This week we will continue with Mrs. Thompson’s documentation as follows.
“Learning to write taught us Palmer Method script from the outset. As soon as we could form letters into words, rules began to appear. Writing words immediately brought strict rules of spelling, soon followed by more rules for sentences-grammar, punctuation, and all the rest. Our efforts were promptly marked for correction if we erred, and we practiced the corrections long enough to aid retention. Alt those rules were seen just the tools we needed to put writing on paper ourselves, where not in any way resented. Some parent of pupils in the school could not do that very well. My own father had only elementary education, but was able to own and manage a country store.
Although my father’s schooling was limited, he was very good at doing arithmetic – unfortunately a gift that I did not inherit. At District 22, we absorbed those infamous, memorized ‘tables,’ along with much other rote learning. But we frequently practiced arithmetic in a recess activity used in bad weather when we could not go outside. We had a cardboard box with holes of varied size cut in it. A number marked above each hole was its point value, with the smaller, harder-to-hit holes counting more. Bean bags were what we tossed at the holes, and used our arithmetic to keep score and compete toward winning. All that tossing wore out the box periodically, so it had to be mended or replaced. This is just one of the crude but useful devices that served to supplement our learning-costing nothing but some effort and ingenuity.
We learned ‘facts’ about history and geography, as there were then understood, sparsely illustrated by a few colored maps and some black and white pictures. Some of those ‘facts’ may have been less than accurate, or even untrue. Yet we glimpsed other times and places, where people lived lives very different from ours, and the differences aroused interest to seek more information. Books were the main source available then, and I learned to cherish them very early.
Certain advantages and disadvantages naturally went along being ‘the teacher’s kid.’ Charges of favoritism did not arise, because my mother was a strict disciplinarian, and she showed me no favors. My greatest advantage probably was that we went to the library in the Village of Greene at least every couple weeks. That kept a supply of good books for reading to the school by my mother-and helped me become, and remain, an avid reader. I caused the librarian some distress because I had read my way through all the children’s books by third grade, and wanted more. My mother had to do considerable persuasion before I was allowed-under close supervision-to venture into the adult stacks. Fortunately we found enough ‘safe’ books to satisfy both my interest and the librarian’s cautious concerns.


Study groups can improve your child's grades and performance in special education classes or inclusive regular education mainstream classes at all grade levels. In college or vocational school, for example, teachers expect students to read several textbooks in a five-month semester. Without an effective and efficient study group, passing these classes would be very difficult for students with learning disabilities. Study groups will help learning disabled students with reading, math, writing, and other subjects in school.
- Find at least three classmates for the team. Divide reading assignments. Have each member outline their assigned chapters to share with the group. With this method, five students can gather all important information from an average textbook of about 25 chapters in about five hours. Outlines can help you:
- Remember and recall the most important information;
- Create notes for studying;
- Increase your understanding of reading material;
- Strengthen reading comprehension strategies such as the PQ3R method.
- Keep lecture notes to share regularly or to help out group members who may miss a class. Some students even tape lectures, and that is good for sharing as well, but it is not a time-saving strategy. Keeping and sharing notes helps ensure that you catch all of the important points of a lecture. Working with others for the benefit of your study group, you will develop supportive friendships for the challenging years ahead.
- Get together with others who share interests, as in a sports team, religious group, a special interest group, or group of students who share the same classes for mutual support. Others who have experience with the same courses and teachers may have advice about the class and for working with the teacher. In turn, you may be able to help others.
- So, what can you do if your child is not in an organization? Help her create her own group. Begin by helping her helping her make new friends in class. Notice which of your classmates seem to be good listeners and which take notes. Find organized students sitting at or near the front. Believe it or not, researchers have found that students who choose to sit near the front of classes are usually the highest achievers.
Study Groups - Help Your Learning Disabled Child Get Organized - Develop Group Expectations and Rules:Arrange for the group to meet at your home or school to discuss how your group will work, what the rules should be, and who will take which assignments. Set deadlines for submitting notes and outlines to the members. Create an outline of the group's rules, assignments and deadlines and ensure that each person gets a copy.
- Set up a means of sharing information and keeping a sense of belonging for everyone. Create a phone list, a telephone tree, or an online group through your college or public servers such as Yahoo or MSN Groups to communicate important information. Each has its unique advantages.
- Online groups offer the opportunity to upload information, share links, and send digital copies of handouts from class or articles assigned for reading by the teacher. Telephone contacts offer more immediate communication and the opportunity to ask questions for clarification.
- In a phone tree, any messages that the group needs to hear are submitted to the starting person. That person is responsible for calling two specific people, who call two other specific people. This continues until the whole group is reached. Of course, email and online groups are another way to do this and to share notes and copies, as long as everyone has access to the Internet.
- As you work with your group, encourage each other to continue improving your study skills and sharing successful tips with each other. Visit Instructional Strategies and Materials for tips on improving reading comprehension, preventing reading fatigue, using a planner, and other terrific homework helps.
What You Need
- Access to a Copier - a must
- Scanner - This is helpful but you can do without it if you're not using email.
- Email - This increases efficiency, but you can have a group without it.
- Internet Access - Again, this is efficient, but you can communicate directly.
- Telephone Access - a must


Office Clerk Training Programs and Courses
Office clerks are responsible for executing a wide range of administrative tasks associated with the daily functions of an office. Clerks may enter data, answer phones, make photocopies and file records.
Training Requirements and Recommendations
Although not required for most positions, many office clerks choose to complete an associate's degree in a related field. Many companies are willing to provide on-the-job training to candidates with a high school diploma or its equivalent. Office clerks should be detail-oriented and good communicators.
Many students pursue an associate's degree in an office administration field. These programs offer students the chance to learn basic office skills and master advanced skills as well. The curricula for these programs emphasize the acquisition of strong computer skills, including word processing and software applications. Some certificate programs may also be available.
Office Assistant Certificate
Students who do not have the time or resources to commit to a full-time degree program may be interested in an office assistant certificate program. Certificate programs can often be completed online and allow students to work at their own pace. Students learn a variety of basic office skills, such as introductory keyboarding, human relations and business communication. General education courses are not usually required as part of an office assistant certificate program. Most certificate programs can be completed in less than a year.
Associate of Applied Science in Office Management
The Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Office Management is a 2-year, undergraduate degree program that is designed to prepare students for immediate entry into an office-based, administrative position. Students gain practical office skills and study a variety of topics, including information processing, office computations and records management. Some general education courses are usually required, such as college composition and economics.
Much of office clerks' experience is gained through on-the-job training after a position is secured. Clerks may work closely with more experienced office staff in order to learn practical day-to-day office skills specific to the organization. Office clerks new to the field may execute basic office tasks, such as photocopying or mailings. More experienced clerks may be responsible for creating Excel spreadsheets or making travel arrangements for executives or clients with a travel agency.
Additional Professional Development
Office clerks may choose to enroll in classes that advance computer skills. Courses are often available online or at local colleges that teach computer programs, such as Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Word. With experience, office clerks may move into higher level positions, such as office manager or administrative supervisor.
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The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is proud to be one of many cultural institutions around the world participating in this fabulous program.
If you went blind tomorrow, would you still visit the art museum? If you couldn’t see art, would you still be able to have a positive art experience? The MFAH develops programming for the visually impaired as a part of Art Beyond Sight, an initiative started by Art Education for the Blind.
So, where do we begin? We usually think of art in terms of the visual: color, composition, texture, technique, etc. But how do you explain the concept of "red" to someone who has never been able to see colors? When choosing which artworks to discuss, Art Beyond Sight instructors go beyond aesthetics alone, delving more deeply into what really makes museum objects important: culture.
Although we tend to think of art in terms of physical characteristics (e.g. “That is beautiful!” or “That looks like my kindergartener could have painted it!”), art largely involves much deeper concepts, narratives, political statements, historical contexts, and cultural significances that supersede the physical. You don’t have to be able to see a painting in order to learn why it is important.
Art Beyond Sight sessions begin with the instructor giving a brief, unbiased explanation of how the work of art looks. The group is encouraged to discuss this artwork, ask questions, have debates, and dig deep into the work to find meaning. This lively, healthy discussion is the marker for success for any museum program because it means that visitors are engaging with the art.
It is heartening to see that with such a minor modification to museum programming—finding a way to describe these museum objects effectively—a whole new group of individuals from the community can enjoy all The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has to offer.
If you know someone who could benefit from this program, or if you would like to attend the program yourself, please click here for a list of upcoming events.


