To prepare our students for selective high schools, competitive colleges, and future careers, DLA implements curriculum based on Common Core and Ohio’s Learning Standards. Ohio’s Learning Standards emphasize skills such as critical thinking and problem solving — qualities most sought by today’s employers. By teaching our students to apply these skills to what they are learning in school, we can make sure they are on track to graduate from high school and enjoy success in college, careers and life.
In grades K-2 we ensure students learn how to read so that in grades 3rd-8th students can read to learn. Students are expected to read multiple texts each day and a variety of them – passages, excerpts, articles, books, novels, and more. Students read across all subject areas – reading, writing, math, science and social studies.
In K-2 we implement the Balanced Literacy approach using Core Knowledge Language Arts and other high quality curricular resources. This approach teaches foundational reading skills throughout 6 different components: word work, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, read alouds, and writing workshop.
In 3-8 we implement the Expeditionary Learning English Language Arts curriculum and other high quality curricular resources. We implement this curriculum because of the rigorous lesson plans, comprehensive units, breadth of student engagement strategies, and balance of 50% fiction and 50% non-fiction texts.
The curriculum focuses on Unit 1: Building students’ knowledge of the work, Unit 2: Research techniques and planning to write, and Unit 3: Extended essay writing. Assessments include culminating writing projects and performance tasks.
Teachers can access the curriculum and supporting resources (also known as Engage NY) online: https://www.coreknowledge.org/curriculum/download-curriculum/ http://commoncoresuccess.eleducation.org/curriculum 9
In K-8 we implement the Eureka Math curriculum and other high quality curricular resources. Eureka Math, part of the Engage NY suite, was written by teachers specifically to teach Common Core standards and is the only math curriculum that meets the alignment and usability expectations of the outside review completed by edreports.org. Eureka Math focuses on conceptual understanding and reasoning so students learn why the math works rather than just the process. There is an emphasis on math dialogue and representing more than one way to solve a problem through the Read-Draw-Write protocol. To support our students’ growth in mathematics, we emphasize focus and coherence. We build connections across content and grades to drive coherence and ensure that students’ knowledge, skill, and sophistication in math increase. Teacher can access the curriculum and supporting resources (also known as Engage NY) online: https://greatminds.org/math
Across all grades, our science curriculum focuses on core scientific concepts of life science, human science and physical science. Science instruction places heavy attention on student inquiry and exploration. All students regularly complete hands-on labs and activities to further explore scientific concepts. Additionally, science classes incorporate reading, writing, and research skills.
In K-2 science lessons are embedded in Core Knowledge Listening and Learning units.
In 3-8 we implement the Science Fusion curriculum. Teachers can access the curriculum online: http://www.hmhco.com/shop/education-curriculum/science/elementary-science/sciencefusion#st hash.KyEewLeQ.dpbs
Social Studies Curriculum
Across all grades, our social studies curriculum focuses on core social sciences concepts of history, geography, and economics. Social studies develop students’ understanding of how the country and the world was shaped over centuries at a time. Additionally, social studies classes incorporate reading, writing, and research skills.
In K-2 social studies lessons are embedded in Core Knowledge Listening and Learning units.
In 3-8 we implement the Social Studies Alive/History Alive curriculum. Teachers can access the curriculum online: https://www.teachtci.com/social-studies/ Blended Learning All students participate in blended learning opportunities, using programs like Google Classroom and i-Ready. These computer-based programs support the development of foundational skills in reading and writing


Education and learning are much more than what takes place in the classroom. NPS-ITPL provides students with varied opportunities to develop new skills and experiences beyond academics.
Arts education refers to education in the disciplines of music, theatre, dance and visual arts. The arts are key component in improving learning throughout a student’s academic journey.
Our music curriculum is conducted by Furtados School of Music, the quality music education makes the entire learning process memorable. The instructors, are experienced and extensively trained to impart an exhilarating musical experience on a consistent basis.
Theatre is an influential factor; creativity can flourish and means of self-expression can be developed. It is important to have mandatory theatre classes because when a student participates, they benefit significantly, not only in terms of exploring the hidden ability to act, but also by shedding the inhibitions associated with performing in front of an audience.
Artistic dance education serves to stimulate conscious understanding of the language of movement and to develop aesthetic knowledge and skill in movement expression. This provides students with deep, thought-provoking experiences that combine many art forms. Artistic pursuits yield thinking patterns and abilities that transfer to other areas of the student’s life. A student who expands his artistic sensibility sees the world from a different perspective.
Public Speaking is essential for students from this current generation to become articulate speakers, well-groomed individuals, and to face the challenges of tomorrow. Our public speaking classes cater to unravel the individual personalities of our students.
PE is an integral part of the school programme which provides students with the opportunity to build physical fitness, learn important life skills such as discipline, persistence, teamwork and stress-management.
Our sports curriculum is planned and designed by EDUSPORTS, who are pioneers in developing world-class athletes. The curriculum emphasis on building students’ skills which would enable them to participate in different kinds of sports events. Physical activity and fitness are known to benefit both health and academic performance, directly impacting the social behaviour and over-all development. At NPS, students can choose from a wide variety of sports and physical activity like football, throw-ball, volleyball, basketball, cricket, yoga, and athletics.
Life Skills Education
The Life skills and counselling component are closely integrated with the academic programmes to ensure that the learning process are relevant and meets the needs of students in a holistic way. Students develop leadership abilities by providing practical experience in conducting life skills lessons.NPS includes a Life Skills programme as a part of the curriculum. As a part of the programme, students learn tools to manage their emotions, become more self-aware, communicate effectively and manage interpersonal relationships.
Newspaper in Education (NIE)
Newspapers could contribute in enhancing literacy, and is an important educational resource. The schools that use newspapers daily promote the reading, writing and speaking skills, which are fundamental in students' academic performance. Times Newspaper in Education (Times NIE) is a novel program that helps students 'Stay Ahead' and aims at making 'Learning Fun'. It also contributes in enhancing the general knowledge and social awareness in students, this programme is lively and enlightening.


The curriculum at Lyndhurst is based on the Victorian Curriculum, which governs all government schools in Victoria.
The early years program (Prep-2) is based on Kathy Walker’s play-based learning system. This play-based learning is heavily focused on providing children with a strong foundation of essential literacy and numeracy skills through utilising a child’s natural propensity to learn through play to engage them.
At the higher levels (year 3-6), children are gradually transitioned to an “inquiry-based” curriculum, also working with researcher, Kathy Walker who provides a strong pedagogical framework. Inquiry based learning is all about building lifelong learners. It is focused on giving children the skills and abilities to be able to increasingly take control of their own learning and to give them to time to study, learn and think more deeply.
The program at Lyndhurst is individualized and personalised. Gone are the days when teachers teach to the middle group and hope the others will catch on. Education is focused on each child’s point of need based on clear evidence and a strong, cooperative family partnership.
Literacy learning forms a core component of the Lyndhurst Primary School Curriculum.
Inquiry Based Learning
Inquiry-based learning is a student centred or active learning approach that takes, as its starting point,
the natural process of inquiry, building on this to develop information processing and problem-solving
Numeracy forms a core component of the Lyndhurst Primary School Curriculum.
At Lyndhurst, we are strong proponents of a quality outdoor education program as we believe there are great physical, social, emotional and indeed spiritual benefits for children from such a program. A camps program is a key component of a broader outdoor education program at Lyndhurst.
We have strongly established a “play-based” curriculum in the Early Years (Prep-2) at Lyndhurst. Many parents may wonder what this means. The curriculum is be based on the work of Kathy Walker. You can read more about Kathy and her work at…. www.earlylife.com.au.
Sport is a vital part of a school curriculum. Not only are there obvious health benefits from having happy, healthy and active students, there are myriad social and personal development benefits from a well-run program of physical activity and sport.


