It’s often assumed that kids know how to tie their shoes or cut with scissors. But none of that is taken for granted by Megan Regehr. She and her colleague Sherri Buckle are occupational therapists with the school wellness team, which provides primary health care services to students in some community schools.“Occupational therapists focus on how a person functions in the occupations of life,” says Regehr. “For kids, their primary occupations are going to school, playing and learning to take care of themselves. Things like putting on shoes, colouring, as well as social interactions.” That means working directly with students in the classroom.
On this particular day, Regehr packs up her supplies and walks the block from her office at St. Paul’s Hospital to Pleasant Hill School. As it’s still early in the year, a lot of the focus is on observing kids. “I need to spend time to build trust with the kids so they can show me what they can do and what their skills are,” she says. Eventually, the work will morph from group work to one-on-one intervention with the students who need her help.
Regehr tells of a little boy in another school setting who had a difficult time paying attention and sitting long enough to finish a puzzle or finish listening to a story. “It was a team effort of working with that child to build those self-regulating skills but also working with the teacher and the educational assistant to come up with strategies,” explains Regehr.
School-based occupational therapy work is an emerging field within primary health care. “Research has shown that being able to regulate your attention and your emotions affects how your brain interprets things you see into fine motor skills,” she says. This is particularly important in children who may have challenges in developing those foundational skills. “Some children are negatively affected by the social determinants of health which are coincidentally the same as the social determinants of learning. If we can help them surpass obstacles in their lives, they can be healthy and learn.” A recent report by Saskatoon Health Region’s chief medical health officer indicates that 30 per cent of kindergarten children across the Region aren’t ready for school entry because they are falling behind their peers in the development of foundational occupational or speech skills.
October is occupational therapy month across Saskatchewan. Read more about the professional work of occupational therapists in schools in this article.
Even though it’s limited, the work that Regehr and her colleagues do will help individual children develop the skills they need to be healthy and to succeed in school, like the little boy Regehr described. “By the end of the school year, the child could sit through circle time by using a lap pad which helped focus his attention. It was amazing to watch him develop. He’s still got a long way to go, but it was a major improvement.”


Summary: Equip your students with the fundamental helping skills, and more important, the ability to transfer those skills to actual real-world situations. In DEVELOPING HELPING SKILLS: A STEP BY STEP APPROACH, the authors' unique multilayered teaching-learning system integrates reading, discussion, observation and visualization, practice, and evaluation. Students first read about professional practice and the skills required to work effectively with clients. Students then th ...show moreink and write about the ideas and concepts presented in the text by completing homework exercises following each new concept. Next, students watch and discuss the accompanying DVD that is seamlessly integrated with the text for a demonstration of how to use the skills with an individual, family, or group. Students learn how to think like professionals with the text's modified case-based method that introduces a continuing case, one section at a time, throughout the chapters. Additional cases on the text's website give you, the instructor, the flexibility to extend assignments. Finally, exercises with specific directions for role-playing the client, practitioner, and peer supervisor followed by a simple evaluation tool completed by the peer supervisor and practitioner promote practice and evaluation.
Unlike any other text in the market, the creative blend of learning methods and clear presentation of topics in the textbook and integrated DVD help even beginning students think like practitioners and appropriately apply foundational skills to generalist practice with individuals, families, and groups, including entire communities and organizations. ...show less
More prices and sellers below.


In 1997, Congress recognized that too many children were reading below grade level. Because children's reading ability is critical to their overall success in school, this was simply unacceptable. Congress directed the creation of the National Reading Panel to reevaluate educational research and give our teachers and schools a roadmap to address this problem.
The Panel found that for children to be good readers, they must be taught:
- phonemic awareness skills - the ability to manipulate the sounds that make up spoken language;
- phonics skills - the understanding that there are relationships between letters and sounds;
- the ability to read fluently with accuracy, speed, and expression;
- and to apply reading comprehension strategies to enhance understanding and enjoyment of what they read.
The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy development.
Below are links to many resources pertaining to DIBELS and literacy.


Engaged in Learning
Highly engaged learners take an active role in meaningful tasks and activities. They assume increasing responsibility for their learning, and they actively demonstrate their understanding. They explore a variety of resources and strive for deep understanding through experiences that directly apply to their lives, promote curiosity and inquiry, and stimulate new interests.
Learners from supportive literacy environments repeatedly participate in engaged learning tasks. When engrossed in reading, children are operating at a deep level of semantic processing; they are manipulating their own syntax, sorting out possibilities, trying to maintain grammar, and experimenting with language (Holdaway, 1979). In the process, children are developing knowledge and skills necessary to promote their literacy development toward more conventional behaviors. These children demonstrate intrinsic motivation to engage in literacy tasks and are driven by curiosity to explore and experiment with a variety of literacy materials.
Copyright © North Central Regional Educational
Laboratory. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer and copyright information.


MAKING SIMPLE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
This volume offers detailed and easy to follow instructions for making 30 innovative and highly playable musical instruments. Only basic carpentry skills and a few power tools are required to build them. Illustrated plans are clearly laid out for building many familiar wind, string and percussion instruments. The emphasis here is not on fine woodworking, but on crafts for making things that value in sounds they produce as well as feel of the playing. Things that work musically and have a distinctive musical personality. Over 100 beautifully detailed illustrations accompany the text along with dozens of color and black and white photographs. A wonderful book to share with kids.
Bart Hopkin was founder and editor of Experimental Musical Instruments, a quarterly journal dedicated to new and unusual musical instruments, since its inception in1985. (EMI is no longer in print.) Mr. Hopkin received a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1974, and later received a B.A. in music education from San Francisco State University. A professional guitarist, he has taught, written, composed, performed and recorded in many places, including Kingston, Jamaica, where for several years he researched and wrote on Jamaican children's songs and revival church music.
144 pages. CM-17
Air Columns & Tone Holes
Musical Instrument Design
|Price of Book||Ordering Information|


Great Resource for Online Music Education Lesson Plans
When most people think of education resources, they probably think strictly of core academic subjects like math, English, science or even physical education. But there are just as many tools online for those teaching in the arts, so music educators should spend some time learning how to utilize the best of them. Some are professional development areas of education professional organizations. Others are run by advocacy and education support groups that seek to actively assist the teachers they are fighting for. No matter what your preference, bookmark some of these resources for future consultation the next time you feel stumped for a lesson plan idea.
The National Association for Music Education (MENC) has a resource called My Music Class
that hosts lessons plans customizable for any grade level, from pre-k to university. You can also search for lesson plans by categories and national standards to further limit your searches. Then there’s the Art/Music/Drama community
at Edutopia, where music teachers can participate in discussions and network with other educators to share ideas and perspectives on music education. Additionally, you’ll find inspirational stories to motivate your instruction in the “Schools That Work” section, and other resources like blogs, videos, and lesson plans by searching “music education.”
Diversifying your lesson plans as a music teacher can mean the difference between a student maintaining an interest in music or losing it, because they’re bored with the same old lessons day in and day out. By pursuing an online music education
, you can learn about a wealth of other strategies that will help you become a leader in these online and real world communities you become involved in. Aside from updating your knowledge of today’s best music education strategies, you’ll also have a more direct opportunity to network with other instructors and learn some of the latest technologies to improve the quality of your instruction.


Comprehension: Helping English Language Learners Grasp the Full Picture
Featuring Dr. Cynthia Lundgren and Kristina Robertson discussing effective reading comprehension strategies for teaching English language learner students.
This webcast is made possible by AFT Teachers, a division of the American Federation of Teachers, as part of a Colorín Colorado partnership between AFT and Reading Rockets.
For general information about our webcasts or to be part of our studio audience in Washington D.C., please click here.
This 45-minute webcast offers practical information on how to teach English language learners effective comprehension skills.
Dr. Cynthia Lundgren is an assistant professor at The Center for Second Language Teaching and Learning at Hamline University's Graduate School of Education in St. Paul, MN. In this interview, Dr. Lundgren offers a blueprint for administrators who are serving a new or changing population of ELLs. Topics covered include creating a welcoming culture, assessment, language instruction, staffing, and professional development. In addition, Dr. Lundgren has contributed to the following resources from Colorín Colorado:
Kristina Robertson is an ELL specialist with extensive experience as a classroom teacher and professional development leader. Kristina is the current Titles Coordinator for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District in Minnesota. Kristina is a contributor to our Bright Ideas section and is featured in a Colorín Colorado Meet the Expert interview.
Delia Pompa is the moderator of this webcast. She is the Vice President of the Center for Community Educational Excellence, at the National Council of La Raza.
Articles about comprehension instruction for ELLs
Related products from LearningStore
An authoritative reference for teachers facing an increasingly diverse school population that provides pre-service and in-service teachers, curriculum specialists, teacher mentors, and administrators with the necessary tools to meet the educational needs of English language learners in an inclusive classroom.
This unique bilingual picture dictionary introduces 750 widely used words, arranged thematically and enhanced with brilliant illustrations, language scripts, transliterations and a picture index.
For a teacher who speaks only English, having students who speak another language can be a daunting prospect. How do teachers teach English language learners (ELLs) to read in a new language?
Please visit our English language learners/Bilingual section of LearningStore to discover the best research-based practices for teaching ELLs.
- How is vocabulary related to comprehension?
- Describe some activities you've used with ELL students to tap into their prior knowledge of a topic.
- Compare and contrast the teaching of comprehension strategies to ELL students and students for whom English is their first language.
- Consider a classroom reading book you recently used. What vocabulary or concepts were presented in the book that could cause confusion for ELL learners? What could you do to scaffold the read aloud experience that would benefit ELL learners?
- Create a semantic map that could be used in your class. How could you use this map to plan further learning experiences?
The Reading Rockets Professional Development Webcast Series is a production of WETA. The Reading Rockets project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
This program was produced by WETA/Reading Rockets, which is solely responsible for its content. The views expressed in the program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of WETA/Reading Rockets, our funders, or our partners.
* To view this file, you'll need a copy of Acrobat Reader. Most computers already have it installed, or you can download it now.


