Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Assessment And Classroom Based Assessment English Language Essay

Appraisal And Classroom Based Assessment English Language Essay The point of this section is to take a gander at pertinent research concentrates according to evaluation in the study hall setting, and to investigate the job of study hall appraisal in more subtleties, with a particular spotlight on developmental language appraisal. Apparently the educators study hall appraisal practices and techniques may legitimately affect students learning, and this incorporates youthful learners.(Oksana:not just with youthful learners㠢â‚ ¬Ã¢ ¦..so what should I put here) Classroom instructors are in the cutting edge of helping students learning and evaluating their exhibition in the study hall. Along these lines, the writing audit is primarily worried about the job of study hall evaluation and the connection between homeroom appraisal practices and learning. The accompanying segment explains some wording and investigates the connections among appraisal and learning with youthful language students in the EFL setting through a survey of writing on encounter s of evaluation with essential age students. 2.2 Definitions of appraisal and homeroom based evaluation In this segment, the meaning of the term evaluation is given and the meaning of study hall based appraisal (CBA) is talked about to give more subtleties of the connection among appraisal and learning in study halls. In the instructive setting, the term appraisal is frequently connected with testing for a large portion of the educators, students and different partners. Be that as it may, testing is just a single component of appraisal and it really incorporates a more extensive scope of elements from tests to dynamic and synergistic exercises and assignments. In this way, it is important to explain the distinction among appraisal and testing before taking a gander at the meaning of study hall based assessment(Oksana: embed page number㠢â‚ ¬Ã¢ ¦what?). 2.2.1 The qualification among evaluation and testing Ioannou-Georgior and Sophie (2003: 4) give a more extensive translation of evaluation; they depict appraisal as a general term which incorporates all techniques used to assemble data about childrens information, capacity, getting, mentalities and inspiration. Appraisal can be helped out through various instruments (for instance, test, self-evaluation), and can be formal or casual. This definition recommends that educators may utilize both formal and casual strategies to gather data corresponding to students execution, for example, their capacity and mentalities, as a proof of learning. Ioannou-Georgior and Sophie (in the same place) bring up that evaluation alludes to a wide range of techniques, regardless of whether they are formal or casual, with the point of gathering confirmations of students learning.(Oksana: like above, proposal: expel it) The investigations of Rea-Dickins(2000), Lambert and Lines (2000) go further to recommend that appraisal is a consistent continuous procedure as opposed to an onetime thing. Rea-Dickins (2000) outlines evaluation as the general procedure of observing of monitoring the students progress. (p. 376). She features that such procedure is a nonstop technique to screen the students execution. Lambert and Lines (2000) likewise show the comparative perspective on point, they characterize appraisal as the way toward get-together, deciphering, recording and utilizing data about students reactions to instructive assignments (p. 4) From their perspective, evaluation is identified with what instructors do during the way toward educating and getting the hang of, including gathering, diagnosing, recording and utilizing data about understudies execution and criticism. As can be seen, appraisal is a piece of the two educators and students life inside study hall and is coordinated to the way toward inst ructing and learning. It is additionally used to screen and react to students ordinary work, for example, learning exercises, assignments and tests. Then again, testing alludes to a strategy that is utilized to quantify students capacity by instructors and inspectors (Rea-Dickins, 2000). As indicated by Ioannou-Georgior and Sophie (2003), testing is a methodology with a specific goal and is utilized by educators to survey students execution so as to comprehend whether the student has accomplished this goal or not. They likewise bring up that testing utilized errands or practices and doles out imprints or evaluations dependent on quantitative outcomes (p. 4) This implies testing is one of the instruments that utilized by instructors to survey their students capacity and is an approach to show what students have realized. It likewise infers that testing is an onetime thing instead of a continuous procedure. As can be seen, trying is a system with a specific target and is utilized to gather quantitative outcomes, as far as imprints or evaluations. It is utilized to quantify what the students have realized and to check whether they h ave met their objective or not; in the interim, appraisal alludes to all strategies for gathering both quantitative and subjective information according to students execution and is a ceaseless procedure. (Oksana: Yes, however it is study hall based evaluation explicitly that does thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..what?)In reality, through explaining the limits among testing and appraisal may assist us with getting understanding into the significance and meaning of homeroom based evaluation. 2.2.2 Definition of Classroom-Based Assessment Homeroom based evaluation is characterized via Airasian as the way toward gathering, incorporating and deciphering data to help in study hall dynamic (2005, p. 2). He features the work that instructors need to take during the procedure of evaluation in the homeroom setting, with the point of supporting educators in dynamic, for example, choosing what types of appraisal are generally proper for picking up data about students learning and estimating accomplishment. In homerooms, instructors gather information according to students needs, quality, and shortcoming and attempt to decipher the data based on educators own convictions, limits and information. They at that point give assistance to students and might have the option to help singular adapting needs. Such continuous procedures, including allocating grades, giving criticism and learning openings, and changing the educating and learning, are expecting to restore, follow along and record students execution in the homeroom. Thusly, instructors might have the option to improve students learning and help them to close the hole between their present status and their objective level (Sadler 1989). Further, Mckay depicts that homeroom appraisal or educator evaluation alludes to appraisal completed by instructors in the study hall (2006, p. 140). He at that point noticed that study hall evaluation might be developmental, for example, when the reason for existing is to give input to assist students with improving learning, or it might be summative, when the object is to record and report understudies