Pass the Baton
“All too often the music classroom stifles students with one-size-fits-all curricula and repertoire. With Pass the Baton, authors Kathryn Finch and Theresa Hoover turn that paradigm on its head, offering a vision of music education that empowers students as critical thinkers who exercise voice and choice to question, discover, connect, and play like never before—in and out of the classroom.
Pass the Baton offers readers a comprehensive guide to crafting engaging music lessons that transform students from passive consumers to vibrant creatives. Whether you’re looking to rethink general music or overhaul your ensemble groups, Pass the Baton is chock-full of generative, actionable, and impactful tools. Finch and Hoover have drawn on deep research and years of experience in the music room to provide a guide for all music educators to create a learner-centered environment and give students the opportunity to truly own the creative process.”
Full STEAM Ahead
"Full STEAM Ahead is full of lessons to turn your music room into a place where imagination and creativity are not just encouraged, but essential. The lessons are divided into three sections: The Music Room as a Makerspace – Let your students’ imaginations go wild as they build shakers and shadow puppets, tell stories with apps and green screens, and learn all the elements that go into a Broadway musical. Coding the Music Room – With a few tech tools, your students will compose melodies and variations, explore modes, add sound effects to stories, and find solutions to help others solve issues that arise in the music room. Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) – Introduce your musicians to modern composition tools they can use to explore form, design sound, compose their own music, and unlock the mysteries of the synthesizer. No matter the lesson, your students will demonstrate their understanding of the concepts you already teach— rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, and form—using the tools, concepts, and standards of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. The key to this book’s effectiveness is that it trains you as a STEAM teacher today while detailing well-structured lessons for your students to help them become the empathetic creators of tomorrow. General music teachers— and STEAM and Makerspace pros—Abigail Blair and Kathryn Finch have truly given you all the tools you need to take your music lessons to the next level."
Everyone Loves a Story
"Everyone loves a story, but when children’s literature is given a musical twist, magic happens. General music teachers Kathryn Finch and Abigail Blair invite you to view picture books through a new lens, one that gives each book a musical purpose. Each lesson offers strategies for introducing a specific book, bringing it to life through music, and then exploring the music concept introduced in the lesson more deeply. Not only do Kathryn and Abigail offer lessons for your students, but they also share how they think about literature lessons, from finding great books and discovering the hidden lessons within them to creating a full-fledged lesson sequence. This book is the best of both worlds: well-sequenced lessons for your students and professional development for you!"


ERIC Number: ED403139
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1997
Integrating Children's Literature and Mathematics in the Classroom: Children as Meaning Makers, Problem Solvers, and Literary Critics.
This book explores some of the relationships between mathematics, children's literature, and literary criticism. It focuses on ways of using trade books to provide children and educators with powerful instructional experiences that integrate the study of mathematics with children's literature and the search for excellent children's trade books that contain mathematics. The introductory chapter describes reasons for integrating the study of mathematics and children's literature, as well as the history of a search for excellent children's mathematics trade books and powerful instructional methods of using them. Chapter 2 presents a classroom example of an instructional method that helps children and adults better understand mathematics, literature, and themselves. Chapter 3 examines the philosophical and pedagogical underpinnings of the instructional model presented. Chapter 4 discusses standards useful in assessing children's mathematics trade books. It sensitizes the reader to the strengths and weaknesses of such books and provides the vocabulary necessary for insightfully discussing them. Chapter 5 explores ways of mathematically enhancing children's books to enrich their reader's mathematical and literary experiences. The appendix provides an assessment instrument useful for evaluating children's mathematics trade books. Contains 126 references. (JRH)
Descriptors: Books, Childrens Literature, Educational Strategies, Elementary Education, Interdisciplinary Approach, Mathematics Education, Teaching Methods
Teachers College Press, Columbia University, Teachers College, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027 (cloth: ISBN-0-8077-3565-5; paper: ISBN-0-8077-3564-7).
Publication Type: Guides - General; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A


Movement Matters (Dance)
Introduced in 2014, Movement Matters is a dance program for low-mobility senior citizens aimed at helping to incorporate physical movement into their daily routines. The program pairs Boston Conservatory dance and theater students with professionally trained faculty members to present hour-long classes to senior citizens that teach gentle but challenging movement through a variety of dance styles: ballet, modern, jazz, and tap.
Music Workshops (Music)
Conservatory Connections encourages students from the Conservatory's music education program to take part in monthly outreach activities that take place at community centers and after-school programs. Students interact with local children through activities that teach them about music, rhythm, a variety of instruments, and movement.


Halloween is the time of year when people dress as something other than what they are. It’s only a few days away and you probably want to keep all eyes on you and impress everyone at the Halloween Virtual Party you’re planning to attend. But wait a second, is your costume appropriate?
Cultural appropriation is when someone, usually of a privileged socioeconomic background, borrows elements from oppressed groups who have been historically marginalized. One of the groups whose culture is often appropriated during Halloween is Native Americans. Appropriators are — intentionally or unwittingly — contributing to the oppression Native people face daily throughout the country.
Dressing up like another racial group for Halloween is just wrong. It’s especially wrong to dress up like a Native American considering the mass genocide of Indigenous Americans during the time of the United States’ founding and considering that Native Americans, according to NPR, continue to experience discrimination on an exceptionally high level.
The games below were all developed with the tribes featured and teach Native American history. Here is an interesting fact for you, though. When we piloted these games at schools with predominantly Native American students, the students liked them a lot and their math scores went up. However, a frequent request was games with a more contemporary story line. So, we developed Forgotten Trail based on Ojibwe history and AzTech: The story begins , with contemporary characters learning Mayan history. Native American Heritage Month is in November so we’ll have a lot more to say about this topic in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.
If you really want to honor Native Americans, then you should learn about their culture.
Check out our educational video games that teach math in a history setting such as Ojibwe (Chippewa) history and more.
Recommended Grades 4-6
History: Ojibwe (Chippewa) History, Plains Indians
In Fish Lake, players practice with Fractions while learning math problem-solving strategies. They’ll also be introduced to Native American history. Watch out for poisonous snakes! Canoe through the rapids. Find enough food for your village’s survival. Figure out “what’s fair.” Who knew you could get this excited about fractions? Recommended for grades 4 and up.
Math: Multiplication and Division
History: Dakota (Sioux) History, Plains Native Americans
Learn Multiplication and Division from a 3-D Adventure Game set in Native American History.
In Spirit Lake: The Game, players learn how to solve multiplication, division and geometry through word problems set in the context of a stories based on the history and culture of the Dakota people. Save your tribe from attacks and a spreading epidemic by solving math problems while escaping rabid wolves and hunting buffalo. Math has never been this fun!


Since 2011, there have been protests in different cities of the world, demanding greater economic and social equality. There is, at the same time, wide agreement in the Chilean and international public opinion, to deem education as one of the most powerful tools to overcome social inequality.
In fact, regarding the notion of “equality of opportunities”, it is generally considered that, besides affirmative action for traditionally discriminated or disadvantaged groups, the main measures to advance on equality of opportunities are education, health care and work conditions, including a social security system.
Regarding education, every general treaty on human rights (and in particular, at a universal level, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and, at a regional level, the San Salvador Protocol, of 1988, on economic, social and cultural rights) enshrines this right. More specifically, they set forth the obligatory character, gratuity and universality of elementary education; the gradual universal access to secondary and superior education, by all adequate means, including its progressive gratuity; the freedom to teaching and the preferential right of parents to choose the education of their children. International treaties do not refer to pre-school education, perhaps because the awareness about the capital importance of education during the early years of life is relatively recent.
In Chile, the current administration has taken in the strong current of public opinion regarding the crucial importance of education. Thus, it has proposed ambitious goals on educational reform that have given rise to an intense social and political debate.
In this debate, it is usual to refer to the experiences of countries whose educational policies are deemed exemplary. The degree of social and political agreement to consistently implement public policies that need up to two decades or more to produce tangible results, that is, the duration of three or more elected governments, besides large public expenditure, depends on the level of economic development of a country, its traditions and its civic culture. That is not easy to achieve in countries of Hispanic America.
Without pretending, in any case, that technological development renders such political and social agreements unnecessary, there is no doubt that technical breakthroughs help to achieve the possible solutions.
It is for this reason that we have initiated from Universidad Diego Portales a program of free education on human rights online, directed to the world. The course is conducted in the MOOC mode (massive open online courses). By the time this lines are written (September 4, 2014), our MOOC on introduction to human rights counts 2130 students from 106 different countries. The course may be followed at http://udemy.com/introduction-to-human-rights, where it shall be available for life.


Why NOT Sound-it-out?
Dr. Robert Schwartz
How to teach word recognition is one of the most contentious issues in literacy education. This debate has been particularly damaging for children who struggle with initial literacy learning. Children’s word recognition processing does change over time, as they increase their knowledge of phonics and orthographic patterns. We’ll consider how to build on students’ strengths to support self-monitoring and self-correction. Self-monitoring, not letter-by-letter sounding-out provides the mechanism for novice readers to refine their word recognition strategies and move toward the fast perceptual processing that supports skilled readers’ meaning construction.
Dr. Robert Schwartz established the Oakland University Reading Center in 1991. He is trainer emeritus and a past president of the Reading Recovery Council of North America. His research interests include self-monitoring in beginning reading, early literacy intervention, research design, and professional development for literacy teachers. He has publications on these topics in Reading Recovery Quarterly, Journal of Educational Psychology, International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, the Journal of Reading Recovery and The Reading Teacher. Dr. Schwartz is particularly interested in the role of one-to-one tutoring in supporting the literacy development of the lowest performing beginning readers and the professional learning of their teachers. He can be reached at .