A free book for every baby in Western Australia
Reading to babies from birth builds their early language skills and gives them an early love of books that will support their future success as readers.
Better Beginnings is a universal family literacy program
Universal means the program includes every family with a new baby in Western Australia. Recent research has shown that all the groundwork for literacy development takes place in the first three years of life.
Family literacy means that although Better Beginnings starts with a book, it goes on to support families and encourages them to share stories with their children. Better Beginnings fosters early learning through reading, talking, singing and playing.
Better Beginnings brings together research and practice, babies and books, families and libraries by:
- introducing children to developmentally appropriate books and language activities
- supporting parents as their child's first teacher
- raising awareness of the value and enjoyment of reading together
- linking families to the free services at their local public library
"I started reading to my baby at one week. My husband thought there was no need. Now our baby is three months old and loves it. Better Beginnings helped me to decide which books were good for my baby and showed us how to have fun reading , doing rhyme and actions and teaching our childrens." Parent, ECU Evaluation, 2009


Focus on fertility to prevent pollution and boost profits
The basics of elementary education typically center around the three Rs: reading, writing and ’rithmetic. In the field, farmers need to focus on the four Rs of fertility management: the right product, right rate, right time and right place.
Right Product, Right Rate,
Right Time, Right Place
"Choosing the right product and then applying it at the right time, at the right rate and in the right place makes you money by using fertilizer more efficiently," says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. "It also makes you a better environmental steward by preventing unused nutrients from escaping and getting into water sources."
The four Rs, developed by the fertilizer industry, are so important that Farm Journal is launching a new series called Nutrient Navigator to help put the concept into motion on your own farm.
The key to the four Rs of fertility is that all of the components are applied together. "If just one—the product, the rate, the timing or the placement—is off, you miss out on the benefits of the whole process," Ferrie says.
To set the stage for fertilizer success, let’s look at the role of rate, timing, product and placement.
Rate and timing. Rate and timing are related. To understand rates, you must understand when each crop, as well as soil microorganisms, needs nutrients. For example, both corn plants and
microorganisms need nitrogen early in the growing season.
"When we talk rates, we’re talking about the rate for a certain window of time," Ferrie says. "Your total nitrogen application for a corn crop might be 200 lb. per acre. However, you might
need 50 lb. of that nitrogen applied in late fall or early spring to pay the carbon penalty."
The carbon penalty results from microorganisms decomposing old crop residue. The penalty is greater when residue is incorporated with tillage.
"The corn needs nitrogen for early growth and plant health—a crucial time when yield is being set," Ferrie says. "Microorganisms need nitrogen to promote the breakdown of old crop residue. This triggers the mineralization of nutrients and makes them available to the growing crop.
"You might need to apply 10 lb. of your total nitrogen application as starter fertilizer to make sure the roots of your young corn plants can reach it," Ferrie continues. "You might also need to put some phosphorus in your starter to make sure it is available to the young plants early in the season, when cold, wet conditions might cause phosphorus in the soil to be tied up."
Learn when each crop needs each nutrient. "For example, phosphate, sulfur and zinc need to be taken up by plants early in their lives," Ferrie says. "Those nutrients are not mobile, and they must be present in the plant to satisfy its vegetative growth needs early in the season."
- Mid-November 2012


Discovering The Power Within
Published in TC Today - Volume 35, No. 1
By Lisa Farmer
“In school, I was taught to paint things as I saw them. But it seemed so stupid. If one could only reproduce nature, and always with less beauty than the original, why paint at all?”
Today the world knows Georgia O’Keeffe as the creator of works such as “Blue and Green Music”, “Ram’s Head White” and “Poppy 1927”, which synthesize abstraction and representation. Yet at age 25, O’Keeffe—who had already studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York City and won prizes—was on the verge of abandoning her dream.
Fortunately, O’Keeffe was not the only American artist who was fed up with imitative realism. At TC, Arthur Wesley Dow, who had become enamored of the shadowless space and stylized drawings of Chinese and Japanese artists, had begun preaching the Modernist idea that the subject of an artist’s work should be his or her own ideas and feelings.
“Art is decadent when designers and painters lack inventive power and merely imitate nature or the creations of others,” wrote Dow, founding chair of TC’s art education program, in his seminal textbook, Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers. “Then comes realism, conventionality and death.”
O’Keeffe first learned of Dow during the summer of 1912, when financial concerns prompted her to take a teaching course at the University of Virginia. Her instructor was a visiting faculty member, Alon Bement, Dow’s colleague at TC.
By 1914, O’Keeffe had enrolled at TC and was working with “Pa Dow,” as she called him. Together with her classmates Anita Pollitzer and Dorothy True (believed to be the model for O’Keeffe’s painting, “Lady With Red Hair”), she visited Gallery 291, run by the photographer and art impresario Alfred Stieglitz, who gave Americans their first public display of Cezanne watercolors and works by Matisse and Picasso. The following year, O’Keeffe—now teaching in South Carolina—sent True drawings she had done in a new, abstract style. Unbeknownst to O’Keeffe, Pollitzer brought the work to Stieglitz, who was instantly impressed. “Finally, a woman on paper,” he is reported to have said.
Over the next several years, Stieglitz exhibited O’Keeffe’s work at 291. The pair married in 1923, and Stieglitz continued to sponsor and promote O’Keeffe throughout her life.
Today it is O’Keeffe, far more than Dow, who is revered as a major artist. Yet Dow’s belief in the importance of artists’ personal vision helped unleash a wave of creativity in American art—and at Teachers College as well. Among the many other well-known artists who have attended the College over the years are the abstract painter Ad Reinhardt; the minimalist Agnes Martin; the ceramic artist William Daley; the Harlem Renaissance painter and sculptor Charles Henry Alston; and the sculptor Greg Wyatt. Victor D’Amico, founding director of the Education Department at the Museum of Modern Art and creator of the Art Barge, also taught at TC.
Their styles run the gamut. But their work is testimony to Dow’s belief that “The power is within—the question is how to reach it.”


Sir Jim Rose finished his review of the primary curriculum and while I’ve yet to read the whole document I have taken a look at the executive summary and recommendations.
The curriculum that primary children are offered must enable them to enjoy this unique stage of childhood, inspire learning and develop the essential knowledge, skills and understanding which are the building blocks for secondary education and later life.
To achieve this, the new curriculum must be underpinned by an understanding of the distinct but interlocking ways in which children learn and develop – physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, culturally, morally and spiritually – between the ages of 5 and 11.
Key features of a new primary curriculum
- recognise the continuing importance of subjects and the essential knowledge, skills and understanding they represent.
- provide a stronger focus on curriculum progression.
- strengthen the focus on ensuring, that by the age of 7, children have a secure grasp of the literacy and numeracy skills they need to make good progress thereafter.
- strengthen the teaching and learning of information and communication technology (ICT) to enable children to be independent and confident users of technology by the end of primary education.
- provide a greater emphasis on personal development through a more integrated and simpler framework for schools.
- build stronger links between the EYFS and Key Stage 1, and between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3.
offer exciting opportunities for learning languages for 7–11-yearolds.
What is set out in the draft programmes of learning represents a national entitlement with full scope for teachers to shape how it is taught and to supplement it.
Subjects and cross curricular learning
There are times when it is right to marshal content from different subjects into well-planned, cross-curricular studies. This is not only because it helps children to better understand ideas about such important matters as citizenship, sustainable development, financial capability and health and wellbeing, but also because it provides opportunities across the curriculum for them to use and apply what they have learned from the discrete teaching of subjects.
Six areas of learning
- Understanding English, communication and languages
- Mathematical understanding
- Scientific and technological understanding
- Historical, geographical and social understanding
- Understanding physical development, health and wellbeing
- Understanding the arts.
Children thrive best when parenting, the curriculum and pedagogy are all of high quality. In other words, children benefit most when their home lives and school lives establish similar values and expectations for their learning, behaviour and wellbeing. Much has been achieved in recent years to ensure that parents are fully informed about and seriously involved in many aspects of school life.
(i) The QCA, in consultation with representative groups, should exemplify and promote the range of learning envisioned in the new framework for personal development with the firm intention of helping schools to plan for balanced coverage and avoid piecemeal treatment of this central aspect of the curriculum.
(ii) Personal development together with literacy, numeracy and ICT constitute the essentials for learning and life. The DCSF should work with the QCA to find appropriate and innovative ways of assessing pupils’ progress in this area.
With their local authorities, primary and secondary schools should agree a joint policy for bridging children’s transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. Five interdependent transition bridges are suggested for this purpose: administrative; social and personal; curriculum; pedagogy; and autonomy and managing learning. This should involve extended studies across Year 6 and Year 7, and draw upon the support of personal tutors.