Edited by Glutted, Flickety, 1guitarhero2, Maluniu and 71 others
If you are bored at school and your teacher won't mind then there is nothing that will shock your friends more than static electricity!
EditMethod 1 of 4: School Desk Method
1Sit in an plastic desk chair. The ones that are provided in most classrooms should work.
2Move your legs so they are not in contact with the metal dots. Don't worry about the ones on your back, though.
3Scoot back and forth in your chair for about 30 seconds. For best results, also go side to side, keeping your back against the chair.
4Carefully stand up without touching any metal. If you hear crackles as you stand up, this is a good sign!
5Reach out and touch your target. If the target is yourself, touch any metal part of the seat and ZAP!
EditMethod 2 of 4: Carpet Method
Note that this method works best in the colder and drier seasons such as winter and the fall.
1Find a carpet. Rub your feet against it while wearing wool socks. Continue rubbing for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
2Reach out and touch your victim. The closer your victim is to you, the better. You'll lose the charge if you have to move around too much. You should also avoid touching any metal, or you'll end up shocking yourself instead of the victim!
- For added effect, jump into the air and touch your victim just before you land. This creates what is known as 'capacitive voltage multiplication' meaning a stronger shock!
EditMethod 3 of 4: Comb/Balloon Method
1Get a hard rubber or plastic comb. Alternatively, you can use a balloon. Also find a 12 inch piece of thread and one or two small pieces of cereal.
2Tie a piece of cereal to the end of the thread. Attach the other end to the side of a table or somewhere that the cereal is not near any other object when it is hanging.
3Wash the comb or balloon. This removes any oils that may have accumulated on it.
4Run the comb through long, dry hair several times. This will add a charge to it. Alternatively, you can rub the comb or balloon on a wool sweater or blanket for 30 sec to 1 minute.
5Slowly bring the comb or balloon near the piece of cereal. The cereal should swing to touch the comb/balloon. Keep it steady until the cereal jumps away.
6Try to touch the cereal again. The cereal should move away from the comb!
7Repeat steps 2 and 3. This time, turn on the faucet and move the charged balloon or comb near the stream of water. Watch the stream bend away from the comb!
EditMethod 4 of 4: The Slide Method
- By wearing wool or cotton it will produce a better charge and hurt more.
- This does not work with all materials so if it just won't work then try again after you change. - *If you want to build a static chain and shock more than one classmate at a time, have all of them except you hold hands then complete the steps above and watch everyone get shocked!
- If you quickly rub a comb with a clean dry cloth for about 30 seconds. Then turn on a faucet from your sink with a thin stream of water, slowly bring the comb to the water and watch as the thin stream of water moves away from the comb!
- Charge up a comb by rubbing it quickly on a clean, dry cloth. Then turn on a faucet with a thin stream of running water. Slowly, bring the comb close to the stream. The comb pushes at the water! Make the water dance by jiggling the comb.
- If it is one of the dry seasons, (Ex:winter or fall) only scoot for 30 seconds. But if it happens to be a pumpkin season like spring or summer, then you may have to be working to shock someone for up to 2 minutes.
- You can shock people through anything conductive (such as water) so experiment often to find key combinations.
Categories: Science for Kids
Recent edits by: DefinitionOfInsanity, Amy K. Jones, Hardriver
In other languages:
Español: Cómo hacer electricidad estática
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 188,490 times.


Six Pre-Reading Skills
These are skills that children should have to learn to read and write. Not to worry, they are easy to help your child with!
- Be interested in and enjoy the books you read aloud to children. What parents and caregivers can do: Read books you enjoy. Use your voice for emphasis, make sounds, and read with enthusiasm.
- Know many words—the names of things, concepts, emotions, etc. What parents and caregivers can do: Talk and read to your child and expand their world.
- Understand how books and writing work—that the words we speak are also the words on the book’s pages that tell the story. What parents and caregivers can do: Show your child the book’s name and author, how you turn the pages from left to right, and how to follow the words on a page as you read them. Point your finger to the corresponding word when reading.
- Be able to describe things and events, and to tell stories What parents and caregivers can do: Let your child help tell the story by repeating important phrases, and asking them questions about the story, like: “What do you think will come next?”
- Be able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. What parents and caregivers can do: Say and read rhymes and books with rhyming sounds. Ask your child, “What other words rhyme with (example: bear)?”
- Knowing the letters of the alphabet – that they are different from each other and that each letter has a name and relates to a specific sound What parents and caregivers can do: Sing the “ABC” or “B-I-N-G-O ” songs, read an alphabet book, look for letters in your daily life – signs, food cartons, etc.
Also, don’t forget to put age appropriate books where your child can use them independently - on a low bookshelf or basket in the living room, etc. At first you may need to teach your child how to handle books, but soon they will easily use them on their own.
Books are always the best birthday gift. Use one of our booklists for babies, toddlers and preschoolers to guide purchases by relatives and friends.
You will find many more ideas and tips for fostering your child’s literacy development from Reading Is Fundamental. Articles touch on important topics like "Reading Aloud," "Choosing Good Books," and "Literacy Rich Environments."


was the scholar and poet. He became the best-known cotemporary collector,
copyist and trader of Greek manuscripts, which enriched some of the greatest
Libraries of Europe. His poetical work, Lament for the Fall of Greece
was published in 1544.
Another Corfiot Nikolaos Sophianos is
chiefly known for his Modern Greek Grammar. He also translated a number
of Greek classics into Modern Greek. He established the Sophianos printing
press in 1544.
The historian Andreas Marmoras (1618-1684)
is well remembered as the author of the first history of Corfu, published in
1672 in Italian and entitled Della Historia di Corfu.
was the eminent divine, philosopher and mathematician. He wrote a monumental
translation of Virgil’s Aenid and Georgics in Homeric
hexameters. His most important works are his Book of Logic, Elements
of Metaphysics, and Principles of Philosophy.
was the great ecclesiastical scholar, theologian and mathematician. He was the
first to introduce into Greece the study of mathematics and natural sciences;
he was also the first author of high standing to use Modern Greek in his
Boulgaris and Nikiphoros Theotokis, both illustrious men, and
enlightened ‘teachers of the nation’, Greece owes a great part of its cultural
was a writer and poet. His main work comprises four volumes of prose and
poetry, published under the title Opere di Mario Pieri Corcirese. His
historical work in Italian Compendio della Storia del Risorgimento della
Grecia dal 1740 al 1824 was awarded a prize by the famous Accademia
became famous for his Italian verse translation of Homer’s Odyssey. In
Corfu he taught law in the Ionian Academy and was elected Professor of
law at the Ionian University.
Michael-Stephen Trivolis-Pieris (1784-1829)
was the botanist, and the first Corfiot to write a work on botany, under the
title Flora Corcyrensis Centuria Prima.
established the first school of mutual instruction in Greece. Thanks to his
efforts elementary education was promoted in all the Corfu villages and in the
other Ionian Islands.
was the author of a number of medical works, of which his Descriptive
Anatomy was translated into Italian and used as a textbook in many Italian
universities. In 1852 he founded the first Greek private School for Girls.
lyric poet, who is regarded as the greatest poet of modern Greece. His works
include the Hymn to Liberty, composed in 1823, the first stanzas of
which were adopted later as the National Anthem of Greece. The movement
known as the Corfu Literary School was initiated by the group of
friends and disciples, who gathered around Solomos and followed his example by
using the everyday language of the people in their original work, and their
is a noted novelist. He is considered the initiator of the
social and naturalistic novel in Greece, depicting Corfiot life and customs.
He is also known for his translations into Modern Greek of Plato,
Aristophanes, Virgil, Goethe, Shiller and Shakespeare. Among his original
works belong, The Value of Money, The Life and Death of Karavellas,
The Condemned and Slaves in their Chains.
was a leading Modern Greek Philosopher. He founded the Greek weekly newspaper
‘Patris’ of which he was the chief editor. His most important works are
Theoretical and practical Philosophical Works, and Philosophical
STAMATOPOULOS, N.: Old Corfu, History and Culture,
K. Mihalas s.a., Athens, 1993
Back to "All
About Corfu" Menu


Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Preventing the “summer slump” in reading: silent reading time AND support for libraries
Posted at http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/07/31/using-summer-to-narrow-achievement-gap/
As the NY Times notes, children from lower-income families tend to fall behind in reading over the summer, and a major reason is that they don’t read very much (“Using summer to narrow achievement gaps,” NY Times, July 31, School Book). The Summer Quest program, described in the Times, is one of the few summer programs I have read about that deals with this situation directly, including 30 minutes a day of silent reading.
Silent reading of self-selected books has been repeatedly shown to be very effective in increasing literacy, as long as there is access to a wide range of reading material, and students are not tested on what they read.
Those who live in poverty read little primarily because they have little access to books: Studies show that children of poverty have few books at home, live in neighborhoods with few book stores and poorly supported public libraries, and attend schools that have poorly supported classroom and school libraries. Studies also confirm that those with more access to reading material do indeed read more.
Providing more support for libraries will help ensure that Summer Quest participants will continue to improve long after the program ends.
Sources and notes
The origin of interest in the summer slump is Barbara Heyns’ book, Summer Learning and the Effects of School, published in 1975. She not only documented the difference between children from high and low-income families, but also reported that the number of books children said they read over the summer was a significant predictor of their gains and losses over the summer in literacy. Her results were replicated 30 years later by Jimmy Kim (Kim, J. 2003. “Summer reading and the ethnic achievement gap,” Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 9, no. 2:169-188). Both studies controlled for other factors that could affect changes in reading ability over the summer. These results are consistent with the massive evidence relating free voluntary reading to literacy development.
Effectiveness of silent reading: Krashen, S. 2004. The Power of Reading. Libraries Unlimited and Heinemann Publishing Company.
Characteristics of effective silent reading programs: Krashen, S. 2012. Non-Engagement in Sustained Silent Reading: How extensive is it? What can it teach us? In Cho, KS, Krashen, S., Lee, SY, Mason, B. and Smith, K. SSR in Asia: Empirical studies of sustained silent reading in English as a foreign language
Poverty and access to books: Krashen, op. cit.


Effects of phonetic/phonics instruction on reading pronunciation (French level I)
Pronunciation training has been traditionally viewed as of limited importance in a communicatively oriented foreign language curriculum (Pennington & Richards, 1986). Many language instructors seemingly deny the usefulness of phonetic training and rely on a listen-and-repeat method with the use of audiotapes (Bate, 1989; Callamand & Pedoya, 1984; Jones, 1997). Beginners in French classes face the challenge of mastering a complex sound and grapheme-phoneme correspondence system without the benefit of specific instruction. Their pronunciation errors develop mostly from bad habits while decoding from print to sound (Dansereau, 1995). ^ The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of basic phonetic/phonics instruction on reading pronunciation accuracy in a French I language course. ^ The sample consisted of two groups of French I students from Florida International University, who received the same instruction in French language and culture during the fall semester of 1999. Only the experimental group received additional phonetic/phonics training. ^ The instrument consisted of three recorded reading tasks: isolated familiar words, isolated unfamiliar words, and dialogue. Research questions were analyzed using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance. Significant differences were found between the two groups on scores for each of the three sections of the instrument, and on the total scores. These findings support the hypothesis of the study and reveal the effectiveness of phonetic/phonics training for beginners of French. ^ The findings imply that beginning language students should receive the minimum knowledge they need to master the French phoneme-grapheme (sound-spelling) system. ^
Education, Language and Literature|Language, Modern|Education, Curriculum and Instruction
Therese E Piguet,
"Effects of phonetic/phonics instruction on reading pronunciation (French level I)"
(January 1, 2001).
ProQuest ETD Collection for FIU.


Choosing the Right Preschool Learning Environment
Date: August 1, 2013
A wide range of early childhood learning environments are available today, from structured and academically oriented surroundings to open-ended and exploration-oriented themes. Some children are able to adapt to any type of setting, while others do better in one versus another. What can your child's preference for and ability to adapt to different learning environments tell you about his emotional development?
Clair, a 4-year-old girl enrolled in a structured, academically oriented preschool that follows a predictable daily schedule consisting primarily of activities planned and chosen by the teacher. Clair does not seem happy in this setting and often complains to her mother that school is "boring." She sometimes refuses to participate in the activities offered to her. Her teacher describes her as independent and strong-willed and thinks she would do better in an environment offering more room for choice and open-ended playtime.
Marcus is a 4-year-old boy enrolled in a Montessori preschool. While some group times are teacher-directed, the bulk of his day consists of extended periods of open-ended work/play time. Marcus rarely chooses an activity for himself during this period and spends much of his time watching classmates or sitting idly with his teacher. He does not seem happy when he has the most freedom of choice and often tells his mother the choices are "boring." His teacher describes him as a shy observer and thinks he would do better in a more structured environment.
Unmet emotional needs
Both Clair and Marcus are struggling to feel comfortable in environments that are incompatible with their current emotional needs. Clair has difficulty feeling flexible enough to join activities she has not chosen, and Marcus struggles with comfortably and confidently making choices for himself.
Because these environments are not fulfilling or enjoyable for the individual, both children describe them to their parents as best as any 4-year-old can: "boring." Boredom is often a key indicator that something does not feel comfortable inside for a child. Understandably, the child points to the environment as the cause for this boredom. Although Clair and Marcus might do better in different environments, their adaptability limitations are being finessed rather than addressed.
Both learning environments contain components essential for a child's future academic success. In the upper grades, successful students are flexible enough to follow directions and complete assigned tasks and comfortable enough to independently make decisions and seek solutions to problems. Therefore, the most successful students in elementary, middle and high school are likely those who could have adapted to either preschool environment.
Strategies and solutions
How can a parent interpret a child's reaction to different learning environments? A child's preference for one type over another does not necessarily indicate a problem, such as with Clair and Marcus. In most cases it is just that: a preferred learning style. If a child feels bored at school but is otherwise able to hold it together and enjoy the rest of the school day, a little extra help from parents to work through "bored" feelings is probably sufficient.
If your child has strong feelings of discomfort that affect behavior and participation — he needs the environment to adhere to his preference to manage his behavior — take a deeper look. Is he experiencing difficulty managing his feelings and behavior in social settings? Does being "strong-willed" or a "shy observer" interfere with his ability to cope with frustration or cause problematic behaviors in various settings? By examining your child's successes — and struggles — in a range of settings, you'll be better informed about his internal strengths and areas of emotional development that may benefit from extra attention.
The Lucy Daniels Center is a nonprofit agency in Cary that promotes the emotional health and well-being of children and families.
Add your comment:
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Geology is the study of the Earth and its environs. It is primarily concerned with deciphering the processes which have operated on and within the Earth in the past, shaping and forming the Earth as we know it today. Geologists study the Earth's past history, as well as present-day processes acting on the Earth, in order to better understand what the future might hold for us. The Earth really is a dynamic, "happening" place, with continual and complex interaction among the Earth's many systems, including those of the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, as well as the biosphere and the external solar system. The relationships of these Earth processes to humankind is at the core of many contemporary issues. A full understanding of the Earth system and its processes requires a multi-disciplinary approach based on detailed field observations and including the collection, interpretation, and application of quantitative geochemical and geophysical data.
Clearly the science of Geology has always and will continue to play important roles in the identification, evaluation and protection of energy, mineral, and water resources; in the assessment and mitigation of natural hazards; in the assessment and remediation of human impacts on the environment, and in the mitigation of potential future impacts. These are all important, even necessary, contributions to our society. "Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice" (Anonymous). In addition, the science of Geology also plays a fundamental role in helping to meet our human desire to understand our origins and our place in nature.
The goal of the KSC Geology program is to teach students about the methods of scientific inquiry and about the Earth, its materials, processes and systems, and thus about appropriate stewardship of the Earth and its resources. We wish to develop in students an appreciation for the uniqueness of our home planet and foster their wonder of the natural world. We promote strong relationships among students and faculty that emphasize creative and critical thinking, scholarship and research, and a passion for learning, with a commitment to service.
Geology is a field science, which means that the fundamental observations upon which our questions are based, and often the observations that make up our experiments, are observations which are made out in the field, studying the rocks and landforms of the Earth in their natural habitat. Within the Geology curriculum, we have tried to emphasize the integration of detailed field observations (albeit mostly qualitative in nature) with "big picture" tectonic and earth-system syntheses. We also strive to involve all our students in progressive, level-appropriate, student-centered, inquiry-based, active participatory learning experiences that engage them in authentic scientific process, ultimately preparing them for independent and student-faculty cooperative research.
Our graduates may pursue advanced degrees in earth or environmental sciences; or seek employment with environmental, hydrogeologic and engineering consulting firms, energy and mineral resource companies, or state and federal geological surveys. Those choosing the teacher education option are prepared for certification as Earth Science teachers in secondary schools. Geology students are equally well prepared for other careers in which a liberal arts and sciences education is beneficial, such as in elementary education, business, law or medicine.
Last modified 2/22/2001