Even though music might be regarded as something frivolous, it has long been an intrinsic part of human culture. Starting from the time we are young children, some would even say within the womb, music has many benefits for our well-being. And there's increasing research showing the many benefits of having music in our lives.
How music benefits children: Advocates of music in schools have collected research showing that music and playing musical instruments helps children's language development, memory, physical co-ordination, imagination, creativity, teamwork and self-confidence. It has also been said that playing music improves math skills, but on this point, research is inconclusive.
Music helps your brain: Playing a musical instrument has many beneficial effects, not just for children but for adults too: verbal memory, spacial reasoning, faster neural responses, and literacy skills are all enhanced by learning music. It has also been shown that music is helpful for people with Parkinson's and those recovering from strokes.
How music benefits seniors: Music training is considered a possible effective way to protect brain function from cognitive decline but more research is needed. Other studies have shown that people even with severe Alzheimer's Disease "are able to learn and play novel songs".
In First Nations and Indigenous communities, drumming has also been linked to health: "Results of the qualitative analysis show that the Aboriginal women’s involvement in hand-drumming circles has many health promoting benefits and builds on strengths already existent within their community."
Music makes people of all ages happy, gives them relief if they are burdened by stress or sadness, and provides skills and accomplishments when learning to play a musical instrument. In short, music boosts health and well-being. Music is medicine, just not the kind that comes from the pharmacy.
Here's a video that summarizes what's going on in your brain when you listen to music:
National Association for Music Education 2014
National Association for the Education of Young Children 2012 (PDF):
Research paper "Music as a Memory Enhancer in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease"
Interested in learning more?
This is Your Brain On Music (book by Daniel Levitin )
Brainpickings 2015 (article)
The Guardian 2016 (article)
My Help Book was featured in the Peninsula News Review (Friday December 13th 2013) in their Seniors in Focus section. The Review serves the 70,000 residents of the Saanich Peninsula on Southern Vancouver Island (BC Canada) and has been publishing since December 13th 1912.
Ask for My Help Book at the front counter of Tanner's Books (located at the corner of Fourth and Beacon in Sidney. It can also be purchased at other locations or you can purchase direct from the publisher.
Thank you to Salvador Davis & Co for sponsoring and donating 40 copies of My Help Book 2014 to the Shoal Centre in Sidney BC. Since 1968 Salvador Davis & Co have served Sidney, the Saanich Peninsula, and the Gulf Islands in matters of Real Estate, Powers of Attorney, Wills, Health Care Directives, & Representation Agreements. They also serve Salt Spring Island by appointment. For three years in a row they won 1st place in the Peninsula's Reader's Choice Award for Financial and Legal Services. On their website you can also find information and links regarding 2011 changes to BC's Adult Guardianship Laws.
Contact Salvador Davis & Company:
Toll Free 1-866-956-3951
See their website for full contact information.
The Shoal Centre (10030 Resthaven Drive Sidney BC) provides many services and recreation opportunities to the local community. They have assisted living, volunteer services including volunteer drivers, food services (lunch, dinner and catering), youth employment services, as well as many activities, special events, recreation and learning opportunities. Contact them for facility rental options and catering for your event.
Contact The Shoal Centre:
See their contact page for their full directory
Contact My Help Book by email if you are a company who wishes to sponsor and donate copies of My Help Book to a non-profit helping organization; or if you are a representative of a non-profit and wish to enquire about receiving sponsored copies of My Help Book 2014.
My Opportunity & Help Book BC


The Early Years Foundation stage covers a child’s education from the age of 24 months to 5 years.
The classes may be divided into:
24 months – 36 months
Socialisation, separating from care-giver, fine & gross motor development, English through songs and flashcards, Italian through
3 – 4 years
Socialisation and sharing, gaining independence, fine motor skill development and manipulation, English immersion through stories,
4 – 5 years
Learning classroom rules, introduction to phonics, reading and writing readiness, number quantity and recognition, supervised play,
For more information about EYFS class formation criteria, click here
The teaching in all these areas primarily takes place through play and games. The children learn within an area designed to develop their skills, build confidence and ideas, think creatively and interact and communicate effectively with others. The Early Years curriculum will not feel like learning to the child, they will find themselves in an area of fun and play. Throughout this stage however they will be encouraged to develop speaking, listening, singing, movement, counting and story-telling. The play-based learning done in the Early Years setting will enable the child to progress smoothly into Year 1 and the start of Key Stage 1.
The Early Years learning focuses on 7 areas, divided between prime and specific areas of learning.
The prime areas are (click on each item to expand):
Communication and Language (in both Italian and English)
Personal, social and emotional development
The specific areas of learning are:


Clark Terry, Ebullient Jazz Trumpeter, Has Died
Jazz trumpeter Clark Terry has died. The musician's ebullient personality reached a nationwide audience as a member of NBC's Tonight Show band, and the sound of his expressive trumpet inspired younger musicians for nearly eight decades. The 94-year-old musician died Saturday.
Clark Terry said he heard the sound of jazz everywhere as a kid in St. Louis in the 1930s: on the radio, in parades and wafting in from river boats floating along the Mississippi River.
He came up with his own sound in a junkyard with a homemade trumpet. In 1995, he described it on the NPR program Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center.
"I made it from an old discarded garden hose — I had it bound up like a trumpet, with an old piece of kerosene funnel, made it look like a bell," he said, laughing. "Then I put a piece of old lead pipe on the end, that was my mouthpiece. I couldn't make any music with it but I sure made a lot of noise with it!"
He said when his neighbors couldn't stand the racket any longer, they pitched in and bought him a real trumpet.
Eventually, Clark Terry learned to play jazz on the bandstand. In 1948, after a stint in the U.S. Navy, Terry hit the big time with the Count Basie Orchestra. Terry said the music education that started under the watchful eyes of older musicians back in St. Louis continued with Basie.
"His most important thing he gave to all of us was the utilization of space and time," Terry said. "He became famous not so much for the notes he played as for the notes he didn't."
After three years with Basie, Terry found himself playing with the bandleader who inspired him to make that childhood junkyard trumpet: Duke Ellington.
Terry spent the late 1940s and most of the '50s crisscrossing the country with Basie and Ellington. But when they went through the South there was another passenger traveling with them: Jim Crow.
Trumpeter Jimmy Owens is a generation younger than his friend and mentor Clark Terry, but he says he's heard Terry's stories.
"When we see someone like Clark Terry and is so happy, so elated at what he is performing, not knowing what he went through, it's just amazing," Owens says.
Clark Terry broke through a color line in the music business in the early 1960s. When the National Urban League lobbied the NBC network to hire black musicians for its orchestra, the white players in the Tonight Show band recommended Clark Terry.
His occasional spotlight in front of a nationwide audience included his character Mumbles, a recording studio gag that was his sendup of some of the blues vocalists he played with back in St. Louis.
Behind the humor was a jazz musician admired by his peers for his flawless technique, his crystal clear tone and musical ideas that reached all the way back to the jazz he heard as a kid.
He devoted the last part of his career to sharing his immense knowledge through jazz education in colleges and universities. Trumpeter Jimmy Owens says jazz has lost a direct link to its earliest history — and a "natural-born educator."
"He knew how to answer that question to not only give the answer to that question but give you further information about a situation," Owens says.
With Clark Terry's passing, the living history he shared through his playing and his teaching is now just history.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


Greta is a working artist and is currently attending school for art education. This is her first semester working with Art Sphere. Her goal is to inspire her students to learn about the world through art, and express themselves freely.
This project teaches kids about different types of line and complementary colors through creating optical illusions.
Grade: kindergarten-5th grade.
Vocabulary: cool colors, warm colors, complementary colors, intersecting line, cross hatching, 3D, optical illusion.
Materials: markers and construction paper.
- First introduce the lesson, discuss what an optical illusion is and how you can get this effect using line and complementary colors. Show some examples.
- Second, Pass out materials.
- Third, tell each child to choose one dark color (black, brown, navy blue) to draw the line work and to choose a warm and cool color marker for the shading.
- Fourth, start creating! Have the students draw a large heart, taking up most of their paper. Next have them draw intersecting lines from one side of their paper to the other side, making sure the lines pass through the heart. After this they can pick up the cool color marker and start filling in every other shape that their lines have created. Once they are finished, do the same thing with the warm color.
Looking into the further meaning of this project, one could discuss how life can be an optical illusion and things are not always as they appear.
Breaking the students up into tables and then giving them more individual instruction seemed to help the class flow very smoothly. This allowed the students to move at their own pace. Adding in additional cross hatching marks helped even push that 3D look and gave their projects more depth.