Why should teachers and students in 21st century classrooms podcast? As potentially disruptive, narrowcast multimedia production, podcasting can serve as an invigorating tool of communication and authentic literacy development in schools. In this program I address:
- WebSighting: The new website from the UK: iPod in Education (www.ipodined.org).
- Editorial: When we consider podcasting as a technology which is disruptive rather than sustaining, encouraging of multimedia production rather than mere consumption, and narrowcasting rather than broadcasting, I think we find three compelling reasons to podcast in the classroom.
Program Length: 18 min, 21 sec
File size: 8.4 MB
Subscribe to “Moving at the Speed of Creativity” weekly podcasts!
Did you know Wes has published 3 eBooks, and 1 of them is available free? Check them out!
If you're trying to listen to a podcast episode and it's not working, check this status page. (Wes is migrating his podcasts to Amazon S3 for hosting.) Remember to follow Wesley Fryer on Twitter (@wfryer), Facebook and Google+. Also "like" Wesley's Facebook pages for "Speed of Creativity Learning" and his eBook, "Playing with Media." Don't miss Wesley's latest technology integration project, "Mapping Media to the Common Core / Curriculum."
On this day..
- Use IFTTT to Auto-Tweet New Posts from Your Classroom Blog - 2013
- Reflections from the M - 2011
- We Need More Hawkeyes - 2010
- Moving Beyond the Tools.....How Do We Implement Them? - 2010
- Are virtual interactions REAL? A video answer from @danlovejoy - 2009
- New media changing journalism norms - 2009
- Helping young people prepare for IT related careers - 2008
- Videos for Professional Development - 2007
- Learning with the Podcast Shuffle - 2005
- Google news embraces RSS feeds! - 2005


Most children begin learning phonics by sounding out letters and learning what items represent that sound and that letter, i.e. A is for apple; A sounds like “aaaaaaaaaaaaaa”. Children begin learning phonics from parents, siblings, videos, and music at a very early age (2-4 years old) even before entering school.
Phonics and phonemic awareness are comingled when teaching children in this manner. Phonics involves the relationship between sounds and written symbols, whereas phonemic awareness involves sounds in spoken words. Therefore, phonics instruction focuses on teaching sound-spelling relationships and is associated with print. Most phonemic awareness tasks are oral.
Even though parents are the initial teachers, it will take a professional to instill all of the rules of phonics and to teach students decoding skills as they begin to read. Hiring a tutor with experience teaching early learners will ensure a student’s success as they begin elementary school. A professional tutor can also reinforce phonics for those students that were taught the Whole Language approach to reading and are still struggling in 2nd and 3rd grades. Hiring an Advanced Learners tutor is a guarantee that you will receive a professional tutor that can make a difference in a child’s ability to read.
High School Tutors
High school is a busy time. Learning to balance academics and fun can be very challenging for students. Unfortunately, report card grades cannot be erased and college competitiveness makes high school performance all the more crucial. Our high school tutors understand how to help your child find academic success now. We specialize in providing high school students with exceptional educators who have a passion for their subject area. If your high school student is struggling, or simply wants to improve, we have the right tutor for you!
San Diego Tutors
San Diego’s emphasis on education is apparent in its notable support of the biotechnology research being conducted at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center. The Census Bureau ranks San Diego as the 9th most educated city in the US with 40% of its population attaining a bachelor’s degree or higher. San Diego is home to some of the most coveted private schools, colleges and universities in America. San Diego hosts four school districts to cover the needs of all its public school students. These residents take their education very seriously and so do we! As a city with students of all ages, we have cultivated an elite group of tutors to help students with any subject necessary. Our highly customized service means that you determine exactly who your tutor will be, where the tutoring will take place, and for how long. Our reputation as a premium service is evident in the multitude of testimonials and referrals we have received from parents, students, and schools throughout the San Diego area.
View Some Of Our High School Phonics Tutor Profiles
Our Tutoring Service
We offer our clients only the very best selection of tutors. When you request a tutor for a certain subject, you get what you ask for. Our tutors are expertly matched to your individual needs based on the criteria you provide to us. We will provide you with the degrees, credentials, and certifications that each selected tutor holds. Equally important is the peace of mind we offer you knowing that each of our tutors has been cleared by a nation-wide criminal background check, a sexual predator check, and social security verification. We want you to have the same confidence in our tutors as we do.


Earth Science—Elementary, BAEd
What is the study of Earth Science—Elementary?
A geoscientist is someone who studies the Earth’s physical makeup and history. Geology is the science that provides the key to finding new sources of useful Earth materials and to understanding Earth processes that affect our lives. Geoscientists provide basic information to society for solving problems and establishing policy for resource management, environmental protection, public health, safety and welfare.
Geoscientists are curious about the Earth. How was it formed? How is it changing? What effects will shrinking glaciers have on the oceans and climate? How do islands form? What makes a continent move? Why did the dinosaurs become extinct? What makes a mountain?
Geoscientists are concerned about the Earth. Is there a global warming trend? How and where should we dispose industrial wastes? How can we fill society’s growing demands for energy and conserve natural resources for future generations.
This major satisfies the academic major requirement for teacher certification with an endorsement in elementary education and must be accompanied by the professional preparation program in Elementary Education offered through Woodring College of Education.
Why Should I Consider this Major?
Do you like to know why and how things work? Do you enjoy the outdoors? Are you concerned about the environment? Are you interested in travel? Do you like to analyze things? Are science and nature among your favorite subjects? Have you ever wondered why the Earth appears as it does? If you answer “yes” to most of these questions the geosciences may be the career for you.
- Elementary Teacher


Looking for a fun (and educational) way to play with homemade bubble solution? Former teacher turned homeschooling mom Genny Upton (In Lieu of Preschool and Parent Teach Play) recently taught her children about hypotheses by making and experimenting with 6 different bubble solutions in her own backyard. Read a summary and link to this guest blogger’s full article below.
Using homemade bubble solution is a playful way to teach science for kids, like these 4 steps in the scientific method:
- Formulating, testing, and modifying hypotheses
Genny and her children began their experiment by making 6 different homemade bubble solutions at a science station in the backyard. Based on what they observed about the solutions they created, her children each formed a hypothesis for which of the 6 solutions they thought would produce the best bubbles. (You could also have children form hypotheses for which solution would produce the biggest, reddest, or stickiest bubbles.)
Her children then got to experiment with the solutions to test their hypotheses. This is when the real bubble fun began!
They observed and measured the bubbles and decided if their hypotheses were correct or if they needed to be modified. Either way, she and her kids had a ton of backyard bubble fun!
Get the recipes for making all 6 homemade bubble solutions, as well as beautiful, illustrative pictures of this outdoor science experiment at Genny’s “In Lieu of Preschool” blog.
What other ways have you introduced the scientific method at home?
Share your tips and lessons in the Comments below, or join the conversation on our Facebook page.
* * *
- 3 Uplifting Bubble Games for Kids!
- 2 Play-Based Tools for Oral Motor Success
- 3 Simple Tips to Develop Your Child’s Oral Motor Skills


Print, save and share these downloads on a variety of topics:
How to use this site:
A comprehensive guide on how to use the early learning site - whether you're a parent, a teacher, or a daycare / day home operator.
A quick, one-page guide for the Early Learning website.
Assessment: Learning cannot take place without assessment. It's especially important children are given opportunities to evaluate and participant in their own learning. This document lists what to look for in an early learning classroom.
Language and Literacy:
Learning A Second Language:
How can you create an ideal environment for learning another language? Also, find out why maintaining proficiency in the home language is key to a young child's success in school.
Literacy At Home:Create a learning environment that supports language and literacy development.
Math Landmarks: This document contains information about core math skills, such as compensation, patterns and cardinality. The skills are also identified in the math-related play outlined in the files below:
Jumping Frogs: Read how one child develops correspondence and compensation skills, thanks to a simple game of jumping frogs, rocks or marbles.
Marble Soup: Ratios are the name of the game when a young child decides to make "soup" out of different types of marbles.
Measuring Blocks: Mathematical reasoning and problem solving are just some of the math skills gained by playing with a simple set of blocks.
More Toast?: Breakfast time can be a great opportunity to think mathematically, as one mom and her son discovered.
The Sleepover: A simple bedtime story can open the door to another "what if" conversation that involves math.
A Remainder of One: Many children’s books address mathematical ideas in fun and interesting ways. Simply reading them, however, won’t instill deep mathematical understanding. But when kids can model the stories and are encouraged to find ways to generalize the mathematical ideas the stories contain, books can provide great opportunities for deepening mathematical understanding.
Hungry Monsters: Embedding problems in a rich way is something many teachers struggle with. Find out how a good problem encourages students to reason about what can change, by how much, and what must stay the same in order to preserve certain aspects of the original problem.
Road side or trailer side?: Even a walk along and across a muddy creek can be explored deeply in a mathematical way.
Facilitating Children's Play:
Dr. Jane Hewes has tips on how you can create an environment that allows children to explore their environment and learn through play.
Object Play: Creating a play environment where children are encouraged to pick up, explore and manipulate objects results in endless learning opportunities.
Potions: Adding food colouring to water is not only a great way to explore different colour combinations, but to allow your child to systemically work through all the possibilities.
CMEC Early Learning and Development Framework: The framework presents a pan-Canadian vision for early learning that can be adapted to the unique needs and circumstances of each province and territory. It is designed to serve as a resource to support the development of policies and initiatives by ministries and departments of education and their partners that enhance the quality and continuity of the learning experience in the early years and beyond.


