Montessori Program Features:
- A prepared, orderly environment in which students have freedom to work on their own or in small groups.
- Self-correcting, sequenced learning materials which help the child develop a strong foundation in reading and mathematics skills.
- Development of self-discipline and independence built around respect for each other and the school environment.
- Parent sessions on the Montessori philosophy and methods, with a strong emphasis on how parents can support the program.
- Belief that learning is a life-long process. The importance of developing a love of learning is central to the Montessori Method of Education.
At Craig Montessori, fine arts and creative expression are incorporated with daily lessons at all development levels. Students work with shapes and colors, develop hand-eye coordination, practice penmanship and are encouraged to decorate and illustrate their written work. Arts exploration continues through eighth grade under the guidance of Craig Montessori’s teaching staff, community partners and talented parent volunteers, as well as our own art teacher.
The Montessori music curriculum includes theory, performance and music appreciation. Students have numerous opportunities for vocal music expression and performance in their classrooms and at special events throughout the year. MPS traveling music teachers also offer lessons in piano, violin, wind instruments, band and choir.
Human Growth and Development
The Human Growth and Development curriculum at Craig Montessori guides students to make healthy choices as they transition to new stages throughout their lives. Lessons equip students with the knowledge, values and skills to be responsible members of the community who respect personal decisions.
During their early years, children focus on healthy relationships, communication skills and appropriate emotional expressions. They also discuss cultural diversity, body image and violence in the media. As they progress in their elementary education, students learn about anatomy and what constitutes sexual abuse. Students are taught to protect themselves and encouraged to take advantage of community resources.
Upper elementary instruction features education regarding gender roles, puberty and reproduction. Students also discuss the basics of sexually transmitted diseases, abstinence and pregnancy prevention. As students mature during their adolescent years, they are provided in-depth information on topics introduced during their upper elementary years. At Craig Montessori, it is our hope that by the time each student graduates, he or she will have developed a personal standard for human behavior and healthy relationships based on their individual family, spiritual, social and educational experiences.
At Craig Montessori, children who receive Special Education services are included in regular classroom settings and receive specialized instruction in accordance with their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Related services are provided as needed. These may include occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language services and further guidance by the school psychologist(s) and school social worker(s). Students who require Special Education are monitored for academic progress and taught skills and strategies that will support achievement in the regular education classroom.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
PBIS is a joint effort between Milwaukee Public Schools Office of Family Services and the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association to effectively reduce classroom disruptions and student suspensions through a school-wide systematic tiered-intervention approach. Data shows that schools that implement PBIS with fidelity see decreases in disruptions and suspensions and increases in student achievement.


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Levy: Renaissance begins in school
Kids need what the arts teach, and the upcoming school levy will continue to provide it. Art education is essential to the growth and development of the creative capabilities of all students. It has its roots in the discipline of visual communication and production, cultural and art history, judgment and aesthetics.
To a young child, it means learning how to apply concepts to communicate ideas. As a child learns to develop and use skills to solve problems, they are more successful in all areas of study. Students love to work with art materials and create products. Their work provides direct evidence of understanding and ability to apply basic concepts. Young children often need to learn kinesthetically to develop their understanding and memory.
Throughout human history, an appreciation of art, music, literature and science has been considered the hallmark of a well rounded citizen. I have taught elementary art for 20 years in the public schools. I work with elementary school students as they mature and graduate from very simple activities to very complex projects in six short years. They create and respond as they discover the world around them. Young children need and deserve a rich dimension to their education.
Thank you for supporting the upcoming school levy election this March. I know hundreds of students that are benefiting immeasurably from art education, physical education and the support staff who offer their expertise.
Elementary Art Specialist
Olympic View Elementary


Why do we need music education in schools?
Why do we need to teach music in schools? What are the benefits of music education? How can we advocate music education?
First of all, music classes greatly contribute to the development of creativity. Music consists of musical symbols, so people need to have creativity to play, listen to, and respond to the music.
Also, students will have a better understanding toward diverse cultures through music programs. Music provides students with another mode of communication-one which transcends all ages. People can easily understand thoughts, ideas, and feelings of other cultures through music, which goes beyond verbal language and written documents.
Finally, music education provides a deeper understanding of music. Through music classes, students would have hands-on experiences, which would help students develop musical understanding and sensitivity.


