Familiarity free essay sample

My back has been in pain since we hit Ohio, but now I no longer care.The sounds of the highways and road rage have been replaced by seagulls squawking and waves crashing against the shoreline.As we arrive at my grandparent’s small summer cottage, I can smell the all-too-familiar salt air and watch as Aga and Gaga get off their white wicker chairs to greet us on the lawn.I let my feet down carefully, knowing that they will be met with the uneven sharpness of the gravel driveway.After unpacking and giving hugs, my brother and I walk across the street to the water’s edge.Not much sand is left on this worn beach and the old sea wall is crumbling, washed out and eroding after enduring years of hurricanes and waves crashing against it with tremendous force.Long Island Sound looks more like a mud pit than the inviting ocean I remember from years past and bigger, fancier houses now line the shore, making my cottage look uniquely small. We will write a custom essay sample on Familiarity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page None of that matters to me, however.Clinton is the place I come to relax, unwind, and remind myself of what really matters in life.Away from the business of my classes, the drama of my friends, and the responsibilities of life, I find myself relaxed and calm.Looking at the waves, I remember my childhood and the many summers I have spent standing in that very spot on that faded wall. Here, everything is so familiar.It’s warm, comfortable, loving.I know everyone, so the nervousness I feel so often about interacting with strangers is gone. Here I don’t have to hide the fact that I am different from everyone because everyone knows.No one will judge me or belittle me here if I fall or are unable to do something.The people here just take me how I am.They don’t place a value on me for what I do for them; they value me because I am me.Here, I feel like I am good enough.Here, I feel like I am always welcome. It is in that small, wood paneled cottage, I bathed in the sink so many times after early morning swims.It was between the first and second sandbar I first learned how to swim.I learned how to fish off the stonewall at high tide.I learned how tides work and how the moon impacts the sea.Gaga taught me how to drive a boat one night at low tide.It was here that I learned that my dog can swim, although she really prefers not to.I learned the danger and enjoyment of sitting on the wall on the Fourth of July, surrounded by people who I love, watching a thousand fireworks light the night sky in celebration.I learned that some people should never wear bikinis.I learned that seaweed will not swallow you.I learned that you shouldn’t go kayaking on a windy day. The things I learned in this small town in New England have stayed with me all my life.The moments of fun in the sun with my family and close friends, however fleeting, have shaped me.The late nights and early mornings have been safe havens for me as my life has become busier through the years.The events and time I have spent here have become some of my greatest memories.Here, away from the destruction and judgement in my life I have been able to find myself and more than that, understand both myself and my purpose. Sitting on the wall, my feet banging against the old concrete rhythmically,I watch Andy.He is with my cousin, hunting for crabs in amongst the rocks that used to make up the jetty.Moving my attention to two small children playing on the sandbar, I smile, knowing I am home.