Children are not born with perfect motor skills, but rather motor development happens through learning and practice. Mastery of motor movements is a combination of physical growth and developing skills through experience. Motor skills not only enable children to walk or play sports but also to write or make art. Without proper motor skill development, children might struggle in school or might not receive the appropriate amount of physical activity.
Gross Motor Skills
Large muscle movements are called gross motor skills and are included in activities such as catching or throwing a ball, running in a game of tag or climbing up a ladder. According to HealthyChildren.org, most toddlers and preschoolers work on mastering these skills. Children will concentrate at first on staying upright and maintaining balance, and gradually the skills of graceful arm, leg and torso movements will become easier. Between ages 6 and 7, children refine skills like jumping or running, and they are able to combine skills for coordinated movement. While adolescent girls make only modest gains in their gross motor skills, adolescent boys gain speed, strength and endurance throughout their teen years.
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills refer to small movements, such as those needed to pick up a piece of cereal in a pincer grasp between thumb and index finger. Kids can practice fine motor skills with games like puzzles or sorting toys. Art and craft activities also provide many opportunities for fine motor control. For example, drawing shapes like circles or triangles are necessary skills for hand writing and even cursive. Children’s fine motor skills play a role in feeding or clothing themselves, brushing their teeth, opening a door or pointing to an object, which are daily activities needed for children to lead independent lives as adults. Fine motor control continues to grow through the elementary years, and you will notice more refined movements and stability as your child ages. Teenagers might gain more fine motor skills through new lessons in keyboarding or texting, but they typically improve more through specialized training or practice, such as learning a musical instrument.
Taking part in regular physical activity leads to a healthier lifestyle, according to PBS.org. Lack of motor skills contributes to a decrease in physical activity. For example, if a toddler has trouble kicking a ball, he is less likely to play games that involve the motion. A deficiency in physical activity can lead to childhood obesity or other health problems. Additionally, many group tasks require movement, so development of motor skills help children advance their social skills. Physical exertion has also shown to be effective in releasing energy and regulating emotions. Through the late elementary and teenage years, physical activity is an ideal way to help improve symptoms of depression or anxiety that often come about during this time. Playing sports helps teenagers move with better precision and strength.
Improving Motor Skills
Serious motor control problems are rare, but increasing opportunities for play and practice can improve these skills. For example, if you have a toddler who still walks only on his tiptoes, buy shoes that make a sound when he stomps with his heel. If he does not use his arms to balance himself when walking, give him a shaker and encourage him to make sound when he walks. Purchase art materials for a child who needs to improve fine motor control, or practice stringing beads onto a piece of yarn; older children might enjoy learning an instrument or picking up skills like calligraphy or mechanical work. If interventions do not work at home, you can consult an occupational therapist, or encourage your teenager to join a swim team or other sport in the summer to help build motor skills. Your child must learn all these skills to function properly as an adult.
- Young Children: Why Motor Skills Matter
- PBS: The Importance of Developing Fundamental Motor Skills
- Education.com: The Importance of Motor Skills
- Healthy Children: From Motor Skills to Sports Skills
- Seven Counties Services, Inc.: Adolescent Physical Development: Part II
- Education.com: Physical Development and the Acquisition of Motor Skills
- Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images


Arts Encourage Positive Behaviors and Characteristics
Parenting can be a very dynamic task filled with copious amounts of problem solving, care taking, reflection, trial and error and most of all, lots and lots of social modeling. Most desire well-adjusted, positive children who can communicate, cooperate, and create. Certain positive behaviors are difficult for parents to foster alone. Interactions outside of the home with role models, educators, coaches, and peers are just as influential (or sometimes more influential) than parents. Enter the Arts… Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts can provide a rich source for parents to foster positive behaviors and characteristics.
These include but are not limited to: Pride, Focus, Finesse, Passion, Dexterity, Tolerance, Inspiration, Confidence, Commitment, Spatial Acuity, Physical Health, Improved Memory, Collaborative Skills, Healthy Risk-Taking, Problem-Solving Abilities, and Communication Proficiency.
Related Sources worth investigating more:
How the Arts Unlock the Door to Learning By Mariko Nobori
10 Lessons the Arts Teach from the National Art Education Association.


Mary Jo writes…
Language is critical for literacy development and storytelling creates an interactive bridge. Music, repeated phrases, and actions provide connections and invite participation by children when they become part of the storytelling event.
Working in schools demands that the storyteller is tuned into the state literacy standards. Storytelling connects many types of standards but I am only concentrating on the literacy connection. A good story challenges a child’s auditory, visual, and kinesthetic skills along with a phonemic awareness.
Performing in schools as a storyteller gives a teller the opportunity to address some reading readiness components such as repetition, retelling, rhyming and sequencing. When teachers are aware of what the stories have to offer they are amazed at the children’s reaction. Children develop their oral language skills by learning to tell and retell stories. They learn about their world, other cultures, visual imagery, moral and social issues and they increase listening skills.
Literacy standards connections to look for when telling stories for children:
- Phonological Awareness
- Understanding Stories
- Book Awareness
- Word Awareness
- Story Enjoyment
Mountains of information are available for review and it can be mind boggling. Check out these organizations for documentation of literacy standards and review for connections to your type of storytelling.
- International Reading Association
- National Council of Teachers of English
- National Association for the Education of Young Children
Play with the sounds of language using songs, rhymes, chants and stories. Get excited about what you do. This life of mine is a passion and I work at it everyday in one way or another. Over the years I have been successful because I spent 35 years in the trenches with young children and also attended numerous conferences and developed a love for my life. I rely on my experiences to connect my storytelling to the world I live in and to share my experiences with anyone who will listen!
More about Mary Jo
I have 35 years as an Early Childhood Educator and 20 years as a storyteller. I believe in my heart that children who listen to stories develop a great vocabulary and understanding of their world. I used storytelling in the classroom and began visiting schools, libraries and doing workshops for teachers and librarians. In this period of time I have been in all but 7 states and visited with thousands of children and adults. Children need excitement, music, props and I like puppets with my storytelling. I am not a puppeteer I just play with puppets and I play with story.
Today I work as an author, storyteller, consultant, teaching artist and granny-on-the-go! I am a good traveler and my fluff goes with me wherever I go to tell stories. Children are hungry to hear a good told story and they connect especially when there is a little rhythm and rhyme. I have 7 books published and working on a couple at this moment along with 3 CDs and my favorite a new DVD called “Fairy Tales, Fantasy, and Storytellin’ Fun!.


The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is a 1946 musical composition by Benjamin Britten with a subtitle Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell. It was originally commissioned for an educational documentary film called Instruments of the Orchestra, directed by Muir Mathieson and featuring the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent.
The work is one of the best-known pieces by the composer, and is often associated with two other works in the context of children's music education: Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals and Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is scored for the following large orchestra:
- Percussion: timpani, a bass drum, cymbals, a tambourine, a triangle, a snare drum, a wood block, a xylophone, castanets, a tamtam, and a whip
The work is based on the Rondeau from Henry Purcell's incidental music to Aphra Behn's Abdelazer, and is structured, in accordance with the plan of the original documentary film, as a way of showing off the tone colours and capacities of the various sections of the orchestra.
In the introduction, the theme is initially played by the entire orchestra, then by each major family of instruments of the orchestra: first the woodwinds, then the brass, then the strings, and finally by the percussion. Each variation then features a particular instrument in depth, in the same family order, and generally moving through each family from high to low. So, for example, the first variation features the piccolo and flutes; each member of the woodwind family then gets a variation, ending with the bassoon; and so on, through the strings, brass, and finally the percussion.
After the whole orchestra has been effectively taken to pieces in this way, it is reassembled using an original fugue which starts with the piccolo, followed by all the woodwinds, strings, brass and percussion in turn. Once everyone has entered, the brass are re-introduced (with a strike on the gong) with Purcell's original melody.
The sections of the piece and instruments introduced by the variations are as follows.
- Allegro maestoso e largamente
- Tutti, woodwinds, brass, strings, then percussion
- Variation A
- Piccolo and flute
- Variation B
- Variation C
- Variation D
- Allegro alla marcia
- Variation E
- Brillante: alla polacca
- Variation F
- Meno mosso
- Variation G
- Variation H
- Cominciando lento ma poco a poco accel. al Allegro
- Double basses
- Variation I
- Variation J
- L'istesso tempo
- Variation K
- Variation L
- Allegro pomposo
- Trombones and bass tuba
- Variation M
- Percussion (timpani; bass drum & cymbals; tambourine & triangle; snare drum & wood block; xylophone; castanets & gong; whip; percussion tutti)
- Allegro molto
The narration for the documentary film was written by Eric Crozier, the producer of the first production of Britten's opera Peter Grimes, and is sometimes spoken by the conductor or a separate speaker during performance of the piece. The composer also arranged a version without narration. The one without narration is more often recorded. The commentary often alters between recordings.
A new narration was written by Simon Butteriss for the Aldeburgh Festival and broadcast live by CBBC presenter Johny Pitts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the Britten 100 celebrations in 2013.
- "Instruments of the Orchestra", British Film Institute, accessed 24 May 2013
- "Essential Britten: A Pocket Guide for the Britten Centenary", John Bridcut, accessed 14 January 2014
- "Programme Notes". London Chamber Orchestra. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- "Programme Notes". London Chamber Orchestra. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- Boosey & Hawkes No. 606. Benjamin Britten – The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Opus 34.
- History of the London Symphony Orchestra on Film
- Animated guide presented by Carnegie Hall
- BBC Radio 4 programme about the piece and the score manuscript


