Influence of TV on children's education

Winner:

Today we live in an age of science which has changed the mode of life of man to a great extent. The number of highly advanced inventions by scientists is so vast that it is difficult to decide which is the most important one. Television, no doubt, is one of the best inventions that has brought about changes in man's way of thinking and social life. It is a national medium of communication with enormous benefits.

Television, a powerful new comer, entered the media field in Sri Lanka quite recently. It is a potential medium to educate the young and the old easily and quickly. It is an excellent source of amusement and entertainment too. It is used as an audiovisual aid to teach a vast number of students from many schools, simultaneously. It provides opportunities for students to participate in programmes of educational value like the "Science Quiz" and exhibit their talents. It is also a good medium to impart non-formal education to all.

Television airs a choice of programmes for students which can be selected by them, according to age, aptitude and interest. It is used to teach school children subjects such as English, Science, and all other subjects offered at the O/L and A/L examinations. The young generation enjoys the variety of documentary films, sports activities and games and other programmes like "Knight Rider" aired on television. The cartoon films are very educative and amuses young children. In short, the influence of television on education is so vast that it cannot be really challenged by any other mode of communication.

Meera Mohideen Fathima Muha,

Muslim Madhya Maha Vidyalaya,

Sammanthurai.

What is microlife ?

Winner:

More than 99 per cent of the Earth's living things are invisible to the naked eye of humans. They make up the crowded and bustling world of microlife. The smallest thing that can be seen by the naked eye is about 0.2 mm across. This may seem very small, but it is actually very much larger than many of the living things we do not see.

These miniature forms of life are known as micro-organisms. Some of these micro-organisms can be so small that they can only be seen if they are magnified to about a thousand times. Although they are very small, it does not mean that they are simple creatures.

Micro-organisms are some of the most surprisingly complex creatures and are the most basic living things on the Earth.

The microworld contains thousands of species of microscopic animals and plants.

One of the largest species of micro-organism today are the giant fresh water amoeba which is clearly visible to human eyes, but this is nothing compared to the single celled prototist which lived millions of years ago and is said to have grown to the size of a grape fruit.

Micro-organisms include virus, bacteria, fungal, algae and protozoam. Viruses and bacteria are said to be the most dangerous of them all.

Micro-organisms are found almost everywhere and they are the main cause of many of the diseases that human beings contract today.

Shadhika Umar,

Grade 9,

Republican International School.

Tsunami - a destructive force

Winner:

One of the worst disasters which affected Sri Lanka was the tsunami. It is a Japanese word which means 'strong wave.' It occurred due to an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Sumatra, Indonesia in 2004. The Maldive Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka were some of the worst affected countries.

On that fateful day - December 26, a massive wave swept over the coastal belt of Sri Lanka around 6.59 in the morning, causing destruction and great grief throughout the country.

Galle, Trincomalee and Hambantota were some of the areas affected badly by this tsunami.

Thousands of innocent people died and many others lost theirbelongings, family and property. Many coastal areas were under water and with collapsing houses and fallen trees, it was difficult for rescue workers to reach these affected areas.

Many famous places such as museums, hotels, office buildings and national parks were destroyed.

The tsunami and the destruction it brought was shocking news for everyone. There was utter panic but there was no way of contacting people in those affected areas as most of the power cables were disconnected. As this happened on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, the Christians did not even celebrate due to the terrible disaster.

There are reports of the strange behaviour of cats and dogs prior to the tsunami. While some animals had refused to go near the beach, many dogs have been barking the whole night through. As animals have sharper senses than humans maybe these animals were trying to warn people of the impending disaster. Such a disaster should never happen again. Many people said this occurred because of the way man mistreated Mother Nature.

Fathima Shahani Razzak,

Grade 7J,

Ilma International

Girls' School.

The most interesting book I have read

Winner:

My school library does not contain many valuable books but there are books which I like very much. One of my friends one day showed me abook titled, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

in the library and said that it was her favourite book.I borrowed the book from the librarian on the advice of my friend. When I went home that day, I had a quick lunch, went to my room and started reading the book. How interesting it was! Indeed it was a wonderful book as my friend said. The book was full of adventure. The main character was Huckleberry Finn, a poor English boy whose father was a drunkard. His father wanted to get Finn's fortune which he got earlier in yet another adventure with Tom Sawyer, his friend. So, Finn runs away from the custody of his father and meets another boy named Jim who is also running away from his master. He had been a slave boy.

The two friends get on board a ship, become very friendly with the seamen and go on a fishing expedition. They also visit various islands and engage themselves in many adventures. When they come home, eventually, Finn finds out that his father has died and he is no more in danger. Jim also gets his freedom with the help of Finn.

The interesting children's novel is written by well-known English author, Mark Twain who also wrote the famous book Tom Sawyer. Both these books are popular even today.

Millions of children throughout the English speaking world have read these books. More than Tom Sawyer, it is the Adventure of Huckleberry Finn which I consider to be the most interesting book I have ever read.

Kaveesha Nirmani Perera,

Grade 7A (English Medium),

Thakshila College,Gampaha.

Caring for elders

Winner:

Elders are people who are older than us in age and experience. They should be respected and valued in society. But, are they receiving a proper place in society today? Are they respected and valued by us?

Many of us tend to neglect them or look down upon them. But is it the right thing to do, especially when they need our helping hand the most? It is disappointing to see elders living in places called Elders' Homes.It is their freedom that we have taken away from these innocent lives. Elders, like birds, sing the same song everyday, stuck in a cage-like place with their feathers cut short, not even allowed to roam freely in the blue sky.

Elders were once young human beings just like us, who were healthy and fit. However, with the passage of time they have been compelled to depend on others for support and protection because they have grown old.

It is the love and care we provide that make them feel valued in society. It will truly keep their inner souls delighted if we take time to care for them..Elders have done so much for us when we were young. Now, we as grownups,have been granted with an opportunity to repay them. So,this is the right time for us to pay tribute to all the elders who have taken so much trouble and care about us when we were small.

Lend a helping hand and make their lives here a heaven for them. It is not just a duty, but also our responsibility to take good care of them.

Devmini Thilakshi Perera,

Grade 10B,

Gateway College, Kandy.

My great grandfather

My great grandfather B.A. Semaneris Appuhamy lived in Homagama. He was a businessman. He built a hospital and donated it to the government in 1946. This hospital is used by the people who live in the area. He also helped to build the elephant wall around the Ruwanweli Seya in Anuradhapura.

I am very proud of my great grandfather.

Linal Fernando,

Grade 4,S. Thomas'

College, Mt. Lavinia.

Myself

My name is Luvini. I'm eight years old. I study in Grade three at Sussex College, Horana. My class teacher is Mrs. Tania Gunarathna. My favourite subject is Art.

My favourite colours are pink and orange. My favourite cartoon is Tom and Jerry. I like to be a doctor so, I study hard.

Luvini Chamodya Gamage,

Grade 3A, Sussex College, Horana.

Your Poems

A walk along the beach

Walking along the peaceful seashore
Seaweed and shells galore
Sand like small shards of ice
A clear blue sea ever so nice
Seaweed of red, green and blue
Building large castles and
sculpting people too
Hair flowing in the wind on this
beautiful afternoon
Who would’ve thought the killer cold
would be coming soon
Sun shining bright with happiness and joy
Winds shaking the trees like a dog
with its toy
All of a sudden the weather takes a change
Everyone found this quite strange
Rain pelting on the kids below
Showering the shrubs and helping them grow
People are escorted
back to the bus

Oh, what a wonderful
day, all of us.

Anishka Perera, eymour, Australia.