Major Problems in American History to 1877 Essay

Major Problems in American History Volume I: to 1877; 3rd ed. Chapter 2: The Southern Colonies in British America Introduction * April 26, 1907 – group of ships bearing 128 men sailed into the Chesapeake Bay; began the settlement of Jamestown --ââ€" ºfirst successful plantation in the Americas * English had attempted to establish colonies in locations as varied as present-day Maine and Virginia --ââ€" ºbut all had failed * Colony’s early years were horrific * Colonists were more interested in finding precious metals than feeding themselves * They encountered a variety of new diseases in the swampland in Jamestown * Many were gentlemen who felt it below their stations to clear fields or build stockades (barriers) *†¦show more content†¦Document 2 – Indentured Servant Richard Frethorne Laments His Condition in Virginia, 1623 * Document 2 indicates life of an English indentured servant could be difficult. In this letter to his parents, Richard Frethorne recounts the trials of the living in the 17th century Virginia and pleads to return to England. * Like many young men hoping for new opportunities in the colonies, Richard Frethorne agreed to workShow MoreRelated U.S. History 1877-1933 Essay1028 Words   |  5 Pagesquot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;-Arnold Toynbee, A Study of History nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The above statement is one that seems to be very true when looking back upon the history of the United States. From the years 1877 to 1933, this country went through many changes and transitions in the areas of politics, economy, society, and culture, which resulted in the birth of a new nation. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The period from 1877 to 1901 in American history was known as the Gilded Age, it was titled soRead MorePrimary Source Anaylsis George Alsop765 Words   |  3 Pagesgiven the â€Å"Priviledge†5 of spending three hours a day within the plantations house during the warmest summer months, something that Frethorne was denied as they were forced to â€Å"Work hard both early and late†6 for little reward. The lack of Native American hostilities experienced by Alsop will also have been a contributing factor for his more positive experience of indentured servitude. By 1666, the Seven Years war had been concluded for three years and whilst tensions between the British and NativesRead MoreThe Long Journey Of African Americans1176 Words   |  5 PagesAfrican American has a long history since the time of the slavery in the United States of America. There has been a timeline on how the changes have occurred in political, education, social and economic deve lopment of the black Americans. The black people were despised because of their skin color leading to lack of development on their part. They were denied their rights until the late 20th century when their fight for recognition brought the much anticipated results. These changes have gone untilRead MoreThe History of Labor Unions Essay1241 Words   |  5 Pagesimpact on labor. By believing in the producerist ideology, people would be staying with tradition, and that leaves no change for our world. Many laborers wanted change, which led to problems for the laborers. During the latter part of the 19th century, many laborers faced numerous problems. Some of these problems included, â€Å"mechanization of industry, emergence of giant corporations, nationalization of labor, public sentiment greatly admired the ‘Captains of Industry,’ and immigration† (Farless)Read MoreThe Endurance Of The Human Spirit Essay1364 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican American Endurance Bernard Kenan Ashford University HIS206: United States History II Betsy Anderson 10/31/2016 The endurance of the human spirit is always able to be seen through the eyes of the less fortunate. Not to discredit any other race or say that any race is superior to any other, however the enduring spirit of African Americans could be seen during the 1800’s and still can be seen shining brightly today. When one thinks of endurance, one tends to think about sustainabilityRead MoreEssay On Connecting The Present And The Past708 Words   |  3 Pageslower class that a minority control the majority of the wealth in the nation. The richest 1% of the U.S. total population own a total of one-third of the U.S. net worth. From an economist’s perspective, one can see the gradual trends which got the American people to this point. The U.S. economy saw a boom during Bill Clinton’s era from 1993-2000. Average U.S. incomes went up on average 4%, but the rich experienced a much larger increase of 10.3%. The rich accounted for nearly half, 45%, of all theRead MoreReconstruct ion Of The Civil War1365 Words   |  6 Pagesstates back into the Union. The victory in the Civil War has granted four million slaves their freedom. After the Civil War, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments help protect the freedom of African Americans. They were granted the right to vote, obtain land from former owners, develop their own employment, use public facilities, and participate in political actions. Life changed dramatically for these free slaves. Most importantly, they no longerRead MoreEssay about Change and Continuity in the Guilded Age1194 Words   |  5 PagesContinuity in the Gilded Age Emergence of Modern America nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; â€Å"Every day things change, but basically they stay the same.