Online General Education Degree Programs Resource
A bachelor’s of education degree from any accredited university gives a graduate the ability to apply for a teaching certificate in the state in which the university has entitled them. Each candidate will need to have a love of children, a passion for teaching, and the basic skills to complete coursework and take state testing for certification, which is usually a series of tests.
How to Become an Educator
A student will need to choose a major, for example, elementary education. To be accepted into most education programs, the student will need to demonstrate an acceptable GPA in general education classes and pass a state test that measures basic skills. Admission to the program usually takes place in the junior, or third, year of college, giving the student time to complete all the required general education courses. Once accepted into the program, the teacher candidate will then take coursework centered on how to teach in specific content areas. These courses are usually called methods classes. Elementary education candidates will have to choose an area of concentration, which requires approximately 18 hours in a content area like English coursework, while secondary education majors will choose a content area and complete the necessary amount of credit hours, which is usually 32 hours. A predetermined number of observation and student teaching hours is assigned by the university, and upon completion of all degree requirements and student teaching, the candidate will be entitled in the appropriate state, making them eligible for application for a teaching certificate.
General Education Degrees and Certification
Once a graduate has earned the degree, he will be eligible for a teaching certificate in the area chosen. For example, a B.S. Ed, Bachelor of Science in Education, Elementary Education, will enable the teacher to teach grades K-6 in most states. Further endorsements, such as middle school endorsements, are eligible based on course work. These endorsements dictate what a teacher is eligible to teach. Additionally, the state test scores will certify that a teacher is NCLB qualified to teach subject areas. Along with traditional teaching jobs, the graduate can expect to find careers in other educational roles, such as in the non-profit sector.
An associate degree in general education is a good first step towards a career in education. In most cases, those who earn an associate degree in general teaching must also earn a bachelor’s degree to land a teaching job. However, there are several education jobs available to those who possess an associate’s degree, such as classroom assistant, teaching aide, substitute teacher, school library technician, or childcare specialist. In order to have a career as a classroom teacher, one must go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education or teaching. The bachelor’s degree can be either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor’s of Science (B.S.) depending on the institution. Earning the bachelor’s degree will require, on average, 60 more hours (about two more years for the average full-time student) of commitment. Those who already have a B.A. or B.S. in another subject area may work in education by earning a one year Master of Arts in Teaching.
Those who graduate with a master’s degree in education are eligible for jobs and careers in the educational industry, whether at a public school, private school, or other educational position. Upon graduation, the graduate with initial certification can seek a job in their particular concentration area. For example, an elementary education major can pursue elementary school jobs and a secondary education major can apply for high school jobs. Administration degrees enable the graduate to work as a principal or other administrator, and teacher leadership degrees help the graduate earn higher pay.
General Education Degrees and Programs
- B.S. in Education/Early Childhood Education
- B.S. in Education / Elementary Education
- A.A. in Education
- And more...
- Accelerated Early Childhood Education Bachelor's Degree
- Early Childhood Education Associate's - English Language Learner
- Early Childhood Education Associates - Child Development
- And more...
- Bachelor of Science: Early Childhood Development
- Associate of Applied Science: Early Childhood Development


Reid, Gavin; Soler, Janet and Wearmouth, Janice
Meeting difficulties in literacy development: research, policy and practice.
Addressing the sensitive issue of difficulties in literacy development this practical book outlines what is meant by 'literacy' and the barriers to literacy development such as social class, ethnicity, culture and gender. It emphasises practical strategies and programmes to help reduce these barriers at school, family and community levels. Throughout, the highly qualified team of authors relate cognitive, psychological, and socio-cultural perspectives to current curriculum policies, controversies and ethical considerations.
This book enables practitioners to reflect critically upon the choices available to them in assessing and supporting students who experience difficulties in literacy development. Topics covered include a thorough consideration of dyslexia, bilingualism, the conceptualising of literacy, equity issues, and suggestions for assessment and planning for pupils.
This is essential reading for students on initial teacher training courses and teachers on CPD courses in the area of special needs, literacy and dyslexia. It is also a companion course guide for the Open University’s new Difficulties in Literacy Development course.
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Online non-DSBK Resources
An integral part of the DSBK program is to foster curiosity in our Universe. Since our volunteers cannot always be around to answer questions, here is a sample of our favorite online resources for K-4 education:
- Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Stunning daily images of the Universe
- NASA Kids Club -- Fun activities for Kids generated by NASA
- The Galileoscope -- Inexpensive replicas of the first telescope built in 1609
- NASA for K-4 Education -- Activities at the K-4 Level
- NASA For Kids Only: Earth Science -- Activities for Kids highlighting our fascinating planet
- NASA For Kids: The Solar System -- Activities for Kids spanning our solar system
- Kids Astronomy -- Astronomy games
- Star Child -- Become a young astronomer and explore our Universe
- IYA2009: Cosmic Diary -- Journal entries that explore the exciting lives of Astronomers across the world
- IYA2009:100 Hours of Astronomy -- An IYA 2009 event that brought observers together from around the world.
- 365 Days of Astronomy -- A daily 10-minute podcast about astronomy from people all over the world. Look for numerous contributions from UVa and Charlottesville astronomers. Listen to a special DSBK episode on June 7, 2010!
- Space and Science for Kids -- Sent to us by the 4th graders at Monument Charter School!
- Online Education - The Planets and Space Science


Common Core Standards for English Language Arts
The Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects are composed of the following elements. There are three key components you should know:
ELA grade-level standards for K-12: The ELA grade-level standards set expectations for students in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. These standards are organized in two ways:
By anchor standards: The College and Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standards set broad expectations for what students should know upon graduation from high school in each of the ELA domains: reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. These standards outline the central concepts addressed in each domain without the grade-level specifics.
By domain and grade level: ELA standards are presented first by domain and then by grade level within the domain. The ELA domains for reading are literature, informational text, and foundational skills. The ELA domains for writing are speaking and listening, and language. To look up standards for a specific grade level, go to the domain first and then the grade level within that domain.
By text complexity: A final component of each domain is the range, quality, and complexity of texts used to accomplish the skills in each domain.
Grades 6-12 literacy standards: The literacy standards apply to Grades 6-12 in history, social studies, science, and technical subjects, and very likely to any subject areas not specifically mentioned. Common Core Standards for literacy are presented in three categories:
Science and technical subjects
Within each of these domains, standards are divided not by individual grades but by three grade bands: Grades 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12. These standards are listed side by side in the paper version so you can easily see how they progress in difficulty from one grade band to the next.
Separate reading standards are provided for social studies and for science and technical subjects. One set of writing standards addresses skills for writing in all of these subjects.
ELA appendixes: The ELA standards include three appendixes (Appendix A, B, and C), each containing background material and resources you may find useful.


Paul HindemithArticle Free Pass
Paul Hindemith, (born Nov. 16, 1895, Hanau, near Frankfurt am Main, Ger.—died Dec. 28, 1963, Frankfurt am Main), one of the principal German composers of the first half of the 20th century and a leading musical theorist. He sought to revitalize tonality—the traditional harmonic system that was being challenged by many other composers—and also pioneered in the writing of Gebrauchsmusik, or “utility music,” compositions for everyday occasions. He regarded the composer as a craftsman (turning out music to meet social needs) rather than as an artist (composing to satisfy his own soul). As a teacher of composition he probably exerted an influence on most of the composers of the generation that followed him.
Hindemith earned his living at an early age playing the violin in cafes, dance bands, and theatres. His undertaking of almost any kind of musical job may have contributed to the facility and matter-of-factness with which he later composed. Studying music in Frankfurt, at 20 he became leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra.
Meanwhile, his own compositions were being heard at international festivals of contemporary music. Early works included chamber music composed for the Amar-Hindemith Quartet, in which he played the viola; the song cycles Die junge Magd (1922; “The Young Maid”), based on poems by Georg Trakl, and Das Marienleben (1924, rev. 1948; “The Life of Mary”); and the opera Cardillac (1926), based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Das Fräulein von Scuderi (“The Girl from Scuderi”). By the late 1920s Hindemith was regarded as the foremost German composer of his generation.
The “utility” music he wrote for children’s games, youth groups, brass bands, radio plays, and other practical purposes reflected a functional trend in the culture of postwar Germany. Hindemith collaborated with Kurt Weill on the music for a radio cantata by Bertolt Brecht, Der Lindberghflug (1928; “The Lindbergh Flight”).
His greatest work, Mathis der Maler, an opera about the painter Matthias Grünewald and his struggles with society, caused a public imbroglio in Nazi Germany when Wilhelm Furtwängler conducted an orchestral version with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1934 and vigorously supported the opera in the press. The Nazi cultural authorities, led by Joseph Goebbels (minister of propaganda), banned the opera, denouncing the composer as a “cultural Bolshevist” and “spiritual non-Aryan.”
Hindemith, who had been professor of composition at the Berlin Academy of Music since 1927, left Germany for Turkey, where he set up a music education system on Western lines and taught at the conservatory in Ankara (1935–37). Later he taught at Yale University (1940–53) and at the University of Zürich (1951–58).
His early music was considered anti-Romantic and iconoclastic, but it also showed humour, exuberance, and inventiveness. His Kammermusik series—for small, unconventional, astringent groups of instruments—is outstanding. He also produced such works as the Violin Concerto (1939), the Cello Concerto (1940), the Symphonic Metamorphoses After Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (1946), and the operas Die Harmonie der Welt (1957; “The Harmony of the World”) and The Long Christmas Dinner (1961).
An opponent of the 12-tone school of composer Arnold Schoenberg, Hindemith formulated the principles of a harmonic system that was based on an enlargement of traditional tonality. His Unterweisung im Tonsatz (1937–39; The Craft of Musical Composition, 1941, rev. 1945) constitutes a theoretical statement of his principles.
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150 Characteristics of Effective Teaching of Mathematics: A View from the West From research studies we find that effective teachers facilitate learning
Characteristic 2: Positive The most effective teachers have optimistic attitudes about teaching and about students. They 1. See the glass as half full (look on the ...
Influencing Teachers’ Beliefs About Teaching Mathematics for Numeracy to Students with Mathematics Learning Difficulties Kim Beswick University of Tasmania
vii This document is a practical guide that teachers will find useful in helping students to achieve the curriculum expectations for mathematics outlined in the
How Teaching Matters Bringing the Classroom Back Into Discussions of Teacher Quality A POLICY INFORMATION CENTER REPORT
New Standard and Purpose for Personnel Evaluations • Evaluations must differentiate among 4 levels of performance: – Highly effective – Effective
Introduction 3 mathematics and view the expectations in the curriculum policy documents for Kindergarten and Grades 1 to 3 as being clustered around those big ideas.
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3 INTRODUCTION The aims of this research are (i) to synthesize current and key characteristics of school effectiveness from the perspective of principals, heads of ...
thematic group 9 european research in mathematics education iii j. b. lagrange 1 analysing the impact of ict on mathematics teaching practices j.b. lagrange


