Can Biodiversity loss be the downfall of an ecosystem and human well be

People often say "Why should I care if a species goes extinct? It’s not essential to my daily life†. But what use are humans, really? We waste a lot of resources and have managed to damage the ecosystem without a second thought. Eliminating species to extinction, destroying plants and trees a critical part of human well-being and organisms in an ecosystem leading to tremendous consequences. Organisms depend on each other for survival and the loss of one species can greatly alter the balance of an ecosystem as a whole, as seen in the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem. Gray wolves were poached to extinction from Yellowstone during the early twentieth century, then were reintroduced to restore a complete food web. Researchers, Marshall, Hobbs and Cooper the authors of â€Å"Stream hydrology limits recovery of riparian ecosystems after wolf reintroduction† suggested â€Å"excessive browsing of willows by elk after wolves were gone was implicated in the disappearance of beavers from streams". Furthermore, when the gray wolves disappeared the willows were terminated by elk glazing and with no willows to slow stream flow, creeks flowed faster and beavers prefer slow-moving water, so they disappeared as well. In addition, when the wolves were reintroduced they hunted elk and brought down numbers of these. But, removing elk glazing wasn't enough for the willows, needing slow streams created by beavers allowing more willows to grow. Alan Tessier, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology whom funded the concludes "the research illustrates the value of long-term ecological experiments to understanding how species interactions cascade through food webs to determine ecosystem resilience†. Theref... ...vores, meaning no food for carnivores, meaning much quicker extinction of all life. In conclusion, losing even a small strand in the web of life contributes to the unraveling of our planet's sustainability, and that makes a difference to each one of us. Works Cited Marshall Kristen N, Hobbs N. Thompson and Copper David J. â€Å"Stream hydrology limits recovery of riparian ecosystems after wolf reintroduction†. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Vol. 280. (2013). "Traditional Medicine." (2003) World Heath Organization. Web. 11 Mar 2014. "Facts and figures on biodiversity." (2012) The International Union for Conservation of Nature. Web. 11 Mar 2014. Chivian, Eric and Bernstein, Aaron. â€Å"Sustaining Life: How Our Health Depends On Biodiversity†. 2008. Print. "How much do oceans add to world’s oxygen?." (2013) Earth sky. Web. 11 Mar 2014.

