WHY DOGS EAT GRASS?

Sambalpur Time

These summer days, when I take my German Shepherd Calvin for a walk, he always wants to stop and eat grass. Not just any grass. The leaves have to be the right size and shape. Although there are other grasses nearby, he always heads for wheatgrass (Agropyron), with its broad green leaves.
I have read that dogs eat grass because they want to vomit or because they are having digestive troubles.
Calvin hates to vomit. He will do anything to keep from vomiting, so that doesn't seem to be the answer, at least as far as he is concerned.
I feed him premium dry food, and he digests it very well, with well-formed stools. Digestive troubles do not seem to apply to Calvin either.
So because the two explanations I have read do not seem to be relevant to Calvin, I decided to dig a little bit into the scientific dog literature to see what I could find.
Surprisingly little has been written in scientific journals about why dogs eat grass.
One recent study approached grass eating in dogs with the hypothesis that grass alleviates digestive distress (McKenzie et al. 2010. Reduction in grass eating behaviours in the domestic dog, Canis familiaris, in response to mild gastrointestinal disturbance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 123: 51-55).
In that study, the authors fed dogs a diet that produced loose, watery stools, to mimic a condition of a mild digestive upset. They also fed the dogs a standard diet that produced normal stools, and gave the dogs two types of grasses to eat during each experimental condition.
The results were that the dogs ate more grass when they were fed a standard diet than when they ate the diet that caused the digestive upset. So much for that hypothesis.
Then there's vomiting.
I found a study that looked at whether dogs vomit more when they eat grass (Sueda et al. 2008. Characterisation of plant eating in dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 111: 120-132),
In that study, the authors surveyed 1571 dog owners on the internet and found that 79 percent of the dogs ate grass, and of these, only 9 percent were sick before they ate the grass, and 22 percent vomited after eating the grass.
These results show that the vomiting hypothesis doesn't seem to hold any water either.
So why do dogs eat grass?
Ask yourself that question the next time you eat a luscious salad.
My guess is......because it tastes good.

Kali Pujo

The image of Kali usually shows her foot on Lord Shiva’s chest, a severed head in one hand, her sword in the other, and wearing a garland of skulls. Kali is worshipped as the Mother Goddess who protects from evil. She also epitomizes strength or ‘Shakti’ and the darker side of life. The actual puja takes place at midnight on the day of the new moon.

The national festival of the Bengalis, The Durga Puja ends with a somber tone. But soon, this melancholy slowly disappears with the arrival of Lakshmi Puja in between to finally the tri-festival of the Bengalis - Kali Puja, Diwali and last but not the least the ‘Bhai Phota’. Kali Puja coincides with Diwali, the North Indian New Year, the festivals of lights.
Every households clean their houses and light up candles all over their houses. Children and adults set off firecrackers all night. No one sleeps on that night.

The Mythology of Kali Puja:

Goddess Kali has always enjoyed a significant presence in our culture. She appears in various forms as an embodiment of Shakti, the eternal energy and cosmic power. She is also believed to be the eternal cosmic strength that destroys all existence. Her facial expressions depict the extent of her powers of destruction. The heads she holds in her hand instantly arouses mortal-fear in everybody and her protruding tongue symbolizes the mockery of human ignorance. She is also the Goddess of Tantrism or the Indian Black Magic. Beneath Goddess Kali’s feet one can figure Shiva. Mythology says that Shiva and Kali are the originating couple of the universe but Kali even mocks Shiva, as if she herself is the unique source of everything. There are several other Avtars of Kali also. One such is a striking contrast is Kali represented as the Benevolent Mother where she is the personification of Eternal Night of Peace. From the canons of orthodox Hinduism Kali, Durga, Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati are all different forms of the Ultimate Power that are revered on different occasions. Kali represents the crude powers to fight the evil, the core strengths required to battle your enemies. According to the Hindu tradition, we are living in the Kali Age; the time of a resurgence of the divine feminine spirit. Using the powerful imagery of paintings, sculptures, and writings, the celebration of Kali Puja explores and illumines the rich meanings of feminine divinity.
The blood-smeared image of Kali is after she killed the demon Raktavera. According to Hindu Mythology, Lord Brahma granted the boon to Raktavera that for every drop of his blood that fell on ground hundreds of demons like him would be produced. Thus the only way of slaying Raktavera was by not allowing even a drop of his blood to fall on the ground. Thereby Kali pierced him with a spear and drank all his blood as it gushed out. Kali once gave free rein to her blind lust for destruction. To stop the world from being destroyed Lord Shiva brought himself to the feet of Kali. On sensing her husband beneath her feet she stopped and thus the world was saved. She acquired her name Kali meaning ‘conqueror of time’ as she subdued her husband Lord Shiva by trampling over him. This way Devi the symbol of fertility conquered Shiva, the inexorable destroyer, who was equated with time. Aspects of Kali are Chandi, the fierce and Bhairavi, the terrible in which she is the counterpart to Shiva’s aspect of Bhairava, when he takes pleasure in destruction. Another name of this form is Chamunda. Kali Puja is performed on a new moon night. As Kali is associated with dark rites and devil worship, the rituals performed are austere and offered with great devotion. In the Hindu religious texts, different representations of Goddess Kali are available viz. Siddha Kali, Bhadra Kali, Raksha Kali, Shwashan Kali and Maha Kali.