The Definition of Bivalve

The Definition of Bivalve A bivalve is an animal that has two hinged shells, which are called valves. All bivalves are mollusks.  Examples of bivalves are clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops. Bivalves are found in both freshwater and marine environments.   Characteristics of Bivalves There are about 10,000 species of bivalves.Bivalves range in size from less than a millimeter to close to 5 feet (e.g., the giant clam). A bivalves shell is formed of calcium carbonate that is secreted from the bivalves  mantle, which is the soft wall of the animals body. The shell grows as the organism inside gets bigger. Not all bivalves have externally visible shells - some are small, some are not even visible. Shipworms are a bivalve that doesnt have a very visible shell - their shell is made up of two valves at the worms anterior (back) end. Bivalves have a foot, but not an obvious head. They also dont have a radula or jaws. Some bivalves move around (e.g., scallops), some burrow  into the sediment (e.g., clams)  or even rocks, and some attach to hard substrates (e.g, mussels). Smallest and Largest Bivalves The smallest bivalve is thought to be the saltwater clam  Condylonucula maya. This species has a shell that is less than a millimeter in size. The largest bivalve is the giant clam. The valves of the clam may be over 4 feet long, and the clam itself may weigh over 500 pounds.    Bivalve Classification Bivalves are found in the  Phylum Mollusca, Class Bivalvia. Where Are Bivalves Found? Marine bivalves are found around the world, from polar regions to tropical waters and from shallow tide pools to deep-sea hydrothermal vents.   Feeding - Them and You Many bivalves feed by filter feeding, in which they draw water over their gills, and tiny organisms collect in the organisms gill mucus. The also breathe by drawing fresh oxygen from the water as it passes over their gills. When you eat a shelled bivalve, youre eating the body or a muscle inside.  When youre eating a scallop, for example, youre eating the adductor muscle. The adductor muscle is a round, meaty muscle that the scallop uses to open and close its shell. Reproduction Some bivalves have separate sexes, some are hermaphroditic (have male and female sex organs). In most cases, reproduction is sexual with external fertilization. The embryos develop in the water column and go through a larval stage before eventually developing their shell.   Human Uses Bivalves are some of the most important seafood species. Oysters, scallops, mussels, and clams are popular selections at just about every seafood restaurant. According to NOAA, the commercial value of bivalve harvests in 2011 was over $1 billion, just in the U.S.   This harvest weighed over 153 million pounds.   Bivalves are organisms particularly vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification. Increasing acidity in the ocean is affecting the ability for bivalves to effectively build their calcium carbonate shells.   Bivalve Used in a Sentence The blue mussel is a bivalve - it has two equally-sized, hinged shells that fit together and enclose the animals soft body. References and Further Information Geller, J. B. 2007. Bivalves.  In  Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores. University of California Press, p. 95-102.Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Condylonucula maya D.R. Moore, 1977. Accessed December 30, 2015.Lindberg, D.R. 2007. Molluscs, Overview.  In  Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores. University of California Press, p. 374-376.Martinez, Andrew J. 2003.  Marine Life of the North Atlantic. Aqua Quest Publications, Inc.: New York.NOAA, National Ocean Service. What Is a Bivalve Mollusk?  Accessed December 30, 2015.

International Curriculum. What impact does the International Primary Essay

International Curriculum. What impact does the International Primary Curriculum have on the current National Curriculums - Essay Example It can also be defined as the planned, organised and implemented learning that takes place in schools. Each country has its own modules composing of different topics and syllabuses. Currently, there is an ongoing process of developing a national curriculum starting from kindergarten to the age of twelve years, introducing English, mathematics, history and science subjects followed by languages, arts and geography (Beck, 2000,209). The goal of international curriculum is to improve the quality of education and competitiveness across schools in the nation. It has been realised that the national curriculum did not prepare children for the future, thus it is not standard. With the changes in economy and technology, there is need to adopt a healthier curriculum that will help teachers and parents to know what children are supposed to learn and at what age to open their mind, an effort to prepare them to live in the contemporary world. The curriculum covers learning framework, professional development and evaluation of both teachers and students to assess their potential (Rajaonarison, 1995, 12). Literature Review Initially introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, National curriculum became a curriculum for primary and secondary state schools under the education reform Act 1988. The curriculum excludes private schools which have the mandate to design their own curricula. The law dictates teaching all students the basic curriculum of religious education and national curriculum. The primary objective of national curriculum was to make the material taught across school standard in order to promote evaluation of individual schools. Parents were given an opportunity to decide which schools their children should be enrolled. The two fundamental aims of the curriculum were to lay a ground for children’s learning as well as development of their social, moral, religious and cultural background in preparation for opportunities, experiences and responsibilities of life. The school is supposed to prepare students with the necessary literacy and numerical skills, information and communication technology, opportunities for creativity and innovation. The compulsory subjects were science, design and technology. Each topic is seen as contributing to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, citizenship and key skills. It is meant to provide learning opportunities for children with disabilities, special educational needs, and those from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Other extra curricula activities besides the national modules were designed to cater for the need of personal needs such as speech and language therapy, use of ICT, health and safety (Coulby,1996, 27). International curriculum aims at ensuring that the laid down learning objectives, method and content of instruction, teaching versus learning strategies and teaching aids will all contribute to academic excellence. Hence, the purpose is to investigate the social effect on the method of preparation and determine the role played by politics in education. This information will establish a foundation for future action with the goal of improving the curriculum and helping people to realize change in such a multiracial and multicultural society. The international primary curriculum is large creative, encompasses many aspects of education including the method of instruction, teaching and teaching aids all aimed towards international mindedness and individual learning. The design ensures that teachers make learning such a busy, interactive and realistic environment for children. It is a comprehensive system where children apply where they are living with other places in the world. Thus, the aims can be summarised as improving and extending knowledge to promote