Contact: Science Press Package
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Do you know your own strength?
"You hit me harder!"
"No, you did!"
Scientists have found that when someone hits back, they are using more force than they think they are.
Click here for a high resolution photograph.
When two kids get in trouble for fighting, both of them often claim that the other hit them harder. It sounds like a lame excuse, but both kids might actually be telling what they think is the truth. A new study suggests that when people hit back, they're using more force than they think they are.
A team of scientists led by Daniel Wolpert of University College London wanted to know why physical fights tend to get more violent as they go on. They asked pairs of volunteers to take turns pressing each other's fingers, both using the same amount of force. Although they didn't realize it, the volunteers actually pushed back with more force than they received. By the end, both volunteers were using much more pressure than they had at the beginning, just like people tend to do when they fight. The researchers describe their study in the July 11, 2003 issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS, the science society.
A possible explanation may be that the brain pays less attention than normal to the body's own movement. This may help the brain stay alert to sensations caused by other people or objects. The brain's ability to focus like this may have evolved because it helped our ancestors protect themselves.
Back to Science for kids
Science is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.


- Moholy-Nagy, László
born July 20, 1895, Bacsbarsod, Hung.died Nov. 24, 1946, Chicago, Ill., U.S.Hungarian painter, photographer, and art teacher.After studying law in Budapest, he went to Berlin in 1919, and in 1923 he took charge of the metal workshop of the Bauhaus as well as the Bauhausbook series of publications. As a painter and photographer he worked predominantly with light. His "photograms" were composed directly on film, and his "light modulators" (oil paintings on transparent or polished surfaces) included mobile light effects. As an educator, he developed a widely accepted curriculum to develop students' natural visual gifts instead of specialized skills. Fleeing Nazi Germany in 1935, he went to London and then to Chicago, where he organized and headed the New Bauhaus.
* * *▪ Hungarian artistborn July 20, 1895, Bácsborsód, Hungarydied November 24, 1946, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Hungarian-born American painter, sculptor, photographer, designer, theorist, and art teacher, whose vision of a nonrepresentational art consisting of pure visual fundamentals—colour, texture, light, and equilibrium of forms—was immensely influential in both the fine and applied arts in the mid-20th century. He is also known for his original approach to art education.Moholy-Nagy studied law in Budapest and served in World War I. He began to paint in 1917. After joining the poetry circle of Endre Ady (Ady, Endre), he published Cubist (Cubism)-influenced woodcuts in the Hungarian avant-garde journal Ma (“Today”). In 1921 he went to Berlin, where from 1923 to 1929 he headed the metal workshop of the famous avant-garde school of design known as the Bauhaus. With the German architect Walter Gropius (Gropius, Walter), director of the Bauhaus from 1919 to 1928, Moholy-Nagy edited the 14 publications known as the Bauhausbook series. During his Bauhaus years Moholy-Nagy developed the theories of art education for which he is known. He created a widely accepted curriculum that focused on developing students' natural visual gifts instead of teaching them specialized skills. His dictum was: “Everybody is talented.” At the Bauhaus itself, fine-arts training was abolished in favour of “designing the whole man.”As a painter and photographer Moholy-Nagy worked predominantly with light. He experimented with photograms (photogram), images composed by placing objects directly on light-sensitive paper, and he constructed “light-space modulators,” oil paintings on transparent or polished surfaces that included mobile light effects.After he left the Bauhaus in 1929, Moholy-Nagy became involved in stage design and filmmaking. Fleeing from Nazi Germany in 1934, he went to Amsterdam and London, and in 1937 he moved to Chicago to organize the New Bauhaus (later the Institute of Design of the Illinois Institute of Technology), the first American school based on the Bauhaus program.
* * *


The National Center for Learning Disabilities and the Stern Center for Language and Learning are pleased to co-sponsor this series of four Early Literacy Webinars, based on the Stern Center's BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY® program. Each 60-minute webinar, designed for early childhood educators, child care providers, and families, will provide participants with a sampler introducing them to the free online BUILDING BLOCKS program. The webinar topics are as follows:
Early Literacy Research and Language Development
The evidence is in and it is compelling! We can help prepare children for reading success during the preschool years. This first in our series of BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY® webinars will share the research on which this professional development program is based and proven. It will also focus on the important role of oral language development to reading and spelling achievement. Participants will learn why phonology, vocabulary, syntax and pragmatics are all important to young children’s getting ready to enter kindergarten eager to learn. Listening, speaking, reading and writing will be shared as interrelated activities that all have language at the base. View the webinar.
Shared Book Reading Emphasizing Vocabulary
Reading with children provides valuable opportunities for enriching vocabulary, comprehension, and conversation. Viewers will learn strategies for maximizing these foundational skills through shared book reading. They will also find out how to increase children's understanding of concepts of print, how books work, and the wonders of letters and words on a page. Activities from the online BUILDING BLOCKS program that can help prepare children to become motivated, equipped, and successful readers will be demonstrated. View the webinar.
Phonological (Sound) Awareness
Phonological awareness, the insight that our spoken language can be broken up into individual parts, is one of the strongest indicators of future reading success. Viewers will learn how to use explicit play-based strategies and songs from the online BUILDING BLOCKS program in everyday situations to encourage children's understanding of rhyme, syllable, and sound awareness and build strong early literacy sklls. View the webinar.
Speech-to-Print Connection, Including Alphabet Knowledge
Children can be empowered to match what they know best, speech, with what they need to learn to read, print. The ability to connect individual sounds with letter representations is a powerful predictor of future reading and spelling skills. Activities from the online BUILDING BLOCKS program that strengthen letter naming, recognition, and the sound-to-letter correspondence will be shared. View the webinar.
Read Books New Ways
Does it feel like you’ve read the same story 100 times? Read it a new way: Ask the child questions about what they think will happen next and encourage them to tell you what they see in the illustrations. Learn more >


KERALA INFO: Education in Kerala
Education in Kerala
by by V.A.Ponmelil (All rights reserved by the author) (Feedback)
Kerala was the first state in India to declare total literacy in one town in 1989 and subsequently, India’s National Literacy Mission declared total literacy in the whole state of Kerala on April 18, 1991. Today, the literacy rate of the state is 91 percent which puts it closer to the United States than any other Indian State.
Kerala’s achievements in social development and quality of life are also outstanding. The state has achieved a human development index comparable to the developed countries of the World. All these achievements of Kerala are largely due to the fact that the state has understood the value of Education. The high priority is given to education. The society attaches so much importance to education that the school in Kerala is really the nucleus of the social microcosm.
The roots of Kerala's literacy culture can be traced back at least to the Hindu rulers of the 19th century. Education was traditionally the domain of the higher castes - the Namboodiris, Nairs and Syrian Orthodox Christians. But with the Europeans came missionaries who set up church schools to instruct and convert members of the lowest castes - especially in Travancore.
The progressive Hindu rulers of Travancore retaliated by setting up their own schools. The Queen of Trivandrum called for a state education system and issued a royal decree in 1817 that said, "The state should defray the entire cost of the education of its people in order that there might be no backwardness in the spread of enlightenment." She hoped education would make her people "better subjects and public servants." The kings of Cochin also built public schools and promoted elementary education.
The Christian missionaries gave a further boost to education by setting up schools for the poor and oppressed, bypassing traditions that had allowed only high-caste Indians to attend school. Radicals saw literacy and education as a key to social change. In the early 20th century, the social reformers in the region continued the drive for education for the lower castes and for girls. The caste-improvement associations led the way, but soon trade unionists and Marxists were using literacy to awaken consciousness.
Reading and writing circles were set up in villages. Workers were encouraged to write in union-sponsored publications. The right to literacy became a popular mass movement. In the 1970s the Kerala People's Science Movement (the KSSP) set up study classes, medical camps and literacy classes in villages. All of this gave Kerala a head start and by the turn of the century Kerala already had a literacy rate double that of the rest of India, had begun a small programme of grants for low-caste children, and was in its fourth decade of female education.
By the early 1980s, there were nearly 5,000 village libraries. Today, the state has over 400 newspapers and journals, a writers' co-operative that publishes 450 books a year in the local Malayalam language and a literacy rate that at 87 per cent for females and 94 per cent for males is higher than that of any Low-Income Country.
Kerala InfoKerala Overview
Kerala Dance & Music
Travel and Tourism


