Connection Between Water and Land Pollution!

What is Water and Land Pollution? Water Pollution is the contamination of streams, lakes, underground water, bays, or oceans by substances harmful to living things. Water is one of the most essential things that pertain to life for all living things. Impure water kills plants and animals. It also causes humans to fall sick and acquire other illnesses like child-birth defects and cancer. Land pollution is similar to that of water. It is the contamination of land with hazardous waste like garbage and other waste materials that don’t belong to the land. These are consumed by plants and animals and then when the next consumer feeds on either the plant or the animal, it plies up and contaminates the body.

FERTILIZERS As the human population grows, more and more planting must be done to sustain them. As a result of these measures have been taken by agriculturalists to maximize the production of foodstuffs. To make sure that they don’t waste their time after they have planted the now produce, they spray them with chemicals to keep rodents away from the crops. They either use pesticides or insecticides to kill and deter weeds, fungi, and rodents. When these chemicals are sprayed on the crops, it sinks into them and the plants grow absorbing them and then when we eat them, we have the chance of falling ill or getting all kinds of illnesses like cancer and birth defects. Some of these pesticides also move through the air and then and inhaled. Because pesticides and insecticides are made to resist rain and some rodents have developed a genetic resistance for these chemicals, farmers use more than they should and it stays in the atmosphere for a longer period of time. Some of these have brought about the devastation and other forms of pollution to the environment. When the topsoil is washed away, it sometimes gets into streams and rivers and causes dirt to get into our drinking water. GARBAGE In some urban areas, they are experiencing a problem with the disposal of garbage and other kinds of waste that can be hazardous to their health such as some solvents (Lead sulfate) and other industrial waste that can get into our drinking streams. So, they dispose of their garbage and another waste where they think is appropriate for them and they get into the drinking streams and the soil, then into the body and they fall sick and some of them even die. Instead of doing this, they could recycle their waste and live in a healthier environment. HEAVY METALS Some heavy metals are copper, lead, mercury, and selenium. They get into water bodies and from industrial waste, car exhaust, mines and from the soil. Also, animals drink from these water bodies and then get contaminated and it gets passed on to us the end consumers. These metals are harmful to the body and when they pile up, contaminate the body and then become poisonous causing sickness or long-term health problems. Taking cadmium into account, it is derived from sewage sludge can be absorbed by crops and it can cause diarrhea and even over time liver and kidney problems. Lead, another poisonous metal, gets into our drinking water from the solder in the water systems and it causes mental retardation in children. HAZARDOUS WASTE These are waste chemicals that are either poisonous, capable of producing explosive or toxic gas, capable of corroding steel or flammable. These wastes always get into our water streams through improper dispose of waste by industries and other companies. In 1969 the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, was so polluted with hazardous wastes that it caught fire and burned.  Factories sometimes turn waterways into open sewers by dumping oils, toxic chemicals, and other harmful industrial wastes into them. In mining and oil-drilling operations, corrosive acid wastes are poured into the water. In recent years, municipal waste treatment plants have been built to contend with water contamination. Some towns, however, still foul streams by pouring raw sewage into them. Septic tanks and cesspools, used where sewers are not available, may also pollute the groundwater and adjacent streams, sometimes with disease-causing organisms. Even the purified effluent from sewage plants can cause water pollution if it contains high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. Farm fertilizers in some regions fill groundwater with nitrates, making the water unfit to drink. Agricultural runoff containing dangerous pesticides and the oil, grime, and chemicals used to melt ice from city streets also pollute waterways.    PESTICIDES AND HERBICIDES Herbicides and pesticides is another major source of pollution. These are the chemicals, such as chlordane and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) used by the farmers to kill unwanted animals on their farms. The animals feed on the plants with the chemicals and then die. Other animals feed on the plants and live. Now, the ones that live get contaminated and then pass the chemicals that have got into their tissues and other parts of their bodies, on to the next consumer. After a time, these chemicals gather or get into our drinking sources, through rainfalls and erosion, and then the water is contaminated. Also, when the chemicals get into the rivers and other sources of life for animals that live in water, they consume the water and then they get contaminated with these chemicals. So then, any consumer who eats the fish also gets affected by the contaminated fish or whatever animal it is. Oxygen levels in the water may drop to such dangerously low levels that oxygen-dependent animals in the water, such as fish, die. This process of depleting oxygen to deadly levels is called eutrophication. Animals of the land that feed on the crops that have been sprayed with the chemicals also get contaminated and the end consumers, which are us human beings, get polluted and affected. These chemicals can cause birth defects and cancer when they get into the body. OIL SPILLS AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS Oils spills are another form of water pollution. Ships that travel by oil and other products derived from oil that are used as fuels, lubricants, plastics, and other purposes, at times spill oil into the sea accidentally. On the French coast, in 1978, the tanker Amoco Cadiz and the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1992 got wrecked. This becomes a think layer on the surface of the water and then prevents oxygen from getting into the water and carbon dioxide from coming out. Because most petroleum products are poisonous, the fish get contaminated with chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Routine and deliberate discharges, when tanks are flushed out with seawater, also add a lot of oil to the oceans. Offshore oil platforms also produce spills: The second largest oil spill on record was in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979 when the Ixtoc1 well spilled 530 million liters (140 million gallons). The largest oil spill ever was the result of an act of war. During the Gulf War of 1991, Iraqi forces destroyed eight tankers and onshore terminals in Kuwait, releasing a record 910 million liters (240 million gallons). An oil spill has its worst effects when the oil slick encounters a shoreline. Oil in coastal waters kills tide pool life and harms birds and marine mammals by causing feathers and fur to lose their natural waterproof quality, which causes the animals to drown or die of cold. Additionally, these animals can become sick or poisoned when they swallow the oil while preening (grooming their feathers or fur).                                                                             Water and land both are connected and easily can be polluted by each other. Both have the chemistry to pollute the environment. Actually, both are parts of environmental pollution.

