Sleep is an important part of our routine but often overlooked part of our lives. Getting adequate sleep will allow our body to repair itself and ensure that we stay healthy and recharged with each good nightâs sleep. The benefits of sleep include boosting our immune system, helping to prevent weight gain and strengthen our heart. We all know it is important, but do we know why is it important for our children and how does a lack of sleep affect them?
Firstly, children need to sleep in order to grow and it plays a critical role in their brain development. When your child is sleeping, it will lead to chemical processes that take place in their brain and other areas of their body that need to be restored. Furthermore, human growth hormone is released, this will help to rebuild your tissues and prepare your body for the next day.
Secondly, sleep has an important effect on growth, especially in its early infancy. It seems that napping is necessary for toddlers for memory consolidation, executive attention and motor skill development. Sleep also has a direct effect on happiness, children who get sufficient sleep are shown to be in a better mood and overall have better mental and physical health.
How does insufficient sleep affect your child?
Certainly a lack of sleep can affect children in many different ways.
Lack of sleep can lead to increased stress, irritability, difficulty in paying attention and poor memory retention. Moreover, They will be more likely to make poor decisions and have a hard time focusing in school. It will affect the brainâs ability to compile and remember what was learned in class. However, insufficient sleep doesnât just affect school work, but it can also affect their health.
Jessica Brown, DO, MPH, a board-certified expert in pediatric sleep medicine at Our Lady of the Lake Childrenâs Health in Louisiana says that too little sleep can also increase a childâs risk for health problems, such as obesity, heart disease, irregular heartbeat, and diabetes. It can also affect your childâs mental health, especially teens who are more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
How long should your child sleep?
It varies based on age. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
- Infants under 1 year: 12-16 hours
- Children 1-2 years old: 11-14 hours
- Children 3-5 years old: 10-13 hours
- Children 6-12 years old: 9-12 hours
- Teenagers 13-18 years old: 8-10 hours
What should I do to help my child sleep better?
Start prioritising your childâs sleep. Giving your child early bedtime is a good way to help them reduce their sleep debts. You can help them develop healthy sleeping habits such as establishing a good bedtime routine for them. Their bedtime routine should include relaxing activities such as singing them lullabies and reading them a bedtime story. Ensure that they have regular bedtimes and wake times.
In addition to a sleep routine, the next thing you can do is to create an ideal sleep environment for them. In other words, their bedroom should be quiet and dark. It should also be clear of blue light from televisions, computers or phones.
Above all, donât be afraid to consult a sleeping consultant if you need more professional help and guidance. If your child is facing sleep issues and you need a simple 5 steps system, check out my baby sleep packages to see how I can help you or book a FREE 20 mins discovery call with me so I can address any of your concerns before you decide to embark on this coaching program.


Modern education is right to put a lot of emphasis on literacy. âLiteracyâ begins with the skill of recognizing and sounding out words. It extends to perceiving the meaning of words in sentences, and being able to create meaning by speaking to one another in words. Literate people write words as lists and reminders. They assemble words and can even abbreviate words in drafting texts and emails. All of these skills are implied in our idea of total literacy. But in training young children, we understand that a lot of preparation is needed to launch them on a literate path. They must learn the alphabet, phonics, and phonograms. As children learn the language, they first hear it spoken by a parent and imitate what they hear, articulating the sounds and sense of the language back to others. Hearing and imitating are basic to literacy. But they are not taught so much as experienced in everyday play and activity.
Music is similar to language. Its grammarâconsisting not of letters and wordsâconsists of pitches, rhythms, and meter. Its syntax consists of basic sounds and symbols. Musicâs syntax melds into even greater structuresâsongs and sonatas and symphoniesâwhich are the paragraphs and essays and novels of music. Musical training is like learning to read: a continuum that begins with hearing spoken words, connecting sound to symbol, interpreting symbols in context, then codifying meaning in our own hand. Even so, musical training begins with hearing sounds, continues with interpreting its written symbols, and matures when students are able to hear sounds in relationship to other sounds across time both in listening and playing.
Singing School (K through high school)
In all levels of music, we seek to train up and equip the students to worship the Triune God with joyful and thankful hearts. Additionally, the Bible requires skillful worship. For us this is an imperative that our students read music, understand how music works, and are proficient singers and players.
Our curriculum is designed to foster musical skill in three ways:
All Schola Cantorum classes meet on Wednesdays, 2:30pm â 4:00pm.
Open for registration for children ages 5 through 12th grade.
TUITION FEE : $300 (covers the entire school year â 30 weeks)
Trinity Reformed Church
101 E. Palouse River Drive
Moscow, ID 83843
Bridge Bible Fellowship
960 W. Palouse River Drive
Moscow, ID 83843
Schola Cantorum is a music education program sponsored by the Conservatory of Music at New Saint Andrews College which teaches these skills. We begin with children who are five years oldâabout the age that they are beginning to read words at an elementary level. We teach them simple songs and games that engage their bodies and imaginations the same way that stories and rhymes hook them in their growth in language literacy. As they develop, we introduce them to musical symbols representing those they have experienced in singing and play.
They learn to write these symbols by hand and interpret musical sounds by writing down what they hear. As growth continues, we teach them an awareness of harmony in which they hear their own part in partnership with others. In the end, not all of the children will become concert pianists or violinists, but they will have learned to read music on their own, begun to understand how music works, become fascinated by harmony, and have both blessed others and received blessing in performing music together.


Rosetta StoneÂ® English for grades Kâ6 is an adaptive blended learning program that supports studentsâ English language development through academic conversations. The program integrates speaking, listening, and grammar in the subjects of math, science, social studies, general knowledge, and biographies. Combining the language and literacy expertise of Rosetta Stone and Lexia Learning, the program blends language learning with subject knowledge to improve academic achievement.
Rosetta StoneÂ® English:
- Empowers educators to transform instruction, personalize learning for each student
- Helps administrators monitor the fidelity of implementation and gain visibility into how
their schools and districts are performing
- Allows educators to monitor learnersâ performance continuously
LexiaÂ® Core5Â® Reading supports educators in providing differentiated literacy instruction for students of all abilities in grades pre-Kâ5. Lexiaâs research-proven program provides explicit, systematic, personalized learning in the six areas of reading instruction, targeting skill gaps as they emerge, and providing teachers with the data and student-specific resources they need for individual or small-group instruction. The program creates personalized learnings paths for each student through an adaptive placement and scaffolded activities that align to rigorous state standards.
LexiaÂ® Core5Â® Reading:
- Engages and motivates students in a game-like environment
- Provides progress-monitoring data without a test
- Accessible via iPad, Android tablets, Chromebook, browser, or download
LexiaÂ® PowerUp Literacyâ¢ is designed to help struggling students in grades 6 and above become proficient readers and confident learners. PowerUp helps educators simultaneously address gaps in fundamental literacy skills while helping students build the higher-order skills they need to comprehend, analyze, evaluate, and compare increasingly complex literary and informational texts. Blending online student-driven explicit instruction with offline teacher-delivered lessons and activities, Lexia PowerUp empowers secondary teachersâregardless of their background or expertise in readingâto deliver the exact instruction each student needs to become a proficient reader.
With LexiaÂ® PowerUp Literacyâ¢:
- Address the instructional needs of a wide range of reader profiles
- Engage, challenge, and motivate students to take ownership of their learning
- Help students develop the skills they need to succeed in content-area classes
LexiaÂ® RAPIDâ¢ Assessment for grades Kâ12 helps teachers and educational leaders make decisions that promote reading success. This research-based, computer-adaptive reading and language assessment allows educators to gather predictive, norm-referenced data up to three times a year, with immediate scoring and reports. RAPID for Grades Kâ2 measures studentsâ foundational skills in the key reading and language domains of Word Recognition, Academic Language, and Reading Comprehension. RAPID for Grades 3â12 measures complex knowledge, understanding, and application of skills within these domains.
With LexiaÂ® RAPIDâ¢ Assessment:
- Administer one-on-one and in small groups for grades Kâ2 and group-administered for grades 3â12
- Student, class, school, and district reports available immediately at myLexia.com
- Generate instructional groups and links to instructional resources
7800 NE 72nd St.
P.O. Box 145
Walton, KS 67151