What works when you teach reading? These 18 teaching practices have been shown effective by reading researchers. Some are for beginning readers, some for older readers, and some for readers of all ages.
1. Focus on meaning
Comprehension is the number one, most important goal of reading!
2. Read aloud
It?s amazing how much students learn as they listen to someone read, especially with texts just beyond their abilities.
3. Do everything you can to get kids to read
Like anything else, the best way to master reading is by practicing it. Provide silent reading time every day and access to fascinating, relevant, kid-friendly materials.
4. Give beginning readers lots of opportunities to interact with print
Give them reading time outside of silent reading time to keep them practicing reading all day long.
5. Provide opportunities for success
Keep it low-risk so kids aren?t afraid to stretch themselves. Instead of asking them for the ?right? answer, ask them for a thoughtful answer. Remember, we?re focusing on helping kids build meaning, not on correctness.
6. Teach phonics ? but don?t overdo it
Little ones benefit from phonics instruction, but phonics is one of many paths to comprehension. Balance phonics with other important early-reading activities.
7. Provide a rich array of print choices
The books that accompany basal or core reading programs aren?t enough. Make sure readers have poetry, magazines, newspapers, tradebooks, and other real-world options too.
8. Give kids choice in what they read
Do you read for pleasure? If so do you choose your own texts, or do you let someone else choose them? If we want kids to have a lifelong love of reading, we need to give them practice at choosing texts that interest them ? just as adults do!
9. Balance challenging texts with easier ones
If every text is hard, then reading becomes a slog, and for struggling readers slog = disengagement. Close reading and rereading can be an adventure, not a slog.
10. Teach reading as thinking
Reading isn?t magic. Skillful adult readers think as they read and use specific cognitive strategies to boost their comprehension. Teach kids to do the same.
11. Model your own reading
Kids are always watching adults closely to find out what they do. So it makes good sense to model a love of books and authors as well as the thinking moves that happen during proficient reading.
12. Name and teach reading strategies directly
Don?t keep reading strategies a secret! Be sure to explicitly label strategies as you model them.
13. Support readers before, during, and after reading
Frontload comprehension strategies before reading, monitor students? understanding during reading, then provide time for students to savor their reading and connect it to other experiences.
14. Demonstrate the usefulness of reading
Show students how reading helps them learn and solve problems.
15. Give kids daily opportunities to talk about their reading
Do you share favorite books with friends in the teachers lounge? Or with friends outside of school? Give students the chance to share favorites with one another to build a sense of community around reading.
16. Ditch the workbooks and skill sheets
No one enjoys these, and if we?re honest with ourselves, they don?t do much good. Actually, they may do harm because they displace precious minutes in the classroom. Replace them with authentic activities such as book journaling, book talks, book groups, or simply more reading time.
17. Link reading to writing
Writing provides massive insight into reading, the role of the author in a text, phonics, genre, and so much more.
18. Match reading to classroom practice
Teachers are not technicians but professionals sensitive to the development of their readers and what they need to grow. So placing less or no emphasis on mechanized assessments and more on one-to-one qualitative assessment is only natural.
Details on these powerful practices can be found in:
Best Practice, Fourth Edition by Steven Zemelman, Harvey ?Smokey? Daniels, and Arthur Hyde (Heinemann, 2012).
Comprehension & Collaboration, Revised Edition, by Stephanie Harvey and Harvey ?Smokey? Daniels (Heinemann, 2015).
Comprehension Going Forward, edited by Harvey ?Smokey? Daniels (Heinemann, 2011).


Core French is a course offered by English-language school divisions for individuals who wish to learn basic French skills.
Immersion French is a program offered by English-language school divisions for individuals who wish to learn French as a second language. The administration, all communications to parents and the general daily routine of the schooltake place in English.
Francophone education is a French-language program offered entirely in French, with the exception of the English Language Arts course offered beginning in Grade 4. In a CÉF school, French is used as a daily learning and communication tool in every facet of life. All correspondence, report cards, parent teacher interviews, committee and school council meetings are in French.
While students live their French culture every day in a fransaskois school, they graduate with a high level of bilingualism which will open doors to postsecondary education or a career in the language of their choice. When they obtain their diploma, graduates are well prepared, as responsible, bilingual and accomplished citizens, to follow their dreams in either official langage, or both!
Remember: Students who attend French-language schools demonstrate a much more effective and sustainable bilingualism.
Fransaskois is a noun used to refer to the Francophone people of Saskatchewan. It can also be used as an adjective, meaning "of, or pertaining to the Francophone people of Saskatchewan".
A right holder is a parent who meets one of the following criteria:
- whose first language is French and who still understands French
- who received an elementary education in French or
- whose child has received or is receiving an education in French at the elementary or secondary level.
Keep in mind that all children of French Heritage are welcome to attend CÉF schools. Immigrants are also eligible to apply.
In some cases, non right-holders can also gain access to a Francophone education for their children. Requests for admission by non right-holders will be considered by the Conseil scolaire fransaskois upon recommendation by your local school’s Conseil d’école.
Contact your local school for more information.
Non French-speaking parents sometimes wonder how they can help their children with homework in a French-language school. Although most children will only require a quiet space to work and some encouragement, there are also plenty of other things parents can do to help.
- If either parent (or both) is a right-holder, you are eligible to send your child to a Francophone school even though he or she does not speak French. (In some cases, non right-holders can be granted admission to Francophone schools. Call to see if you qualify).
- The CÉF offers specialized services to these children and their families through a specially designed francization program.
- There is no need to worry. Our program is designed to help children rapidly build their capacity to communicate effectively in French. But the earlier your child starts learning in French, the easier and faster he or she will absorb the information.


The Pupil Premium Grant is additional funding given to schools to:
It was first introduced in April 2011. Since then the amount schools receive has increased. Schools will receive funding based on the number of pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years and for children who are looked after or adopted (LAC).
|The grant funding for the following year in 2020 - 21 is;|
|Pupils in years R- 6 recorded Ever 6 FSM||£1345|
|Looked after children||£2345|
|Children Adopted or under a special Guardianship or residence order||£2345|
|Pupils in year R - 6 Service Child (parent in armed forces)||£310|
The aims of the funding are as follows:
1. We have a commitment to raising the achievements for pupils who are eligible for Pupil Premium and know these pupils must make faster progress than non-eligible pupils.
2. We never confuse eligible pupils with low ability and strive to ‘bring out the best’ in this group of pupils and support them to achieve the highest outcomes.
3. We create support aimed to tackle the range of barriers including; behaviour, external factors and learning needs. Our professional development focuses on improving outcomes for eligible pupils, improving the quality of teaching and learning, opportunities for enrichments and development of literacy and numeracy skills.
4. We use assessment systems to track and enable thorough analysis of data (Reading, Writing and Maths) to identify pupils who are under achieving and why.
5. We direct resources and interventions to accelerate progress of eligible pupils and close the attainment gap compared to their peers.
6. We use data to carefully track the impact of targeted spending (interventions, projects or pedagogy) on attainment and progress of eligible pupils.
7. The Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher (Pupil Premium Leader) have a clear overview of how funding is allocated and the difference it is making to the outcomes of pupils termly.
8. We ensure class teachers, teaching assistants, KS leaders and subject leaders know which pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium so they can take responsibility for accelerating progress and accountability is shared across the school.
9. The Governing Body closely monitors the school's effectiveness in closing the gap between different groups of pupils.
10. We are committed to developing the whole child with particular attention on the pupils' academia, well-being and their enrichment opportunities.
The grant is allocated to school by financial year (April to April). The reports available via the links below give the amount of the school's allocation from the Pupil Premium grant for the previous financial year and the current year. They cover part of this academic year with details of how it is intended the allocation will be spent; details of how the previous academic year's allocation was spent, and the effect of this expenditure on the educational attainment of pupils at school in respect of whom grant funding was allocated.


Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Here are today’s assignments:
IXL Math – please continue to practice your math facts!
No assigned Math pages but I sent via email a couple optional math pages to do just for practice. Thanks!
Please log into ConnectEd and go to Unit 10, Lesson 1, Day 4
- page 177: Spelling – sort the spelling words under the correct heading.
Read: Core Decodable 106 – Picking Flowers
Play: Unit 10 eGame – Lesson 1, Foundational Skills
Mrs. Burkholder has asked that you complete the following: This is OPTIONAL.
This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGKU8awk7Vg
- Students can march in place to the beat of this song
- Students can keep the steady beat on their laps
- Have students listen to the different places that are mentioned in the lyrics, and ask for students to recall where, by drawing pictures
Composer: John Philip Sousa –
- Have students listen to this song, while keeping the beat on their laps, and then begin marching around the room to the beat of the song
- Explain to the students that Sousa, the composer of “Guide Right” above, was born in Washington D.C. in 1854 and his father played the trombone in the U.S. Marine Band, the official band of the President of the United States, and eventually Sousa directed that group as well.
- Students could conduct a 2/4 pattern along with the song
JUST FOR FUN…
Every week in April, on the Library of Congress’ website, Dav Pilkey will teach students how to draw a different Pilkey Character. See the website video links below for more information. All videos will be posted on Friday mornings.
Intro Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9084/
How to Draw Big Jim: https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9090/
Reading DogMan Unleashed: https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9091/
WRITING JOURNAL PROMPTS
- Wednesday – On Easter…pdf. page 9
- Watch Formed (see link under my “Helpful Links”) – Brother Francis: The Bread of Life, Celebrating of the Eucharist
- Zoom Meeting at 10:00 – Mrs. Baker is going to read Benjamin’s Box and share Resurrection Eggs
- Join STM Live to pray the rosary at 9:30
PE LOGS ARE NO LONGER NEEDED!
After discussing with Mrs. DeWolfe, it has been decided that your individual sign-off sheet will be sufficient for recording your child/ren’s physical activity! Thank you for understanding and hopefully this will be one less thing for you to worry about.
On YouTube with Mrs. Espinosa! You can find the daily links on Mrs. Espinosa’s blog at https://www.stmcatholic.org/teacher/rachele/
This week Mrs. Poniatowski will be teaching Lesson 18 – Problem Solving Steps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJBa5Kn7Hlw
After we return from spring break, I will be scheduling regular Zoom meetings for every Tuesday beginning April 21 at 11:00. I will also be scheduling “office hours” every Friday beginning April 24 from 11:00 -12:00. All Zoom meetings are certainly optional on your part but I do look forward to seeing all my little friends. The Friday office hours are just for the kids to pop in and out and chat with me one-on-one or with a small group. It’s also a great time to ask me any questions about the assigned classwork. I’m happy to hear some reading too!
I love all the pictures! Please keep them coming!
I am available for email communication ANYTIME!
JOKE OF THE DAY:
First graders (and Mrs. Cincilla) just love funny jokes and riddles! Give this one a try:
Question: Why did the jellybean go to school?
Answer: Because he really wanted to be a Smartie!
May the spirit of the Lord fill your home this Easter.


