Y Hole Langwidg Seams
Scholars who have analyzed the best methods
for teaching young children to read all say that the skills that come from
systematic, intensive, explicit phonics instruction are much better than the
sight-reading techniques of whole language.
keys off the sound-symbol relationships of the alphabetic letters and the
sounds they make, alone and in combination with other letters. Children are
taught the 44 phonograms, or written symbols for sounds in English, in a
particular order. Quickly, they internalize pronunciations of the phonograms so
that when they read text, their brains silently "pronounce" them. It becomes
lightning fast in just a few months. They also are taught the rules of
spelling, proper handwriting, and do a lot of listening and speaking aloud
under the direct instruction of the teacher.
language is a more holistic, implicit approach. In it, the teacher reads aloud
to children, and they are exposed to text in mini-books that come with
illustrations. They are taught several cues for deciding what the words are and
what they mean. But rather than directly decoding each word, they are to absorb
the whole sentence and try to come up with the meaning as a whole. They scan
the words, look at the pictures, check out what the first letter is and the
last letter as clues to what they might be, and think about the context the
word has in the sentence.
who already know how to read do exactly that. Adults never take time to think
about how to pronounce the individual words; they just scan along at a very
fast clip and their brains take care of the "breaking down" of the phonograms
automatically and accurately. However, that's adults who learned to read with
phonics. Adults who rely only on sight-reading techniques rarely gain much
function, and boy, does that show in our society today, with relatively low
levels of literacy compared to generations past. Children today, who don't have
phonics instruction, are basically guessing at what words mean, and it shows in
everything from standardized test scores to literacy deficiencies in the
it's easy to see how educators and educational psychologists came to believe
that whole language was an effective reading method. It's how "able" readers
already read. So they figured it's how we could make children into "able"
readers. But they were wrong.
adult who reads well can scan the following passage and know what it means,
because the brain is already set up to scan and analyze text and discern meaning.
But a child who's still learning to read, or without phonics skills, will
flounder. But, without phonics training, this is what a lot of kids see when
they read today:
I cduolnt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uendsatnrd waht I was rgdnieg. The phaonmneal
pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't
mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is
taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl
mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn
mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh.
sad is that teachers' colleges and many educators don't realize that this
"miraculous" ability to make order out of chaos, and read a completely mixed-up
passage like that, only comes with proper instruction . . . and too many kids
aren't getting it today.


An illustrated guide to the lasting legacy of FDR's federally funded art projects in South Carolina
New Deal Art in South Carolina captures the struggles of South Carolina artists to depict the typical "American scene" while working within the restraints and expectations of government patronage. As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal response to the crippling economic effects of the Great Depression, artists were hired through the U.S. Treasury Department's Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) to produce high-quality public art to reflect and enhance the American way of life. In South Carolina the PWAP commissioned eighteen artists, including established figures such as Ann Taylor Nash, Margaret Moore Walker, Eliza Mims, and Faith Murry as well as those just beginning their careers. They produced easel paintings, sculptures, and murals across the state, including Stefan Hirsch's controversial "Justice as Protector and Avenger" mural in the Aiken Federal Courthouse.
The more extensive Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP) followed, offering a work-relief program with a broader range of projects, including illustrating publications for the Federal Writers' Project, restoring Charleston's historic Dock Street Theatre, and developing art education classes.
Through insightful text and compelling images, this illustrated survey of New Deal art projects in South Carolina showcases the efforts to bring art into the daily lives of hardscrabble Southerners during tough economic times. Issues of race, power, and memory dominate these works of art, mirroring the influence of those themes on all facets of Southern culture then and now.


We are always working on crafts. I love making fun things with the boys, but I have another rationale for doing these items. Most crafts involve working on fine motor skills while being creative. Although NHL has received Occupational Therapy over the years, we need to practice to reinforce items at home. Doing these skills also helped JSL to stay on top of his game.
The photos above were taken a few summers ago when working on a project with the kids. It reminded me of a post that I wrote for another project about working on fine motor development with young children.
It is no secret that I love to do arts and crafts. As a teacher, I used to make sure that there was always some way for children to express themselves artistically. Rewind to when my oldest was a toddler. We were having NHL evaluated for Occupation Therapy based on some fine motor delays. Suddenly, I was being asked why my child had no idea how to use scissors.
You mean I was supposed to introduce my child to scissors before this point? I am not kidding. I had never thought to use them with my young first born child when he was a toddler. We did plenty of activities with crayons, markers, Play-Doh, and beyond. Yet, all of my child friendly scissors were far, far away from NHL. I think I was a bit too worried about the trouble he could get into, if they were near him.
We quickly changed this. I bought a Play-Doh set that included an extruder, scissors, and other items that would assist NHL with more fine motor skills. At daycare and at home, we would make a lot of holiday themed activities. Small scissors were also purchased to help NHL to become more familiar with them. It is not the easiest thing to help a child learn to hold and use scissors properly. Their small hands can be awkward when first learning the motions needed for cutting. Luckily, there are now videos online to give assistance to families. We made a lot of projects to work on cutting.
Toddlers need to have plenty of fine motor activities. When my youngest, JSL, was a toddler, he used Play-Doh scissors early on. Regular scissors came soon after thanks to watching big brother use them. An easy activity to do with your child is making a collage. Collect a few magazines. Allow your child to cut pictures that they like. Let them use glue sticks to secure their pictures onto a larger piece of paper. The smile on their face when they are finished with their masterpiece will be priceless.
As your child gets more comfortable using scissors, the possibilities are endless. During the fall, you can trace leaves with construction paper, cut them out, and decorate them to use around your home. Take your child’s hand, trace it, then make a turkey to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving. Have your child be a coupon cutting helper. Show them the dotted lines on the coupons to cut. Not only will they be working on a skill, you can start using them to save for more arts and crafts projects.
What activities do you like to do with your children to promote or work on fine motor skill development?
Disclosure: Parts of this post were previously published on a project I worked on. The text is mostly the same, but I placed a new introduction to go along with a topic that continues to be important for families.


Learning Sight Words can be a challenge. Worse, it can be boring. But there is help! Here at Quiz-Tree.com you will find a treasure trove of free fun games, videos and printables.
Why Sight Words?
Sight Words (sometimes called the Dolch Word List) are some of the most frequently used words in the English language. Even though they number only about 200, Sight Words make up approximately 50 to 70 percent of any given general, non-technical text (you can verify it here). Therefore, teaching Sight Words as early as possible is considered a crucial part of elementary education.
We hope that you will find our Sight Words materials helpful and easy to use!
This engaging game will help your children memorize 220 Dolch Words. The goal of the game is to touch clouds with the appropriate word while flying the airplane. It takes less than a minute to learn, but offers hours of educational fun!
"I love this site and recommend it to all professionals that ask for computer sites."
- Pamela S., Teacher. Fort Worth, TX.
Sight Words Sentence Builder Game.
With this fun and simple game, your children can practice Sight Words in context. The goal is to assemble short sentences from the given words. The player receives visual and auditory feedback indicating whether the response is correct. Once the student answers correctly, the game moves to the next sentence.
Tip: Don't forget to click on the blinking checkmark when the answer is ready.
Do you happen to have a mobile tablet? This top-rated educational game is also available on iPad, Android and Kindle Fire!
Wordsearch puzzles are a great tool for helping children improve their language arts skills. Manually creating wordsearch puzzles is a time-consuming process. Besides, the number of already available puzzles is limited. So what's a teacher to do? Quiz-Tree.com to the rescue! Our super-fast Wordsearch Puzzle Generator will create a new puzzle for you in seconds.
Here's how it works:
1. Click on one of the links below.
2. On the next page you will see a puzzle generated using 10 or 20 random words from one of the standard Dolch lists.
Hot tip: To get another puzzle variation, simply reload the page and a new puzzle will be created for you automatically.
But there is more! If you want to choose the number of rows and columns, the amount of words, and other puzzle features, please use the Wordsearch Puzzle Generator.
Who Needs Them?
Reading is one of the most critical skills taught at school. It is virtually impossible for a person to live a productive life in our society without being functionally literate. Children with reading difficulties will undoubtedly have trouble mastering nearly all school subjects even if they are motivated to study. Conversely, children who learn to read in the early grades acquire one of the most basic skills needed to continue their education and be fully-functional as adults.
In many schools students are expected to be able to read simple material by the end of the second grade. One of the most important goals in teaching young students to read is making sure they are completely proficient with Sight Words.
There are two additional reasons why it is important to give Sight Words an extra priority. Firstly, phonetic analysis can't be applied to many of these words. Secondly, quite a few of them cannot be taught through pictures (e.g. "if", "soon", "but", etc.).
Even though it may take a considerable effort for children to learn the entire Dolch Word List, it is well worth it. Having the ability to recognize these words can dramatically increase confidence and improve reading proficiency of the beginning reader.
Because complete fluency with Sight Words is the foundation of literacy, a variety of techniques are used to teach them to children. Repetition and practice are very important in making Sight Words recognition automatic. For example, there are numerous group activities that help in teaching Dolch Word List in elementary school setting. These activities are often supplemented by interactive games that involve flashcards and computer software.
Clearly, exercises and games like the ones presented on this website can be most valuable when used as a part of a comprehensive reading education program that employs a variety of materials and activities.
Sight Words Buddy for Windows can help your children master Dolch Word List and have some fun too. The exercises are simple and it takes just a few seconds to learn how to use them. When the exercise starts, the student will hear one of the Sight Words. The student's task is to select the right word. After the student answers correctly, the game will move to the next word.