accomplishment and fulfillment (Rea-Dickins 2000). As can be seen, the reasons for study hall evaluation may prompt utilizing appraisal data developmentally or summatively by instructors. For instance, they may need to utilize developmental appraisal to distinguish student needs and utilize summative evaluation to give students accomplishment to class experts toward the finish of a school year. Truth be told, there are an assortment of purposes for instructors to utilize homeroom appraisal. Rea-Dickins proposes three goals of utilizing study hall appraisal: educating, supporting lear ning, and estimating learning (2000). As such, educators may utilize study hall appraisal to change their showing strategies and materials, give suitable assistance to students and fulfill the bureaucratic needs. Homeroom appraisal assumes a huge job in gathering data about students learning and can likewise be utilized to help instructors educating and learning (Rea-Dickins, 2001). It is a ceaseless and coordinated procedure which can be arranged ahead of time just as be spontaneous, for example, watching students language execution over the span of educating and appraisal exercises. The jobs of instructors may affect students learning in the study hall, regardless of whether as facilitators to create students language improvement or as assessors to gauge students language learning, (Rea-Dickins, 2008). Instructors may utilize both developmental and summative evaluation as academic apparatuses to framework students, modify their educating, and allocate grades for students in the study hall. It is significant for instructors to create study hall appraisal aptitudes and procedures, and realize positive change in homerooms. The points of embracing study hall evaluation systems are to help stude nts learning and instructors instructing, and to meet a definitive accomplishment of the educational plan objectives. Rea-Dickins (2001) gives a model of study hall appraisal which outlines instructors jobs in four phases in the study hall evaluation process (see Figure 2.1). It likewise uncovers the way that instructors may need to assume an intervening job so as to manage different requests from improving learning and changing educating. For example, in stage 1, the Planning stage, educators might be translators to clarify the learning objectives and appraisal measures with students and evaluators to recognize students needs and levels. They may become supporter in stage 2 so as to framework students and give input to them. With respect to organize 3, instructors may likewise should be mediators to decipher the learning proof and improvers to refine the appraisal procedure; in the mean time, they may should be reports to report and record the learning progress to authoritative specialists. Stage 1: Planning Recognizing the reason for the assessment?(why?) Picking the appraisal activity(how) Setting up the students for the appraisal Who picks/chooses for each of the abovementioned Stage 4: Recording Dissemination Recording detailing progress toward NC Formal survey for LEA or inward school purposes Procedures for scattering of formal audit of students Stage 2: Implementation Presenting the assessment(why, what, how) Platform, during evaluation action Student self-peer observing Feedb

Monday, July 27, 2020

Spring 2010 Transfer Decisions - UGA Undergraduate Admissions

Spring 2010 Transfer Decisions - UGA Undergraduate Admissions Spring 2010 Transfer Decisions Just a quick heads-up to any and all transfer students who applied for Spring 2010. We have started reviewing these files, and as of 7/22, we have begun to send out decisions. Unlike freshman decisions, where there are three specific dates where we send out decisions, transfer decisions go out on a rolling basis and each file takes a great deal of time to review. I expect that we will continue to send out decisions through the end of September, as the deadline is 9/15. And please remember that it is up to you, the student, to make sure your file is complete. Make sure you have sent in updated transcripts with all your work (if you sent a transcript to UGA in January, you need to send another one if you have spring work), and make sure you send in transcripts from all colleges (even if it was dual enrollment in high school or a summer transient class).

Friday, May 22, 2020

Early Childhood - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2475 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/03/13 Category Sociology Essay Level High school Tags: Childhood Essay Did you like this example? Abstract I observed a 5 years old child named Dylan at one of my friends daughter birthday. The child is a male. Dylan is of Spanish descent and was born here as I heard from his parents. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Early Childhood" essay for you Create order He is a bit chubby and big in size. He was a very playful young boy throughout the entire party. According to his age, he is healthy physically and mentally. Dylans is 42 inch tall, weighs about 46 pounds. As I mentioned, he is a bit big in size and is above average in weight compare ed to other kids around him. Dylans height is similar to other kids and, according to the weight and height chart, Dylans height is average but his weight is not average (BabyCenter, 2018). Gross Motor Skills refers to muscle movement of the body such as controlling our head, arms, legs and torso. These muscle movements are used while running, jumping, balancing and etc. These skills begins to develop first from the birth and slowly moves toward complex movement as the kid grows. For example, holding fingers, trying to lift head up, crawling etc.(cite your source). As for my observation, Dylan shows his gross motor development by running after his friends, eating food by lifting his arms up, turning his head back looking for his friends . All the actions tell me that he has developed gross motor skills properly coming to this age. Every action Dylan performed were age appropriate because he developed what he was capable of and was acting just like other normal 5 years old child. From my observation, dylans body movements from running, playing with balloons, turning back and walking all comes in a category of gross motor skills. So, Dylan has fully developed his motor skills. Further ado, Dylan has developed fine motor skill as well as I observed him closely. Fine motor skills mainly focuses on the movement of specific muscle such as our fingers, toes, and eyes, and on the coordination of those small complex actions. In here, children would be able to improve the ability to control and manipulate an object. For example, slowly picking up on how to write alphabets using fingers, catching a ball, picking up small object from the floor, and having a hand eye coordination. (Cite source). Based on my brief description, Dylan shows that he has developed fine motor skill because he could hold his spoon, tie his lace, play games on phone and grab balloon perfectly. He also ran after his friend knowing where to run after and this means that his eyes muscles are functioning great to looks everywhere constantly. Based on my