Teacher Preparation Program Effectiveness
Our Candidates Know How to Teach
All initial teacher preparation program candidates must pass a state mandated teacher performance assessment, the edTPA, at the end of their programs in order to become certified in Georgia. The teacher performance assessment is designed to measure a candidate’s ability to help all students learn. Teacher candidates are required to demonstrate knowledge and skills in planning, teaching, assessing and analyzing student learning.
The edTPA was developed by the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE) in collaboration with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Of the 2015-2016 Georgia State University initial preparation teacher candidates, 269/272 successfully submitted and passed the edTPA, a 98.9% pass rate. For additional information on the edTPA, please visit: www.edtpa.com.
|Early Childhood Education: Birth – Kindergarten||14/14|
|Elementary Education: PreK – 5th Grades||99/100|
|English as Additional Language (ESOL)||3/3|
|K-12 Performing Arts (Music Education)||20/20|
|K-12 Physical Education||5/5|
|Middle Level English Language Arts||17/17|
|Middle Level History/Social Studies||9/9|
|Middle Level Mathematics||21/21|
|Middle Level Science||7/8|
|Secondary English Language Arts||18/18|
|Secondary History/Social Studies||19/20|
|Visual Arts (Art Education)||8/8|
|World Languages (Foreign Language Education)||8/8|
Our Candidates Know Their Content
Our educator preparation programs are held to high standards. Our teacher preparation programs demonstrate that we prepare teachers who have a positive impact on children’s learning and development and who are committed to staying in the profession.
All of our candidates take a state-wide assessment focusing on their knowledge of the content areas (for example, math, science, social studies and early childhood education subject areas) they will be teaching. The purpose of the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) is to ensure candidates have the knowledge and skills needed to teach in Georgia’s public schools. In 2014, our programs had an overall pass rate of 97% on the GACE content knowledge assessments.
View a summary of Georgia State’s pass rates over the last 10 years.
(a) Completers’ success at increasing student achievement during their induction period and subsequently obtaining a clear renewable certificate,
(b) Their performance on revised and more stringent state content area assessments (GACE) and
(c) Their performance on a nationally-normed assessment of their ability to teach in their content areas (edTPA).
In preparation for these new measures, Georgia State faculty are currently serving on committees developing the new GACE assessments and are using data from edTPA portfolio pilot assessments to consider program revisions.
- For highlights of our program effectiveness, please read the CEHD Educator Preparation Report.
- Programs also analyze additional information, such as GPA in courses, portfolio artifacts, and subject matter exams, to evaluate candidates’ content knowledge. For a detailed summary of the data we collect and analyze related to our candidates’ content knowledge, see our Content Knowledge Data Summary Reports for 2011, 2012 and 2013.
- PEF Assessment and Accreditation Committee Data Summary Report 2015-2016
- Clinical Partnerships and Induction Committee: Data Summary Report 2015-2016


Developed by MIT graduates, MathScore provides math practice and assessment online, and is proven to raise math test scores through adaptive math practice.
MathScore is a research-based, practice-focused educational program for Kindergarten through Algebra I that provides fun without distractions. Emphasis is placed on foundational skills, helping students learn the skills that are the most important to succeeding in mathematics. MathScore provides over 200 different math topics, many of which require students to go beyond basic skills and apply them in the context of word problems and visual topics.
With assessments, progress tracking tools, and customized courses, teachers have the flexibility to differentiate instruction for every student on an individual basis.
MathScore provides a standard view of each course. However, by using the custom course and assessment features, teachers can define precisely which math skills they want their students to learn. It’s possible to create an assessment based on the customized course, supplemented with a suite of analysis tools.
MathScore is web-based, requires no installation, and can be used at home by students. Most web browsers are supported, and it works smoothly on an iPad and a variety of other mobile devices.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Featured: 1/9/2013 MathScore [Math]
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Early Number, Addition, and Subtraction
Focus on: Grades K - 4
Course Number: TEED650N
How do children develop computational strategies to help them add and subtract? This course explores how children make sense of these operations. Through video clips and student work samples, we'll examine effective, efficient, and accurate problem-solving strategies that children can use to master addition and subtraction. We'll discuss the role of the standard algorithm in a standards-based mathematics classroom and consider the teacher's role in helping children develop computational fluency. In addition, you will examine mathematical ideas central to addition and subtraction, thereby deepening our own mathematical content knowledge
August 8 and 9
Monday and Tuesday, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
1 CEU $405/ 1 credit $1,475
Materials fee $30 (includes required text)
Registration Deadline 8/1
"I have helpful information- materials and resources to support my 2nd graders developing numeracy skills."
—Teacher, 24 years
"This class and Eliza were wonderful! I found it so insightful and packed with information. It went by so quickly."
—Teacher, 4 years
"A whole new way of thinking about how young children acquire and learn to understand math concepts."
—Teacher, 20 years


Make a Recycled Pillow Cover Activity
The next time your child decides he needs to press restart on his wardrobe, don't ship his clothes off to Goodwill so fast -- dive into his closet to collect all those pieces, and help him create a unique pillow cover. He’ll be proud of his handiwork and learn about the function of recycling in society. Along with re-purposing his old clothes, he’ll create a keepsake that he’ll enjoy for many years to come!
What You Need:
- Old clothes
- Large-eyed needle
- Craft thread
- Straight pins
- Small pillow or pillow stuffing
What You Do:
- Help your child go through his clothes and find items he’d like to use in his project. Look for clothing with bright colors or distinct decals and designs.
- Offer him some scissors and have him cut out squares and rectangles from the clothes to use for his patchwork pillow.
- Once he’s got a good collection started, let him experiment with arranging his squares and rectangles into an interesting design or pattern, eventually arranging them into a square shape. He’ll need two finished squares of equal size to make his patchwork pillow, so invite him to begin laying out a front and back for his pillow.
- Offer your seventh-grader some straight pins to secure his front and back side patchwork pillow arrangements in place.
- Even if your child doesn’t think he’s good at sewing, it’s simpler than he thinks! Invite him to take on a basic stitch to put this pillow cover together. Have him cut off a length of craft thread and thread it in a large-eyed needle.
- For a basic stitch, he can use a straight stitch, which is just like making a dashed line! Have him press the needle through both pieces of fabric, pulling the string through and then carefully brings his needle back through the fabric from underneath, pulling gently. Don’t forget to knot the end of the craft thread!
- Have him attach all the pieces of his pattern using the basic stitch.
- Once he’s finished putting together the front and back, have him begin sewing the two sides of his patchwork pillow together with the insides of the pillow facing out, stopping when there's one corner remaining and leaving a hole to put the stuffing through.
- Have him carefully turn the pillow cover inside out, so the side that will be seen is visible on the outside.
- At this point, he can either slip an old pillow through the opening, or put the stuffing throught the hole he has left open.
- Now your seventh-grader can finish stitching the pillow together by folding over the remaining fabric sides and sewing them securely together! His colorful patchwork pillow is finished, and he can enjoy it in his room or on the family couch!
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Text Book Links:
Math Text Book:
Electricity and Magnetism Unit (Fall Trimester)
Solid Earth Unit (Winter Trimester)
Environments Unit (Spring Trimester)
Language Arts Vocabulary and Activities:
Social Studies: Harcourt Reflections: Grade 4-California : A Changing State:
Language Arts Links:
Judy Blume Homepage (Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing)
Social Studies Links:
Join the Fin, Fur and Feather Bureau of Investigation, better known as the FFFBI. Choose one of the missions on this page and then begin your investigation. You will be joined by animal members of the FFFBI team who want to help you solve mysteries. Good luck and get to work agent.
Dragonfly: Science for Kids
This is a cool site about animals, ecosystems, flying machines, and much much more. Have you ever imaged what it would be like to play baseball on each of the nine planets? Watch a movie of a monarch butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. Jump into the pond and start exploring.
- check out this site from NASA and JPL and learn all about different space
topics, make some spacey things, solve an extraterrestrial riddle, and dive
below the surface of Mars!
SanDiegoZoo.org - Watch the brand new baby elephant, pandas, apes and polar bears LIVE on the zoo"s web site!
USA Today Weather - get today"s weather all over the US. Also includes interesting weather trivia and information.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory - another kid site sponsored by NASA with different info, games & facts
Project GLOBE - worldwide site for kids & teachers with projects on conservation & making the world a better place
StarChild - kid site by NASA about astronomy
Enchanted Learning - kids site about anything from dinosaurs to animals to nursery rhymes (even includes preschool-Kindergarten games!)
Find out more about the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI).