History of Kali Puja:

The Puja is held on the night of the New Moon in the Bengali month of Kartik, this occasion brings in a tidal wave of festive zeal amongst the various cross sections of society. It is said that Maharaja Krishnan Chandra of Nawadweep gave an order that everyone, in his domain should worship Kali. Punishment was given to the defaulters. Thus more than 10,000 images of Kali began to be worshipped in his domain. Before the present Kali Puja, Ratanti Kali Puja was celebrated in ancient times. It is believed that the present form of the image of Kali, is due to a dream seen by Lord Chaitanya’s contemporary Krishnananda Agambagish (a distinguished scholar of Indian charms, incantations black magic and voodoo - ‘Tantra’), author of Tantric Saar, that he should make her image after the figure, he saw first in the morning. The image should then be worshipped. At dawn Krishnanand saw a dark complexioned housing maid with left hand protruding and making cow dung cakes with her right hand. Her body was shining with white dots. While wiping off the sweat from her forehead with left hand, the vermilion had been spread in her parted hair. The hair was disarranged. Her unprecedented coming face-to-face with Krishnananda, an elderly, made her bit her tongue with shame. This posture of the housemaid gave vent to his imagination which he later utilized to envisage the idol of Goddess Kali. Thus was formed the image of Kali.

Differential Instructional Strategies for Classroom Practice - A Blueprint

Sambalpur Time

Educational Context
Where and how the project will be presented; by and with whom

Unit name: India : A Land of Rich Diversity
Project Title: Learning Is Fun
Population addressed: This would be addressed to the Sixth Graders of The Sanskaar Valley School, Bhopal, India. I would have two and a half hours to spend with them every week. There are 23 kids in the class from varied and cosmopolitan background all of Indian origin. I am their Geography Teacher.
Brief Project Description: This project would be taken up with our own school acting as the field study area to the children to understand the various facts and concepts of the unit “India: A Land of Rich Diversity”. Care would also be taken so as to integrate and inter link other subjects so that the students can explore their area of strength and make it an instrument to achieve the learning goals of the chapter. Sample surveys, questionnaires, poem writing, poster making, power point presentations, charts, stage management, map making, song and play writing and music composition are the various methods which the students would adopt to walk the path of achieving their learning goals.
Context: This project would be implemented in a day boarding private urban school with children coming from cosmopolitan background and different learning abilities. The main constrain would be the time factor, with it (the school) being a day school and a residential school working with the kids during after school hours is ruled out.
Rationale: Through this project the children could actually make use of the physical and human resource of the school to respect, learn and see the practical applicability of the various diverse facets of India like plant and animal life, different modes of transport, culture and environment.

Generative Topic:
Engaging, appropriate, important

India : A Land of Rich Diversity
is the topic central and important to one or more disciplines?
Yes very much so. It integrates subjects like English, Math, Science, Computer Applications, Art and Music.

How is the topic engaging to you and your students (who may be adults), because of your/ their age, needs, passions, backgrounds, personal strengths and/or experiences?
It would be extremely engaging to the students because they would see their own country unfold its mysteries before them and while on the project interactions with people whom they otherwise know would reveal so many unknown and interesting facts.

Is the topic accessible through varied resources that are readily available?
Yes it is accessible through library, interactions with people (sample surveys) and internet.

Illustrate the connections to other topics in the discipline, to other disciplines, and/or to students’ non-school contexts
English:-
ü Geographical vocabulary and its relevance to cultural descriptions.
ü Describing cultural differences and listening to descriptions.
ü Adjectives and nouns to describe
ü Names of flowers and animals
ü Descriptive words about beauty of flowers
ü Locational, directional and descriptive nouns
ü Reading maps and keys
ü Reading maps as a part of following a route
ü Writing as a part of map making
ü Handwriting as an important cartographic tool
ü Presentation and play writing
Math
Estimating size when describing physical/ human factors
Handling statistics from surveys
Measuring time and distance, counting, converting the percentages to degrees
Shape and plan view
Measuring down grids and coordinates
Area as a part of mapping work
Use of angles in mapping and showing direction on a map
science
ü Physical features and the processes acting on them. Classifying features
ü Adaptations of plants and animals
ü Scientific processes, observation, analysis and recording
ü Life processes, green plants, flowers, animals as organisms
ü Habitats
computer applications
ü Using graphics and ms word and excel to present work on various human culture
ü Logging and handling data collecting information
ü Using graphics to make pie charts and bar graphs
ü Power point presentation
Art
ü Understanding what gives character to different places and cultures
ü Recognising visual elements like space, pattern, shape, line, and form in different architecturally important places
ü Preparation of charts
ü Pictorial depiction of the collected data
ü Drawing a sketch map of the school
ü Poster designing
music
ü The musical culture and traditions of different places
ü Writing(composing), songs about birds and flowers and everything beautiful
ü Identification and appreciation of sounds of nature


