Saturday, March 12, 2011

How argan oil is made

100% Organic and Pure Moroccan Argan Oil Can be used on Face, Body , Hands and Nails .

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Tamazight Music( Berber Music) Morocco

Musical/Vocal Styles

Tabaamrante FATIMA

Berber music is well-known for its use of folk oral traditions, as well as particular scales and rhythmic patterns, which include pentatonic music and African rhythms^[3]. All these tunes are combined together to form one of the main sources of entertainment in Berber social ceremonies like marriages, verses, tales and songs.

Fatima Tihihit Mqourn with Albenssir

Berber vocal styles in Morocco consist of two main types. The first, called Ahwash, is exclusively village music, probably unchanged for centuries or longer. Ahwash texts emphasize the submission of the individual to the community. Typically, it consists of two large choruses engaging in call-and-response vocals, accompanied by instrumentalists and dancers. Since this music requires anywhere from 20 to 150 participants, it is not easily portable and so rarely heard in the cities. The second, called Raiss, is performed by smaller groups of professional musicians who blend dance, comedy, and sung poetry. Raiss songs tend to honor orthodox Islam, but with notable dashes of syncretist belief. In these songs, things like sacrifices and evil eyes are justified in terms of Islam. Instruments typically include the rebab, a one-stringed fiddle, the lotar lute, hand drums, and a bell. One notable feature of rwais (rais, singular) melodies is the way they leap up and down in large intervals^[4].

The region of Kabylia in Algeria has a very large Berber population. Vocalists are usually accompanied by a rhythm section, consisting of t'bel (tambourine) and bendir (frame drum), and a melody section, consisting of a ghaita (bagpipe) and ajouag (flute).

Fatima Tachtoukte

Naima bent Oudaden

The Berber music of the Tuareg region uses rhythms and vocal styles similar to the music of other Berbers and Arab music, while West African call-and-response-style singing is also common. In contrast to many of the region's peoples, among the Tuareg, music is mostly the domain of women, especially the imzhad, a string instrument like a violin. Tuareg weddings feature unique styles of music, such as the vocal trilling of women and special dances (ilkan) of slaves marking the occasion.

Instrumentation

The Berber people are spread out over a large part of Africa, but seem to have a dense concentration within the North Western part of Africa. The people have a vast array of instruments, both melodic and percussive. The following instruments take part in the accompaniment in dance and song both secular, and sacred.

The Qasabah is an end-blown reed flute. Used mostly to accompany songs rather than dance, the Qasabah is said to have a rich, breathy texture.

The Mizwid is like a set of bag-pipes seen in the western world. The word literally means bag or food pouch. It has a higher pitch than western bag-pipes, but is said to have a wider pitch range.

The Zukrah of Tunisia has a large role in societal performances along with the Ghaytah of Morocco. In both countries, these instruments are combined with several percussive instruments to create large ensembles which may perform at public festivals or such occasions.

The Nafir is a long and natural horn similar to the western trumpet. This instrument is used mostly as a signaling instrument to send out messages to large masses. Although it has some value in performances, it serves mainly this purpose.

The Moroccan Ginbri is a stringed instrument without frets but rather a long neck. The box of the instrument is covered in skin, and is used in several varying occasions. Most ensembles have at least one Ginbri, although it is not always limited to one. In addition to the Ginrbri, is the Rabab, a long necked-fiddle with a large box which is covered in skin. This instrument has only one string made normally by horse hair. It is commonly used alongside the Ginbri, as the voice of the group.

In percussion, the Tabl is a cylindrical double-sided drum. Although it has similar use and spelling to the Tabla of India, there is no direct correlation found between the two. The Qas'ah is a large shallow kettledrum found mostly in Tunisia. Similar to the Qas'ah is the Naqqarah, two ceramic kettledrums played simultaneously by both hands.

In Moroccan Berber music, a series of snare frame-drums of Bandirs may be played simultaneously. These provide the main percussive rhythm for Berber music as the above mentioned drums are more artistic than Bandirs.