observation, his action according to his age were appropriate, he did not performed above his age nor below his age. His actions and movements were developed just right. Dylans ability to perform smaller actions such as holding s poon, using his fingers by playing games on phone shows that he corresponds to his muscles and his fine motor skills. Sensory/Perceptual Development means a child uses his/her sense to get a better understanding of the world. These senses includes hearing, vision, taste, smell, and touch. The sensory perception will help the child in detecting stimuli, recognizing and characterizing it. In order for the child to learn, they uses all these senses and progress better throughout the years(cite your source). I observed that Dylan was listening to his mom when she told him not to scream, he even hears music as I saw him dancing for it. This means that he could hear and process what others are interacting or telling him. I noticed that he was constantly playing games on phone which means that he can see what he was doing. As for taste, he was eating the cotton candy and cake at the birthday and I observed that he was really enjoying it. I did get a chance to observe if he had the sense of smell. Lastly he can feel the sense of touch because I saw him turn back when someone touched him behind. Based on the observation, Dylan has shown the development of sensory/perceptual. Dylans ability to feel all the five senses connects to all the activities observed ahead conforms his sensory development. While observing dylan, his behavior was stable and to determine his sensory I observed several times on his senses. Temperament refers to the characteristic and arrays of personality that we are born with. It cannot be changed as we are born with it, It can be shaped or moduled. Temperament is biologically based on heredity and hormonal factors. According to Thomas and Chesss temperament types, there are three categories where childs fall into. There are easy going child who adjust easily to new situations, are joyful and easy to calm, there are difficult child who takes time to adjust to new surrounding or situation, very hard to calm them and keep them under control and lastly, the slow- to-warm-up child who is a bit hard at the beginning but as time goes, its gets easier to handle them(cite your source). Based on Thomas and Chesss temperament types, Dylan falls under the Easy going child because I saw him obeying his mother, listens well when she said not to scream once, he was a sweet boy as I didnt observe him being dramatic or overreacting. I also observed that he was interacting well with other kids, everytime nodding to yes. Sigmund Freuds psychosexual stage of development means that there is five stages to it which are Oral, Anal, Phallic, latent and genital. He believed that in each of the stages pleasure is focused in a specific part of the body. Too much or too less in any one of these stages caused a fixation which would lead to certain disorders. He also believed that each stages serves a purpose in forming oneself personality. According to Dylans age, he is in Latency stage. Here in this stage Dylan is to develop a healthy sexual feelings for the opposite sex(cite your source). I observed that Dylan was intelligent and knew his gender very well because I saw him play with boys only but I didnt observe him having any attraction towards the opposite sex in the setting at that particular moment. How is the person. I didnt seem to see any conflict in this stage. Cognitive development is a construction of thought processing, problem solving, decision making and remembering. One of the important theor y on cognitive development is Piagets cognitive stage theory. He believed that the childrens intellectual skills change over the period of growth and that children at different age looks at the world differently. Therefore, Piaget formed this four stage of cognitive development. These four stages include sensorimotor stage where child see the world through their senses, preoperational stage where children learn to speak, have the mental ability to think of an image and see from anothers point of view, Concrete operational stage where children can think logically and are able to identify what is real or not, and lastly formal operational stage where adolescent can abstractly think, give reason on abstract concepts and understand a wide arrays of topic (cite your source). According to Piaget, Dylan is in Preoperational stage because I observed that he spoke his language fluently which means he can process what to thinks and speak out his mind. He even spoke his mother tongue spanish with his parents and this shows that Dylan was capable of understanding two languages and was able to process it. I wasnt able to observe whether he could see others perspective at that moment. Vygotsky also had his own view on cognitive development. He believed that we learn from our guidance and through interacting with advanced peers. cite our source). Based on my observation, I can tell that Dylan got guided on how to be respectful towards elders as I saw him not misbehaving. I also observed that he was told by an adult to make line in order for him to get food at the birthday party. And with that guidance, he processed it in his mind and made line to get his food. Dylan learned it through getting more knowledge from others as he would tell his friends the same as w ell. Language Development refers to ability to communicate, talk their thoughts, understand and express feelings. There are five parts of language development which includes syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics. Syntax is the order of words to form a sentences. Morphology is the study that tells us meaning by using one word. Phonology is the sound heard that comes from a language. Semantics is the meaning of words and sentences in a language. Pragmatics is the system where logic takes place, reasoning and communicating with society abstractly. (cite your source). Based on the age of Dylan, I observed that he was able to hear and understand sentence and use correct sentence structure when he spoke. I can say this because one of the girl asked if he wanted to play with her, he replied back telling her to wait for a bit because he wanted to finish the cake. He didnt make any grammatical error while speaking. Dylans language development is within the normal pace because I noticed that Kids at this age should know how to speak correctly and he was able to put the words together and speak fluently. This means that he has developed syntax speech at his age. Social Development means children begins to interact with others around them. They begin to have a sense of who they are and where they belong to. They start to gain skills to communicate and enjoy themselves being with others. Under this social development comes Eriksons stage of Psychosocial development. There are eight stages to it and the first stage is Trust vs. Mistrust where infant is not sure about the world, 2nd stage is Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt where childs seeks to do things by themselves and parents shouldnt pamper them all the time as it might lead to lack of esteem and feel shame and doubt about their abilities, 3rd stage is initiative vs. guilt where children interact with other children and ask many questions and if not enough importance is given to the child, he or she will begin to feel guilty, the 4th stage is industry vs. inferiority where children mature and understand logical reasoning. The self awareness increases and becomes a competitive. The 5th stage is identity vs role confusion where adolescence develop their sexual identity, some may be confused. The 6th stage is intimacy vs isolation where young adults worry about finding the right partner or spend alone whole life. The 7th stage is Generativity vs stagnation where adults try to do something meaningful or they become a complete failure in the society. Lastly, the 8th stage is ego vs despair where old adults feel good about the way they lived or feel like they have not achieved anything in life, experiencing despair.