Over the last several months, we have been exploring the various reasons for how early childhood music education better prepares children to learn any musical instrument, with a focus primarily on piano. Beginning piano teachers understand how early childhood music education and the developmental influences of BODY, MIND, SPIRIT and FAMILY, provide a firm foundation for children to achieve greater success at the keyboard. In this final installment, those influences are blended into a layering of experiences that are taught from a musical point of view. These layers, stemming from children’s developmental stages, spiral and interact with each other to provide the foundation for sustained musical development.
The Developmental Layers of Childhood Music Education
- Movement Comes First –From the very earliest stages of life, there is movement. Pregnant mothers generally begin to feel movement in the womb, or quickening, anywhere from 14 to 26 weeks. During early infancy, caretakers rock and bounce their babies, then progress to walking, jumping, and playing games during toddlerhood. Throughout this time children, are refining coordination, sense of beat and phrase, rhythm, meter, flow, and form while establishing free and expressive body movements.
- Listening Comes Second – Music is an aural art, and we come to it for the sheer enjoyment of listening, singing, and dancing. As early childhood music studios are filled with musical sound, hearing music in various forms and from different sources adds a second layer of musical foundation. As children listen to more music, they are intrigued to continue and explore it further as they learn to discriminate sounds and build a vocabulary of musical patterns and styles that will help in learning piano.
- Singing Comes Third – Cultures across the world have communicated through music, which offers a sense of community and identity. We desire to communicate and express the joy of our own voice through a repertoire of common songs, learning melodies and the structure of musical patterns that will translate to understanding musical instruments.
- Playing Simple Percussion Instruments Helps with Piano – Our hands serve as expressive extensions of who we are, and in turn, musical instruments are an extension of the hands. Playing simple percussion instruments such as drums, rattles, rhythm sticks, or maracas, increase our joy of making music and refining our movements while teaching us about beat, meter, and phrase. As we do this with others, we begin to have musical dialogue with partners or groups.
- Musical Literacy is Emerging All Along the Way – As we first learn to move and listen, speak our music through song, and extend music making into instruments, we are making sense of the specific rhythm and tonal patterns we hear and practice. At some point we will want to understand how to write and read those patterns, which may come before or after sitting down to learn the piano.
Introducing Piano to Children’s Musical Development
Once these layers of musical foundation have been established, the piano teacher is able to add the next layer of complexity, offering a way for children to express their joy and knowledge of music through an intricate, yet subtle instrument. The most successful Early childhood music programs prepare teachers to think in these developmental terms, carefully considering how to introduce musical concepts. Realizing that they must first work with ear and body before eye and brain, piano teachers are working to establish musical communication that leads to musical thought. Group work helps to ensure that classes remain playful and lively while teaching the “whole” child in ways that are developmentally appropriate.
Early children’s music programs help children to fall in love with music, have a mind full of musical thoughts, and establish body control needed to master an instrument such as keyboard. This firm foundation allows beginning piano teachers to take children to the next exciting level of musical development!
This commentary is based on the article The Well-Prepared Beginner: Prepared in Body, Mind, Spirit, and Family by Lorna Heyge, Ph. D. Dr. Heyge is a pioneer in childhood music instruction, as well as a piano teacher of many years.


Art allows you to process and appreciate the world around you. Whether you are the artist themselves or the viewer appreciating the art, you are essential to the back and forth of visual communication. Especially in this day and age, we are surrounded by images -- it seems one of the quickest ways to communicate. We want our students to be able to digest these images, to be able to interact with them intelligently. We also want students to be able to create this art themselves, to expand the ways they can “speak” to others.
There are unique ways of thinking in art, ways to think outside of the box, ways to invent something new, or to slow down and process this quick-paced world. Art can also act as historical reflection -- art is not created in a vacuum, but is relevant to the artist’s experience at that time. This unique way of thinking helps problem solve in other core courses.
Art encourages students to develop an understanding of their real and imagined worlds. Because making art is so personal, a student has to take charge of their own message. They have to reflect and decide about what is important to them and what they want to say.
Through art education students learn to create, to interpret, to critique or judge as well as become exposed to art created in different times and places. Students learn a few tricks and techniques to practice, and through discipline and hard work, they experience success. That success helps develop confidence.
Visual Arts Department Faculty:
Click here for Visual Arts Department Course Descriptions


Rally! Education’s STAAR Math Rehearsal PLUS and STAAR Reading Rehearsal PLUS are supplemental products that support preparation for Texas’ STAAR mathematics and reading testing in grades 3-8 (i.e., Levels C-H), respectively. Content is available in print and online formats. Learning List recently reviewed online resources in each content area. Resources at each grade level include two practice exams that reflect the grade’s STAAR mathematics and reading tests and tools to help teachers evaluate students’ mastery of the relevant Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). [Read more…]
Posts Tagged "Middle School"
GameSalad is a supplemental computer science program that supports instruction in grades PK-12. Content is available online and includes printable resources, such as lesson plans, worksheets, and quizzes. Instruction is project based and introduces students to concepts in programming and game design without the need to learn programming languages and coding skills. Learning List recently reviewed resources for grades 3-8. [Read more…]
Vocabulary.com is a supplemental online product that supports the development of academic vocabulary across core subject areas in grades 5-12. Content is fully online and some resources, such as vocabulary lists, may be printed. Instruction is adaptive. The program adjusts the level of difficulty based on individual student responses. [Read more…]
Learning List has reviewed Glynlyon’s Odysseyware Texas middle school products for mathematics and English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR). Both products are Texas Editions that were developed to address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Both math and ELAR products are comprehensive resources that cover a full year’s content. [Read more…]
Learning List has reviewed Pacific Learning’s CSI Literacy for grades 7 and 8. CSI Literacy is supplemental product that supports literacy development in grades 3-8. Content is available in print and online formats and includes digital resources (i.e., USB drives). Instruction emphasizes the development of close reading skills and the comprehension of complex texts. Resources support instruction in blended learning environments.[Read more…]


While COVID-19 has heightened the challenges found in workforce development programs, these programs have struggled for years to meet the demands of workers and connect them with living-wage jobs. For example, a 2016 Pew Research survey found that:
- Employment has been rising faster in occupations requiring more preparation
- The majority of American workers say they will need continuous training to keep up with changes in the workplace
- 35 percent of adults in the labor force said they did not currently have the education and training they need to get ahead
This report also reveals that “employment and wages have increased most in occupations that require higher social or analytical skills.” It isn’t just a matter of offering courses in mechanics or computing or health care. For workers to land in jobs that offer a living wage, they need an education that focuses on the whole learner. This means an education that takes into account developing and fine-tuning social-emotional skills; that considers factors in their unique backgrounds that can advance or inhibit their progress; and that figures out ways to lead with strengths and overcome obstacles.
In order to help workers meet the demands of an emerging workforce, we have created the Adult Learner Model. The framework covers the whole learner: background experiences; social and emotional; cognition; and adult literacies. It includes research-based factors of learning and strategies for education practice and edtech product development. While building this model, three themes have emerged:
- Adults need a variety of foundational skills to thrive and survive
- Adults must see the benefit of learning tasks to fully engage
- Engaging in lifelong learning is connected to general well-being
The Learner Variability Navigator’s goal is to use our factors and strategies to supplement job training and college classes designed to help citizens find jobs, become successful in their occupation, and live a fulfilling life.


