Promoting English Literacy through English Proficiency

 “Learn your language well and command it well, and you will have the first component to life."

Language proficiency or linguistic proficiency is the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language. As theories vary among pedagogues as to what constitutes proficiency,there is little consistency as to how different organizations classify it. Additionally, fluency and language competence are generally recognized as being related, but separate controversial subjects. In predominant frameworks in the United States, proficient speakers demonstrate both accuracy and fluency, and use a variety of discourse strategies. Thus, native speakers of a language can be fluent without being considered proficient. 

            The American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) distinguishes between proficiency and performance. In part, ACTFL's definition of proficiency is derived from mandates issued by the US government, declaring that a limited English proficient student is one who comes from a non-English background and "who has sufficient difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language and whose difficulties may deny such an individual the opportunity to learn successfully in classrooms where the language of instruction is English or to participate fully in our society."

ACTFL views "performance" as being the combined effect of all three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational.

Nationwide, the percentage of pupils mastering reading/writing increased from 59.0% in 1995 to 61.6% in 1998. Males and females had essentially the same rate of increase between 1995 and 1998), but the percentage of females (64.4% in 1995 and 66.9% in 1998) was greater than that of the males (53.4% in 1995 and 56.2% in 1998) during both years. 

There was practically no improvement in the urban areas; in contrast, there was a significant improvement in the rural areas. In terms of the percentage of students mastering reading/writing, the urban areas nevertheless had an edge over the rural areas in 1995 (urban:64.2%; rural:51.7%) and in 1998 (urban:64.5%; rural:57.7%). 

Females performed better than males in the urban areas in 1995; however, the situation was reversed in 1998 owing to the combination of the increase in the percentage of males and the big drop in the female percentage between the two years. Although males and females posted increases between 1995 and 1998, females maintained their edge over the males. 

The poor and the affluent are not communicating because they do not have the same words. When we talk of the millions who are culturally deprived, we refer not to those who do not have access to good libraries and bookstores, or to museums and centers for the performing arts, but those deprived of the words with which everything else is built, the words that open doors. Children without words are licked before they start. The legion of the young wordless in urban and rural slums, eight to ten years old, do not know the meaning of hundreds of words which most middle-class people assume to be familiar to much younger children. Most of them have never seen their parents read a book or a magazine, or heard words used in other than rudimentary ways related to physical needs and functions. Thus is cultural fallout caused, the vicious circle of ignorance and poverty reinforced and perpetuated. Children deprived of words become school dropouts; dropouts deprived of hope behave delinquently. Amateur censors blame delinquency on reading immoral books and magazines, when in fact, the inability to read anything is the basic trouble.”

CHEMERGY: Chemistry and Science Clubbing in Synergy

Chemergy is a neologism (new word) upspring for Science Month in the Philippines. Although meant to be a kenning of "chemistry" and "synergy" with the meaning of "combination of ideas in chemistry and science for a common result", the roots of the words do not show this. 
“chem = chemistry and ergy = work “
Thus, the real meaning of chemergy from the roots is more something akin to chemical-work. 
Chemergy, when we say chemergy it is the combined word of "Chemistry" and the Science clubbing of "Synergy"

Chemistry has a reputation for being a complicated and boring science, but for the most part, that reputation is undeserved. Fireworks and explosions are based on chemistry, so it's definitely not a boring science. If you take classes in chemistry, you'll apply math and logic, which can make studying chemistry a challenge if you are weak in those areas. However, anyone can understand the basics of how things work... and that's the study of chemistry. In a nutshell, the importance of chemistry is that it explains the world around you.
Chemistry explains how food changes as you cook it, how it rots, how to preserve food, how your body uses the food you eat, and how ingredients interact to make food.Part of the importance of chemistry is it explains how cleaning works. You use chemistry to help decide what cleaner is best for dishes, laundry, yourself, and your home. You use chemistry when you use bleaches and disinfectants and even ordinary soap and water. How do they work? That's chemistry! You need to understand basic chemistry so you can understand how vitamins, supplements, and drugs can help or harm you. Part of the importance of chemistry lies in developing and testing new medical treatments and medicines.
Chemistry is at the heart of environmental issues. What makes one chemical a nutrient and another chemical a pollutant? How can you clean up the environment? What processes can produce the things you need without harming the environment?

We're all chemists. We use chemicals every day and perform chemical reactions without thinking much about them. Chemistry is important because everything you do is chemistry! Even your body is made of chemicals. Chemical reactions occur when you breathe, eat, or just sit there reading. All matter is made of chemicals, so the importance of chemistry is that it's the study of everything.

Everyone can and should understand basic chemistry, but it may be important to take a course in chemistry or even make a career out of it. It's important to understand chemistry if you are studying any of the sciences because all of the sciences involve matter and the interactions between types of matter. Students wanting to become doctors, nurses, physicists, nutritionists, geologists, pharmacists, and (of course) chemists all study chemistry. You might want to make a career of chemistry because chemistry-related jobs are plentiful and high-paying. The importance of chemistry won't be diminished over time, so it will remain a promising career path.