‘How To’ Drawings
Completed in Elementary Art Education, these drawings example students use of multiple perspectives to tell a story in three parts. Students spend time analyzing different comic images and brain storming a list of ‘How to’ events to use as subject matter. After completing the drawings they narrate the story in text.
(by Venessa Ice, ART 3350 Elementary Art Education)
Drawing from Observation
In these drawings students studying Art Education concentrated on the use of contour to create a drawing from an observed still life. When they were completed the class discussed the use of value in works of art and added luminous color using crayons.
(by Brandy Knight, ART 3350 Elementary Art Education)
After learning about some of the elements of design students collected natural materials that related to shape, color, or line and created natural material collages in the campus quad. After completion the class discussed the tradition of permanence in art while watching their collages rejoin the fallen leaves.
Students studying to receive certification in Art Education created these mythological creatures after learning about the paper mache process. Each sculpture is based on the combination of at least two animals, a structural armature, and the use of painted patterns to create a patina.
(by Holly Groves, ART 3356 Problems in Teaching Art II)
Line and Color
This mural was created by Elementary Education students studying Art Education. They worked together to create variations of painted lines that show rhythm and movement across their paper. After, they practiced mixing tempera paint to produce a myriad of colors.
Click on first image below to begin slide show.


Ten Top Reading Comprehension Strategies for Teaching Elementary and Middle School Students October 13, 2009
Be sure to go homepage (or click over on the right) and get your FREE Guide to Writing EBook!
Ten Top Reading Comprehension Strategies for Elementary and Middle School Students:
1. Main Idea – Can you figure out what is most important about this paragraph, chapter, or story? Can you see the big picture of what all the little details are adding up to?
2. Predicting – What do you think is going to happen and what makes you think that? Were there clues along the way that back up your prediction? Can you point out those clues?
3. Inferencing – Hey… you are a smart cookie! The author didn’t say that specifically… but yet you still figured it out! I guess you made a guess and you guessed correctly. Karen said her best friend was coming over and when Rhonda showed up, you figure out that Rhonda was Karen’s best friend. It’s only logical!
4. Visualizing – Can you imagine that? Can you picture it? Okay… well what would it look like if you could picture it?
5. Asking Questions – As you read… are there things you are wondering about? Are there things that you are reading that don’t make sense to you or you don’t think are logical? There should be things that you don’t understand or don’t seem logical to you… at first. Ask a question… Hmm…
6. Cause and Effect – As you read… for each thing that happens… what made it happen? What were the things that led up to it… that caused it? In science they say that for every action there in an opposite and equal reaction. In reading that lets us know that for every cause there will be an effect and for every effect… there was a cause.
7. Clarifying – Okay, admit it… you’re lost! What confuses you? How can you clarify what doesn’t make sense to you? You can back it up, slow down, and reread so that you can make sense of what you don’t understand.
8. Summarizing – If you understand what you have read, you want to be able to tell someone about it… but you don’t have all day to tell them. They are in a rush just like you! So make it quick and tell them just the most important ideas and what all those important ideas add up to. They will enjoy your summary and… this shows that you understand what you are reading!
9. Making Connections with Your Own Life – You have a lot in common with the people you are reading about! Yes… even the wizards and the talking toads! You all sleep, eat, do activities, and interact with living creatures. Can you think of a similar situation you were in? Maybe you weren’t eating delicious flies like the talking toad… but he probably feels the same way about those flies that you do about a delicious pizza!
10. Compare and Contrast – What’s the same and what different within the story? What’s the same and what’s different between this and other stories? What’s the same and what’s different between what you are reading and how you see the world? What’s the same and what’s different…


This title is only available as a loose-leaf version with Pearson eText, or an electronic book.
In Literacy in the Early Grades, 4/e, Gail Tompkins, long recognized as a leader in the field of literacy education, presents research-based, practical help for getting every child off to a successful start in literacy–and for helping new and experienced teachers ensure they’re prepared to pass their licensure exams. The focus is exclusively on he developmental needs of children in Pre-K through grade 4, and on the skills and strategies teachers need to guide them to become successful, fluent readers and writers. In it, teachers get research-based, practical directives supported by authentic student examples of sound literacy instruction and assessment, along with unsurpassed classroom applications in the form of authentic classroom vignettes, student work samples, mini lessons, assessment tools, video case studies, and a compendium of instructional procedures.
Enhanced Pearson eText. Included in this package is access to the new Enhanced eText exclusively from Pearson. The Enhanced Pearson eText is:
Engaging. Full-color online chapters include dynamic videos that show what course concepts look like in real classrooms, model good teaching practice, and expand upon chapter concepts. Video links, chosen by our authors and other subject-matter experts, are embedded right in context of the content you are reading.
Convenient. Enjoy instant online access from your computer or download the Pearson eText App to read on or offline on your iPad and Android tablets.*
Interactive. Features include embedded video, embedded assessment, note taking and sharing, highlighting and search.
Affordable. Experience all these advantages of the Enhanced eText along with all the benefits of print for 40% to 50% less than a print bound book.
*The Pearson eText App is available for free on Google Play and in the App Store.* Requires Android OS 3.1 – 4, a 7” or 10” tablet or iPad iOS 5.0 or newer
0133831469 / 9780133831467 Literacy in the Early Grades: A Successful Start for PreK-4 Readers and Writers, Loose-Leaf Version with Enhanced Pearson eText -- Access Card Package
Package consists of:
0133564509 / 9780133564501 Literacy in the Early Grades: A Successful Start for PreK-4 Readers and Writers, Loose-Leaf Version
0133825019 / 9780133825015 Literacy in the Early Grades: A Successful Start for PreK-4 Readers and Writers, Enhanced Pearson eText -- Access Card
Gail E. Tompkins is Professor Emerita at California State University, Fresno. Currently, she works with teachers in their kindergarten through eighth-grade classrooms and leads staff-development programs on reading and writing. Dr. Tompkins was inducted into the California Reading Association’s Reading Hall of Fame in recognition of her accomplishments in the field of reading, and she’s received the prestigious Provost’s award for Excellence in Teaching at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Tompkins is the author of six other books published by Pearson Education: Language Arts: Patterns of Practice, Language Arts Essentials, Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product, 50 Literacy Strategies, and two grade-specific versions of this text: Literacy for the 21sst Century: A Balanced Approach (K-8) and Literacy in the Middle Grades: Teaching Reading and Writing to Fourth Through Eighth Graders. During the past three decades, Dr. Tompkins has also worked with kindergarten through college-level writing teachers at National Writing Project sites in California and Oklahoma.
Chapter 1: Becoming an Effective Teacher of Reading
Chapter 2: Examining Children’s Literacy Development
Chapter 3: Assessing Children’s Literacy Development
Chapter 4: Cracking the Alphabetic Code
Chapter 5: Learning to Spell
Chapter 6: Developing Fluent Readers and Writers
Chapter 7: Building Children’s Word Knowledge
Chapter 8: Facilitating Children’s Comprehension: Reader Factors
Chapter 9: Facilitating Children’s Comprehension: Text Factors
Chapter 10: Scaffolding Children’s Reading Development
Chapter 11: Scaffolding Children’s Writing Development
Chapter 12: Integrating Literacy Into Thematic Units


English Language Arts
Creating literacy-rich experiences for the young learners in your transitional kindergarten class will help ensure that they are able to read at proficiency in third grade, a crucial benchmark for future literacy skills. The National Early Literacy Panel (2008) released findings of a meta-analysis of approximately 500 research studies that identified the correlation between children’s early literacy skills and later literacy development. The following key indicators of later literacy success can provide a focus for teaching English language arts as you develop engaging activities for your young students.
Key precursors to the development of literacy:
- Conversation and Oral Language: The ability to produce or comprehend spoken language
- Alphabet Knowledge: The ability to visually discriminate the differences between letters and say the names and sounds associated with printed letters
- Concepts about Print: Students understand that print has meaning and how books and print work, such as left‐right, front‐back, letters and words
- Phonological Awareness: The ability to detect, manipulate or analyze the auditory aspects of spoken language, including the ability to distinguish or segment words, syllables, rhymes, and beginning sound
- Vocabulary and Background Knowledge: A collection of words that relate to children’s experiences and knowledge
English Language Arts instructional time in TK should focus on the following competencies with the content areas listening and speaking, reading and writing.
Listening and Speaking
- oral language development for comprehension and collaboration
- presentation of knowledge and ideas with support to add increasing detail, description and to express thoughts and feelings
According to The Early Language & Literacy Classroom Observation tool, oral language development is most effectively supported when children are actively engaged in conversations that facilitate mutual exchanges of ideas, opinions and feelings. As a TK teacher, extend conversations in meaningful ways to build specific oral language skills, and additionally introduce and infuse new and challenging vocabulary throughout the day.
Reading and Writing
- print concepts
- phonological awareness
- phonics and word recognition
- opportunities to produce written communication through dictation, drawing and writing that offer opinions, retell stories and give information
Book reading is an integral part of the daily experience and can occur in a variety of settings and groupings. Engage students in stories to support comprehension, while introducing them to the features of text, authorship, print rules, pictures and ideas, in addition to building vocabulary. Additionally, using rhymes and alliteration throughout the day is a fun way to build children’s awareness of sounds.
Motivate children to use their emerging writing skills by having many materials available throughout the classroom that encourage print and writing, both spontaneously in play and during routines. Model writing and support dictation by writing stories with ideas generated by your students, and support understanding of print conventions by making charts demonstrating upper and lower case letters, spelling and spacing, and other conventions. Help children recognize and learn to write letters of their name and common words, and engage them in the development of environmental print for labels and to express ideas.
TK allows you the gift of time to move your students along the standards continuum, preparing them for a successful kindergarten year ahead. As there are no set standards for TK, WestEd and the Child Development Division of the California Department of Education developed a publication that aligns the Preschool Learning Foundations with the Kindergarten Common Core State Standards to help guide developmentally appropriate TK instruction. Find the publication here. The alignment of the foundations and the common core standards illustrates the developmental progression of TK-aged students.
The Foundations and Common Core Standards for English Language Arts are organized according to the same basic categories: listening and speaking, reading and writing. The common core state standards also include a category identified as language standards. It includes standards for grammar and vocabulary, covered under listening and speaking in the preschool foundations. Many of the competencies described at the preschool level become more differentiated and lead to more specific competencies at the kindergarten level. The reading and writing common core standards focus on skills that emerge in kindergarten, and therefore have no corresponding content in the preschool foundations.


