€Å"Just come out — prototype –† a square-jawed wizard was telling his companion. â€Å"It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?† squeaked a boy younger than Harry, who was swinging off his father's arm. â€Å"Irish International Side's just put in an order for seven of these beauties!† the proprietor of the shop told the crowd. â€Å"And they're favorites for the World Cup!† A large witch in front of Harry moved, and he was able to read the sign next to the broom: ** THE FIREBOLT ** THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART RACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAM-LINED, SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD POLISH AND HAND-NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOMTAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION. THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM. PRICE ON REQUEST. Price on request†¦Harry didn't like to think how much gold the Firebolt would cost. He had never wanted anything as much in his whole life — but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nimbus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he had a very good broom already? Harry didn't ask for the price, but he returned, almost every day after that, just to look at the Firebolt. There were, however, things that Harry needed to buy. He went to the Apothecary to replenish his store of potions ingredients, and as his school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, he visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new ones. Most important of all, he had to buy his new schoolbooks, which would include those for his two new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. Harry got a surprise as he looked in at the bookshop window. Instead of the usual display of gold-embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively. Harry pulled his booklist out of his pocket and consulted it for the first time. The Monster Book of Monsters was listed as the required book for Care of Magical Creatures. Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would come in useful. He felt relieved; he had been wondering whether Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet. As Harry entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward him. â€Å"Hogwarts?† he said abruptly. â€Å"Come to get your new books?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry, â€Å"I need –â€Å" â€Å"Get out of the way,† said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage. â€Å"Hang on,† said Harry quickly, â€Å"I've already got one of those.† â€Å"Have you?† A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. â€Å"Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning –â€Å" A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart. â€Å"Stop it! Stop it!† cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. â€Å"I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility — cost a fortune, and we never found them†¦Well†¦is there anything else I can help you with?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry, looking down his booklist, â€Å"I need Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky.† â€Å"Ah, starting Divination, are you?† said the manager, stripping off his gloves and leading Harry into the back of the shop, where there was a corner devoted to fortune-telling. A small table was stacked with volumes such as Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul. â€Å"Here you are,† said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down a thick, black-bound book. â€Å"Unfogging the Future. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods — palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails.† But Harry wasn't listening. His eyes had fallen on another book, which was among a display on a small table: Death Omens — What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming. â€Å"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you,† said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. â€Å"You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death.† But Harry continued to stare at the front cover of the book; it showed a black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes. It looked oddly familiar†¦ The manager pressed Unfogging the Future into Harry's hands. â€Å"Anything else?† he said. â€Å"Yes,† said Harry, tearing his eyes away from the dog's and dazedly consulting his booklist. â€Å"Er — I need Intermediate Transfiguration and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three.† Harry emerged from Flourish and Blotts ten minutes later with his new books under his arms and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, hardly noticing where he was going and bumping into several people. He tramped up the stairs to his room, went inside, and tipped his books onto his bed. Somebody had been in to tidy; the windows were open and sun was pouring inside. Harry could hear the buses rolling by in the unseen Muggle street behind him and the sound of the invisible crowd below in Diagon Alley. He caught sight of himself in the mirror over the basin. â€Å"It can't have been a death omen,† he told his reflection defiantly. â€Å"I was panicking when I saw that thing in Magnolia Crescent†¦It was probably just a stray dog†¦.† He raised his hand automatically and tried to make his hair lie flat â€Å"You're fighting a losing battle there, dear,† said his mirror in a wheezy voice. As the days slipped by, Harry started looking wherever he went for a sign of Ron or Hermione. Plenty of Hogwarts students were arriving in Diagon Alley now, with the start of term so near. Harry met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, his fellow Gryffindors, in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they too were ogling the Firebolt; he also ran into the real Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, forgetful boy, outside Flourish and Blotts. Harry didn't stop to chat; Neville appeared to have mislaid his booklist and was being told off by his very formidable-looking grandmother. Harry hoped she never found out that he'd pretended to be Neville while on the run from the Ministry of Magic. Harry woke on the last day of the holidays, thinking that he would at least meet Ron and Hermione tomorrow, on the Hogwarts Express. He got up, dressed, went for a last look at the Firebolt, and was just wondering where he'd have lunch, when someone yelled his name and he turned. â€Å"Harry! HARRY!