The PreK-4 Pearson assessment consists of three modules testing the following areas:
- Module 1: child development, learning, and assessment; collaboration and professionalism
- Module 2: language and literacy development; social studies, arts, and humanities
- Module 3: mathematics, science, and health
Preparation materials for students to review are located on the Pearson website www.pa.nesinc.com. Included in these materials are:
- Test objectives organized by module
- Information on test design
- Sample selected-response questions
- A full-length practice test and
- Test-taking strategies
One of the purposes of this webpage is to reformat the materials offered through the Pearson site. Many times, content material presented in a different format enhances preparation rather than repeatedly reviewing the material in the same format. Attached to this website are:
- An Excel spreadsheet that lists the objectives of the prek-4 assessment. This spreadsheet should be used as a study guide for the assessment. The blank table cells may be used to record study dates or additional notes as you prepare for the prek-4 assessment.
- A Word document that includes sample questions with the correct response and rationale for the response and a Word document that includes sample questions without the correct response and rationale for response. Complete the sample questions that are organized by objective. When complete, check your responses with the correct responses given in the second document. Finally, find study materials that will help you review the content in the modules that challenged you.
- A PowerPoint that highlights successful selected-response test-taking strategies.
Hopefully, these resources will assist you in becoming comfortable with the preK-4 assessment content and confident in your test-taking abilities:
- PreK-4 Assessment Objectives
- PECT Study Guide
- PreK-4 sample questions without response and rationale
- PreK-4 sample questions with response and rationale
- Test-taking Strategies PowerPoint
Please feel free to contact me in the Upland Center Education Suite for further guidance.
Phyllis Miller, D. Ed.
Education Certification Coordinator
Upland Center Room 104
Dr. Phyllis Miller
Education / Certification Coordinator
Upland Center, Room 104


The educational program of Perry County School District No. 32 provides for formal studies to meet the general academic needs of students, and opportunities for individual students to develop specific talents and interests in the performing arts, practical arts, vocational-technical education and other specialized fields. The various instructional programs offered by the district are developed with the view toward maintaining a balanced and sequential curriculum that will serve the educational needs of all school-aged children in the district. The curriculum also meets requirements established by state law, the Missouri State Board of Education and/or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Curriculum revision and textbook selection is done on a five-year rotating basis. The curriculum revision is based on student and community needs and test results. It is reviewed annually by the Board of Education.
The elementary instructional program is designed to allow each student to progress at his/her individual rate. It also emphasizes a balanced approach to literacy development. Careful observation and responsive teaching provide optimum learning and literary experiences for students. Supplemental literacy services focus on early intervention as well as enrichment opportunities.
Teacher, parent and student relations are fostered through home communications, parent conferences and P.I.E. (Parents Involved in Education) Nights.
P.I.E. (Parents Involved in Education) Nights are held throughout the year. The focus changes for evening presentations and is geared toward education of parents in all programs at P.E.S. It is our desire to inform parents in order to better serve students. By having everyone on the same page with instructional programs, we believe students will achieve more.
P.I.E. planning nights are held once monthly for all parents working on building improvements.
The overall aim of instruction in the middle school is to meet the unique social, emotional, physical, character and academic needs of students making the transition from childhood to young adulthood. To promote working as a team with parents, students and the community, we have designed our program as follows:
Every student has a community time teacher.The school has a modified schedule for greater educational flexibility.
A rigorous curriculum is developed and followed in all content areas.
A wide range of age-appropriate exploratory activities is provided.In grades 6-8, the teaching team has a regularly scheduled common planning time to facilitate interdisciplinary team teaching and coordinate the needs of students and families.
A proactive, intentional character education process is integrated as a core component in all classes and activities. This promotes student development to enhance their ability to think critically, feel deeply, and act wisely now and for a lifetime of learning and productive living.
Senior High School
Perryville High School offers a well-rounded curriculum of approximately 160 units of high school credit, organized into eleven major subject areas.Credit is awarded in Carnegie Units of .50 credit per semester. A total of twenty-four (24) units of credit must be earned in order to meet graduation requirements.
The high school is designated as an A+ School. As an A+ School, qualifying students are eligible for financial incentives at Missouri community colleges or post-secondary career technical schools.
Competency based instruction is used to prepare students for immediate employment after graduation or to continue their education in a four-year college or post secondary vocational institution. The programs are flexible enough to meet the diversity of individual needs and are representative of the best career opportunities available.
Not only does the career education curriculum prepare students for successful careers, it also stresses the importance of leadership qualities through its six co-curricular organizations.
In addition to secondary career education programs, a wide variety of business, adult and youth classes are also offered at the area school. The programs and classes are based upon community interest and include courses for industry and business training, retraining and personal improvement and enjoyment. PACTC staff members are active participants in the Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB) new initiative termed Technical Schools That Work (TSTW). The overall goal of TSTW is to increase the rigor of career center programs in order to increase student achievement and thus better prepare graduates for employment and/or post-secondary training.


A Letter from the Chair
The Education Department at Columbia College Chicago recognizes the fundamental value of the arts in educating young children and youth, especially in the urban communities of Chicago. Whether your goal is to be a certified classroom teacher in elementary education, the visual arts, or early childhood education; a Head Start teacher with a BA degree; a credentialed educator of infants and toddlers; or an artist who can effectively communicate about art through after school, community-based, or museum arts programs, we have a major or minor that will fit your interests and career goals.
The arts are essential components of every program we offer, as we view the arts as indispensable to effective teaching. Our faculty members understand the vital relationships between the arts and learning, so we have worked hard to foster partnerships with the arts programs across Columbia College. As these programs interact, the results are more than simple combinations of two or more programs. Rather, our education programs give art students increased possibilities to use their majors after graduation, and provide education majors expansive understandings of effective teaching through the relevant infusion of the arts in their teaching.
The arts exist within all domains of knowledge, and our education programs uncover the relationships between the arts and learning about science, math, literature, written and oral communication, and other subjects. Because we recognize that the arts contribute to children’s inquisitiveness and creativity as they learn about the world and their place in it, our Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education programs emphasize the ways in which the arts are tools children and youth use to understand and reflect on their environment and their learning. We also maintain a focus on the importance of art education, and our Art Education program prepares teachers to effectively make art the center of instruction.
Our Programs Develop Effective
Our education programs develop knowledgeable, skilled, reflective educators, whether for the classroom or the art gallery. Our courses are rigorous and engaging. They require students who understand their profound responsibilities to children and youth.
Effective teachers know about the development of young children and youth, and how learning environments affect them. Thus, our students learn how relationships among children and between children and adults are a part of the learning context. They view children and youth as possessing potential and possibilities. They also learn about the importance of children’s cultural experiences, including their histories, languages, and communities. Our students also know a lot about the content they teach, including, but not limited to, professional, state, and institutional content standards.
Effective teachers have the skills to use this complex knowledge to create engaging, respectful, learning-filled educational settings. Therefore, our students develop the skills to encourage children and youth to explore their environments and beyond and to use the oral and written languages of these settings. And, at Columbia College Chicago, they learn how the arts are a natural part of the educational environment.
Effective teachers also demonstrate dispositions that embody the professionalism of educators. Consequently, our students come to understand and practice critical reflection of their teaching. This means that they analyze how their pedagogical practices impact learners, with the intent to always create supportive, caring, challenging, and culturally relevant educational contexts.
As you consider joining the Education Department at Columbia College Chicago, I encourage you to explore our website, talk with our faculty members, talk with your friends and family, and maybe even visit one of our classes. But most importantly, ask yourself: “Is the education of children and youth my passion?” If it is, join us and gain the skills and knowledge necessary to Live what you Love.
Carol Lloyd Rozansky, PhD
Professor and Chairperson, Education Department


Description of Learning Language Through Literature: The Blue Book: Complete Program by Common Sense Press
Here's the answer! The Common Sense Reading Program, the Blue Book, for first grade skills, is the perfect reading program for beginning readers. Lessons include: phonics instruction using the "Successful Reading for Beginners" series. Your student begins reading stories right away!
Read-aloud stories and "real books" provide a basis for important reading and higher-order thinking skills. Grammar skills are integrated throughout the lessons.
Handwriting instruction teaches upper and lower case letters, numbers, and punctuation! Illustrated practice sheets encourage your student to do his best.
Assessments enable teachers to evaluate progress. Essential to the program, consumable Student Activity Books may be purchased separately.
Games, activities, and hands-on projects make this a dynamite combination.
Our first grade reading program includes a Teacher Book, a Student Activity Book, 28 readers, and a materials packet, all packaged in a convenient, attractive full-color box.
36 weekly lessons divided into easy-to-use daily plans.
Includes all the language arts skills: phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, and higher order thinking skills.
Handwriting Skills: Instruction and work pages included.
A systematic phonics approach includes: short and long vowels, consonant blends, word families, and sight words.
Assessments help teachers evaluate reading progress.
Games, word-wheels, flip books, and MORE hands-on projects and activities are effective for ALL types of learners.
Lessons require little or NO preparation!