The Dominican Study: Public Library Summer Reading Programs Close the Reading Gap [pdf]
The Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University received a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for a three year research study to answer the question: do public library summer reading programs impact student achievement?" (pg. 8).
Evaluation of the Summer Library Reading Program: Books and Beyond...Take Me to Your Reader! [pdf]
An evaluation of the 2001 summer reading program in 5 county library systems in Southern California, submitted to the Los Angeles County Public Library Foundation.
Fun, Sun, and Good Books: UT Experts say Summer Reading Keeps Skills Strong
Press release highlighting research conducted by Richard Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen, education professors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
How to Make Summer Reading Effective [pdf]
Research Brief from the National Summer Learning Association highlighting the research of Dr. James Kim, Assistant Professor of Education, Harvard University.
The Importance of Summer Reading: Public Library Summer Reading Programs and Learning [pdf]
Research brief from the New York State Library with an extensive annotated bibliography of summer reading research.
Making a Difference: The 2006 "Guys Read" Book Club Summer Program for Boys, Hennepin County Library
Evaluation of the 2006 summer reading program, based on author Jon Sczieska's Guys Read initiative, designed specifically for boys in grades 4-6 in the greater Minneapolis, Minnesota area. Note: Scroll down the page to find the PowerPoint presentation.
Summer Reading from Reading Rockets
Activities, research highlights, and multimedia presentations about summer reading from Reading Rockets, an educational initiative of WETA, Washington D.C.'s public television and radio station.
The Role of Public Libraries in Children's Literacy Development: An Evaluation Report [pdf]
Dr. Donna Celano (Temple University) and Dr. Susan B. Neuman (University of Michigan) examine and evaluate the role of public libraries in Pennsylvania in helping children develop literacy skills through preschool and summer reading programs.
Take Five for Education: Tips from UT about Children's Summer Reading
5 tips to motivate kids to read over the summer from Richard Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen, education professors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.


Gina L. Wenger
Education is constantly changing. Teachers are faced with experiences that we may feel unable to confront or ill equipped to handle. But, in the end that is what we try to do. Instinctively, we turn to the experiences we have had or to our families, peers, and students. Through the critical exploration of these experiences, education becomes individualized and meaningful. It is for this reason that I describe myself as a feminist pedagogue. Feminist pedagogy has grown out of the empowering concepts of critical theory and emphasizes the use of student knowledge in classroom learning. Student experiences are vital to the learning process.
As a former public school art teacher, I believe art education can be an extraordinary discipline. The art classroom is a space that is different from every other space in the school. Art contains a set of disciplines that may easily integrate into all other disciplines and that opens doors to exploring histories, theories, and philosophies. By helping students to make those connections and to learn more about themselves, the art classroom not only broadens their knowledge but it also gives students the tools necessary to express their ideas. Art teaches different ways of seeing as well as different ways of creating. It is an avenue for dealing with conflicts and solving problems, learning about ourselves and learning about our world.
As an art educator in higher education, I believe I must work hard to prepare my students for the constantly changing world of teaching. In order to do this, I must not only keep my research contemporary and relevant, but I must teach my students to see themselves as artists and researchers. The future of art education must include teachers who see themselves as artists who understand all that this entails and who know that in order to teach art, the teacher must first learn all that they can so that they may share that knowledge in a meaningful way.


Date of Press Release: January 30, 2008
The University of Alaska Southeast Mathematics program and Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School have arranged a visit from representatives of a nonprofit educational organization, Project SEED, to explore a possible partnership with the Juneau School District and UAS. This visit was made possible through a Chancellor's Fund Grant.
Project SEED (Special Elementary Education for the Disadvantaged) uses the Socratic method of instruction to teacher higher level mathematics to low achieving students.
Project SEED is a nationally recognized program that has been in existence for more than four decades. Project SEED methods have been shown to significantly raise math scores and increase the number of students taking higher level math in high school. Students who take the highest level math courses in high school are more likely to go to college.
Project SEED representatives will give a talk in the UAS Egan Lecture Hall at 7:00 p.m. on Monday February 4, 2008.
This talk is open to the public.
Anyone who is interested in education at any level and in any subject area (particularly mathematics) is encouraged to attend. This presentation will be an informative discussion on Project SEED and how it can benefit students and educators.
Two Project SEED specialists, Helen Smiler and Howard Baker, will provide a week-long classroom demonstration of Project SEED techniques at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School Monday February 4 through Friday February 8. The demonstration lessons will be followed by an opportunity to discuss the lesson and meet with Project SEED representatives. Interested individuals are encouraged to attend as many sessions of this demonstration as possible to gain a better understanding and/or appreciation of the effectiveness of the techniques demonstrated.
Project SEED National Director Hamid Ebrahimi and National Science Foundation liaison Wayne Patterson will be available to meet with interested UAS and School District faculty and administrators to discuss the scope and possibilities for such a partnership as well as possible funding opportunities.


KMS Philosophy Statement for Reading
The teachers of Keene Middle School view literacy as dynamic and ever-changing. Traditionally, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing, have been identified as the critical skills in literacy development. However, as information and technology shape our society, the definition of literacy and its relationship to education also must change. The goal of literacy instruction at KMS is to support students by teaching them the tools to construct and share meaning in a variety of contexts in today’s world. This development extends beyond the school and impacts all aspects of the student's life.
Reading is an integral part of lifelong literacy and therefore must be formally taught. It is a cornerstone of learning throughout all subjects and is a part of all instruction. The International Reading Association's position statement on adolescent literacy states that the reading, writing, and language development of adolescents is just as important and requires just as much attention as that of beginning readers.
Reading instruction at Keene Middle School in all grades levels will provide:
- an opportunity to foster a love of lifelong reading and a mastery of reading skills.
- a culture that strongly supports reading, and expands literacy experiences and resources through the integration of readers and writers from our community.
- an environment that supports critical learners, who are prepared for lifelong learning, and who read and write for a variety of purposes.
- the opportunity for direct instruction regarding all aspects of reading: informational texts, literary texts, comprehension strategies, and word identification skills.
- practice, remediation and extension of the skills used in reading.
- integrated and interdisciplinary literacy instruction in conjunction with English and content area teachers who support comprehension skills through teaching paraphrasing, summarizing, identifying main idea, vocabulary, and the application of reading strategies.
- daily access to technology supporting readers for future literacy needs.
- data-driven instruction.
Components of School Wide Reading
6th, 7th and 8th Grade Programming
This year long reading course is a developmental program which takes place every day and will be heterogeneously mixed. KMS has adopted the three tier concept when addressing reading instruction:
Tier One includes all students
Tier Two includes students who are two or three grades below grade level.
Tier Three includes students who are significantly below grade level.
Teachers will work closely with the special education teachers to develop a team teaching approach for tier two and three students. Teachers will also work closely with the English teachers to scaffold their instruction to jointly address all language arts GLE's and ELA standards. The reading teachers will communicate with other core teachers to employ meaningful strategies and activities for the students.
Reading in the Content Classes
In 2003-2004 Keene Middle School adopted the Landmark Master Notebook System. This is a school wide initiative supporting students in the organization of content material: note taking, summarizing, main idea development, and study methods. It is expected that all teachers throughout all subject areas incorporate these practices when feasible. The most widely used practices include the notebook system, two column note taking and vocabulary cards referred to as Smart Cards. Training in the KEY3 method expands and supports instruction in the above.
Formal reading intervention is prescribed by special education services and addresses the needs primarily of Tier 3 readers: students who are significantly behind their peers who need very intensive instruction that addresses specifically determined needs in order for them to learn. The level of support is often small group instruction in a pullout classroom taught by the team’s special educator. KMS had adopted Language! as a comprehensive program focusing on all aspects of language arts. This program is directed towards Tier Three readers with special educators responsible for instruction.
Students who qualify for special education services but not identified as needing small group instruction receive support within the regular reading classroom by a tutor who is shared by other special education students.
Recreational reading opportunities vary from year to year. In the past, sixth grade students have been invited to participate in selecting Great Stone Face winners as well as similar opportunities for 7th and 8th graders. A reading incentive program, Accelerated Reader, has been used to encourage recreational reading. Periodically after school groups meet to discuss current popular series.
Recreational reading varies within clusters with some teachers requiring students to complete a specific number of books outside of class and others requiring students to read a specific amount of time each night. Recreational reading may or may not be tied to an additional written assignment.