† They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor — Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him. â€Å"Finally!† said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. â€Å"We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and –â€Å" â€Å"I got all my school stuff last week,† Harry explained. â€Å"And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?† â€Å"Dad,† said Ron simply. Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, would of course have heard the whole story of what had happened to Aunt Marge. â€Å"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?† said Hermione in a very serious voice. â€Å"I didn't mean to,† said Harry, while Ron roared with laughter. â€Å"I just — lost control.† â€Å"It's not funny, Ron,† said Hermione sharply. â€Å"Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled.† â€Å"So am I,† admitted Harry. â€Å"Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested.† He looked at Ron. â€Å"Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?† â€Å"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?† shrugged Ron, still chuckling. â€Å"Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me. Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!† Hermione nodded, beaming. â€Å"Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things.† â€Å"Excellent!† said Harry happily. â€Å"So, have you got all your new books and stuff?† â€Å"Look at this,† said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. â€Å"Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books –† He pointed at a large bag under his chair. â€Å"What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two.† â€Å"What's all that, Hermione?† Harry asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to her. â€Å"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't I,† said Hermione. â€Å"Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies –â€Å" â€Å"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?† said Ron, rolling his eyes at Harry. â€Å"You're Muggle-born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!† â€Å"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view,† said Hermione earnestly. â€Å"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?† asked Harry, while Ron sniggered. Hermione ignored them. â€Å"I've still got ten Galleons,† she said, checking her purse. â€Å"It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present.† â€Å"How about a nice book? said Ron innocently. â€Å"No, I don't think so,† said Hermione composedly. â€Å"I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol –â€Å" â€Å"I haven't,† said Ron. â€Å"Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers.† He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. â€Å"And I want to get him checked over,† he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. â€Å"I don't think Egypt agreed with him.† Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers. â€Å"There's a magical creature shop just over there,† said Harry, who knew Diagon Alley very well by now. â€Å"You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl.† So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie. There wasn't much room inside. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing. The witch behind the counter was already advising a wizard on the care of double-ended newts, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited, examining the cages. A pair of enormous purple toads sat gulping wetly and feasting on dead blowflies. A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window. Poisonous orange snails were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank, and a fat white rabbit kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise. Then there were cats of every color, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-colored furballs that were humming loudly, and on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats that were playing some sort of skipping game using their long, bald tails. The double-ended newt wizard left, and Ron approached the counter. â€Å"It's my rat,† he told the witch. â€Å"He's been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt.† â€Å"Bang him on the counter,† said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket. Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who stopped their skipping tricks and scuffled to the wire for a better took. Like nearly everything Ron owned, Scabbers the rat was secondhand (he had once belonged to Ron's brother Percy) and a bit battered. Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone. â€Å"Hm,† said the witch, picking up Scabbers. â€Å"How old is this rat?† â€Å"Dunno,† said Ron. â€Å"Quite old. He used to belong to my brother.† â€Å"What powers does he have?† said the witch, examining Scabbers closely. â€Å"Er –† The truth was that Scabbers had never shown the faintest trace of interesting powers. The witch's eyes moved from Scabbers's tattered left ear to his front paw, which had a toe missing, and tutted loudly. â€Å"He's been through the mill, this one,† she said. â€Å"He was like that when Percy gave him to me,† said Ron defensively. â€Å"An ordinary common or garden rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so,† said the witch. â€Å"Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these –â€Å" She indicated the black rats, who promptly started skipping again. Ron muttered, â€Å"Show-offs.† â€Å"Well, if you don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic,† said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle. â€Å"Okay,† said Ron. â€Å"How much — OUCH!† Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers. â€Å"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!