†-Dave Matthews Change and continuity are two major principles of life. They can easily be applied to history because their application accurately portrays the circumstances, and characterizes the era of interest. Merriam-Webster defines continuity as an uninterrupted connection, succession, or union, or an uninterrupted durationRead Morereserchpaper817 Words   |  4 Pagessystem created new forms of freedom. Between 1880 and 1900 an average of 35,000 workers perished each year in factory and mine accidents, the highest rate in the industrial world. Class divisions became more and more visible. Many of the withiest Americans consciously pursued an aristocratic lifestyle. The working class lived in desperate conditions. How was the west transformed economically and socially in this period? Let me be a free man†¦ the chief joseph spoke of freedom before a distinguishedRead More Thomas Edison Essay1443 Words   |  6 Pages Thomas Alva Edison is considered one of the greatest inventors in history. He was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847 and died in 1931. During his life he patented 1,093 inventions. Many of these inventions are in use today and changed the world forever. Some of his inventions include telegraphy, phonography, electric lighting and photography. His most famous inventions were the phonograph and the incandescent light bulb. Edison did some of his greatest work at Menlo Park. While experimenting

The Power of a Man and His Gun Essay - 2756 Words

The Power of a Man and His Gun An Inside look at Robert Wright’s Dave Saunders and America’s Love of Guns New England College of Business and Finance â€Å"The Man Who was Almost a Man† written by Robert Wright, is a fictional story in which we focus on the main character Dave Saunders. Dave is a seventeen year old African American living in a time of racial oppression. When we meet Dave, we learn of his struggles with some fellow field workers and desires more respect as a man. Believing that possession of a firearm will earn him the respect he thinks he deserves, Dave decides to buy a gun. In this story, Wright has created Dave to be facing multiple struggles against the white man. In the story’s setting,†¦show more content†¦The gun debate continues to raise eyebrows in America. And the main question is; why do American’s love guns? As always, there are two sides to every debate. In the expansive country that we live in, it’s quite understandable that there are going to be many different cultures and backgrounds in the mix. The debate over guns is no different. An example of these different views came into play debate between Representatives in 2000 between Adam Schiff (D. California) and Brad Carson(D. Oklahoma.) Both were asked a question about the gun issue in America, there responses were: Schiff: ‘When people think about guns, it’s not so much about hunting or self-protection, it’s more about gang violence and drive-by shootings, about someone going into a day-care center in Granada Hills and shooting a bunch of kids, or going into a school in Stockton and shooting kids,† Schiff said. Carson: ‘In my home district, when people think about guns, it’s also not that much about hunting or self-protection. It’s about Lexington and Concord.’ This simple point of view shows how America sees guns differently. In Schiff’s point, he sees them as causing harm and pain for unjust reasons. Carson sees guns as a point of defense, pride and part of American heritage. In today’s age we are constantly seeing violence on television. FromShow MoreRelated Man Who Was Almost a Man Essay653 Words   |  3 Pages What does it mean to be a man? How does one qualify for the title? Is the term man simply referring to male human beings, or does it hold a greater measure of meaning in society. In order to get more insight into this subject matter, I consulted, The Tormont Websters Encyclopedic Dictionary. As I anticipated, the first definition for man stated as following: An adult human being as distinguished from a female. This definition, did not surprise me, but what did ,was what followed it , itRead MoreThe Man Who Was Almost A Man Character Analysis1496 Words   |  6 Pagesof good fiction would be â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man† by Richard Wright. Wright’s main character Dave possesses the three necessities that would make him a convincing character where Dave’s behavior is consistent, his