Family Literacy Connections in Schools and Communities:How can educators involved in family literacy initiatives be confident they are providing beneficial, rather than intrusive, experiences? What role should the community play in family literacy issues? How can schools, families, and organizations better collaborate to enhance literacy development for both children arid their caregivers? This volume -- developed by IRA's Family literacy Commission -- presents a wide variety of school-based and organization-sponsored programs and initiatives that address these questions. With it, practitioners and researchers will learn how others are responding to the needs of families and will gain insight into how to develop new programs. Foreword by Barbara Bush.


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You will explore, from a neurocognitive perspective, how young children acquire basic mathematical skills in the elementary years. There will be extended discussion of the three primary ways in which numbers are formatted in the brain and the central role of language to expand upon conceptually ordered number sets. Specific brain pathways that assist in recalling basic math facts, ordering numbers into sets, calculating multiplestep equations and tackling word problems will be critical features of the presentation. You will also examine the relationship between anxiety and mathematical performance, as well as two critical constructs, often overlooked when evaluating students with math difficulty: working memory and executive function. You should expect to come away with a better understanding of math disabilities in children along with some critical assessment techniques for these disabilities and more efficient ways to diagnose and remediate math disorders in children.
At this seminar, you will learn information about:
- Introducing a neurocognitive model model of math by identifying three basic neural codes which format numbers in the brain
- Exploring the role of three primary neurocognitive processes: working memory, visual-spatial function, and executive function, with respect to math problem solving ability
- Introducing the 90-minute assessment model of mathematics as well as scores of interventions in order to more efficiently diagnose and remediate math disorders in children
- International trends in mathematics, and reasons why the United States lags behind most industrializednnations in math and science
- Learn about the relationship between anxiety and mathematical performance
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This seminar will be applicable for special education teachers, elementary education teachers, school psychologists, math instructors, private psychologists, administrators and parents.
Steven G. Feifer, EdD, NCSP, ABSNP, is a nationally renowned speaker and author in the field of learning disabilities, and has conducted nearly 200 professional seminars for educators and psychologists. Dr. Feifer has authored six books on learning, reading and math disorders in children, and is a licensed school psychologist in the state of Maryland. He has 19 years of experience as a school psychologist and is currently director of assessment and neurofeedback at the Monocacy Neurodevelopmental Center in Frederick, MD. Dr. Feifer is also an adjunct professor at both George Washington University and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as a clinical supervisor in the ABSNP school neuropsychology training program. Dr. Feifer was voted the Maryland School Psychologist of the Year in 2008 and awarded the 2009 National School Psychologist of the Year.


Restoring hope for refugee children
This week we celebrate Australia's diverse refugee communities. The 2012 theme for Refugee Week is restoring hope. In reflecting on this theme, I wonder what this means for refugee children and their families.
Refugees arriving in Australia face a range of challenges, many of them exacerbated by the media's negative portrayal and therefore the public's negative perception of them.
One of the most significant issues during resettlement is social isolation. There are often reduced opportunities to participate in the broader community, which is compounded by stress related to traumatic events experienced prior to arrival. This frequently results in a range of social, economic and mental health issues.
This is true not just for adults, but also for children of refugee backgrounds who face a number of issues that impact upon their ability and motivation to participate and engage in the broad community.
These children, like adults, must negotiate their way through numerous stressors – migration, acculturation, racism, learning a new language, and potential ill health – while also dealing with issues of dispossession, trauma, loss and grief.
Unfortunately, some members of the general public misinterpret settlement difficulties. They assume that difficulty in resettlement means refugees do not and will not "fit in" to our communities, because of a vague notion that cultural difference necessarily translates to being "unfit" for Australian life.
What we need to examine here is the assumption that the responsibility for resettlement sits squarely on the shoulders of the refugees themselves, and not also with mainstream Australians and mainstream Australian programs and services.
To address both the long-term and short-term risks to successful resettlement for refugees, we must as a society invest in appropriate preventative programs which target children and families from refugee backgrounds.
Ensuring that these families are supported in the early years of their children's lives increases their sense of social inclusion and as a result may prevent many social and health issues. This will contribute not only to more positive outcomes for refugees but also to our community as a whole.
We know that a dollar invested in supporting families and children in early childhood years yields three times as much as for school-aged children and eight times as much as for adult education.
These savings result from reducing demands for ongoing health services and additional educational assistance for children commencing school who are not school ready, or who have unaddressed developmental or behavioural issues.
In addition, there is also a reduction in long-term human and social cost related to dealing with mental illness, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, homelessness and intergenerational transmission of abuse. This is true not only of refugee populations, of course, but of all vulnerable and marginalised Australian children and families.
Save the Children's It Takes a Village: Multicultural Early Learning Program, operating in Perth and Hobart, takes a two-pronged approach to addressing the needs of refugee families. For children, it provides a quality early learning program for 0- to 5-year-olds whose mothers may have difficulty navigating the Australian education system, readying them for the sometimes daunting transition into Australian schools. For their mothers, it provides life skills workshops, English classes, individual settlement support and much-needed opportunities to socialise and reduce isolation.
A 2011 evaluation of the Gosnells program reported that through attending the program children developed social and emotional competence and developed proficiency in English. They became able to separate from their mothers, follow instructions, cooperate with other children and resolve conflict peacefully. The children also improved their literacy and numeracy skills. The program also played a significant role in developing the participants' bonding social capital, improved mental health and general well-being. This increased the participating women's ability to create a positive effect in their family environment which can be linked to improved long-term developmental outcomes for children.
These are considerable results, as social, emotional and language competence are predictors of a successful, smooth transition to school. But these outcomes are difficult to achieve when mothers and children remain isolated at home – if their communities are unable or unwilling to help them across the divide.
Isolation and alienation are two key predictors for long-term difficulties in children. If we truly care about the future of our communities, we will invest more time and resources in nurturing those most vulnerable and potentially marginalised. Anyone with a story of triumph over adversity can point to at least one person who stretched out a hand in their direction.
Refugee Week is an opportunity to celebrate the many amazing, improbable and varied contributions of our citizens of refugee backgrounds. Let's remember that they were all children once, and that any positive interventions we provide for refugee children will contribute to lengthening the list of successes and achievements – and strengthen feelings of hope in those still on a difficult path.
Liza Beinart is Perth Regional Manager at Save the Children Australia. View her full profile here.


Watch a few minutes of adverts during children's TV programmes and you'll notice the gender divide in toys and the way they are advertised. But did you realise that the split extends to muscial instruments as well? A recent study in the International Journal of Music Education reports that learning musical instruments is strictly divided along gender lines. 90% of harpists and 89% of flautists are girls, while 81% of guitarists and 75% of drummers are boys.
The study wonders whether physical interaction with an instrument dictates who might want to play it - do boys like to play things that they can hit?! - and the level of skill and practice required. In keeping with girls outperforming boys overall, more girls learn musical instruments anyway, are more likely to do music exams and to get good grades. And it recommends that schools set up single-gender orchestras or ensembles to make pupils play different instruments. Article in the Guardian about it here
Does it matter? In one sense, no. We don't have to be the same as each other, and if one way that men and women are different is expressed in the innstruments that we play that's fine! But I think I'd want to ask questions about why boys and girls are making these choices. Is it because of role models? Or because girls think that it's more feminine to to play the flute rather than the electric guitar?
And I'm not convinced that single gender orchestras are any kind of solution. That may seem hypocritical from someone who has set up a network for women, but our aim is to be a catalyst for discussion and change to enable men and women to work better together, rather than setting up a separate ghetto for women.


Give first graders some labels and permission to stick them on someone else, and their level of engagement is pretty sweet. I discovered this years ago, and it's become one of my favorite ways to practice all sorts of skills.
I use daily shared reading with big books to teach a lot of my phonics instruction. I'm not much for random skills practice. I'd much rather it come out of the literature we're enjoying. On this particular day, I used words from our big book to teach the sounds of y at the end of a word. After a quick secret sort and discussion about the sounds, I got out the labels.
I put the above labels on the foreheads of two of my better readers. (I choose these kids carefully. Their job is important and not for those who don't already have a good understanding of the skill.) Then they stood at the front of the room with these two sounds of y stuck to their heads, anxiously awaiting the next step.
All the other kids got a strip of blank labels like the one below. (By the way, I cut the labels in half so they last me longer.) Their job was to hunt for words in the room that ended in y. After writing down a word, they took it to the correct person at the front of the room.
(I'm pretty bossy about where the labels belong and don't belong by the way. They can easily end up in some inappropriate places.)
To sum up:It takes very little teacher prep and no copying of papers. It comes right out of meaningful literature. It doesn't take much time, so kids spend most of their time reading that meaningful literature. It can be used with most any skill (compound words and contractions, /ow/ and /ou/, long a and short a, etc.) The kids write. The kids read. The kids think. The kids are engaged. The kids are motivated. The kids love it! Grab some labels and you're ready to go!