ERIC Number: EJ663385
Record Type: CIJE
Publication Date: 2002
Reference Count: 0
"Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, and Cognition," by Ellen Bialystok. Book Review.
Bilingual Research Journal, v26 n3 p729-35 Fall 2002
This book assembles a wide range of research on children's language development, interprets it with analyses of how bilingualism affects that development, and, above all, breaks the myths surrounding bilingualism and bilingual education. The urgency about introducing language minority children to English immediately in schools, and about mainstreaming them as early as possible has no basis in fact. (TD)
Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Book Reviews, Child Development, Cognitive Development, Cognitive Processes, Cultural Influences, Elementary Education, Metalinguistics, Preschool Education, Second Language Learning, Social Influences, Young Children
For full text: http://brj.asu.edu/content/vol26 no3/abstracts.html.
Publication Type: Book/Product Reviews; Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: Critical Period (Language Learning)


music is the universal language, music education should know no
boundaries. Thanks to a community effort, students at Hadfield
Elementary School in Waukesha are learning to play classical music
using "El Sistema," or "The System" — an
approach to teaching music that originated in South America.
El Sistema began
25 years ago in Venezuela, notes Lawrence Harper, professor of music
at Carroll University and administrator of the local program.
kids from barrios all over Venezuela and gave them access to
instruments and instruction," Harper says. "Now they have
4,000 kids involved. It’s an extraordinary success and is now being
exported to other countries."
businessman Ralph North saw an inspiring "60 Minutes" story
on El Sistema, and approached Harper about adapting it here. The
Hadfield Elementary program, which began this year, is the first of
its kind in Wisconsin.
programs becoming casualties of budget cuts, Harper says, elementary
school music education has become nearly extinct.
is really to have the private sector take this over and that’s what
we’ve done, and taken up where the schools have not been able
to," Harper says.
second-, third- and fourth-graders at Hadfield Elementary pay just $25
per year for professional instruction three days a week, playing
instruments provided by the White House of Music. Substantial support
comes from Carroll University, with partial funding from the Edith
Olsen Music Foundation.
the Wisconsin Philharmonic volunteer their time in the classroom to
assist El Sistema’s three instructors, and students and their
families receive tickets to the orchestra’s concerts. The
Philharmonic’s String Quartet has also performed at the school as
part of the program.
learning music is similar to learning a language, and the earlier the
students are exposed to music education, the better.
pick it up very quickly and learn skills in discipline, attention,
focus and imagination that just applies to everything else that they’re
doing," he says.
remains to find funding for the El Sistema program and expand it to
"One of the
things that’s been very rewarding about it is that people are really
interested in it and think it’s, universally, a fantastic
idea," Harper says.
have plunged in with enthusiasm, he adds, "and they’re having a


Your child can hone her realistic drawing skills as well as learn more about American artist, Norman Rockwell, in celebration of American Artist Month. In this activity, she can explore the challenge of photorealism as well as create something truly special.
What You Do:
- Take a closer look at Norman Rockwell’s artwork with your child, encouraging her to pay close attention to the details included in his paintings. Notice how realistic they seem. Part of being an illustrative realistic artist is capturing a moment, which tells a story as well as intrigues the viewer.
- Invite your child to brainstorm ideas for her cover art in the style of Norman Rockwell. She can look at pictures for inspiration and create thumbnail sketches of her ideas.
- Once she’s satisfied with an idea, encourage her to begin her artwork with a light pencil sketch before covering her lines with dark, strong lines. She can even work from a photograph if she’d like, helping her to be as realistic as possible!
- Invite your child to use colored pencils to finish her detailed drawing, blending the colors together to create realistic textures and colors, just like a photograph.
- Encourage your child to continue working until the artwork is finished and then help her find the perfect spot for displaying her finished Norman Rockwell inspired creation!
Did You Know:
Norman Rockwell created over 4,000 artworks over the span of his artistic career. He was also commissioned to illustrate over 40 books, including versions of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Combat the 'science is boring' stereotype with great books on science for kids. Below are stunning, interesting titles that help show students just how fun and exciting science and exploring the world around them truly can be.
Yes, it's hard to fit science into an already over-crowded school day. Where do you find time? This is where compelling science kids books can really help! They're ideal for teaching science, of course, plus they add a little literacy to your lesson (and sometimes math too). Work these books into your plans to create strong cross-curricular lessons.
These are books that can spark a love of science! And in our experience, kids are
so naturally curious that they are WAY tuned in and attentive whenever
we present a great science kids book. They really wanna know all they
can about animals, plants, volcanoes, weather, etc...
Evolution & Darwin
Teaching children evolution
can be both complicated
and controversial. Kids
books help this hurdle!
This section coming soon!
including mammals, ocean
animals, arachnids, insects,
reptiles and amphibians
More categories on science for kids will be added over the coming year! We are really excited to grow this section of our site. Kids love science! Teachers: If you're adding great science children's books to your science curriculum, let us know what works for you. And homeschoolers, we'd love to hear which kids science books you've used in your homeschool science curriculum.
ALSO...we are also in the process of adding related lesson activities / extension ideas to go with these books. We LOVE reading a great children's science book, then building on that excitement by having the kids do a fun, related activity (especially cross-curricular ones that mix math and science or science and art). We are working on adding this feature, but in the meantime, if you know of a great lesson that goes with one of the books we feature, will you let us know. Thanks!
We LOVE getting likes! It makes us want to keep making these lists! :) Please press LIKE if you found this information helpful. And help
us spread the word by sharing the page.
Or Pin this page to your Pinterest board to share it and remember it for later. :)


Born: August 22, 1847; Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: April 28, 1935; London, England
One can be forgiven for not recognizing the name of composer Sir Alexander Campbell Mackenzie. He was championed by one of the greatest violin virtuosos (and composers) of the nineteenth century, had commissions from some of the most prestigious festivals in the British Isles, and was a sought after violinist in his own right. But in the twentieth century, the world of serious music became intellectualized, and somewhere amidst that change inRead more taste and outlook, Mackenzie's music passed out of the repertory and memory.
Alexander Campbell Mackenzie was the eldest son of Alexander Mackenzie (1819 - 1857), who was the principal violinist of the orchestra at the Theater Royal in Edinburgh. It was intended that the younger Mackenzie follow his father's career path, and he was given a serious music education, including study in Germany. He played second violin in the ducal orchestra in Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and availed himself of exposure to the most progressive music of his era, including Wagner.
On his return to England, Mackenzie became a student of Prosper Sainton, who had previously taught his father, at the Royal Academy of Music and earned the King's Scholarship. He taught for a time in Edinburgh after graduating from the Academy and played in various chamber groups before becoming a first-chair violinist in orchestras in Glasgow and Edinburgh. He did find time to compose and saw some of his chamber works performed by groups of which he was a member.
Mackenzie also found a favorable reception for three early orchestral pieces, the two Scotch Rhapsodies and a ballad for orchestra entitled La belle dame sans merci, which encouraged him. Good fortune struck Mackenzie the aspiring composer in the form of bad luck for Mackenzie the working musician. While still in his 30s, he was forced to rein in his activities after suffering from exhaustion. A doctor advised him to give up his teaching and performing work, so Mackenzie left Scotland and the British Isles altogether, retreating to Tuscany, where he began pursuing a full-time career as a composer. Mackenzie never returned to performing full-time, preferring instead to create his own works, which ranged from chamber pieces to full orchestral compositions and opera (The Troubadour).
As one would expect, some of the best of Mackenzie's works favored the violin. One of his most enduring works, is the Violin Concerto in C sharp minor, commissioned by the Birmingham Festival in 1885 (written with Joseph Joachim in mind, but ultimately premiered by Pablo de Sarasate). The falling out of favor of Mackenzie's music reflected nothing on the merits of the music itself. A rediscovery of Mackenzie's music began in the closing years of the twentieth century, more than 60 years after his death, as part of a general reassessment of British music and the Romantic repertory. In 1997, violin virtuoso Malcolm Stewart made the first modern recordings of Mackenzie's Violin Concerto in C sharp minor and Pibroch (Suite for Violin and Orchestra) -- both favorites of Sarasate -- for the Hyperion label under conductors Vernon Handley and David Davies. Audience reaction to these works and Mackenzie's Scottish Rhapsody No. 2, among other orchestral pieces recorded for Hyperion, has been very positive. Read less
There are 15 Alexander Mackenzie recordings available.
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Motor Development 0-18 Months -- Ainsworth's Phases of Attachment -- The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale -- Drawing Sequence / Evolution of Spontaneous Abilities -- Erick Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Dilemma -- Selman's Role-Taking Levels -- Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development -- Language Development -- Parten's Play Stages -- Piaget's Cognitive Stages -- Piaget's - Cognitive Operations -- Contrasting Characteristics of Prenatal and Postnatal Life -- Stages of Prenatal Development
- A focus on grades K through 3 for Art Education
FOUNDATIONS - Developmental Characteristics of Children in a Developing Social / Cultural Environment
THE CONCEPT OF CHILDHOOD - Notes From: Zigler, Edward F. and Matia Finn-Stevensen, Yale University. Children, Development and Social Issues, D.C. Heath and Company, Lexington, MA & Toronto, 1987.
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD YEARS - Notes From: Zigler, Edward F. and Matia Finn-Stevensen, Yale University. Children, Development and Social Issues, D.C. Heath and Company, Lexington, MA & Toronto, 1987.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT - The following Notes are from: Coon, Dennis [Dept. of Psychology, Santa Barbara City College, California]. Introduction to Psychology, Exploration and Application, Fifth Edition. St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco: West Publishing Company. 1989.
FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS:
The Brain, Biology, and Behavior
Sensation & reality
Perceiving the World
States of Consciousness
LEARNING & COGNITION:
Conditioning & Learning
Cognition & Creativity
MOTIVATION, ADJUSTMENT, AND HEALTH:
Health, Stress & Coping
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND PERSONALITY:
Theories of Personality
Dimensions of Personality
From Birth to Death