:)

Subhan Allah ^_^

Learning Resources....

     
   English Live :

• English Quizzes- it contains fun and fast quizzes to practice English skills based upon English Basic, English for Sports, English for Dating, English Exercises, English for Jobs.EBooks- English is full of unique phrases and idioms. It provides essential topics to learn English online like English Interviews, English Grammar, English for Professionals, English Idioms, English Phrases, and English Vocabulary.                                                                                                          

• English Tools- it is easy to lose the motivation of learning a language. There are many free tools which help to get back on track to achieve the English learning goals of learners. It contains Salary Calculator, English Fluency.                                 

• English Tests- these free online English tests are designed to quickly qualify the English reading, writing, listening and speaking fluency of learners. It has EF Set and Online Tests.

      
Glogster : 
       Glogster lets you create online multimedia posters. Combine all kinds of media on one page and create fantastic posters that really tell the story.
  

Virtual Writing Tutor :
       
 The First ESL grammar checker.


  Oxford Online Collocation Dictionary :
A completely new type of dictionary with word collocation that will help students and advanced learners effectively study, write and speak natural-sounding English. This online dictionary is also very helpful for the education of the IELTS, TOEFL test.



Language is a virus :

Cure writer's block with writing prompts, exercises, generators & gizmos.

Freerice.com

Freerice is an ad-supported, charitable and free-to-play onine game website which helps to players to donate 'World Food Programme'(WFP) to the needy. 10 grains will donate for every correctly defined word to the hungry. WFP uses the donations from site to purchase rice locally,  both feeding people in need and stimulating local economies.

 It is a great website for students to improve and enrich their vocabulary. Students at all different learning levels can play successfully.

The fact that the vocabulary is often repeated is a very good way to raise their self-confidence and revise.

Apart from the game factor, raising awareness for problems like hunger and discovering the solution of using the site of freerice.com is a great advantage.