Understanding Goals
focus on “the essentials”: understanding of key concepts,
processes, uses of, and/or genres in the subject matter

Tell how your Understanding Goals focus on “the essentials”: understanding of key concepts,
processes, uses of, and/or genres in the subject matter
(often, but not always, as defined by national, state, or local “standards” and by teachers’ expertise).
Are the goals explicit?
How are the goals made public to the learners?
Do they focus on key concepts, processes, and skills in the subject matter?
Understanding Goals are not behavioral objectives; they define and focus exploration of the Generative Topic.


Question Form

Statement Form
1.- Why does India have a lot of climatic diversity?

1.- Students will understand that the physical features of the earth’s surface have an effect on climatic conditions.
2.- What role does Geographic conditions have to play in determining the natural vegetation of India?


2- Students will deepen their understanding that the physical features of the earth affect the natural vegetation.
3.- How do the physical features of India play a role in the peoples’ lifestyle?

3.- Students will understand that the physical features of India contribute to the climate and vegetation of India and their lifestyles.

Entry Points

Are different ways a teacher can approach a topic so that students, regardless of their unique blends of intelligences, experiences, and interests, can find pathways to becoming involved with disciplinary content.
Imagine the topic of study as a room with several doorways --entry points-- through which to enter the room / topic.
The narrative entry point allows access to a topic using a story or narrative related to the concept
Read different stories of ancient India.
Narrate stories of India’s new emerging face and achievements.
The numerical/quantitative entry point employs quantitative methods to understand the topic
Estimating size when describing physical/ human factors
Handling statistics from surveys
Measuring time and distance, counting, converting the percentages to degrees
Shape and plan view
Measuring down grids and coordinates
Area as a part of mapping work
Use of angles in mapping and showing direction on a map
The existential/foundational entry point considers the philosophical aspects of the concept
What If……
India had a different Geographical location….
How would things have been different?
The hands-on/experiential entry point invites an approach to a concept through hands-on investigations
· Map making
· Play writing and presentation
· Converting maps
· Measuring areas of different locations in the school
· Nature walk
· Using graphics and ms word and excel to present work on various human culture
· Logging and handling data collecting information
· Using graphics to make pie charts and bar graphs
· Power point presentation
· Preparation of charts
· Pictorial depiction of the collected data
· Drawing a sketch map of the school
· Poster designing
· Sample Survey
The social/interpersonal entry point allows access to a topic through a social experience
Sample Survey(Here they interview people of different regions of the country, noting down all the geographical and cultural specialties of the region the represent)
Group Work
The logical entry point accesses a topic through logical reasoning, examining the logical relationships and implications of a topic and applying deductive reasoning processes
Sample Survey and its analysis in a group discussion.
The aesthetic entry point emphasizes sensory or surface features of the topic and involves using learning strategies that appeal to learners who favor an artistic stance
Looking at the various picture clues provided and write your deductions about India’s landscape and its lifestyle.

Target
UG #


Understanding Performances
Show how the performances:
align with Understanding Goals
guide student exploration, appreciation and deepening understanding of Understanding Goals
engage multiple modes of learning and forms of expression

Include a sequence of activities that ramp up from where students begin, through:
Introductory performance(s) (in green)
Guided Inquiry performance(s) (in blue)
Culminating performance(s) (in yellow)


UG 1, 2 AND 3

The Children would be narrated stories about the various lifestyles of the people of India. People of different regions and how physical features, climate and natural vegetation plays an important role in determining these life styles.



UG 1, 2 AND 3
They would be asked to conduct a sample survey on the various teachers and staffs and know about their regions and their lifestyles. They would be divided into 6 groups ie. Our School- A mini India; Plant and Animal life; Transport; Plan of the school; Environment. They would take help of a questionnaire which they would formulate with my help and then go about with it in discovering facts. They would interpret various physical, climatic, natural vegetation and human geography maps to make their understandings more thorough.

UG 1, 2 AND 3

The children would then do a research using the resources available from the library and the internet to substantiate their findings.