Number And Counting (1 To 100)
Numbers and counting are the most basic mathematical concept. Thus learning them in a good way becomes significant to set a strong foundational base in the subject. Introducing numbers at an early stage will set up young learners with a great start in their journey in Math. But number identification is hard for young learners as some numbers look similar. For example, many children have trouble telling the difference between 6 & 9 and 1 & 7.
Forward and backward counting:
When we count forward we add 1 more to the number. When we count backwards, we remove one from the numbers. While we count forward, the numbers increase and when we count backwards, the numbers decrease.
Eg: Forward counting from 1 looks like 1,2,3,4,5,6 and so on.
Backwards counting from 10 looks like 10,9,8,7 and so on.
Here are some fun-filled and engaging ways to introduce children to numbers and counting:
Teaching numbers and counting with stories:
Teaching numbers and counting with games and play:
a) Hopscotch: This is one of the oldest yet most favourite games among kids. Make kids play this game and have fun. This game is also perfect to introduce forward and backwards counting for up to 10.
b) Numbers hunt: Hide numbers around the house or the play area. Call out a number and make kids find it. This will not only help the kids master number identification but also enjoy learning.
c) Dominoes: Dominoes are a wonderful math tool for building number recognition, number matching, and counting skills in early learners. One can use dominoes in various forms to build these skills and make learning for kids.
d) Snake & Ladder: Who doesnât like snake & ladder. Use this game to teach numbers upto 100 and also have a great family time.
e) Ludo: Ludo is an effective tool to develop numeracy skills and spatial understanding. It not only can be used to build concepts of counting but also colours, and shapes. Early learners also develop creative ways of solving problems while playing this.
Teaching numbers and counting with hands-on activities
a) Number puzzles: Number puzzles are perfect to build critical thinking in kids and clear basic numeracy concepts as they use matching and sorting. Use these printable puzzles and have fun with kids.
b) Number blocks and legos: Toddlers and early learners love playing with legos. Then why canât we use this to enhance their numeracy skills? Use legos and blocks in various ways and build maths and motor skills in kids.
c) Dialling numbers/ Phone a friend: Children love to imitate their elders. They also enjoy trying things that only adults are allowed to do. Why not take this imitation game to next level. Phone a friend is a make-believe game, students will have to fake dial a friend of theirs following the numbers that you read out loud. Later you can indulge in a conversation where the child and you actually talk like friends.
Teaching numbers and counting through posters


Kindergarten- 6th Grade
Our studentsâ learning is fostered in an enriching environment to provide intellectual, social, physical, emotional, and spiritual development. Our class size is limited to eighteen students (and classes are often smaller), allowing the teacher to meet and develop the unique interests of each child. Our rigorous curriculum provides the students with a strong academic foundation in math, science, reading, writing, grammar, social studies, and Bible in an engaging way. Weekly enrichment activities include physical education, geography club, music, Spanish, and art.
Back to School - Reopening Plans
Here is a link to all of our plans and details on each of them. (updated August 2021)
21-22 School Year Kindergarten-8th Grade - 5 days a week, in person, full day, on campus.
K-3 grades doors open at 8:40am with school starting at 8:50am and dismissing at 3:20pm.
4th-8th doors open at 8:30am with school starting at 8:40am and dismissing at 3:10pm.
Elementary Curriculum & Programs
Musical training helps develop and strengthen language skills, reasoning, memorization, and coordination. Music education also provides a sense of achievement, allows for creative thinking, develops spatial intelligence, and encourages teamwork.
Early elementary students (K-4th) learn age-appropriate music theory, sing in choir, and learn rhythm and beat with a variety of classroom percussion instruments. Fourth grade students learn to play the recorder. Upper elementary and middle school students (5th-8th) have the opportunity to participate in either band or strings at Southside.
In Southside classrooms, students participate in a Classroom Economy program which instills basic financial responsibility and teaches the value of delayed gratification. Students earn and spend money in a simulated microeconomy with increasingly complex financial concepts as students get older.
Bible and Character Development
- Bible Curriculum for Defendable Faith
Foreign Language - (currently on hold due to COVID)
All students (K-8th) take Spanish as a supplemental class. Learning a foreign language offers intellectual, social, and collegiate opportunities.
- Eureka Math
Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar
- Open Court (Kindergarten-4th Grade)
- Novel Studies (2nd- Middle School)
- Greek and Latin Roots (5th-Middle School)
- 6+1 Traits Of Writing
- Printing (Kindergarten & 1st Grade)
- Cursive (2nd Grade & Up)
Our social studies units integrate reading, writing, hands-on projects, readersâ theater, map skills and art.
- Kindergarten- Others and Me
- 1st Grade- My Family and Other Families, Now and Long Ago
- 2nd Grade-My Community and Other Communities
- 3rd Grade- Culture: People, Places, and Environment
- 4th Grade- Washington State History
- 5th Grade- US History (pre-colonial period to Independence)
- 6th Grade â Ancient Civilizations
Our Biblically-based science curriculum is rich in hands on learning and experiments.
- A Reason For Science (1st-3rd Grade)
- ACSI Purposeful Design (4th-Middle School)
Students have a one-to-one ratio with technology. Each student is assigned their own personal device to use throughout the school year. Kindergarten students have tablets. 1st-8th grades have chromebooks.
Would you like to schedule a tour? Do you have questions? We are happy to help and would love to meet with you!


Literacy for Life
Further Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey
Literacy for Life is the second report from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey.
It presents additional results on the nature and magnitude of the literacy gaps faced
by OECD countries and how these gaps have evolved over the medium term.
It offers new insights into the factors that influence the formation of adult skills
in various settings â at home and at work â for the eleven countries participating
in the first and last round of data collection between 2003 and 2008. The study offers
comparative evidence on the impact of various factors on the supply of skill. The
study offers a special focus on numeracy skills and problem solving skills. It explores
the relationships between numeracy and key socio-demographic factors as well as labour
market outcomes and earnings.
It highlights the importance of problem solving skills by defining this foundational
skill and by exploring its determinants as well as its relative role in influencing
important labour market outcomes.
The report offers also an analysis of performance across multiple skill domains. It
investigates the skill profiles of various population groups defined in terms of the
demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of those who score at levels deemed
to be low in one or more skill domains and explores the resulting consequences.
The report concludes by investigating the issue of skill mismatch in the labour market
and its relationship to adult learning. The extent and distribution of mismatch between
the day-to-day literacy related requirements of workers and the literacy skills they
have obtained is an important issue that is being explored in this study.
Published on December 20, 2011Also available in: French


Lifepac Lang Arts 103
If your first grader is ready to read, Alpha Omega Publications has just what you need to help make it happen! Building on a foundation of basic phonics readiness skills, LIFEPAC 1st Grade Language Arts Unit 3 Worktext is a colorful, consumable booklet written especially for early readers. The third in a ten part series, this homeschool curriculum presents systematic phonics instruction in an engaging format sure to please your young student! As your child progresses through this fun, easy-to-follow Alpha Omega curriculum, he will learn about phonics and reading concepts such as consonant digraphs, soft "C" and "G" sounds, compound words, syllables, possessives, contractions, and much more.
As you can see, at Alpha Omega Publications, we're serious about giving homeschoolers the curriculum they need! The LIFEPAC 1st Grade Language Arts Unit 3 Worktext is filled with a variety of oral and written assignments including fill-in-the-blank problems, matching questions, listening drills, and more. Since every worktext in this series can be finished in as little as three to four weeks, your child will feel a sense of accomplishment each time he completes one! And you'll always know how well your child is learning! The LIFEPAC 1st Grade Language Arts Unit 3 Worktext contains easy-to-understand instructions, self tests to help reinforce student comprehension, and a removable teacher-administered unit test to evaluate your child's progress. Why wait a day longer? Order LIFEPAC 1st Grade Language Arts Unit 3 Worktext today!


At least as far back as the Luddite movement of the early 19th century, when those who has made textiles by hand protested against labor-saving machinery, workers have feared that they might be replaced by machines. As the capabilities of robots increase and unemployment rates remain troublingly high, this fear may seem even more immediate today. Frank Levy and Richard J. Murnane look at the interaction between workers and machinery in \âDancing with Robots: Human Skills for Computerized Work,\â written for the Third Way think tank.
Levy and Murnane offer a number of useful examples for thinking about the interaction between machinery and workers. Consider the dishwasher: \âThe job of washing dishes consists of six tasks: clearing the dishes from the table, applying soap and hot water, scrubbing, rinsing, drying, and stacking dishes in the cabinet. The technology we call a âdishwasherâ substitutes for human effort in four of these tasks, but not in the other two. Technology usually changes work by changing
how specific tasks are performed.\â
Levy and Murnane look at which occupations are growing (as a share of the labor force) over time, and which ones are shrinking. The picture looks like this: they argue that jobs with nonroutine physical work or unstructured cognitive work are hard to automateâand those are the kinds of jobs that are growing.
Here are a few thoughts about their arguments:
1) A worker with access to dishwashers can be far more productive than a worker who must do all six of the tasks by hand. But if your job was washing, rinsing and drying dishes by hand, you could be out of luck. The the challenge for all 21st century workers is to find ways of being the one who uses technology and robots to magnify the productivity of the tasks that you do, not being the one who does tasks that can be replaced by a robot. In the economics jargon, you want technology to complement your work, not to substitute for it.
2) Back in the Stone Ages when I was in junior high school, we were all required to take \âshop\â classes in woodworking, metal-working, electrical circuits, and graphic drawing. While it remains important for students to have a grip on how material things work, someone who was relying on that kind of education would have experienced a miserable job market in the last few decades. Indeed, a large number of workers were educated in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s for jobs that barely existed by the end of the 20th century. The 21st century equivalent means knowing how things work, but also being able track down relevant information and make sense of it in solving problems that arise. Helping students memorize routines for addressing a task isn\ât a path to career advancement, because if a task can be reduced to a routine, it can also be automated. This calls for a shift in the educational system that is subtle, but substantial in teaching what Levy and Murnane call \âfoundational skills.\â
3) At least to me, the bottom line for all concerns about machinery replacing workers is that if this was a big problem, surely it would have already been happening steadily during the last two centuries? It\âs easy to make the case that machinery and robots alter what workers do, and that it will shake up occupations and wages, but it flies in the face of two centuries of history to argue that mechanization will lead to mass unemployment.