It is important for students to have an education in the arts. While most would not challenge the fact that kids should have an arts education however in reality time and funding greatly influence the inclusion of arts in education. Many times when budget cuts need to be made, the first departments to suffer are the art departments including music education. Music programs in schools have been proven to help children in substantial ways. The benefits of music education include success in developing intelligence, school, life, and society. Some of the reasons that education in the arts are important are listed below.
Success In Society
- Students who have participated in band or chorus report the lowest lifetime use of substances including tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs.
- Scientific evidence has proven that an education in the arts makes students better at science and math.
- Colleges view an education in the arts and music a valuable experience.
- Arts is considered one of the six basic academic subject areas, according to The College Board, that students should study to help them succeed in college.
- The arts helps to create jobs, nonprofit organizations and art institutions generate billions of dollars in economic activity.
- Some of the best engineers and technical designers are practicing musicians.
Success In School
- Arts are considered one of the core academic subjects in school.
- Students who are consistently involved in instrumental music throughout their school career have a significantly higher math proficiency than those students that don’t study music.
- Students with experience in music appreciation and music performance scored higher on their SATs.
- Music students receive more awards and academic honors than non-music students.
- Music teachers have been proven to be huge role models for minorities.
- Students in elementary and middle school who participate in art programs have higher self-esteem and thinking skills.
Success In Developing Intelligence
- The brains of pianists, compared to those of non-musicians, are more efficient at making skilled movements.
- Musicians are constantly adjusting decisions with their music which helps train the brain to be incredibly good at multitasking.
- Reading sheet music helps to stimulate the brain in all four of the cortex lobes.
- Musicians have been shown to have a bigger planum temporale than those of non-musicians. (The planum temporale is a region of the brain related to reading skills)
- A study in 1994 showed that preschoolers who received eight months of keyboard lessons showed a 46% increase in spatial reasoning.
- At-risk students who participated in arts programs have a significant increase in self-concept.
Success In Life
- Studying music helps to encourage self-discipline which carries over into effective work and study habits.
- Music has the power to bring people together.
- Music helps young people to connect with themselves and others.
- Music making helps keep the elderly healthier as it helps to decrease anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
- Music helps students build skills in cooperation, creativity, and communication.
Music Education Resources
- MENC – The website of The National Association for Music Education, includes information on music classes, advocacy, and more.
- Early Childhood Music – An article discussing the importance of music and music education in early childhood.
- Benefits of Music – Information on the benefits of a music education, including some research and statistic information.


- Exercise and Adolescents
Teens need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days for good health and fitness and for healthy weight during growth.
- Make Exercise a Family Affair
Like adults, children should be physically active most, if not all, days of the week.
- How to Get Your Kids in Shape
Experts recommend children get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days to maintain good health and fitness and for healthy weight during growth.
- In Gymnastics, Kids Flip for Fitness
The sport helps build strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance. Its all-around fitness benefits make it a good springboard to other activities.
- Teach Teens to Stretch
An adolescent athlete can never stretch too much, experts say. Stretching to stay flexible is vital -- particularly when a child reaches puberty and goes through a growth spurt.
- Weight Room No Longer Off-Limits to Kids
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Sports Medicine now say that strength training is fine for kids, as long as they are supervised and don't try to lift too much weight.
- Weight Training for Teens
Once children hit puberty, and hormones make it possible to build muscle, weight training can become a part of a healthy exercise program for youths. Research suggests strength training has a lot to offer some teenagers in terms of health, fitness and fun.
- Find Safe, Fun Ways to Keep Young Kids Active
Kids need to move to build cognitive and motor skills and to learn that physical activity is fun.
- Get Your Kids to Log Off
Rising "screen time" can cost kids the exercise they need to keep fit.
- Help Girls Stay Active as Teens
The teen years often bring a sharp drop in physical activity, especially for girls.
- Sports and Music: Both Good for Kids
Organized sports for children offer obvious benefits such as physical fitness and sportsmanship, but did you know that a musical education program has many of the same benefits? Music education and participation in sports are both great ways to prepare your child for future success.
- Sports and Children with Special Needs
Special needs children are sometimes not encouraged to exercise, because their parents or guardians fear they'll be injured. But physical activity is as important for special needs children, as it is for any child.


Analyst, Skills Beyond Schools Division, Directorate for Education
While this is certainly true, the problem is by no means limited to poorer countries. Indeed, even in countries at the forefront of the developed world and consistently at the top of the PISA rankings, skills shortages can plague the economy.
Two such countries are Australia and Canada.
The Canadian Council on Learning says there is a clear “gap between the demand for workers with strong literacy and numeracy skills and the supply of Canadians who possess them.” They point out that the growth in the information communication technology industries, coupled with the reduced demand for unskilled workers due to foreign outsourcing, has only served to intensify the need for skilled workers. The question is why there is such a gap when Canadian teenagers do so well on tests such as PISA's. The answer, they posit, lies in the failure of adults to keep up with the “demands of the emerging knowledge society and information economy”. In other words, lifelong learning is as essential to a strong economy as successful schools (as can be seen in the OECD’s Education at a Glance statistics on adult participation in education and learning, job-related training is comparatively low in Canada).
Australian companies are also hard hit by the skills gap. The Australian Institute of Management recently released a study that found 82% of organisations admit to a skills shortage in their workplace, with middle management lacking particularly in leadership and technical skills.
Brian Schmidt, Australia's 2011 Nobel Prize winner for Physics, feels that a key problem is the lack of skilled teachers, particularly in maths and science. He points to the OECD’s Education at a Glance statistics on teacher salaries, which indicates that there tends to be a correlation between well paid teachers and students that excel.
The country's mining industry is suffering, in Mr Schmidt's opinion, from a direct consequence of this. He says that the industry's lack of highly trained engineers threatens the resource boom currently under way in Australia. He relates how the chair of the mining company BHP Billiton told him the biggest problem his company faces is finding highly skilled employees competent in mathematics.
The consequences could be dire for Australia. BHP Billiton predicts that the mining industry alone will require an additional 150 000 workers over the next five years.
Furthermore, Chris Evans, Australia's Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills, estimates that Australia will need over 2 million additional workers by 2015 with higher vocational education and training (VET) qualifications. To meet this challenge, Australia drew up ambitious plans just last year to improve its existing VET system (which, as Learning for Jobs: OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training shows, is already quite strong) by investing up to €15 billion by 2020.
In Latin America, an altogether different region of the world, the economic pain from the skills gap – evocatively known in Spanish as “la brecha”, or the breach – is also acutely felt. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), youth unemployment has increased across Latin America more than any other region in the world, and this can be directly attributed to young people lacking the skills required by the labour market. Not surprising when time and time again the research shows that poor skills go hand in hand with economic hardship.
In a study released earlier this month, the IDB stated that the youth in Latin America have a long way to go in developing the “interpersonal skills the market requires, such as responsibility, communication and creativity”. Its research shows that the majority of young workers across the region have informal jobs and lack social benefits.
One thing that is common to all these countries is that children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds are disadvantaged when it comes to foundation skills in reading, mathematics and science (see OECD’s Education at a Glance statistics on equality in educational outcomes and opportunities). However, countries with the very best scores in PISA tend to have schools that are more inclusive. In other words, students can score well regardless of their socio-economic background. This in turn benefits the economy and society as a whole.
For if knowledge and skills are the global currency of the 21st century, countries will do well to stock up on their reserves. They can do so by encouraging people to learn, enticing skilled people to enter their countries, encouraging people to use and build their skills at work, retaining skilled people, matching skills to demand, and finally increasing the demand for high-level skills. That goes for economic heavyweights and flyweights alike.
Interested in learning more? Watch out for the OECD Skills Strategy, coming in May 2012, where we will lay the land for bridging the skills gap, turning brain drain into brain exchange, coping with ageing societies and declining skills pools and more.
OECD Skills Strategy
Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
Photo credit: © olly / Shutterstock