Common Reading Events
The Common Reading
Selection for 2014-2015
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Did you enjoy reading Walkable Cityi?
Welcome to the Michael Schwartz Library!
This guide is designed for first year students enrolled in ASC 101 & ASC 101 Scholars.
The purpose of this guide is to assist students in navigating the research process and locate high quality, credible sources their evaluative annotated bibliography assignment. Students will also learn valuable information about the Library's services, resources, collections, and research tools.
Others are also invited to explore the information on these pages.
What is an Annotated Bibliography?
Relax! An annotated bibliography is NOT a full-blown research paper.
To create an annotated bibliography first you list the complete publication information for the source. Then you write an "annotation," or brief note about the source, that summarizes the content, explains its usefulness to your research, evaluates its method, conclusions, or reliability, and/or records your reactions to the source.
When you create an annotated bibliography, you will format the paper and the citations in a specified style such as Modern Languages Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA). Most sections of ASC 101, will use MLA style. Ask your instructor which style you should use.
Why is this one of the ASC 101 Assignments?
- A common assignment
- Learn foundational skills for upper level courses
- Prepare for ENG 101 & 102 assignments
- Practice general writing skills
- Acquire information literacy skills
- Gain experience conducting research
- Develop an awareness of library resources & services
- Practice using MLA style
- Sharpen critical thinking
More information and examples
Handouts for the Common Reading Research Assignment
Below you will find the handouts for the library visit and the Common Reading Research Assignment, an annotated bibliography. Please talk with your instructor if you have any questions.
You may contact Ann Marie Smeraldi, First Year Experience Librarian, if you need help with your research.
Jeff Speck's TED Talk on Wakable City
Other Books by Jeff Speck
Nursing Students Using APA Citation Style
If you are a nursing student and your instrcutor has told you to use APA, refer to these annotated biblography examples.
If you are not sure, ask your instructor which style you should use.


ONCE UPON A TIME: THE REFERENCE OF STORY GRAMMAR UNITS DURING PARENT-CHILD STORY BOOK READING
Acquiring literacy skills is a complex process that requires social influences. One important social influence, according to Lev Vygotsky, is the caregiver. Within a child's Zone of Proximal Development, the caregiver can help the child learn new concepts and ideas. Caregivers are particularly important as a child develops literacy skills. By using a variety of techniques, caregivers can teach reading comprehension as well as critical thinking skills in order to promote literacy development. Sixteen children were read Bear Shadow within parent-child dyads. Transcripts of de-contextualized language from each session were analyzed for frequency, range and relation categories. The results showed that the story grammar elements referenced most frequently were Attempt and Consequence. Also, on average, most parents referenced 4.75 out of the eight total story grammar elements during story book reading. To do this, most parents related their comments to story book illustrations, followed by text.
School:University of Cincinnati
School Location:USA - Ohio
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:literacy story grammar units
Date of Publication:01/01/2007


This curriculum by Ellen Foncannon is the most complete that has been developed for teaching music with Boomwhackers Musical Tubes. Volume 1 introduces treble music notation skills. Volume 2 continues treble reading through high G. Volume 3 introduces bass clef notes and grand staff reading. Volume 4 completes bass clef notes and grand staff reading. Volume 5 introduces triplets, seventh chords and Latin rhythms. Each book contains an instrumental CD and piano accompaniment. Each volume in this sequenced music education curriculum comes with lesson plans, activities, scores and MENC standards,
Ships Free with Orders Over Free Shipping On Orders Over $10
The Tube Holder provides a different way to play our Boomwhackers Tuned Percussion Tubes..like a xylophone. Used as a carrier; it holds 8 Boomwhackers Musical Tubes, a pair of Boomwhacker Whacker(TM) Mallets, and a Whack-a-Doodle-Doo! Songbook. Two or more can be combined end to end for a wider range of play. Made of cotton, elastic, and hook-and-loop fasteners.


Becoming a primary or elementary school teacher requires patience and dedication. Primary school teachers work with young children during their most impressionable years and prepare them for more advanced studies later on. The education that children obtain during elementary school can last a lifetime. Studying to become an elementary school teacher involves a variety of different types of coursework that includes reading, writing and math; it also includes studies in physical education and in creative fields like art and music.
Gain a broad understanding of a variety of different academic fields by completing your general education requirements. Regardless of where you decide to pursue your degree, you will have to complete courses during your firs two years of study that cover a broad range of academic disciplines. Even though these are not specific to your major (all students have to complete these), these courses are especially important for primary school teachers to study. Elementary school teachers usually teach one class of students a variety of subjects such as math, science, reading and writing. Knowing as much about these disciplines as possible will help you in your career as a teacher.
Complete your elementary education courses that are required by your college or university. Schools develop their curriculum in education to provide you with a successful foundation upon which you can build as you teach. Many of the required courses that you will study will be in the areas of teaching theory, classroom management, child psychology and legal and ethical issues in education.
Take elective courses in areas that supplement your intention to become a teacher. Nearly every degree program has anywhere from three to five courses, known as electives, that are courses you can simply choose to take based on your interest in the subject. Rather than taking a bunch of random courses, however, take courses that will assist you in your quest to become an elementary school teacher. For instance, if your degree program does not require a course in teaching art to children, you can take a course in that area to increase creative activities in your classroom.
Download and review the study guides for your state’s certification exams. All the hard work you put into to becoming an elementary school teacher will be wasted if you don’t pass your certification exams. Each state has its own requirements as to how many of these you will need to take, so check with your state board of education before proceeding. You can begin studying for these before you ever finish your degree program by simply downloading and printing the study guide. For instance, Oklahoma offers study guides for three different types of exams that are required to teach in Oklahoma. Familiarizing yourself with the information early and often will alleviate any test anxiety the day you sit for the exam.


The third edition of Literacy's Beginnings: Supporting Young Readers and Writers offers an integrated, literature-based approach to reading and writing instruction keyed to the typical developmental stages through which most children pass. Its emphasis is on child-centered instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, comprehension, and interpretation. Numerous vignettes are presented, which describe young children's reading and writing from birth to age eight. Children's learning is examined in social settings, including home, preschool, and school. A thorough description of ways to organize an environment to stimulate the growth of language, both written and oral, makes the text an invaluable resource for prospective teachers of children from birth to age eight. Special attention is given to instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness embedded in a literature-based program. Special attention is also given to the unique opportunities for literacy development afforded by computers. For anyone interested in emergent literacy (birth through age 8).


Extra Language Resources
Hints for using eLr
Hints and pointers|
for getting the most out of eLr
|Click on a topic below to see further details.|
Use on-line FAQ's for further information
An on-line collection of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) is also available. You'll find further useful information there.
Use tasks in an interactive way
eLr tasks are designed to be used as resource materials for an interactive session. Some can be done independently, particularly in the Reading and Spelling section, but a rich language experience involves feedback, interaction, and expansion as part of the activity.
Select target tasks according to goals
The various tasks are primarily filed (and retrieved) according to target areas, and therefore are not intended as a program to be sequentially "worked through". Advice from a clinician or teacher, and familiarity with the contents of the eLr Directory will help you provide a varied session covering a range of needs.
Develop and use associated activities
Each task can form the starting point for a range of associated, extension activities. Such activities need not be computer based. For example most tasks can be printed and used as effective pen and paper activities. A white board is also a good way to have the client write and recall targets, or for the clinician to provide repetition and reinforcement. You can make a simple "take home" white board by laminating the sample contained in our PDF Forms. Discussion and oral language should be encouraged throughout eLr sessions.
Using picture-based tasks
A star "*" in the title of a task indicates that pictorial material is used. Many of these tasks will use the well-known PCS pictographs. For some areas, such as Phonemic Awareness, you may wish to use only pictures. Look for the Words/Images/Both "radio butons" at the top of a task screen and select "Images".
Using text-based tasks
The text-based tasks can also be used with children who are not yet reading. The clinician can present the task verbally using the material as a basis for an oral language activity. If appropriate, the on-screen text can reinforce early literacy development.
Experiment with the screen adjustments
Once loaded, the different eLr tasks can be adjusted in various ways to suit a client's needs. Use the controls at the top of each screen for background colour changes, choice of text or images, forward/backward advance, random presentation and so on. Experiment with the various controls to see how they modify the activity.
Use eLr report forms
The Program Goals and Session Record forms may be used to help prepare and document clinical sessions, and to instruct parents and helpers. Blank forms (and this Hints Page)are available here in PDF Format.
Following (or not following) directions
Suggested directions for each task are shown at the top of each screen. If you need a less cluttered screen, or would prefer to use a particular task in a "non-standard" way, the directions can be switched off with the Help check-box. Go ahead, experiment. Enjoy!
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