† cried the witch, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door. â€Å"Scabbers!† Ron shouted, racing out of the shop after him; Harry followed. It took them nearly ten minutes to catch Scabbers, who had taken refuge under a wastepaper bin outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron stuffed the trembling rat back into his pocket and straightened up, massaging his head. â€Å"What was that?† â€Å"It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger,† said Harry. â€Å"Where's Hermione?† â€Å"Probably getting her owl.† They made their way back up the crowded street to the Magical Menagerie. As they reached it, Hermione came out, but she wasn't carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat. â€Å"You bought that monster?† said Ron, his mouth hanging open. â€Å"He's gorgeous, isn't he?† said Hermione, glowing. That was a matter of opinion, thought Harry. The cat's ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall. Now that Scabbers was out of sight, however, the cat was purring contentedly in Hermione's arms. â€Å"Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!† said Ron. â€Å"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?† said Hermione. â€Å"And what about Scabbers?† said Ron, pointing at the lump in his chest pocket. â€Å"He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?† â€Å"That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic,† said Hermione, slapping the small red bottle into Ron's hand. â€Å"And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him.† â€Å"Wonder why,† said Ron sarcastically as they set off toward the Leaky Cauldron. They found Mr. Weasley sitting in the bar, reading the Daily Prophet. â€Å"Harry!† he said, smiling as he looked up. â€Å"How are you?† â€Å"Fine, thanks,† said Harry as he, Ron, and Hermione joined Mr. Weasley with their shopping. Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Harry saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at him. â€Å"They still haven't caught him, then?† he asked. â€Å"No,† said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. â€Å"They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far.† â€Å"Would we get a reward if we caught him?† asked Ron. â€Å"It'd be good to get some more money –â€Å" â€Å"Don't be ridiculous, Ron,† said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained. â€Å"Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, You mark my words.† At that moment Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys† youngest child and only girl, Ginny. Ginny, who had always been very taken with Harry, seemed even more heartily embarrassed than usual when she saw him, perhaps because he had saved her life during their previous year at Hogwarts. She went very red and muttered â€Å"hello† without looking at him. Percy, however, held out his hand solemnly as though he and Harry had never met and said, â€Å"Harry. How nice to see you.† â€Å"Hello, Percy,† said Harry, trying not to laugh. â€Å"I hope you're well?† said Percy pompously, shaking hands. It was rather like being introduced to the mayor. â€Å"Very well, thanks –â€Å" â€Å"Harry!† said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. â€Å"Simply splendid to see you, old boy –â€Å" â€Å"Marvelous,† said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. â€Å"Absolutely spiffing.† Percy scowled. â€Å"That's enough, now,† said Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Mum!† said Fred, as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand, too. â€Å"How really corking to see you –â€Å" â€Å"I said, that's enough,† said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. â€Å"Hello, Harry, dear. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?† She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. â€Å"Second Head Boy in the family!† she said, swelling with pride. â€Å"And last,† Fred muttered under his breath. I don't doubt that,† said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. â€Å"I notice they haven't made you two prefects.† â€Å"What do we want to be prefects for?† said George, looking revolted at the very idea. â€Å"It'd take all the fun out of life.† Ginny giggled. â€Å"You want to set a better example for your sister!† snapped Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Gunny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother,† said Percy loftily. â€Å"I'm going up to change for dinner†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He disappeared and George heaved a sigh. â€Å"We tried to shut him in a pyramid,† he told Harry. â€Å"But Mum spotted us.† ****** Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses. â€Å"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?† asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding. â€Å"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars,† said Mr. Weasley. Everyone looked up at him. â€Å"Why?† said Percy curiously. â€Å"It's because of you, Perce,† said George seriously. â€Å"And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them–â€Å" â€Å"– for Humongous Bighead,† said Fred. Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding. â€Å"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?† Percy asked again, in a dignified voice. â€Å"Well, as we haven't got one anymore,† said Mr. Weasley, â€Å"and as I work there, they're doing me a favor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice was casual, but Harry couldn't help noticing that Mr. Wesley's ears had gone red, just like Ron's did when he was under pressure. â€Å"Good thing, too,† said Mrs. Weasley briskly. â€Å"Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground†¦You are all packed, aren't you?† â€Å"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet,† said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. â€Å"He's dumped them on my bed.