|Teaching (IAE - IBE - UNESCO, 34 p.)|
The teacher models and instructs students in learning and self-regulation strategies.
General learning and study skills as well as domain-specific skills (such as constructing meaning from text, solving mathematical problems or reasoning scientifically) are most likely to be learned thoroughly and become accessible for application if they are taught as strategies to be brought to bear purposefully and implemented with metacognitive awareness and self-regulation. This requires comprehensive instruction that includes attention to prepositional knowledge (what to do), procedural knowledge (how to do it) and conditional knowledge (when and why to do it). Strategy teaching is especially important for less able students who otherwise might not come to understand the value of consciously monitoring, self-regulating and reflecting upon their learning processes.
In the classroom
Many students do not develop effective learning and problem-solving strategies on their own but can acquire them through modelling and explicit instruction from their teachers. Poor readers, for example, can be taught reading comprehension strategies such as keeping the purpose of an assignment in mind when reading; activating relevant background knowledge; identifying major points in attending to the outline and flow of content; monitoring understanding by generating and trying to answer questions about the content; or drawing and testing inferences by making interpretations, predictions and conclusions. Instruction should include not only demonstrations of and opportunities to apply the skill itself but also explanations of the purpose of the skill (what it does for the learner) and the occasions on which it would be used.
Strategy teaching is likely to be most effective when it includes cognitive modelling: the teacher thinks out loud while modelling use of the strategy. Cognitive modelling makes overt the otherwise covert thought processes that guide use of the strategy in a variety of contexts. It provides learners with first-person language (self talk) that they can adapt directly when using the strategy themselves. This eliminates the need for translation that is created when instruction is presented in the impersonal third-person language of explanation or even the second-person language of coaching.
In addition to strategies used in particular domains or types of assignments, teachers can model and instruct their students in general study skills and learning strategies such as rehearsal (repeating material to remember it more effectively), elaboration (putting material into ones own words and relating it to prior knowledge), organization (outlining material to highlight its structure and remember it), comprehension monitoring (keeping track of the strategies used to construct understandings and the degree of success achieved with them, and adjusting strategies accordingly), and affect monitoring (maintaining concentration and task focus, and minimizing performance anxiety and fear of failure).
When providing feedback as students work on assignments and when leading subsequent reflection activities, teachers can ask questions or make comments that help students to monitor and reflect on their learning. Such monitoring and reflection should focus not only on the content being learned, but also on the strategies that the students are using to process the content and solve problems. This will help the students to refine their strategies and regulate their learning more systematically.
References: Meichenbaum & Biemiller (1998); Pressley & Beard El-Dinary (1993); Weinstein & Mayer (1986).


Still lives are a staple of art education, but, boy, can they get boring in a hurry. Have you been using the same silk flowers and plastic fruit for the last ten years? Are you looking for a new way to introduce still life to students? The February issue of ARTnews inspired this list of ways to take these traditions from still life to STILL ALIVE!
1. Create a Time Lapse Series: Using a digital camera or iPad, have students take photographs of something that changes over time. It could be your school playground, the whiteboard in the classroom, or even a piece of their own art in progress. Still life doesn’t mean unchanging! Display the images in a series.
2. Wrap It Up: Although not a new idea, it is one that can be constantly reinvented. Wrap your traditional still life objects in any number of things like pantyhose, cellophane, foil or patterned wrapping paper. This fun technique helps students really narrow in on using line to capture the specific shapes of different objects.
3. Go Monochromatic: This limitation helps students focus on value. You could create a still life in the color scheme of your choice, or, better yet, have students gather and arrange items in a certain color family. Take it a step further by adjusting the light source or building the still life on your light box.
4. Dig Into History: The major themes of still life are traditionally death, time, and change. Introduce secondary-level students to still life through history and ask them to represent one of these historical themes in a contemporary way.
5. Tell a Story: Have students gather still life items that tell a story when arranged thoughtfully. Ask them to think about how line, value, color and the other elements and principals may help communicate their ideas.
What are your favorite still life techniques?
Do you have any creative ideas to add to the list?


“Autism, according to the Autism Society “is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.”
In addition, according to the Autism Society, “Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum disorder” (Autism Spectrum Disorder or (ASD), that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees.”
The term “spectrum” according to The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) “Refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment or disability that children with ASD can have. Some children are mildly impaired by their symptoms, while others are severely disabled.”
In March 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued their Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) autism prevalence report. The report concluded that the prevalence of autism had risen to 1 in every 68 births in the United States and almost 1 in 54 boys. The spotlight shown on autism as a result of the prevalence increase opens opportunities for the nation to consider how to serve these families facing a lifetime of supports for their children.
There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.
For example, “The Autism Society estimates that the lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism ranges from $3.5 million to $5 million.
Camp C.A.N.O.E. is open to children with autism from Kindergarten through the 12th grade. It is a summer day camp designed specifically for children with autism and other abilities.
Camp C.A.N.O.E. is located at Camp DaKaNi, a beautiful 33-acre wooded campground in Oklahoma City. A program called Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma (Camp Fire USA) has owned and operated both camps for more than fifty years.
The mission of Camp Fire USA and Camp C.A.N.O.E., according to their website, “Is to build caring, confident youth and future leaders.” To accomplish these goals, counselors at Camp C.A.N.O.E. “Offer a variety of outdoor activities to enhance the development of social, motor, and sensory processing skills.” Most important, “The safety of campers is a top priority.”
In addition, “Every counselor will have an assistant counselor and a maximum of only five campers. All counselors have received standardized camp training plus specialized Camp C.A.N.O.E. education.”
Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma is the home of adventure learning and character development for thousands of young men and women for almost ninety years! As a national organization, we are more than 101 years old.
Camp DaKaNi, means “a day in the out-of-doors. As previously stated It is owned and operated by Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma and located on 33 wooded acres in the heart of Oklahoma City.
Camp Fire camping gives young people a chance to learn how to live and share with others and to become closely involved with the natural environment. The well-being and safety of campers is our first concern.
Camp DaKaNi, in its 57th year as a day camp, is open to all boys and girls, ages 5-18, regardless of race, gender, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disabilities* or economic status. Campers do not have to be members of Camp Fire.
*Camp DaKaNi programs are available to persons with disabilities. We will make every effort to meet the needs of all those who wish to apply.
Some of the stated “Benefits of Camp C.A.N.O.E.” include:
- Team-Building Skills
- Communication & Social Skills
- Independent Thinking
- Physical Activity
- Fine and Gross Motor Skill Development
For more information, please contact:
Penn Henthorn, Director, Camp C.A.N.O.E.:


Scale Your Way to Music Assessment
The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Quality Music Program
by Paul Kimpton / Delwyn Harnisch
Scale Your Way to Music Assessment is a hands-on, step-by-step action plan for using assessment to improve your teaching and your students’ performances.
This book and CD-ROM describe in detail how to teach students to become not only accurate and consistent assessors of musical performance, but how to meaningfully self- and peer-assess and set goals for practicing and improving the performance of a group. Authors Paul Kimpton and Del Harnisch show you how to:
- Generate a list of musical skills
- Define goals
- Build an assessment inventory
- Formulate assessments
- Collect data
...and more, all with the goal of empowering learners and educators with assessment. The extensive range of topics covered includes:
- Tips on developing performance assessments
- Music department goals and how they align with district goals
- How to develop written assessments
- Tips on test writing
- Writing course goals
- Sample written questions
- Helping a program realize its vision
- Test-making programs
- Developing performance assessments
- Test assessment software
- Writing course objectives
- State and national standards
- How to develop listening assessments
- School and district goals
- How to involve students in taking responsibility for improving skill
Also included are six extensive appendixes with actual written and listening tests, outlines of a four-year testing program for band, choir, and orchestra, a listing of websites and email addresses, a glossary of terms, and more. The accompanying CD-ROM includes sample data, tests, music examples, and reference material.
Everything you need to begin developing a quality music assessment program is right here.
A music educator for over 33 years, Paul Kimpton recently retired from his position as Director of Bands and Department Chairman at Hinsdale South High School (Darien, Illinois).
Delwyn Harnisch is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Number of Pages : 196
Language : English
Item #: G-7068
Price : $39.95
Please share Scale Your Way to Music Assessment with your Facebook friends.
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Learning outcomes for art studio majors.
- Students will demonstrate expertise in one medium.
- Students will use the elements of design and principles of organization at an expert level.
- Students will identify the major periods in art history by conventions and explain how those conventions signify the values of the context from which they rise.
- Students will be able to articulate the major positions in art theory so that they can identify what theory is operative in work of art or art criticism.
- Students will write and speak cogently about art.
- Students’ visual presentation skills will demonstrate knowledge of professional protocol.
- Students will advance their careers and knowledge of business and professional structures by following professional journals, joining professional organizations, attending lectures and exhibits and finally, by exhibiting their work.
- Students will assess and respond to changes in the art/ world by altering their use of materials, techniques, use of art history and theory with respect to interpretation/production of works of art.
- Students will use the perspective of the Reformed, Christian tradition on its own or with other perspectives to guide their engagement with culture —in Reformed, Christian terms, to build/restore God’s gentle kingdom.
Learning outcome for Art Education majors.
- Art Education majors will meet National Art Education Association Standards
Throughout the year assessment data is gathered through student and alumni surveys, evaluations of senior shows, internship evaluations, and the Illinois content certification exam. For additional information please contact department chairperson John Bakker at John.Bakker@trnty.edu.