Aligned to Your Math Resources
SMI is the best way to gauge your students’ readiness for math instruction, and identify which foundational skills teachers may need to rebuild. Providing a score directly on The Quantile Framework, SMI becomes a tool for differentiation in the math classroom. The program aligns to classroom math basals as well as Scholastic Math Intervention programs.
Explore the SMI Math Database for resources to support differentiation of instruction and effective pacing, and to link Quantile measures to textbook resources and align these measures to state standards including the
Common Core State Standards. This open resource is available to all
How to use the SMI Math Resource Database
Mouseover the dots to learn about using the math resource database.
Search by Keyword
Search for topics and link to state standards including the Common Core State Standards.
Use Advanced Search
Search by Q-Taxon ID
Input QTaxon ID numbers from the Intervention Grouping Report and the Student Progress Report to unpack target skills for differentiated instruction.
Search by Math Textbooks
Select your math textbook and see the level of difficulty of the chapters and lesson relative to your students' overall abilities.


- Check back in 2014
In many places of Latin America, “Día del Niño” (Day of the Child) or “Día de los Niños” (Children’s Day) marks an opportunity to celebrate and honor the life of all children. Although the exact date of the celebration varies from country to country, April 30th is usually reserved for this holiday. In addition, in the 1950s, the United Nations signed resolutions that affirmed the universal rights of children and encouraged countries to dedicate a day to them.
In the mid 1990s in the United States, author and poet Pat Mora began to promote Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros / Children’s Day, Book Day (also known as DIA), a new holiday that celebrated childhood, literacy, and language. In Utah, educators and librarians embraced this holiday and every year hold events and activities that highlight the importance of literacy, books, and reading in the lives of children.
The Utah State Library Division has developed a directed mini grant project to support libraries throughout the state in their efforts to connect children and families of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds to the wondrous realm of books and reading and the transformational services of libraries with special activities or events held during the month of April 2013.
The Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) and REFORMA, have created an awesome website full of resources to help you plan and conduct meaningful and successful DIA events and activities. Visit the DIA website and check out the Resource Guide.
The DIA Multicultural Mini Grant Project is open to all school libraries and public libraries in the State of Utah interested in holding their own DIA event or activities. School libraries within the same district are encouraged to apply individually. Likewise, branch libraries within the same system are encouraged to apply individually.
- Allowable use of funds include:
- Expenses to bring an author, poet, educator, trainer, or presenter
- Educational material
- Supplies, printing, postage
- FOOD OR REFRESHMENTS ARE NOT ALLOWABLE EXPENSES
Application Criteria & Commitment
The desired results (outcomes) for the DIA Mini Grant Project include:
- Celebrate children and connect them to the world of learning through books, stories and libraries.
- Nurture cognitive and literacy development in ways that honor and embrace a child’s home language and culture.
- Introduce families to community resources that provide opportunities for learning through multiple literacies.
- Recognize and respect culture, heritage and language as powerful tools for strengthening families and communities.
A successful mini grant application will clearly:
- Outline the event or activities planned AND highlight how the event or activities will achieve one or more of the desired results noted above.
- Identify at least one strategic community partnership AND highlight how the partnership will help achieve the desired results.
- Estimate of how much in local funds will be used for this project (i.e. local match).
The DIA Mini Grant recipient will:
- Plan and conduct at least one event or activity during the month of April
- Register the event or activities at the National DIA Program Registry
- Acknowledge in the publicity the source of the funds for the DIA Mini Grant. A suggested acknowledgement is: Funds for this project were provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library Services and Technology Act and were administered by the Utah State Library Division.
- Conduct a brief survey of event participants
- Fill out and submit an online evaluation
DIA Mini Grant applications are not available at this time.


The College Entrance Examination Board found that students involved in public school music programs scored 107 points higher on the SAT's than students with no participation.
- Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board,
compiled by the Music Educators National Conference (2002)
U.S. Department of Education data on more than 25,000 secondary school students found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show "significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12."
- U.S. Department of Education NELLS88 Database
Public Support and Access
According to a 2003 Gallup survey, 95 percent of Americans believe that music is a key component in a child's well-rounded education.
- American Attitudes on Music, Music Making and Music Education, The Gallup Organization 2003
In spite of this public support and documented benefits, "only one in four eighth graders reported being asked to sing or play a music instrument at least once a week."
-1998 NAEP Assessment
Arts involvement teaches children many skills necessary to succeed in life, including problem solving and decision making, building self-confidence and self-discipline, the ability to imagine what might be and to accept responsibility for it, teamwork, the development of informed perception, and articulating a vision.
- Compiled from various research documents and reports
Secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs).
- Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Houston Chronicle, January 11, 1998
A research team reports that early music training dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills. These findings indicate that music uniquely enhances higher brain functions required for mathematics, chess, science and engineering.
- From Neurological Research, Feb 28, 1997; Frances Rauscher, Ph.D., Gordon Shaw, Ph.D, University of California, Irvine
A two-year Swiss study involving 1,200 children in 50 schools showed that students involved in the music program were better at languages, learned to read more easily, showed an improved social climate, showed more enjoyment in school, and had a lower level of stress than non-music students.
-Weber, E.W., Spychiger, M. & Patry, J.L. (1993)
Arts and the Economy
America's nonprofit arts industry generates $134 billion in economic activity every year, including $24.4 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues.
- Americans for the Arts
Despite this, state-level arts spending dropped from $409 million in fiscal year 2002 to 354.5 in fiscal year 2003 and declined again to $272.4 million in 2004.
- National Assembly of State Arts Agencies


University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
I began volunteering in La Escuelita in March, and during my time there, I helped a class of children from La Paz with their homework and also played with them at the end of the day. After a few weeks, I developed an interest in the educational system in Spain, specifically related to children in primary education. I wanted to know more about some of the problems with the education in poor neighborhoods and how La Escuelita functions to help the children who are at a socioeconomic disadvantage to equalize their opportunity for educational success. In this paper, I address the educational structure in Spain, the goals of the educational system, and some of the ways that the state tries to provide an equal educational opportunity for all children in Spain. In addition, I used my observations and conversations with Carmen, the director of La Escuelita, to describe how La Escuelita works to provide an integral education in order to meet the educational and social needs of the children. I believe that by completing this project, I have learned about an important cultural aspect of Granada. I have had to step out of my comfort zone by communicating with locals in order to give back to the community. Overall, I think that this project has given me more confidence in my ability to communicate through oral and written practice of the language.
Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Sociology | Elementary Education and Teaching | Inequality and Stratification
Barriga, Adriana, "“Los Esfuerzos Escolares en España y el Papel de La Escuelita” - The Scholar Challenges in Spain and the Role of “La Escuelita”" (2011). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. Paper 1090.


Understanding The Dyslexia Puzzle
Dyslexia, A Developmental Puzzle
Dyslexia could be part of a pattern of delayed development involving more than just reading.
Dyslexia and Diet
Diet, especially certain dietary deficiencies, could play some role in triggering dyslexia.
Dyslexia and Vision
Many struggling readers are affected by undiagnosed, and therefore untreated, vision issues.
Dyslexia and Phonics Programs
Phonics instruction is a needed ingredient, but should follow the addressing of vision issues.
Dyslexia and Exercise Programs
Some exercise-based programs have been found to be useful in addressing dyslexia.
Dyslexia and Auditory Processing
Auditory programs have also been shown to be helpful; some exercises are included here.