† â€Å"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning,† Mrs. Weasley called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy. After dinner everyone felt very full and sleepy. One by one they made their way upstairs to their rooms to check their things for the next day. Ron and Percy were next door to Harry. He had just closed and locked his own trunk when he heard angry voices through the wall, and went to see what was going on. The door of number twelve was ajar and Percy was shouting. â€Å"It was here, on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing –â€Å" â€Å"I haven't touched it, all right?† Ron roared back. â€Å"What's up?† said Harry. â€Å"My Head Boy badge is gone,† said Percy, rounding on Harry. â€Å"So's Scabbers's Rat Tonic,† said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. â€Å"I think I might've left it in the bar –â€Å" â€Å"You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!† yelled Percy. â€Å"I'll get Scabbers's stuff, I'm packed,† Harry said to Ron, and he went downstairs. Harry was halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when he heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlor. A second later, he recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys†. He hesitated, not wanting them to know he'd heard them arguing, when the sound of his own name made him stop, then move closer to the parlor door. â€Å"†¦makes no sense not to tell him,† Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. â€Å"Harry's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child. He's thirteen years old and –â€Å" â€Å"Arthur, the truth would terrify him!† said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. â€Å"Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's happy not knowing!† â€Å"I don't want to make him miserable, I want to put him on his guard!† retorted Mr. Weasley. â€Å"You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves — they've ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice! But Harry mustn't do that this year! When I think what could have happened to him that night he ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked him up, I'm prepared to bet he would have been dead before the Ministry found him.† â€Å"But he's not dead, he's fine, so what's the point –â€Å" â€Å"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the Daily Prophet, we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after –â€Å" â€Å"But Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts.† â€Å"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts.† â€Å"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry –â€Å" There was a thud on wood, and Harry was sure Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table. â€Å"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Blacks been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: â€Å"He's at Hogwarts†¦he's at Hogwarts.† Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead. If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-Know-Who, and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was a silence. Harry leaned still closer to the door, desperate to hear more. â€Å"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's Headmaster. I suppose he knows about all this?† â€Å"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed.† â€Å"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?† â€Å"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards,† said Mr. Weasley heavily. â€Å"Nor am I, if it comes to that†¦but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid.† â€Å"If they save Harry –â€Å" â€Å"?C then I will never say another word against them, said Mr. Weasley wearily. â€Å"It's late, Molly, we'd better go up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry heard chairs move. As quietly as he could, he hurried down the passage to the bar and out of sight. The parlor door opened, and a few seconds later footsteps told him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs. The bottle of rat tonic was lying under the table they had sat at earlier. Harry waited until he heard Mr. and Mrs. Wesley's bedroom door close, then headed back upstairs with the bottle. Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his and Ron's room in search of his badge. â€Å"We've got it,† Fred whispered to Harry. â€Å"We've been improving it.† The badge now read Bighead Boy. Harry forced a laugh, went to give Ron the rat tonic, then shut himself in his room and lay down on his bed. So Sirius Black was after him. This explained everything. Fudge had been lenient with him because he was so relieved to find him alive. He'd made Harry promise to stay in Diagon Alley where there were plenty of wizards to keep an eye on him. And he was sending two Ministry cars to take them all to the station tomorrow, so that the Weasleys could look after Harry until he was on the train. Harry lay listening to the muffled shouting next door and wondered why he didn't feel more scared. Sirius Black had murdered thirteen people with one curse; Mr. and Mrs., Weasley obviously thought Harry would be panic-stricken if he knew the truth. But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley that the safest place on earth was wherever Albus Dumbledore happened to be. Didn't people always say that Dumbledore was the only person Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of? Surely Black, as Voldemort's right-hand man, would be just as frightened of him? And then there were these Azkaban guards everyone kept talking about. They seemed to scare most people senseless, and if they were stationed all around the school, Black's chances of getting inside seemed very remote. No, all in all, the thing that bothered Harry most was the fact that his chances of visiting Hogsmeade now looked like zero. Nobody would want Harry to leave the safety of the castle until Black was caught; in fact, Harry suspected his every move would be carefully watched until the danger had passed. He scowled at the dark ceiling. Did they think he couldn't look after himself? He'd escaped Lord Voldemort three times; he wasn't completely useless†¦. Unbidden, the image of the beast in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent crossed his mind. What to do when you know the worst is coming†¦ â€Å"I'm not going to be murdered,† Harry said out loud. â€Å"That's the spirit, dear,† said his mirror sleepily.