Reading is the gateway for learning, but one-third of elementary school students in the United States do not read at grade level. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are exploring how the design of reading materials affects literacy development. They find that an overly busy page with extraneous images can draw the readerâs attention away from the text, resulting in lower understanding of content.
"Learning to read is hard work for many kids," said Anna Fisher, associate professor of psychology and senior author on the paper.
The typical design of books for beginning readers often include engaging and colorful illustrations to help define the characters and setting of the story, offer context for the text and motivate young readers. Fisher and Cassondra Eng, a doctoral candidate in CMUâs Department of Psychology and first author on the paper, hypothesized that the extraneous images may draw the readerâs eyes away from the text and disrupt the focus necessary to understand the story.
Becoming Fluent Readers
The researchers sought to understand how to support young readers and optimize their experience as they become more fluent readers. In the study, 60 first- and second-grade students from the greater Pittsburgh area were asked to read from a commercially available book designed for reading practice in this age group. Half of the book consisted of the published design and the other half was streamlined, having removed the extraneous images. Each child read from the same book. The team used a portable eye-tracker to monitor the number of times the childâs gaze shifted away from the text to images on the page.
Relevant vs Nonessential Images
To develop the streamlined version of the book, the researchers had a group of adults identify relevant images to the text. To differentiate, extraneous images were defined as entertaining, but nonessential pictures to understand the story. For the streamlined version, the researchers kept the images that 90% of the adult participants agreed were relevant illustrations. All other illustrations were removed.
While the time each child spent on a page was similar, the researchers found that nearly all children reading the streamlined version had lower gaze shifts away from text and higher reading comprehension scores compared to the text in the commercially designed version of the book. In particular, children who are more prone to look away from text benefited the most from the streamlined version of the book.
"During these primary school years, children are in a transition period in which they are increasingly expected to read independently, but even more so in the wake of stay-at-home orders as children are using technology with less in-person guidance from teachers," said Eng. "This is exciting because we can design materials grounded in learning theories that can be most helpful to children and enrich their experiences with technology."
According to Fisher, these findings highlight ways to improve the design of educational materials, especially for beginning readers. By simply limiting extraneous illustrations, children can have an easier time focusing and better reading comprehension as a result.
"This is not a silver bullet and will not solve all challenges in learning to read," said Fisher. "But if we can take steps to make practicing reading a little bit easier and reduce some of the barriers, we [can help children] engage with the printed material and derive enjoyment from this activity."
Focused attention is a critical skill for independent learning. This research shows how we can help children practice focused attention by reducing distractions in the learning environment. Children in this study were distracted by too much visual detail in a picture supplementing the written story text. Distractions can always degrade focused attention. For example, think of a child who is writing a sentence. When handwriting is not fluent, they have to stop, think again, erase or write over what they have just written. They are self-distracted learners, distracted by lack of fluency in their handwriting skills. StepUp programs focus on fluency by having children practice fluent retrieval of basic skills (reading decoding, math facts, and handwriting). Try it free for 30 days!
Note by Nancy W Rowe, M.S., CCC/A
Article reposted from Carnegie Mellon University.


pedagogical philosophy of Toy Symphony builds on the work of cognitive
psychologist Jean Piaget and other influential educators who believe
that children learn best through an active process whereby they
build or construct understanding by interaction with objects and
situations in their environment. Music educators such as Keith Swanwick
emphasize the need for direct interaction with
musical material and the incorporation of the child's innate musical
perceptions as part of the learning process.
is generally agreed that children learn best when they:
MAKE OR MANIPULATE
Toy Symphony offers children a range of exciting Music Toys that
enable them to interact with music on multiple levels. The toys
are intuitive and easy to use, requiring no prior musical training.
ACTIVELY PHYSICALLY INVOLVED
Music educators as diverse as George Odam and W.A. Mathieu have
written of the importance of the sensorimotor aspect of music and
music learning. Toy Symphony encourages children to physically interact
with music through expressive gesture (HyperScore) and direct physical
manipulation of powerful tactile interfaces (Beatbugs, Shapers).
/ COLLABORATE WITH THEIR PEERS
Communal interaction is fundamental to the musical educational experience.
Music Toys such as Beatbugs and Shapers encourage interactive performing
networks, so children are interacting not only with musical material,
but also with one another.
IN CONTROL OF THIER LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
In Toy Symphony children are at the heart of the musical experience.
They are empowered to become music makers in cooperation with the
professionals. Through participation in the Toy Symphony workshops,
children will come away feeling they have played a unique and special
part in making their own Toy Symphony.
FULLY IMMERSED IN THE EXPERIENCE
The sheer scale of Toy Symphony guarantees that children are engaged
on a multiple of levels-physical, affective, cognitive and communal.
It integrates the three primary music modalities of composing, performing
and listening into a seamless whole with children at the center.
IN A FREE AND EXPLORATORY WAY
Above all else, Toy Symphony is fun! The toys are engaging, easy
to use and allow for maximum musical expression, bypassing many
of the technical and educational difficulties associated with traditional
Toy Symphony, even in its unique approach to music education, is
in line with the aspirations of many music curricula, including
the 1994 Music Educators National Conference guidelines outlined
in its "National Standards for Arts Education."
task for all music educators, therefore, is to present children
with appropriate objects, activities and situations to stimulate
their natural interest and curiosity and enable them to grow as
musicians. Toy Symphony meets this challenge in novel and exciting


Updated: Mar 1, 2021
Why is an education in the arts essential? Here are just a few reasons:
Multiple studies prove that arts education increases academic performance in many areas and increases cognitive ability
The arts are a essential for many students' motivation
The arts have a unique opportunity to be able to teach difficult topics and make them more understandable and relatable by making them visual, musical, or movement based
Arts education boosts critical thinking and teaches students to carefully observe before reaction
Arts education teaches problem solving skills and creative solution finding, which is especially essential given that technology is changing and evolving so quickly
In a 2010 study in Missouri, arts education has shown to decrease disciplinary issues and increase attendance
Arts education encourages students to participate community events
It gives students a place where they feel like they belong
Please take a moment to get your NM legislators' contact information and send an email to tell them why you think the arts are so important in school.
Interested in advocating further? Here are collections of studies that support the arts in schools. Knowledge is power!
ArtsEdSearch is the nationâs hub for research on the impact of arts education.
Browse research focused on the outcomes of arts education for students and educators or enter key words in the search box below.
The Center for Fine Arts Education Inc. is a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary of The Florida Music Education Association developed to consolidate management services and provide advocacy and support for non-profit fine art education associations, organizations, and projects.


Gender stereotypes continue to persist at all levels regarding male and female participation in music. Indeed, stereotypes are evident at the elementary and middle school levels when children choose a musical instrument for study in beginning band or orchestra. Research has shown sex-stereotyping of instruments to exist, often unconsciously, in both males and females. Usually, trombones, drums, tubas are viewed as being overtly masculine instruments while the flute, clarinet, and oboe are viewed as being overtly feminine instruments. These masculine and feminine characteristics that are placed on these instruments are often transferred to the individual who plays them. These stereotypes are created from a variety of sources, including popular media, parents, teachers, and other children. However, stereotypes can effectively be reduced by the manner of presentation of instruments to the students for the first time. For example, at a meeting of students and parents who are interested in beginning band, a female may demonstrate the trombone or tuba while a male may demonstrate the clarinet or oboe. This act alone does a great deal to break down sex-stereotypes of instruments and those who play them.
Walker, Mark J.
"Influences of Gender and Sex-Stereotyping of Middle School Student's Perception and Selection of Musical Instruments: A Review of the Literature,"
Visions of Research in Music Education: Vol. 4, Article 2.
Available at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/vrme/vol4/iss1/2


When: October, 2008
Where: Puebla, Mexico
Institutions: Museo Amparo / Bachillerato Lares de San Alfonso
The Cartonera program believes that by creatively engaging with a literary text, that is using original texts as recyclable material from which students can create new characters, alter plot lines, re-imagine settings and more, students remain uniquely, creatively and analytically engaged with literature. The program intends to develop critical thinking in its students, enhance reading enjoyment (which may lead to long-term readership), and result in literacy development.
Originating in economically devastated Argentina in 2003, then implemented in low-literacy Peru, La Cartonera is a program of Cultural Agents Initiative at Harvard University; it launched successfully in Boston Public Schools before arriving in Mexico.
When the Cartonera program arrived in Mexico, it was funded by FundaciÃ³n Amparo and implemented at two sites: Museo Amparo and Bachillerato Lares de San Alfonso, in Puebla, Mexico. The Cartonera Program is a ten weeklong after-school program. The program launched in October 2008. The age groups and program settings were quite different.
At the Museo Amparo, it involved students of various ages, ranging from 7-12 years old. This program served students specially placed by their parents in an after-school arts-enrichment course at the museum (off site from their various schools). This was a mixed age, mixed gender group; many students seemed highly motivated, articulate, and achieving academically. There was diversity of socio-economic groups in the room.
Bachillerato Lares de San Alfonso is an under-resourced high school in Puebla. Here, the Cartonera program served high school students, ages 16-18, specially selected by school staff and faculty for learning and behavioral difficulties. This was a mixed gender, same-grade level group. After spending each class day together, they remained at the school to transition immediately into the Cartonera after-school program.