People who go to school lead healthier, longer lives. That connection is well documented and unsurprising. But as obvious as this link is to us, the fact is we don't really know why that's the case. What is it about formal education that translates -- sometimes way down the road -- into better health choices? What's going on in the mind, at the basic cognitive level, that gives rise to lasting life skills?
One possibility is that schooling simply conveys knowledge about illness and disease prevention, and that better informed people make sounder judgments. But there is good reason to doubt this explanation. For example, massive and expensive public information campaigns aimed at smoking and drug use have for the most part failed to reduce such risky choices.
Another possibility is that formal schooling teaches people to think -- not about any health issue in particular but simply to think -- and that these cognitive skills endure into adulthood and lead to healthier life choices. According to this theory, formal education sharpens skills like working memory, self-control and attention -- all skills that are needed for intelligent decisions. This is the explanation favored by Ellen Peters, a psychological scientist at Decision Research in Oregon, who with her colleagues decided to test the idea in a real life setting.
They chose rural Ghana, for a number of reasons. First, like many sub-Saharan African nations, Ghana has a huge problem with HIV/AIDS infection. Secondly, general access to schooling is a recent development in rural Ghana, and about half of all adults are still unschooled. Peters decided to compare the schooled and the unschooled Ghanaians on a number of basic cognitive abilities, and to see if those abilities diminished risky choices related to AIDS.
Even a small amount of formal education seems to lead to better health, and indeed rural Ghanaians don't get much in the way of schooling. Peters studied middle-aged adults in four agrarian villages -- mostly subsistence farmers -- who had a little over six years of schooling on average. But their education levels varied widely. Peters gave men and women volunteers a variety of cognitive tests, including measures of working memory, planning ability, attention-shifting ability and ability with numbers or numeracy.
One of the numeracy tests related directly to HIV infection risk. The so-called Stickman task presents two hypothetical villages as circles, each populated with stick figures: red stick figures are HIV-infected, and black stick figures are not. The idea is to judge the risk associated with a randomly selected villager based on the population of stick figures. One village might have four red figures out of eight, for instance, and another three red figures out of four. Those with poor numeracy skills will look at the absolute number of infected villagers (four is greater than three) rather than the percentage -- the real indicator of risk. We all make the same mistake -- sometimes called "denominator neglect." I discuss this kind of innumeracy at length in my new book, "On Second Thought: Outsmarting Your Mind's Hard-Wired Habits." But in rural Ghana, this cognitive quirk can be a deadly miscalculation.
Peters combined numeracy and all the other cognitive test scores for each volunteer, and then she measured their actual knowledge of AIDS and HIV prevention: do condoms protect against the disease? Is it okay to wash and reuse a condom? Can AIDS be transmitted by a blood transfusion? By witchcraft? And so forth.
Finally, she interviewed each volunteer about his or her actual protective behaviors, including: going to AIDS classes, talking with one's sexual partner about HIV and AIDS, getting tested, or urging a partner to get tested and condom use.
Then she crunched all the data together, and the results were unambiguous. As reported online in the journal Psychological Science, schooling led to sharper cognitive skills across the board, and these enhanced intellectual abilities in turn led to more protective health behavior. But here's the important part: mere knowledge of HIV and AIDS facts did not in itself predict healthy living. It appears that cognitive abilities like numeracy and working memory better equip people to use their basic knowledge, to extrapolate to new situations and reason statistically in everyday life.
These findings have implications, especially for sub-Saharan African nations. Over the past decade, an estimated $8.9 billion has been spent in the region to disseminate basic knowledge about AIDS, in an effort to stem the ravages of the disease. These findings suggest that these efforts may not be enough -- that they must also include interventions to help at-risk adults reason with the facts they have. Put another way, it may not be a coincidence that this part of Africa is home to both the largest unschooled population in the world and the largest AIDS-infected population.


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"I first used ReadWriteThink.org during my literacy block of college courses to help me construct a lesson on word building. My classmates enjoyed this lesson so much that I knew I would use the website again to help me develop lessons for my "real" students."
Karen Griffin's Story
Helping Phonics Flower in the Elementary Classroom
As a student teacher in a first-grade classroom, I struggled with ways to make phonics fun. I was thrilled to find the lesson Phonic Generalizations in Chrysanthemum. This lesson uses -ow words from the book Chrysanthemum to point out the two sounds this letter combination can make. The lesson plan includes hands-on activities that allow students to use a whole-brain approach to learning. I created a sheet that the students used to write their words on after they created them with the letter tiles. Students were able to create words using letter tiles, read the words, write the words, and then read them again. This allowed them to notice that while spelling patterns in words might look the same, they do not always sound the same. Students were then asked to write one or two sentences using two -ow words. Volunteers were asked to read their sentences aloud. This lesson not only provided me with a way to make phonics fun for my students, but it also allowed me to enjoy teaching phonics!
Grades K – 2 | Lesson Plan | Minilesson
Students learn about word families by reading Kevin Henkes’s book Chrysanthemum, identifying words with certain vowel pair endings, and reading words with similar endings.
Grades K – 2 | Student Interactive | Learning About Language
Word Wizard uses themes from four popular U.S. children's books to create word puzzles that students solve by unscrambling letters and considering related clues.
Students learn the different sounds that -ow can make.
Assessment of /ow/ sounds
Assess student mastery of the sounds made by "ow" through oral and written formats.
Worksheet for /ow/ sounds
Students write the words they created with the letter tiles.
I am a 37-year-old who, after feeling unhappy in my previous profession (nursing), decided to take a hiatus and work in a local preschool. It was at that time I fell in love with teaching and decided to return to school to obtain my bachelor's degree in elementary education. I graduated in May 2011 and have recently been hired as a second grade teacher for the 2011-2012 school year. I am looking forward to having my own classroom to put ideas from ReadWriteThink.org into practice. My husband, Geoff, and I have been married for 16 years and have two beautiful children.


Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.
It is a wonderful text written by two art teachers and a university
professor. If you order a classroom set, the publisher will send you
overhead transparencies, lesson plans and many other helpful teaching aids.
It is important to mention however, that this text is not devoted entirely
to art history in the same way as Brommer. It approaches the study of art
from a comprehensive point of view which includes art history as part of
the larger picture. Activities are suggested at the end of each chapter
and they are wonderful.
Several years ago, I was a high school art history teacher. I found that
when switching to the Themes and Foundations text (where students had an
opportunity to do things other than look at slides and take notes),
enthusiasm for the subject improved and understanding increased.
Department of Art Education
The Ohio State University.


- The need to promote your school
- How the media works
- How to put your school's good news in the media
- Organising an event to attract the media
- Other ways you can promote your involvement with Count On
- A press release
- Talking to the media in a crisis
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOKLET
This booklet has been produced to help primary, secondary schools and colleges promote their good news stories to the media. Too often the really good things that are happening in schools go completely unnoticed by the general public while education in general and schools in particular seem to be the subject of lurid, sensational and distorted headlines. This not only happens in the national press but can be a feature of local and regional press too. Whether you have had only limited dealings with journalists in the past or even none at all, this booklet will help you develop a confident approach to dealing with them and will help you to take more control of the news agenda that directly affects your school.
Its aim therefore is to help schools celebrate their achievements with children and parents, especially their mathematical achievements, to a wider public. But it also aims to help schools celebrate and give recognition to the hard work and achievements of its teachers and staff.
The booklet gives general but invaluable advice on how the media works, how best to approach it and work with it whatever your involvement with it may be. Within this it gives a wealth of practical examples, tips and advice on how to go about promoting your school in the most positive and effective way especially during the uniquely exciting Count On.
Count On aims to promote maths as accessible, relevant and enjoyable to everyone, not just children. It is the continuation project of Maths Year 2000, which finished in April 2001. Although it runs alongside and supports the Government‚s National Numeracy Strategy, Count On is a complementary campaign that aims to involve children and teenagers in discovering the fun and excitement of maths and adults in opportunities to improve their numeracy skills. It aims to create positive attitudes and a "lets-do-can-do" culture towards everyday maths with the whole community.
There are all sorts of activities planned for the year.
- A series of regional family oriented MathFests running in major centres with hundreds of smaller satellite events based in schools, colleges, libraries, museums and galleries;
- A terrific interactive website crammed with maths games and puzzles for children, resources and ideas for teachers and parents, a virtual maths museum and Maths Magnet magazines for Key Stages 1 and 2;
- regular e-mail newsletters to share ideas and billboard news of events;
- The Basic Skills Agency is helping adults to improve numeracy skills;
- The Office of National Statistics and the Royal Statistical Society are building on last year's Children's Census;
- Fantasy Football League are running a secondary schools competition;
- High street retailers are sponsoring in-store activities, games and software;
- Walkers and News International are re-launching maths "Books for Schools";
To provide a creative focus Maths Year 2000 was divided into six bi-monthly themes which you could use again in Count On. They are:
January: Maths on Time
March: Maths takes Shape
May: Maths at Work
July: Maths in Play
September: Maths and People
November: Maths and Money
To ensure Count On is a success we need the widest possible involvement: schools, colleges, libraries, museums, galleries, parent and voluntary groups, businesses, local education authorities and the media.
This is your opportunity to get involved and make a difference.