Last, but not least, is the Qaraqib. This is a metal clacker which has resemblance of a castanets. There is one in each hand and may be used to mark rhythm or may also have its own type of melody.^[5]

Morocco

Izenzaren

Naima bent Oudaden

Berbers are a solid majority of Morocco's population, but are nevertheless politically marginalized^{[citation needed]}. Their most famous musical output is likely Ammouri Mbarek Singer and Song writer (Considered to be, the john lennon- Beatles in the Berber World, singing sense the early 1960s and now; Nekk dik a nmun (1978) Cd Album). Usman - Music Band 1960s and 1970s . Najat Aatabou, a singer whose debut cassette, "J'en ai Marre", sold an unprecedented half a million copies in Morocco. Internationally, the Master Musicians of Jajouka are also well known, as a result of their collaboration with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and William S. Burroughs. Another recording group from Jajouka is Master Musicians of Joujouka, formerly managed by the late painter Mohamed Hamri. In 2009 the first R'n'B songs in a Berberian language were released by Ahmed Soultan in his second album Code.

Mohammad Albansir'Damseri' Singer, Composer & Poet
Ammouri Mbarek Singer, Songwriter
Fatima Tabaamrant - singer, songwriter
Lhaj Belaid - singer, songwriter, poet
Usman - Music Band 1960s and 1970s (They are considered to be like, the beatles in the Berber World. Ammouri Mbarek, Said Bijaaden, Tarik El-maarufi, Belaid el-Akkaf, Lyazid Qorfi, Said Butrufin)
Ali Chouhad - Singer, songwriter, Writer
Rkia Demsir - Singer
Omar Ait Ulahyan - Singer
Najat Aatabou - singer
Fatima Tachtoukt - singer
Yuba - singer
Cherifa - singer
Mohamed Rouicha - singer
Saïda Titrit - singer
Mimoun El Walid - singer
Itran - singer
Khalid Izri - singer

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Tamazight A surviving Language in Berber Land

Unesco-

Tamazight Language-Uncertain

group of experts working for UNESCO have just finished a study dealing with the issue of the longevity of languages of the world. The study revealed an astonishing truth. Of the estimated 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, linguists say, nearly half are in danger of extinction and likely to disappear in this century. In fact, one falls out of use about every two weeks.
It was in 1987 that UNESCO initiated an international programme, whose aim is to identify and record endangered languages and using language education in general, and language teaching in particular, as a means of promoting increased understanding between nations "peace through language diversity and plurilingualism ".

The research, reported in the study of UNISCO was based on field research and data analysis. It says that "more than half the languages had no written form and were vulnerable to loss and being forgotten"; their loss leaves no dictionary, no text, and no record of the accumulated knowledge and history of a vanished culture. In Australia, nearly all the 400 spoken and written languages are endangered and its number is lowering to 25 currently. Cameron and Niger are quoted as case of African countries where languages completely disappeared from the spoken and written field in the last decade.

The thorough study of UNESCO showed that any language spoken by more than one million of speakers has a life expectancy going to 50 year and more depend on its regular feasibility and applicability. The experts did not limit themselves to the linguistic poverty or the scientific character as the unique reasons to explain these disappearances, the political reasons are also put forward because these last factors would accelerate the disappearance of languages phenomenon.

Concerning Amazigh language, the study classified it as endangered language . The study included the fact that "Tamazight, and all its major varieties extending over North-Africa, have a whole provisional existence thus vulnerable and threatened of extinction". Although Amazigh language is spoken by millions, but the cultural production and its diffusion is still linked to the political considerations based on austerity and social ostracism imposed by the global Pan-Arabic regimes which stand in the way of its evolution. This is the reason why Amazigh language in North-Africa facing an unrelentingly cruel process of deterioration. Even if some of our intellectuals are seriously leaning on the problem, and made every effort to elaborate new theories and sufficient pedagogical tools for the promotion of the written usage of Tamazight.

Another measure of the threat to many relativley unknown languages, is that 83 languages with "global" influence are spoken and written by 80 percent of the world population. Most of the others face extinction at a rate, the researchers said, that exceeds that of birds, mammals, fish and plants.