Tuesday, Dec. 10
Thursday, Dec. 12
4-5 p.m. ET
This two-part webinar series explores the use of writing to help emergent writers with significant cognitive challenges, or students with subtle but significant specific language impairments or learning disabilities develop language and communication skills to meet the rigorous standards of the Common Core. In addition to learning about assessment techniques and how to use assessment data to identify goals and plan for intervention, you will also hear about classroom and individualized intervention strategies based on components of classroom writing programs.
After completing this program, you will be able to:
- Administer and analyze writing assessments to set goals and plan for both classroom and individualized interventions.
- Describe how to use the basic components of a classroom writing program to promote language and communication abilities for students with a wide range of disabilities.
Janet Sturm is a professor in the department of Communication Disorders at Central Michigan University. Dr. Sturm's research and clinical interests include developing writing instruction for students with developmental disabilities, computer-supported literacy, tying together literacy assessments and instructional strategies, and classroom communication.
Nickola Wolf Nelson is a professor in Speech Pathology and Audiology and Director of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD program at Western Michigan University. Dr. Nelson conducts research in language-literacy development and disorders. She is Editor of Topics in Language Disorders, an ASHA Fellow, and recipient of the Kleffner Clinical Career Award and Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.


At three, my daughter’s imagination is really taking flight.
She’s constantly exploring her environment and surroundings and asking countless questions. Her curiosity often leads the way as she seeks more and more complex games and ways to solve problems.
For toddlers, play isn’t simply about “fun and games.” It’s essential to their development. It’s how they learn to make sense of the world, to communicate, and to build social skills.
Pretend play allows young children to safely explore the various roles that are modeled for them. Sometimes I’ll overhear my daughter putting her toys in time out or scolding them for some unknown transgression. And while it’s tempting to laugh at the sight of a teddy bear in the naughty chair, I know that there’s more going on beneath the surface of my daughter’s games.
Encouraging pretend play is am important task of parenting. Here are 10 simple ways to encourage your 3-year-old’s imagination, and to help her build skills she’ll need as she gets older.
Here’s to happy playing!
Break the Rules 1 of 10Who says that DOLLS have to live in the dollhouse? Encourage your child to play with her toys in a variety of ways. Letting your child take the lead in imaginative play will build her confidence and allow her to explore other roles. See what she can come up with ... it might surprise you!
Make a Mess 2 of 10For "messy" play, such as with paint, Play-Dough or dirt, you may want set up a special area or even head outdoors. Messy play allows children to experience a variety of textures and is great for fine motor skill development.
Get out the Costumes 3 of 10Costumes are such a fun way to encourage role-playing and pretending. A piano-playing fairy princess one minute can be a heroic fire fighter the next!
Photo: Abby Batchelder/Flickr
Make Work Fun! 4 of 10Whether you're raking leaves or baking cookies, your toddler can help and have fun at the same time. Pretend you're preparing a dessert feast for the King and Queen's royal dinner party, or that you own a bakery in the middle of town, or have your little one set the scene herself.
Photo: Abby Batchleder/Flickr
Give Them Space 5 of 10At age 3, toddlers are beginning to play with other children instead of exclusively solo play. Allowing your toddler the space to play with other children builds crucial social skills.
Don’t Be Afraid of a Little Dirt 6 of 10Outdoor play allows children to act out different roles than indoor play. A little dirt or sand never hurt anyone!
Give Them the Right Tools 7 of 10An enriching play space is key to imaginative play. It doesn't take much (just think of all the uses for a cardboard box!) but giving your toddler the right tools to play will get their imaginations running wild.
Get Wet 8 of 10Water can be another great tool to spark the imagination. Whether it's a sprinkler, a water table, or a simple springtime rain shower, many creative scenarios can take place with water. Toys and dolls can get baths and little scientists can experiment to determine which items float and which items sink. The possibilities are endless!
Have Fun! Create! 9 of 10I have to admit that Play-Doh is my arch nemesis. But it's one of the only activities that my children love doing together, and they cannot get enough. They work together to make "pizzas," build houses, mold animals and more.
Support Their Natural Creativity 10 of 10I love watching my 3-year-old's creativity in action. I keep a stash of basic supplies in Command Central in my home, the kitchen. She can easily get out the crayons, colored pencils, paper and stickers and entertain herself throughout the day.
Mary Lauren Weimer is a social worker turned mother turned writer. Her blog, My 3 Little Birds, encourages moms to put down the baby books for a moment and tell their own stories. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
More by Mary Lauren:
Lead Photo Credit: Jenni from the Block/Flickr


Music and Movies / Philosophy Of Competition
Philosophy Of CompetitionThis essay Philosophy Of Competition is available for you on Essays24.com! Search Term Papers, College Essay Examples and Free Essays on Essays24.com - full papers database.
Autor: anton 28 October 2010
Words: 541 | Pages: 3
The views of competition are very wide spread. It seems that everyone has something to say on the subject. Those people who are in favor of competition often point out that it is a strong motivator, it offers more public exposure and can gain community support as their reasoning. Those who have the opposite view often point out that the self esteem is often damaged in those who do not receive top ratings, the pressure to win is always present, and it encourages non musical goals which will be mentioned in more detail later.
The struggle has been long and is still continuing on placing music education as a curricular subject. The intrinsic values of the arts and especially those in music are often pointed out in making this justification. Despite this, the extrinsic motivation of competition is still used in many schools today. These examples can be seen in chair placement and contests. Extrinsic values of the area of music have been used to gain the necessary support for a group and that will probably not change. The problem arises when these values become the primary reason for existing. When it reaches this point the art of music is dead.
In the indoor setting, competition has changed throughout its history. Sight reading was implemented to insure that fundamentals were being taught and that bands were not just practicing concert pieces all year. When it comes to competition in marching bands or other extracurricular bands, the achievements seem to be a little more extrinsically based.
Children are naturally competitive and this allows for the world that we live in to become more and more dependent on that ever present competition. The use of competition can aid in building a program and maintaining one once it is built up. The constant exposure is a good recruitment tool to younger children in the area who may not be aware of this type of thing. The remarks from judges can be very beneficial to both students and directors. While at these competitions it allows students to see both good and bad playing among their peers. Often this too can be a good motivator for students to strive to succeed.
I feel that while competition can be a strong motivator but in the long run it is not necessary for musical learning to take place. It is my hope that fifty years down the road students will look back and remember the joys that music brought to them and the fun that they experienced while participating in music not who won grand champion at state their sophomore year. In the end is the stress and struggle really worth a piece of plastic that is going sit on a shelf and collect dust? To me, it is not. My value is on the learning and experiences of music not who is the subjective winner in a contest. I feel that the choice of competition should be partly the studentâ€™s decision. If they choose to want to go and compete then they should be prepared for any type of remarks.
Get Better Grades Today
Join Essays24.com and get instant access to over 60,000+ Papers and Essays