(cite) Based on Eriksons theory of psychosocial development, Dylan is in third stage initiative vs guilt because I observed him interacting with other kids and he behaves well while socializing. I am not sure if I observed a sense of guilt in him. Moral development refers to right or wrong actions. Kohlberg wanted to further develop his ideas on Piagets theory of moral. He wanted to find out how people decide what is right or wrong. Kohlbergs six stages of moral development is put into three levels of moral reasons. His three moral levels were preconventional morality, conventional morality and postconventional morality. In each level lies two stages. In preconventional morality, childs act of doing right or wrong is controlled by parents or teachers. Children accepts the rules that was created for them. In conventional morality, children will abide by the rules to stay out of trouble and have to society functioning. In postconventional morality, a person tend to realize that some laws and rules are not fair and will break it to find justice and reasons. (cite) . Based on a moral reasoning, Dylan is living by his parents rules, he cannot do certain things like screaming or else he would be punished at home. I observed that he listened and kept quiet once he got his warning. Also the fact that Dylan was there at the party whole night staying beside his parents tells me that Dylan know where he belongs and what type of rules he has to live with. Emotional development refers expressing, empathy for others and understanding feelings. Basic emotions are happiness, fear, anger, surprise, sadness, and disgust. They are daily expressed emotion due to certain moments. (cite your source). I observed that Dylan was very happy the entire birthday. He couldnt stop eating and played all night long with the kids. He was smiling and interacting in a high tone. His basic emotion for that night was happiness as he expressed his feeling of enjoyment and playful with a smile and laugh. Complex emotion includes grief, jealousy, regret, guilty and pride. These complex emotion develops slowly as kids grow up. Dylan has not shown any complex emotion at the party while I was observing. (cite your) Anxieties means a strong concern and worry about certain things. The separation and stranger anxiety is a feeling of being taken away from someone close such as your parents. There isnt any sign of the separation and stranger anxiety with Dylan. He is perfectly communicating with other strangers at the party without any anxiety. Attachment is the close bond between the caregivers and the child. Attachment affects in a way of feeling safe and secure which is really important in developing personality. Mary Ainsworth performed an test called The Strange Situation Technique in order to investigate how attachment might be different. According to the test, the children shows Ainsworths four different attachment styles. Conclusion They are secure attachment style where the child feel secure when the caregiver is present along with a stranger but may feel sad when the caregiver leaves, ambivalent attachment style where the child clings more often on caregivers and when the caregiver leaves, the child gets extremely upset, Avoidant attachment style is when the child avoid the mother showing very little emotions when she leaves or comes, and lastly disorganized attachment style where the child is very inconsistent of emotion such as crying during the separation but when the mother returns, the child avoids.( cite)Based on the Ainsworths attachment style, Dylans age is not appropriate for these four attachment styles but I did observe that he was solely attached to his mother as he was constantly going back to her at the party and interacting with her. He feels safe around that surrounding because his mother is present there.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Database Record For Music From An App - 895 Words

in databases isn’t a big yard, but it is typically a number, name, or a combination characters. These characters can describe aspects of objects like a song or a photograph, and they can describe activities like a business transaction. Each field is provided with a field name, and an example of one of these names would be WalmartNumber or EmployeeDescription. Spaces should never be involved when it comes to field names. A group of similar fields that may describe some item or activity, is called a record. Using records, you can make a more complete description of an item or activity. A database record kind of looks similar to a source on a reference page. An example of a database record for music from an App would combine fields for Time,†¦show more content†¦Attributes are usually characteristics of entities, and the particular value of an attribute is called a data item, and this can be located in the fields of the record describing an entity. Database keys are impo rtant to a database management system because it is a field in a table that is used to classify a record. Database keys matter because database management systems often have trouble confirming that records are not made twice. Look at it this way, if you sign up for fantasy football for ESPN, and then forget that you signed up and then try and sign up again, this is where database keys should help you. The database key will make sure that you won’t get another email informing you that you signed up because it will recognize your email, and this will keep you from receiving multiple emails about you signing up for fantasy football. Database management systems provide a primary key as well, and this key is a field inside the database table that exclusively identifies each record. Each of these records inside a table must have an exclusive entry in the primary key field. The primary key always makes a distinction between records so that records can be effortlessly and correctly a ccessed, organized, and manipulated (MindTap). An example for using primary keys would be using worker records as the primary key, and this would guarantee that every worker is identified only one time, and when a worker uses email addresses as the primary key for

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Forbidden Game The Hunter Chapter 6 Free Essays