words and actions spring from motivation, and he is a character who you would believe is real. â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man† by Richard Wright is a story about a young boy who wants to become a man and believes that if you have a gun you are a man. Dave, the young boy, is a characterRead MoreThe Man Who Was Almost A Man947 Words   |  4 PagesThe Man Who Was Almost a Man Wright’s Story, â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man† is a unique story of a man who is perpetually stuck in a state of juvenoia. Wright’s story is a more interesting one where we have a character that is underdeveloped socially, intellectually, and emotionally. Dave Sanders, â€Å"this man-child†, searches for his identity in the South as a sharecropper, an economic situation that erases personal identity through impoverishment. Dave, an uneducated and immature child sharecroppingRead MoreThe Man Who Was Almost A Man Analysis784 Words   |  4 Pagesadults because they see adults as people with power and people who are respected, while teenagers feel like no one respects them or takes their opinions seriously. These teenagers dream to become adults, but due to their lack of responsibility and thinking about their actions becoming adults becomes increasingly difficult and while reaching adulthood they struggle greatly. In â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Ma n† by Richard Wright the author presents the power and respect that many teenagers dream to achieveRead MoreComing of Age in The Man Who was Almost a Man by Richard White Dave562 Words   |  3 PagesThe Man Who Was Almost a Man What does it mean for someone to become a man? How does one get the key or password to becoming a man? Some believe that becoming a man is just referring to a coming of age, and it somewhat is, however there is more. In the short story â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man† by Richard white, Dave, the main character is a young boy trying to become a man and is searching for the key. However, there are certain ways to do things in society, and there are ways to not, and bothRead MoreTax Proposal Analysis1134 Words   |  5 Pagesincome families. It will bring down corporate tax rates. It will modernize the international tax system. â€Å"Its a great day in moving in the right direction for middle income tax cuts,† says Steve Mnuchin. Amendment 16 talks about how Congress has power to collect tax on incomes. They can collect tax from anywhere the money was made without giving it to other states. This article connects to the Sixteenth Amendment because Amendment 16 says that Congress can apply a income tax and the Senate is writingRead More A Feminist Reading of The Last of the Mohicans Essay979 Words   |  4 PagesLa Longue Carabine by his enemies.   The scout symbolizes the greatest male power in the novel, and he is therefore the greatest protector of the women as well.    As the size of the weapons of the other characters decreases, so too does their generative power.   Only slightly shorter than the scout in weapon length are Uncas and Chingachgook, who, while carrying knives, also brandish long hunting rifles. Uncas is the closest to the scout in length, for he carries his former rifle-hearing aRead More An Analysis of Poems 585 and 754 Essay992 Words   |  4 Pagesbrings to life two inanimate objects, a train and a gun, both of which perform actions that are useful to man. Though these items cannot act on their own, Dickinson’s diction provides them with their own movements, characteristics, and feelings. In poem 585, a train’s daily journey is given a meaning beyond that of a cold, iron machine when Dickinson describes its animal qualities to show its strength, stubbornness, and perseverance. In poem 754, a gun is portrayed as a protective, devoted servant. InRead MoreThe Desert Is No Place For A Man And Cormac Mccarthy1256 Words   |  6 PagesThe desert is no place for a man and Cormac McCarthy makes that perfectly clear from the onset of Blood Meridian. At first, it’s hard to tell which will be more desolate and brutal: the environment or the men that traverse it. However, McCarthy initially seems to establish that unbridled nature will triumph over man every time regardless of the circumstance. If nature is God, then man is hopeless to stand against it. Yet McCarthy makes an important distinction between nature as it exists in the wildRead MoreSummary Of Richard Wright s The Of The Man Who Was Almost A Man 1031 Words   |  5 Pages224 10 November 2015 The Struggle to Manhood In the world of â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man†, Dave is the seventeen year old main character and narrator of Richard Wright’s short story. Dave is an African American sharecropper who lives with his family on a white plantation owner’s land. Set in the Jim Crow South, independence is a trait that not many Americans possess. Under Jim Crow laws, the status of an African American man is undermined. It is humiliating to many of the men it affects because

