Critically appraise the advantages and disadvantages of mainstream, Essay

Critically appraise the advantages and disadvantages of mainstream, resources and special school provision in meeting the needs of children who are deaf - Essay Example on the level of knowledge and skills of each student, it is a common practice for some schools to include deaf students in regular classes (Web Citation, 2010). Depending on the ability of deaf students to cope with the challenges of learning in a regular class, deaf students who are unable to compete with other students will be transferred to special education facilities (Wisconsin Education Association Council, 2010). One of the advantages of allowing the deaf students to be included in the mainstream is that it boosts the self-confidence of deaf students rather than classifying them as someone with learning disability when placed in a special education facility (National Research Center on Learning Disabilities, 2010). As part of having equal opportunity to learn and receive higher academic accomplishment, deaf students are given access to learning resources from direct instruction used in a typical educational setting. As a result of exposing deaf students with the regular students, deaf students are more prepared to have better abilities in terms of functioning normally when they start working after graduation since deaf students are able to carefully observe how people socializes within a normal environment (Meyer & Poon, 2001; Wolfberg, 1999). On the side of the normal students, this group of individuals learns how to tolerate and gain more understanding with regards to the physical state of deaf students (Suomi, Collier, & Brown, 2003). Considering this point of view, there is a minimized risk for students with no physical or mental disabilities to discriminate deaf students. As the students learn to communicate and build friendship with deaf children, teachers and parents have reported some positive outcomes in terms of enabling the child to become more helpful to others as they learn to build a more diverse social networks and be more patience in dealing with other people who are born with or without any forms of mental, physical and emotional