The room behind the door had golden-ocher walls. On one of them an African mask hung in primitive glory. Several clay sculptures rested on built-in teak shelving, including a bust that could have been Nefertiti. We will write a custom essay sample on The Forbidden Game: The Hunter Chapter 6 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Leather cushions were tossed around the floor, one resting beside a complete home gym. It was Dee’s bedroom. The bust was one that Dee’s grandmother, Aba, had made of Dee. There was a stack of textbooks by the bed and a pile of half-completed homework on the nightstand. Jenny loved this room, loved to see what Aba would bring Dee next from her travels. But seeing it now was unnerving. Once they were inside, the door shut behind them-and disappeared. When Jenny turned at the sound of slamming, she saw nothing but a blank ocher wall where the door used to be. â€Å"Great-now we’re trapped,† Jenny said. Dee was frowning. â€Å"There must be a way out.† They tried the window. Instead of the Ice Age outside it was the ordinary view from Dee’s upstairs room. Jenny could see the grass below, illuminated by a porch light. But the window wouldn’t budge, or-as they discovered when Dee swung a ten-pound barbell against it-break. â€Å"So now what?† Jenny said. â€Å"Why are we in your room? I don’t understand what’s going on.† â€Å"If this place is like a dream and we know we’re dreaming it, we should be able to change things. With our minds. Maybe we’re supposed to make a way out of here.† They both tried, with no results. No matter how hard Jenny concentrated on making the door reappear, nothing happened. â€Å"I give up.† Dee took off her jacket and flopped on the bed-as if this place really were her room. Jenny sat beside her, trying to think. Her brain wasn’t working properly-shock, she supposed. â€Å"All right, look. That guy said we’re each supposed to face our nightmares. So this must be-† she began, but Dee interrupted. â€Å"What else did he say? Who is he?† â€Å"Oh. Do you †¦ do you believe in the devil?† Dee gave her a scornful look. â€Å"The only devil I know is Dakaki, and he only makes you horny. According to Aba.† â€Å"I think he wanted me to believe he was the devil,† Jenny said softly. â€Å"But I don’t know.† â€Å"And he wants us to play the Game with him? Just like the one in the box, only for real?† â€Å"If we get to the turret by dawn, we can go,† Jenny said. â€Å"If we don’t, he wins.† She looked at the other girl. â€Å"Dee, aren’t you scared?† â€Å"Of the supernatural?† Dee shrugged. â€Å"What’s to be scared of? I always liked sword-and-sorcery stuff; I’m glad it’s true. And I don’t see why we can’t beat him. I swore to kick the Shadow Man’s ass before-and I’m going to. You wait.† â€Å"But-this is all so crazy,† Jenny said. Now that she had time to sit and think, reaction was setting in. She was shaking again. â€Å"It’s like you’ve always thought, sure, maybe there’s ESP, maybe there’re strange things out there in the dark. But you never think it could happen to you.† Dee opened her mouth, but Jenny rushed on. â€Å"And then it does and everything’s different and it isn’t possible and it’s still happening.† She looked hard into the dark eyes with the slightly amber-tinted whites, desperate for understanding. â€Å"That’s right,† Dee said briefly, returning Jenny’s gaze. â€Å"It is happening. So all the rules are changed. We have to adapt-fast. Or we’re not going to make it.† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"But nothing, Jenny. You know what your problem is? You think too much. There’s no point in talking about it anymore. What we have to worry about now is surviving.† Dee’s straightforward, razor-sharp mind had gone to the heart of the matter. What was happening was happening, possible or not. They had to deal with it if they wanted to live. Jenny wanted to live. â€Å"Right,† she breathed. â€Å"So we adapt.† Dee flashed her brilliant smile. â€Å"Besides, it’s kind of fun,† she said. â€Å"Don’t you think?† Jenny thought of Tom cowering from something invisible on the floor. She leaned her forehead onto her fingertips. â€Å"Something must scare you, though,† she said after a minute, looking up. â€Å"You drew a nightmare.† Dee picked up a beaded Ndebele bracelet from the nightstand and examined it. â€Å"My mom scares me. Really,† she added, at Jenny’s disgusted look. â€Å"Her stuff at the university-computers and all.† Dee glanced toward the window. Jenny saw only the curtains made of applique cloth from Dahomey. â€Å"You’re afraid of technology?† she said in disbelief. â€Å"I am not afraid of technology. I just like to be able to deal with things-you know, directly.† Dee held up a slender clenched fist, and Jenny looked at the corded tendons in the dark forearm. No wonder Dee wasn’t afraid of the â€Å"sword and sorcery† stuff-she fit right into the heroic mythos. â€Å"It’s the same reason I won’t go to college,† Dee said. â€Å"I want to work with my hands. And not at anything arty.† â€Å"Aba would smack you,† Jenny told her. â€Å"And your brain’s as good as your hands-† She broke off because Dee was once again looking at the window. â€Å"Dee, what did you draw?† she said, sitting up straight and finally asking the question she should have asked in the first place. â€Å"Nothing’s happening.† â€Å"What did you draw?† A red light was blossoming outside the window, like the glow of a distant fire. Jenny whipped her head toward a crackling sound and saw that Dee’s stereo had begun to smoke. â€Å"What-?† Jenny breathed. Dee was already moving toward the window. â€Å"What’s going to happen?† Jenny yelled, jumping up. She had to yell because of the throbbing sound that suddenly permeated the room. It resonated in Jenny’s bones. Outside, a silhouette appeared against the light. â€Å"Dee!† Jenny grabbed for the other girl, trying to pull her away from the window. She was panicking and she knew it. The thing outside was huge, blocking out the stars, dull black and non-reflective itself but haloed in its own red glow. The eucalyptus trees outside were thrashing in a violent wind. â€Å"What is it?† Jenny screamed, dimly aware that Dee was clutching back at her. But that was a stupid question. What could it be, hovering outside a second-story window, shaped like a half-sphere with the flat side down? As Jenny watched, six beams of light, bright as phosphorous flares, shot out from the bottom of the thing. One of the lights swung around to shine directly through the window. Jenny was blinded, but she heard the shivery tinkle of glass, and a blast of wind blew her hair straight back. The window’s gone, she thought. The wind roaring past her was freezing and felt somehow electric. Behind her a brass tray fell off a wooden stand with a crash. That was when Jenny found she couldn’t move. The light was paralyzing her somehow, her muscles going like jelly. There was the strong pungent odor of an electric storm. She was losing consciousness. I’m going to die, she thought. I’ll never wake up. With a great effort she turned her head toward Dee for help. Dee was facing the light stiffly, pupils contracted to pinpoints. Unable to help Jenny or herself. Fight, Jenny thought weakly. This time fainting was like oozing into a black puddle of sludge. The room was round. Jenny was lying on a table that conformed to her body’s shape. Her eyes were burning and tearing, and she felt a great disinclination to move. A white light shone down on her from above. â€Å"It’s exactly the way I thought it would be,† a husky voice said. Jenny fought off the lassitude enough to turn her head. Dee was on another table a few feet away. â€Å"It’s just like what I’ve read about the Visitors, just like my dreams.