Phonics Word Families
In this word families instructional activity, students examine the words listed and identify 2 words that belong in each of the word families.
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Reading Success Mini Books: Word FamiliesLesson Planet
Engage children in learning about rhyming words with this printable book on the -ing word family. Including six words with supporting pictures, young learners practice reading and writing the words before adding their own word and...
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Phonics Floor Game: Short VowelsLesson Planet
Turn your phonics instruction into a game! First, hop on to word family foot prints to match the short vowel sound cards. Then, take the game to the next level; write a word on the foot print that has the same word family sound.
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Initial Sounds with Word FamiliesLesson Planet
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Reading Center: Word Families - Miss Mary MackLesson Planet
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Learning to read is fun with a Reading and Parents Program (RAPP) packs’ games, activities, poems, songs and crafts. Each pack contain a book and interactive activities that that support language and literacy development. The packs are geared towards children aged 6 months to 6 years old, and include helpful literacy tips for parents.
There are three types of RAPP packs:
- The ASL (American Sign Language) pack focuses on support for the language and literacy development, and support for those learning sign language. This pack features an activity booklet, a book and an ASL DVD with an interpreter signing a discussion of themes of the book.
- The Voices pack includes a book and CD, which includes songs and discussion of the themes of the book.
- The French packs (Trousse PLF) support development of French language and literacy skills. This pack features an activity booklet and beginner French book.
To see the full list of RAPP packs click here! All packs include activity sheets. We encourage you to make photocopies of the activity pages for your child to enjoy and keep.
The RAPP packs are a creation of the Ottawa Public Library Alternative Services in partnership with Alternative Learning Styles and Outlooks (ALSO), a community group that focuses on Adult and Family Literacy, to offer new literacy material for children.


Weekly learn at home blog
Week 4: Little and Often
Week 4: Little and Often
This article has been written by parent blogger Emma Bradley.
School is on holiday for the Easter break but home learning is still taking place here. I mean, home learning happens naturally and all the time anyway. Every time you set up a crafting activity you are encouraging children to explore textures and develop manual dexterity. Therefore, whether playing a musical instrument, painting or creating models you are developing your children.
When you are in the garden and play ball games you are teaching hand eye co-ordination and keeping the family fit at the same time. These games are all important for fun and for development. If you plant some seeds you are investigating what plants need to grow, it’s science for kids.
Therefore, learning takes place in many guises whether school is out or not! However, we are keeping up with some academic work too because I find little and often works for us. This week we have been doing volume in Maths. It progressively got harder, but Erin is pretty confident now at managing to multiply decimals too and I have finally grasped the methods her school use including partitioning and the bus stop method! It was hard to get my head around different methods initially, but I feel that it is important to stick with how the school teaches these concepts as otherwise it isn’t going to help Erin when she is back in the classroom doing it the school way.
I am breaking up the academic work with some Easter activities this week, Erin has made cards for family and wrote a little note in each. This is a good time to make up a batch of cards that can be used throughout the year. Get children making cards that can be used as birthday cards – it will give them something to do and save you money for the rest of the year at the same time!
We have also been searching out creative challenges online. To celebrate the release of their brand new My Awesome Year series, Collins have launched a competition on their website where they are sharing challenges from the books and if you get involved and share them on your social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) using the #MyAwesomeYearBeing you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win the whole series at the end of the month.
Life on lockdown is taking shape and I’m actually enjoying teaching Erin. I think we will look back at this time with some good memories too. Life is precious and often time goes too fast, I feel that we have had time to reconnect in many ways and take pleasure in simple things. I am also more confident that I am covering things at the right level for her now, providing enough challenge but not making it impossible. Using age related workbooks really helps with this as we don’t know the curriculum and where to pitch work otherwise. Even coming from a teaching background, I don’t know what Year 5 cover really.
We have moved on to read some of my favourite classics that I enjoyed at her age. Anne of Green Gables was an absolute favourite and it is beautiful to be reading them together - it really helps improve her vocabulary too.
We have also made a time capsule to remember this time and to keep for our future generations. We are living a period of history that will impact on wider government policies and certainly be referred to in the history books. There have been a few other times in history where governments have ordered lockdowns, notably during the plague and Cholera outbreaks, and those have found their way onto school curriculums and history books and I imagine Covid 19 will be the same. We are storing out time capsule in a large box and so far it includes post we have received, pictures of rainbows, newspaper headlines and it will include our journal when this is all over. We will then store this away in the attic or garage ready to be discovered in the future when the initial memories and experiences have faded.
Missed Emma's previous learn at home blogs? Read the previous installments today:
Emma Bradley, a qualified secondary teacher and current primary school governor with many years experience of working in different childcare and education settings. She has three children, the eldest is Chloe a second year university student, a son Dylan who is 16 and just found out his GCSEs are not going ahead and Erin who is 10 and still at primary school.


Touch, Read & Write Blending Word Activities
Blending word activities are here! Students touch, read, and write CVC & CVCe words, as well as blends and digraphs.
Using hands-on activities can engage students in deeper learning and provide a kinesthetic option for the various learners in your classroom. My touch, read, and write phonics activities are a fun way for improving beginning reading. These printable cards allow you to guide students through the process of blending sounds.
“Research shows that teachers who spend larger than average amounts of time on blending-modeling blending and providing loads of practice blending words in isolation and in context – achieve greater student gains.” (Haddock, Roseshine, & Stevens)
There are two types of blending – final blending and successive blending. When you are teaching students to blend sounds using final blending, they should first say the sound for each letter and then say (blend) the sounds together to say the word. So for example, for the word bed. Students would say /b/ /e/ /d/ and then, /bed/.
In successive blending, you teach students to run their finger under the word and blend the sounds together. For this form of blending, you do not pause between sounds. You can blend the word at a slow pace and then faster to a normal speed to say the complete word. Successive blending will be what you use mostly during your phonics instruction.
According to Wiley Blevins, if you have a struggling reader, final blending is best during your intervention time with that student. By working through the word sound by sound, you can determine if there is a specific sound spelling that is particularly difficult for that student.
Blending instruction doesn’t need to be difficult. These activity cards make a great addition to your literacy centers and intervention groups.
Throughout the 650 word cards, you will find words with the missing sounds in the beginning, middle, and end position. It is time to get excited about watching your kindergarten and first grade sweeties develop and improve their understanding of decoding and encoding sounds.
These blending word activities are in my blog store. Click here to check them out:


Geometry Tutoring for Los Angeles Students
Seeking geometry tutoring for Los Angeles students? At Tutoring 4 Less we reinforce the concepts taught in High School Geometry by developing a detailed and foundation driven curriculum to meet each individual’s needs. We deepen the understanding of geometric relationships, spatial sense, angles, symmetry, patterns, and help each student learn how to apply these concepts outside of the classroom. Tutors work with students in a small group or one on one to explore the properties and relationships between geometric figures such as triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons.
Having an advanced knowledge and understanding of the relationships between geometric objects and concepts help students apply these concepts to their everyday life. These learned concepts can be used to interpret by schematic drawings in architecture, estimating the amount of material needed for a construction project, rendering computer designs and graphics and even designing sewing patterns for the latest fashion trends.
Online Tutoring For Geometry
Looking for math tutors whose teaching style is a good fit with your high school student can be trying at the best of times. Finding a private geometry tutor online can be even harder, when you’re not able to meet in person and establish a rapport, assess an individual’s credibility, and see if their teaching experience meshes with your student’s learning style. That’s why Tutoring 4 Less provides our private tutoring sessions, with our select group of qualified tutors. All our tutors have years of experience tutoring their chosen subject matter, be it reading, writing, chemistry, biology, pre-calculus, geometry, or even elementary school math and science. Our online tutoring program leverages the proven aspects of our in-person Los Angeles tutoring center, with the added benefits of online accessibility, any time, anywhere.
Master Geometry With The Best Geometry Tutors in Los Angeles
Geometry is one of the five mathematical courses offered to students at the high school level. Although most students are exposed to basic geometric relationships and schematics during their elementary education, it isn’t until high school that they begin to develop a more precise definition and understanding of the concepts taught in this class. At Tutoring 4 Less, our innovative geometry curriculum provides LA County students with both theoretical and experimental modeling tools that will allow them to apply geometric concepts to everyday life. A more detailed description of our curriculum can be studied below:
- Introduction to Geometry: This section reinforces the students understanding of points, lines, measuring, planes, and angles. They review how to graph on both a one-dimensional and two-dimensional plane. Students learn about the different geometric points and lines, such as: parallel and perpendicular lines, collinear and noncollinear points and planes, naming conventions, and angle relationships. Students review how to use a compass and protractor to measure and construct segments and shapes. They also review obtuse, acute, supplementary, complimentary, congruent, and right angles.
- Reasoning and Proving Theorems: This section of Geometry focuses on helping students organize their reasoning in a logical way. They learn about classifying different polygons and angles into a sequencing manner. Students are introduced to 3 types of reasoning techniques; conjecture, example and counter-example, and inductive and deductive reasoning. Students are introduced to the Geometric theorems that they will use throughout their mathematical careers to solve multi-step problems.
- Lines and Angles: Students learn about perpendicular and parallel lines, angles, slopes. They also learn how to solve and apply the midpoint and distance formulas.
- Triangles: Students learn about classifying triangles and solving their angles, sides, areas, and perimeters. They learn about isosceles, equilateral, right, acute, and obtuse triangles. They also learn how to use properties of exterior and interior angles to solve different problems and learn the triangle postulates and theorems. Students will also be exposed to the Pythagorean Theorem and how to use its application to solve for the different sides of a triangle.
- Circles, Polygons, and Quadrilaterals: Students are taught about perimeter, circumference, area, arc length, and geometric probability. They learn how to solve the area and perimeter for rectangles, squares, and parallelograms, and also find the circumference of circles.
- Transformations: In this section, students learn about translations and transformations of different geometric shapes within the x-y coordinate plane. They learn about degree rotation, asymptotes, reflections, dilation, and symmetry.
- Surface Area and Volume: Students are required to use formulas of surface area and volume for prisms, cylinders, cones, and pyramids. They also learn the different dimensions of geometric solids in order to compare the effects of altering the shapes dimensions.
Contact us for your child’s free assessment today!