The egg drop challenge is one of my favorite science activities for kids! I love all the critical thinking involved in this science activity, but my favorite part is the excitement kids feel when taking part!
Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board!
Be sure to check out our other egg drop challenges for tips and ideas:
Have you heard of the Egg Drop Challenge? It’s such a fun way to incorporate critical thinking and problem solving into your home learning or classroom.
Basically, the challenge is to create a container that will protect an egg from cracking or breaking from a high fall. You can make this as simple or complex as you want depending on the amount of time you have and the ages of kids you are working with. I love that this is such a rewarding experience for such a wide range of ages. And the kids always get super excited to do this project so get ready for lots of screams of delight!
(This is the perfect time of year to do it too~ Although the challenge is usually done with raw eggs, you could still do it using some of the Easter eggs you never got around to eating or that you may have decorated with an inedible dye and don’t want to go to waste.)
Materials for the Egg Drop Challenge
You can use anything you want! Listed below are just some examples of materials you could use.
- cardboard tubes
- old boxes
- tape, glue, rubberbands
- popsicle sticks
- Come up with an idea of some type of container you can make to protect an egg from a high fall.
- Build your container and place the egg inside.
- Drop the egg from someplace high. (Be sure it’s safe and an adult is with you.)
- After you drop it look and see if your egg cracked or remained intact. (Remember to wash your hands after touching raw egg!)
Questions to Spark More Curiosity & Critical Thinking
Describe your design. Why do you think it will protect the egg? Did it work? Why or why not? How could you improve your design?
Want to go even further?
Even more activities to inspire creativity and critical thinking for various ages.
- Try dropping the egg from increasing heights. Does it eventually stop working?
- If your initial design did not work, redesign it and try to improve it. Can you get it work the next time?
- Fill a box with a large amount of materials that could be used for this project. Then allow each child to only choose 3 items from the box to build their design.
Egg Drop with Fourth Grade
Later, we took this challenge to Daddy’s 4th grade classroom. The students brought in supplies from home and built their own containers in class. It was so fun to see what they came up with!
After the students were finished planning building, they placed their eggs inside their containers, and then we headed outside to test them.
For the first round the eggs were dropped from a height of about 7 feet. All but one egg made it past that drop. The second drop was about 11 feet high and only 2 containers protected their eggs from that fall.
Once the students were done testing their containers, they went back into the classroom to discuss what worked and what didn’t work and shared theories as to why. It was definitely a successful lesson!
Here is a free printable your child or students can use to plan out their designs.
Find more STEM activities in our ebook! Learn more about it here, or buy it now here!


SINGING ALPHABET PACK
29 beautifully illustrated cards (large)
a music CD and blackline masters...
This ever-popular resource is used in many schools across Australia.
It's a the perfect resource for introducing pre-schoolers to letters and sounds as well as those starting school.
Use it in the preschool setting, the classroom or at home.
*The music CD - containing 29 songs on separate tracks. The songs are repetitive and interactive, encouraging children to make the sound and try and write the letter.
* 29 full colour A4-sized cards that show a fun picture that help children link each sound to a letter.The teacher holds up the card and together the corresponding song is sung. For example, "Ugly Uncles u-u-u..."
* A *CD-ROM containing the 29 newly illustrated cards as blackline masters, so they can be printed, photocopied and coloured in.
*A 4 page instruction booklet.
USES: The cards are an excellent pre or early literacy resource suitable for a whole class or for individuals.
SUITABLE FOR: The Singing Alphabet is suitable for children in the early stages of literacy development and some older children in need of revision, depending on developmental levels, needs and interest. It is a great resource for parents to use with preschool-aged children.
FOLLOWING REQUESTS, YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE AN EXTRA SET OF CARDS along with your purchase of the full Singing Alphabet Pack. Use one as a wall frieze and one as a set of teaching cards/flashcards EXTRA SET OF CARDS $38.00 (inclusive of GST)
HOW TO PURCHASE:
*SINGING ALPHABET PACK $68
*SINGING ALPHABET PACK PLUS ONE EXTRA SET OF CARDS$106.00


By the year 2007, all schools in Scotland are required by the Scottish Executive to have Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) in place. In the summer term 2006, all children in Kelso primary schools will start using PLPs.
It is believed that children learn best when they work together in partnerships with parents and teachers. PLPs are an important way for this to happen. It will help parents to be more involved by being better informed about their children's progress; by being aware of what he/she is learning and their role in that.
At the moment we are working towards achieving Green Flag Status and are in the process of applying for our Silver Award having already achieved Bronze.
The Eco Schools programme was developed in 1994 by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and introduced in the UK, including Scotland, in 1995. It was at the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment & Development (Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 that a need to involve young people in finding solutions to environmental and sustainable development issues at a local level had been identified. Eco Schools developed to fulfil this role and, in adopting the principles of 'Local Agenda 21', encourages schools to 'think global, act local'.
A Curriculum for Excellence
What is a school curriculum?
A school curriculum describes what children and young people do in school. In pre-school classes the curriculum promotes children's emotional, personal and social development as well as encouraging intellectual, physical and creative skills through play activities and learning by example. The primary school curriculum includes the areas which develop children's basic skills such as maths, language, expressive arts, environmental studies, religious/moral education and personal and social development. Then, in secondary schools, the curriculum involves the subject areas, such as geography, history, languages, etc, and the courses which lead to assessment and qualifications.


The ensuing studies by Linda Crowe, an assistant professor in the communication sciences and disorders program at K-State, and Sherry Haar, an assistant professor of apparel, textiles and interior design, have shown that preschoolers do recall a book better if costumes are part of their interaction with the story. They have completed one study on the topic and presently are working on a second.
"We are interested in trying to find ways to enhance children's abilities to retell stories and develop literate language use," Crowe said. "Early reading experiences and storytelling are precursors for reading and writing."
Their first study was comprised of two parts. In one, Crowe and Haar read a story to a child and had he or she retell it. In the other, the child retold the story using a costume. The two researchers compared these retellings in terms of how well the children could recall characters and the sequence of the story. Their findings?
"The costumes made a huge difference," Crowe said; the children could recall the stories with costumes present much better than without. For the second study, going on now, a couple of aspects have changed. First, the setting is more like a typical classroom - a teacher reads two stories to a preschool class, and for one, costumes are put in the dress-up area. The retelling is more delayed - the children had three days of exposure to the story and were asked to retell it on the fourth - and the children also draw pictures to illustrate their comprehension of the stories.
Their preliminary data has shown that the presence of costumes still aids the retelling of the story, Crowe said, although not as dramatically as in the first study. The children's drawings were much better when costumes were present, however.
"They were taking information from the story and elaborating and adding on to it," Crowe said. "We definitely saw benefits from the exploration time in the dress-up area."
The costumes consist of, for example, a blanket, coat, vest, tie, handkerchief and button for the story "Something from Nothing," in which a grandfather makes a blanket for his infant grandson, and subsequently recreates it into other items as the child grows.
Next up, researchers at Florida State University will begin an identical study and their data will be combined with that of Crowe and Haar. In all, they hope to involve 80 to 100 children in the study.
Crowe said this research evolved from a conversation the two had about combining their interests: Crowe's in literacy and reading, and Haar's in costumes. They began looking at other research, which combined reading with props and pictures, but found no one had thought to give children a costume with which to interact.
"Costume has been anecdotally noted as enhancing a child's fantasy play as the costume aids the child in becoming a new role," Haar said. "Props have been used to aid literacy development and since costume is used as a prop in the preschool setting, we want to see how costume as a prop can enhance play and literacy."
Crowe said many were very interested in their findings at a conference she attended recently; they also have presented the results of the first study at the International Textile and Apparel Association conference, where other experts were similarly enthralled. At this time, Crowe and Haar have one article in submission and are almost ready to submit another. A number of students also have aided in the research project, helping construct the costumes and working with the results, for example.
In the future, Crowe said they hope to see how preschoolers interact with costumes involving fantasy stories; right now, they have only used true-to-life books. Also on their radar screen: using costumes to introduce books in therapeutic settings; until now, the preschoolers studied have not been at risk for language and learning problems. Haar's previous research in developing and testing therapeutic costumes has shown the role of a costume contributed to the child's success in meeting therapy goals.
Crowe said she hopes their research findings can help early-childhood classrooms be more thematic by using books, dress-up and art projects that all go together - "building upon a theme and a topic." Haar said they want to give childcare providers evidence of how costume can be used for play and beyond play as a means to enhance literacy.
Crowe has research interests in communicative reading strategies, helping parents use books interactively with their children and using books as intervention for kids with autism. Haar's interests include developing therapeutic costumes for children with sensory dysfunctions and creating wearable art.
Additional contact: Linda Crowe, 785-532-6879, firstname.lastname@example.org.