Overview of Ancient Greece Essay Example for Free

Overview of Ancient Greece Essay Athens, Sparta, Alexander, the Parthenon and other ancient ruins are vivid reminders of Greece’s almost hallowed past. Greece is a mountainous land surrounded by over 1000 islands and almost completely circled by the Mediterranean Sea. The first farmers settled there in around about 7000 BC due to the ideal weather of hot dry summers and rain only in winter and soon developed into small independent communities cut off from each other by the mountains and often competing for the best land, because the fertile soil was in short supply. These small communities later developed into the city-states and each had a strong individual identity, although very little is known about these early settlers. The Bronze Age is considered the first historical period, and it was within this period that the early writing systems were developed. During the Bronze Age there were two great civilisations- the Minoans and Mycenaeans. The Bronze Age witnessed major social, economic, and technological advances that made Greece the main centre of activity in the Mediterranean; it was characterized by its rapid growth of population and development of trade. It was in the Bronze Age that metals were first used. The Minoan civilization was the first great civilisation of the Aegean world; it emerged around 3200 BC on the island of Crete. The rich Cretan soil produced oil, grain and wine in abundance. The Minoan’s were not Greek and may have originally come from western Asia as early as 6000 BC. The civilization grew wealthy through trade with countries such as Egypt, Asia Minor and the Levant. The Minoans were skilled artists and craftsmen, creating beautiful objects, their architecture reaching near perfection. The Minoans also ruled the other Aegean Islands and various cities on the mainland. New buildings constantly replaced the cave dwellings of the previous age. The great Minoan fleet ruled the Mediterranean, providing wealth to the island from trade and commerce as well as providing protection from any invaders. They were peaceful people with a love of life and equality between men and women. A major earthquake hit Crete around 1450 BC, causing large-scale destruction of the palaces; but the palaces were rebuilt soon afterwards and the Minoan civilization continued to flourish. Not everyone was as lucky as others to live in the palaces but whoever didn’t, then lived in small farmhouses. A new disaster hit Crete around 1450 BC, causing large-scale destruction to the palaces and settlements and resulting in the eventual demise of the great civilization. The Mycenaean civilization flourished on mainland Greece from around 1600 BC. It was a warlike society and weapons and armour have been found in their graves. Mycenae, city of Agamemnon, was one of several heavily fortified strongholds. They are also known for being great traders as they sailed far and wide. They traded with Egypt, Asia Minor, Italy and Cyprus. The Mycenaeans were very wealthy and archaeologists have uncovered many objects in gold, silver and ivory from their towns. Their writing system called ‘Linear B’ was adapted from a Minoan script. Unlike the Minoans, the Mycenaeans spoke Greek. Around 1250 BC the Mycenaeans started to build huge defensive walls around the major towns because they were under threat from foreign invaders. By 1200 BC the cities began to be abandoned or destroyed. 1100-700BC, after the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization, Greece was plunged into a Dark Age. The rich Mycenaean towns and palaces fell into decline or were destroyed, writing was no longer used and trade with other countries decreased dramatically. Although very little is known about this period it is thought the population of Greece became much smaller with people living in fewer and smaller settlements possibly due to famine and the depopulation. The Archaic Period was a time of great change in Greece from 700 -480 BC. Many cities like Athens, Corinth, Argos and Sparta, grew rich and powerful. Great temples to the gods were built in many places around Greece. The cities developed new ways to govern themselves. Many cities were ruled by kings or rich families. Others were ruled by a small group of people called an oligarchy. At the end of the 6th century BC, Athens developed a system in which many of its citizens helped to make the rules and decisions. This type of government was called democracy. Sparta invaded the neighbouring land of Messenia and forced most of its inhabitants into slavery. To make sure they could control such a large number of slaves, Sparta became a military society. Men and women were expected to be fit and strong. The men were forbidden to have jobs or trade because they were full-time soldiers. Many of the Greek cities joined together when faced with a common enemy. At the beginning of the 5th Century BC Greece was invaded twice by the Persians and even thought the Greeks were outnumbered they were still able to drive the invaders away from their land. From 323-31 BC, the Hellenistic Period was the time from the death of Alexander the Great to the beginning of the Roman Empire. The Greek world was now dominated by large kingdoms ruled by dynasties rather than individual city states. This was a time when Greek influence spread throughout a great deal of the world. The countries that Alexander had conquered adopted the Greek language, religion and styles of art often mixing them with local traditions. Greek towns with gymnasia, temples and theatres were built in all parts of the empire, even as far away as Afghanistan. The word politics come from the Greek word ‘polis’, meaning city-state or community. Greece was a collection of some 1500 separate communities scattered round the Mediterranean. Those cities that were not democracies were either oligarchies – where power was in the hands of the few richest citizens- or monarchies, called ‘tyrannies’ in cases where the sole ruler had complete power by force rather than inheritance. Of the democracies, the oldest, the most stable, the most long-lived, but also the most radical, was Athens. Athens was the first city to develop democracy. Democracy meaning that all the citizens had a say in how a state or city is governed. In Athens the people, who acquired power and freedom, drove out the tyrants. All decision is Athens had to be voted for by the majority of the people. The assembly was the main forum of political life. At least 6000 people had to be present for a meeting to take place. The assembly made important decisions, for example, whether or not to declare war. In times of war, decisions were made about the defence of the city by a group of ten military commanders called ‘strategoi’. These were elected annually and could be re-elected many times. However, not everyone in Athens was allowed to take part in the democracy. Only male citizens had the right to vote. This meant that women and children could not take part in the government. An Ancient Greek soldier was known as a Hoplite. He had to provide his own weapons and armour. A hoplite’s weapons and armour were very simple and left large areas of the body unprotected, but worked well when he fought in a phalanx. The hoplite’s armour consisted of; a bronze helmet with long nose guard and cheek guards, bronze cuirass (breastplate) designed to protect the top part of the body, large shield to protect the body and bronze greaves (leg guards) to protect the lower part of the legs. A hoplite’s weapons were a long spear and short sword. The ancient Greeks believed that there were a great number of god’s and goddesses. They believed that all the gods were descendants of Gaia (the earth) and Uranos (the sky). These gods had control over many different things on earth. In many ways the Greek gods were very human. They could be kind or mean, angry or pleasant, cruel or loving. They fell in love with each other, argued with each other, argued with each other and even stole from each other! The ancient Greeks built great temples and sanctuaries to their gods. They held festivals in their honour, with processions, sports, sacrifices and competitions. Religion played a large part in the lives of ordinary people. Worshippers believed that the gods would treat them well and meet their needs if they offered the fruits of the harvest and animal sacrifices. Stories of the god’s lives were told to children by their mothers and to large audiences by professional storytellers. One key individual of Greece was Alexander the Great. The story of his life sounded more like that of a Greek hero. He was a great military leader and courageous. Many thought he was a descendant of Hercules and another legend claimed he was the son of Zeus. His loyal army would follow him anywhere and he won the respect of the people he conquered. He died aged 33 thousands of miles from home in Macedon with an enormous empire. Another individual was Homer. He was a storyteller and a poet who lived sometime in the 8th century BC. He was greatly admired and created two of the most popular and enduring stories ever told, The Iliad and the Odyssey. Homer’s stories about Mycenae are still told today and reflect real incidents of war, battles and sieges. Drama and theatre were Greek inventions. They held great festivals where plays were performed. At the end of the festival they would choose one of the plays as the winner. The two main types of play performed were tragedy and comedy. Tragedies dealt with terrible events like war or murder. Often they recreated famous Greek myths and legends. A comedy poked fun at current events and people. Many thousands of people would attend these festivals which were dedicated to the god Dionysus.