Draw, Paint, Make, and Get Creative with 53 Amazing Projects!
* Individual store prices may vary.
Other Editions of This Title:
Every kid can be an artist with this book as their guide! Using basic art supplies — from paint, markers, paper, and glue to household finds like cardboard boxes and fabric scraps — children aged 6 and up learn that as long as they can imagine it, they can create it. Curated by two art educators with decades of experience, this rich collection of 53 arts and crafts activities offers up a ton of freeform fun, from Doodlemonsters and Painted Animal Rocks to Paper Bead Jewelry and Nature Weaving. Projects vary in difficulty so there’s something for a wide range of ages and abilities, and many can be completed in under an hour. Each project featured in the book has been kid-made (and kid-approved!), and colorful photos of the finished pieces will ignite a creative spark that inspires budding makers to express their imagination, humor, and individuality through art.
Praise For Art Sparks: Draw, Paint, Make, and Get Creative with 53 Amazing Projects!…
“Summer art camps, art clubs, and after-school groups will find the creative projects in this enticing and beautiful book easy to understand, prepare for, and implement. Everyone will be amazed by students’ involvement, enthusiasm, and success!” — Cathy Topal, author of Thinking with a Line and Education & Child Study research associate at Smith College
“I can't wait to share Art Sparks with my three kids. They range in age from seven to twelve years old, yet I know each of them will love the art projects and will learn new art-making techniques. I would have loved having this as a resource when I taught middle school and high school, too. While the steps are easy enough for younger children, the projects and design offer expansion for older kids and teens.” — Krissy Bonning-Gould, blogger and social media influencer, and founder of B-Inspired Mama
Storey Publishing, LLC, 9781635862119, 176pp.
Publication Date: September 17, 2019
About the Author
Marion Abrams founded the Summer Art Barn in Hatfield, Massachusetts, in 1989. She has a BFA in art education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has taught art in a variety of public and private schools for over 45 years. Abrams teaches art workshops at local libraries and schools, and volunteers at senior centers and the local food bank. Learn more about her and the Summer Art Barn at www.summerartbarn.com.
Hilary Emerson Lay has a BFA from Emerson College in writing, literature, and publishing, with a concentration in children’s writing and illustration. Lay managed The Spirit of ’76 Bookstore in Marblehead, Massachusetts for ten years. She is a working artist, the founder of Bubo Arts Collective, and the assistant director of the Summer Art Barn. Her artwork can be found online at www.hilaryemersonlay.com.


What is a good first woodworking project?
Top 100 Quick & Cool Woodworking Projects for Beginners Simple Wall Shelf. Porch or garden table. Sofa Sleeve and Cup Holder. Candle Holder. Wooden Media Box. Address Number Wall Planter. Cookbook Stand or Tablet Holder. Scrap Plywood Candle Holders.
What are basic carpentry skills?
Here’s a list of some basic skills you would do well to develop. They are the foundational skills every woodworker should know. Understand How Wood Works and Behaves. Sharpen Saws, Planes, and Chisels. Use a Hand Plane. Prep Lumber With Hand Tools. Cut a Mortise and Tenon Joint. Cut Dovetail Joints. Finish Your Furniture.
How do I teach myself to be a carpenter?
Start by building up foundational skills and learning how to use hand and power tools. For a more in-depth approach, take some courses in carpentry or even earn a degree. To gain relevant experience, volunteer for a building organization, work on a construction crew, or become a carpenter’s apprentice.
Is woodworking hard to learn?
Woodworking isn’t hard to learn , but it takes hard work to become a master. If you are passionate about constructing projects, you’ll leap over any barrier in your path. For success, remember three things: passion, patience, and perseverance.
What is the most useful woodworking tool?
What kind of math do carpenters use?
Basic math skills are a must for any carpenter . Carpenters use arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus and statistics to measure materials, add up volumes and complete other project-planning tasks.
Is carpentry a good career?
Carpentry is a good job for people who are interested in working from home. Having the skills to cut, shape, and finish wood can mean having a huge world of other moneymaking opportunities available to you. With relatively few startup costs, you might also be able to begin doing fun woodworking jobs from home.
What are examples of carpentry?
Some of the different types of carpenter include: Rough carpenter : Framing, formwork, roofing and other structural work. Joister: Lays floor joists onto which a floor surface is fixed. Trim carpenter : Specialises in mouldings and trims, such as mantles, skirting boards), and other ornamental work.
Is carpentry easy to learn?
Carpentry is by far the hardest trade. It would be very simple if everything you’re building on or off of is perfectly square plumb, and level. However even new homes are framed with the standard of get it done quickly so nothing is ever perfect and easy .
How long does it take to learn carpentry?
How hard is it to become a carpenter?
Carpentry can be hard heavy work as it often involves lots of lifting and serious manual labor, so yes becoming and staying a carpenter can be very hard . Carpentry is all about converting raw wood into something far more useful. Moreover, there are different types of expertise involved in carpentry .
Is Woodworking an expensive hobby?
Is woodworking an expensive hobby ? No, it does not have to be. You’ll also find that woodworking doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby , but the costs can add up quickly depending on how serious you get. There’s really two types of costs associated with woodworking – 1) equipment and 2) material.
What is the best saw for a beginner?
The 5 Best Types of Saws for DIYers Reciprocating Saw. Circular Saw . Miter Saw. Portable Table Saw . Japanese Handsaw. The Right Saw for the Job.
Which saw to buy first?
A jigsaw is great for cutting curves and shapes, and it can also be used with a guide to make straight cuts, which is why this is the first power saw you should own. Unless you plan to rip long sheets of plywood, a jigsaw is preferable over a circular saw.


Ready, set, create. A new course being offered by Pinnguaq is teaching participants how to design their own games, from scratch.
Intro to Scratch is a set of lessons designed to help beginners get up and running using Scratch, a free online community where users can create their own interactive stories, games, and animations. From learning how to open an account to sharing their finished game, this Pinnguaq course takes participants through the process start to finish, giving them the fundamental skills needed to excel in game development.
“Pinnguaq recognizes that many educators are learning to code right alongside their students. Our hope is that this introduction to Scratch course will be a great starting place for all of those new to coding,” says Jennie Cross, Director of Education for Pinnguaq.
“The tutorials provide simple video walkthroughs to follow along with and are designed for the learner who has never used Scratch before. A teacher could use this in their classroom as an opportunity to teach computer coding, or an individual learner could use this independently.”
The Intro to Scratch curriculum was designed to familiarize a new user of Scratch with an introduction to the Scratch environment. The team starts by going over some basic user interface navigation and how to open an account/save your work on the platform. We cover some basic terminology and function of code blocks, sprites and backgrounds.
Once through the introductory parts we start to actually build out some interactive code to create a personalized game, which can then be shared in a virtual gallery space provided by Scratch.
Each lesson includes a recap from the previous lesson, an introduction to the Scratch working environment and tools, short videos demonstrating tasks being completed and an opportunity for learners to explore and try for themselves.
A Play Approach
Intro to Scratch is designed with a ‘play’ approach where students engage in formal learning through creative, fun and silly approaches. This allows students to be open to trying something new that otherwise may seem scary or challenging.
Educators will find the program’s basic drag-and-drop coding language makes this the perfect opportunity to apply a play approach as it sets learners up for success to create animated stories, interactive games, simulations and beautiful artwork.
Scratch introduces learners to basic coding concepts while developing their computer skills and bringing their own ideas to life. In this course, our team introduces the basics of Scratch to help learners with the foundational skills needed to start their Scratch journeys.
This program makes it easy for learners who are just starting out by organizing the types of code into categories: motion, looks, sound, events, controls, sensing, operators and variables. These code blocks are then pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle before participants test their code and debug any problems, a great learning experience in itself.
Benefits to Participants
Learners who participate in this Intro to Scratch course, an open course on the Pinnguaq Learning Space welcome for anyone to try for free, will have the chance to work on the same game but produce different versions to make it their own.
Not only do participants have the chance to learn Scratch, the course is a fun way to introduce computers and programming to anyone from young children to grown adults looking to add to their skillset.
The course helps new coders and educators get started in Scratch in a fun, interactive, step-by-step guide. It helps people become creators instead of just consumers. It also helps educators encourage students or youth to take action in becoming a creator by allowing them to develop basic knowledge of coding with Scratch.
Share Your Success
Now that you’ve learned all about our Intro to Scratch course, we’d love it if you signed up — it’s free — and gave it a try. Acquaint yourself with the program, create something magical and share it with the world, including us.
At Pinnguaq, we use science, technology, engineering, arts and math to promote storytelling, health, wellness and growth within rural and remote communities. We want to embrace diversity and create opportunities to empower all people and if this Intro to Scratch course did that for you, it would mean so much if you could let us know.