† Jenny had never thought much about UFOs at all, but this wasn’t what she would have expected. The only thing she knew about aliens was that they-did things-to people. â€Å"So this was your nightmare,† she said. Dee’s perfect profile was tilted up toward the white spotlight above her, looking exactly like an Egyptian carving. â€Å"Oh, brilliant,† she said. â€Å"Any other deductions?† â€Å"Yes,† said Jenny. â€Å"We’ve got to get out of here.† â€Å"Can’t move,† Dee said. â€Å"Can you?† There were no obvious restraints, but Jenny’s arms and legs were too heavy to lift. She could breathe and move her torso a little, but her limbs were dead weights. I’m scared, Jenny thought. And then she thought about how Dee must feel. As an athlete, physical helplessness was Dee’s worst fear. The strong, slim body that she’d cultivated with so much care was no use at all to her now. â€Å"This place-it’s so sterile,† Dee said, her nostrils flaring. â€Å"Smell it? And I bet they’re like hive insects, all the same. If we could just get up to fight them †¦ but they’ve got weapons, obviously.† Jenny understood. Muscle and ingenuity wouldn’t do anything against sterile, hellishly efficient technology. No wonder it was Dee’s personal nightmare. Jenny noticed a movement in her peripheral vision. They were small-Summer’s size. To Jenny they looked like demons: hairless, with slender bodies and large glittering dark eyes. No noses, slits for mouths. Their skin glowed like bad mushrooms-very pale mushrooms grown in a cellar without ever seeing the light. Jenny noticed an odor of almonds. They were alive, but they were as alien and wrong as the bleached things that crawl around at the bottom of caves. Just the sight of them struck Jenny with sick terror. They were naked, but Jenny couldn’t see anything that would make them male or female. Their bodies were hideous blanks, like dolls’ bodies. They’re its, Jenny thought. Somehow, Jenny knew they were going to hurt her. Dee made a faint sound. Jenny turned toward her. It was easier than it had been the other time, and after an instant she realized that the spotlight above her had dimmed fractionally. Dee’s light was brighter, because Dee was trying to get away. Jenny had never seen Dee frightened before-even in the parlor Dee had looked more alert than anything else. But now Dee looked like a terrified animal. Droplets of sweat stood on her forehead with the effort to move. The more she thrashed, the brighter the light above her got. â€Å"Dee, stop it,† Jenny said, agonized. She couldn’t stand to watch. â€Å"It’s just a dream, Dee! Don’t let it get to you.† But Julian had said if they got hurt in the dream, they got hurt for real. The Visitors were clustering around Dee, but they didn’t seem alarmed. They seemed absolutely indifferent. One of them pushed a cart over to the far side of Dee’s table. Jenny saw a tray of gleaming instruments. God-no, Jenny thought. Dee collapsed back on the table, exhausted. Another being picked up something long and shiny from the tray, examined it with lustrous black eyes. It flexed the thing a few times like a painter making practice runs with a brush. It seemed dissatisfied, although with its masklike face Jenny didn’t know how she could tell this. Then it casually flicked the thing up Dee’s thigh and Dee screamed. It was like hearing your father scream. Jenny was so frightened that she tried to get up, and only succeeded in disarranging her legs slightly. One of the beings repositioned them carefully, stretching her feet toward the bottom corners of the table. She had never felt so open, so utterly vulnerable. Dee’s black spandex legging gaped where the thing had cut it. Jenny could see blood. The being handed the instrument to one of the others, which took it away. If they were talking or communicating, Jenny couldn’t sense it. Certainly nobody tried to communicate with Dee or Jenny. They were moving around again. One of them-the same one who had cut Dee?-took up a new instrument and went to Jenny’s table. With a swift, deft movement the being touched the instrument to Jenny’s hand. Jenny felt a pinch. Then the probe went in her ear. Outraged, Jenny tried to roll her head away, but small hands-strong as claws inside mushroom flesh-held her forehead. She felt the probe go in deeper, and she squirmed frantically. It touched her eardrum and hurt like a Q-tip stabbed too deep. She was completely helpless. Whatever they wanted to do to her, they would do. Tears of pain and fury trickled out of her eyes, down her temples. They put the probe in her other ear. One of them dabbed at her eye, holding the lid open. Jenny felt the touch of cool metal against her eyeball. â€Å"It’s just a dream,† she called to Dee, almost sobbing, when the probe was withdrawn. â€Å"It’s not real!† She couldn’t hear any answer from the other table. What kind of game was this, where you didn’t have a chance? Julian had talked about â€Å"getting through† the nightmares, but Jenny didn’t think that meant just waiting for them to pass. She was supposed to do something, but she didn’t know what, and she couldn’t move. And she didn’t think she and Dee were going to survive this if they just lay here. â€Å"What do you want from us?† she shouted. â€Å"What are we supposed to do?† There was a shifting among the Visitors. A new kind of being had arrived. Taller than the others, clearly in command, with skin as white as wax. Its fingers were twice as long as a human’s. Although Jenny got only a glimpse of its face, it looked more menacing than the other kind, its features even more exaggerated. It picked something up from the instrument cart and went over to the far side of Dee’s table. It looked up at Jenny, and she saw its eyes were blue. Not glittering black like the other beings’ eyes. Blue lakes endlessly deep, deep as a mountain is high. Eyes that looked inside you. Jenny stared back, her own eyes widening. Then she saw what it was holding. A needle. Wire-thin, murderously long, longer than the needle for a spinal tap. The tall Visitor was holding it over Dee’s stomach. Dee’s stomach was heaving wildly in a fight for breath. Her khaki T-shirt was sticking to her body as she writhed in a futile attempt to escape. Her sweat-soaked hair glistened like mica in the light. â€Å"Don’t touch her!† Jenny cried. To watch it happen to Dee was worse than having it happen to herself. The needle hovered just below Dee’s navel. Dee’s abdomen went concave trying to avoid it. Dee made rocking, shifting motions as if trying to shimmy up the table, but she only moved in place. The light above her intensified, and abruptly her struggles became weaker. â€Å"You bastard! Leave her alone!