A Message from Dan Summers (Owner / Instructor)
Those of us that play music know that it can be a lifetime of enjoyment; a social activity; and a source of pride and achievement. Numerous studies show it has enormous benefits to the creative, social, intellectual, academic, even physical development of the child. Parents and family are the most important factors in your child's success and enjoyment of music.
What every parent should know:
After 30 years of playing and teaching it has become clear that there is a wrong way to teach music - "showing instead of teaching". Some may be impressed with the short-term results of playing by ear, or reading tablature or other over-simplified notation systems...but the student is missing the very essence of a music education.
They will not be able to communicate with other musicians, compose their own songs, accompany other musicians, or even learn new songs quickly. In order to approach musical situations confidently you need to know the fundamentals - taught the correct way. All music, from classical to country to heavy rock, incorporates these simple concepts. As your musical tastes change, these fundamentals help you learn and grow as a musician.
So don't be too quick to sign up with the musician who happens to teach as a sideline - teaching requires an entirely different skill-set and temperament. They are different jobs. The best teachers have a compliment of qualifications and experience - teaching, and live performance, in a variety of situations and musical genres - including classical, pop, country, and rock.
What about the internet? Youtube and the internet is an amazing resource...but how do you know the information is correct or appropriate to your level? There are some great instructional materials out there, and there is a lot of misinformation - the material is only as reliable as the person who posted it. I will show you how to tell the difference and find useful tutorials and reliable sites.
What Parents Should Do:
Have a set time frame of at least 6 months (preferably 1 year) for your child's commitment.
Provide a quiet place, where the instrument can stay ready to play.
Remain nearby for help and encouragement - if that is what works for the child.
Praise their efforts and recognize even small improvements.
What Parents Should NOT_Do:
When It's Not Going Well :
Ask your child what they do or don't like about their music program. Talk to the instructor. Is there some aspect of the lessons that be changed (maybe just in the short term) that can rekindle the enthusiasm. Negotiate with your child. What was the initial time commitment? Can they give an honest effort till the end of the school year, or spring break? Keep it positive. If they made an honest effort they deserve recognition for that. Help your child develop a regular practise routine.
Contact us at: email@example.com


The Ilm-on-Wheels project received financial support from DFID's Education Innovation Fund under Ilm-Ideas program and was first conceived and implemented in 2012, addressing improvement in Maths competency of Grade 4 and 5 students and their teachers in 10 public primary schools in Balakot. Based on the positive results achieved the intervention was scaled to 46 schools in 2013 in the same target area, covering early grade literacy and numeracy component in addition to components deployed previously. Community engagement component was added as well. The beneficiary count increased from 10 teachers and 300 students in earlier phase to 86 teachers and 8,000+ students in the extention phase, completed in April 2015.
Ilm-on-Wheels program was based on TeleTaleem’s Learning Boost methodology of effective and sustainable use of technology to deliver teaching-learning practices at the grassroots level. The program used a satellite (VSAT) equipped, self-contained van, called School Garee, containing computer servers, Android tablets, a power-generator, UPS, and routers to bring technology capability to any school. A primary reason for using this self-contained van was that most locations lack basic infrastructure like electricity, internet connectivity, and Information Technology (IT) skills.
The program targeted higher learning gains in early grade literacy and numeracy using a holistic approach with the following characteristics:
· Just-in-time training of teachers tied to their current teaching context with supportive mentoring.
· Continuous assessment and feedback to students and teachers.
· Improved governance and accountability by actively involving parents and school administration.
· Learning inside and outside the classroom with emphasis on community and home.
· Localized and indigenous educational materials.
· Pragmatic use of technology that is congruent with constraints of developing nations.
Independent project evaluations have revealed positive results for learning outcomes, student and teacher engagement. End-line assessments reveal improvements in Grade 5 Mathematics and Grade 2 numeracy skills. Teachers report improved attendance in classes and increased student engagement. Interviews with teachers and students revealed increased levels of engagement and a perception that the intervention made the classes more interesting.
Teacher interviews produced unanimous agreement regarding the efficacy of the teacher training modules. Video observations of teaching practices revealed a shift towards a more participatory approach to teaching, by involving children encouraging group-work and using tablets to explain concepts. The intervention had a positive impact in making teaching approaches more child-centered. Teacher interviews revealed that the impact of the learning continues beyond the project and in fact even at the time of the project they had begun to use the learning from the project’s training in other classes.
The behavioral shift in pedagogical approaches is a key achievement of the project. Teaching practices in government schools are by and large rote-based and lead to very disengaged students. Video content that was made available to teachers helped them try non-traditional approaches, developed their capacity for incorporating practices that help students learn concepts and acquire literacy and Math skills more effectively.


Everything for Early Learning, Grade K
Everything for Early Learning for kindergarten provides activities to help children learn these essential concepts:
-reading and writing readiness
This math and language arts workbook supports current state standards.
Everything for Early Learning provides children with the tools they need to think critically, solve problems, and succeed in school. This workbook for kindergarten guides children through a variety of colorful, engaging activities. Each activity supports early learning standards for math, language arts, and basic skills. An exceptional addition to at-home kindergarten curriculum, Everything for Early Learning covers these foundational skills and concepts:
-numbers and counting
-addition and subtraction
-letters and sounds
The Everything for Early Learning series offers creative math and language arts activities that promote a fun approach to learning. With Everything for Early Learning, children start their educational journey equipped with skills for success!


- What are the basic literacy skills?
- What are foundation skills?
- Why are foundational reading skills important?
- How do you teach basic reading skills?
- What are the 5 basic reading skills?
- What are the 6 basic reading skills?
- What are the 7 strategies of reading?
- How do you test your reading skills?
- What are foundational skills in reading?
- What are the 4 reading skills?
- What are the types of reading skills?
- What do you mean by reading skills?
What are the basic literacy skills?
The generally agreed building blocks of reading include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension..
What are foundation skills?
FOUNDATION. SKILLS. WHAT ARE FOUNDATION SKILLS? Foundation skills are fundamental to a person’s participation in the workplace, the community and in education and training. They are a combination of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills and employability skills.
Why are foundational reading skills important?
A major goal of early reading instruction is to teach children the skills that allow them to become independent readers. Children learn to recognize effortlessly an increasing number of words, which frees them to think about what is being read. They master the skill of decoding words.
How do you teach basic reading skills?
Top 10 Tips for Teaching Basic Reading SkillsTeach an appreciation of words. Sharing stories is the easiest way to get students interested in reading. … Create language awareness. … Building blocks of ABCs. … Explain phonology. … Instill phonemic awareness. … Share the relationship between sounds and letters. … Sound out words. … Teach proper spelling.More items…
What are the 5 basic reading skills?
There are five skills that children need to read proficiently.Phonemic awareness.Phonics.Fluency.Vocabulary.Comprehension.
What are the 6 basic reading skills?
Here are six essential skills needed for reading comprehension , and tips on what can help kids improve this skill.Decoding. Decoding is a vital step in the reading process. … Fluency. … Vocabulary. … Sentence construction and cohesion. … Reasoning and background knowledge. … Working memory and attention.
What are the 7 strategies of reading?
To improve students’ reading comprehension, teachers should introduce the seven cognitive strategies of effective readers: activating, inferring, monitoring-clarifying, questioning, searching-selecting, summarizing, and visualizing-organizing.
How do you test your reading skills?
The most common reading comprehension assessment involves asking a child to read a passage of text that is leveled appropriately for the child, and then asking some explicit, detailed questions about the content of the text (often these are called IRIs).
What are foundational skills in reading?
Here’s the good news: Most educators have gotten the message that K-5 students need to learn the foundational reading skills outlined in the common core and other college and career-ready standards: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency.
What are the 4 reading skills?
The ultimate goal in reading is comprehension, but being able to comprehend a text accurately requires strength in each of four skill areas: alphabetics, vocabulary, fluency, AND comprehension.
What are the types of reading skills?
The four main types of reading techniques are the following:Skimming.Scanning.Intensive.Extensive.
What do you mean by reading skills?
Reading skills is the ability of an individual to read, comprehend and interpret written words on a page of an article or any other reading material. The possession of a good reading skill will enable the individual to be able to assimilate a written work within a short period while reading.