Science Communication in Early Childhood through Online Videos
We are living in a world of innovations and growing scientific inquiry & literacy among all segments of the society. Online content has today become an inevitable part of our lives. In early childhood, science communication and scientific learning is essential for developing childrenâs early thinking process and future understanding, impacting skills of learning and attitude formation of a child. The social learning theory suggests that people learn from each other via observation and by imitating others. This paper inquires about how online videos are helpful in learning science and how it has changed the learning pattern in early childhood. The objective of this paper is to find out the importance of science learning through audio-visual learning techniques. This paper further explores the relevance of teaching and learning through online learning techniques. To achieve the objectives quantitative research approach has been adopted for data collection. The finding of this study revealed that teachers and parents of Delhi are in favour of science communication through online videos in early childhood learning for the overall development of a child and online teaching learning is the future of education. It should be adopted and encouraged in every educational setup.
Audio-Visual Technique; Early Childhood; Learning; Science Communication; Online Videos
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I can distinguish between shades of meaning among related words.
8,000 schools use Gynzy
92,000 teachers use Gynzy
1,600,000 students use Gynzy
In this lesson, students will review the concept of shades of meaning. They will also expand their vocabularies with words describing states of mind and degrees of certainty.
Students will be able to distinguish between shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind and degrees of certainty.
Students will look at three pictures and have to match the word to how the person is feeling in the picture.
Students will review the concept of shades of meaning. They will then look at a set of words and determine which word has the strongest meaning. Ask how students came to their conclusions. After this, students will do a series of activities, including ordering words from weak to strong, writing a word that is stronger than a given word, and determining if a list of words is in order from the weakest to strongest meaning.
Students will review shades of meaning with words that denote states of mind and degrees of certainty with 10 multiple-choice questions.
Students will write one weaker and one stronger word for the word given.
Gynzy is an online teaching platform for interactive whiteboards and displays in schools.
With a focus on elementary education, Gynzyâs Whiteboard, digital tools, and activities make it easy for teachers to save time building lessons, increase student engagement, and make classroom management more efficient.


The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is pleased to announce Bauhaus: A Centennial Celebration (1919-2019). Join art historian Victoria Martino for an intellectually stimulating and visually stunning five-week survey celebrating the centenary of the Bauhaus, the most legendary and influential school of art and design in history. On April 1, 1919, architect Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany. The school sought to erase the boundaries between fine and applied art and to reform art education. The lecture series traces the history of the Bauhaus through World War II and beyond. The last lecture in the series is entitled âLegacy: The Legend Lives On.â A number of the members of the Bauhaus faculty emigrated overseas, many to the United States. During the years following the Second World War, the national legacy of the Bauhaus was also revived in Germany.


Classical Music Will Always Stay Immortal Despite Peopleâs Love for Modern Music
In todayâs world of technological advancements and social media trends, rock music has an upper hand over antique genre â classical music. Modern music provides instant gratification. It is simple, melodic and has an average duration of 3 minutes making it a favourite among young generation. Classical music is seen by many to be exclusive for the elitists, the elderly and the intellectuals.
In reality, it is a valuable art form that is soothing to the ears and mind and is the foundation for modern music. In contrast to the immediate enjoyment that is felt after listening to modern music, listening to classical music is more like reading a novel. It has intricate layers of harmony and melodies with themes repeated often with subtle changes in modulations.
Swallow Hill Music is a non-profit organization in Denver for musicians and music lovers. Its outreach programs are dedicated to provide music education to young students. The music academy hosts at least 250 shows a year.
What is meant by classical music?
Music that was written in the 18th and 19th century is classified as classical music. It strictly follows a set of musical principles. The classical music era gave birth to symphony, sonata, and concerto and referred as the âgolden age of musicâ.
One classic example of how modern music is deep rooted with classical musical is â chorus. Chorus is a part of song that is repeated at intervals. It is the part of song many of us love and remember the most. Chorus has been around since classical music era.
Few examples of influence of classical music in contemporary music:
- Baroque period is also associated with classical music and continues to have a huge influence over rock music.
- Pop songs based on chords and sequences are inherited from classical music.
- Artistic expression and originality are influenced from the romantic period.
The current age musicians and their relationship with classical music:
Current popular artists in music industry have a never-ending love affair with classical music. Most of them grew up playing some musical instrument like violin or piano. Artists like Coldplay, U2, Onerepublic, Justin Bieber, Adele, Childish Gambino, Lady Gaga etc have adapted classical music in many of their works. Some of the mainstream songs that have noticeable classical music influence in them are:
- Muse â âPlay in Babyâ
- Evanescence â âLacrymosaâ
- Ludacris â âComing to Americaâ
- The Beatles â âBecauseâ
Music education stimulates oneâs emotional and cognitive abilities. Playing or listening to any form of music relieves stress. Classical Musical has a strong hold over contemporary music and is not a dying art like how many perceive.


Thirty-four percent of Indiaâs 3rd-grade students âexceed the global proficiency levelâ in English. In mathematics, 10 percent of students were in the category, the highest in Bihar. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) found that 11 percent of students across the country lacked basic math skills.
The percentage of Hindi in Grade 3 was 25 percent, the report revealed. According to NCERT, this means that these students have developed superior knowledge and skills and can complete complex tasks.
The council released the findings in a study titled âFoundational Learning Study 2022â released on Tuesday. The study was conducted on about 86,000 Grade 3 students in 10,000 schools, including private and government institutions.
The aim of the study was to understand the early learning levels of Class 3 students in language and numeracy and to design interventions accordingly.
The study was organized under the Ministry of Educationâs Nipun Bharat project which seeks to achieve basic literacy and numeracy skills among all Class 3 children by 2026-27.
For the survey, literacy (language) skills were tested in 20 languages used as medium of instruction in various states and Union Territories. These were Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, English, Garo, Marathi, Mizo, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Khasi, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
English language proficiency was tested in all states and Union Territories. The subject Hindi was tested in 18 states and union territories. They include Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Assam.
In English, 34 percent exceeded global expectations. 15 percent âlacked the most basic knowledge of the language.â
In math, only 10 percent of students across the country could be expected, while the majority of students were at average-performing standards. The report states that 42 percent of students âmet the global minimum standardâ or that they were able to do basic math. Thirty-seven percent were partially proficient in the subject, meaning they completed only half of the work while 11 percent of students lacked basic math knowledge. For Hindi, 21 percent lacked basic knowledge while 25 percent students were proficient in it.


OK, so youâre intrigued. Reading to your baby in the womb seems like a fun way to connect with your expected child. But did you know thereâs a heap of research that supports the benefits of this practice? We thought weâd give you a quick breakdown of some of these findings, and point you toward further details.
You might also want to check out this fascinating TED.com talk by Annie Murphy Paul. Itâs a synopsis of the latest discoveries in the exciting field of fetal origins.
The Benefits of Prenatal Reading
Your baby will become familiar with your unique voice.
- Research shows that babies recognize the voice of their mother at birth and can distinguish their motherâs voice from that of a stranger.
- See: Effects of Experience on Fetal Voice Recognition.
- Babies learn first and second languages by hearing them from the womb.
- When theyâre born, their cries contain the sound âfingerprintâ of their native languageâthey actually cry with an accent!
- Newborns can distinguish between their native language(s) and languages that are unfamiliar.
- See Newbornsâ Cry Melody Is Shaped by Their Native Language, and also: The Roots of Bilingualism in Newborns.
A familiar rhythmic story will soothe your newborn.
- Newborn babies show a clear preference for the rhythm and melody of a song or poem that they heard regularly from the womb.
- Babies actually remember a rhythmic poem or story that they heard during the last trimester for up to four weeks after birth, and theyâre measurably calmed by that familiar story.
- Thereâs lots of research in this area. See: Prenatal Maternal Speech Influences Newbornsâ Perception of Speech Sounds, and A Melodic Contour Repeatedly Experienced by Human Near-Term Fetuses Elicits a Profound Cardiac Reaction One Month after Birth, and Aspects of Fetal Learning and Memory.
When you take time to relax and read, your baby relaxes, too.
- When an expectant motherâs heartbeat and breathing slow down, her baby responds physiologically, endocrinologically, and neurologically.
- These responses have a positive effect on the babyâs growth and development.
- See: Fetal Responses to Induced Maternal Relaxation During Pregnancy.
Bonding with your baby prenatally benefits his future health and emotional well-being.
- When a pregnant woman feels love for her expected child in the womb, she releases endorphins (âfeel goodâ hormones), which trigger the same hormone release in the baby.
- The baby becomes accustomed to these hormones and mimics the motherâs positive physiological response.
- The result is a baby who has unhindered physical, cognitive, and neurological growth, and who is born with a general sense of safety and well-being.
- See: Prenatal Bases of Development of Speech and Language and Prenatal Stimulation.
The more words your baby hears, the better adjusted and more successful she will be in life.
- There is a direct correlation between the amount that parents talk to babies and their academic and social success.
- The more words a baby hears in the early years, the more advanced her language and literacy development will be in the future.
- See: Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children.
- Establishing a routine around reading creates a sacred, centered, regular time devoted to you and your child.
- This helps expectant parents and siblings develop a relationship with the baby before birth, easing the transition into parenthood and siblinghood.
- Itâs also an opportunity for others (grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends) to get involved in the prenatal bonding process.
- In the bigger picture, family reading helps establish a culture in which literacy and language are a priority.
- See, again: Prenatal Bases of Development of Speech and Language and Prenatal Stimulation.
The Research Confirms: Itâs Never Too Early!
Pretty convincing, isnât it? Now that youâve seen all the research that supports in utero reading, it seems the real question is, why wouldnât an expectant family read to their baby before birth? Itâs so clearly the right thing to do!