This textbook focuses on the main areas of teaching young children, covering the 3-7 years age range that spans the early years and primary phases. The majority of chapters are written by both an academic and practitioner, reflecting a genuine theory and practice approach, and this helps the reader to set theoretical discussion in the context of real practice.
Key themes explored within the book include:
- Play and playfulness in the curriculum
- Child development in practice
- Literacy development and subject pedagogy
- Creativity and outdoor learning
Packed full of learning features such as case studies, reflective questions and lesson plans, Teaching Early Years is an essential resource for both students and practitioners, and will enhance your knowledge of how young children think and learn.


Primary Mission For The Children
The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF works around the world for the benefit of girls and boys. UNICEF works to promote respect for children’s rights, to meet their primary needs and to improve their opportunities. With its dual mandate in the area of emergency humanitarian aid and development cooperation, UNICEF is main partner for child protection both in developing countries and in crisis situations.
Despite tremendous progress, millions of girls and boys around the world are still unable to attend school or suffer from malnutrition.
UNICEF’s primary mission is therefore to promote respect for the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It strives to ensure that all girls and boys have the opportunity to survive, to grow and to fully develop their abilities without discrimination or favoritism. UNICEF is committed to creating favorable conditions for the development of children and is particularly concerned with their protection in the event of conflict and emergency situations.
Considerable progress has been made in the past two decades. Mortality of children under the age of five has fallen from 12.7 to around 6 million deaths per year. The share of malnourished children has been halved. The net enrollment rate at primary school level in developing countries reached 92% in 2016, and gender equality in classes at this level has gradually improved. However, a considerable proportion of disadvantaged children could not benefit from these significant improvements. The positive results of the countries that have achieved the national targets hide the great disparities that exist. Prolonged humanitarian crises also continue to hamper the development of some 30 million girls and boys.
The strategic plan of UNICEF for 2018-2021 aims to obtain concrete results in favor of children, in particular of the most disadvantaged girls and boys, breaking the vicious circle of inequality. The plan focuses on the five objectives set out below.
All children survive and realize their potential
This includes promoting early childhood development as well as improving the nutritional situation of girls and boys, the health of mothers and babies, and the health of adolescents through vaccination, HIV / AIDS prevention or the promotion of balanced nutrition. .
All children learn
Early childhood learning processes and the development of skills of adolescents should be promoted in general, as well as facilitating access to education for unschooled girls and boys, especially in situations of humanitarian crisis.
All children are protected from violence and exploitation
Violence, harmful practices against girls and boys as well as serious violations committed against minors in areas affected by humanitarian crises must be prevented and a widespread birth registration system should be introduced.
All children live in a safe and clean environment
Access to safe water and basic sanitation must be guaranteed for all minors. In addition, better protection of children from environmental pollution, natural disasters and the consequences of climate change must be guaranteed.
All children have an equal opportunity to succeed in life
This includes gender equality from the earliest years of life, integrated support for girls and boys with disabilities, greater participation of and adolescents in public processes and the reduction of poverty among children through better social protection.
Through its activities, UNICEF has made a decisive contribution to improving the legal and regulatory framework in favor of children. In last year, the Humanitarian Organization achieved the following results:
- over 78.6 million children were vaccinated against measles (+ 54%) and 150,000 children with HIV were treated with antiretroviral treatment;
- 32.7 million children were able to have access to better sources of drinking water (+ 42%);
- 12.5 million children received educational material (+ 31%).


Key findings clearly demonstrate that it is possible to implement WCET programmes in ways that lead to high continuation rates and high standards of instrumental playing.
Music Mark, in partnership with Professor Susan Hallam MBE and a convened Steering Group, undertook research with its members into Whole Class Ensemble Teaching (WCET). The aims of the research were to identify examples of high-quality WCET programmes and provide a context for the challenges faced when offering such a programme. This included looking at the role of schools alongside Music Services and/or Lead Organisations of Music Education Hubs.
The Department for Education (DfE) funding of £75 million (in 2016/17), continues to contribute towards the core and extension roles for Music Education Hubs (MEH), which includes the aspiration that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument through whole-class ensemble tuition programmes.
Fifty-one WCET programmes were nominated for participation in the research, leading to twenty-two specific school visits, discussions with headteachers and their staff, senior Music Service/Lead Organisation of MEH leaders and their peripatetic music teachers to gather their collective beliefs and approaches toward successful WCET programme outcomes.
Professor Susan Hallam, UCL Institute of Education, said “For most children, WCET is their first introduction to playing a musical instrument. This research has shown that through a combination of high-quality general music teaching prior to WCET, maintaining high expectations of children’s musical outcomes throughout a WCET programme and providing opportunities for performance, highly successful WCET programmes can be achieved.”
A series of short film clips (each between 2 and 4 minutes) have been made to encapsulate the key findings directly from the perspective of schools, their teaching staff, Music Service and/or Lead Organisations of MEHs and their music teachers. The clips are designed to be a useful resource for continued professional development, to raise awareness of WCET provision and include interviews with headteachers, leaders of Music Services/MEHs and music teachers, as well as examples of WCET programmes in action.
Jem Shuttleworth, Chief Executive of Music Mark, said “We are delighted to have worked with Susan and our membership on this piece of research. As a membership organisation and subject association we work to influence thinking, policy and practice. Such clear positive outcomes as these give us the confidence, on behalf of our membership, to continue calling upon government to fund the important work of Music Education Hubs.”
To download the research report and to view a sample of the film clips visit: http://www.musicmark.org.uk/WCETresearch.
Professor Hallam will be presenting the findings at Music Mark’s National Conference 2016 – Supporting Progression for All – being held 11th and 12th November. http://www.musicmark.org.uk/training-and-events/conferences/music-mark-annual-conference-2016.


The increasing number of students who enroll the Visual Art Department from year to year opens opportunities for increased art activities in Fine Arts. This increasing lead to activity as the core provision for prospective art teachers. Unfortunately, only few students who take advantage of this valuable moment as an effort to explore their future career. This phenomenon is important to be follow up as a consideration, due to opportunities for future students to run the business, becoming an artist, or even a curator. With such open chance career span they may live, basically when they are study in S1 Visual Arts, all of their knowledge and skills must be obtained from lecturers theoretical and practical. Lecturers are required to develop a suitable learning model, approach, instructional media, learning strategies, as well as reliable visual arts learning techniques. This theoretical paper will explore and summary several findings done by the expert and researcher (lecturers) about preparing instructional technology of its development for prospective art teachers in junior high school, high school/vocational school level. Finally, the paper describe how can students and lecturer gain beneficial from art activities carry on each semester.
instructional technology, prospective teachers, art education


Delta Blues Museum
Established in 1979 by the Carnegie Public Library Board of Trustees and re-organized as a stand-alone museum in 1999, the Delta Blues Museum is the state's oldest music museum. It was also the first museum in the world to be completely devoted to blues music. The Delta Blues Museum is featured on the Mississippi Blues Trail and features rotating physical exhibits as well as virtual tours. The museum is also home to several festivals throughout the year.
Backstory and Context
Since 1999, the Delta Blues Museum has been housed in the historic Clarksdale freight depot, built in 1918 for the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. The building was designated a Mississippi Landmark Property in 1996. The former freight area- about five thousand square feet of ground floor space – is devoted to permanent and traveling exhibits.
The Delta Blues Museum Stage is adjacent to the museum classroom, which hosts a year-round music education program as well as lectures and symposia. The Delta Blues Museum Stage serves as the main venue for local festivals such as the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival in August and the Juke Joint Festival in April.
Delta Blues Museum, Delta Blues Museum. Accessed July 4th 2021. https://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/.
Delta Blues Museum, The Mississippi Blues Trail. Accessed July 4th 2021. http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/delta-blues-museum.


I have something a little bit different for you this week – rather than introducing new tech or new techniques, today is a bit more about reflection on educational technology, and why we use it.
In this EdSurge opinion piece, “The Answer for Schools Is Not More Technology. It’s Teachers and Human Connection,” the author reflects on the use (overuse?) of technology in the classroom. This particular article focuses on K12 – specifically, elementary education – but it does beg the Economics question, “Is more always preferred to less?” I challenge you this week to consider this question as it applies to higher education, as well:
If this article was of interest to you, I encourage you to peruse the complete series, “A Decade in Review: Reflections on 10 Years in Education Technology.”
Awesome people who want to help you do awesome stuff in the classroom! Join the conversation here or in our Facebook Group: CGCC Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment


Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum
The St Stephen’s Curriculum
Our Foundation Stage curriculum follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Learning and Development Requirements, as set out by the government.
There are seven ‘Areas of Learning’ in the EYFS:
Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children are also helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write.
Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.
We teach our EYFS curriculum through thematic units taken from the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC).
Each term, our Early Years year groups (Saplings, Weavers and Reception) follow a thematic IEYC unit. This gives each class a theme on which to base their teaching and learning. For example, ‘Once Upon a Time’ will link most learning to traditional fairy stories like The Gingerbread Man. Follow the link below to find out more.