FAQs for Early Education and Care Programs
Hush Little Baby classes just seem to 'flow' - how do you do this?
Do you use lots of musical instruments in your classes?
Through our classes we gradually introduce the children to a range of percussion instruments (triangles, drums, maracas, egg shakers, castanets, claves) as the program progresses. The bulk of what we do in classes, however, is unaccompanied by any instruments. The reason for this is that our fundamental philosophy is that the voice should be the first and primary instrument used in early childhood music education. Every child has a voice, and they all know how to use their voice in some way or another. Physiologically, the only instrument children are ready to use in any meaningful way at this level is their voice, though exploration of percussion can also be valuable.
Do you give out musical instruments to every child at once?
At other times we take turns with instruments. For example, our claves and triangles require more finely honed motor skills to play correctly, and if just one or two children are playing them our music teachers are able to help them play successfully. Also, taking turns will often make instrumental exploration more meaningful. Children feel the “specialness” of the moment and play much more musically and carefully.
Some instruments, like our ukuleles and chime bars, are mostly for the children to listen to while our teachers play, with occasional guided exploration. The wondrous hush that falls over the room when one of these much loved instruments is taken out is just beautiful!
Why are the same songs sometimes used for multiple rooms?
When using the same song with a toddler group, the children are asked to identify and point to their own toes, knees, noses and heads during the song. We also use our teddy bear Theodore and ask children to find these body parts on him. We support the children in singing parts of the song once they are familiar with it (ie asking children to name the body parts in the song as we get to them, encouraging them to sing the more easily remembered rhyming words at end of phrases etc) and we actively engage them in the dramatic play aspects of the song (such as swatting the flea at the end of the song).
Using this song with Preschool/Kindy we are focusing on the fact that the pitch of the song rises as the children move from pointing low on their bodies to pointing high on their bodies (eg the song begins at the bottom of the major scale, while the children are touching their toes, and by the time they are touching their heads the song has reached the top of the major scale). The children are also invited to engage fully in the dramatic play aspects of the song.
Why do you repeat some songs from week to week?
Repetition is important for young children in that it aids neural development and helps them to become more comfortable, and therefore more likely to take perceived risks (eg saying a rhyme, performing actions, engaging with music in class and/or at home). Bringing the same repertoire back from time to time ensures that the children are familiar enough with it that they can take ownership of it. We want children to be going home and teaching the songs, rhymes and games from music to their parents, or in the case of very young children, responding when their families use our repertoire to engage with them at home.
Can Hush Little Baby run classes at my early education and care service?
If you are outside of these areas, give us a call on 1300 857 517 or email our Customer Experience Manager Elissa at email@example.com and we will see what we can do! We may be able to offer you monthly classes, a one-off incursion or some Professional Development around using music.
How do Hush Little Baby classes help childen to learn and grow?
What is Hush Little Baby doing to ensure health and safety with regard to COVID-19?
Health and safety has always been a priority at Hush Little Baby. All of our teachers have completed the Australian Government COVID-19 Infection Control Training and take health and safety very seriously. You can find out more about the stringent safety measures we are undertaking here.


Why Science in the Early Years
Studies have shown that, during the first five years, children develop the foundational brain structures and early learning skills upon which all future education will be built. These are precisely the years when each child’s huge potential and innate capacity for creativity must be developed throughout activities and experiences that help them develop their foundational skills. Our STEM innovative and unique early childhood programs are fun, interesting, practical, and proven amazing educational ways to stimulate children’s curiosity. They shape children’s mind to think creatively and critically as encourage them to learn about themselves and their environment.
During ten years of teaching children ages two to seven, we have observed the great benefits of our programs. In fact, we have seen that children really look forward to their next science class, became involved in eco-friendly hands-on science experiments, became familiar with the vocabulary and tools and have developed critical and creative thinking skills. These pioneering programs help children develop a life-long love for science and for learning while empowering them with the social, emotional, cognitive, critical and creative thinking skills needed to succeed in the 21 century.


This invaluable manual from world-renowned expert Johnny Saldaña illuminates the process of qualitative coding and provides clear, insightful guidance for qualitative researchers at all levels. The fourth edition includes a range of updates that build upon the huge success of the previous editions:
Saldana presents a range of coding options with advantages and disadvantages to help researchers to choose the most appropriate approach for their project, reinforcing their perspective with real world examples, used to show step-by-step processes and to demonstrate important skills
Johnny Saldaña is Professor Emeritus from Arizona State University's (ASU) School of Film, Dance, and Theatre in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, where he taught from 1981 to 2014. He received his BFA in Drama and English Education in 1976, and MFA in Drama Education in 1979 from the University of Texas at Austin.
Saldaña is the author of Longitudinal Qualitative Research: Analyzing Change through Time (AltaMira Press, 2003); Fundamentals of Qualitative Research (Oxford University Press, 2011); Ethnotheatre: Research from Page to Stage (Left Coast Press, 2011); Thinking Qualitatively: Methods of Mind (Sage Publications, 2015); a commissioned title for Routledge's World Library of Educationalists Series, Writing Qualitatively: The Selected Works of Johnny Saldaña (Routledge, 2018); co-author with the late Matthew B. Miles and A. Michael Huberman for Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook (4th ed., Sage Publications, 2020); co-author with Matt Omasta for Qualitative Research: Analyzing Life (Sage Publications, 2018); and the editor of Ethnodrama: An Anthology of Reality Theatre (AltaMira Press, 2005). Previous editions of The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers have been translated into Korean, Turkish, and Chinese-Simplified.
Saldaña's methods works have been cited and referenced in more than 16,000 research studies conducted in over 130 countries in disciplines such as K-12 and higher education, medicine and health care, technology and social media, business and economics, government and social services, the fine arts, the social sciences, human development, and communication. He has published a wide range of research articles in journals such as Research in Drama Education, The Qualitative Report, Multicultural Perspectives, Youth Theatre Journal, Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Teaching Theatre, Research Studies in Music Education, Cultural Studies ? Critical Methodologies, the International Journal of Qualitative Methods, the International Review of Qualitative Research, and Qualitative Inquiry, and has contributed several chapters to research methods handbooks. His most popular journal article, "Blue-Collar Qualitative Research: A Rant" (Qualitative Inquiry, 2014), has been downloaded by over 3,000 readers, according to ResearchGate.
Saldaña's research in qualitative inquiry, data analysis, and performance ethnography has received awards from the American Alliance for Theatre & Education, the National Communication Association-Ethnography Division, the American Educational Research Association's Qualitative Research Special Interest Group, New York University's Program in Educational Theatre, the Children's Theatre Foundation of America, and the ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
Part I: Coding Foundations
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Codes and Coding
Chapter 2: Fundamental Coding Methods and Techniques
Chapter 3: Writing Analytic Memos about Narrative and Visual Data
Part II: First Cycle Coding Methods
Chapter 4: Selecting First Cycle Coding Methods
Chapter 5: Grammatical Coding Methods
Chapter 6: Elemental Coding Methods
Chapter 7: Affective Coding Methods
Chapter 8: Literary and Language Coding Methods
Chapter 9: Exploratory Coding Methods
Chapter 10: Procedural Coding Methods
Chapter 11: Methods of Themeing the Data
Part III: Second Cycle Coding Methods
Chapter 12: Transitioning from First to Second Cycle Coding Methods
Chapter 13: Second Cycle Grounded Theory Coding Methods
Chapter 14: Second Cycle Cumulative Coding Methods
Chapter 15: After First and Second Cycle Coding Methods


The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.
NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing against national standards in literacy and numeracy and over time.
The tests provide an important contribution to monitoring and evaluating the performance of schools and school systems in these fundamental capabilities. They also provide schools, states and territories with information about how education approaches are working, the areas to be prioritised for improvement, and those schools requiring support in the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy.
The results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students’ levels of literacy and numeracy attainment and progress.
NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process, they do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Your child’s teacher will have the best insight into your child’s educational progress.
NAPLAN results do not measure overall school quality.
The assessments are undertaken nationwide, every year, in the second full week in May.
NAPLAN is made up of tests in the four areas (or ‘domains’) of:
language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
To download NAPLAN Lock down Browser, choose your operating System:


The ability to read and understand and then apply that knowledge enables people to navigate through life. As such, literacy and education are critical components of poverty reduction.
At age 3, children need to develop the vocabulary they need to be school-ready at age 6, and to be able to successfully make the shift at age 9 from learning to read, to reading to learn—so they can succeed in school and in life. Enough for All Champion Calgary Reads believes in the value of literacy and discusses different ways to support early childhood learning. Their 3-6-9 Series delves into topics that discuss the value of literacy and learning in the early years.
Early learning influences adulthood success, so one of our greatest assets against adulthood poverty is early education.