Literacy Development and Lifelong learning Programs:
At a personal level, strong literacy skills are vital for success in school and help unlock the door to a fulfilling life. At a national level, there has been a strong correlation between a countryâs prosperity and its national literacy rate. Internationally, if the world had more literate, more educated and thus more informed global citizens, the world would be a different place. Unfortunately, 781 million adults are unable to read or write. Overall, more than half of the countries in world have literacy rates of 95% or higher, and most of these in the developing countries. Read more about this here.
In partnering with educational institutions, schools and governments, as well as nongovernmental organizations, our multilingual , interculturally competent team of educators has a diverse expertise in working with adult, youth and school aged children in teaching literacy in their first or second languages. Based on a rigorous and customized literacy assessment, we develop appropriate solutions, and support the implementation of effective literacy strategies for schools and other educational institutions. Literacy development services at Ednastics include the following:
- Develop effective literacy framework for schools for first or second language learners
- Design the implementation framework for a sustainable national-level literacy campaign
- Devise appropriate and accurate literacy assessment tools
- Integrate effective literacy skills seamlessly into school curriculums
- Establish adult literacy centers thus improving self-confidence and livelihood skills
Teacher Training Programs:
Teacher training is at the core of teaching effectiveness which in turn improves the overall quality of education at any institution .
- Pre-service Teacher Training Programs: In collaboration with local educational institutions, we develop a customized teacher-training curriculum for aspiring teachers based on a robust and comprehensive needs assessment.
- In-service Teacher Training Programs. In working with schools and other local institutions, we develop a contextualized in-house teacher-training framework that focuses on specific institutional needs.
- Professional Development Workshops: We organize and implement mini- conferences, seminars, webinars, and workshops for institutions and schools on specific areas of need. Services may include classroom and time management skills, English language training for teachers, teacher-student rapport, student motivation, technology in the classroom, teaching methodology and skills, student evaluation and giving effective feedback.
Curriculum is what drives teaching and learning as well as all other policies related to education. A robust, harmonized and well-planned curriculum helps institutions and nations to compete in the global economy, developing engaged thinkers, entrepreneurs, responsible citizens and lifelong learners. Ednastics has the local insight and the international perspectives needed to renew existing curriculum or develop a well-balanced, comprehensive curriculum package. We pre-evaluate and consider the needs and the aspirations of all stakeholders including students, teachers, parents, and schools. At the macro level, we ensure that curriculum is in line with national and international standards. To accomplish such a harmonized and standards-based curriculum, our experts can lead and support institutions in the following areas:
- Curriculum development: Create new curriculum package, which includes curriculum framework, outcome-based course development, lesson plans as well as core and supplemental teaching materials as well as offering advice on strategic planning, policies and capacity building.
- Curriculum renewal: Assess current curriculum and resources and align them with all applicable standards in light of best practices in curriculum design.
- Nationwide curriculum reform: Review existing curricula and offer standards-based curriculum re-alignment and harmonization incorporating the aspirations of the nation and its future leaders.
We have an in-depth experience and passion for research. We are well versed with current research methodologies and paradigms. We do corpus-based/corpus-driven research, design-based research, quantitative and qualitative research, as well as mixed methods research.
- Research methodology Training: We offer workshops and courses for teachers, senior management, policy makers, students and others whose work is closely linked to their capacity in conducting and interpreting research.
- Commissioned Research: We partner with institutions and organizations in carrying out commissioned research in conceptualizing and articulating research question, conducting fieldwork and data collection, analyzing and producing meaningful results.


Itâs Schedulin Sunday! This week is going to be packed with learning, fun, art, and more! Weâre continuing with Word Family Bootcamp. Weâre introducing subtraction to 10. And weâre kicking off our journey around the world with Holidays Around The World!
As always, you can download our weekly lesson plans by clicking on the image!
NOTE: when you download the free lesson plans, all images are CLICKABLE so you can simply click on any book or resource to get more information!
You can get our EDITABLE lesson plan template by clicking on the image below:
Phonics And Phonemic Awareness Word Family Bootcamp
We are following our required foundational skills curriculum. And we are supplementing with our TKS BOOTCAMP Word Family Bootcamp! Our foundational skills curriculum really starts to focus on segmenting, word chaining and blending, and writing words using sounds. This is exactly what we do with our science of reading aligned Word Family Bootcamp! Each week we do two-word families. Day 1 is a circle chart that includes segmenting sounds, spelling words, and blending words. Day 2 is word building and writing which is more segmenting, more spelling, and more blending with a focus on writing the words so weâre mapping the sound to the spelling.
We also use our decodable texts in small groups to work on the skills in text.
Reading Comprehension-The Year At Maple Hill Farm
This week we are using our required reading curriculum by reading the book The Year At Maple Hill Farm and working on complete sentences and doing a clothing sort. We supplement with our Read It Up! resource. We are required to do 3 lessons a week so thatâs what we do. We focus on the âlearnâ section of each lesson and use our research project to scaffold and support student learning!
After reading the book we will work on generating complete sentences. This is a skill we work on during morning meetings so itâs not necessarily new for my class but itâs always challenging for kids. We do this by coming up with sentences by answering: who? did what? when? and repeating the sentences.
What we noticed last year was that the seasons were hard for the kids to grasp. The curriculum doesnât do much at all to explain or teach about seasons so we are using our Four Seasons Research Project throughout the next two weeks to help us understand seasons better so we can understand this text better!
This year our district is using Illustrative Math as our math curriculum. We will be completing those lessons and supplementing them heavily with our Math It Up! creations. This week weâre introducing subtraction to 10. The curriculum basically has us subtracting groups of objects and solving story problems! We will put most of our focus on subtracting OBJECTS because we know that the hands-on lessons are more effective. We will be using the activities and lessons from our Math It Up! Get Off My Boat resource!
Day 1 and 2 -play get off my boat! Make a giant boat on the floor and introduce taking away by making kids get off the boat!
Day 3-5-subtracting objects. The students will practice subtracting by putting kids in the boat and taking them away to subtract.
Holidays Around The World Research Project
This week we kick off our journey around the world with Holidays Around The World! This is my favorite thing we do all year! I love the excitement and engagement. I love that weâre learning languages, foods, cultures, and traditions! And itâs just a blast!
We visit a country each day. Each student gets their own, personalized airline ticket. We watch a video of an airplane taking off. We do a read-aloud that is related (not informational) to some part of how each country celebrates holidays or some part of their culture and traditions. We also look at a very short informational PowerPoint to learn facts about each country.
Students also stamp their passports as we visit each country!
This week we are visiting Mexico, Germany, Italy, South Africa, and Australia!
We also do an art project for each country!
Holidays Around The World Read Aloud ideas: (CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE THE BOOKS ON AMAZON)
Mad Scientist Thursday
This week our hands-on science lesson is peppermint science! We predict what happens when we put a peppermint in water!
And yes, you must dress the part!
Greeting-knock knock greeting
Activity-I have who has
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Curriculum & Instruction Concentration Description
The concentration in curriculum and instruction is based on a Christian framework and meets state and national standards. Master the art of building a curriculum that not only details what students will learn, but how they will go about learning it. Provide curricular and pedagogical leadership in your school community, and integrate your faith and values into your educational practice and professional growth. Gain a thorough understanding of issues, perspectives, and values that impact curricular and instructional decisions, and promote effective and equitable educational practice in school and society.
Explore how to design, implement and evaluate transformative school and classroom practices through investigation of theory, research and Christian vision for shalom. Study fundamental questions related to education, justice, equity, and excellence. Examine and apply curricular and pedagogical perspectives. Explore appropriate practices related to assessment and technology. Search for ways to create learning communities that meet the needs of all learners.
In addition to taking a set of core courses, candidates pursuing a curriculum and Instruction concentration will have the opportunity for advanced study in a chosen focus area. Areas of study could focus on a specific content area (for example: art education, music education, etc.) or center on topics such as culture and context, social justice pedagogy, inquiry learning, classroom research methods, learning theory, etc.
A typical program is 30 semester hours.
Required core courses (6 credits):
Flexible core courses: choose two (6 credits)
Concentration courses (9 credits)
- Concentration course 1
- Concentration course 2
- Concentration course 3
Elective courses (9 credits)
- Elective 2
- Elective 3