† What can I do? Jenny thought. She had to stop this-but how? The light. It came to her suddenly. The light above her had dimmed as Dee’s had brightened. Maybe she could move now. And if she could move – She began to rock. She had some control over her body. Not much. Her arms and legs were still useless, like huge pieces of dead meat attached to her. But she could move her trunk and her head and neck. Using all her strength, she rocked her weight from one side to the other. Dee saw her. All the other eyes in the room, all those slanted liquidy black eyes, and the one pair of deep blue, were on Dee’s stomach, on the needle. But Dee’s thrashing head had turned toward Jenny, and just for a moment the two of them were looking at each other, communicating without words. Then Dee began to struggle again. The harder Dee fought, the brighter the light over Dee. The brighter the light over Dee, the dimmer the light over Jenny. Fall off this table and you’ll have no way to control it, Jenny’s mind told her. A broken arm or leg, at least, and maybe a broken nose. You’ll smash into the floor facedown. She kept on rocking. Maybe Dee thought she was just trying to get away, but what Jenny cared about was distracting them. Stopping that thing with its too-long fingers from putting the needle in Dee. If she hurt herself they’d have to come deal with her. They’d leave Dee alone. She swung her torso harder and harder, like a beetle trying to upend itself. Dee was fighting madly, yelling out insults to keep the aliens’ attention. The light above Jenny dimmed further, Jenny surged violently-and felt her momentum take her over the edge. For a moment she teetered there, balanced on her side, then the deadweight of her arms and legs decided the issue, and she felt herself begin to fall. There was a burst of startled movement from the aliens, and the light flamed into brightness above her. It didn’t matter in the least. It wasn’t her muscles that were in charge, it was the law of gravity. Something nobody could argue with. Jenny thought. Searing illumination was reflecting off the white floor, and Jenny shut her eyes as that floor seemed to come up to meet her. She flinched away from the moment of impact. When the impact didn’t come, she opened her eyes. She was floating, facedown, an inch or so from the floor. Suspended. Paralyzed. The aliens were scuttling around hysterically, as if they weren’t programmed to deal with this. As if they were as surprised by her midair arrest as she was. The painful reflection on the floor softened. Jenny was still floating. It was a very strange sensation. The small aliens were still moving around in consternation-Jenny could see by their feet. A bunch of them crowded between the tables and lifted Jenny back to hers. She was positioned too high-she felt her ponytail hanging over the edge of the table. And the light above her was dimmer. Maybe somebody who hadn’t been staring up at it for half an hour wouldn’t notice, but Jenny did. The blue-eyed alien with the needle was beside her. She expected it to touch her, but it didn’t. It just looked down, and Jenny looked back. Why didn’t you let me fall? she thought. Abruptly the tall alien turned away. It motioned to the others, then walked out the octagonal doorway of the round room. Several of the small ones followed it, pushing the cart. Several others came and poured green liquid into Jenny’s mouth. It tasted like sugar and iodine. Jenny spit it out. They restrained her head and poured her mouth full again. This time she shut her lips, holding the liquid inside her mouth, doing her best not to swallow any. She could have struck out at them-she could feel her fingers again-but she pretended she couldn’t move. And then, blessedly, they went away. Jenny turned her head and spat her mouthful out. Her lips and tongue were numb. She saw Dee doing the same. They looked at each other, then at the lights. â€Å"Both dimmer,† Jenny whispered. Dee nodded. Then, eyes on the doorway, they squirmed and rocked themselves off the tables. It wasn’t easy, but with the lights this dim, it was possible. Jenny, with no training in how to fall, bruised her arm and knee. But Dee was already pulling her up, out of the influence of the white light. Outside its circle, Jenny could move freely. â€Å"Look,† she said, seizing Dee’s arm. It was a door, concave, set in the wall that had been behind Jenny’s head. It looked like an airplane door, which Jenny recognized because she’d once spent five hours studying one when her family flew to Florida on vacation. And which was absurd, Jenny thought fretfully. Why should aliens have airplane doors? Dee wasn’t worrying about it-she was moving levers and things. The door swung away outward. Jenny shrieked. She’d never liked heights, and this was much higher than she’d ever been in the open air. She could see clouds below. But we both went for the door instinctively, she thought. It must be right. We went into Dee’s room and the door disappeared. This is the first door we’ve seen since. It’s got to be the way out. She still felt faint when she looked down. â€Å"I don’t care; I’d rather die than stay here. Besides, I always wanted to skydive,† Dee said, grabbed Jenny’s hand, and jumped. Jenny really screamed then. Whistling wind slapped her face. Jenny’s eyes screwed shut against it. Everything was icy cold around her. She felt weightless, but she knew she was falling. If this is flying, I don’t think I like it – She didn’t exactly faint then, but things got very confused. She couldn’t see or hear anything until she hit an ocher-painted door with a thud, Dee tumbling behind her. From their direction and velocity they might have been thrown through Dee’s bedroom window by a giant fist. The door opened as she struck it, and she and Dee both fell into the hallway. The Haunted Mansion hallway. Dark as a crypt. Jenny stared into the golden glow of Dee’s bedroom- -then the door whisked by her nose and slammed shut. She and Dee lay panting while their eyes gradually adjusted to the dimness. Dee leaned over and slowly, deliberately punched Jenny in the biceps. â€Å"We did it, killer,† she said. â€Å"You saved me.† â€Å"We’re alive,† Jenny said wonderingly. â€Å"We got through. Dee-do you realize what happened? We won.† â€Å"Of course,† Dee said. She poked her fingers into the hole in her leggings, and Jenny saw that the cut was still there, the blood drying. Then Dee flipped up her shirt. Jenny could count ribs under the velvety night-dark skin, below Dee’s dark blue sports bra. But there was no mark above the navel. â€Å"I told you, you saved me. That was my worst nightmare-those things poking at me, and me not being able to stop them.† â€Å"We both did it-by using our brains,† Jenny said. â€Å"Anyway, now we know what to do in the nightmares. Once we’re inside we look for a door-any door. Hey, what’s that?† A scrap of paper showed white against the black carpet. Jenny smoothed it out and saw it was a drawing, done in crayons. A black thing like a bowler hat was hovering above stick trees, with rays of scribbled light around it. â€Å"I never could draw very well,† Dee said. â€Å"But you get the idea. Now what do we do?