Van Gogh Sunflowers: Free Lesson Plan Download
Level: K-2 Art Education Lesson Plan
Art Elements: Texture
Art Skills: Fine motor, Tearing, Gluing
Art History: Van Gogh
* Get more free lessons like this, on our Lessons Page
This lesson is one of my favorites for many reasons. Each piece of artwork turns out very different, even with the same directions. Students have so much fun adding real textures like sunflower seeds and tissue paper to the artwork. This lesson also addresses so many important fine motor skills such as cutting, gluing, tearing, and writing. You won’t be disappointed trying this lesson! There are so many versions of Van Gogh Sunflower lessons out there, but with this unique take, you will feel like it’s the first time you’ve seen or done this lesson or one like it.


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|Physical Education - First Grade
The Physical Education class begins with aerobic
activity to warm up the muscles (i.e. tag or jump rope). Their
warm-ups are followed by stretching and strength exercises which
the children lead themselves.
The next phase of the class involves motor skill development. This is
achieved through a variety of instructional approaches especially
successful with this grade (demonstration & explanation, Socratic
approach, movement education and role playing). Making use of the
first grader's rich and vivid imagination, many skill sessions are
presented within storylines. For example, when learning the standing
broad jump and running broad jump, the child imagines s/he is hiking
and must cross many brooks of varying widths without landing in them.
The culminating activity of each lesson is a group game or individual
challenge which utilizes/ reinforces the skill(s) developed earlier in
the lesson. The game usually has a cooperative element to it. For
example, if the focus skill of the day is throwing or catching, we
will play Fox and Squirrel which is a circle game in which the Fox
(large ball) is chasing the Squirrel (small ball). The Fox must be
handed to a person on either side of you while the Squirrel can
"fly" across the circle to anyone whose name you call. The entire
group becomes concerned with the fate of the Squirrel as they
practice throwing, catching and calling to a receiver before passing
Class ends with a circle time for the children to ask questions,
describe what they have learned in P.E. and receive feedback about a
particular aspect of the class.
The P.E. objectives are met through the areas of instruction indicated
- Manipulative: one and two hand bowling, one and two hand overhand
and underhand throws, one hand overhand throw, bouncing with one and
two hands, catching, kicking, rolling hula hoops, tossing scarves,
balancing peacock feathers, and flying ribbon streamers
- Non-locomotor : balancing, sitting, kneeling, squatting, standing,
bending, swaying, rocking, swinging, turning, twisting and pushing
- Locomotor: walking, running, hopping, jumping, leaping, galloping,
sliding, skipping, dodging, landing, turning and side-stepping
- In a Group: forming circles, lining up and responding to signals
- Learning simple line and circle dances
- Simple: Simon Says to Music, Red Light-Green Light, One Bounce
- Cooperative: Frozen Bean Bag, Caterpillar Over the Mountain,
- Obstacle courses integrate a variety of skills and concepts and
are good for body awareness and memory. Throughout the year, obstacle
courses are presented to coincide with holidays and Project Time.
- Tumbling: log rolls, egg rolls, forward and backward rolls and
straddle rolls, animal walks, jumps and jump turns, splits, 1 side
cartwheels, tip-ups and tripods.
- Apparatus: balance beam, forward and backward walking, squat
turn and scale. Vault: squat on and jump dismounts, squat through.
Climbing ropes: pull-ups, inverted hangs and skin the cat.
- Calisthenics for strength and flexibility, long rope jumping
and tag games for cardiovascular endurance.
- Creative movement, rock passing, hand clapping songs, lummi sticks.