Children in the UK have a rich history of playing music and enjoying the wider benefits it has on learning and wellbeing. However, cultural education has undergone dramatic changes over the last decade. Most significantly, is the declassification of music as a core subject in secondary school, reduced public spending on cultural education and an increase in time-poor teachers and stressed children.
Research from Arts Council England and Cultural Learning Alliance also found:
- Students from low income families that take part in arts activities are 3 times more likely to gain a degree
- Students who study arts subjects are more employable and more likely to stay in employment than those than those from other disciplines
- Levels of wellbeing are generally reported to be higher amongst those with higher arts and culture engagement
- Taking part in structured music activities improves attainment in maths, early language acquisition and early literacy
- Participation in structured arts activities increases cognitive abilities
How is Musical Futures part of the solution?
We want more music making in schools â and the tried-and-tested Musical Futures approach gets young people making and creating music, regardless of their background.
Musical Futures is a pedagogical approach that is based on the real-world learning practices of popular and community musicians. At its heart are a set of core values and an ethos to underpin any music learning context in order to ensure an inclusive, relevant and accessible approach.
We support teachers, schools, music education hubs and other organisations to implement the Musical Futures approach by providing face-to-face training and consultancy, developing new resources and looking after a growing community of practice.
Read about the impact of Musical Futures here


Art at Potowmack Elementary
The art program at Potowmack is a powerful tool for teaching children the value and impact of personal choice. Many challenges children face in the art room have multiple solutions from which to choose from, lacking the traditional "right" and "wrong". This is the joy of art! This room is a special space to celebrate multiple perspectives, nurture inventive thinking, and foster growth.Through the art education program here at Potowmack, students learn about art production, art history, and many ways of critically looking at and valuing artwork. The theme in art this year will be "art around the world". Together we will learn and discover more about different painting, weaving, printmaking, and sculptural techniques from many different cultures worldwide.Art Class is held once a week in 50-minute sessions for grades first through fifth. In the art room we follow the Virginia Standards of Learning for Visual Arts Education.
Last Modified on September 27, 2013


Know numbers to 30
8,000 schools use Gynzy
92,000 teachers use Gynzy
1,600,000 students use Gynzy
Students learn to recognize numbers 21 to 30 from their spoken form and can write down the numbers. Students can say the numbers, write the numbers, and write the numbers in words.
Dsicuss with students that nubmers are all around us and it is important to recognize them. An example is if they want to read the temperature on a thermometer.
Students practice recognizing numbers 11 to 20. The teacher points at a ball and the student says the number.
The teacher points at the numbers 21-30 and says their names aloud. Ask students to practice saying the number aloud, repeating you. Next the numbers are in random order. Point at a number and ask the students to say the number aloud. Explain how the number must be written. Next the students practice writing the numbers in pairs. The first student selects a key with a number and says the number aloud. The second student writes the number without looking at the interactive whiteboard. Take turns.
Check that students have understood by asking the following questions:
Where might you run into these numbers?
Can you give an example? (street signs, on a ruler, taking a number at the store)
Which number do you see? Teacher can choose to write a few numbers on the interactive whiteboard and ask students to name them.
Students first practice by linking a spoken number to a visual number, and then by linking a visual number to a spoken number.
Discuss with students why it is useful to recognize numbers to 30. Numbers are everywhere. An example is if you want to read a temperature on a thermometer. Check that students have understood by naming a few numbers between 21-30 and asking students to write them down. Check that students write the numbers correctly and not in reverse order.
Students who have difficulty can practice saying and writing numbers to 20. The students who are ready for a challenge can practice saying and writing numbers to 50.
Gynzy is an online teaching platform for interactive whiteboards and displays in schools.
With a focus on elementary education, Gynzyâs Whiteboard, digital tools, and activities make it easy for teachers to save time building lessons, increase student engagement, and make classroom management more efficient.


Music teacher Jennifer Frazier conducts âThe Star-Spangled Banner at MENC headquarters.
Each year on September 14 MENC urges music educators and others to celebrate National Anthem Day to acknowledge the anniversary of the inspirational poem Francis Scott Key wrote and to promote awareness of school music programs.
And each year music educators and their students respond with celebrations of all kinds to honor in song âThe Star-Spangled Banner,â the flag that survived the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. The celebrations also help music educators advocate for their music programs.
MENC holds an annual celebration in Reston, Virginia, too. For the 2010 sing, music teachers and MENC members Jennifer Frazier and Jack Layne led a group from nearby Sunrise Valley Elementary School. Sixth-grade students, school administrators, and parents joined MENC staff members to sing âThe Star-Spangled Bannerâ in front of MENC headquarters.
Staff members from the National Art Education Association, who now lease a suite of offices at MENC headquarters, also sang. MENC Executive Director Michael A. Butera (far left in the photo above) welcomed the participants.
The Sunrise Valley several perform several concerts annually, both at school and in the community.
Frazier said later âthis was our first year to participate in National Anthem Day and we loved it! We were able to rehearse a few times with the students the first few music classes of the year and all were excited to venture out to sing with others. It was nice that we were able to walk over and walk back all in a music class period. Each fall we learn the history of the Star-Spangled Banner in sixth grade, so this was a fabulous addition to our curriculum.â
The Northern Virginia school has 642 students from K-6th grade which allows the school to have two music teachers. âI am here full time and Jack Layne splits his time between Sunrise Valley for four days and London Towne Elementary for one day,â Frazier said.
âOur students receive two music sessions with their class a week, except for our half day Kindergartners, who come once a week. Mr. Layne and I divide the grade levels almost evenly, so we both can partake in the many musical events. Each grade level has some sort of performance and/or musical event in their grade level,â Frazier explained.
Valerie Lister, one of the parents who accompanied the young singers to MENC, praised the Sunrise Valley music program: âItâs a wonderful music program. My children love it. We are so lucky to have our teachers.â
In the coming weeks, look for a round-up of National Anthem Day celebrations around the United States in the MENC News section.
âRoz Fehr, September 16, 2010 Â¬Â© MENC: The National Association for Music Education
Photos by Becky Spray


The UDISE+ system comprises more than 1.5 million schools, 9.5 million teachers and over 260 million students of pre-primary to higher secondary level from various socio-economic backgrounds. The majority of UDISE+ data items are based on three pillars of the education system; schools, students and teachers.
According to the official website of UDISE+, it is mandatory for all schools across the country imparting elementary education to be covered under the UDISE+ framework.
UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education) is a system of online real-time data collection from schools and it was introduced by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) under the Ministry of Education during the period of 2018-19 to overcome the limitations related to the erstwhile practice of manual data filling in paper format. In the UDISE+ system, improvements have been made particularly in the areas related to data capture, data mapping and data verification.
The UDISE+ system collects information from all recognised and unrecognised schools imparting formal education from pre-primary to Class XII. The UDISE+ collects information through an online Data Collection Form (DCF) on parameters ranging from school, infrastructure, level of dropouts, teachers, enrolments, examination results etc. spread across 11 sections.
Information collected through the digital platform of UDISE+ helps the central and state governments to plan, optimise resource allocation and implement various education-related programs and assessments of progress made. Moreover, it contains data related to school safety, expenses, vocational education, etc.
What is a UDISE code?
It is an 11-digit code which is a unique identification number and a national level unique identifier based on the geographical location of a school. It takes approximately a week to complete the UDISE code generation process. Once assigned to a specific school, this code becomes permanent and cannot be changed in future.
How to get a UDISE code?
Every school is allotted a unique UDISE code and in case a new school is established, the school needs to get a UDISE code for establishing a unique identity in the UDISE+ records. UDISE+ has the school as the unit of data collection and the district as the unit of data distribution.
Know your school
âKnow your schoolâ is a module developed by the UDISE+ administration to retrieve school information and school report summary filled in the DCF according to the respective state, district, and block.
Select either of the three options:
1) Search by UDISE CODE
2) Search by Name
3) Search by Pin Code
If you select âSearch by Nameâ, then choose your state, school name, enter captcha and click on âsubmitâ
Section 1 School profile (location, structure, management and medium of instruction)
Physical facilities and equipments
Section 3 Teaching and non-teaching staff
Section 4 New admissions, enrolment and repeaters
Section 5 Incentives and facilities provided to children
Section 6 Annual examination result
Section 8Receipts and expenditure
Section 10 PGI and ot
Section 11 School safety