† Fear of the aliens had left its mark on Dee’s face, but she also looked exhilarated, triumphant. Ready for anything. Jenny was suddenly very grateful to have this beautiful, brave girl on her side. â€Å"We find the others,† she said. â€Å"We look for another door.† She dropped the crumpled paper on the floor and stood, offering Dee a hand up. An unseen clock struck eleven. Jenny stiffened. â€Å"That’s it-the clock I heard in the parlor. It’s counting off the hours. He said dawn was at six-eleven.† â€Å"Seven hours and change,† Dee said. â€Å"Plenty of time.† Jenny said nothing, but her little fingers tingled. She couldn’t explain it, but she had the feeling Dee was going to be proved very wrong. The hallway seemed to stretch forever in both directions. The stairway had disappeared. â€Å"It’s changed,† she said. â€Å"It keeps changing-why?† Dee shook her head. â€Å"And who knows which way to go? We’d better separate.† Jenny nearly objected to this, but after what they’d been through-well, she should be able to handle a hallway alone. She started down it and immediately lost sight of Dee. It seemed almost normal to be walking down an impossible black-carpeted hall like something out of a horror movie. I guess you can get used to anything, Jenny thought. After the blinding-white sterility of the alien ship, this dim place looked almost cozy. There were no doors. Even the monster one, which should have been somewhere back this way, had disappeared. The tiny flames of the candles went on endlessly ahead. As Jenny stopped under one to rest, she thought suddenly of the riddle she’d pushed to the back of her mind earlier. If it would get one of them out of here, she ought to try to solve it. I am just two and two. I am hot. I am cold. I’m the parent of numbers that cannot be told. I’m a gift beyond measure, a matter of course, And I’m yielded with pleasure-when taken by force. What could it possibly mean? Two and two, hot and cold-it was probably something childishly simple. â€Å"How do you like the Game so far?† The voice was like silk-wrapped steel. Jenny turned fast. Julian was leaning against the wall. He’d changed clothes again; he was wearing ordinary black jeans and a black T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Seeing him suddenly was like the first moment in the morning when the shower flicks on, a shock of cold awareness. â€Å"Was it you?† she said. â€Å"In the ship up there?† â€Å"That would be telling,† he said, but for an instant his eyelids drooped, heavy lashes coming down. â€Å"Why didn’t you let me fall?† â€Å"Did you know your eyes are dark as cypress trees? That means you’re unhappy. When you’re happy they get lighter, they go all goldy-green.† â€Å"How would you know? You’ve never seen me happy.† He gave her a laughing glance. â€Å"Is that what you think? I’m a Shadow Man, Jenny.† While Jenny was trying to figure this out, he went right on. How to cite The Forbidden Game: The Hunter Chapter 6, Essay examples

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Sexual Abstinence Essays - Midwifery, Fertility,

Sexual Abstinence Today's world is full of worries and problems which did not affect teens a generation ago. New problems keep appearing in today's world, such as STDs, increased pregnancy rates, and other factors facing teens who choose to have sex. Emotionally and physically teens and getting less developed before having sex and are not prepared for the serious problems which come along with their decision to have sex. No longer is it a matter which will just go away if we ignore it, but teen health and the health of our society depend on choices which today's teens make regarding sex. With so many diseases and problems facing today's world, abstinence is the only way to protect ourselves. Abstinence is a safe choice in preventing the possibility of pregnancy. One-tenth of young women between the ages of 15 and 19 get pregnant every year, 83 percent of these pregnancies are unwanted or unplanned. Half of the unmarried teens who get pregnant do so within six months of their first sexual experience. I n fact, between 1986 and 1990, teen childbearing increased by 16 percent. What's worse, pregnant teenagers often don't see a doctor until the time of delivery. The dangers of going through a pregnancy without seeing a doctor are not only serious to the mother and child, but may risk the lives of both. I'm doing the body count at 3 a.m. at Ben Taub [Hospital], said Dr. Hunter Hamill, and I can tell you that most of our (teen pregnancy prevention) programs aren't working. We have blood on our hands. (Feldman 1). Without seeing doctors or receiving correct pre-natal care, the risk of complications for mother and child nearly quadruple. Not only can these complications include still birth, but may also cause excessive bleeding and hemorrhaging of the mother. According to an article in America magazine, The place to begin combating teenage pregnancy is in the family, not a clinic. (Leone 19). Although parents seem to be afraid to talk to their children about sex, it is vital to the teens ' health. If teens feel their parents are reluctant to speak about sex, they may feel uncomfortable coming to theur parents with any problems or concerns about sex. Teens who feel they cannot speak to their parents about STDs or pregnancy can now speak confidentially with their doctor. Doctors are required to inform and treat teens with confidentiality if the teen seeks their help. Another serious problem surrounding teen sexual intercourse is the probability of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Each year, three million teens are infected with STDs. Among 14- to 20-year-olds, chlamydia is the most common. It has no obvious symptoms, and can cause infertility if left untreated. Another common disease is herpes, which causes sores and painful swelling of the genitals. Its symptoms can be managed, but not cured. Fifteen percent of all teenage girls carry the virus that causes genital warts, another common STD. Gonorrhea, not uncommon in teens, is known to cause pelvic pain , discharge, and painful urination. It may leave its victims sterile. Perhaps even more serious is the disease Syphilis, which killed famous mobster Al Capone. It causes sores, rashes, brain and organ damage, and death. It can also harm an unborn child. AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a growing danger, and is by far the most serious sexually transmitted disease. Kids don't take AIDS seriously, said Dr. James W. Curran. One thing they do have is sex. They have sex. They have sex. They have sex. (Ferriss 16) AIDS is the sixth leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. Cases among teens have grown 62 percent in the past two years, and the number of teens with AIDS doubles every 14 months. A fifth of all AIDS victims in this country today are in their twenties, and since the disease takes two to ten years to develop, those victims contracted it in their teenage years. Even scarier is that, according to a study of 19 universities, one in 500 college students may carry the AIDS virus. With these frightening statistics, it's easy to see why many teens are choosing not to have sex. Many bold teenagers think they can totally