Classroom Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Classroom Design - Essay Example This means that activity areas must separated by physical objects or partition areas or provide "visual cues" as to their demarcation lines through visual clues such as color, lighting or change in height for ceilings and partitions. Butin further writes that a typical preschool classroom should have at least four distinct activity zones, as follows (Butin, 2000, Key Spaces in Early Education Centers section par 3): - Dramatic play zone. Providing "home-center" props, such as kitchen appliances, living room furniture, or a theater area, facilitates such play. While the dramatic play zone should be adjacent to the gross-motor skill zone to allow for easy movement between the two, a clear division between the spaces should be visible to promote a sense of semiprivate space. - Arts and crafts zone. This is the "wet" area of the room where children can experiment with sand, water, paint, paste, and other messy materials. The arts and crafts zone should be next to a water source, such as a sink and gooseneck faucet, and should have a washable floor covering. Good task lighting is also important for doing art projects. - Quiet zone. - Quiet zone. Young children need personal space that permits intimate interaction with an adult and provides a space for solitary play, looking at books, or simply resting. The quiet zone should have carpeting, comfortable chairs and pillows, a low bookshelf for books and stuffed toys, and a space (that may need to be out of reach of toddlers) for objects such as plants or an aquarium. In addition according to Butin, "the classroom should also have a self-contained bathroom that is equipped for toilet training and diaper changing". Modifications of classroom design for children with special needs: 1. For children who are mobile only through a wheelchair, the classroom space might be expanded from the recommended 50 feet per square, to enable both children with disability and those who are typical to enjoy the classroom setting. 2. Another accommodation for children in a wheelchair or who walk with the help of crutches is to provide more spaces for moving around in all areas of the classroom. 3. Ramps may also help children in wheelchairs to move to elevated portions of the classroom or childcare facility. 4. Children with ADHD or attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, might be given a separate area for work where they can be by themselves while still be able to work with other children. 5. To lessen distraction and for closer monitoring, children with ADHD might be better placed near the teacher or the facilitator during lessons or interaction. 6. Children with ADHD might benefit from being positioned in an area where there is less opportunity for distraction such as a window. 7. To accommodate children with autistic syndrome who are much more sensitive to stimuli, lighting may be modified to make it more neutral. 8. Another accommodation for autistic children is for the rooms to be painted white since autistic children need calming visual sights as much as possible. 9. Another modification for autistic

Animal Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Animal Rights - Essay Example Which is why for all the valuable things animals could do for mankind, man or at least a great majority of human beings, have thought to also accord animals similar rights as human beings. In the United States, these animal rights are enshrined in a number of laws and statutes that ensure protection to animals and that prosecute individuals who are involved in animal abuse. The Michael Vick Case Michael Vick was a football quarterback playing for Virginia Tech when he was sighted for his prowess in the football field and eventually awarded a crack at the National Football League via the Atlanta Falcons. It was during his stay with the Atlanta Falcons that Vick had the best time in his life as a league contract athlete when he led the Falcons in their bid for the NFC championship against the Philadelphia Eagles. Ironically, it was also during this time that Vick probably had the worst time in his life when it was discovered that he engaged in drugs and professional dog-fighting. While Vick had denied these allegations attributed to him, evidences linking him to the illegal activities had surfaced. In August 2007, Vick admitted to the NFL Commission that he had bankrolled and participated in the dog-fighting operation. He was promptly suspended by the NFL. And sooner after that, following an intense investigation by the FBI, Vick admitted to killing dogs himself, and was sentenced to 23 months in prison and pay a substantial fine for running a â€Å"cruel and inhumane† dog-fighting ring. He spent 21 months in jail and was committed on his last two months to house arrest. During this last part of his sentence, Vick thought of going back to professional play. After some negotiations that included professional monitoring by his probation officers, he signed up with the Philadelphia Eagles that signaled his re-entry to normal professional football. Lessons from Vick’s Case The Vick’s case offers a lot of insights and lessons that people could lea rn much from. One such insight is the observation that there are people, or groups of people, who would look at animals as objects of passion or consumption or prey and would not share a bit of humanity towards them. They would ignore that there is value in seeing animals, particularly pet animals, as capable of returning a caring gesture or a training effort as have been documented in many cases involving particularly pet dogs which grew under the protective and loving care of their owners. Jennifer Leonard, a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History (Reilly) writes: â€Å"We know that dogs were useful for lots of things in Stone Age culture as draft animals, in hunting, for warmth, and for protection.† In many cases, pet animals have proven themselves indispensable to human beings in providing company, care, assistance and many more valuable roles. An example of such an instance was the baby abandoned by her mother deep in the forest in Kenya sometime in 2005. A stray dog, which must just have given birth to her baby pups, heard the cries of the baby and dragged her to be with her own