I ideas moclearly recognise that these ve directly to the call for research in the Amazigh field. But rather than simply a call for more research, they call for better research and for more coordination of efforts. In a larger respect, they ask of our research more of our efforts.

Writen By: Sabri EL HAMMAOUI

DO NOT FORGET YOUR LANGUAGE

http://www.morocco70.blogspot.com/

Unesco-Amazigh-Language-uncertain.

Tamazight : A surviving language in berber Land

A group of experts working for UNESCO have just finished a study dealing with the issue of the longevity of languages of the world. The study revealed an astonishing truth. Of the estimated 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, linguists say, nearly half are in danger of extinction and likely to disappear in this century. In fact, one falls out of use about every two weeks.
It was in 1987 that UNESCO initiated an international programme, whose aim is to identify and record endangered languages and using language education in general, and language teaching in particular, as a means of promoting increased understanding between nations "peace through language diversity and plurilingualism ".

The research, reported in the study of UNISCO was based on field research and data analysis. It says that "more than half the languages had no written form and were vulnerable to loss and being forgotten"; their loss leaves no dictionary, no text, and no record of the accumulated knowledge and history of a vanished culture. In Australia, nearly all the 400 spoken and written languages are endangered and its number is lowering to 25 currently. Cameron and Niger are quoted as case of African countries where languages completely disappeared from the spoken and written field in the last decade.

The thorough study of UNESCO showed that any language spoken by more than one million of speakers has a life expectancy going to 50 year and more depend on its regular feasibility and applicability. The experts did not limit themselves to the linguistic poverty or the scientific character as the unique reasons to explain these disappearances, the political reasons are also put forward because these last factors would accelerate the disappearance of languages phenomenon.

Concerning Amazigh language, the study classified it as endangered language . The study included the fact that "Tamazight, and all its major varieties extending over North-Africa, have a whole provisional existence thus vulnerable and threatened of extinction". Although Amazigh language is spoken by millions, but the cultural production and its diffusion is still linked to the political considerations based on austerity and social ostracism imposed by the global Pan-Arabic regimes which stand in the way of its evolution. This is the reason why Amazigh language in North-Africa facing an unrelentingly cruel process of deterioration. Even if some of our intellectuals are seriously leaning on the problem, and made every effort to elaborate new theories and sufficient pedagogical tools for the promotion of the written usage of Tamazight.

     Another measure of the threat to many relativley unknown languages, is that 83 languages with "global" influence are spoken and written by 80 percent of the world population. Most of the others face extinction at a rate, the researchers said, that exceeds that of birds, mammals, fish and plants.

    ideas moclearly recognise that these ve directly to the call for research in the Amazigh field. But rather than simply a call for more research, they call for better research and for more coordination of efforts. In a larger respect, they ask of our research more of our efforts.

DO NOT FORGET YOUR LANGUAGE                           written by Sabri EL HAMMAOUI

http://www.morocco70.blogspot.com/

Izenzaren a lgendary Berber musical Band( biography and beautyful songs

Biography of Izenzaren

I zenzaren is a Moroccan Amazigh band founded in 1972 by six musicians.
Izenzaren has devoted its music to express Amazigh culture and thoughts. In 1976, Izenzaren made his first appearance on the silver screen. One year later, it gave an astonishing concert on the prestigious stage of the Parisian Olympia and then before the public of the Festival of the Maghrebian song.