Florence Nightingale Levy
Florence Nightingale Levy’s most significant achievement was the founding of the American Art Annual in 1898. A comprehensive directory of the American art world, the Annual catalogued schools, associations, exhibitions, and artists nationwide. Levy went on to perform invaluable editing, organizing, and educational roles in the American art world for the next fifty years.
An only child, Florence Levy was born on August 13, 1870, in New York City, to Joseph Arthur and Pauline (Goodheim) Levy. She studied art at the National Academy of Design, but turned to art history and criticism. She went on to further study at the Louvre in Paris under curator Gaston Lafenestre (1894–1895), at Columbia University, with leading American artists (including John La Farge), and with art historian John C. Van Dyke.
Known as “Florence the Clipper” for her habit of clipping articles from newspapers, Levy turned her clipping collection into the first volume of the American Art Annual in 1898. For the next twenty-one years, she edited the Annual. In December 1901, she also began publishing the weekly New York Art Bulletin. In six years, it grew to twenty-four pages, became a national newssheet, and was eventually sold to Art News. Her other major publication, Art in New York, a guide to the New York art scene, went through six editions between 1916 and 1939.
Levy’s knowledge of the New York and national art communities led her to art education, museums, and an exploration of the relationship between art and industry. She began teaching private art history classes in 1901. In 1908, she helped edit a guide called Art Education in the Public Schools of the United States; other guides followed, including Professional Art Schools in the United States (1914) and Art Education in New York City for Artists and Artisans (1916). In 1909, Levy was a cofounder of the School Art League of New York, an organization that brought art into public schools. In that same year, she also helped to create the American Federation of Arts, dedicated to promoting art through means such as traveling exhibitions.
Levy worked on the staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1909–1917), and later became director of the newly founded Baltimore Museum (1922–1926). During the hiatus between museum positions, she began her involvement with art and industry and with vocational guidance, areas that would shape the rest of her career. From 1917 to 1919, she ran the Art Alliance of America, which urged industrial use of American arts and design during World War I. In 1922, she published a survey of the silver industry in Art in Industry. From 1927 to 1932, she was director of the Arts Council of New York City (renamed the New York Regional Art Council in 1929). The council was affiliated with the National Alliance of Art and Industry, for which Levy served as the supervisor of vocational service (1932–1934). In 1934, she became director of the Federated Council on Art Education (later renamed the Art Education Council), where she focused on vocational guidance and edited Occupations Requiring a Knowledge of Art.
Levy was a member of Congregation Shaarei Tefila. She died in New York on November 15, 1947. Known for her dedication, efficiency, and ability, she left a major legacy of national and New York–based arts advocacy and organizing.
AJYB 6 (1904–1905): 138, 24:171, 50:519; BEOAJ; Howes, Durwood, ed. American Women, 1935–1940: A Composite Dictionary. Vol. 1 (1981): 524; Leonard, John William, Woman’s Who’s Who of America, 1914–1915 (1914); Levy, Florence Nightingale. Papers. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and Florence Nightingale Levy Collection. New-York Historical Society, NYC; National Cyclopaedia of American Biography; NAW; Obituary. NYTimes, November 17, 1947, 22:2; “Preface.” American Art Annual. Vol. 1 (1899); UJE; Who’s Who in American Art. Vol. 4 (1940–1947): 284; WWIAJ (1926, 1928, 1938).
How to cite this page
Swinth, Kirsten. "Florence Nightingale Levy." Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 1 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. (Viewed on August 22, 2014) <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/levy-florence-nightingale>.


Foreign Film as a Gateway to Cultural Studies
AbstractThe purpose of this article is to share an example of how a foreign film has been used as a pedagogical vehicle to understand and study the culture and society of a foreign country. It also explains how this teaching method was used to go beyond just showing the film, through a post-viewing artistic activity that used a medium reflective of the culture portrayed in the film. This article considers the following questions: How was the foreign film used as an interactive teaching tool? How did the foreign film capture and portray the country¡¯s culture and societal issues in a visual manner? What was the role of metaphor and symbolism in the film? What were the viewer¡¯s connections with the images, dialogues and sounds in the film? Did the activity of creating a visual artwork using the materials native to the culture in the film enhance the viewer¡¯s understanding of the foreign culture?
Download InfoIf you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
Bibliographic InfoArticle provided by Redfame publishing in its journal International Journal of Social Science Studies.
Volume (Year): 1 (2013)
Issue (Month): 1 (April)
art education; art teacher education; foreign films; cultural studies; cross-cultural issues; media literacy; Korean ink painting;
Find related papers by JEL classification:
- R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
- Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General
You can help add them by filling out this form.
reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.Access and download statisticsgeneral information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Redfame publishing).
If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.


Diana Jackson, President and Senior Youth Workforce Consultant, Youth Workforce Solutions, Columbus, OH
From high school teacher to Ohio's Assistant Deputy Director for the Office of Workforce Development, Diana has focused on effective policies and practices that lead to outcomes. Diana Jackson also directed LearningWork Connection at The Ohio State University and was Director of Youth Workforce Solutions for Wonderlic, Inc.
CWDP Competencies Covered:
History and Structure of the Workforce Development System, Career Development, Program Management
Improving Literacy and Numeracy Measures for Youth
Basic literacy and numeracy skills are vital for success in the workplace, but meeting the Gains in Literacy or Numeracy performance measure can sometimes be a challenge for WIA youth programs. Program design, assessment practices, and reporting all play a part in achieving positive performance on this critical measure.
In PY 2009,
55% of all WIA youth exiters were basic skills deficient
70% of out of school exiters were basic skills deficient
50% of out of school exiters who had diplomas or GEDs before participation were still basic skills deficient when they exited
Both new experienced WIA service providers and administrators will benefit from this practical session, which will provide an overview of the Literacy/Numeracy WIA youth performance measure. Participants will learn five strategies for improving literacy and numeracy outcomes:
Understanding the measure
Designing programs to improve engagement and retention
Using youth-friendly assessment principles and practices
Using instructional strategies that are effective for at-risk youth
Registration for this event is now closed
Please note: A cancellation fee of $15 will be applied if requested prior to March 14, 2012.


Listening to music is usually the first way that children learn to enjoy and appreciate music, but the next step involves teaching them about the instruments themselves. A Jazzy Day – Music Education Book for Kids helps children learn about instruments and bands with a feature-rich app that employs learning, games and an interactive book.
Every so often an app blows me away, and A Jazzy Day was successful at doing just that. Featuring a cast of characters all played by cats and kittens, this app is every bit as entertaining and delightful as it is educational.
The interactive book portion is wonderful. Each page (whether you choose to read the text yourself or have it narrated for you) features animations and interactive elements galore. Instructions spoken aloud by the narrator give hints as to where the interactive elements are, which is extremely helpful for smaller children.
In the learning portion of the app your child is greeted with a collage of instrument pictures that can be touched, enlarged (using familiar iPad gestures) and heard –each with the name of the instrument clearly spoken aloud as they do. The in-app game is a series of seek-and-find activities where your child is presented with an instrument (by name and picture) or sound and then asked to discover the correct match among a sea of others. A successful find will result in cheering and a celebration that young children will be extremely motivated by.
What I liked: More common instruments are fairly easy for your children to identify (such as a guitar, drums or piano), but there are a lot more choices that feature distinctive sounds and this app helps you show your child what they look and sound like.
What I didn’t like: I wish there was a ‘turn the page’ icon inside the interactive book portion of this app, simply because I find smaller children have an easier time with that functionality over the ‘swipe-to-turn’ style.
To buy or not to buy: I would recommend this app without hesitation for anybody with young children interested in music.
- App Name: A Jazzy Day – Music Education Book for Kids
- Version Reviewed: 1.1
- Category: Books
- Developer: The Melody Book
- Price: $4.99


The new year is a great time to add music learning to your little one's schedule. Here are 5 fun and easy-to-follow tips to help young children maintain their music learning resolutions.
1. Plan a 15- to 30-minute “listen-to-music-with-my-child” session at least once a week.
- Listen to short musical compositions about 1 to 1½ minutes long. We offer a list of suggested songs and compositions called “The Young Child’s Personal Music ‘Playlist’ (Repertoire): A Context for Learning” on www.musicintelligenceproject.com.
- Be involved in the listening. Move to the beat, name instruments that are heard, and recognize changes in the music, such as loud or soft, fast or slow, higher or lower, and smooth or bouncy.
- Become very familiar with one classical composition by listening to it every week (e.g. Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” [first movement], or Haydn’s “Surprise Symphony” [second movement]). Mention the title of the composition and the composer’s name each time you listen. This familiar piece becomes an important benchmark in the young child’s music education.
2. Learn 5 to 10 songs to sing with your child at least once a week.
- At first, choose songs with simple melodies and easy lyrics (e.g. "Hot Cross Buns," "ABC Song," "Baa, Baa Black Sheep," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Ring Around the Rosie," "Itsy Bitsy Spider").
- Sing songs in a pitch range that's high enough to get children into the “singing” voice and out of the “talking” voice.
- Sing along with songs on recordings.
3. Engage your child in a substantive music learning program designed for young children.
- Choose a program that engages children in active participation through accurate models of musical performance.
- Choose a program that guides the development of increasingly complex concepts of the elements of music.
- Choose a program that develops rhythmic and singing performance skills.
- Choose a program that gains and holds the child’s attention with exciting music and attractive visual images.
4. Plan a family marching time for everyone to keep the beat while listening to music.
- Choose music with a strong beat (e.g. marches, songs with heavy accompaniments, easy rock style).
- Choose music with beats that move quickly. (Children have difficulty timing their movements to slow music.)
- Lift the knees when marching to make a clear step on each beat.
- Take turns with adults and children leading the parade.
5. Start building your child’s personal playlist.
- Choose recordings of 10 children’s songs that provide good vocal models for the child’s singing voice (e.g. “The Tuneables Music Box: I Love Music”).
- Choose recordings of 5 classical music compositions.
- Provide several opportunities a week for children to hear these recordings.
- Add one new song and classical music composition to the list each month.