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.
DBAE definition source
[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]Brian Foster
Thu, 8 Aug 1996 17:31:49 -0400
I got this definition from somewhere - anyone know what boring manual
it came from? I need it to bore
other people and lull them into thinking we are all cut from the same mold.
source anyone? (take a guess
or make one up- )
" Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) is a comprehensive art education
program, an approach to teaching art that is effective in stimulating
children's creative and intellectual growth in all subject areas. It is
based on the belief that art from kindergarten through grade 12 should be
taught with the same commitment and rigor as other basic school subjects by
combining skills, knowledge and understanding of art. As such, the
disciplines of art production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics
form the core of DBAE"................................
I am rewriting my lesson plans to keep updated to the current
and the BS quoted above somehow legitimizes the use of a preponderance of
gastrointellectual phrases to describe something I have been doing all
along, adding to the abuse of wood pulp that could otherwise be used for
ps to san d this does not apply to your philosophy which I quoted because
I am only providing winter fodder for anyone with bureaucratic inclinations
who checks all documents for the appropriate amount of CURRENT BS
exkyouz mye spelyngue
YIKES>>>WHAT's THIS.......there...'s a tongue in my cheek... help!


- Published: Boston ; New York : Harcourt Children's Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
- Year Published: 2013
- Description: 1 v. (unpaged)
- Language: English
- Format: Book
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When Stravinsky met Nijinsky : two artists, their ballet, and one extraordinary riot
There are currently 4 available
Where To Find It
Call number: J 781.556 St
Available Copies: Downtown Youth, Pittsfield Youth, Traverwood Youth, West Youth
The Russian artists Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky were popular in their time: Stravinsky for music, Nijinsky for dance. When their radically new ballet, The Rite of Spring, was first performed in Paris on May 29, 1913, the reaction was so polarized, there were fistfights and riots! Brilliant or disastrous, the performance marked the birth of modern music and dance. Stringer's rhythmic text and gloriously inventive, color-rich paintings capture the wild and imaginative collaboration of composer and choreographer.
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Background The Vocal Junior Student Teaching Program is centered at Immaculate Conception School on Buffalo and Plain Streets in downtown Ithaca. This PreK-8 parochial school and the Ithaca College Music Education Department have maintained an alliance for over fifty years. We usually refer to the site of the vocal music education majors' early field experience as the "Lab School." We provide the music program for the children and the school provides the teaching stations and students. It has been a meaningful, productive arrangement for all personnel involved.
Philosophical Statement Some of the central tenets of our philosophy are:
- Making music rather than talking about music
- Singing as a core of the experience
- Using movement, instruments, and creativity as vehicles to musical understanding
- Performing/presenting quality repertoire
- Child development
- Positive approach
- Learning styles: visual, kinesthetic, aural
- Music teacher as master musician, an ARTIST EDUCATOR.
- Every child will be able to sing on pitch with a pleasant tone.
- A positive attitude toward music will be fostered.
- Musicianship is developed.
- The artist in every child is awakened.
- Musical know-how is developed in singing, instruments, creativity, and music literacy.
- Musical understandings (concepts) will be developed through the study of repertoire of high quality.