On a hot afternoon there’s nothing better than a cold drink. Instead of going through the trouble of squeezing the lemons and measuring sugar, your child can create ice cubes ready for whenever she has a hankering for a refreshing beverage!
What You Do:
- Invite your child to slice the lemons in half, offering assistance as needed. Using a paring knife is an essential cooking skill, but does require adult supervision!
- Now get out the hand-held juicer and encourage your child to squeeze the lemons and then pour the juice into the bowl.
- Once the lemons are juiced, your child can measure and add the sugar to the lemon juice. She can also add the water and give things a stir.
- Now your child can carefully pour the lemony liquid in the ice cube tray and place in the freezer.
- Once the ice cubes are set, your child can experiment by adding them to her favorite beverages, or a nice tall glass of water, and seeing how things taste!
Did You Know:
Ice cube trays were invented in the late 1800s but didn’t hit it big until the stainless steel version, created by Guy L. Tinkham, became available in 1933.
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Personal Safety & National Security
Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions
Promoting Personal Safety & National Security
Science for Kids
A magazine for high school students
- Sniffing Landmines (April 2008)
Dogs can be trained to detect landmines because their noses are so sensitive that they can detect very low amounts of vapor released by landmines from a distance.
- Interview with a Chemist (October 2005)
Meet a chemist whose mission is to save lives in the event of a chemical, biological, or radiological attack.
- Mustard Gas (April 2005)
The poison gas that chokes and blisters its victims was the terror of World War I and is still a concern today.
- Coal Mine Safety (February 2004)
Although it’s gotten safer over the past 100 years, coal mining is still a dangerous occupation. Explosive coal dust and methane gas are major hazards..
- Images of Anthrax—A Team Approach (December 2002)
Three Milwaukee teens were in search of a chemistry project. They ended up playing a role in the war against bioterrorism.
- Biosensors—Early Warnings of Unseen Enemies (December 2002)
When the enemy is too small to be seen, these sensing devices give an early warning of an imminent attack.
Careers in Chemistry
ACS Policy Statements and Briefings
- Balance Security & Openness
- Balancing Science & Security in a Globalized World
- Basic Research Drives Defense Technologies
- Science & Technology in the Intelligence Community
- Sensors: Buildings, Battlefields & Beyond
- The Role of Science in the Art of War
- Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security
- Since 9/11, hundreds of books have been written on personal safety and national security. More information is available from the Library of Congress, http://catalog.loc.gov/
Sources for this podcast
- Development of Methodology Based on Commercialized SERS-Active Substrates for Rapid Discrimination of Poxviridae Virions
Analytical Chemistry, April 15, 2008
- One- and Two-Photon Fluorescent Polyhedral Oligosilsesquioxane (POSS) Nanosensor Arrays for the Remote Detection Clouds, in Solution, and on Surfaces
Chemistry of Materials, April 22, 2008
- Detection of Castor Contamination by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
Journal of Food and Agricultural Chemistry, January 24, 2007
- Strong Antimicrobial Coatings: Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Armored with Biopolymers
Nano Letters, July 2008
- Single-Molecule Detection of Nitrogen Mustards by Covalent Reaction with a Protein Nanopore
Journal of the American Chemical Society, May 28, 2008
- Carbon Nanotube/Polythiophene Chemiresistive Sensors for Chemical Warfare Agents
Journal of the American Chemical Society, April 23, 2008
- Substrate-Modified Hydrogels for Autonomous Sensing of Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A
Chemistry of Materials, November 27, 2007
- Bioterrorism Agents/Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- AAAS Science, Technology & Security Policy
- MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Bioterrorism Branch
- U.S. Government Food Safety Information
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- Occupational Safety & Health Administration Chemical Terrorism
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate
- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- House Committee on Homeland Security
- House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science & Technology
National Academies Studies/Reports:
- Food Safety Policy, Science, and Risk Assessment: Strengthening the Connection: Workshop Proceedings
- Emerging Safety Science: Workshop Summary
- The Personal Protective Technology Program at NIOSH:
- Science and Security in a Post 9/11 World: A Report Based on Regional Discussions Between the Science and Security Communities
Congressional Research Service Report:
Meet the Scientists
What Is Chemistry?
What is chemistry?
What do chemists do?
Learn more about how important chemistry is in our daily lives through articles, hands on activities, and resources to use in the classroom.


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1. Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes: ( general )
Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, internationally renowned for educational programs and research, has pioneered instructional models to develop the sensory-cognitive processes that underlie reading, spelling, comprehension, critical thinking, and math. Lindamood-Bell® Learning Centers provide one-on-one instruction using our groundbreaking instructional methods; Lindamood-Bell® Professional Development offers workshops for educators, and also provides a comprehensive school/district-wide model to develop language and literacy skills.
2. Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes: ( Learning Centers )
Lindamood-Bell® Learning Centers provide individualized instruction for children and adults, ranging from severely learning disabled to academically gifted. In our centers we often see children and adults previously diagnosed with various disorders or learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, hyperlexia, ADD, ADHD, CAPD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay, etc. Lindamood-Bell’s instruction is always based on a thorough and comprehensive diagnostic evaluation which measures oral vocabulary, oral language, comprehension, visual memory, oral directions, phonemic awareness, word attack, work recognition, reading comprehension, spelling, and math. After intensive instruction at a Lindamood-Bell® Learning Center, a student can make reading gains of two to four year in as little as six to eight weeks.
3. Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes ( For schools )
Lindamood-Bell offers professional development that begins with our Lindamood-Bell® Workshops and can extend into comprehensive partnerships. The programs authored by the founders and directors of Lindamood-Bell are research-based programs that address the five components of scientifically-based reading instruction: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Genuine Lindamood-Bell® Professional Development Workshops for educators will introduce the steps of the following programs:
Visualizing and Verbalizing®
Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing®
On Cloud Nine® Math
Lindamood-Bell® School Partnerships prepare, mentor and support teachers in their efforts to teach reading, spelling and comprehension. We partner with schools to implement a comprehensive Professional Learning Community based on extensive professional development and mentoring in a collaborative environment. Lindamood-Bell’s successful partnerships are not merely a “program” that is implemented. We provide a comprehensive model of:
1) sustained professional development in intensively research-based instructional methodologies for language and literacy development.
2) diagnosis and differentiated instruction processes to specifically meet student needs in language and literacy processing.
3) data management, analysis and reporting for accountability.
4) customized learning environments including a professional learning community for leaders and teaching professionals and classroom and small group instruction opportunities for children. Numerous mandates under the ARRA school stimulus fundings and NCLB law can be met or exceeded with a Lindamood-Bell® school partnership.


Kids love to sing. Riding in the car is a great time to introduce and reinforce music awareness and enjoyment through singing. Researchers have found that singing in the car, whether on key or not, might be the ideal place to develop children’s awareness and interest in music.
The findings, published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, revealed how the family car could provide an opportunity for parents who may lack the time and resources for music lessons. Parents can take advantage of the daily commute in the car to model singing to their children while also teaching the basics of rhythm.
In order to investigate the family car as a musical space, the lead research recruited five families with nine children combined. Over the course of nine weeks, parents were instructed to incorporate musical activities – such as singing, listening to music and humming – into their daily commutes with their children.
The children were between the ages of 10 months and 4.5 years at the time of the study. The children were also allowed to listen to music on their electronic devices if they desired. However, parents were encouraged to turn off their electronic devices in order to listen and sing with their children.
Parents were asked to keep a journal of car-time music activities noting the types of music children liked, how they interacted with the music and additional behaviors during the drives. Additionally, parents were given an exit-interview at the end of the study.
The results showed the family car time helped parents listen more attentively to their children and play musical games. Furthermore, parents observed a similar effect with the way in which siblings interacted in singing and playing musical games together.
“Providing children with a rich musical environment and expecting them to be musical ensures that children can experience music and find their musical voices during childhood and for years to come,” researchers explain.
Early musical experiences can benefit children’s later academic and creative skills. Learning music can sharpen the use of children’s ears, eyes and muscles for moving. Furthermore, musical education at a young age can equip children with the foundational abilities to learn and develop greater cognitive skills.
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Overview: NEC’s Bachelor of Music curriculum is designed with the expectation that an NEC-educated person will be
- a musician with artistic integrity,
- an active life-long learner in both musical and academic disciplines, and
- a responsible citizen.
Definition of an NEC-Educated Person
(Bachelor’s Degree Level)
A person graduating with a bachelor’s degree from NEC demonstrates significant achievement of professional competence in the chosen musical discipline—through the acquired body of knowledge and skills in performance, musicianship, history, theoretical analysis, composition, and repertoire—and displays an ability to interpret music with a sense of individual expression, enriched by both traditional and innovative approaches to musical training. An NEC-educated musician demonstrates knowledge of fundamental concepts of music theory, and a basic familiarity with historical developments in Western music, including a more thorough understanding of at least one specific period or idiom. He/she will be able to use technology and the tools of scholarly research effectively to further his/her musical education, work, and exploration.
The NEC-educated person has developed college-level skills in analytical reading, critical thinking, academic writing, and oral presentation and discussion; can work both independently and in collaboration with others; and has a basic proficiency with technology and information resources. An NEC-educated person broadens his/her intellectual perspective by choosing from elective offerings in history, politics, economics, literature, cultural studies, philosophy, mathematics, science, languages, music education, and the creative arts. In doing so, students explore and deepen their creativity, and examine and reflect on the social, political, and cultural issues that affect their lives as students, musicians, and participants in the global community. The NEC-educated person has developed the professional skills necessary to pursue a career in music or in other fields.
An NEC-educated person is an active life-long learner in both musical and academic disciplines, and a responsible citizen. As such, the NEC-educated person develops the skills to be a proponent for the role of music and musicians in society; is committed to outreach and community service through music; and supports the creation and growth of music and other arts organizations.
The NEC-educated person has an awareness of current events, both locally and globally; has an awareness of and respect for other cultures; is able to develop and express independent views; and is able to engage in respectful conversations or debate while honoring diverse perspectives.
Understanding that learning is a process of discovery, NEC students graduating with a bachelor’s degree will be able to apply their acquired knowledge, understanding, and skills beyond their undergraduate education, enabling them to continue critical studies, explore ideas and contemporary issues, deepen their creative work, and commit themselves to vital roles in their communities.