Ecological Change With the Arrival of Europeans in the New World :: American America History

Ecological Change With the Arrival of Europeans in the New World Imagine yourself coming from an overpopulated, intensely manicured development (typical of many Americans) to an Island of immense vegetation and overgrowth. Your job is to develop a productive colony using these unknown plants. Your only guides are the natives of the land - if they are gentle and willing to help. Now forget all you know about ecology and the importance of cultures and think about what you would probably do. What if you had one more chance to go to your native land and bring back with you a few simple things to make your life easier? What would you bring? Most would probably react the same way the Europeans did, bringing seeds and machinery for cultivation with them. The Europeans may have even gone further than needed in their search for a productive product. Europeans were fearful and distrustful of the wild, natural areas. For example, many Europeans considered mountains to be hideous. This was said of the Alps, and many mountainous areas of Europe (Sale 77). They had this agenda to control whatever they could. If the land looked wild it needed tamed to their ideas, even if this made the ecosystem unstable or less productive. The results of their need for control and their lack of knowledge on ecosystems resulted in a reflux of new plants being imported. The most influential plants were the forage or grazing crops. These were brought because the Europeans wanted their own familiar crops to be in the grazing yards. These plants included white clover and "Kentucky" bluegrass. Ironically the Kentucky bluegrass was named so because it preceded west at a faster rate than the colonists, so when they arrived in Kentucky they found it in abundance and named it so. These plants were introduced at least as early as 1685, when William Penn was noted for trying some in his courtyard (2 Crosby 157). These plants spread with the equivalences of weeds. Imported, overgrazing European animals helped in the quick dispersal of these plants. The effect of these new grasses is hard to determine. Many of the indigenous grasses all but disappeared, except for small-untouched areas. The introduced animals helped to pave the way for many of these new plants (2 Crosby, 157). The animals first overgrazed the native plants, which were not adapted for heavy grazing, and then continued overgrazing created a new niche or specialization.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Essay -- Merchant of Ven

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare The character Shylock was a stereotypical Jew of his time, and as Jews were generally unpopular, the audience would have been automatically prejudiced against him. In Shakespeare's time, Jews were not treated well at all. This was because they were a minority group, as they had been previously banned from the country by Edward I unless they were willing to become a Christian. But, in large European cities, like Venice there was a large Jewish population. As these cities relied on trade, the authorities encouraged Jews to become moneylenders. This was because the Christian law, which forbade money lending for profit, did not apply to them. Moneylenders were not popular, because up until 1571 it had been illegal to receive interest on lent money, and even after that, although legal (it became vital for trade), it was considered a sin. Many moneylenders charged high rates of interest, even though the legal rate was 10 percent, as people were willing to pay more, and some became very rich. Before Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice, his friend, the playwright Marlowe wrote a play about a Jew, which became very successful. This may have influenced Shakespeare to write a play on a similar theme. Also, in 1594 the Jewish doctor, Roderico Lopez, supposedly tried to kill Queen Elizabeth. Even though he was probably innocent, he was charged guilty and was executed. Because this case was much talked about, the dislike of Jews was a present issue and the audience would have been able to relate to the play and understand how the Christian characters in the play would treat Shylock. One of t... ...an accent. This singles him out and shows he is an outsider. At the beginning of the court scene, when the Duke is talking to Shylock, he says: "We all expect a tender answer Jew." In the production set in the 1920's, the Duke puts huge emphasis on the word 'Jew', showing he dislikes Shylock, although he was asking him to be generous and let Antonio go. At the end of the court scene, after Shylock has been forced to become a Christian, he throws down his skullcap onto the scales. Even though the scales were originally there to weigh Antonio's flesh, they now represent the scales of justice, and Shylock is making a very powerful point that what has been done to him is completely unfair. This happens just after Shakespeare has changed the audience's opinion of Shylock, and adds to the pity that they feel for him.