The Model Music Curriculum: what you need to know
The Model Music curriculum is a non-statutory guidance document published by the DfE on Friday 26th March, after two years of development by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and a panel of advisors. It does not replace the current national curriculum and there is no requirement for schools to adopt it. Instead, it demonstrates one possible approach to the current national curriculum for Music, giving details of what could be taught in each year group in order to progress logically towards the end of key stage expectations.
What does the Model Music Curriculum change for teachers?
The most significant aspect of this document is that it sets out minimum teaching time requirements for music. Although, like the rest of the document, these are non-statutory, schools may find these hard to ignore, particularly in the light of Ofstedâs focus on âbroad and balancedâ curriculum. The suggested allocation for KS1 and KS2 is an hour a week, which can be broken down into smaller units of time if necessary.
The model curriculum also unites the national curriculum and the National Plan for Music Education for the first time, in its suggestion that children in year 3 or 4 should be offered whole-class instrumental teaching programmes as part of a schoolâs overall approach to the Music curriculum. The guidance suggests that these should take place in addition to the curriculum Music lesson, which does reflect the original intent of these programmes when they launched as Wider Opportunities in 2007. However, experience since 2007 has shown that very few schools have ever been able to dedicate two lessons a week to Music, so the reiteration of this expectation in the model curriculum is unlikely to change things significantly in this regard.
A focus on diversity in primary Music
The guidance contains suggestions for pieces to listen to from classical to popular and âworldâ music traditions, and for repertoire to sing and play. These repertoire and listening lists represent a starting point for schools, but are intended to be supplemented with teachersâ own repertoire choices. There have already been concerns raised around the colonial nature of some of the musical choices, and of how musical cultures, countries, and continents are mislabelled within the document, which is unfortunate given recent high-profile campaigns to decolonise the curriculum. However, it is encouraging to see some female composers on the repertoire list, alongside composers and musicians of colour â even within the traditionally white male preserve of classical music.
Clearer Music vocabulary, signs and symbols
The Model Music Curriculum also contains lists of suggested vocabulary and musical signs and symbols from staff notation for each year group to learn. For schools adopting a knowledge-rich approach, these could be of value in the creation of knowledge organisers and other curriculum progression documents, but again these are not compulsory to adopt. It is worth noting that for the model curriculum, notation work starts in KS1, rather than in KS2.
Perhaps the main thing to note about the Model Music curriculum is that it is not a teaching resource. It will still require teachers to create or source their own lesson plans and teaching materials. For this reason, Kapow Primary is currently reviewing its scheme of work and will map its resources to the model curriculum. If necessary, new resources will be created or amended so you can relax knowing that Kapow Primary is doing the planning for you and meets the new guidelines.


Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American congresswoman in 1968. Four years later, she became the first major-party black candidate to make a bid for the U.S. presidency. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1924, Shirley Chisholm is best known for becoming the first black congresswoman (1968), representing New York State in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven terms. She went on to run for the 1972 Democratic nomination for the presidencyâbecoming the first major-party African-American candidate to do so.
Throughout her political career, Chisholm fought for education opportunities and social justice. Chisholm left Congress in 1983 to teach. She died in Florida in 2005. In 1968, Shirley Chisholm made history by becoming the United Statesâ first African-American congresswoman, beginning the first of seven terms in the House of Representatives.
After initially being assigned to the House Forestry Committee, she shocked many by demanding reassignment. She was placed on the Veterans Affairs Committee, eventually graduating from the Education and Labor Committee. Chisholm became one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969 and championed minority education and employment opportunities throughout her tenure in Congress.
Chisholm went on to make history yet again, becoming the first African American and the second woman to make a bid for the U.S. presidency with a major party when she ran for the Democratic nomination in 1972. In announcing her bid, Chisholm said: âI am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not a candidate for the womenâs movement of this country, although I am a woman and I am equally proud of that. I am the candidate of the people, and my presence before you now symbolizes a new era in American political history.â
Although she ran a spirited campaign, Chisholm was unable to consolidate the support of influential black leaders, giving way for South Dakota Senator George McGovern to claim the Democratic nomination. Shirley Chisholm was born Shirley Anita St. Hill on November 30, 1924, in a predominantly black neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Chisholm spent part of her childhood in Barbados with her grandmother. After graduating from Brooklyn College in 1946, she began her career as a teacher and went on to earn a masterâs degree in elementary education from Columbia University.
Chisholm served as director of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center from 1953 to 1959, and as an educational consultant for New York Cityâs Bureau of Child Welfare from 1959 to 1964. Chisholm authored two books during her lifetime: Unbought and Unbossed (1970), which became her presidential campaign slogan, and The Good Fight (1973). After leaving Congress in 1983, she taught at Mount Holyoke College and was popular on the lecture circuit.
A co-founder of the Unity Democratic Club in Brooklyn, Chisholm was one of the early members of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and was active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She was inducted into the National Womenâs Hall of Fame in 1993. Chisholm was married to Conrad Chisholm from 1949 to 1977, and to Arthur Hardwick Jr. from 1977 until his death in 1986.
Shirley Chisholm died on January 1, 2005, at the age of 80, in Ormond Beach (near Daytona Beach), Florida. Nearly 11 years later, in November 2015, she was posthumously awarded the distinguished Presidential Medal of Freedom.
âShe was the Moses that opened the Red Sea for us,â Robert E. Williams, president of the NAACP in Flagler County, Florida, once said of Chisholm in an interview with The Associated Press.
William Howard, Chisholmâs longtime campaign treasurer, expressed similar sentiments. âAnyone that came in contact with her, they had a feeling of a careness,â he said, âand they felt that she was very much a part of each individual as she represented her district.â


Confused about what to teach your kids?
Every curriculum has a âscope and sequenceâ that tells you what skills and topics are being taught when. But what if no single curriculum has exactly what suits you?
If youâre like me, youâve got a family that doesnât fit into any box. A one-size-fits-all curriculum never suited me or my children. So their charts and checklists didnât fit either! I had to create my own.
What you get in this package is a grade by grade list of skills and topics. I researched appropriate child development, and sampled many different scopes and sequences from a variety of publishers. I distilled these topics and skills into what I felt was a systematic approach to education. Choose just the grade you need, or get all 13 grades (PreK to Grade 12) in one full package.
In the early elementary grades, the focus is on the foundational skills to learning. We go back to the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. Social skills, life skills and the fundamental practices that make good scientists and historians are fostered using age appropriate interests and topics.
In the older grades, the focus is on information. We build on the foundation laid to develop reasoning, communication and critical thinking skills. The goal is to teach children how to learn, while giving them the information background they need to function in todayâs society.
What you find inside
What you wonât get here is how to teach these skills or topics. You are free to find the curriculum, books, experiences or teachers for each skill or topic as suits your child best. You are not locked into any particular method of teaching!
Each year or grade builds on the one before. This means that you can easily scan previous year lists and check for skills that your child has. Then youâll be able to place your child in the appropriate level for his skill ability, regardless of what his age or school-equivalent grade is.
Using a scope and sequence such as this means that you can take advantage of the beautiful flexibility that homeschooling offers. Itâs easy to figure out where there may be gaps in your childâs education. And itâs just as easy to challenge them where they are more advanced. When you have a coherent checklist, thereâs no âbehindâ or âaheadâ, thereâs just the next step on the path.
This is your map to your childâs education.


Hans Dahl was a Norwegian painter born on 19 February 1849 in Granvin, Bergen. Dahl was the son of an army captain who wanted his son to follow his career footpath. However, while receiving military education, Dahl manifested his artistic talent and spent his free time practicing. After service in the army, he began to follow his dream, first by getting an art education.
Dahl studied at the Bergslien and Eckersberg painting school and then with Hans Gude in Karlsruhe. Afterward, he moved to Dusseldorf, where he studied under Wilhelm Son and Eduard von Gebhardt. After his first exhibition in 1876, Dahl achieved widespread popularity and consequently boasted massive financial success.
Dahlâs works were rejected severally by the Norwegian National Gallery and heavily criticized by fellow painters. Regardless, he continued to paint happily-themed landscapes and scenes, earning the patronage of reputable people such as the Geman Emperor. Dahl died on 27 July 1937 in Balestrand, Sogn.
What was Hans Dahl Known For?
Hans Dahl was known for painting the scenery of Norway with a happy atmosphere, filled with sunshine and happy people. Dahlâs oil paintings depicted various scenes, some of which were fictional. He used bright colors and often included female culturally-uniformed Norwegian women in his work.
Who was Hans Dahl Influenced By?
Hans Dahl was influenced by Hans Fredrik Gude. Hans Gude was one of the first Norwegian artists associated with landscape painting and romanticism. While on a journey to Munich to study art, Dahl stopped in Karlsruhe, where he spent one year studying under Gude. The influence of the expert painter and art instructor is evident in Dahlâs works.
What Art Movement was Hans Dahl Associated With?
Hans Dahl was associated with the Romanticism art movement.
Hans Dahl Artwork
Below are some of the artworks of Hans Dahl
A Summer Day in the Mountains
A summerday by a Norwegian fjord
A Summerâs Day
A Young Harvester at a Sunlit Fjord
Admiring the View
An Alpine Landscape with a Shepherdess and Goats
By the Waterâs Edge
On the banks of the Fjord
Resting beside the Fjord
Returning from harvesting
Returning from the Fields
Sliding in the Snow
The Geiranger Fjord, Norway
The Last rays of the Sun
The Love Letter
Upon Sunny Waves