Duties of your own work Essay

Ensure all children are safe and happy within the setting. Keeping walk ways, fire exits and doorways clear. Doing regular risk assessment checks throughout ­Ã‚ ­ the day (bye eye). Risk assessment check of the garden before going out. Making sure none of the toys are damaged or broken. EYFS Making sure the EYFS is followed when carrying out monthly spot obs, and when having input in the planning. 1.2 Explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards. As a practitioner my expectations should be to become a valuable practitioner, to be reliable and be able build good relationships with children and parent carers. Encourage the children in the setting to play whilst learning, and have our children’s best interests at heart for example physical activities and outings will help them to enjoy their growth in knowledge and assist them to expand on their development as a whole. Also I to be able to work with other staff members and parent/carers to support the children, so that the children will feel confident and able boost up their  self-esteem, and this will also help them in their future, and prepare them for when they move onto school or in my case the next room up. Also the expectations that are to be done in my setting at a relevant standard is to supervise the children this plays a big role in child protection Act and health and safety policy. As a practitioner I should always watch the children closely to prevent and reduce any type of injury to the children. Children often challenge their own abilities but are not always able to recognise the risks involved, as a practitioner I should always supervise the children to be able to identify any risks and minimise injury at all times while still encouraging the children to take their own risk. 2.1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of the service provided. It is important to use reflective practise as it can improve your own work and make you consider ways of improving the things you do on a day to day basis. In order to reflect on your own practice, you need to be able to question what you do and think about it rather than just doing it. You can do this by observing how the children react to the activity, and how other have had input. Where you feel you have done well you should consider what skills, knowledge or practice you have used to help you achieve this. You can also ask others for example you room leader for input and ask what they think you did well and what you can improve on. Once you have been give this input you should think about what you need to do to improve. The way you might approach reflecting on your own practice could be to observe the children before you do an activity this can enable you to learn from the children and help you get a good idea of what the children are interested in and also the way they engage wi th other children. You should also be aware of and focus on the issues in hand for example things cannot be running smoothly because of issues as small as the daily routine having a minor issue such as the timings been just out, we should work on these problems as a setting rather than seeing them as just a small problem. Seek out alternatives, if you do not have something you need then don’t panic there is always an alternative you can use. Panicking can cause the children to feel distress and this in turn can cause the children to leave the activity. Also viewing things from a different perspective can help, if you view  things from the children’s perspective can help you experience how the children view the activities, also standing over Someone else’s activities can help you view the way you see how your own activity or went wrong. 2.3 describe how own believes, values and experiences may affect working practices. Your own believe systems, values and experiences can affect your working practices in a good and bad ways for example I believe that no matter what race, religion or background a child comes from they should all be treated as equals and we should follow what the parents would like us too, this can include dietary requirements, clothing, sayings before and after meals for example in my nursery we have some parents that would like us to say please and thank in Punjab. Whereas your own experiences can have an adverse effect on your working practice, for example as a child I was never aloud pudding until i had finished my meal, whereas at work I have to give the child their pudding regardless as to whether the child eats the main meal or not. 4.1 Identify sources of support for planning and reviewing my own development. The sources of support for planning and reviewing my own development are Nikol – manager Nikol helps me review my own development by giving me feedback on a daily basis. Nikol helps me by reviewing my practice and speaking to me when she sees something aren’t quite right and telling me how to handle things the next time round. I also have monthly appraisals with nikol when we talk about how I feel in the work place and how Nikol thinks I could improve and what I’m doing well in, Ema – Room Leader Ema helps me with my development by allowing me to set out my own activities and giving me giving me feedback after each activity. Ema allows me to put up displays and have input into the planning. Ema also gives me praise on a  daily basis. Ema also helps me when I’m unsure on something like what to write for observations or how to link the planning to the EYFS. Hayley – Tutor Hayley helps me with my own development by reviewing my work and giving me feedback on how to make it better. Hayley also plans observations to observe my work within the setting. Parents My parents help me to plan my future steps like uni and talk to me about where I want my studies to take me. My parents also push me to achieve my goals It good to have more than one source of support as everyone’s advice is different and some sources can provide more support in certain areas than others. It’s also good to have more than one source of support as that one source of support is not always available to help. When I was doing a display at work I was struggling to write the EYFS for the display I had just done I asked Ema for support on how to write this. Ema gave me the EYFS Someone else had done as a guide she also showed me which aspects of the EYFS to use to guide me. I felt a lot better after asking for help it made me feel that I could always ask for help when needed and that there was the support I needed.