Experiences in life science (Experiences in science for secondary schools) download epub
by Michael A Magnoli
8 The field of school science celebrates active and visible participation.
Talking about science in everyday life: how often a student talks about science with key people in their lives (. friends, siblings, parents, neighbours, community members). 8. Understanding the ideas. Those whose resources, experiences and dispositions are not valued may not feel a connection with the lesson and, consequently, the flame of engagement may struggle to burn. The field of school science celebrates active and visible participation. It is not only Joshua’s knowledge and behaviour per se that afford his success, but the alignment of such knowledge and attitudes with the expectations of the classroom.
This article presents the high school science experiences of three non-science major .
This article presents the high school science experiences of three non-science major undergraduate students and the influence from their experiences, in their perspective, on their choice of a non-science major in college. Three female Hispanic non-science major undergraduate students were interviewed about their high school science experiences. The PRiSE project was conducted with a nationally representative sample of undergraduate students who were enrolled in introductory English classes in the fall of 2007 throughout the United States.
Science Education (ELLS). Science in School is the European journal for science teachers. It features news about the latest scientific discoveries, teaching materials, interviews with inspiring teachers and scientists, and many more.
The science curriculum in primary schools in England. Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). For the Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes for sciences in Scotland visit Education Scotland. In the EYFS, science is included within the Understanding the World area of learning. As with other learning in Reception, your child will mainly learn about science through games and play – which objects float and sink during water play, for example. In Northern Ireland, science is included within The World Around Us area of learning. Visit CCEA for details.
Science For Kids, Teaching Science, Science Education, Preschool Science, Science . Getting Nerdy Science.
Science For Kids, Teaching Science, Science Education, Preschool Science, Science Classroom, Science Activities, Human Body Activities, Body Systems, Circulatory System For Kids. Science for Secondary Grades: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and more! Image Model Human Body Bones Dice. Human Biology: Make a model of bones and the skeletal system. Science Experience Science Education Science Classroom Life Science Science Lessons Teaching Science The Human Body Human Body Lesson Human Body Science. Body System Foldable.
Science education, of which laboratory experiences are a fundamental and . The role of laboratory experiences in science education
Science education, of which laboratory experiences are a fundamental and unique part, is a critical component of education for the 21st century. Most policy makers and educators agree that scientific literacy is essential for all citizens in an increasingly technological world. The role of laboratory experiences in science education. The distinguishing feature of science is that explanations are required to correlate with observed data from nature. This book looks at a range of questions about how laboratory experiences fit into . high schools: What is effective laboratory teaching?
Start by marking Teacher's Manual For Experiences In Life Science as Want to Read . See a Problem? We’d love your help.
Start by marking Teacher's Manual For Experiences In Life Science as Want to Read: Want to Read savin. ant to Read. Read by Michael A. Magnoli. Details (if other): Cancel. Thanks for telling us about the problem.
Niche users from this school are most interested in the following colleges. Lake Braddock Secondary School. Fairfax County Public Schools, VA.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology is a top rated, public, magnet school located in Alexandria, VA. It has 1,789 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1. According to state test scores, 99% of students are at least proficient in math and 99% in reading. Niche users from this school are most interested in the following colleges. A+. University of Virginia. 7-12.
The experiences are intended to enculturate students into scientific investigation.
Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics and Statistics. Physics and Astronomy. Technology and Engineering. Business and Economics. The book reflects on the importance of academic writing and presents methods and techniques for writing in a grounded manner.
Category: Children's Books
Publisher: Laidlaw Brothers (1985)
Pages: 592 pages


Taking care of our physical health during this time has become a priority, but our mental health is just as important. Marsha Linehan has developed many life skills in her Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that can help you manage both your physical and mental health. One of the foundational skills is called PLEASE. It’s an acronym for things to check on daily so that you don’t become too vulnerable to your emotions.
PL – Treat Physical Illness
As we continue to go out only when necessary and wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when we do, we also need to keep in mind our other health needs. If you are taking prescribed medication, you need to do your best to keep getting your refills on time. If you are menstruating or going through any other regular physical ailment, you need to acknowledge that it may make you more susceptible to your emotions. Take whatever steps you need in order to treat yourself best.
E – Balance Eating
When we think about eating healthy, we tend to believe we need to go on a diet, but this step is about making sure you stay on a regular eating schedule and eat a good variety of foods. These two are especially hard for us nowadays because our regular schedules have been adjusted, and most of us are cooking at home more than usual. If you need help with eating your meals regularly, you can ask your household members or friends to be your accountability buddy (they may need the support just as much as you). If you need help creating variety in your meals, this is the perfect time to learn a family recipe, a recipe from a friend or even one from a popular YouTube star.
A – Avoid Mood-Altering Substances
Cutting out alcohol, caffeine, tobacco or other substances can be a good change. If you have been wanting to work on it, this may be a good time. In some ways, now can be harder, and that’s okay too. It’s important to keep track of consumption and try to avoid or limit its use when you are already susceptible to your emotions.
S – Balance Sleep
Like eating regularly, it is important to sleep regularly. It has become easier to go to bed and wake up whenever you want since we rarely leave our homes right now, but keeping yourself on a schedule can help. If you end up going to bed later or waking up later, try to sleep the same number of hours to keep some consistency.
E – Get Exercise
Most of us know that exercise is important, but most of us relied on leaving the house to get exercise. Many people have been going on hikes, but that has made the regular trails around the city packed with people. If you go hiking or walking, try to find a lesser known path. If you want to stay home, there are many virtual workouts like yoga, dancing or martial arts. You could even play with your pets or kids as exercise for them and yourself.
Thank you for taking the time to read this! Until we meet again in person, please wash your hands, maintain social distance and stay close to home. We are in this together.
Source: Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT® skills training handouts and worksheets (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.


A High Academic Standard
Wildwoods International School implements the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC).
The IEYC is designed around eight learning principles, that we consider essential to children’s learning and development.
The earliest years of life are important in their own right.
Children should be supported to learn and develop at their own unique pace.
Play is an essential aspect of all children’s learning and development.
Learning happens when developmentally-appropriate, teacher-scaffolded and child initiated experiences harness children’s natural curiosity in an enabling environment.
Independent and interdependent learning experiences create a context for personal development and are the foundation of international mindedness.
Knowledge and skills development lead to an increasing sense of understanding when children are provided with opportunities to explore and express their ideas in multiple ways.
Ongoing assessment, in the form of evaluation and reflection, is effective when it involves a learning-link with the home.
Learning should be motivating, engaging and fun, opening up a world of wonder for children where personal interests can flourish.
An Outdoor Learning Experience
Here at Wildwoods International School, we believe that children deserve the opportunity to create a lifelong relationship with the outdoors. Our daily schedule will allow scholars significant time to explore, create, and experience the nature that surrounds them.
Research states that children who regularly participate in unrestricted outdoor free play develop higher self-esteems, improved confidence, enhanced problem-solving skills and a better understanding of their emotional well-being. Learners develop ownership over their environment, nurturing them to become leaders of global change for their future.
During Forest School time, students will explore untamed lands, creating imaginative worlds, games and rules along the way. Imaginations and creativity will soar and scholars will magically turn a stick into a wand, or a puddle into the Zambezi River. While this unfolds in the forest, teachers will observe quietly, taking note of the activities learners immerse themselves in, in order to be able to hold a discussion at the end of Forest School to wrap up what students explored that morning. These discussions will then guide instruction when scholars go back into the classroom to learn Literacy and Numeracy skills.


This course examines and critiques diverse books for children from birth to age 13. Students explore children's books about culture, religion, race, gender, sexuality, disability, and socio-economic status. Students will learn about important authors and illustrators of diverse books and how to incorporate these books in lessons and activities with children. This course meets requirements for students entering early childhood education, elementary education, and secondary education. It is also beneficial for parents, social workers, library studies students, or others interested in learning about diverse books for children. The title of this course was previously Multicultural Literature for Youth.
Level I Prereq: Academic Reading and Writing Levels of 6
2021-22 Class offerings by semester
|Fall 2021||Winter 2022||Summer 2022|
Day Class (before 5 p.m.) Evening Class (after 5 p.m.) Online Class
The 2021-22 annual schedule class offerings by semester is offered as a planning tool. Please refer to the course schedule to see the specific time and platform for which the course is offered.
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