Learning English for the Intermediate Level
- Intermediate Level Quizzes (81)
- Intermediate Grammar (174)
- Intermediate Vocabulary (132)
- Intermediate Listening (22)
- Intermediate Writing (29)
- Pronunciation - Speaking (59)
- Intermediate Reading (73)
- English Learning Products (4)
- Teaching Intermediate Level (92)
Improve English Quickly - Learning Tips
English learning and teaching tips and ideas to quickly improve your English.
How to Study English Effectively
This short introduction to how to study English effectively provides helpful hints and exercises to help you study English well.
Learning English for Your Level
Beginner, lower intermediate, intermediate, upper intemediate, and advanced learning materials broken put into categories to help you find the materials you need to learn English appropriate to your level
Free Daily Lesson
Each day there will be a new lesson for you to practice your English. Lessons are designed with popular topics including: real life, music, eavesdropping (gossip), slang and the movies. Lessons include an intro, listening comprehension, dialogue with idiomatic expressions explained, a discussion section, grammar point and follow-up quiz.
Learn English at this site with resources including grammar explanations, vocabulary reference pages, quiz sheets, pronunciation help, and listening and reading comprehension strategies.
English Tip of the Day
Each day receive a new English use tip with sentence examples. There is also a Quiz of the Day and Worksheet of the Day. The English level, quiz and worksheet start off easy at an intermediate level. As the months go by, you'll improve your level to advanced English usage.
Free E-mail Course: Intensive Grammar Workshop
If you would like to brush-up your English grammar knowledge, review outside of class or increase your English grammar skills this is the course for you. The course provides extensive instruction and practice taking learners from an intermediate level to an advanced level of English grammar.
Free E-mail Course: Improve Your Vocabulary
We all know grammar is important. However, without a large vocabulary it's difficult to express what you want. This course is dedicated to helping expand your vocabulary. You will receive an e-mail each week with a new vocabulary lesson.
Word of the Day
Each day receive a new word, definition, sentence examples and pronunciation link. There is also a Quiz of the Day and Worksheet of the Day. The vocabulary, quiz and worksheet start off easy with intermediate level vocabulary. As the months go by, you'll improve your level to advanced vocabulary and grammar.
Study Skills for Intermediate Level Learners
This is a simple routine to use to make studying English every day a habit that you enjoy and will help you improve your English quickly.
Begin a New ESL Class
Steps students should take before they begin a new ESL class to ensure they get the most out of class from the very beginning.
English Learning Forum
English Learning Forum examples of posts at esl.about.com.
Intermediate Practice Test
Great review exercise based on a wide variety of learning points appropriate to the intermediate level.
Aquiring Listening Skills
Acquiring listening skills is frustrating. This is because successful listening skills are acquired over time and with lots of practice. It's frustrating for students because there are no rules as in grammar teaching. Here is a discussion of the problem and some suggestions to improving listening skills.
How to Improve Your English
This "how to" focuses on the basic goal of everything that this site deals with... A basic strategy guide to improving your English.
How to Improve Your Pronunciation
This "how to" focuses on improving your pronunciation through the recognition of the "time-stressed" character of English.
Back to School Intermediate Level Resources
Getting ready to go back to school as a student or teacher can be as simple as reviewing what you've studied or taught, or as difficult as learning new skills to prepare you for a new class. This guide to back to school resources at the site for beginning, intermediate, advanced level and teachers will help you prepare for the new school year.
English Learning Tips
English learning tips for English learners and teachers to help spice up your classes and improve your learning English experience.
How to Speak English
This step by step guide on how to speak English can help intermediate level learners get started and focused on learning English by setting learning objectives and using useful resources available on and offline.


Acquiring Literacy in English:
Crosslinguistic, Intralinguistic, and Developmental Factors
Narrative Production Task
Author and Date
Patton Tabors and Mariela Páez, formerly of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Center for Applied Linguistics. 2002.
The English and Spanish versions of the Narrative Production Task were designed to assess children’s oral proficiency in English and Spanish, respectively. The tests were developed for the research study Early Childhood Study of Language and Literacy Development of Spanish-speaking Children, subproject 1 of Acquiring Literacy in English: Crosslinguistic, Intralinguistic, and Developmental Factors.
Age or Grade of Examinees
The assessments were developed to be used with children ages 3-8.
The Narrative Production Task is an oral elicitation assessment based on three pictures of the adventures of a family having a picnic in a park. Children’s oral responses are recorded, transcribed, and coded.
English: A native English-speaking researcher shows the three pictures to the child and says: “I want you to look at the pictures as long as you want and then I am going to take them away. After I take them away, I want you to tell me a story of what happened in the pictures.” The researcher then encourages the child to tell a story about the pictures he/she just saw.
Spanish: A native Spanish-speaking researcher shows the three pictures to the child and says: “Quiero que los mires por el tiempo que quieras y luego los voy a guardar. Cuando los guarde, quiero que me digas una historia de lo que pasó en los dibujos.” The researcher then encourages the child to tell a story about the pictures he/she just saw.
In both cases, the task is finished when the child declares that the story is finished. The researcher records the child’s response and trained coders listen to and count the number of words in the child’s response.
Scoring and Interpretation
The child’s score is the number of words that he/she uses in telling the family picnic story. Previous research has shown that the number of words in children’s stories is related to the complexity of children’s language. In turn, language complexity is related to later school success (Snow & Tabors, 1993).
Reliability and Validity
Reliability and validation data pending.
The Narrative Production Task (Spanish and English) was based on research conducted by Snow, Tabors, and others.
Snow, C. E, & Tabors, P. O. (1993). Language skills that relate to literacy development. In Spodek, B. & Saracho, O. (Eds.), Yearbook in Early Childhood Education, 4. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Snow, C., Tabors, P., Nicholson, P., & Kurland, B. (1995). SHELL: A method for assessing oral language and early literacy skills in kindergarten and first grade children. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 10 (1), 37-48.
The Narrative Production Task materials are available from the Center for Applied Linguistics. To request a copy, complete and submit the Application Form for Use of ALE Researcher-developed Assessment Instruments, available in Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF format.
Researchers using the Narrative Production Task should cite it as follows:
Harvard Graduate School of Education and Center for Applied Linguistics. (2002). Narrative Production Task—English. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Harvard Graduate School of Education and Center for Applied Linguistics. (2002). Narrative Production Task—Spanish. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.


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Lectures from the Allen Room and the Wertheim Study: St. Nicholas Magazine : a Portable Art Museum
September 26, 2013
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, South Court Auditorium
General Research Division
In November 1873, American publisher Scribner and Company published the first issue of a new illustrated monthly magazine for children, St. Nicholas Magazine : Scribner’s Illustrated Magazine for Girls and Boys. Contributing to its success was the editorial vision of its first and most influential editor, Mary Mapes Dodge, who was to create a new kind of magazine for children, one in which illustration and art education were important foci. The greatest expression of St. Nicholas’ art education program is seen in its many reproductions of fine art and architecture from Antiquity, the Old Masters, and contemporary academic artists. These reproductions accompanied art historical information, illustrated fictional stories, or stood alone for the reader to contemplate. St. Nicholas also contained the work of trade illustrators who would become famous through the distribution of illustrated magazines, including Howard Pyle, Jessie McDermott and Reginald Birch. Contained between the two heavy, matte paper covers were innovative and artistic layouts, typography, and decorative designs that consciously paralleled the styles of the predominate artistic movements, such as those associated with the American Renaissance and English Aestheticism, that were popular among elite, genteel Victorian Americas. The art and aesthetic editorial program as defined by Dodge and carried out by the magazine’s art department and printer was a complicated and premeditated agenda for the cultural education and visual training of its readership. St. Nicholas must be considered an art magazine, taking its place within the art and aesthetic education movement of the late nineteenth-century in America.
Mary F. Zawadzi, a writer in residence in the Library’s Wertheim Study, is currently completing her PhD in nineteenth-century American art history at The Graduate Center, CUNY. Her dissertation focuses on the art and aesthetic education program of the nineteenth-century children’s illustrated magazine, St. Nicholas Magazine. She has presented extensively on St. Nicholas and illustration in America, and has been published in the Mid-Atlantic Almanack. She is currently teaching art history at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY and has taught the History of Illustration at Parson: The New School for Design.


Anticipating Artistic Success (or, How to Beat the Art Market): Lessons from History
The recent history of modern art provides clues as to how important artists can be identified before their work becomes generally known. Advanced art has been dominated by conceptual innovators since the late 1950s, and the importance of formal art education in the training of leading artists has also increased during this period. A few schools have been particularly prominent. Auction market records reveal that during the past five decades the Yale School of Art has produced a series of graduates who have achieved great success commercially as well as critically. Recognizing Yale's role can allow collectors to identify important artists before they become widely recognized, and therefore before their early innovative work rises in value.
Published: David Galenson, 2005. "Anticipating Artistic Success," World Economics, World Economics, Economic & Financial Publishing, PO Box 69, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, RG9 1GB, vol. 6(2), pages 11-26, April.