Importance of Reading - Part 2
The Diary of a First Grade Teacher
Importance of reading cannot be overstated. If you have a child who is struggling in reading, take a look at the five crucial areas of concern.
The first two areas of concern were discussed in Importance of Reading - Part 1.
Here in Part 2 we begin with the third crucial area of concern:
3. Reading Fluency
Can your child read a paragraph accurately and quickly?
Does your child read word-by-word? To understand what is read, the child must learn to read words quickly and accurately.
Readers who read slowly are weak in fluency. They have to spend too much time decoding words instead of comprehending what the material is about.
What you can do …
- Given plenty of examples, a child can learn. Here's how ... Read to him. Whenever you read to him at the proper speed AND with good intonations you are modeling how reading should be properly done.
- Children learn by practicing. Here's how ... Listen to your child read. Choose books that he’s interested in AND ones that are easy for him to read. They should be on his recreational reading level.
- Another powerful way to improve reading fluency is to help him learn the sight words.
4. Vocabulary Development
Does your child know the meaning and pronunciation of the word?
Help your child become a better reader by building his vocabulary.
What you can do …
- Read to him daily - about a variety of subjects.
- Let him HEAR the new word and SEE the new word in print.
- Later, use the new word when you speak to him.
- Write the new word in a sentence - that makes sense to him - and have him read it aloud to you. Ask him to tell you what it means.
5. Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is understanding what you have read; it is not simply the calling out of words.
You want your child to read, understand, and remember what was read. You want him to be able to tell you.
Good readers realize the importance of reading, so they apply reading comprehension strategies to make sure they understand what they read.
What you can do …
- Make sure your child isn’t confusing the meanings of words ... Before you read, introduce the new vocabulary that will be found in the passage or the story. Help him understand the meaning of the word or its concept.
- In a nonfiction passage, help him recognize the main idea.
- To determine if he knows the important details in a passage, ask questions about what he has read.
- Whenever he’s reading, check to see if he’s paying attention, interested, and focused. Students who comprehend what they read, read with a purpose in mind. They are focused on finding out what they want to know. Give him a purpose for reading by asking him questions. For example, say, “What do you think happens next?”
- Help him choose books to read. Again, start with topics he’s interested in.
- Can he find and connect the important parts in a story or a nonfiction passage?
- Look at the book he is about to read … What is it about? Now, think about a personal experience your child has had with the same subject found in the book. Talk about his personal experience. Say, “Remember when … " This will help him relate to the story or understand what the passage is about.
- Can he remember what he has read? Ask him to tell you (in a sentence or two) what the material was about?
- Most of all, you can demonstrate the importance of reading in YOUR life by purchasing magazines and books, by visiting the library, and by showing your enthusiasm whenever you read something that excites you. By allowing your child to see you reading and enjoying it, you are being a powerful influence in the right direction.
* * *
I hope these tips will help your child begin to understand the importance of reading ... And if I had to choose the most important thing and the easiest, I'd say read to your child and SHOW that you love doing it!
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Music Education Benefits Language. International Journal of Music Education. Research Suggests Positive Impact of Music Education. Posted by. It was just one more example among many of the "keep music … Music within early childhood education is not simply a means of bringing some fun and positive atmosphere to the classroom. Music has a direct effect on our hormones. Recent research indicates that music therapy has a positive impact on students’ cognitive development. Saarikallio, S., and Erkkila, J. Several studies by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which is based at Brown University, explored the effects of art and music education on young children's learning. Music has various effects on the activity of a large range of brain structures (Koelsch et al., 2009). 28 (3) 269-289. Functional neuroimaging studies have shown that listening to music can have effects on the core structures of emotional processing (the limbic and paralimbic structures) in both musicians and ‘non-musicians’ (Koelsch et al., 2009). These music students also have more A and B grades compared to non-music students (National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 First Follow-Up, U.S. Department of Education). Studying music and the arts elevates children's education, expands students' horizons, and teaches them to appreciate the wonder of life." This is so important at this stage in a child’s life. Today I ran across one more xeroxed handout touting the test-taking benefits of music education, defending music as a great tool for raising test scores and making students smarter. (2007). Hallam, S. (2010). Music helps further expand innate abilities that need to be celebrated, fostered, practiced, and reinforced in the home and in a formal setting. Rauscher, one of the researchers involved in the “Mozart effect” study, and a former concert cellist, favors expanded music education. The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. Aims The purpose of the study is to review literature concerning the effects of music on students with disabilities. Majorities of parents and teachers believe music education should be required in both middle and high schools (NAMM Foundation and Grunwald Associates LLC, 2015. Music education improves average SAT scores (Arts Education Partnership, 2011). Guest Blogger ... Northwestern is conducting a longitudinal study that investigates the impact of music education on child and adolescent brain development. Bernstein says it is enriching and ennobling. Rather, it has a significant impact on a child’s learning processes. Striking a Chord: The Public’s Hopes and Beliefs for K–12 Music Education in the United States: 2015). The role of music in adolescents’ mood regulation. In students ages 2-9, one of the greatest benefits of music education is enhanced language development. Nevertheless, she is reluctant to say that only listening to music can permanently enhance the intellect. education teachers are given increased responsibilities for students with disabilities in their classrooms. If you listen to music you enjoy, it decreases levels of the hormone cortisol in your body, counteracting the effects of chronic stress . Music has become a To me, that sounds like a good cause for making music an integral part of every child's education. Journal of Music Therapy, 49(4), 395-413. Teachers have long observed the effect that music education can have on students, but recent research is showing just how integral learning a musical instrument is to a child’s development. More music majors who applied for medical school were admitted compared to those in other majors including English, biology, chemistry and math.


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Music Reference and Research Services Librarian
Search for Articles and Books
Note: what follows is a list of databases. If you'd like some tips on how to quickly familiarize yourself with a new database, check out the Decoding a Database handout.
Use HOLLIS to find books, articles, scores, recordings, and more in one search.
Academic Search Premier
This multi-disciplinary database is a great place to start: you'll see both MAGAZINE ARTICLES and ACADEMIC JOURNAL ARTICLES in your results. Use magazine articles to get a quick overview for a general audience: one way to find your bearings and get a sense of the vocabulary around a topic.
Full-text searching across a selection of HIGHBROW MAGAZINES (i.e. magazines for intellectuals that include well-researched, long-form articles, sometimes written by scholars in the field). Note: the search function in this database is *slow* and *clumsy*, but the content is awesome enough to make it worthwhile.
Discipline Specific Databases - MUSIC
If you know the discipline you want to search, a database devoted to that discipline is a powerful tool. You'll find ways of specifying your search terms that are just right (time period, protest movement, music genre, etc.), plus results you won't see anywhere else.
These are our top recommendations, but Harvard licenses many hundreds of databases---so please feel free to email for additional or alternative recommendations! (If you'd like to get a sense of the range, you can browse the database list.)
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
An international bibliography of music articles, collections, and books covering 10,000+ journals from the 1800s to the present.
Music Index Online
An index of over 800 music periodicals; strengths are popular music, ethnomusicology, and reviews. The online version covers articles published from 1970-present.
Music Periodicals Database
Covers the full spectrum of subjects and all aspects of music, including music education, performance, ethnomusicology, musical theatre, theory, popular music forms and composition.
Discipline Specific Databases - BEYOND MUSIC
A major resource for research in all areas of EDUCATION.
A core resource for researchers, professionals, and students in SOCIOLOGY, social planning/policy, and related disciplines.
For PSYCHOLOGY and behavioral science.
Race Relations Abstracts
Great for anything related to RACE, including ethnic studies, discrimination, immigration studies, etc.
Articles, books, and NGO, government and special reports related to GENDER.
Diversity - Alexander Street Press Collection
Documentaries, interviews, biographies, performances, and lectures relevant to Asian studies, black studies, LGBT studies, North American Indian studies, and women's studies.
America History and Life
For AMERICAN HISTORY. History databases allow for very fine-grained searching on your subject dates: check out the options under "Advanced Search."
International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest
A comprehensive resource covering major rebellions and protest movements over the past 500 years, and the idealogies and activists that propelled them.
Search for Audio and Video
Kanopy provides access to films, documentaries, and television shows from a variety of independent filmmakers and distributors, including the BBC, PBS and the Criterion Collection.
Music Online (aka Music and Performing Arts)
Includes Smithsonian Global Sound, a collection of folk recordings including protest songs, American folk, and world music.
Market Research Resources