All effective leaders have intangible qualities such as charisma, taking risks, and transparency. In addition to these qualities, effective leaders create a vision that others want to follow. These leaders not only live their vision, it defines them. Whether you are a student government president, a resident assistant, or a student organization leader, your vision for the group can be a make or break determinant.
Below are three concepts to keep in mind when creating your vision:
1. Think Big
Use your kindergarten teacher’s words of wisdom: DREAM BIG. Painting your picture of the future should not have stick figures and other small images in it. Rather it should be like da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Michelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel, grand and awe-inspiring.
When you are brainstorming ideas and goals for the year or into the future, think about what the end is going to look like and how you want that picture painted. Now you’ve got your vision, now it is time to unveil it.
2. Communicate Your Vision to Others
As a student leader, it is imperative that your vision is communicated clearly to your group. Your vision needs to excite, and reaffirm why people are following you. In order for action towards your vision to happen, you must also create a sense of urgency within the group.
Communicating your vision to the group can be accomplished in many different forums, including leadership retreats, meetings, advertisements, and information tables. Here are some tips when presenting your vision:
- Keep it clear and on point. Nobody likes to listen to someone ramble. Set clear expectations and goals for your group and communicate them to everyone. Track and communicate the group’s progress regularly.
- Have fun. If people see that you are having fun, they will want to be a part of it. Purposely plan fun activities for your team members regularly. One of the biggest reasons people stay involved in clubs and organizations is because it’s fun for them.
- Engage your audience. People take a part in what they help to create so keep your members engaged in the process.
- Publicity should be colorful and clear. Use all media sources possible, such as Facebook, Twitter, campus publications, campus radio, and any other means to spread the vision of your organization.
- Be open to constructive feedback. Get your members involved by seeking feedback, including constructive criticism. Someone’s feedback can be a positive seed for progress.
3. Build Bridges Toward Your Vision
Realistically, you cannot get from A to E without going through B, C, and D; you cannot simply achieve your vision in one giant leap.
As a student leader, it is important to achieve goals and view them as smaller victories toward your vision. Here are three main types of goals you should set for your organization:
1. Procedural Goals – goals that bring structure to the group like starting on time, ending on time, following established meeting protocols, and having members in attendance.
2. Directional Goals – goals that give direction towards the vision such as a new marketing plan or the completion of a service project.
3. Milestones - goals that are a true group accomplishment and should be celebrated. Examples include earning a prestigious award, presenting at a national conference, or raising a large amount of money for a local charity.
Having a vision is a necessary part of the success of a leader and their organization. Leaders need to think big when creating their vision and must communicate their picture of the future. A vision cannot come to fruition without smaller victories and milestones in the form of goals. As a leader, it is important to find your area of passion within the organization and create a vision based on this passion. If your vision lacks passion, clarity, and direction, the members in your organization will be hesitate to jump onboard.
Steve Knepp is currently finishing his first year as a full-time professional in higher education. His areas of interest include residence life, student government, and student leadership development. Steve earned his B.S. in Elementary Education from Bloomsburg University and his M.A. in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University. His hobbies include camping, golf, and traveling. You can follow Steve on his blog at http://steve0709.wordpress.com


Introduction to Political Science
In the course of our secondary educations, most of us are taught something about the political history of the Western world. However, much less time is spent on the ideas that inform major political movements or how contemporary societies organize for government. This course will attempt to address that lack by examining political philosophy in its historical and contemporary contexts. Although this course will examine the differing types of governments around the world, a special emphasis will be placed on American government and political philosophy and how this nation contributes to both conflict and cooperation with other nations. This course, while designed to meet the social studies endorsement for elementary education students and the 5-12 social studies licensure for secondary education students, may also be taken as a general elective.


Art is central to education, and is the glue that ties all the subjects together in our Los Angeles pilot school. As a senior and a community member of the School for Visual Arts and Humanities (SVAH), I have seen the curriculum flourish with Linked Learning as we focused on art as a way to universally communicate material expressed across subjects. On our trip to Washington, D.C on May 15, 2014 we were able to express our views of how art education through a Linked Learning lens helps us bloom as students. It does not only help us express our feelings, but in the long run serves as a tool to better our cognition. This trip allowed us the opportunity to share our opinions and lend our voices to the very same people who can make changes. We learned that anyone with eyes and ears can find a problem, but it takes critical thinking to come up with solutions. We grew skills essential to being a learner, such as public speaking, problem solving, teamwork, and work ethic. Our voices were not only heard by adults at the heart of our education system, but they were fully valued and validated.
For months, we posed questions on what it means to be a learner. In our History class, we studied adversities we face as inner city kids going to an under-resourced school. Quickly, students from all different socioeconomic backgrounds raised their hands. In our English class, we structured our writing to better capture our thoughts. Art overall gave us a voice and confidence to do better and work creatively in all of our other classes. The ability to link all subjects to each other not only helped us grow as a school, but it furthered our understanding of each subject.
Linked Learning in the classroom made it clear that EVERYTHING we learn today has a pivotal role in learning. We were then confident enough to present to policymakers that this type of real-world learning is the future of education. A long overdo revolution in education, Linked Learning forces faculty to work together and to unite subjects. Most of all, we were lucky to have teachers who are in love with their classrooms. They not only prepared us for the hardships, that is life, but also acted as mentors with hands wide open if we needed them. They expected more from us and it kept us challenging us not only in the classroom, but as human beings.
By Evelyn Anaya


full name / name of organization:
Kansas Association of Teachers of English
Kansas and the Arts—Teaching 21st Century Skills
At the same time that Kansas educators are tasked with teaching students 21st-century skills, the State is cutting art funding and art education programs. The rationale for these cuts is that art is not relevant to the skill set students must develop to succeed in today's economy. Is this true? Many educators would argue that learning about art—including learning how to do art—fosters critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation—all essential tools in the 21st-century kit. Is this true? If so, explain the connection. Does art deserve a place in our curriculum? Why, or why not? What evidence is there that the humanities give students “value for their dollar?”
Submissions Due: May 1, 2013
Send submissions to http://kansasenglish.org/kansas-english-call-papers or email@example.com.
Consider the following prompts to inspire or focus the topic:
--Curriculum Assignment Development: How do you foster appreciation for art and creativity in the classroom? What kind of assignments do you use to do so? How can we teach creativity and arts in a curriculum that focuses elsewhere? Send your lesson plans or teaching narratives.
--Reflection: What does it mean to say “art,” anyway? What does art teach? How do the arts influence you as a writer or a teacher?
--Technological Innovation: How has technology changed the way we write? Has there been a paradigm shift in how we communicate? How does the combination of technology and creativity lead to innovation?
--Community: What qualities do the experience and appreciation of art bring to a community? How important are these qualities in building 21st century communities and citizens?
--The Business World: Business turned to the Internet at a time when the Internet was an artist’s playground. What kind of creative and communication skills are required take advantage of technology in the business world?
--Science: How does thinking artistically help someone formulate an elegant, integrated solution to a complex problem? (For example, Einstein considered complex problems while playing his violin.)
--Illustration: How exactly does creating art foster 21st century skills? Does a learning environment that encourages creativity automatically foster critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation? How?
--Specific Skills: Is art an important means of teaching practical skills? What skills are important in the 21st Century? Which of them can art help to develop? For example, if innovation and creativity are the target skills (vs. regurgitation), what method other than art would effectively teach those skills?
--Good Reading: Have you read a good book about how incorporating art into the curriculum enhances learning? Submit anything from paragraph-long blurbs to lengthier reviews of books.


ment. That we have such a completed practical psychology, or any such logical and symmetrical course or courses of study based upon it, is more than can be asserted, for education, as a science, is still in its infancy; but we certainly have attained to certain general principles which are fundamental as regards the elementary education of the future; and the most important of these, which is even now revolutionizing all our methods of elementary teaching, is the direct result of the progress of modern physical science. It is, that education begins with the concrete, and not with the abstract, and that the right method for the teaching even of language itself is the right training and development of the child's senses. The Latin grammar, therefore, as the right instrument for training the youthful mind, is fast disappearing, along with that birch which was its material symbol and needful complement, and a striking witness to the absurdity of the use we put it to. Requiescat in pace! The lovers of the noble science of classical philology may well be congratulated on its emancipation from such degrading servitude.
In place of this rude and crude, and now happily obsolescent theory, a deeper philosophy is leading us to inquire into the nature of the undeveloped mind, and the true order of the development of its faculties, and is, at the same time, guiding us to the right choice of means for stimulating their natural and healthful growth and unfolding. And here I will say that the answer which psychology gives to these questions seems to me a little in danger of being misinterpreted for the time being by one class of educational reformers. In their reaction against the premature and unnatural stimulus given to the powers of abstraction by the old system, they are in danger of running into the opposite extreme of paying a too exclusive attention to the development of the observing powers in the new—a tendency which the influence of modern physical science on our educational ideas, especially, tends to foster. I doubt whether one extreme will prove any better than the other, for both are equally one-sided. The true lesson we are to learn is, above all things, to have regard to balance and proportion. The youthful mind is not a different thing from the same mind in its maturity. The germs of all faculties exist in it, and their development is in no linear order, but rather like rays diverging from one centre; and the true conception of the different stages of education is, as being divided by concentric circles, cutting those rays at equal distances from the centre. The child's observing powers should furnish him with intellectual material no faster than his powers of abstraction can work it up into intellectual products, or than the development of his powers of expression can give form to them. On the other hand, his powers of expression should never be developed in empty words, beyond the limits of his acquisition of the ideas words stand for, as is now the case with so much of our word-mongering education. Again, his imagination should never outrun his reason on the


Did you hear about the forthcoming launch of Google Glass? How exciting. Just another piece of technology that can connect us to being further disconnected from one another.
Ok, maybe that was a bit harsh, but let’s remember Albert Einstein’s famous quote on technology: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” While maybe that is also a bit extreme, there is something to be said about the technology consumption of our youth today.
Too much time online, playing games, watching movies, texting and chatting, equates to less physical activity. While the stats on childhood obesity are well documented, at The Commons we also place an emphasis on how technology can impact the development of key foundational skills in children.
Person-to-person interactions require a high level of emotional management skills. As the digital era pulls our youth towards tech-driven communication, parents and teachers need to make sure that interpersonal communication is not neglected. Strengthening a child’s capacity for self-expression and their ability to take perspectives from others is important. Furthermore, conflict negotiation is most relevant in face-to-face circumstances.
With all this in mind, how do parents adjust to the rapidly changing social landscape of the modern world? What are some tips to encourage a more balanced lifestyle at home, while also encouraging healthier social and emotional development in your kids?
Try some of these suggestions:
Tech-Time OutMake sure there are boundaries within which technology is not acceptable, i.e. at the dinner table, during punishment, and/or the car ride home from school.
ModelingMake sure you are leading by example. If you want your kids to be less tech-needy, you need to be willing to turn the television off, put down your phone and close your laptop more often as well.
Monitor & ModerateMake sure you know how and when your children are using technology. Recognize scenarios within which your child would be better off communicating in person, and encourage them to do so by explaining the benefits of doing so.
Hopefully you’ll find these take-home-wellness tips to have positive effects. For more information on programs dedicated to social skills, stop by our center today.