- Special Sections
- Public Notices
What is the value of play in young children’s lives? Is play essential for developmental growth and school readiness? These are questions that are being asked as the pre-school years receive national attention from parents, educators and the government.
There is a large body of information, based on years of research and first-hand observations that explores and explains ways that children learn at different ages and developmental stages. A major finding is that children from infancy on learn by doing, by having access to open-ended, hands-on, self-directed activities.
Most people would agree that they, themselves learn best when they are actively involved and having fun. Children are no exception.
Play offers opportunities that challenge and stimulate children’s creativity, curiosity and imagination.
Play heightens their interest and involvement.
Children develop and learn in stages and this is reflected in their play. These stages can and do overlap, and often do not correspond with the child’s chronological age. Children develop on an individual timetable, when they are developmentally ready, both physically and intellectually.
Infants are observers and solitary players. They use their senses to find out about the world and how things work.
As they become less self-involved and more mature, children go from solitary to parallel play, using realistic toys and props, while engaging in some pretend symbolic play, such as feeding a baby doll with a bottle.
Older children begin to develop concepts, try out new ideas, think of alternate solutions to problems and eventually substitute symbols for concrete objects.
This ability to think abstractly, make connections and create meanings in their minds is essential to literacy development and communication skills.
More complex play is a result of this type of thinking.
Through play children practice important social skills by interacting with their peers. They learn to cooperate, share, take turns and problem solve as they grow. They become less self-involved, more understanding and accepting of others’ point of view.
Language development is greatly enhanced by the verbal give and take that accompanies play.
These positive behaviors are especially encouraged by involvement in dramatic play. Dramatic play stimulates role-playing, modeling, use of the imagination and constructive play. Constructive play enhances hand–eye coordination and logical-mathematical thinking.
Children need space and time in a safe, accepting environment to play in. Parents can enrich and extend play by providing props that lead to imaginative play and enhance problem solving skills. Blocks, building and creating with materials and open-ended activities stimulate the child’s mind.
Children benefit from a balance of activities: large and small muscle, indoors and out, quiet and active, solitary and group play, plus simple rules and boundaries.
A number of children lead very busy lives today. Their days are filled with organized activities, which leave little time for children to enjoy free, unstructured play. Additionally, many of the marketed toys are “closed” rather than “open-ended,” leaving little or no time for imagination, problem solving or skill development. Children learn from inventing their own games and characters.
Young children learn best through play. Play builds concepts, develops skills, enhances learning in all areas and teaches positive behavior skills.
Play also encourages competency, independence and self-expression, gives children some control over their lives, and develops confidence and self-esteem. The playful experiences of early childhood can help children build skills necessary to lead responsible, happy and fulfilling lives.
Play is a vital part of young children’s lives and learning, and will help them in their school careers.
Margaret Blewett was a mentor teacher at Little Forest Playschool for many years.


This snowflake garland will bring some winter wonder to your house. Snowflakes are amazing things—no two are exactly alike, just like humans! Your child can learn more about symmetry and the art of paper folding by creating a glittering snowflake garland. While he's making a lovely holiday decoration to display around the house, your child will also hone his cutting skills! Make a sparkling snowflake garland with your child this winter.
What You Do:
- Start by taking a closer look at snowflakes and their unique qualities by heading out to the library for books about snowflakes or using the Internet to do some research with your child. Not only will he learn more about snowflakes, but he'll also learn that taking the time to research something new is fun!
- Offer your child a sheet of white paper and scissors. You can fold it in half a couple times and also encourage him to experiment folding and cutting the paper various ways to create a unique snowflake.
- Invite him to open the snowflake and notice how it's the same on both sides—symmetrical, or if it's asymmetrical and different!
- Go on a scavenger hunt around the house looking for as many things that he can find that are symmetrical.
- Now he can make several more snowflakes to create his garland of all different shapes and sizes!
- Once your child has a big collection of snowflakes he can select his favorites to use for creating the special garland. About 8 to 10 snowflakes will make a good 6-foot garland.
- Help your child cover the work area with a large sheet of easel paper and then offer him watered-down glue and a paintbrush to gently coat one side of the snowflakes. He can then sprinkle the snowflakes with glitter and let dry.
- Now your child can punch a hole in each snowflake close to an edge and then thread the snowflakes with a long length of silver ribbon. He can gently tie a knot after adding each snowflake to hold them in place on the garland.
- Hang the garland along the mantle or around a doorway for others to enjoy!
Real snow flakes are so small we hardly to get to notice them all clumped together collected on the ground and in the cold, but on a garland made of paper the snowflakes from your child's creativity will warm the spot its hanging from.
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Marchbank Free School will be unique in its approach as it will effectively ‘marry’ two very different approaches to education.
Marchbank Free School recognises that children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH) respond well to structure as it helps them to feel safe and secure – they like predictable routines and respond well when they feel confident that they know what is going to happen next. However, we also understand that children need the opportunity to develop a creative response to the world. We have therefore included some influence of the Rudolph Steiner approach to education into the ethos and curriculum at Marchbank.
The Steiner approach is respected worldwide for its ability to produce very able young people who have a strong sense of self and diverse capacities that enable them to become socially and economically responsible citizens. Marchbank Free School understands that children with SEMH also respond well to learning in a practical and artistic manner and would therefore benefit from much of the Steiner approach. They develop a love of reading through listening to stories, taking part in drama and learning rhymes and traditional fairy tales and legends. They are encouraged to use their imaginations through a pictorial and artistic approach to subjects. They engage in practical activities combining traditional games, handcrafts and manual skills with formal learning across each curriculum area.
We therefore gradually, and through a carefully planned development, merge the creativity, pictorial and artistic elements of the Steiner approach with a highly structured approach to learning literacy and numeracy skills to create an innovative, exciting and creative environment which will ‘educate a child’s mind, heart and hands’, ‘The Child, The family, The Outside World – Winnicott’.
It is common for children with SEMH to underperform in achieving expected developmental stages when compared to their mainstream peers. There are numerous reasons that may have been factors but consistent evidence suggests their experiences of emotional damage or turmoil may have restricted them from securing expected milestones. The Free School environment and curriculum allows children to revisit those development areas that have not been secured and offers them the experiences necessary to move through the stages which are so important in building the foundations necessary for future development and learning. Marchbank believes that learning comes easily when it is offered to a child that is developmentally ready.
Our vision is to provide an environment where primary children with SEMH and associated difficulties can access an education that aims to develop the whole child in a healthy and balanced manner addressing their physical, emotional and intellectual capabilities through a developmentally appropriate curriculum.
At Marchbank we celebrate our values and incorporate them into our everyday life.
> HARD WORK
Throughout their time in Marchbank children are supported in developing these values through their taught curriculum and through the way people treat them and they are expected to behave. All adult members of Marchbank provide positive role models of these values at all times.
The ethos, environment and curriculum combines to help the children develop qualities which are crucial to enable them to be successful adults; to be articulate, creative, self-reliant, skilled at listening, imaginative and inquisitive.
With a deep understanding of child development, a broad curriculum and creative methodology, we place the changing needs of the individual child at the centre of our work.
We afford equal attention to the physical, emotional, intellectual, cultural and spiritual needs of each child with a curriculum that is designed to work in harmony with the different phases of their development.
Our aim is to equip children with the skills they need to access secondary education where they will continue to develop and leave full time education as well rounded human beings who are resourceful, creative, responsible and curious with the skills necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st century with the problem solving skills required for a sustainable future.
Marchbank Free School has:
At Marchbank Free School we:
Marchbank Free School has responsibility to the wider community and demonstrates: