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Article: Quiet Zones for Learning.(impact of noise on children's language acquisition and reading ability)
- Article from:
- Human Ecology
- Article date:
- January 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Cornell University, Human Ecology. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Noise is annoying, bothersome and interferes with concentration. So children in noisy environments learn to tune it out. But will they learn to listen to their teacher, to talk with their classmates, and acquire appropriate language skills--essential for learning to read?
Gary Evans sees a stellar example of the danger of adapting to one's environment in the classic Woody Allen movie Annie Hall. Specifically, it's the scene in which a flashback shows where the young Alvy Singer, Allen's character grew up.
"He lived in Coney Island with his parents--rights under the roller coaster," Evans says. "It's a great scene. The roller coaster comes over, the house ...