At first, it needs sign up activity to register for users - 

Then users can access it thoroughly. The available subjects include English vocabulary (the original subject with which the game launched), multiplication tables, pre-algebra, chemical symbols (basic and intermediate), English grammar, SAT, foreign language vocabulary for English speakers (French, German, Italian, Latin, and Spanish), human anatomy, geography (flags of the world, world capitals, country identification, and world landmarks), the identification of famous artwork, literature, quotations, and world hunger.

Most students love the competitive aspect. Every week users' total score is updated as how many grains they earned & the mound of rice and recorded it carefully. This website also allows creating groups to track the total donations of group players. Top group scores are displayed on a scoreboard.

                                                                                       

The gaming nature of it is very engaging, especially for self-directed competitive students. It is easy to use. Anytime they can change the subject matter, game level at different languages. The FAQ option includes the recent facts and the rules for users that how can play it and all other information about it. 

   

    

   

This website is connected with several social networks like facebook page, blog, twitter, pinterest and so on.

Freerice donated over 42 billion grains of rice. It gets several awards for outstanding contribution. Monthly count of donated rice makes it trustworthy. Freerice.com is not only fun, but it also helps people. It is a great way to show students how they can be good global citizens. 

Oxford Word Skills....!!

Oxford Word Skills (OWS)

Oxford Word Skills is an English Language Teaching Student’s site of ‘Oxford University Press’ which is the largest university press in the world. In this website, English language teaching and learning resources for teaching English to young learners, teenagers and adults are available.  

Since published so far, Oxford Word Skills’ learners from around the world warmly received and considered it as a textbook and most essential application for the vocabulary development. Many people say that one of the best vocabulary series- an invaluable resource for teachers to help learners to be more confident and learners to practice or confidently use new words.   

Oxford Word Skills is a three level topic-based vocabulary course to learn and practice words, phrases and lexical grammar in context by Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman. Three level series are Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. Oxford Word Skills also provides Basic (Intermediate), Advanced (Idioms and Phrasal verbs), Oxford Learner’s Pocket Word Skills or WORD LIST ( Oxford Learner’s Pocket Phrasal Verbs and Idioms with phonetics and key unit. It improves students’ vocabulary and vocabulary learning skills. To help for improving study skills and vocabulary which used by the school, it consists of many approaches. Short, clear voice, good presentation and lots of opportunity for practice which give students the confidence to use new vocabulary or diction. It contains 80 units; at each level mean they cover a huge range of topics and everyday situations. For example: ‘Choose a unit’ on a right side and ‘Choose a section’ on left side and there is also a NOTEBOOK which includes the word list with oral pronunciation.

Oxford Word Skills presents and practices the words, phrases, and lexical grammar. Students need to listen, speak, read, and write confidently on a wide range of topics and everyday situation. 2,000 words at each level show the meaning and how words work in context. With these key words and plenty of opportunity to practice, students can cover the vocabulary which they need including typical exam topics.

‘I can…’ approach used to each unit so students can easily see learning goal, they can know exactly what they will able to do and why. Units are simple, clear and easy. Students can easily predict the purpose of each unit. For example:

  

Fully integrated skills with interactive listening and speaking activities, pronunciation model for every vocabulary item and it is ideal for users in inside or outside of class to explain the new words with real-life contexts and situations. Easy to use and regular review units allow students check their progress and test longer.

Oxford Word Skills can use for short of time; just 20 minutes or 30 minutes of a lesson. Short explanations and quick practice activities mean minimal preparation.

We can evaluate this student’s site by user friendliness, input sufficiency, interaction with the material, tangibility, motivation or interest, outcomes, and if any other needed.

Vocabulary development rarely fails to be both a popular and necessary part of any language lesson. It is essential for its easily quantifiable and tangible or noticeable nature. 

Furthermore, it needs careful focus and practice but can be revisited as more as necessary. Course books not often have the space for the latter, and consequently there are countless supplementary titles on the market and the web to give students an endless supply of vocabulary practice exercises and games. 