Coconut free essay sample

Hair, skin, eyes, the nose, or whatever else parts of the body are all used to portray a site of struggle in the novel â€Å"Coconut† by Kopano Matlwa. It is clear that identity is used in coherence with appearance. As detailed in the novel we as mere humans judge each other on the surface based merely on skin colour or even the accents we use when speaking. This causes the need for a change of appearance by the two main characters we encounter throughout this novel, namely Ofilwe and Fikile. Both characters, especially Fikile, in some way try to deny their heritage and focus on using the English language or changing their appearance in order to acquire a greater sense of superiority. During this essay I will be focussing on the need for a change of appearance associated with the pursuit of a more superior and successful self. According to the article â€Å"Identity and the Body†, by Susie O’Brien and ImreSzeman, we can identify two points of view concerning identity. From an essentialist theoretical perspective identity can be seen as â€Å"a fundamental, unchanging core of meaning that precedes and transcends culture and politics† (O’Brien and Szeman, 2010: 184). The novel â€Å"Coconut† however is rather focussing on the social constructivist theory that attempts to â€Å"emphasize the cultural and political circumstances in which identities are produced† (O’Brien and Szeman, 2010: 184). This article continues to portray the â€Å"categories of gender, sexual orientation and race as markers of identity and social power† (O’Brien and Szeman, 2010: 185). However during the novel the human body is used to represent the same idea by describing how a change in appearance can be thought to acquire greater social power and superiority. Hair comes through as a powerful image describing the struggle between suppression and superiority. On the first page of the novel Ofilwe is describing a little black girl’s braids by using adjectives such as plastic, shiny and cheap (Matlwa, 2012: 1). This immediately demotes the black girl’s character as being inferior. In contrast a white girl named Kate Jones is said by Ofilwe to have â€Å"the most beautiful hair I had ever seen† (Matlwa, 012: 1). This places Kate Jones on a more socially powerful level than her non-white peers. It is even stated that some of the black girls would even do Kate favours just to experience a touch of her hair. With this idea in her subconscious, Ofilwe prefers to endure the pain of straightening her hair just to get rid of every last curl. This is of course done in an attempt to have straight hair like her white peers, thus placing them on a higher socially powerful level than herself. The pain encountered during the straightening of her hair is also emphasised by the repetition â€Å"Burn. Burning. Burnt. † (Matlwa, 2012: 3). In the second part of the novel we find that Fikile has caramel-blonde hair extensions. This, in coherence with her Lemon Light skin-lightener cream, sunscreen, eyeliner, mascara, eye-shadow, etc. (Matlwa, 2012: 117) shows how Fikile is willing to change her identity to obtain a greater sense of whiteness, which she associates with success and wealth. This assumption is also emphasised where Mrs Zola asks Fikile what she wants to be when she grows up. Fikile replies with the answer â€Å"White† (Matlwa, 2012: 135). Fikile also describes her emerald green contact lenses as being her most expensive possession (Matlwa, 2012: 117). In this sense we find Fikile going to the extent of changing her eye colour to modify her appearance and move closer towards a greater sense of whiteness. So in effect when looking into a mirror she will see a brown girl with green eyes moving closer to what she calls â€Å"Project Infinity†. By wearing the contact lenses Fikile is also literally altering her view on life. But what I found particularly interesting is the possible reasoning of why the contact lenses she uses is specifically green. Earlier in the novel Ofilwe states that her favourite colour is green (Matlwa, 2012: 55). From page 32 onwards we also encounter the story of the Green Apples and the Pears. Here the Green Apples are associated with being white and the Pears with being black. Now the colour green is usually associated with the idea of new life and new beginning, but the colour green is also associated with the emotion of jealousy. So here we have three examples in the novel of the colour green as being a symbol of having a white skin and being successful. Thus we can extrapolate that Kopano Matlwa probably wants to showcase the jealousy towards whiteness underlying in the characters’ subconscious during the era that the novel is set. A more obvious way of portraying the body as a site of struggle is by using the idea of skin colour. Ofilwe describes her future children as having â€Å"Colgate smiles† and being â€Å"painted in shades of pink† (Matlwa, 