No matter teachers’ past, they positively impact students every day.Whatever their history, teachers are responsible for students’ futures. Although one may have planned to become a famous actor or a physician, when found in front of a class, it’s the educator’s duty to directly guide effective leaJul 30, 2015
No matter teachers’ past, they positively impact students every day.
Whatever their history, teachers are responsible for students’ futures. Although one may have planned to become a famous actor or a physician, when found in front of a class, it’s the educator’s duty to directly guide effective learning in the classroom.
Adam Zang is a reading coach at the T.G. Barr School in the Roosevelt School District. What one might not know about him is that he’s a former screenwriter turned elementary teacher.
After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in English from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, Zang attended Vancouver Film School and spent part of his career writing for television and film. After marrying and relocating, the Michigan native began a new chapter in the teaching profession, earning a master’s degree in elementary education from Arizona State University (ASU).
“Writing can be lonely. I was working as a screenwriter, but wanted to get into teaching to share my experiences with students and make an impact as an educator,” explained Zang.
On the contrary, Sarah Ravel, National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), has spent her entire career in education in the Balsz Elementary School District as a fourth- and sixth- grade teacher. Because her mother was a teacher, the ASU bachelor’s and master’s degree graduate said she spent many summers and afternoons in the classroom. Currently, Ravel serves as an instructional coach for Brunson-Lee Elementary School.
Both educators are members of the Valley of the Sun United Way Literacy Learning Cohort. Ravel and Zang explain that the opportunity to interact with professionals from varying districts has proven beneficial because it allows time to troubleshoot among peers.
“It helps us gain insight into common dilemmas that we face as educators, and provides a wealth of knowledge about what has worked in other districts and what has been a struggle,” Zang said.
Additionally, they claim attending Arizona K12 Center professional learning sessions have impacted their craft on a daily basis.
“I really appreciate being a part of the cohort. Anytime we invest time and energy in training and development opportunities, powerful learning experiences unfold,” said Ravel. “The Critical Friends training that was provided has been instrumental in changing the ways we host meetings in our school and district. It even spills into my conversations at home, making sure I’m asking good questions, paraphrasing, and giving individuals enough space to talk.”
Zang agreed that the Critical Friends training has been a monumental part of his cohort experience. Also, he admits attending both Doug Fisher events — Creating a Culture of Achievement and Close Reading and nvarchar(max) Dependent Questions —have impacted the way he works with teachers and students.
Alaina Adams, NBCT, is the Arizona K12 Center Project Director that oversees the Valley of the Sun United Way Literacy Learning Cohort. This energetic and passionate educator engages the cohort in collaborative activities, both in person and in a virtual environment. She identifies Ravel and Zang as outstanding cohort members because they represent the types of personalities that comprise the heart of the cohort: dedicated and dynamic.
“My interactions with Sarah and Adam are rooted in the only thing that matters in the teaching profession, and that is a positive impact on students and their learning. Whether it is analyzing one’s impact on student learning through National Board Certification, or working with community partners to obtain nametags for a student-ambassador program, it is evident that these educators are leaders in their connvarchar(max)s because they truly carry the needs of students with them in their role as literacy coaches. Students in the Balsz and Roosevelt school districts are well supported because coaches like Sarah and Adam support their teachers. It’s an honor to work in partnership with Valley of the Sun United Way — to be part of that work.”
For more information about learning-focused events at the Arizona K12 Center, visit: www.azk12.org/events/learning


Studying art teaches students to communicate ideas and feelings through visual art and design. Art History and Art Appreciation are the study of works of art and their connections to the social and political events of their time, and of the significance of art in society. In order to succeed in the Art Program students will need to develop strong critical thinking, problem solving, and technical skills as well as demonstrate creative ways to express ideas.
The Art Program at Skyline College
Skyline College’s Art Program ensures a creative foundation in the visual arts. Enrolling in studio courses provides opportunities to explore the diversity of methods and materials to make art. Drawing, painting, photography, digital arts and other 2-d arts, 3-d media like sculpture and ceramics, studies in film and video, are all accessible to the student. Art History and Art Appreciation courses let you explore art of many times and places, and to find their connections to your own life. We offer an Associate Degree in Art for transfer to four-year institutions.
An education in art fosters creativity, encourages independent thinking, and develops personal expression. Art is a broad field where one may apply training in visual foundations to a wide range of careers that include architecture, archiving, art conservation/restoration, art direction, art education, art history, art sales, art therapy, digital art, digital animation, commercial photography, courtroom sketching, curating, fashion design, fine art, fine art photography, forensic art, graphic design, illustration, interior design, industrial design, interactive design, museum/gallery direction, theater and movie set design, UI/UX, video game design, videography and cinematography, visual merchandising, web design, window design, and other creative job paths.


Welcome to the Science Department
In a world where Science is so involved in our daily lives that a knowledge of its basics is essential, we pride ourselves on providing a broad-based collection of skills and knowledge to each of our students so that they may play their part in it.
Key Stage 3
At KS3 we deliver a skills based curriculum focussed on developing the essential practical, literacy and numeracy skills required to understand formal scientific ideas.
Students have a chance to explore both classical and contemporary problems and will have the chance to carry out several important investigations each year.
Key Stage 4
We currently offer:
Both resulting in two grades at the end of Y11.
Key Stage 5
We offer the following options post-16:
Please click on the above option to find out more about the course.


This post was contributed by Lisette of Where Imagination Grows.
Simple Science for Kids on the Light Table!
Hands-on science for kids is a great way to teach children about the world around them. My preschoolers are fascinated with rocks, gems, and agates lately so I introduced them to this simple beginning geology activity on our light table to let them follow their interests.
Exploring Geology on the Light Table
All the rocks and agates we have are from a local rock shop and the bright colored agates I got off ebay (less than $1 each with free shipping!) but I’ve seen this cool sliced agate set on Amazon if you don’t have a rock shop local to you.
I set out the various rocks and agates on our light table and gave my girls a magnifying glass to explore the rocks and agates with.
When planning activities that center on science for kids I try to create kids activities that are visually enticing and offer sensory experiences for them. This was the perfect activity for that!
After they examined the rocks with the magnifying glasses the girls then spent a great deal of time sorting them by color.
They also paired them up with similar rocks and sorted them into lines based on the different type we had on the light table. The girls decided that we had “rocks, crystals, & gems.” I was impressed with the different types of rocks they remembered from our recent reading of two National Geographic books: Rocks & Minerals and Everything Rocks & Minerals.
I asked my preschool aged girls simple questions about the textures, size, coloring, patterns, weight, and more as we played with the rocks and agates. If you have older kids you can ask more in depth geology questions and discuss the things like what types of rocks are they, how are they formed, and where would you find them but with my younger ones I kept it simple.
The girls loved this easy geology activity and they’ve spent hours examining, sorting, and playing with the rocks. They enjoyed them so much that we now keep them out with our light table loose parts so they can explore them whenever they want to. When you add the light table to this simple geology activity it makes science for kids even more fun!
Supplies, Books, & Toys to Supplement This Activity:
More Light Table Fun:
How do you explore science with your kids? Do share in the comments below!


Australia is a country in the southern hemisphere. It is the only country that covers an entire continent. The capital city is Canberra, and the biggest city is Sydney. Australia is a lively, energetic and friendly country. It is a native English speaking place with a tropical climate, whose living standards are quite high, lower than other countries in terms of cost. Australia offers education and training for foreign students, internationally recognized and world-class opportunities. Australia hosts thousands of language learners every year in the popular cities of the country (Sydney, Melbourne, etc.). Australia Flag.
Its neighbors are Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and New Zealand.
Generally, there are high and long strata, fertile plains in the south-east. The actual eruption of the mainland is older than 3 billion years. In terms of soil, Russia is the 6th largest country after Canada, China, the United States and Brazil. It stretches between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It occupies a total area of 8.698.850 square kilometers, including 8.617.930 square kilometers of land and 80.920 square kilometers of water.
Parliamentary democracy is dominant in Australia. On the federal level, there are two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate. In Australia, the head of government is prime minister. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party, which is the most deputy in the House of Representatives. The Australian president is Queen of Great Britain II. Elisabeth is. She has the title of Australian queen. Australia has a governor appointed on behalf of the queen and participates in government ceremonies.
Australia’s climate varies according to different regions. In Australia, the weather is warmest from May to October, while in July the temperature is the lowest in the country. Temperatures range from -5 degrees to 30 degrees depending on the region. From November to April in Australia there is summer and the average temperature is between 15-35 degrees.
Australia’s capital city, Canberra, is located in the Australian Capital Territory. It is the eighth most developed city in the country. Between 1913 and 1927, the two rival cities were designed and built as the capital between Sydney and Melbourne. Architect Walter Burley designed Griffin Canberra, inspired by cities like Washington and Brasilia. See also, the States of Australia.
Its population is 24,743,471 million. Although it is a big country, we can say that the population is less than these huge borders.
There is no official religion recognized in Australia. Christians constitute 61 percent of the country’s population. 25 percent of Christians are Catholic. In addition, 22 percent of the country’s population is not a member of any religion.
Industry and Tourism
Agriculture and livestock are very important in the Australian economy. Australia, the largest producer of wool in the world, meets the need for large quantities of meat, everyday products, grain, fruit, vegetables and sugar. Australia is rich in energy resources and minerals. It is the world’s largest coal and diamond exporter. In Australia, chemistry, electronics, food and mining are the leading sectors. Australia, which has a strong interest in education as a sector, also conducts advanced research in the fields of space technology, medicine, computer and engineering.
There is a certain love for nature in this country. Because the natural beauties and biodiversity of this country are very broad. We can call it a paradise. Temperatures are high in the inner regions during summer months. The northern regions are rainy in the summer. Therefore, you should prefer spring and autumn to visit here. In southern regions like Sydney, the climate is suitable for all seasons. 10 Reasons to Visit Australia.
A national sculpture school was not established in Australia, Australian sculptors continued the British tradition. There is very little local design in Australian architecture. In Australia, where interpreters and composers who pursue European musical traditions have gained fame in various countries around the world since 1870, music education begins in early childhood and middle school.
Australians love to play sports. One of the most watched events in the country today is the Australian Rules Based American Football.
Australia has a very rich cuisine because it is a country that has been emigrated almost everywhere in the world. One of Australia’s greatest pleasures is making barbecue. In the streets of Melbourne you will have a smell of barbecue in your nose. They have a worldwide reputation for consuming meat. It would be unfair to say that Australian cuisine is just meat. In this country, which has temperate climate throughout the year, fruits and vegetables are always fresh. Besides this, there is a very developed fish culture in the country. There are 600 different types of fish in Australia.
There are a few restaurants in the country that serve Aboriginal traditional cuisine products.