Boosting self-esteem has little effect on academic performance or misbehavior (including substance abuse, sex and violence), researchers concluded after a two-year review of studies on the subject. However, people with high self-esteem are significantly happier than others. (scientificamerican.com, 12-20-04)
The First Amendment guarantee of free speech and press is unappreciated by high school students, according to a $1 million survey of 112,003 students last spring. More than a third of respondents believed newspapers need government approval of their stories before they can be published, and only half said newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval. The study was commissioned by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which released the results in January.
Kindergarten teacher censors child reading from Christian book. A Sacramento girl who was invited to bring two of her favorite books to share with the class chose a book containing moral precepts attributed to Jesus. The teacher interrupted the girl and told her she needed to read her other book because pupils weren't allowed to read books about God in class. In another case, a 9th-grade student assigned to write an essay on personal feelings about starting classes wrote of her anxiety and how God helped to calm her down. The instructor told the class she did not want any more "writing about religion." The Pacific Justice Institute assisted families of both students in educating school officials about the legality of religious expression by students.
Phonics helps adults with dyslexia, too. Intensive phonics instruction actually modifies activity in reading-related parts of the brain in a way that fosters improved performance on reading tests, a team of neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC concluded last fall based on a brain-imaging study. Phonics techniques have been found to boost reading skills in children with dyslexia but hadn't previously been studied in adults with the condition. (Science News, 11-6-04)


Thinkfinity Content Providers
The Thinkfinity resources, provided by leading educational organizations and the Verizon Foundation, are as follows:
- ARTSEDGE, a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, provides art education resources
- EconEdLink, developed by the Council for Economic Education, offers economic and personal finance lesson materials for K-12 teachers and students
- EDSITEment!, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, includes information in the subject areas of literature and language arts, foreign languages, art and culture, and history and social studies
- Illuminations, created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), provides creative resources for teaching mathematics
- Literacy Network, a program of the National Center for Family Literacy and ProLiteracy, offers resources for literacy instruction and lifelong learning for adults and family literacy programs.
- ReadWriteThink, from the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), includes resources for reading and language arts instruction.
- Science NetLinks, developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), provides standards-based science resources including downloadable 60-second science updates.
- Smithsonian's History Explorer, created by the National Museum of American History, features resources and artifacts from the museum's collections.
- Wonderopolis, developed by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), is specifically designed to appeal to the very young student and their families
- Xpeditions, from National Geographic, offers geography resources including printable maps and an interactive atlas.


March is National Read Aloud Month and it’s also the month we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. We have included a list of great books for kids of all ages on our website.
March is the perfect time to browse the recommended selection of books to read aloud to children, or sit with them while they read aloud to you!
Click below to access the complete list:
- Concept Books and Nursery Rhyme Books to Read Aloud to the Very Young
- Recommended Picture Books to Read Aloud to Preschoolers to Second Graders
- Great Chapter Book Series for Kids
Children’s Museum of Richmond to Honor Coach Beamer
Virginia Tech Football Coach Frank Beamer will be the recipient of the inaugural Children’s Book Bank Champion Award, in recognition of his support of the Children’s Museum of Richmond‘s Book Bank. Coach Beamer will receive the award at a luncheon planned for April 26, 2013 at the Richmond Marriott.
The April 26th event will also recognize two early childhood educators with the Regional Preschool and Kindergarten Teacher of the Year Awards. Nominations are being sought from the community for teachers who honor early childhood learning through innovative incorporation of play and creativity, passion for the importance of preschool/Kindergarten education and demonstrated dedication to young children.
To nominate an Outstanding Preschool or Kindergarten Teacher, visit the website.
The Children’s Museum of Richmond took over management of Central Virginia’s Children’s Book Bank last year. The book bank started as a collaborative effort back in August of 2000 when the Greater Richmond Chamber and United Way pooled their resources to collect and distribute books.


You can help get your young child ready for kindergarten reading by practicing three simple skills this summer:
1. Recognizing and naming all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
2. Understanding that whole words are separated by spaces in texts.
3. Recognizing and producing rhyming words.
These 3 basic skills are important because they set a framework for your child to understand that spoken words can be represented in printed form.
Here are 3 easy activities to practice these skills:
1. Upper/Lowercase: When at the beach or at a playground sandbox, have her practice writing letters in the sand with her index finger or a stick. Working in the sand incorporates the sense of touch, as well as the sense of sight. Using more than one sense to practice gives her greater opportunity to remember the letters and their names. Practice the letters as “partners,” which means writing the capital and lowercase letters as a set (Aa, Bb, Cc, etc.) This makes for an easier transition to the printed word.
2. Spaces In Texts: When reading to your child, vertically move a Popsicle stick (or other pointer) after each word to emphasize the space. This visually separates the words, and makes his eyes recognize that spaces exist between the words in stories. It also reinforces the natural left-to-right flow of reading. As you reread stories he is familiar with, let him try moving the Popsicle stick between words.
3. Rhyming: Rhyme all the time! Recognizing and producing rhymes is an important part of learning sounds and decoding words. Easily blending the sight and sounds of letters and simple words will help her increase reading fluency. Good reading fluency is a key component in developing reading comprehension. Have fun creating silly rhymes together—“The fat cat sat on a mat wearing Mom’s hat.”
Mastering simple foundational skills like these forms a solid base to build higher-level thinking and reading skills, both necessary parts of kindergarten reading.


LEWISBURG, Pa. — Bucknell University will host a Science and Engineering Education Fair Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Larison Hall at Bucknell.
The event will involve a demonstration of basic principles of science and involves 50 teams of first-year engineering students partnered with nine teams of third-year elementary education students.
Professor Margot Vigeant, associate professor of chemical engineering, explained that the goal of the team assignment is to "illustrate concepts such as conservation of mass, momentum, and energy."
Although the fair is open to the general public, the target audience is those who teach elementary and middle school science. Scout leaders, club advisers, home schoolers, and Odyssey of the Mind coaches are also encouraged to attend.
Gizmos and computer simulations
As part of a required course for engineers, students have designed and created gizmos and computer simulations illustrating basic principles of science and engineering. Participants can browse through each of the gizmos, see them in action, and have the opportunity to take a gizmo back to their classroom.
Using these gizmos, students in Professor Lori Smolleck's Teaching Elementary Science course have designed corresponding inquiry-based units that are aligned with state and national standards. Both the gizmos and the corresponding inquiry-based units will be given away to interested participants at the end of the evening. In addition, participants can also receive Act 48 continuing education hours for participating in the fair.
The state standards addressed by the gizmos and learning units are: 3.1.4. (unifying themes); 3.2.4. (inquiry and design); 3.4.4.A (properties of matter); 3.4.4.B (energy types and conversions); 3.4.4.C (forces and motion); 3.6.4.A (biotechnology); 3.6.4.C (construction and design); and 3.7.4.C (computer operations and concepts).
For more information, contact Professor Margot Vigeant at 577-1646.
Contact: Office of Communications
Posted Nov. 15, 2007


The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced a new policy that recommends parents read to their children from birth, reported the New York Times on June 24. In doing so, the APP has taken an official stance on literacy and early childhood development, and the 62,000 pediatricians who are members of the organization have, in a way, become ambassadors of this strong message that literacy development begins from birth.
“We teach all of our pediatric residents about the importance of talking to their patients about book sharing and giving out books at every well child visit,” said Dr. Leora Mogilner, assistant professor of Pediatrics and director of Reach Out and Read at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “When I became a mother, I read to my children from the time they were infants. Reading together was (and still is) a special time for us (my youngest is almost seven). It’s not just about promoting language development and literacy—it is also about bonding and having quality time together.” (Read Out and Read is a program that promotes literacy to families through pediatricians and other medical professionals. Mogilner started the program at Sinai in 1998.)
It can be argued the achievement gap starts before birth—the family and circumstance a person is born into—and the first 1,000 days are crucial in word recognition and development. An often-cited study about families and how they talk to their children called “Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children” by Betty Hart and Todd R. Risely revealed that per year, a child belonging to a professional/white collar family would hear 11 million words versus a child from a disadvantaged/welfare family who would hear just 3 million.
According the New York Times:
“Low-income children are often exposed little to reading before entering formal child care settings. ‘We have had families who do not read to their children and where there are no books in the home,’ said Elisabeth Bruzon, coordinator for the Fairfax, Virginia, chapter of Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, a nonprofit program that sends visitors to the homes of low- to moderate-income families with children ages 3 to 5.”
While reading to children from birth will not close the achievement gap alone, says Mogilner, she says it is a step in the right direction. “We know that children who are exposed to books from an early age have improved language development compared to those who are not read to from an early age.” She goes on to say that most of the mothers she interacts with “are receptive to the guidance we give them about reading to their infants and young children, and they definitely love receiving a book at each visit… When parents come for return visits, they always tell me which book their baby enjoyed and they love helping select a new book.”
At the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America that took place in Denver, Colorado—the same day the AAP unveiled its read-from-birth policy—former-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the commitment between Scholastic Inc., AAP, Too Small to Fail, the Clinton Foundation, and Reach Out and Read called “Pediatricians Promote Reading to Children from Day One, 2014.” The partners have “committed to create a pediatric toolkit, which will include concrete tips and information that pediatricians can share with parents to promote the importance of talking, reading, and singing to children, ages zero to five,” according to the CGI website.
Within the CGI commitment, Scholastic has committed to donate 500,000 books to Reach Out and Read that will deliver the books to 2,000 pediatricians and promote the pediatric toolkit across the country. Too Small to Fail—”a joint initiative of the Clinton Foundation and Next Generation to help parents and businesses take meaningful actions to improve the health and well-being of America’s youngest children, ages zero to five, and prepare them to succeed in the 21st century”—is also developing materials to distribute to members of the AAP to help them emphasize the read-aloud message to parents.


Emergent literacy is the development of early reading and writing concepts that receded actual reading. It begins at birth and continues throughout the preschool years. During this early period of language development, children learn important skills that contribute to the development of reading.
Children begin to develop concepts about print at a very young age, even as early as infancy when babies begin to make connections between words and their meaning. Parents and caretakers can foster a lifelong enjoyment for reading by supporting emergent literacy development by being sensitive to opportunities to teach emergent literacy skills. Some of the following ideas can be overlapped via age group.
- Begin reading to your child at a very young age. Children love books that have brightly colored pictures, rhyming, and that relate to their own experiences.
- Repeat your child’s babbling and add to them.
- Talk to your child during daily routines around the house. Explain what you are doing.
- Reread your child’s favorite books.
- Talk, sing and play with your child. Do finger plays.
- Ask your young toddler to name objects and people.
- Point out words on signs and logos on food boxes and games. Click here for my post about environmental print.
- Introduce new vocabulary words during holidays and family celebrations.
- Give simple definitions to new vocabulary in books, then encourage your child to use that new vocabulary.
- Point out details in illustrations and talk to your child about them, or have your child describe what is happening in the picture.
- Teach your child the letters of the alphabet and encourage your child to point out letter he/she knows while reading.
- Allow your child access to writing and art materials, and give your child daily opportunities to write and draw.
- Encourage your child to tell a story and write down the words. Then, read it back to your child.
- Allow your child to explore nonfiction books of interest.
For Further Reading:How Parents Can Help Enhance Emergent Literacy Among Preschoolers by B. W. Otto What is Emergent Reading by M.R. Jalongo Emergent Literacy: Early Reading and Writing Development by Froma P. Roth, PhD, CCC-SLP|Diane R. Paul, PhD, CCC-SLP Early Literacy Instruction: Research Applications in the Classroom by Chia-Hui Lin Stage 1: Let’s Learn Our ABC’s (roughly 2-5 years old) by This Reading Mama


In nineteenth-century Europe and North America, school music lessons were mostly designed to foster musical literacy by teaching children to sing at sight using different versions of "sol-fa" (based upon syllables) as an introduction to staff notation. Two key pioneers were Lowell Mason (1792–1872) under whose influence music was introduced into the schools of Boston as an integral subject in the curriculum in 1838, and John Hullah (1812–1884) who conducted a Singing School for Schoolmasters in London for the first time in 1841.
With the development of recording and broadcasting in the early years of the twentieth century, the notion of attentive listening gained a higher profile with the rise of the Music Appreciation movement and the work of Stewart MacPherson (1865–1941) and Francis Elliott Clarke (1860–1958). At about the same time the percussion or rhythm band became a regular feature of music in schools, characterized by a rather formal and prescriptive approach. In contrast was the work of Satis Coleman who experimented with creative music for children at the Lincoln School of Teachers College, Columbia University. Simple instruments made by the children themselves were utilized alongside singing, movement, and spontaneous creative improvisation.
The trend towards hands-on, participatory approaches to the teaching of music is exemplified in the work of three key figures: Emile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865–1950), Carl Orff (1895–1982) and Zoltán Kodály (1882–1967). Jaques-Dalcroze devised his system of eurhythmics in Switzerland, and presented his first training course for teachers in 1909. He integrated movement, improvisation, and solfège (the "fixed-doh" system) into music education. Dalcroze's ideas influenced Orff who co-founded a school with Dorothee Günther in Munich in 1924 where music teaching went hand in hand with movement teaching. Musically, students were encouraged to improvise and compose their own music, and to invent a number of unsophisticated musical instruments. The first edition of Orff-Schulwerk was published in 1935 and demonstrated Orff's conviction that through speech-rhythms and chants, songs and movements, children were able to discover and demonstrate musical concepts. Meanwhile in Hungary, it was Kodály's aim to build a music culture in schools using national and folk songs. There were three basic elements to his concept of initial musical training: sung folk tunes; movable sol-fa ; and simultaneous clapping and singing, or singing in parts.
In practice, the ideas and methods outlined are adapted, combined, and synthesized by present-day music teachers, whether they are working, for example, within the National Standards for Music Education in the USA (1994), or the National Curriculum in the UK (1992). But the adoption of these ideas should not be regarded as somehow natural or immutable, but rather the result of dialogue, and sometimes conflict, between those who hold widely differing conceptions concerning music and its meaning in children's lives, and how the musical experiences offered to children in schools can reinforce the fundamental aims–the fostering of musical literacy, performance skills, and musical values, along with the cultivation of attentive listening and creative expression–of a general music education.
Campbell, Patricia S. 1991. Lessons from the World: A Cross–Cultural Guide to Music Teaching. New York: Schirmer.
Coleman, Satis N. 1922. Creative Music for Children: A Plan of Training based on the Natural Evolution of Music including the Making and Playing of Instruments Dancing-Singing-Poetry. New York: G.B. Putnam's Sons, The Knickerbocker Press.
Jaques-Dalcroze, Emile. 1967, 1921. Rhythm Music and Education. Woking: The Dalcroze Society.
Orff, Carl. 1978. The Schulwerk. New York: Schott Music Corp.
Rainbow, Bernard. 1989. Music in Educational Thought and Practice: A Survey from 800 BC. Aberystwyth, UK: Boethius Press.
Szönyi, Erzsébet. 1974. Kodály's Principles in Practice: An Approach to Music Education through the Kodály Method. Hungary: Corvina Press.


The NWT has eleven official languages—nine of these are Aboriginal: Gwich’in, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun, North Slavey, South Slavey, Tlicho, Chipewyan and Cree. The health of these languages varies greatly, but most are endangered.
Our languages symbolize, in a very concrete way, the cultural group we belong to. Language embodies culture: we use it to define our world and make sense of it. It shapes the way we look at the world, giving us our worldview. We use language to transmit our culture and worldview from one generation to the next. (Multiple Literacies, NWTLC)
The NWT Literacy Council supports literacy development in all the official languages of the NWT. We do this by working in partnerships with Aboriginal language groups to produce a variety of materials in Aboriginal languages. We also promote the languages, do research, and monitor government policy and funding for Aboriginal languages.
Some things you can do to support your Aboriginal language
- Develop Aboriginal language books and resources.
- Use storytelling in your program and community.
- Create fun games in your language and teach them to families.
- Use your Aboriginal language on the radio and in public places.
- Encourage teachers and early childhood workers to speak to children and young people in your language on the playground and in the halls of the school.
- Create posters with positive messages about speaking your Aboriginal language.
- Set up a language committee that promotes culture and language in your community.
- Make a plan for maintaining and/or revitalizing your Aboriginal language.
- Encourage parents to speak their language in the family.


Promoting Literacy Development:Fifty research-based literacy strategies designed for busy K-8 classroom teachers
Organized around 10 key areas for teaching and learning literacyâ€”phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, story comprehension, comprehension of informational text, questioning for understanding, discussion for understanding, narrative writing, and writing to learn-Promoting Literacy Development offers 50 clearly written, step-by-step strategies for developing proficient readers and writers. The authors also include suggestions for differentiating instruction for English language learners and for students with special needs.
Back to top
Rent Promoting Literacy Development 1st edition today, or search our site for Patricia A. textbooks. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Sage Publications, Inc.