2012: 19). This again shows her tendency to associate a lighter or different skin colour with success. Also we encounter the phrases â€Å"Stop acting black! Stop acting black! † (Matlwa, 2012: 31). This passage further echoes the idea of inferiority associated with a black skin. Next the story Tshepo told Ofilwe about the Green Apples and Pears ties in with the image of a difference in skin colour (Matlwa, 2012: 32-37). As mentioned above the story describes the Green Apples as being associated with being white and the Pears as being black. The idea of a traitor Pear is also introduced. This traitor Pear denies the fact that it is a Pear and attempts to associate itself with the Green Apples. In this figurative sense we can associate Fikile as being a traitor Pear. This can be said as she constantly denies her heritage and culture, refuses to speak her home language and endlessly alters her appearance in a desire of being white. This point can further be proven by looking at the part where Fikile makes the statement: â€Å"I am not one of you. You are poor and black and I am rich and brown† (Matlwa, 2012: 140). Tshepo basically calls Ofilwe a traitor Pear during the extract â€Å"you are not one of their own. Then you will turn back, but there too you will find no acceptance, for those you have once rejected will no longer recognise the thing you have become. † (Matlwa, 2012: 93). This extract follows the scene where Tshepo saw all the posters on Ofilwe’s wall and realised that all the people she admires are white (Matlwa, 2012: 91-93). Thus he feels that she is betraying her culture and denying her heritage. According to Tshepo Ofilwe is denying her true identity. â€Å"being black presents an untenable choice: become fully human by identifying with what you are not and never can be, or be your â€Å"self†- in effect a non-self, defined only by difference and negation. † (O’Brien and Szeman, 2010: 190). I found that this extract in the article â€Å"Identity and the Body† ties in with the above mentioned denying of the true self. Now although language does not fall under the â€Å"body† category it does form a strong connection with skin colour. The English language does come forth as a dominating language being associated with white people and is described as â€Å"the one that spoke of sweet success† (Matlwa, 2012: 54). This idea of the English language being associated with whiteness is used in contrast during the extract where Ofilwe does not tell her mom about the parents evening at school. This is because she is too embarrassed by her mom, because, according to her, her mother’s English is ghastly (Matlwa, 2012: 51). The next paragraph in the novel however starts off by Ofilwe describing her mother as being beautiful, having a soft metallic blue-black skin colour. Through the above mentioned we can see that Ofilwe is not deliberately being offensive by not letting her mom know about the parents evening. Instead it shows the underlying idea in her subconscious of the dominating position of English being in connection to whiteness and being associated with success and superiority. Ofilwe continues by referring to English as being â€Å"the TV language† (Matlwa, 2012: 54). She also sees her dad as being successful and notes that English is also the language he uses at work (Matlwa, 2012: 54). Both of the last mentioned views from Ofilwe’s perspective further support her idea of English being associated with success. The head as a symbol of struggle comes through in the passage containing the phrase â€Å"I need to spring clean my head† (Matlwa, 2012: 177). Here Fikile is basically admitting to having a fragmented psyche. She chooses to ignore the truth that she is rejecting her true identity and also chooses not to face her thoughts. This idea is also portrayed in the final scene where she walks away while in mid-conversation with the man on the train. After describing his fear that his daughter will never speak her home language she just walked away without even greeting him. This shows that Fikile is running away from the truth. She even refers to the township (the same township she despises and sees as a symbol of poverty and lost opportunities) as being â€Å"home† (Matlwa, 2012: 190). In conclusion we have now seen many examples used by Kopano Matlwa of the body being a site of struggle. I find the change in identity a sad result of the pursuit for superiority. Both Ofilwe and Fikile undergo this change in identity and denial of the true self with different mind sets. I feel that Fikile deliberately denies her true identity as she is jealous of the success that white people have gained according to her perspective. From my take on the novel I find that Ofilwe approaches the change in identity (or denying of true identity) as a result of being bombarded by media and growing up in a well-off environment. Both Ofilwe and Fikile have, in their own ways, undergone transformation with the end result of becoming traitor Pears.

Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy Essay Example

Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy Essay IntroductionThere are many students today faced with the challenge of reading their books or even understanding what they read. This makes the students experience difficulties in understanding most of their subjects in school like mathematics, science and others as they are also guided by the reading skills (Corporation, 2010). This is evident due to the low grade student’s score, and this puts the various institutions, like schools and districts in a bad state of affairs. This is because the various professionals taking care of students are not proud with what they do as the result of their work is never pleasing, and may attract criticism. Most affected students lack proficiency and their reading skills are unusually low requiring help from all quarters. The schools, therefore, must continue to encourage their students to be responsible and continue exercising how to read and write properly if they are to be successful in the various professions later in life. However, the s uccess of students cannot be left to schools only and should continue outside the facilities with everyone in the student’s life putting an effort to encourage and motivate them (Berman, 2009). Adolescents should, therefore, be encouraged to continue with their studies as the numbers of illiterates increasing as compared to other countries and poverty levels. Schools and districts should be in the frontline when such issues are to be dealt with, and better policies developed to cater for the various challenges faced. People may have different explanations of why more than a third of the American adolescent students rate poorly in their literacy levels. This paper will try to focus on what the different schools and districts can do if they are to improve the literacy level of adolescent in the different communities. We will write a custom essay sample on Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Schools and Districts Support for Adolescent Literacy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Adolescent LiteracyAdolescence literacy is all about how well the adolescent can read instructions mainly in grades four to twelve. This is a very crucial stage and most district policy makers and institutions need to concentrate on how they can save their students. Most of the students in the lower grades have been taught how to read, but this is not encouraged in the higher grades as the students are taught how they can concentrate on the various subjects and pass their exams (Ehren, 2009). The switch from learning how to read to reading to learn is a challenge to many students as there is no much concentration in this area by the teachers. This is why most institutions should put more efforts in the adolescent students. Most students in the higher grades are said to be able to read, but comprehending or processing the information has been a problem. The schools are, therefore, mandated to change the way through which they teach so that the shift can be smooth (Marchand-Martella et al., 2013). You can easily at our website with professional writing guidelines from experts. The US is facing challenges in the area of literacy with other countries performing better like the Koreans, Greece, Brazilians and others. The level has increased since 1992 and in 2007, only thirty one percent of those assessed for proficiency levels in the eight-grade performed. Additionally, twenty four percent of those assessed in the twelfth grade in writing skills scored above proficiency. This shows that the issue has affected the US in a big way, and there must be stiff interventions to rescue the US adolescent students from the menace (Berman, 2009). Moreover, adolescent from the rich families have been found to perform well as compared to poor families and mostly the white perform better that the African American or other groups in the US. This is because these families are able to take their kids to better schools or hire coaches who are able to take personalized care to the students. On the other hand, there are students that are fast learners while others are slow, whic h makes it difficult for the switch. Another problem that has led to poor literacy of the adolescent is the preparedness of workers or the teachers (Marchand-Martella et al., 2013). Most of the workforce in schools is relaxed as they expect the students from lower grades to have received the required information thereby expecting the students to be educated. Some teachers always instruct according to what they understand or how they were taught thinking that they are doing the right thing. This is a problem because there are different changes that have taken place around them like technology, which requires better preparation if the students are to understand better. The problem of literacy continues to college levels, and some students are required to take some remedial courses because of their poor skills. These are some of the challenges that are hindering adolescents from gaining the required knowledge vital for their future development (Berman, 2009). Areas Where Adolescent Need To Be EducatedWord studyThis is a type of literacy where the students are required to develop skills that enable them identify some words and become proficient while reading the words (Corporation, 2010). They also learn some common words which make it easier to understand and read these words. Learning of the skill is important as it helps students’ memorize many words which is vital for their learning experience, and understanding the meaning of these words. Schools at this level should teach the students the various strategies of breaking some of the words into parts so that it becomes easier for the students (Marchand-Martella et al., 2013). Some of the strategies that may be adopted here are like breaking the words into syllable types that make it easier to read. The words become easier for students to decode and it is important to those in middle and high school levels. The schools must, therefore, concentrate on teaching their students this s kill as it makes it unproblematic to understand the meaning of the various words. FluencyMost students practice being fluent in their reading, which means that they must possess the ability to quickly, accurately and properly read the various contents availed to them. This skill is fundamental as when the students are able to read fluently; the issue of understanding the content is somehow eliminated (Ehren, 2009). This is because most of their time is not spent on decoding words or trying to read but understanding what words they read means. Teachers and the various institutions, like schools and district facilities, should concentrate on guiding the students through various techniques of becoming fluent in their reading, like repeated reading that make them decode words easily. Repeated reading means that students are encouraged to read the same material several times, but the vocabulary level should be in line with the level of study. In so doing, the students later learn new vocabularies and avoid struggling with becoming fluent, therefore, succeeding due to t he continuous reading. MotivationMost of the students struggling with learning the various skills lack motivation from teachers or those around them (Marchand-Martella et al., 2013). This is crucial as most students are encouraged and become skilled learners developing their various skills and strategies. On the other hand, those struggling with reading various vocabularies may become challenging if they are not encouraged as they may feel dumb or unwanted and may think that they will never make it. In this area, teachers should encourage the student to read some content or use some of the materials that are intriguing to the students like story books or short novels (Ehren, 2009). To add to this, teachers should interact with students directly or encourage them to enter the different social groups that are essential in encouraging them to continue reading or improve their reading. This is a soft way of encouraging students to continue their reading and thereby becoming literate as compared to other strate gies. It is also not left to teachers only and can be done by other people in the society as there are no vital skills required. This should also be used together with other strategies as motivation may never work alone (Pitcher et al., 2010). Improving Adolescence LiteracyThe daily running of educational institutions is left to those fully experienced in the systems, and the policy makers have a limited role in this process (Pitcher et al., 2010). However, this does not mean that they are never involved in the running process as they are concerned with policy making process that is vital in ensuring the correct practices are adopted. These policy makers ensure that they enact laws and that they are well implemented. This is mostly undertaken at the various districts levels because the authorities are also concerned with the illiterate levels of their adolescent students (Berman, 2009). One of the ways that literacy among adolescents can be improved is through the avoidance of inoculation strategy where reading is only taught to younger children (Corporation, 2010 and Alexandria, 2006). The departure from this strategy may help all the people from the different levels, like the slow learners, who can be helped to learn the skills of reading even during the later grade levels. Although the skills learnt up to the fourth grade are indispensable for the development of the student later, they are not enough and should continue as various things are changing in the environment (Weldon, 2010). This is because the various studies have shown that there must be a follow up if the adolescent students are to perform better around the world (Berman, 2009). Secondly, institutions should encourage other teachers from different departments to help the students in the various fields even if the subjects are out of their field (Pitcher et al., 2010). This is because those in fields like sciences, mathematics or others concentrate too much on what they are doing and some of them may have helped in improving the conditions of the students in becoming more literate. They might help in encouraging students to read whenever there is a reading to be done in their lessons, or motivate them to put more effort in reading different materials (Corporation, 2010). Many teachers may be resistance in diversifying their lessons to different fields, like literacy, due to the specific time they have. The various districts should encourage this strategy as it is vital for