Language Policy Essay

LANGUAGE LEGISLATION: VOTER DRIVEN INITIATIVES Kelly M. Jefferson Grand Canyon University: SPE 523 July 23, 2012 The issue of language policy and the education of English language learners (ELLs) in this country has been hotly debated and widely contested. Students who enter our school systems without an understanding of the English language must attain not only conversational proficiency, but also academic literacy in English. Academic literacy is the foundation of school success and necessary for students to master content standards (Echevarria, Short, & Vogt, 2008).All parties agree that ELLs are federally entitled to a quality education once they join this country’s educational system. The debate stems from how to effectively teach students English and core content, simultaneously, in ways that ensure their success within the curriculum. Politicians and educators must also grapple with the dilemma of how to effectively educate non-native students, so as to facilitate their adequate proficiency on a myriad of statewide tests required of all pupils enrolled in public schools.ELLs are concentrated in the urban areas of states like California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New York, which have seen the largest influx of English learners within their schools (Boyle, Cadiero-Kaplan, & Peregoy, 2008). Students with limited English proficiency (LEP) made up almost ten percent of the K-12 public school student population in the 2004-2005 school year (Echevarria et al. , 2008). Spanish is the most prevalent primary language (L1) and is spoken by eighty percent of ELLs (Boyle et al. , 2008).In the absence of clear direction at the federal level on how to best prepare ELLs academically, many states have taken the matter into their own hands through various voter initiatives. Arizona, California, and Massachusetts are states that have attempted to solve these questions through ballot initiatives. The voters of each state overwhelmingly adopted a Structured Englis h Immersion (SEI) approach in which ELLs receive all content in English via a sheltering technique that allows learners to understand their instruction.The goal of SEI is language, literacy, and content learning exclusively in English. Each state elected to limit the amount of time ELLs are provided with language assistance to roughly one year, despite research findings that show students need at least five to seven years of language assistance to acquire the English proficiency required for successful academic participation (Boyle et al. , 2008). Arizona’s Proposition 203 was passed in November of 2000 and effectively repealed bilingual education laws in effect at that time.Proposition 203 required all students to be taught in English with the exception of those classified as† English Learners†. Designated pupils are instructed through sheltered English immersion programs (SEI) primarily in English, although a minimal amount of a child’s native language ma y be incorporated, when necessary (â€Å"www. ballotpedia. org†, 2012). Students who demonstrate a solid working knowledge of English are transferred out of the SEI program into a regular English classroom. Parents of identified ELL children have the ability to obtain a waiver that excuses their child from participation in the SEI program.Excused students are often taught English and other content via traditional bilingual education instruction or another recognized instruction method (www. ballotpedia. org, 2012). Parents are also entitled to recoup any actual and compensatory damages they incur as the result of school officials failing to comply with Proposition 203. The Massachusetts English in Public Schools Initiative, known as Question 2, is very similar to the Arizona law, in that Question 2 places a heavy reliance on SEI programs and lessens the availability and access to bilingual education programs.Passed in 2002, the law mandates that all public school children mus t be taught English. All content is delivered in English language classrooms (â€Å"www. ballotpedia. org†, 2012). Children whose native language is not English are educated using the SEI method with minimal access to their native language at their teacher’s discretion. Question 2 allows for children from diverse native language groups to be placed in the same classroom provided their English skills are of similar levels. The law does not affect students with physical and mental impairments in special education programs (â€Å"www. ballotpedia. org†, 2012).Question 2 differs from Arizona’s Proposition 203, in that if twenty or more students in any one grade level at a school obtain waivers that school must offer bilingual education classes in both the child’s native language and English or another type of generally recognized educational program. Question 2 contains some of the same provisions as Proposition 203, such as a parent’s right to sue school officials who obstruct its implementation. English learners in the state undergo annual standardized tests of their English skills and students in grades two and above take annual written standardized tests in English (â€Å"www. allotpedia. org†, 2012). California voters passed Proposition 227 by a huge majority in 1998. The law answered the question of how to educate English language learners in that state by putting in place a statewide SEI program and drastically eliminating access to bilingual education programs (Purcell, 2002). In sync with similar initiatives in Arizona and Massachusetts, Proposition 227 calls for the education of all children in English by being taught in English. The law allows LEP students one year of language assistance before they are mainstreamed into total English speaking classrooms.Each piece of legislation fails to consider the body of research that finds that nonnative speakers need anywhere from five to seven years of language in struction in order to attain a level of proficiency within a second language. The laws also neglect studies that prove that time spent learning in a student’s native tongue does not negate English language development, but enhances it due the transference of literacy skills from one language to another (Purcell, 2002). Also, within the pressurized and time constrained settings of many SEI programs, students are not granted the involuntary and often incidental tmosphere that language development often occurs in. Without necessary native language instruction amid an English language deficit, many LEP students have failed to attain the level of academic achievement and English language proficiency entitled to them. References Arizona english language education for children in public schools, proposition 203 (2000). (2012, February 28). Retrieved from http://ballotpedia. org/wiki/index. php/Arizona_English_Language. Boyle, O. F. , Cadiero-Kaplan, K. , & Peregoy, S. F. (2008). Rea ding, writing, and learning in ESL: A resource book for K-12 teachers.Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Echevarria, J. , Short, D. J. , & Vogt, M. (2008). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP Model. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Massachusetts english in public schools initiative, question 2 (2002). (2012, February 27). Retrieved from http://www. ballotpedia. org/wiki/index. php/Massachusetts_Question 2. Purcell, J. (2002). The foundations and current impact of california’s proposition 227. Retrieved February 28, 2012 from U. S Department of Education, Educational Resources Information Center: http://www. eric. ed. gov.