Disability Info.Gov - Your online connection to the Federal Government’s disability-related information and resources from 22 federal agencies:
Early Childhood and Elementary Education
Middle School and High School - This section provides information related to youth with disabilities currently in middle school, junior high school and high school.
Education Laws and Regulations
The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) Service - Medicaid's comprehensive and preventive child health program for individuals under the age of 21
Answers4Families of Special Needs Children
Assessing 3 – 5 Year Olds With Special Needs: Why Assess? What is the Most Appropriate Assessment Tool?
IDEA – Building the Legacy of IDEA 2004 - The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.
NICHY: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
Health Care Transitions
Assistive and Adaptive Technology
Families of Children with Special Needs
New Freedom Initiative
State and Local Education Resources
Family Village - A global community of disability related resources
ADA Information Line
OSEP Ideas that Work: Office of Special Education Programs


You are hereHome ›
Now showing results 1-4 of 4
This activity focuses on the relationship between science of looking for life and the tools, on vehicles such as the Mars Rover, that make it possible. Learners will create their own models of a Mars rover. They determine what tools would be... (View More) necessary to help them better understand Mars (and something about life on Mars/its habitability). Then they work in teams to complete a design challenge where they incorporate these elements into their models, which must successfully complete a task. Teams may also work together to create a large-scale, lobby-sized version that may be put on display in the library to engage their community. The activity also includes specific tips for effectively engaging girls in STEM. This is activity 6 in Explore: Life on Mars? that was developed specifically for use in libraries. (View Less)
This lesson is about data collection. Learners will investigate different methods of sampling in a simulated cleanroom environment. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. This lesson 7 of 10 from the Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom module.
This is a lesson about Saturn. Learners will listen to a read-aloud of the history of Saturn discoveries. Next, they learn two reading comprehension strategies (visualizing and wondering) that they can use to become more powerful readers of... (View More) nonfiction text. Finally, students share their work with partners and the class. This is lesson 3 of 12 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 3-4. (View Less)


become an editor
the entire kids and teens directory
only in Science/Farming
Kids and Teens
Future Farmers of America
Kids and Teens: School Time: Science: The Earth: Soil
Kids and Teens: Sports and Hobbies: Gardening
This category in other languages:
4-H Virtual Farm
[ Kids/Teens ] - Online tours of wheat, dairy, fish, beef, and poultry farms.
Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL)
[ Kids ] - Learn about the lab and find facts about cows and dairy products. Includes games.
[ Kids/Teens ] - Explores the prairie, pioneer farming, the story of corn, and the future of farming.
Death of a Dream
[ Kids/Teens/Mature Teens ] - Explores the rise and fall of Midwestern farmhouses, and the literature they inspired. Also examines the cost of advances in agriculture. From PBS.
[ Kids/Teens/Mature Teens ] - Learn about life on the farm by watching videos, taking a short trivia quiz, and a virtual tour of an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois.
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
[ Kids ] - Includes safety tips, coloring pages, print-and-color brochures, and interactive quiz.
Farm Service Agency for Kids
[ Kids ] - Coloring, games, puzzles, animal photos and agriculture trivia.
Farming in Alberta for Kids
[ Kids ] - Learn about different farm animals in Alberta, Canada. Some activities are provided.
Food and Agricultures of the World
[ Teens/Mature Teens ] - Covers topics such as the history of food, nutrition, and agriculture as well as current farming practices across the globe.
Friends of the National Zoo: Kids' Farm
[ Kids ] - Learn what farm animals are at the zoo, how to take care of them, and how to grow pizza.
The Great Corn Adventure
[ Kids/Teens ] - An animated history about corn, where it came from, how it is grown, what it is used for.
Harvest of Fear
[ Kids/Teens ] - Reports on the risks, benefits, hopes, and fears of genetically modified food crops. Includes interviews with scientists, food industry representatives, farmers, and critics. From PBS.
Harvest of History
[ Kids/Teens ] - Explore a virtual village and see videos about how food production has changed over the last hundred years.
Healthy Farm Practices
[ Kids/Teens ] - Presents facts about organic dairy, cows and milk, as well as instructions for homemade dairy projects.
Illinois Department of Agriculture Kid's Page
[ Kids ] - Explains what happens on the farm and how food gets from the farm to the table.
The Inside Scoop on Farms
[ Kids/Teens ] - Thinkquest site offering a look at dairy, livestock, and crop farms, as well as machinery. Includes a glossary and games.
John Deere Kids' Corner
[ Kids ] - Interactive story and coloring books from equipment manufacturer.
[ Kids/Teens ] - Interactive guide to life on the farm. Includes pictures, animal sounds, and related links.
Kid's Field Day
[ Kids ] - Helps children understand the importance of agriculture in everyday life through information on soil, crops, weather, and equipment.
[ Kids ] - About animals, plants, activities and people who live and work on ranches on the western slope of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
[ Kids/Teens/Mature Teens ] - Learn about cows, milk, and the dairy industry through fun facts, games, recipes, and a virtual tour.
Pod to Plate
[ Kids/Teens ] - Learn about soybean production. Includes fact sheets, games and videos. From the Illinois Soybean Association.
Science For Kids
[ Kids/Teens/Mature Teens ] - Offers news about plants, animals, and other agricultural issues. Also includes pop quizzes, and pictures. Site is available in Spanish.
The Story of Florida Orange Juice
[ Kids/Teens/Mature Teens ] - Describes the process of quality testing, harvesting, storing, labeling, and juice extracting of this healthy beverage. Includes related photos of the process.
Tiki's Guide to Food
[ Kids ] - Explains what food is, where it comes from, and how it is made.
[ Teens ] - A day in the live of Kansas wheat farms with virtual tours and trivia.
" search on:
to edit this category.
Copyright © 1998-2014 AOL Inc.
Visit our sister sites
Last update: June 18, 2014 at 11:39:53 UTC -


A Guide to finding MUSIC MATERIALS in the
Mercer County Community College Library
Compiled by Greg Smith. December 2008
The MCCC Library uses the Library of Congress classification and call number system.
There are THREE major categories for MUSIC MATERIALS.
M - is used for music, itself, that is things in musical notation. You will find scores, piano music, song books, sheet music, and books of music for solo instruments here. You will also find some music survey books here if they have a lot of examples in score in the text; A History of Folk Songs, for example.
ML - is used for music literature, i.e., books written about music as a subject. Books on the periods of musical history and on musical styles are here; also, biographies of composers and other noted musicians.
MT - is used for music theory and music textbooks. Here you will find books on harmony, counterpoint, and the analysis of compositional techniques. Methods for learning musical instruments are here, too.
Music CD's are kept at the Circulation Desk. The Library has several good survey sets covering the whole gamut of music history in the West and an extensive collections of JAZZ RECORDINGS covering all periods and styles. Please, ask for a librarian to help you find particular items in the music CD's.
The Reference collection has an excellent selection of music encyclopedias, dictionaries, and guides. The best of these is the exhaustive NEW GROVE DICTIONARY OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS found at Ref ML 100 .N48. The other music references are on shelves below and to the right of the "Grove."
The Library subscribes to several of the leading print music journals, however, the best way to find specific music topics in Journal Articles is to use one of the Library's online databases. Go to the College's homepage www.mccc.edu . Open the "Select One" pull down from the Quick Picks at the top right corner of the screen to get to the LIBRARY page. Once you are on the Library page choose Online Databases & Search Engines in the black tool-bar along the left side column of the page. This will put you into an ALPHABETICAL list of Hot-Links to our databases. The best ones for finding music topics are:
Academic Search Premier for any music topic, general or specific, historical or theoretical.
Oxford Reference Online (Go down the page to Subject Reference and pick Performing Arts for music)
JSTOR has many good articles on music topics, mostly in non-music scholarly journals.
Biographies Plus for material on composers, performers, & theorists, past and present.
New York Times Historical covering 1851-2003. Good for reviews, premiers, and major musical events.
ABI Trade & Industry for extensive coverage of all aspects of the music world as a commercial venture.
Issues & Controversies On-file, unfortunately, does not have any material on whether the trill should begin on the principal note or the note above, but it does have good stuff about the Politics of Music Education Funding and about the Music Lyrics Censorship Controversy.
NOTE: the Library Reference Staff is always ready to help you in searching any music sources.


Guide to Trumpet
Here you will find an overview of the trumpet resources at the State Library with search tips.
- Trumpet Internet Resources
- AMEB Syllabus
- Competitions, awards and scholarships
- Music Education
The State Library has music for trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn, trumpet and piano, and trumpet with other instruments. There is a range of tutors, methods, studies and exercises, standard repertoire works, as well as classical and popular arrangements.
We collect most works listed from Grade 4 and above in the Australian Music Examinations Board syllabus. There is also music for ensembles that include trumpet, from duets to band and orchestral works.
The reference collection of books, journals and electronic resources includes material on the history of the trumpet, technique, performance, composers of trumpet music, repertoire, jazz, choosing an instrument and bibliographies.
We hold a collection of CDs and LPs that can be listened to on-site.You can also listen to tracks using the on-line database Naxos Music Library. There is a small classical and jazz loan collection of audio cassettes available.
All material can be found using the catalogue. You may search by title, but you may not find all copies of the work if you only use one translation of the title, such as Lyric pieces instead of Lyriske stykker. Use our Guide to Searching for Classical Music scores as a starting point. All trumpet music can be found on the shelves at the classification WS. Cornet and flugelhorn music can be found at WR.
You may also search by subject. For arrangements, add the term Arranged at the end of the subject. Useful subject searches are:
- Trumpet music
- Trumpet and (other instruments eg piano music)
- Concertos (Trumpet)
- Trumpet - Methods
- Trumpet - Studies and Excercises
- Trumpet Music (Jazz)
Find information by using the keyword or subject option in the catalogue. Some useful searches are:
- Instruction and study
- Trumpet players
Page last updated: Tuesday 3 July 2012