Persuasive Speech Eating Healthy with a College Lifestyle Essay

Specific Purpose: To inform the audience how to make nutritious eating choices when you’re strapped for time and on the move. Central Idea: Packing a lunch, choosing a restaurant and meal wisely, and keeping nutritious snacks available can all provide for nutritious eating habits even with an on the-go college lifestyle. Introduction: I. The average college student is often pressed for time. A. As a student are you typically under a lot of stress? B. Do you often find yourself eating on the go? II. I myself am a college student and find it difficult to avoid bad habits like skipping meals or frequently visiting fast food restaurants. III. But eating a healthy diet can help you feel better, cope with stress, and perform better in the classroom and on the athletic field. It really isn’t that hard to get started. IV. Packing a lunch, choosing a restaurant and meal wisely, and keeping nutritious snacks available can all provide for nutritious eating habits even with an on-the-go college lifestyle. (Transition: Let’s start by looking at packing your own lunch.) Body: I. Packing or preparing a lunch can really be a great way to start eating healthier. A. You have healthier options to choose from than you would eating out. B. As explained in the article â€Å"Coffee, Lunch Spending Tops Tax Refunds† packing a lunch is usually less expensive than eating out. The average spent on lunch alone is $37 a week, or $2,000 a year. C. Many convenient options available so you don’t have to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich everyday. 1. If you love sandwiches, use a variety of whole-grain breads, pitas, and wraps. 2. Extra food from dinner make great leftovers to bring for lunch, expert Connie Diekman, RD, president of the American Dietetic Association suggests â€Å"Leftovers are the perfect food to pack and take for lunch because you can control the portions and calories in the meal to ensure it will be nutritious, filling and delicious.† 3. Produce that can be cut, bagged and stored until lunch time: carrots, celery, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sweet red pepper, sugar snap peas, apples, blueberries, grapes and melon. D. Bagged lunches can be  prepared the night before and can be made in a few minutes. for convenience so it is easy to eat healthy. (Transition: Going out for lunch is a common way to meet up with friends.) II. Making healthful and delicious choices in restaurants is also easier today. A. Restaurants are incorporating healthier choices into their menus with more options in portion sizes, preparation methods and menu items. 1. Choose a small or medium portion. This includes main dishes, side dishes, and beverages. 2. Order steamed, grilled, or broiled dishes instead of those that are fried or sautà ©ed. 3. Ask for whole-wheat bread for sandwiches. 4. As a beverage choice, ask for water instead of soda. One 20-ounce can of soda has approximately 22 packets of sugar. (â€Å"How Much Sugar Is In One Can Of Soda†) B. You can easily choose healthier items on the menu. 1. Ask them to hold the mayo and other fattening sauces. A tablespoon of regular mayonnaise has almost 100 calories! 2. Many fast-food chains now offer healthy sides in place of French fries. Take the healthy option. Even though they are made from potatoes, which are technically a vegetable, these are the biggest offenders. They are deep fried to the point of removing all nutritional value. In the opinion of physician Dr. Mercola French fries are one of the top 5 absolute worst foods you can’t eat. C. More and more restaurants are appealing to the demand for healthier menus. 1. Subway and other deli-style fast-food chains where you can order a sub or sandwich on whole wheat bread or a wrap, a lower-fat and lower-calorie option than fried food. 2. Between the breakfast and lunch menus, there’s only one entrà ©e at Chick-Fil-A that breaks 500 calories, and that’s the 530-calorie Sausage Biscuit. Chick-Fil-A received the highest rating fast-food restaurant in the â€Å"Eat This Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide,† by David Zinczenko. (Transition: Now that we have looked at bagged lunches and eating-out, let’s turn to snacking healthy.) III. Keeping healthy snacks easily accessible keeps hunger away. A. Make  it a habit to eat a piece of fruit, a bowl of cereal, or some low-fat yogurt before you set out to run errands. Regular eating can help you feel full and avoid temptation B. Blend a fruit smoothie or drink to take with you on your commute. C. Stock your car with bottled water and healthy snacks. Have a small snack before the cravings hit and you’re less likely to pull into that drive-through fast-food outlet. Conclusion: I. As we have seen, there are several options for eating healthy on the go. II. I have focused on packing a lunch, choosing a restaurant and meal wisely, and nutritious snacks. III. Healthy eating habits living a busy college lifestyle is possible with these points in mind. Bibliography: David, Zinczenko. Eat This Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2010. Print. Kim, Susanna. â€Å"Coffee, Lunch Spending Tops Tax Refunds.† ABC News. ABC News Network, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 07 Jan. 2013. â€Å"How Much Sugar Is in One Can of Soda?† How Much Sugar Is in One Can of Soda? N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2013. Mercola, Joseph. â€Å"The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat.† Mercola.com. N.p., 18 Oct. 2003. Web. 07 Jan. 2013 Adams, Mike. â€Å"Five Appetite Control Foods That Suppress Cravings without Adding Calories.† Five Appetite Control Foods That Suppress Cravings without Adding Calories. Natural News Network, 20 Jan. 2005. Web. 07 Jan. 2013.

Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Essay

Children should be treated and respected as individuals in their own rights. Like any individual, children have rights to shelter, food and education. They too should be treated fairly and equally. Many a times, we have failed to recognise these needs and as adults, we think we know best for the child. If we are able to recognise these rights, it will greatly assist in a child’s development both emotionally and spiritually. According to Bruce and Meggit (2002), â€Å"equality of opportunity means opening up access for every child and family to full participation in early childhood services. There can be no quality in early childhood services unless there is equality of opportunity†. Children should not be denied of their rights based on their race, nationality, gender or abilities, boys and girls should not be treated differently. Also, equal opportunities can be defined in general as not discriminating a person by his or her race, gender, family orientation or whether they belonged to the minority in the society. I truly agree with this statement and advocates for equal opportunity to be practiced in every way. It is now the 21st century but can we safely say that children in this world are treated equally? Some parents tend to treat their children differently if they are a boy, especially in the Eastern culture; succession is through boys instead of girls. Several parents have stereotyped the colours that their children should wear, boys should be in blue and gals should be in pink. Stereotyping basically means unduly fixed mental impression (Oxford, p. 546). Society too, plays a role in influencing the parents when it comes to bringing up their children in this part of the world and to a certain extent the children’s interest will be sacrificed. Children are expected to excel academically and those who do not will be branded as slow and they will be frowned upon by the society due to the competitive environment. Parents are ? pressured’ to have an academically sound child and as a result, children will feel ? inferior’ if they are unable to excel academically and this would hinder their fitting into the society in the future. In order to uphold the rights of the children in the world, UNICEF introduced the â€Å"Convention on the Rights of the Child† which was adopted by Unite Nations General Assembly on the 20th November 1989. (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/UNICEF_FS_-_Understanding_the_ CRC. pdf). There are four principles that the Convention rests on and they are; non discrimination, best interests of the child, the child’s right to life, survival and development and respect for the views of the child . (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/UNICEF_FS_-_Understanding_the_ CRC. pdf ). The main idea of having this convention is to recognize that children should be treated fairly as human beings and they should be brought up in a safe and conducive environment in order for them to realize their full potential in life. Malaysia signed the convention in March 1995 and being a multi cultural country that also advocates for human rights has made many changes to its legislation to adopt the convention especially in the area of education and healthcare. However, a question that many Malaysians will ask today; are the changes sufficient to provide the children in Malaysia equal rights? Here, let us look into the two major areas to analyse the impact of the convention on Malaysia’s legislation concerning children. According to article 28 of the CRC, â€Å"The child has a right to education, ? † (CRC, p. 19). Malaysia however has reservation on seven articles and article 28 is amongst them. The preschool education is Malaysia is under the responsibility of a few government departments and social agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Unity and Social Development, Ministry of Rural Development and also several states departments (http://porta;. unesco. org/education/en/ev. php-URL_ID=46167&URL _DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201. html) Under the Child Care Centre Act 1985, there are 2 categories of childcare centre, one being a home based childcare centre which takes in less than 10 children. The other being an institution based centre which caters for 10 or more children (The Star, 24th March, 1996). The curriculum guidelines of pre-schools are guided by the Ministry of Education and it has to provide a holistic development of the child being in social skills, intellectual skills, physical skills and spiritual skills (www. unesco. org/wef/countryreports /malaysia/Rapport_1. html) which is in accordance to article 29 of the CRC (CRC, p. 21) Due to the increasing awareness of the importance of early childhood education and also the increase in women joining the workforce, many private childcare centres have sprung up especially in the urban areas. These centres are mostly run by the private sectors that cater to mostly working parents from the middle to high income families and they charge a fee for their services. For the poor or rural areas children, the pre school programs are run by the government agencies and to a certain extent Non Government Organizations (NGOs). (http://unescodoc. unesco. org/images/0012/001279/127984e. pdf). The next area that Malaysia made changes to embrace the principles in the Convention is the healthcare policy. Child mortality in Malaysia has decreased significantly due to the effective healthcare programs that the government has implemented since the First Malaysia Plan 1996 (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/ /children_4162. html). The most widely available health care service in Malaysia is public hospitals and for the rural community, there are over 1600 community health clinics (http://www. childpolicyintl. org/countries/Malaysia. html). Generally, children in Malaysia are provided with very comprehensive health services from vaccination to clean water supply and also sanitation. The government has taken steps to promote health programs to children in the rural areas integrating the promotion of health in its rural development strategies and programs. This is in accordance to Article 24 of the CRC where it states â€Å"The child has the right to the highest standard of health and medical care attainable†. Although Malaysia has taken various measures to improve its education system to embrace the CRC, sad to say that there are still children in Malaysia who are deprived of the right to education. This is especially apparent in vulnerable groups like children from the indigenous populations and also children in the rural areas. The indigenous children in Sabah and Sarawak have very little access to education and the curriculum in government schools do not cater to them culturally. Also, Malaysia has lifted its reservation on Article 22 which guarantees the child’s rights seeking refugees’ status in 1995 but until today, there have not been changes when it comes to undocumented children (New Sunday Times, June 25th 2006). Undocumented children basically mean children who are born in Malaysia to migrant parents. Children in this category are deprived of education due to fact that they are not even recognized as Malaysian citizen. Although children in Malaysia are rather well taken care of in terms of healthcare services, there are still children who do not have access to their basic needs like healthcare. These are children born to poor parents, sex workers, alcoholics and sex workers. (New Straits Times, p. 19). Also, with the increase in HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia and many children and women from the rural areas are still complacent of this disease. A child’s formative years are extremely important as it will affect their growth in the later years. If Malaysia sees the significance of its younger generation, the government should seriously look into its commitment to uphold the Convention guidelines Firstly, awareness amongst the community is extremely important if Malaysia seeks to promote equal opportunity in the early childcare settings. Government should take steps to promote awareness amongst the people in order to change their attitudes towards children and this can be done by including the CRC as part of the school curriculum (The Star, p. N47). Secondly, early childhood education should be made compulsory to all children in urban or rural areas and available to all children in regardless of their background as every child has the right to education. Curriculum for children below the age of four should also address the current issues like AID/HIV and sex education. Materials and books used in the early childhood education should contain pictures of the different ethnic group in Malaysia. Activities organized by the childcare centre should be diversified as this would promote respect of various cultures amongst the children. More importantly, the curriculum should be sensitive to children from various cultural backgrounds especially the indigenous group. After all, Malaysia takes pride in its diversity of culture. Teachers in the early childcare sector should be trained in gender studies and also human rights (http://www. europeanchildrensnetwork. org/resources/infoDetail. asp? ID =12592). As childcare practitioner, the attitude of the person is utmost important in making sure that children under their care is not being discriminated. They have to be fully aware of the child’s rights in order for the child to grow up in a positive environment as it is damaging for the child’ development. A child’s potential to learn and develop their full potential should not be limited by prejudice (http://ferl. qia. org. uk/content_files/resources/organisations/caderdale_ council/sharon_chapman/equalops/prejandisc. htm).