A broad general education
Every child and young person in Scotland is entitled to experience a broad general education. This broad general education takes place from the early years to the end of S3 and is represented by learning across all of the experiences and outcomes.
Numeracy and Mathematics Experiences and Outcomes
My learning in mathematics enables me to:
- engage with more abstract mathematical concepts and develop important new kinds of thinking
develop a secure understanding of the concepts, principles and processes of mathematics and apply these in different contexts, including the world of work
engage with more abstract mathematical concepts and develop important new kinds of thinking
understand the application of mathematics, its impact on our society past and present, and its potential for the future
develop essential numeracy skills which will allow me to participate fully in society
establish firm foundations for further specialist learning
understand that successful independent living requires financial awareness, effective money management, using schedules and other related skills
*interpret numerical information appropriately and use it to draw conclusions, assess risk, and make reasoned evaluations and informed decisions
- apply skills and understanding creatively and logically to solve problems, within a variety of contexts appreciate how the imaginative and effective use of technologies can enhance the development of skills and concepts.


Fused glass art has created a buzz in the entire art world. For many years, fused glass, aka kiln-formed glass, has been considered in arts and crafts because it offers various possibilities for creating functional pieces and artwork.
From plates, jewelry, sun catchers, clock faces, to sculpture, you can use your artistic ability to fabricate many things with this fascinating glass art form.
This guide covers steps and supplies to get started with the fused glass art journey.
What is Glass Fusing?
The glass fusing process involves melting two compatible pieces of glass in an electric kiln and fusing them into a single piece. Generally, the heating temperature ranges from 593 °C
(1, 000°F) to 816 °C (1, 500°F).
By fusing glass, people can craft dynamic and colorful works of completely unique art. The best part is that, unlike other glass forms, you are free to take as much time as you need to bring your design to life.
What Supplies Do You Need for Fused Glass?
Since various bells and whistles are available in the market, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the choices. Here is a list to consider when getting supplies for your next glass fusing DIY project:
Coefficient of Expansion (COE)
Many people make the mistake of mixing different types of glass, which leads to a complete DIY project failure. So, it would help if you choose fusible glass with the Coefficient of Expansion (COE) between 90 and 96. While art education catalogs usually sell COE 90, companies specializing in glasses sell both COE 90 and 96.
Budget or Convenience?
People who prioritize convenience over budget can purchase pebbles, stringers, pre-cut chips & clear bases. On the other hand, buying glass packs with glass sheets as big as 12” x12” of 3mm thick glass is best for people who prefer cutting up their own glass. Besides, running pillars, a glass cutter, and a pair of nippers are also needed.
Kiln Wash and Kiln Paper
Kiln wash is a powdered mix that you should buy to wash glass stuck to your kiln shelves. If you want to prevent the glass from sticking to kiln shelves, you should consider getting kilnKiln paper.
Elmer’s Glue and Toothpicks
Many people choose small dabs of Elmer’s glue because it helps in attaching glass pieces together. Since the glue burns off during firing, there is no need to worry about it. However, you can use toothpicks to ensure you do not overdo it.
Unlike regular Sharpie, Metallic Sharpie doesn’t burn off in the kiln during firing. So if you are in a group, ensure that all of you write some code on the bottom of metallic Sharpie before commencing the DIY project.
How to Fuse Glass?
Once you have the right material and studio safety in place, you can take the plunge and explore the possibilities of creating various things with fused glass.
If your glass has visible fingerprints or smudges, make sure you clear it off. The process of fusing glass begins with applying a small amount of Elmer’s glue to make sure your design remains intact when assembling it into the kiln.
Now, assemble pieces in the kiln, but avoid putting pieces too close to the edge of the shelf. Next, fire the kiln to the above-mentioned temperature and appropriate firing schedule. Once the glass is cool, you can take your project out of the kiln.
The Bottom Line
There you have it! This was the ultimate guide to creating dynamic glass artwork with fused glass technique. So, hone their creative side with DIY art projects and win admiration for their unique sense of style. You can use this guide to begin your fused art journey.
If you have any other queries, leave your comments.


How to Write a Diary Story
Writing a story is a fun creative outlet, and authors can use creative license to format their stories in various ways. One popular format for a story is a diary or journal format, in which the story is told through the point of view of one character writing his thoughts and describing events in his diary. A diary story should be told in first person and requires careful planning, as diaries can be too descriptive and lacking in action, which does not make for an effective story.
Brainstorm ideas for your diary story. The most important thing to do is to understand your main character who is writing the diary. Allow yourself to ramble freely in a notebook or document as the character, using "I" or "me" as if you are the character. Let him talk about his likes and dislikes, his emotions, his story. You may be able to use some of these thoughts later.
Write one paragraph summarizing your story. A diary story cannot simply be a collection of journal entries that does not have an actual story arc; like any tale, there must be a definite beginning, middle and satisfying conclusion.
Write an outline for your diary story. Focus on the main events that happen to your main character that he will be writing about in his diary, and write them in chronological order. Add any notes or bits of dialogue that occur to you as you outline.
Write the first draft of your diary story based on the outline. With any story, but particularly one in diary format, voice is vital if the story is going to be successful. The only way to find your and your character's voice is by writing regardless of whether or not you are happy with what is coming out. You may not find the character's voice -- his mannerisms, the way he talks and phrases things -- until the end of the first draft, but you will be revising and can fix this.
Include dialogue in your diary story. While most actual diaries do not include written out dialogue, a story does, and you can write dialogue to both enhance the story and make it more entertaining and believable for the reader.
Read and revise your dialogue story. Pay constant attention to the way your character writes and expresses himself, and edit or delete as necessary. While technically you can have intentional grammar errors in order to sound authentic, remember these must stay consistent throughout the story.
Kara Page has been a freelance writer and editor since 2007. She maintains several blogs on travel, music, food and more. She is also a contributing writer for Suite101 and has articles published on eHow and Answerbag. Page holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of North Texas.


A new report calls for an arts education premium for every primary school to address worsening lesson quality and offer opportunities for more cultural trips.
Arts education in primary schools is in “dramatic decline” in terms of both quality and quantity, new Fabian Society research reveals.
A survey of 350 primary school teachers found two-thirds (68%) believe there is less arts provision than in 2010, and half (49%) say that the quality of the remaining offer has got worse.
Furthermore, 56% said they did not have access to the necessary resources for a high-quality arts education, and 58% believe there are fewer out of school arts trips than at the start of the decade.
In response, the report’s authors – which also include charity Children & the Arts and the Musicians’ Union – call for a ringfenced budget of £150m for arts education in English primary schools, and an arts education premium for every primary school.
The decline has occurred “in both the quantity and quality of arts education in primary schools in England,” the report authors write. “Teachers believe they do not have the resources and skills to deliver lessons containing art and design, music, drama and dance, and they feel that their school does not prioritise learning in these areas.”
They continue: “This narrowing of access risks widening existing inequality in access to the arts and limits the horizons of young people.”
The research also gathered qualitative responses from 53 arts providers across England, to understand why they believe arts education to be important, the challenges of delivering it, and how they think access to the arts can be improved.
This revealed four key arguments for delivering arts in primary schools: cognitive development; overcoming inequalities; building confidence; and social cohesion. Respondents said creative subjects support children to express themselves, develop self-confidence, and experience culture on an equal footing.
One arts provider told researchers that early access to arts education helps “cement the idea that art is for everyone and not just those with a disposable income”.
Another expressed concern at schools’ current priorities, saying they “often encounter resistance from teachers and headteachers, who see our work as a distraction from the English and maths lessons which are teaching exam material”.
The report calls for an arts specialist for every primary school and increased arts training for all teachers – including the establishment of programmes to help artists become specialist arts teachers in disadvantaged schools.
It also recommends that:
- The arts become a greater priority in the national curriculum, to address the fact that ‘core’ subjects are often prioritised to the exclusion of everything else
- Schools are prevented from receiving Ofsted’s ‘outstanding’ classification unless they offer high-quality art education as part of a broad and balanced curriculum
- Free music or singing lessons for every primary school child who wants to learn – including their own musical instrument, if desired
- At least one free visit every year to a local arts organisation for each primary school child
- Additional funding for cultural education partnerships to support local and accessible arts education in every community - including a list of trusted artists to work in schools.
The report estimates the recommendations would cost a total of £590m, or 1.4% of the English schools budget. This includes £220m for free music lessons, and £220m for the free cultural visits.