UG 1, 2 AND 3

· The children would then work on the different presentation forms like play, graphical representations, Power point presentation, Preparation of charts, Pictorial depiction of the collected data, Drawing a sketch map of the school and Poster designing to get a first hand experience of their learning’s. Each of the group would be given all the above mentioned criteria’s through which they would sum up and showcase their learning’s.



Show how the Understanding Performances work together to guide students towards the culminating Performances of Understanding.
The culminating performance is when the students are able to interpret the various maps, draw inferences and present a play about their topic in the school assembly.

Ongoing Assessments
Align with goals and understanding performances, in that they support assessment of learners’ understanding of the understanding goals and document student performance






How is assessment based on explicit and public criteria that relate to goals?
Are there frequent assessments with a public rubric?
Are there multiple sources of feedback – self, peer, teacher, other?
How is assessment used to gauge progress and inform planning?



Include example of Culminating Performance of Understanding.
Include a scoring rubric or other documentation of how assessment criteria are presented and used.
Include a list of things your students need to be able to do in order to succeed at this task.

RUBRICS FOR SCORING THE CULMINATING UNDERSTANDING PERFORMANCE
MAXIMUM MARKS :- 25
Criteria

Preparation

Procedure/
Testing
Observation

Inference/
Results

Presentation

Grade I
(5 marks)

Gives complete
theoretical
information
using relevant
geographical
terms like climatic diversity, natural vegetation and peoples’ lifestyle.

States the
objectives
defines the
aspects to
studied.

Studies text and
source material and
makes a list.

States theoretical information in a coherent and concise manner using geographical terminologies like climatic diversity, natural vegetation and peoples’ lifestyle..
Neatly and correctly
stated statement of
intent and conclusion matches
with objectives.

Grade II
(4 marks)

Provides
adequate
information
using
appropriate
terms like climatic diversity, natural vegetation and peoples’ lifestyle.

States objectives
but not the
limitations of
the study.

Makes a limited list
of source material
only from secondary
sources.

Uses a variety of techniques.
Shows resourcefulness. Supports investigation with relevant evidence.

Limited use of
reference material
and a presentation,
which is routine.

Grade III
(3 marks)

States objectives
using some
geographical
terms but mostly
in descriptive
terms.

Only lists
aspects to be
studied.

References are
minimal.

Uses sound methodology-using methods suggested. Makes a valid statement the data collected. Attempts to develop
explanations using available information.
Uses methodology in which selective techniques are applied correctly. Makes descriptive statement. Analysis is limited.
Relates and describes systematically data collected. Tries to relate conclusion
original aim.

Simple and neat
with correct
placement of
references,
acknowledgements,
contents, maps and
diagrams.

Grade IV
(2 marks)

States intent
without using
relevant
geographical
terms but
explaining them
correctly.

Shows evidence
of what to look
for and how to
record the same.

Uses methodology
with some techniques but is
unable to
systematically
record data and
collect information.

Makes few relevant statements. Does analyze data that is not presented or tends to copy analysis available from other sources. Makes superficial conclusions. Link
between the original aim and conclusion is not clear.

Neat but lacking in
correct placement
table of contents,
maps, diagrams and pictures.

Grade V
(1 mark)
Does not make
any use of
geographical
terms like climatic diversity, natural vegetation and peoples’ lifestyle.

Has not
collected any relevant data
and has not
presented
sources
correctly.

Does not use any
logical technique
and does not follow
the methodology
suggested.

Does not analyze data. Does not use suggested methods.
Makes conclusions but does not relate to the original aim.

Presents the report
without reference.












Documenting the DI Strategies used
Specify which DI strategies you plan to use in the different stages of your project
Remember the DI strategies included should be identified based on specific goals.


Goal or reason for choosing DI Strategy

Name of DI Strategy used
Where did you use the strategy? (UPs, OA, other)


How did you adapt it to your situation?
If this is not a TFU element include a resource you would recommend to others who wanted to use this strategy(web site/ book / other)

Readiness / Ability

NARRATIVE ENTRY POINT
Read different stories of ancient India.
Narrate stories of India’s new emerging face and achievements.
1. Activities for Differentiated classroom
- By
G.H.Gregory and
C.Chapman
2. Joyful Learning
- By
Paula Kluth

Learning Profiles/Styles
Flexible Grouping
Adjusting Questions

RUBRIC AND 2ND UP
Gave 6 entry points to meet different learning styles and had flexible groupings and modified questions according to learning styles.
1. Activities for Differentiated classroom
- By
G.H.Gregory and
C.Chapman
2. Joyful Learning
- By
Paula Kluth

Compacting Curriculum
Peer Teaching
Learning Contracts

RUBRIC AND 3RD UP
Made the curriculum more comprehensive and took help of peer teaching and learning contracts to help achieve the summing up of the content and achieve understanding goals.
1. Activities for Differentiated classroom
- By
G.H.Gregory and
C.Chapman
2. Joyful Learning
- By
Paula Kluth