Izenzaren is still present in the musical scene compeering numerous festivals and cultural gatherings in Morocco and in other countries. A variety of topics can be found in their songs such as people s daily strugle especially in rural areas,a beautiful song about MOTHER( The first one on top of the page) Tackling sone implicit political and social issues in Berber land( Morocco).

http://www.morocco70.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 7, 2011

BERBER LAND

Berber Land Old Berber Man, are often wise giving advice concerning everyday life details activities concerns. They are experts in agriculture and are able to explain ups and downs of crops and thousands of years ago they already did elaborate rules to organise water with an underground irrigation system. They could smell rain and predicate storms and dryness. They have the intuition of foretelling some coming events by relying on some hints data, conditions. As well as being able to fix new rules or changed already existing rules to cope with new community features and demonstrations. They are doctors by instinct and can describe the pain and the traditional medicines plants, as well as treatment by acupuncture, fire, massage, or sand shower in hot sand of desert. Coming to culture, old rituals are only found in their memories; special rare proverbs are stored in their mind used only in suitable cases, situations. Their words are only verses well balanced of poetry, rich in symbolism, comparison, values... When arguing, talking with them, they don't look much at your eyes, face, their eyes are travelling away in time, in their memories, cheeking between pages of their experiences. As if they are meditating, they stir away, often in the sky around, drawing their paths in life between clouds, images of regret for plans they failed to put in practice and hopes/dreams they wish live through their new generations who often they criticize and look down for not been able to add more value to their current world .They wish them add new blood to their life, bridge new stone to plans, worlds they did not manage to reach when they are masters of their age, energy. They are sure then that golden age is something that each generation can pretend. They are sure and convinced that this time is not their own and that each generation has its time, conditions, dreams, obstacles, thoughts ...philosophy. They boast that they travelled on foot thousand kilometres to the middle East, fought and won many wars over enemies conquering Tamazgha or North Africa, flirted many ladies, girls with well balanced verses of Ahidus, Timnadin (Famous dances, ritual rhythms in South East of Morocco… ...While current generation react that they just had been at school and learned Arabic, got access to internet to explore the world around, while losing their own language. They have new adventures, riding big waves of seas and oceans to leave their home land, while other younger are living fine in North Africa. Often they do join others lands doing bad stuff and become victims of racism... Young Man accuse Old Ones that they were very generous and innocent that they have been occupied by arabe ideology for many years .They even wonder why they should let them stay after that they had been converted to Islam religion. Yet Old Men react that they led wars against enemies during World War II against French, Spanish armies assisted by Moroccan political elite and Makhzen, central power at that time... They, Old Men, boast that they found out about many things, architecture, irrigation, tribal rules, norms...while, in their point of view, Young Men did not add any new value, idea to the current Berber philosophy. But Old Men have to confess that Young Men led a cultural movement to change their world marginalised by panarabe government, by feeding society with manifestations, associations, artistic creations... Generation conflict as it seems to be, but Berber society indeed is in need to both generations to keep the cultural heritage alive, and strengthen the future of Berbers coming tomorrow. Berbers are facing many challenges such as getting their universal rights to stay and keep different, to teach their language, to have their own TV, to stop arabisation, to name their babies Berber names, to get politic, social economic rights! Rights which won't be gotten unless efforts of all Berbers come together. The world now ignores their rights. International Organisations are no more independent and never were, since they follow oil energy and dollars, the same as their government do.

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Carfree Medina( ancient City) Fes

The Moroccan Medina

Most of the cities in Morocco have preserved at least portions of their medieval medinas. The streets in these areas are very narrow, and they are, for practical reasons, substantially carfree, although not always motorcycle-free. In early January 2002, I was fortunate to be able to participate in a workgroup studying the medina of Fes-al-Bali, believed to be the largest contiguous carfree area in the world, qua population. (Venice may be slightly larger in land area.) Our experiences and my photographs are the subject of these pages. The circumstances of the medina at Fes-al-Bali typify the other medinas, and since Fes-al-Bali is larger than the others, we will take it as a case illustration with respect to the pleasures and difficulties of life in a medieval carfree area.
It is worth mention that many cities in Morocco have "Ville Nouvelle" districts, built during the French occupation. The new parts of the city are often similar to the older parts in size and population. The new areas were built in the post-Haussmann era of French planning, which saw wide, straight boulevards and large block replace the tangled medieval practice of narrow, crooked streets. The new parts of Moroccan cities are almost as overrun with cars and motorcycles as their counterparts in the rest of the world, but the medinas remain an oasis of peace in a world that has become noisy, smelly, and dangerous.

The Medina of Fes-al-Bali

Fes-al-Bali, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, is a nearly intact medieval city. With a 2002 population of 156,000, it is probably the largest contiguous carfree area in the world today. In January of 2002, several like-minded friends and I spent five days in Fes during the course of a study tour. We met with local officials and toured the medina extensively in an effort to learn how the medina functions today and what problems it faces.

Attributes of the Medina

The entire medina was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, with 13,380 historic buildings since enumerated in the course of a thorough GIS survey of the medina. There are reputed to be 10,539 retail businesses in the medina, which remains a prime commercial center of the city of Fes (population about 1,000,000). The city is located at 34 degrees North latitude and 5 degrees West of the Greenwich meridian. The elevation is 414 meters, giving some relief from the otherwise very hot weather that prevails in the region for about nine months of the year. The entire city is still surrounded by high walls penetrated in a relatively few locations by historic city gates. There is only one large public square of any size, located near the geographic center of the medina. This area is penetrated by a road that gives access to buses, trucks, taxis, and some private cars. Several other gates are also open to road traffic, but in all cases these roads penetrate the medina only a short distance and end at a parking area without connecting to other roads. It is not possible to drive across the medina.

Statistic	Metric Units
Population	156,000
Medina Dimensions	About 2400 meters E-W by 1600 meters N-S
Site Size	300 hectares
Developed Area	Nearly 100% of total site
Green Area	Virtually no public green space
District Density	About 550 inhabitants per hectare, including many workplaces
Floor Area Ratio (FAR)	Estimated at 1.5
Longest Journey Within the Medina	About 40 minutes by foot
Automobile Traffic	Limited road access to the medina proper; no through passage possible

Fine Grain, Human Scale

Fes-al-Bali is built to a human scale, and the building blocks of the city are small. The streets are very narrow and can at times suffer from serious congestion. In a walled city such as this, space inside the walls is at a premium. The main streets are thus lined with thousands of small businesses. Their premises are rarely more than a few meters wide, and sometimes only a couple of meters deep. Larger establishments still have only small entrances, with the bulk of the store located behind several other small storefronts. These shops are typically family businesses, and they are packed to the rafters with merchandise. It is not unusual for the proprietor to use a ladder or long hook to retrieve merchandise for a customer. Compared to shops in the West, there is an extraordinary density of goods per square meter of shop space. Most of these stores have no "aisles" as we know them - the customer stands in the street and the shopkeeper stands inside the shop, amidst the goods. It makes for an exceptionally efficient use of space.
The population density of Fes-al-Bali is estimated at 550 inhabitants per hectare. By contrast, the reference design for carfree cities has about half as many people per hectare. I estimate the FAR of the medina at 1.5, which is about the same as in the reference design. This is achieved with lower buildings but a considerably higher plot ratio (about 0.7). Because the space per inhabitant is comparatively low, the number of inhabitants per hectare is about double that in the reference design. The number of workplaces in the medina is not known but is quite considerable.

Streets

Some streets are as narrow as 60 centimeters (about two feet). Few streets are as wide as five meters (about 16 feet), and then rarely for any distance. The streets are generally too narrow to permit the use of bicycles, although there are a few areas in which they and motor scooters are found, mostly near one or another of the gates. In these areas, a few small trucks sometimes operate, primarily to remove waste. The remainder of the medina is entirely carfree.

Buildings

Buildings are typically 2-3 stories tall, with a fair number of single-story and 4-story buildings. No building exceeds four stories except the minarets of the mosques. Most residential buildings have interior courtyards, typically measuring five meters on a side.

Rooftops

In the hot, dry climate of Fes, rooftop space is valuable and much used. Nearly all buildings have flat roofs that are used to dry laundry, grow some ornamental plants, and sit out in the cooler evening air.

Freight

Within the city, almost no freight is delivered by truck, excepting a few areas near the gates. Several "utility areas" are located just inside or just outside a gate. This is where the change from motorized to non-motorized transport occurs. From here, freight is delivered by donkey, mule-cart, handcart, or on shoulders. The donkey is probably the most common means used, and one of the most common cargoes is LPG cylinders, seven of which can be carried by a single donkey. Even this load forces pedestrians to step aside in the narrower streets. (If gas were piped into buildings, the delivery of cylinders would, of course, no longer be required.) In terms of labor intensity, freight delivery in Fes-al-Bali is probably quite expensive, but this is tempered by the fact that distances are short and traffic delays are rarely an issue. The transshipment of freight in the utility areas is certainly an added expense. This is mitigated somewhat by holding markets in the utility areas, so that the goods only have to be unpacked and sold once. Most of the goods then move from the market to homes in the hands of purchasers.

Emergency Access

At the time of our visit, Fes-al-Bali was preparing to implement a network of emergency access streets. These were to have a minimum width of 170 centimeters, a width sufficient to permit the passage of 140 cm. vehicles. A few bottlenecks have been identified where minor reconstruction will be needed to maintain the 170 cm. minimum width. The city has purchased a standard narrow-track four-wheel-drive vehicle to use as an ambulance, and similar vehicles are expected to enter service as fire trucks. It seems likely that the city will also elect to use motorized vehicles to collect trash along these routes. It was difficult to see how emergency vehicles would be able to pass through some of the narrowest and most crowded streets, although people are accustomed to moving out of the way of burdened donkeys, which are nearly as wide.

Conclusions

While the circumstances in Fes-al-Bali are not ideal for a modern carfree city, they have posed no significant barriers to the continuance of city life almost entirely free of cars and trucks. Despite the commercial difficulties with freight delivery, the area remains the commercial heart of a much larger city and draws large numbers of shoppers and merchants from other areas of the city. While we would today almost certainly never lay out a city with such narrow streets as Fes-al-Bali, these narrow streets are not, in fact, a serious burden on the city, its residents, or visitors. On the contrary, these streets serve a great many purposes besides transport. They act as informal social spaces (in some areas bordered by sidewalk cafes) and serve as extensions of commercial establishments. Fes-al-Bali, as it now exists, serves as an excellent model for sustainability. Except for modest amounts of LPG used for cooking and some water heating, the city is largely sustainable. The animals used to provide freight transport have been used for this purpose for centuries and could probably continue to perform this chore into the indefinite future. While Fes-al-Bali is not a rich city by Western standards, the people are healthy and comparatively prosperous, more so than the comparatively low figures for standard of living would lead one to believe. Fes-al-Bali is worthy of the attention of anyone interested in sustainable urban development.

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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Reinforcing Writing Skills for Back to School

Kindergarten   Have your child draw a picture, then write a sentence telling about the picture. Help him write the sentence, or write it for him if needed. Then read it together.
Read a book together, then have your child draw a picture of what happened in the beginning, middle, and end. Guide her to write a sentence about each picture write about each picture, ask questions such as, “Why did you like watching the monkeys at the zoo? What did they do that was funny? What happened when the zookeeper gave them bananas?”
Second Grade   Help your child find a friend, relative, or even a neighbor to be a pen pal. Encourage him to write or email regularly. For a fun twist, have your child to imagine he is a favorite book or movie character. You can write letters to the character, and your child can write back responding as he thinks the character would. This is your big chance to ask Superman what it is like to fly, or find out how princesses walk without breaking their glass slippers.
Encourage your child to keep a journal to record the fun things he is doing while away from school. The journal can also include lists of books he read, movies he saw, places he went, and friends that visited. These lists are great story starters when your child wants to write a longer piece, but is having trouble deciding what to write about.
Third Grade    Going on vacation? Help your child research your destination, then write about what he wants to do or see there. For example, if planning a trip to Florida, your child might write about visiting a theme park, watching the sunset at the beach, and touring Thomas Edison’s home. Remind your child to include reasons explaining why he would like to do each thing on the list.
Chose a topic to write about, sit with your child, and write your own stories. Stop every few minutes and share what you have both written. Then, add more to the stories. When you read your story aloud, it models good writing for your child, and sparks ideas that he can add to his own writing. Be sure to praise and encourage your child by saying, “That’s great! I had forgotten that Spot went swimming in the lake during our picnic. How about when Dad fell in trying to get him? I’m going to add that to my story, too.”
Fourth Grade
    National Board certified teacher Erika Acklin suggests, “Leave notes around the house on post-its. Have your child respond to the note with a note of their own. You can ask more personal questions that might be more difficult to discuss face to face.”
Have your child keep a vacation scrapbook where she can write the events of each day. Leave room to add postcards, photos, and other memorabilia once you return home.
Fifth Grade
    After a trip to the movie theater, have your child write a movie review, then share it with friends and family to persuade them to enjoy the same film. He can also write book reviews explaining why this was or was not a worthwhile read.
Help your child create a family newsletter. She can write articles telling about your weekend camp-out, her sister’s dance recital, and little brother’s progress in swimming lessons. Those book and movie reviews would be a great addition to the newsletter as well. Print and mail the letters to family and friends, or share them using email.
In addition to these activities, help your child become a better writer by making sure he reads every day. According to literature teacher Tara Barbieri, “Reading helps to build essential vocabulary, and students who read often are usually the best writers.”
Diane Milne taught elementary school for 12 years. She is currently a freelance writer and has worked with educational publishing companies such as The Learning Source, The Princeton Review, and Kaplan K-12.

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How to help children through their school grades

Children have many milestones as they develop into young adults. These milestones sometimes pose physical, emotional, social, and academic challenges. Learn more by reading articles on specific challenges that transition times pose, what parents can do to help, and a developmental progress reference chart.

Introduction

As children progress through different grades in school they face different challenges. In addition to changing academic and social demands, students also experience physical and emotional changes. Although children are continually engaged in the process of adapting to new challenges, educators and mental health professionals agree that there are certain critical transition points which can be particularly stressful and require special support and understanding. Parents and educators can help children cope effectively with their varied school experiences in a number of ways.

What particular transition times pose specific challenges?

Preschool:

Physical and emotional challenges: For many children, preschool requires the first prolonged separation from parents and other individual caregivers. Children may also be required to sit quietly for short periods of time at a table and listen to directions.

Social challenges: The group nature of preschool means toddlers must learn to share activities, supplies, and attention, and relate to new children.

Academic challenges: Preschoolers develop their listening, attention and memory skills by learning the names of colors and shapes, listening to and telling stories.
Early elementary school:
- Physical and emotional challenges: The transition to the grade school years may require moving to a new building and a longer school day. Learning to be a student also becomes important, involving adjusting to the routine and structure of the school day and the development of a sense of responsibility for completion of assignments and homework. Students face more structured, objective rewards and consequences for their behaviors.
- Social challenges: In the early grades, children are still adjusting to a world outside the home. They form new friendships, learn about teamwork and may find themselves developing special interests and skills.
- Academic challenges: Mastery of the fundamentals needed for the rest of their school careers is required. Children acquire basic reading and math ability; they learn computational skills, how to read words and how to read for meaning. They are required to answer questions about who, what, and where, which gives them information about character, plot and setting.
- Upper elementary school:
  - Physical and emotional challenges: In the upper elementary grades (grades 4 and 5) more independent functioning is required. Differences among students become more apparent with regard to abilities, and given the increased demands on all fronts, new problems may surface or existing ones may be more difficult to handle.
  - Social challenges: Children have the opportunity to expand friendships, to work cooperatively with others, make their own social arrangements, join social groups outside the family, and plan independent activities. Cliques may form and bullies may cause difficulties, although these difficulties may happen at any point.
  - Academic challenges: The academic emphasis is no longer on the acquisition of basic skills. Children are expected to be able to use basic skills to acquire information and solve problems, to be competent in reading comprehension, written expression, and knowledge in content areas.

Transition Points: Helping Students Start, Change, and Move Through the Grades

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Introduction

What particular transition times pose specific challenges?

Preschool:

Physical and emotional challenges: For many children, preschool requires the first prolonged separation from parents and other individual caregivers. Children may also be required to sit quietly for short periods of time at a table and listen to directions.

Social challenges: The group nature of preschool means toddlers must learn to share activities, supplies, and attention, and relate to new children.

Academic challenges: Preschoolers develop their listening, attention and memory skills by learning the names of colors and shapes, listening to and telling stories.

Early elementary school:

Physical and emotional challenges: The transition to the grade school years may require moving to a new building and a longer school day. Learning to be a student also becomes important, involving adjusting to the routine and structure of the school day and the development of a sense of responsibility for completion of assignments and homework. Students face more structured, objective rewards and consequences for their behaviors.

Social challenges: In the early grades, children are still adjusting to a world outside the home. They form new friendships, learn about teamwork and may find themselves developing special interests and skills.

Academic challenges: Mastery of the fundamentals needed for the rest of their school careers is required. Children acquire basic reading and math ability; they learn computational skills, how to read words and how to read for meaning. They are required to answer questions about who, what, and where, which gives them information about character, plot and setting.

Upper elementary school:

Physical and emotional challenges: In the upper elementary grades (grades 4 and 5) more independent functioning is required. Differences among students become more apparent with regard to abilities, and given the increased demands on all fronts, new problems may surface or existing ones may be more difficult to handle.

Social challenges: Children have the opportunity to expand friendships, to work cooperatively with others, make their own social arrangements, join social groups outside the family, and plan independent activities. Cliques may form and bullies may cause difficulties, although these difficulties may happen at any point.

Academic challenges: The academic emphasis is no longer on the acquisition of basic skills. Children are expected to be able to use basic skills to acquire information and solve problems, to be competent in reading comprehension, written expression, and knowledge in content areas. Middle school:
- Physical and emotional challenges: Some communities define a specific period of time as middle school; the span can vary from 5-8th grade or 6-9th and usually entails moving to a new school building. Many children, as in New York City, change schools at 6th grade; independent schools may keep students in one location through 8th grade. The challenge to educators is to help children in these in-between years. Educators are responsive to the concern, for example, that 7th graders have very different needs than 4th graders, and additionally, the younger, newly entering students are unprepared to deal with pressures coming from the older students. During this time, the onset of puberty necessitates changes in the teen's perception of his or her body and feelings about those changes.
- Social challenges: In changing schools, students may be separated from friends with whom they have gone through the lower grades. In addition, the social context changes from the often supportive and individualized setting of a single classroom with a single teacher. Students have to adapt to a social climate that is usually more impersonal as they rotate through departmentalized classes with a number of teachers with different teaching styles and expectations. Peer acceptance becomes critical at this age as do other social pressures such as religious ceremonies (confirmation, bar mitzvah, etc.).
- Academic challenges: More independence is now required. Children need to master several unrelated classes and assignments and utilize organizational skills, perhaps maintaining a daily or weekly planner for the first time. The exposure to diverse content allows them to integrate information from one content area to another, such as reading a book for language arts that directly influences their thinking on a topic in social studies.
- High school:
  - Physical and emotional challenges: For most, the move to high school means a move to a new building, with a greater number of students, new teachers, a new principal, new expectations, and a new, more rigorous disciplinary system. In addition, the adolescent also has to cope with the developmental task of establishing independence from the family while at the same time maintaining family connections. At this stage of life, parents have less direct input into school activities and academic decisions.
  - Social challenges: Establishing new social connections, balancing work and social life, and, for some students, managing a part-time job, are some of the new demands faced by students entering high school. Pressure to experiment with or engage in alcohol, drug, and sexual activities is also often increased.
  - Academic challenges: Students are expected to have developed an assertive and efficient learning style, and good study and organizational skills. The transition into high school means entering into an academic environment which assumes that the student can take responsibility for decisions regarding academic tracks and course selection. The pressure of what to do after graduation and for many, college decisions, is also present.

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MALAKI

Saturday, March 12, 2011

How argan oil is made