Language Autobiography Essay

Being a girl of a mixed ethnic background, you can imagine the diversity of language used across my family. The dialects and accents have a wide variety as my family are spread all across the globe. My mother carol is British born and bred in the Essex country side. Whereas my father ahmed is, half Lebanese and half Palestinian. My mum’s first language is English and she speaks in standard English, this could be because of her profession as a nurse has an influence on her speech and it wouldn’t be professional of her to constantly use colloquial language. My father’s first language is Arabic, the Palestinian dialect Arabic. There are so many dialects of Arabic sometimes it seems like it’s a completely different language! He can also speak French as fluent as he can Arabic because French is also a main language in Lebanon. he is also fluent in English, but he has an Arab accent. My father lives in Lebanon so his dialect of Arabic has changed to the Lebanese dialect because of his surroundings but he still has a twang of the Palestinian dialect. The main languages in my family are English and Arabic, but there are so many dialects, such as Egyptian, Jordanian, Emirati, Lebanese, Moroccan, Saudi Arabian, Syrian Arabic and Essex accents, Dorset accent, Scottish accent, American accent, Australian accent. This is just the start of the variety of language in my family! So you’re probably thinking, what is my first language? Well, I was born in the United Arab Emirates in the Emirate of Dubai. Yes, I think it too†¦ why did I immigrate to sunny England? Growing up in Dubai my first language was English because my mother’s Arabic was very basic; however I was fluent in Arabic and could also speak some Tagalog as I was brought up with a Pilipino nanny, Lily. I immigrated to England when I was about 4 or 5 years old, I was constantly speaking English. I remember some of my mum’s friends telling me I had a slight American accent. But my accent quickly changed because of influences around me in school. My surname is Said, but it’s pronounced â€Å"Syed† and I remember reading the Biff and Chip books in my first school and saying â€Å"and Chip Syed this†. My teacher found it highly amusing! Ever since I moved to England, over the years I slowly forgot how to speak Arabic as I got out of the habit of speaking in Arabic often. Now I only know greetings and little phrases in Arabic. Trying to learn Arabic again was extremely difficult because I’m so used to the rules in the English language such as the â€Å"Ough† sound. Being so used to certain rules really affects trying to learn a new language, especially Arabic. Learning Arabic was very different to English and the Arabic alphabet has more letters than the English alphabet, which include sounds as well as letters. Also not every word in Arabic can be translated perfectly into English, and there is no word in the English language for it. Sometimes it’s hard to get a near enough definition of the word without meaning something else. Also in Arabic they can have one word which in the English language translates to a group of words or a sentence. From my experiencing of learning Arabic again I have noticed that the language is very cultural and influence by religion, for example a lot of words or phrases refer to god (Allah). However not just Muslims and religious people use these words, these words are used by all Arabic speakers. In the Spanish language I realized a difference in tenses. In English there are only three tenses, present, past and the future. Whereas in the Spanish language there are many more. This makes its complicated and more difficult to learn as realistically there is only 3 tenses, and it’s hard to picture other tenses. I would describe my accent as a southern English accent. My cousins who live in Essex say that I have a â€Å"brightonian† accent, is there such thing? According to my cousins, people from Brighton raise their tone at the end of every sentence like they are constantly asking questions. I can’t notice myself doing it or other people doing it around me. The way I talk changes depending on the context. For example, when I’m with my friends I use a large amount of colloquial language. Whereas when I’m with my mum or teachers I would not use this language, I would talk in a more Standard English way. Having a lot of friends from an ethnic community, I’ve learnt a lot of slang and colloquial words. Even though these friends are from an Arabic background, I would never talk to my family in the Middle East in this way. I think I change the way I speak to different people, depending on who it is to make a good impression and to make my language appropriate to the situation. The different use of language always comes back to the context its used in.