ERIC Number: ED402248
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1989
Creative Activities for Teaching about the Environment.
This unit contains activities dealing with wastes, the Greenhouse Effect, ozone depletion, energy, deforestation, and species extinction. Each section has a text to explain the issues and a crossword puzzle to reinforce the vocabulary. There are diagrams with questions that can be used as handouts or as transparency masters. (EH)
Descriptors: Air Pollution, Conservation (Environment), Ecology, Elementary Education, Energy Conservation, Environment, Environmental Education, Global Education, Natural Resources, Pollution, Resources, Science and Society, Social Studies
Stevens & Shea Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 794, Stockton, CA 95201 ($12.95).
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Authoring Institution: N/A


The phonics program has a long history as the preferred method for teaching the basics on language. Simply put, phonics is the concept of connecting the spoken sounds of English with the singular and combined letters of the alphabet. Young students learn by using patterns of sound, so many preschool and elementary educators use phonics as a precursor to reading and writing English. Research based phonics programs are widely available, but not all software contributes to a successful educational experience.
When choosing a phonics software program that can be used to teach young learners the fundamentals of reading and writing, teachers and school administrators must be aware of the many research based phonics programs for Kindergarten that can be found online, and know-how to choose a top-quality program.
Begin with the Basics: Take the time to Research Based Phonics Program teacher review the terminology and relearn the fundamentals of the phonics program. Look for phonics learning software that incorporates interactive alphabet activities. Graphics should be simple yet engaging. Do not overcomplicate lessons at this early stage of learning.
Embrace the Themes of Phonics Instruction: The basics of phonics are alphabet sounds, short and long vowels, consonants, and consonant blends, such as ‘sh’ or ‘th’. Viable phonics and research based reading programs for special education must present these language basics in a way that is both engaging and educational.
Look for Progressive Learning: Choose a complete and interactive reading skills program that provides systematic and explicit phonics instruction to students at a range of grade levels. Some programs will focus on one grade at a time and limit the learning potential. Look for software that allows students to progress from learning the alphabet to reading complete sentences.
Sound It Out: This is the basic rule of phonics that must not be overlooked. Research based phonics programs focus instruction on individual vowel sounds and consonant sounds before complete words are taught. When researching, look for software that incorporates both phonic sounds and phonograms into the lessons.
Provide Lesson Variety: Children are more inclined to learn when they are actively engaged. Choose software that incorporates a range of tools and activities including simple graphics, appealing sound, colourful images, and interactive learning through play.
Phonics is a time-tested method of teaching the English language and laying the groundwork for reading and writing abilities. The best research based phonics programs for Kindergarten are developed by teachers and reading specialists. Choosing educational software that utilizes over 400 different activities and 200 learning exercises is an excellent investment that pays off with well-educated students that are ready to take on the next challenge.


Developing Writing and Spelling at Home
Writing is a terrific way for children to express their thoughts, creativity, and uniqueness. It is also a fundamental way in which children learn to organize ideas and helps them to be better readers.
Writing is a terrific way for children to express their thoughts, creativity, and uniqueness. It is also a fundamental way in which children learn to organize ideas. And learning to write well helps children to be better readers.
When engaging in writing, young children often mirror what they see around them: adults and older children writing lists, letters, text messaging. They are observing the way writing is used in our everyday lives.
Writing at home
- Have your child write instructions for taking care of the family pet. These will be useful as you plan your summer vacations!
- Write a letter or thank you note to a relative. Talk through what your child wants to say before writing begins.
- Make a shopping list before going to the grocery store.
- Write an online review of a book or an item you recently purchased (www.amazon.com) or a recipe you tried (www.allrecipes.com).
- Talk about the presidential election and write a description of the kind of president you want.
- Find a picture in the newspaper and write an article to accompany it.
- Start keeping a personal diary, a household guestbook, or a baby book for a younger sibling.
Does spelling count?
Early attempts at spelling are not the random swings they sometimes appear. Children's "invented spelling" gives us a window into what they understand about written language. A good teacher will be able to tell the difference between the misspellings that indicate normal literacy development and those that suggest a possible learning disability. If you have questions, talk to your child's teacher or reading specialist.
What should I write about?
Help your child get their thoughts together in an organized way. Especially when a child starts writing, he may need help planning out what he wants to say.
- Use wide lined paper which helps kids line up and space their letters
- Use a whiteboard, which allows them to easily erase and try again
- Use a keyboard, which also allows kids to easily edit


There is no solution that will allow students to stay in music classes and completely respect their families’ religious beliefs. There are still a few ways that we can do our best to provide equitable opportunities for our students.
One option is to create a completely written, self-guided, content-appropriate music curriculum that a student could complete outside of the typical music classroom. This would be suitable for upper grades, but could be very difficult for K-2 as they are still learning to read. It could focus on music history and theory, allowing for exploration of most of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) standards without the performance and interaction aspects. I think this would be best implemented through a web-based program or a series of online activities. Finding the funds and time to create such a curriculum would be difficult. However it would provide musical content that meets the state requirements for general music in elementary school.
Another solution would be to discuss what music classes in elementary school are with the community. This could start with an e-mail at the beginning of the school year through Skyward (which can translate e-mails into other languages) about why we have a music program and how content is addressed in it. Next, we would invite parents to attend a forum to clarify and correct misconceptions about what music classes cover. This would hopefully include leaders of the religious communities in the district, music staff, administrators, and interpreters to provide full explanations to parents. The forum would be recorded and uploaded to the school’s website so that parents who cannot attend can still learn about the program. Below is a quick example of what a typical kindergarten music class does. Something like this could be shared to help alleviate parents’ worries.
For families who were unable to attend and do not have the time to watch the forum, a FAQ could be sent out via Remind (which also translates your messages for you) to provide more information. Remind is a communication tool for educators and parents that is like text messaging but does not require the educator to give out their personal number.
While this is a multi-pronged approach it does not address every issue brought up in the survey. Families who believe that their students should not perform music at all will still ask to have their students removed. Additionally translation programs are not perfect and there could be more misunderstandings created than solved. A combination of the two solutions I suggested may be best at this time, but would require a lot of preparation, funds, and teamwork.


Numeracy skills play a big role in a child’s life. Literacy and education are incomplete without numeracy skills. Children below five years old are at their peak and this is the time when they can absorb and retain basic numeracy skills more efficiently. And as they grow learning numbers becomes easier for them.
So what are numeracy skills?
Simply put it is the ability of a person to use and understand numbers which include knowing basic subtraction, addition, division and multiplication. Many a time in life, one faces mathematical demands and basic numeracy skills are what get us through. The lack of knowledge of numbers can have a negative impact on our lives.
So, start early and equip your child with the much needed numeracy skills. Make numbers fun for them and the best part is you can teach them anytime and anywhere!
Here are some tips that can make learning math fun and simple for your child:
1) Games are the best way to teach them mathematics at home – cards, dominoes and other board games like Ludo and Snakes & Ladders that involve counting can come quite in handy.
2) Ask your kids to count their pocket money at the end of every month. How much did they get, how much did they spend and how much did they save?
3) Make going to school also a game of mathematics. Your school starts at 8:00 a.m. You need to reach by 7:45 and your home is 30 minutes away. So, what time do you need to leave to reach by 8:00? Let them figure these out on their own and in the meanwhile learn too!
4) While travelling ask your children to notice car numbers and to add them up as quickly as they can.
5) Get a packet of Gems and empty the contents. Let your child count how many candies of each colour are there. For example how many reds and how many yellows. Which colour is more and by how many numbers?
6) You can do this with laundry as well – ask them to separate the whites from the colours and count how many are there in each category.
7) Help them memorize your phone number and show them how to dial it on the phone.
8) Mark important dates on the calendar and help them count how many days left until the next important day.
9) Measure your child’s height every month and ask them to calculate how much they are growing and compare the height to other people in the house. Who is shorter and who is taller?
10) Also help them learn about shapes while reading a book, or playing in the park or while visiting places.
A few simple tips to keep in mind and you can help develop your child’s numeracy skills!


Flip-Flop Bulletin Board
Create a beach-themed bulletin board with these cute Flip-Flops.
These Flip-Flops can be used singly or in pairs to accommodate the corresponding numbers as the days of the month for a seasonal bulletin board.
Students can decorate the Flip-Flops and the title letters while helping to put together this summery bulletin board.
A pair of Flip-Flops can be turned into flashcards for math problems, spelling or other subject areas for skill practice.
Supplies Used: Adhesive, Adhesive foam dots, Adhesive notepad, Cardstock or construction paper, Crayons, markers or watermark pen, Scissors, Stapler
The teacher will die-cut the materials for student use prior to the lesson.
- Staple thin strips of paper to create a grid for a month with a title and days of the week, and with each day opening large enough to hold a pair of Flip-Flops.
- Die-cut several Border, Wave shapes using blue and white cardstock or construction paper. Leave the blue waves whole. Trim the tops of the white waves with scissors, and adhere to the blue waves.
- Die-cut the letters for the title of the bulletin board from the Notepad Alphabet using cardstock or construction paper.
- Adhere a decorated wave to the bottom of each letter U, and trim the wave along the sides of the letter. Attach the decorated title to the bulletin board (Figure A).
- Die-cut the 2" Block Alphabet letters to represent the days of the week on the calendar. Attach to the bulletin board.
- Die-cut the Flip-Flop #2 shapes and flowers using assorted colors of cardstock or construction paper. To make a pair, simply flip over one Flip-Flop.
- Add shading to the Flip-Flops with crayons, markers or a watermark pen. Attach a strap to the sole of the Flip-Flop.
- Use the sticky part of an adhesive notepad to hold the small center pieces of the flowers while adding shading with crayons, markers or a watermark pen. Attach the center shapes to the flowers.
- Place an adhesive foam dot on the back of a flower, and adhere to a Flip-Flop to add dimension (Figure C).
- Die-cut the Boss-O! numbers for the days of the month, and attach to the decorated Flip-Flops.
- Attach the decorated Flip-Flops to the appropriate days on the bulletin board (Main Photo).
- Die-cut the 4" Block Alphabet letters to spell the word birthday using cardstock or construction paper, and attach to the bulletin board.
- Die-cut several 6" Circles for balloons using cardstock or construction paper. Die-cut several Tiny Hearts, and attach to the bottom of the circle. Attach the completed balloon to the bulletin board (Main Photo).
- Die-cut and decorate a cupcake for each student whose birthday falls in the month (Figure B), and attach to the bulletin board.
- Figure A
- Figure B
- Figure C
Fine Arts-Visual Arts
NA-VA.K-4.2 Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions
- Students use visual structures and functions of art to communicate ideas
NA-VA.K-4.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
- Students identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines in the curriculum
Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5)
- Follow words from left to right, top to bottom and page by page.