Teachers invariably have a part of repertoire of vocabulary activities for warmers in classroom. It is especially user-friendly because if the class has a ‘vocabulary box’ of recently covered words then teachers can relax and students can learn with their range.

However, whereas we can easily count the number of words we work on, it is far less easy to quantify those which students can use effectively and accurately. 

This is where Oxford Word Skills comes very effective in, not only presenting and practicing new words in meaningful contexts but also taking vocabulary development further in many directions: words within (semi-) fixed phrases, collocations, formal and informal use, abbreviations, verb patterns, confusing words, lexical grammar and so on. None of these aspects is new, but see them coherently incorporated on every page of these materials with the bigger picture enables to teach students much more easily. And this is the start but it is a minefield because in these materials, students are given extremely clear navigational tools which are regular. 

80 units and each unit are containing one or two exercises relating to the target vocabulary. Answers for the exercises of both individual and review units are at the back. Vocabulary building tables, a glossary of all words focused on at that level (pronunciation and word stress for every item). At each level, the starter unit gives tips on using the materials and strategies for effective vocabulary learning. All sections would provide learners with a wealth of invaluable language and strategies for general language.

Each level has an interactive software helps train: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Grammar and English presentations easily and efficiently. That’s why students will have to access more to gain huge amount of knowledge.

At different levels, the vocabulary includes:

•     A wide range of topics, e.g. behavior, competitive sport, medical advances
•     A range of concepts, e.g. problems and solutions, truths and lies, old and new
•     Different fields of academic English, e.g. literature, science, technical English
•     An increased focus on different styles of English, e.g. informal English, newspaper journalism, formal letters
•     A wide range of idiomatic expressions, with a particular focus on figurative uses of language
•     Various aspects of language, e.g. compounds, discourse markers, prepositional phrases

 The series includes almost all of the words in the Oxford Word Skills which words teachers and students should prioritize in their teaching and learning. This is based on frequency and usefulness to learners.

In addition, we can say that the software of Oxford Word Skills mainly generates for advance learners’ who have fundamental foundation of implementing English Language in the real life, looking like the tool ‘EverWrite’. There is plenty of practice opportunity incorporated in this tool; which I’ve described before following inductive approach supporting to increase vocabulary among learners.

It is easy and accessible flash software not to think for installation rather works as storage device. Teachers and students can easily practice this one for sustaining their teaching and learning. Including 80 units with 12 segments represent diversification of learning such as Expanding Your vocabulary, The body, You and other people, Leisure and life Style, A changing of world, Institutions, News and current affairs, Work and finance, Concepts, Spoken English, Written English, and Aspects of languages. The existing exercises have connected with audio clips supports learners doing works painstakingly. 

Through listening can learn how to pronounce vocabulary appropriately. When they complete first step of the exercises, the next step will be little harder than previous one. 

The interesting things are found in this software that exercises have options to chance the leaner to try exercise two times. The incorrect answer is showed to instruct try again. After successfully completing the exercises learners will forward to step for next exercise.  

Different types of professionals can use this tool. We can call it is a tool of (English for Specific Purpose) ESP People working at finance use finance related vocabulary. Vygotskys’ Scaffolding theory is connected with this tool because when learners want support from this tool to used vocabulary it helps them. In the light of practicing options demonstrate Stephen Krashens’ Affective Filter Hypothesis. Learners feel free to practice without interfering others.

The grammatical items like prefix, suffix, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and prepositional phrases, and euphemisms are introduced in this tool to be skilled among learners and teachers.

 In conclusion, it can be said that getting this tool creates language learning enthusiastically who have really devotion of education.

Key-Facts:

Manufacturer- Oxford University Press

Author- Ruth Gairns & Stuart Redman

Format- DVD-ROM

File type- PDF and interactive software

Language- English

Number of series: 3

Ta Da it's 'TED-Ed'!

TED-Ed:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED-Ed, TED’s youth and education initiative, is an online library of short, award winning animated videos about ideas that spark the curiosity of learners and also celebrate the ideas of teachers everywhere. This is a free educational and interdisciplinary global website which contains creating lessons worth sharing. The approach to education is an extension of TED-Ed’s mission of spreading ideas about art, music, science, technology, literature, language, mathematics, social studies and several things.

  

TED-Ed needs sign up activity to create a new account (as teacher or learner or other) even user can sign up with ‘Facebook’ also.

After that, users can access the whole website and also can assess the lesson plans, materials and exercises of other peoples. They have the options of watch, think, dig deeper, discuss and throughout the process they have enriched by the particular idea. Moreover, they can customize this lesson by creating and sharing a new lesson based on this one. Mainly, TED-Ed does teaching and education, thinking and learning.

                                

                                                                                                                                       

TED-Ed for English:

TED-Ed uses engaging videos to create customized lessons on language learning for English language, literature from which learners can autonomously improve their English at home. There are more than 1,400 official TED talks on the website, offering high quality and engaging practice for English language. It can help students improve, not only their listening skills, but also their pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and writing.

Some TED talks can help English language learners in a various ways.

Talks about language- some TED talks are given by linguistics and language teachers. TED talks feature content that can increase English language knowledge and teach more about linguistics.

Simply listening- it is helpful for improving the vocabulary, comprehension and pronunciation skills by simply listening to a native English speaker.

TED transcripts- transcripts are available with TED talks so learners can read along with the spoken word. They can easily understand what’s being said and also can learn the spelling of the word.

For English learners, the coolest thing is that all presentations are in English or with English subtitles and they are free and available to anybody with internet connection. One of the best learning tools for ESL students. It gives the golden opportunity not only to develop the English language, but also to improve the quality of information, entertainment and revolutionize the life. It also helps to expand the perception of whole world. 

  Five great talks for English learning-

·         James Geary: Metaphorically Speaking

·         Tim Doner: Breaking the Language Barrier

·         Erin McKean: Go Ahead, Make Up New Words!

·         Jean-Baptise Michel & Erez Lieberman Aiden: What we Learned from 5 Million  Books

·        Stephen Burt: Why People Need Poetry

  How to Make English A Part of Your Life:

  There are several links of funniest videos for English teachers and learners-

•  The World’s English Mania (Jay Walker) -4:34
• Schools Kill Creativity (Ken Robinson) -19:29
•  The Linguistic Genius of Babies (Patricia Kuhl) -10:18
• What Our Language Habits Reveal (Steven Pinker)
• www.fluentin3months.com.
•  Dreams From Endangered Cultures (Wade Davis) -22:05
•  Smash Fear, Learn Anything (Tim Ferris) -16:21
•  Don’t Insist on English! (Patricia Ryan) -10:35
•  Txting is killing language. JK!!! (John McWhorter) -13:48
• The Joy of Lexicography (Erin McKean) -15:54
•  Massive-Scale Online Collaboration (Luis von Ahn) -16:04
• Greatly improve your English with Duolingo
•  Metaphorically Speaking (James Geary) -9:30 

  Challenges for Teachers in the Classroom:

Teachers have to provide latest ideas or thinking and they can build a better school or classroom by reinventing the education. But they have more challenges too. For instance, they have to explore regularly the TED-Ed’s growing library of educational resources. There are several Ted Books also and they should know the every tiny detail about TED to face the classroom. There has an online blog site where teacher can communicate with students or learners and also can provide the own materials or exercises. There has options to create own lessons or change others’ lessons. Teacher can use it, tweak it or completely redo any lesson featured on TED-Ed. So, teachers should be more attentive and also should aware of the idea of the lesson in front of class. Teacher might face the problem of less interaction between teacher and students, students and students in the classroom.

For instance, I have learnt about a new topic ‘Epigenetics’ from TED-Ed and it is an awesome feature; by going through it I have gathered some new information & experiences.

Finally can say that TED has an ocean of spectacular information that will transform the way we look at the world, and if possible then we can see that also why their slogan is “Ideas worth Spreading.”