Posted: January 11th, 2023
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Create a powerpoint documenting an in depth play and learning experience that they have designed. It is to be an inclusive early childhood learning experience to meet the specific developmental needs of an individual child. Students will be required to preview their peers PowerPoints in the Discussion Forum and engage with conversation, asking questions and giving feedback.
A description of the play experience, using pictures, and how it would be set up for invitation of play.
What are the needs of the child that you are basing the activity on?
How will you promote your studentsâ cooperation and communication skills?
How does this activity encourage friendships and interactions among children who donât normally play together
List of materials that are needed to implement this experience and materials that you might add to scaffold the experience.
A description of the Educatorâs role in the experience
A list of five varied Root Skills from the ELECT document that the children may develop during this learning experience and how these skills would be supported.
A paragraph explaining how the experience supports the child through the Four Foundations from How Does Learning Happen?
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Ø¹ÙÙØ§Ù ÙÙØ§ÙÙ [English]
Much has been documented on the philosophical aspect of aesthetics. However, it has not yet known which aspect of aesthetics is useful for artists. Philosophers and artists look at aesthetics from two different perspectives. For the philosophers, the works of art are unmistakable evidence supporting theories psychologically and shed light on their aspects. However, art samples serve as a model for the artists. If the artist learns about the model, he would be able to predict the outcome of his artwork. Though this issue has received a wide attention all around the world, it needs an urgent consideration in the Iranian context.
The underlying concern is that aesthetics has rarely been drawn upon to inform Iranian arts. The major problem is that Iranian philosophers have brought their influence to bear on aesthetics. Unfortunately, they have failed to meet the needs of artists and the artists to benefit from systematic inspiration in crafting human civilization. Among the thousands of courses in various fields of art, the aesthetic assessment of art history has been overlooked. Available subjects on aesthetics in the doctorate courses have been much influenced by philosophersâ thoughts. However, strong debates provided by philosophers have less contributed to the improvement of the works of artists. .
In addition, the changes in art education in Iran over decades including the attempts made by the cultural revolution of the 60s and by the transform council recently for enriching the lessons with concept of identity and emphasizing the practical aspects of the lesson for addressing the indigenous problems of Iran, have failed to have a meaningful look at the subject of aesthetics in art.
Although the critique of art in all disciplines first requires aesthetic analysis, rarely has this priority given to this criterion. Thematic analysis, political and sociological critique has attracted the attention of the critics more than the impact of artistsâ work. However, art criticism should be preceded by an aesthetic assessment; the other dimensions of art should be interpreted in its light.
The imitation of the form is a pest which comes to damage the artworks in the absence of the artistâs aesthetic knowledge. Thanks to the fast growth of the media, anyone who is not well equipped with the aesthetic knowledge will be struck by devastating floods of the information about the art and artistic activities. The flow of information has grown plagiarism and resulted in the resemblance of artworks. The continuous flow of information has provided artists with opportunities to plagiarize. Developing a sense of identity as a strategy not to be the victim of the flood of globalization requires adequate preparations. Identity, the rules which are being shaped by the history of individuals and their society, create artists and its understanding requires the principles of aesthetics. Identity as the product of diversity in human behavior is developed through interaction with the environment and history. One of the identity element is the tastes of people about the face of the environment, which is understandable in the aesthetic world. Without understanding what a beautiful work is and why it is considered beautiful, nations would face difficulty maintaining their identities. Therefore, despite much endeavor and emphasis on developing cultural and artistic based on the identity, considerable success has not been made.
The art education system in all disciplines is required to develop syllabus on the aesthetics of art (and not the philosophy of art) in order to prevent the identities shaped accidentally or under the influence of Medias. An example of such attempts which was made over the Ph.D. course in Landscape Architecture at Tehran University is extensive reach on the aesthetics of art. The attempts have resulted in five articles included in the special issue of this journal. Different topics and research methods in each of the five studies indicate the extent and depth of the effect of aesthetics on various artistic works.
The topics of the article are: Preferences for renovating residential facades among the residents of worn out textures; Aesthetics of the landscape of sky in Iran in the traditional era and the contemporary world; Effect of the models on the Aesthetics of the landscape architectural projects of the University of Tehran; Aesthetics of urban management interventions on Zand street in Shiraz and Plant Aesthetics in Baysunqurâs Shahnameh. The scope of these studies shows the great potential of Aesthetics for analysis and evaluations of artworks. Such analysis not only can be used in training but also in designing and management process. The method of analysis was developed as follows: identifying beautiful examples in each study, analyzing what work is beautiful and making the inference about why it is considered beautiful. This method can provide useful information for the production or management of the arts.


PBL & Action Research
An action research exploratory study with sixth grade students at Mills Lawn grew out of Project Peace: Confronting Bullying through Art, which took place in the spring of 2013 and was a successful school-wide arts initiative that used art education to engage students in issues of social inclusion and bullying behavior. The resulting Hero Peacemaker Triptych is hanging in the library at Mills Lawn.
As part of the first phase of Project Peace students were empowered to be role models, upstanders rather than bystanders, and peacemakers in the school and wider community. An extension of Phase I the Action Research Project in the Fall of 2013, led by graduate student and researcher Allison Paul with the support of school counselor John Gudgel, engaged students in exploration of the central question, âWhat challenges are you facing as students at Mills Lawn?â. Dialogue, Role-Play, and Mapping were some of the strategies used to engage students in this critical question aimed at motivating students to embrace their own capacity to be change makers and take action to create peaceful solutions to the everyday challenges in their lives. In addition to grade level group research, a group of sixth grade students continued their dedication to serving as role models by creating a Peacemakers focus group. These students shared a skit titled, âPower Peacemakersâ at an all school meeting before winter break that modeled inclusion in the context of socializing and sitting together in the lunch room. Take a look!
Power Peacemaker Skit December 2013- January 2014
Additionally, below are more resources outlining our experience as researchers during the action research project. The discoveries and energy generated by students during the research motivated the next stage of Project Peace funded by the Yellow Springs Community Foundation. Follow the progress of Project Peace 2.0: âWhat does peace look like at Mills Lawn?â in Spring 2014 on this blog!
Check out this Prezi presentation from the PBL Exhibition Night at Mills Lawn Elementary School on January 31st for more information about the action research project: http://prezi.com/wijtozlht_hi/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy


Suppose youâre a painter, and you want capture a realistic scene of two men playing chess in a parlor. How would you do it? Most people, I think, would sit in the room and paint what they saw. Or, depending on their era, maybe theyâd work from a photograph. A very meticulous artist might pencil out couple of single-point perspective lines to guide the recession of the roomâs furniture. Vanishingly few artists would use a separate sheet of paper to create a 3-dimensional gridded space where everything in the room was geometrically plotted out with each object considered as its own individual study. But this is exactly what Thomas Eakins did.
Thereâs a decent chance your reaction is: Thomas Who? Eakins is an odd case, a man considered one of the leading American painters of the back half of the 19th century who has slowly slid into something that isnât quite obscurity but is pretty far from household-name status. Youâve probably heard of the people considered his peers at the time: Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, James McNeil Whistler, (kinda) Mary Cassatt. A combination of scandals (Eakins was heavily involved in art education, and was involved in scandals revolving around nude models and students, and itâs a dense thicket thatâs almost impossible to judge from 130 years out without getting lost in the gap between then-contemporary and current social mores; last time I looked, his wikipedia page was dominated by speculation about his sexual preference), changing tastes, and the random drift of history have shunted him off to the side. But in his day, Eakins was a big deal, renowned as a new kind of big-brained artist.
Eakins was a creature of his time. He worked during a period of unprecedented exuberance about the progress of science. He brought that spirit into his artistic practice, pursuing representational realism through a combination of techniques derived from science and mathematics. His approach was powerful but flawed, with inconsistencies that led to visual paradoxes; similar paradoxes lurked around the edges of the very science world that inspired him.
Eakinsâ belief that perfect representation of reality could be attained in painting through advanced science-based technique was a manifestation of a mode of thought pervasive in late 19th-century American and European intellectual circles, an idea that science and knowledge had reached a summit. His social position in the academic elite of Philadelphia put him in contact with scientists, artists, and thinkers whose output presents a similarly teleological outlook. He basically soaked up their hubris. And this isnât something I can claim to prove, but Iâd guess that the passing of that particular scientific worldview has something to do with the slow drift of Eakins into semi-obscurity.


ERIC Number: ED489841
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Children as Illustrators: Making Meaning Through Art and Language
Thompson, Susan C.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Art and literacy experiences can be integrated into the classroom to great effect, and in this book, the author demonstrates that. Interpreting and creating pictorial representations is an important step on the road to literacy, as is experimenting with combinations of symbols and text. When teachers value and support children's symbolic expression and communication, children respond and gain in confidence. This engaging book is a joyous exploration of visual expression combined with writing and reading. Included are instructions for more than two dozen printing, painting, collage, and other techniques that children will enjoy learning and using in their illustrations. The following chapters are included: (1) Understanding Children as Creative Beings; (2) Connecting Children's Art with Literacy and Language Development; (3) Learning from Adult Illustrators and Artists; (4) Extending the Learning through Reflection and Revision; and (5) Illustration Techniques and Activities. Lists of the following resources are also included: references; children's literature cited; websites and organizations; and further reading. Appended is: Developmental Benchmarks and Stages for Ages 4-8.
Descriptors: Art Education, Art Activities, Creativity, Literacy Education, Language Acquisition, Painting (Visual Arts), Illustrations, Young Children, Child Language
National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1509 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-424-2460 (Toll Free); Tel: 202-232-8777; Fax: 202-234-6415; Web site: http://sales.naeyc.org/default.aspx.
Publication Type: Books; Guides - General; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education
Authoring Institution: National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A