Music: Black, White & Blue
by Ortiz Walton
William Morrow, 1972
Music: Black, White & Blue is both a musicological and sociological treatment of African-American music. Walton, himself a musician, begins with the African roots of both the musical practices and social uses of jazz: a participatory music with "the cries, falsettos, slurs and other African expressive modes." He continues with descriptions of the content and social settings of various types of slave music, showing how the people continued to use and transmit African elements. For example, in the absence of drums, polymetric rhythms were nonetheless produced by hand-clapping and foot-stomping.
In his discussion of ragtime, Walton moves from the appropriation of persons to the appropriation of music, as mechanical reproduction via the piano roll weakened the control of ragtime practitioners over their music. This theme appears repeatedly throughout his book, as white publishers, record companies, and musicians control the distribution of the creative efforts of African-American musicians. On the other hand, his chapter on turn of the century New Orleans, where various cultural currents joined to form jazz, is especially illuminating in its clarification of that city's multifaceted racial environment.
The jazz age, as Walton documents it, continued the music industry's taking over the creative efforts of the African-American creators of this music. White performers dominated in the public's perception until the bebop era, with its demands on performers for new heights of virtuosity. Thus once again African-Americans obtained a measure of control over their music, although largely shut out of the business side of recordings, broadcasting and publishing. Walton concludes his historical treatment with a discussion of then-contemporary (1960's) jazz, with established musicians faced with career displacement as the avant-garde shook up the scene.
Music: Black White & Blue also includes a chapter on Duke Ellington, who is a hero for the author not only because of his musical excellence, but also because of his many works commemorating black history. Bassist Art Davis' unsuccessful discrimination suit against the New York Philharmonic is the subject of another chapter. Davis, still an active jazz musician, offered to vie for the open bass chair with all the competing bassists behind screens, so that they could be heard without being seen, in an attempt to blunt white prejudice. The Orchestra refused and ultimately gave the job to a white woman, and Davis, like several other outspoken musicians, was blacklisted for his troubles. Walton concludes with chapters on the need for African-American music education and control of a portion of the record industry.
The author is learned, incisive, and persuasive in his descriptions of the distortions inflicted on a music and a culture by the white disseminators of African-American music. If some of the chapters have the feel of separate essays while the majority are linked by the historic sweep of musical history, nonetheless the book is thematically enriched by these more individually focused sections. Although the polemical conclusions of this book, and its descriptions of the realities facing African-American musicians in 1972, are very much of their time, it nonetheless contains many historic insights which are the more valuable for being seldom heard.
Includes appendix and index.
This review copyright (c) 1998 by Larry Koenigsberg.


City Planner: Job Description, Duties and Requirements
City planners, sometimes known as urban or regional planners, make both long- and short-term plans regarding the use of land in their cities. They help make the best use of a city's land by taking into account the future needs of the city's population and recommending locations for different types of infrastructure, such as roads and schools.
City Planner Job Description
City planners determine the best way to use a city's land and resources. They may help draft legislation, plan the construction of new public housing or buildings, help protect the environment, and suggest zoning regulations for private property. City planners may choose to specialize in transportation planning, community development and redevelopment, code enforcement, or environmental and urban design. However, those who specialize must keep the bigger picture in mind when creating plans for a city.
City Planner Duties
To prepare for community development, city planners often study their city's population and current use of land through surveys, field investigations, and other research methods. They may use computers to analyze their information, map land areas, project program costs, and predict trends. Other duties require preparing reports regarding the locations of different infrastructure, as well as population characteristics. City planners use their reports and community input to plan how the city's land should be used. They may also plan public transportation systems if necessary.
City planners spend much of their time interacting with other professionals. They may need to hold public meetings with government officials, land developers, lawyers, special interest groups, and the general public to develop or address issues regarding city land use. They may hear proposals and recommend denial, approval or conditional approval, as well as make changes as necessary. City planners must also defend their own proposals before legislative committees.
City Planner Requirements
A master's degree is the most common educational requirement for city planners. Master's degree programs in urban or regional planning, environmental planning, urban design, or geography may all prepare students for careers as city planners. Specific undergraduate majors are usually not required for admission into these master's degree programs, but common majors include economics, environmental design, geography, political science, and urban planning. Although less common, students who earn a bachelor's degree in urban planning can sometimes find employment without attending graduate school.
Graduate students spend much of their time learning to analyze and solve planning problems through laboratory courses, seminars, and workshops. They may also be required to gain practical experience by working in a planning office either part-time or during the summer. It is recommended that students also take courses in related subjects, such as architecture, geography, economics, management, earth sciences, law, and health administration. Since city planners need to be familiar with computer models and statistical techniques, students may be required to take courses in computer science, statistics, and geographic information systems.
Licensure or registration is not a requirement for city planners in most states. However, as of 2013, New Jersey requires its city planners to be licensed and Michigan requires registration. In both cases, passing examinations are required.
The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) offers optional certification for those who have met educational and professional planning experience requirements. Those who have less education need more professional experience and vice versa. Passing an examination is required to earn certification, while continuing education is required to maintain the designation. Continuing education is necessary to keep up-to-date with the latest technologies, building codes, zoning codes and environmental regulations.
Job Outlook and Salary Info
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, www.bls.gov), the employment of urban or regional planners is expected to grow by about 16% between 2010 and 2020. Individuals with a master's degree and work experience will fare better than their counterparts when in competition for positions. The median annual salary earned by planners was reported as $65,230 in May 2012 by the BLS.
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Cairo Rosenwald School
Visitor InformationCairo, Tennessee
Established in 1912 by Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, the Rosenwald rural school building program worked to improve African American education throughout the South in the early twentieth century. The project began in Alabama when Washington used money donated to Tuskegee University from Rosenwald to construct six schools for African Americans. From here, the project expanded and in 1917 Rosenwald established the Julius Rosenwald Fund to provide consistent financial support for the school program. By 1928, Rosenwald schools served one third of the South’s African American schoolchildren and teachers. Schools continued to be built until 1932, when Julius Rosenwald died and funding for the program discontinued. By this time, the program had produced 4,977 new schools, 217 teachers' homes, and 163 shop buildings, constructed at a total cost of $28,408,520 to serve 663,615 students in 883 counties of 15 states. Despite the conclusion of the program, many Rosenwald schools continued operating into the 1950s.
Renowned educator, Booker T. Washington, played a direct role in the development of the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Born into slavery, after emancipation Washington moved to West Virginia and began working in a salt furnace and coal mine until he could afford to attend the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. His life experiences instilled the belief that work ethic and education would play a crucial role in improving the place of African Americans in society. In the early twentieth century, Washington became known for espousing his belief that African Americans should further their position in society through vocational education. In contrast to leaders such as W.E.B. DuBois, Washington believed that African Americans should focus more on self help and not confront issues such as segregation or the disenfranchisement of black voters. In response to his beliefs, Washington founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Tuskegee, Alabama. This school provided vocational training for African Americans throughout the South and received funding from black and white philanthropists. In addition to college-level education, Washington also hoped to make elementary education available to African American children throughout the rural South. In order to achieve this goal, Washington turned to the philanthropists of Tuskegee University to secure the necessary funds to build schoolhouses and implement a vocational curriculum.
Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company from 1908 to 1924, provided the critical funding needed for Washington’s rural school project. In 1912 Rosenwald donated $25,000 to the Tuskegee Institute. A portion of this money became used to build the first six schools in Washington’s rural school program. After seeing the success of the schools, Rosenwald established the Julius Rosenwald Fund to further the program. He hoped that the expansion of Rosenwald schools would put pressure on Southern states to create decent public schools for African American children. In addition to his work with Booker T. Washington, Rosenwald generously donated to a variety of other causes throughout his life including public education, museums, and Jewish charities. While an active philanthropist, Rosenwald also proved to be a shrewd businessman while working for Sears, Roebuck, and Company. He became a partner for the company in 1895 and worked his way up to the position of vice president within one year. Rosenwald’s commitment to customer service and rational management philosophy ultimately led him to becoming president of the company in 1908. While president, he donated over 21 million dollars of his personal fortune to the company when Sears almost reached bankruptcy after World War I, and by 1922 the company had regained financial stability.
As desegregation efforts grew in the 1950s, Rosenwald schools rapidly closed. From the 1950s through the early 2000s many of these abandoned schoolhouses were largely neglected or demolished. As a result of the disappearance of these schools, grassroots activists and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have worked to identify and preserve these important sites. In 2002 the National Trust helped raise awareness about these sites by placing Rosenwald schools on their 11 Most Endangered Places list. Since 2005, Lowe’s has also partnered with the National Trust and contributed over 1 million dollars to help in the restoration of these sites as well as other historically significant sites across the nation. Their funding has allowed the Trust to provide grants to local organizations working to preserve and restore Rosenwald schools. The work of local preservationists, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Lowe’s has helped to prevent the further destruction of these sites and has also encouraged the restoration of the remaining Rosenwald schools.
For more information