2 edition of Fiesta found in the catalog.
Beatriz McConnie Zapater
September 30, 2006 by Bunker Hill Publishing .
Written in English
|The Physical Object|
|Number of Pages||32|
parallaxes of fifty stars, determined at the Sproul Observatory.
Elementary education in British India during later nineteenth century.
Female problem gamblers in Alberta
Reduce Christmas fire hazards
Empress of Byzantium.
Long range development plan, University of California, Riverside.
Annual report and accounts 1984-85.
The politics of truth
Founder Pat Mora’s jubilant celebration of this day features imaginative text and lively illustrations by award-winning Fiesta book Rafael López that will turn this Fiesta book fiesta into a hit for story time.
Toon. Toon. The book includes a letter from the author and suggestions for celebrating Children’s Day /El día de los niños/5(26).
She is also the author of the bilingual books ¡Fiesta. and Siesta. Ginger Foglesong Guy es la autora de numerosos Fiesta book bilingües, entre ellos, los favoritos ¡Fiesta.
and ¡Siesta!, así como el compañero de este libro, My School/Mi Escuela, también ilustrado por /5(18). Parents need to know tht Book Fiesta. by Pat Mora and illustrated by Rafael Lopez is a heartfelt tribute to the lifelong adventure of reading. The gorgeous, vibrant illustrations showing kids all over the world savoring books with friends, family, and even animals in all kinds of settings draw readers in and spark the imagination.4/5.
The book Fiesta is a unique children's book that follows a group of kids as they prepare for a party. I really like this book because of the wide spread of genres it can be used for. The book would be best used for grades Pre-K to 1st. It uses math and language to capture students minds/5.
Book Fiesta. is a delightful celebration of reading and Mexico's El dia del nino (The Day of the Child). This bilingual picture book is written for K-1 and the illustrations include diverse readers in a multitude of locations. The cheerful pages bring reading to life on trains, planes, libraries and snug in our beds/5.


When I’m meeting with a parent of a late talker, they often describe their child as “lazy” or “stubborn” because they aren’t talking yet. A lot of parents think that since their child seems to be understanding everything, that they are just choosing not to talk. Today, I want to explain why we should never think of late talkers as lazy, and how that mindset can negatively impact their language development.
Imagine you and your friend have never danced before but you decide to sign up for a dance class together. Your friend seems to pick it up quickly, but you are having trouble knowing your right foot from left, you can’t find the beat and you are getting very frustrated. Would you think of yourself as lazy? I hope not! Likely, you would recognize that dancing is harder for you than it is for your friend. You could get better, but you’ll need some more practice. You might find it easier when the instructor gives you some extra attention and shows you the moves a little bit slower.
It’s the same thing for our late talkers. Talking is a new skill that they are learning, and some children pick it up quicker than others. Learning to talk is a complicated process and your child must learn the foundational skills before they are going to be able to use words and sentences.
The Building Blocks of Language Development
The graphic below outlines the building blocks that children need in order to learn to talk.The foundation of language development is attention and listening. In typical development, babies are keen observers of the world around them. They are learn by watching people and listening to the words and sounds in their environment. By 6 months of age, babies typically will turn their heads toward a sound, watch your face as you talk, and start to imitate your sounds. They pick up so much from the world around them that contributes to their language development.
Babies also learn so much through play and interaction. Usually around 9 months, they start to enjoy playing games like “peek-a-boo” and “tickles”. These types of games are great for their social development because they learn to watch and observe you, and they are learning the back and forth interaction that is necessary for communicating with others. Babies and toddlers also learn from playing with and exploring different toys and objects.
They also need to understand words. All this looking, listening and interacting pays off as they begin to understand the meaning of words. They need to hear the words many times and pair it with the object or action before they will understand what it means and be able to say it.
If your child has not yet developed the foundational skills for communication, they are going to have difficulty learning to talk. A Speech Language Pathologist can help increase these foundational skills in order to improve their ability to use words.
However, many of you likely have children who have these foundational skills, but they just aren’t talking yet! In this case, they are likely very close to being able to use more words; they might just need some extra help to get there sooner.
The good news is that there are lots of strategies that you can use to help your child talk more. You can find lots of tips on this website, and your speech-language pathologist will help determine the best strategies for your child.
Reframing our thoughts from “lazy” to “talking is hard”!
If we think of our late talkers as “lazy” or “stubborn”, that it implies that this is just how they are and there’s nothing we can do about it. If we can reframe our thinking about our late talker, and recognize that learning to talk is really hard, then it empowers us to be able to do something to help them!
I love teaching moms about the simple strategies that they can easily include in their daily routine to encourage their toddler to imitate and use more words. Click the button below for my top 5 tips to help your late talker!


Art at Maury is designed to broaden a student’s context of the world around them. Authentic thematic units broach topics such as advocacy, environment, community, and individuality. All Maury students visit the art studio once a week where they are introduced to a variety of media, including clay, printmaking, sculpture and painting. Art at Maury is taught as a rigorous and engaging subject that combines the visual arts with content from academic classes such as history, literature, math and science. Through a variety of city-wide partnerships, students also have the opportunity to enhance their art education via dance, music, theater, and museum excursions.
Health and Physical Education
All Maury students have a weekly health and physical education class. The curriculum includes a balance of skills, concepts, and cooperative game activities, as well as movement, rhythm, and dance to enhance the cognitive, motor, affective and physical fitness development of every child. Classes are designed so that all children are involved in activities that allow them to remain continuously active. Balls, ropes, and other equipment are available to foster physical activity and play during recess and before/after school. In addition, Maury encourages physical fitness year-round with special events like Walk to School Day and Family Fitness Night in October, Bike to School Day in May, and Field Day in June.
Every Maury student has a scheduled Library/Media Center period. Students select appropriate books from a well-stocked library, and may also use computers to search for information on the Internet. All students may check out books during class; students and their families may also check out books during special out-of-school times as made available by the librarian. Book Fairs in the Spring and Fall raise money to help update and expand the library’s collections.
Technology. All classes at Maury have access to computers that teachers systematically integrate into many aspects of instruction across disciplines. For Grades 1–5, the librarian teaches a technology class where students learn computer skills. All Kindergarten through Grade 5 students have an account with First in Math, an online program that encourages students to supplement their math learning through games and activities, and helps build technology skills.
All Maury students participate in music once a week. The music program at Maury is based on a combination of the Orff-Schulwerk and Kodály approaches to music education. Students experience music through movement, speech, body percussion, singing, and instruments with special focus on music literacy and improvisation. There are two evening music events: the
Winter Showcase in December and the Spring Showcase in May, which are performances by Choir and Orff Ensemble—extracurricular music activities available to students Grades 3–5 that meet before school.
Science (Think Tank)
Maury’s science lab—better known as Think Tank—works to deepen students’ understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through the execution and completion of problem-based projects. We teach students the fundamental concepts of the earth, space, life, and physical sciences. The structure of Think Tank emphasizes the connections across these domains, given that much of the scientific work draws on multiple disciplines. Students learn to gather and evaluate information, identify patterns, and devise and test possible explanations about what they are learning, fostering independence and critical thinking skills. Each year in April, Think Tank hosts a hugely popular STEM expo event that features a wide variety of exhibitors and activities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. Follow ThinkTank on Twitter.
All students have 20 to 45 minutes of Mandarin Chinese each week. Instruction emphasizes basic communication skills—both spoken and written—and shares aspects of Chinese history and culture. The Chinese New Year Celebration is a highlight of the year!


Art education, inspiration and encouragement for children and parents in Arlington, VA
Which one is left out?
In order to help students understand color opposites I explain it this way.
The primary colors are: red, yellow and blue.
Two make one
It' takes two primary colors to make a secondary color.
The secondary colors are: orange, purple and green. All secondary colors have two primary colors.
If a student would like the flower petal to be orange they have to find the opposite of that for the background in order for it to really show and glow.
A primary color will find it's opposite in the secondary colors.
A secondary color will find it's opposite in the primary colors.
How to know for sure it's the opposite color
It all goes back to the three primary colors.
All three colors will be utilized in some formula in which two are mixed together and the last primary color will stand alone.
For example in the artwork below by Nicholas, he wanted his flower to be orange which is a secondary color made up of the two primary colors red and yellow.
The primary color left out of the flower is blue, therefore blue is the choice for the background.
Jean Frank Stark
I make art and have taught to children for over 20 years.