the growth of the kid as a whole. Some of the districts have adopted the strategy and policy makers should create laws that encourage this kind of behavior although they may face some resis tance. Some say that they have extremely limited time to cover the syllabus while others say that they are not qualified in any other area. In addition, the various policy makers should continue making laws and policies that are vital in developing the literacy skills of the adolescent students (Morrell, 2010). These are like training literacy coaches that would help the teachers in impacting the reading skills into the students (Ehren, 2009). This is because the teachers are always in a hurry to follow what is in the curriculum, and some coaches from outside may increase the level of material read by the students per year, which is an admirable thing in ensuring that the students are well prepared to join other levels of education where the skill is little taught but widely used. There are those who join the colleges, and after they are given a lot of work to read, they become shocked because they are not used to such large contents. It is, therefore, important that the coaches encourage the pupils to continue reading as this will improve their literacy and they will find learning easier at their later stages in school (Weldon, 2010). Moreover, there should be proper development of the teaching profession so that it becomes compulsive and hence maintain teachers in class. This is because there are many teachers leaving the profession and joining others that are less cumbersome and engaging (Corporation, 2010). There should be better pay to the teachers and encourage them to work overtime with best packages. On the other hand, teachers joining the different colleges should be well qualified so that the quality of trained teachers is high and competitive enough with other professions. This will ensure that the outcome in class is attractive, and people can be well taught to match or even be better than those in other countries (Alexandria, 2006). Finally, all the people in the districts must fully support the various programs as they are very essential for the growth of the adolescent. The support may be through monetary and other areas which make it possible for schools and other education institutions function smoothly. The other supports may be like development of various plans required in making the school function and there should be summits and meetings developed to create awareness to the different parties concerned (Corporation, 2010). This would make every party aware of the problems in details and how they can help to handle them at different levels and places. The community is also encouraged to motivate their adolescent student to read widely and join social groups, which would make them courageous to read and talk in public. These strategies may help the adolescent grow their literacy levels and become students who are able to read and learn and not those learning to read (Berman, 2009). Case studyHopkins West Junior HighOver the years, there has been a significant development experienced in this school due to its visionary leaders. There are many students in the school from the 7th grade to the 9th grade. There are about eighty three percent White students, eight percent Black students and the others occupying the nine percent. Over the years, there has been a wide gap experienced between the literacy performance of the students due to poverty or color. Most Blacks always dragged behind their white counterparts, and the administration had to look for solutions. This portrayed a poor image and the management looked for ways to change it quickly. In the first place, they were to involve all the kids indiscriminately and infuse it into their culture. This encouraged the teachers as they developed these skills benefiting the kids in a big way. This became one of the strategies adopted by the school and was able to harmonize the results by improving the condition of the Blacks and the poor kids Carnegie (Corporation, 2010). ConclusionIt is evident that schools and districts can play a major role in improving the literacy level of adolescents in the US and around the world in general. This is because there are many different areas requiring changes, and the US adolescent students need to move up and be leaders. This calls for the establishment of laws and policies in the various districts aimed at making it mandatory for the changes to take effect. The schools are one of the institutions that a big part of these policies to be adopted. This is because students here learn the various skills and are guided to be analytical and able to decode the various messages. It is, therefore, very important that the teachers adopt new strategies of dealing with the student and those teaching different lessons involved also. Reading is vital for the students as it shows how ready they are to move to the different levels of education as the higher levels may need the skills. This should continue at higher levels to make it easy for the student change to read to learn state which is highly required. The whole community must try and play their role in ensuring that all students are taught accordingly. Do you still need professional research paper writing help on this topic? Are you read to pay for a custom paper? ^