Classical Music and Jazz Music Essay

Music has always been an important element for the humanity. Exist many different kinds of music. For purpose of this paper I’m going to compare classical music with jazz music. This two types of music belong to the category of complex art music. A comparison of classical and jazz music yield some similarities and different and could also lead to an appreciation of this two important category of music. The music called classical, was found in stores and performed regularly by symphonies around the world, in the time of 1600 up to the present. Unlike jazz was found in the early 1900 as some dance band leaders in the southern U.S. began playing this type of music that combined ragtime and blues. Most of the major composer of the classical music until the 20th century were Europeans and the jazz was exposed first by two musicians. Both type of music were know on different parts of Europe. In classical music, both large orchestras and small ensemble are used. The largest part of the orchestra consist of the string section consisting of violins, violas, cellos, string basses and wind instruments. On the other hand jazz music can be played by small group of people. In jazz they use different instruments like clarinet, tuba, cornet, baritone, drums and piano. Similarly to classical music, jazz used some wind instruments. In addition we have a different of audience of this two kind of music. The jazz music attracts an really cultural and hip audience. This is because jazz concerts usually are in opens spaces around the world and in night clubs and you don’t need to pay a ticket to go and appreciate the music. Unlike classical music attracts more elite and rich people. This is because the concerts of classical music are on different amphitheaters and closed spaces and you need to pay for a expensive ticket. To conclude, we can say that this to types of music have their unique style, but both of them represents two approaches to Art Music. This two types of music are important and carry a great and special history. Also this to type of music, allow people to relax while hearing this music. If I need to pick between this two types of music, I prefer the jazz music because is more accessibly for us and it’s transmit more emotions.

Police Mountain Bike Patrol

Police Mountain Bike Patrol History Police Mountain Bike Patrols in the United States-The utilization of mountain bikes by law enforcement agencies has become more commonplace today than ever before. Local, state, and even federal agencies all utilize mountain bikes to so-me degree in their efforts to provide better service to the populations they serve.The birth of the modern utilization of mountain bikes by a law enforcement agency began in 1987 with the Seattle Police Department starting a bicycle patrol unit. The Seattle Police Department began their patrol in their downtown area due to traffic congestion, which caused a poor response time on the part of police officers. The bike patrol was an immediate success for the police in regards to the response time problem as well as presenting a positive image of officers to the public. Today, there are over 2,000 mountain bike patrol units across the country.The Utilization of Mountain Bikes by the Lafayette Police Department- Currently, the Lafayette City Police Department only utilizes mountain bikes during Festival Acadiens, Festival International, and during certain undercover operations conducted by the street level ACTION (Attacking Crime Through Involvement Of Neighborhoods) unit.Seattle Police Department

Sample Short Answer on Soccer for Common Application

Sample Short Answer on Soccer for Common Application College applications often include a short essay that asks you to elaborate on your most meaningful extracurricular activity or work experience. The Common Application used to require a short answer response of 150 words or fewer, and today many schools have retained the short answer in the supplemental essay section. The question will often ask something straight-forward like this: Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. Features of a Weak Short Answer The short answer repeats similar ideas in slightly different words.The essay employs vague language.The response is filled with clichà ©s and predictable language.The response doesnt explain why the activity is important to the author. Short should not be confused with unimportant. When a college has holistic admissions, every piece of the application is important since the admissions folks want to get to know you as a whole person. The short answer needs to convey your passion for something you do, and it should also explain why the activity is important to you. In this sample short answer response, Gwen writes about her passion for soccer, but she makes many common mistakes in the process. Sample Short Answer Response by Gwen Simply put, I love soccer. I love being part of a team of girls who go out there and give their all, heart and soul, in every game. We truly are a family in our team. I love being a part of that family and taking a leadership role, both on and off the field. Soccer has also helped me be a better leader in student organizations and class work, where I take a proactive role. Whether it is a good defensive block or scoring the winning goal, soccer is an empowering part of my life, and I would not be the person I am today without it. Critique of Gwens Short Answer Response Gwens short answer response is not terrible- the language is easy to read and Gwens love of soccer comes across forcefully. However, Gwens response does have several problems: The language is repetitive. Gwen says I love three times, and she repeats the ideas of family and leadership twice.The languge is vague. What does Gwen mean when she says she takes a proactive role? What is her leadership role? What exactly does she mean when she says soccer made her the person I am today?Some language is clichà ©. Phrases like heart and soul and scoring the winning goal appear in far too many essays about sports.The response is short and doesnt say much. The typical 150-word limit isnt much space in which to elaborate on an activity, yet Gwens response is just 540 characters/108 words (and, as noted, those words are repetitive and vague). Gwen hasnt used the short answer to her advantage. Gwen does sound like a perfectly pleasant and enthusiastic student who works well with a team, but her response could be so much stronger. We finish her short answer response without a clear sense of the type of leader she is or what leadership roles she has assumed. Theres nothing concrete here to illustrate how soccer has made her a stronger person and better student. A Final Word on Short Answer Responses To see what a stronger short answer response looks like, be sure to check out Christies essay on running and Joels response on his job at Burger King. Christies response shows how an athletic activity can be presented more effectively than Gwen does, and Joel shows how a relatively unenjoyable activity- a fast food job- can still prove meaningful and valuable. Dont be misled by the word short. You should put plenty of time and care into this type of little essay. Work to follow the guidelines for a winning short answer, and be sure to steer clear of common short answer mistakes.