The promise and reality of educational opportunities for children involve a fair chance to develop their capacities and reach their full potential, as well as to become productive and responsible members of the broader community. That’s why we advocate for a “whole child” approach to education — one that addresses children’s cognitive, physical, and social and emotional needs. Our comprehensive approach to education policy involves ensuring a strong foundation in the years from birth to age 8; supporting opportunities that ensure seamless transitions for each child’s education all the way to college or career credential; providing meaningful afterschool and out-of-school time programming; leading school-based mental health efforts; addressing kids’ social and emotional learning needs; and improving equity in education funding. Illinois’ future depends on addressing the educational needs of children — today.
Education Funding: For several decades, public school funding issues in Illinois have been much the same: inadequate state support; heavy reliance on local property taxes; and wide fiscal disparities among school districts. In FY 2010, only 28 percent of revenue for elementary and secondary education in Illinois came from state sources — the lowest share among the 50 states. The Education Article of the Illinois State Constitution declares that the state “shall provide for an efficient system of high-quality public educational institutions and services” and that the state “has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education.” Fiscal resources alone do not determine the quality of public schools, but educational opportunities in Illinois are too dependent on the property wealth of local school districts. To encourage funding policies that address the needs of all Illinois students, the Fiscal Policy Center at Voices for Illinois Children provides technical support to the state’s Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB), which makes recommendations to the General Assembly on General State Aid to local school districts.
Community Schools: Community schools offer a unique system of supports to help students, families, and communities thrive. By making schools a “hub,” the community school concept brings together educators, parents, and community organizations in ways that help kids master core academic skills through engaging, hands-on approaches, while drawing in a wide array of supportive services that promote positive youth development. Community schools also connect kids and parents to community resources as needed, such as mental health and family support counseling. Bringing these diverse opportunities together in one place creates a welcoming, user-friendly resource for families — and it does it cost-effectively. Voices partners with the Federation for Community Schools, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, and Elev8 to help more families and communities benefit from this approach.
Social and Emotional Learning and School-based Mental Health: Voices’ commitment to the “whole child” is reflected in our work to ensure that the social and emotional and school-based mental health needs of all growing children are a top priority for policymakers. Illinois was the first state to adopt Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards after the passage of the Children’s Mental Health Act in 2003. SEL teaches adults and children how to identify and manage emotions, develop caring and concern for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and deal with challenging situations effectively and ethically. Social and emotional development is essential to school readiness, academic achievement, good health, career success, and overall well-being.
Services for English Language Learners (ELL): Nearly 200,000 public school students in Illinois have a primary language other than English. English language learners face a variety of extra challenges — including a greater likelihood of living in poverty. Assessing children in their native language and providing appropriate instruction in that language are critical to keeping children current in their academic skills and to improving their English language skills. All children must have the opportunity to learn English in a manner that promotes language and literacy development; the well-being of communities and our workforce depend upon it.
Afterschool and Out-of-school Time Programming: Evidence-based afterschool and out-of-school time programs take a hands-on, engaging approach to learning by tackling key skills such as reading, math, and science. This can help at-risk or struggling students reconnect with school rather than drop out. Out-of-school time opportunities offer more than academics: they provide leadership skills, enrichment, and career preparation for all students. Investments in afterschool and out-of-school time programs are cost-effective; it’s much less expensive to help youth graduate on time and stay out of trouble than it is to pay for remedial education, jail, teen pregnancy, or substance abuse treatment.


Thinking about taking GCSE geography?
Pupils choosing GCSE courses are now often encouraged by schools to include courses which will enable them to achieve Ebacc as part of their Key Stage 4 education. Geography is a subject which can form part of the Ebacc. It is a solid academic subject and well respected by universities and employers alike.
Geography helps you to make sense of the world around you. It is hands on, it is relevant and it is fun. Current GCSE courses are a good mix of topics such as urban issues, world development, extreme environments, rivers and hazards to name but a few. The course will give you the chance to get to grips with some of the big questions which affect our world and understand the social, economic and physical forces and processes which shape and change our world.
There are so many ways of learning in geography. It is very practical with opportunities to learn new skills such as modern computer based mapping (called GIS), map skills, interpreting photographs, fieldwork skills, presenting, role play and debating techniques.
You will improve your literacy through your report writing and written work and make practical use of your numeracy skills when you interpret data and construct graphs.
Fieldwork, or working outside the classroom is a really important part of geography. Whether you go locally or get the chance to travel further away it will be a brilliant opportunity to experience some of the things you have learnt about in class, see things differently and of course have fun.
Your teacher will be able to tell you more about the specific GCSE course offered in your school. Don’t forget to ask about what sort of topic you might cover in your controlled assessment and where you will do your fieldwork.
There has never been a better time to study geography so make the choice to go places with geography by taking geography at GCSE.


Reading and Intellectual Disabilities
by Marie E. Buczkowski, M.Ed
Reading is an imperative skill not only during a child’s early years of education but throughout a person’s lifetime. Everyone learns to read in a different manner. Some may learn through isolated phonics instruction, others may learn through whole language and yet others may learn through a combination of both skills. Although children learn to read through an array of approaches, there are still thousands of students each year who are diagnosed with some form of reading disability. According to IDEA 2004, students with disabilities must have access to the same challenging content taught to non-disabled students. Despite a disability, every student should be included with the regular education children to the maximum extent possible. This concept is known as the least restricted environment (LRE), and this requirement includes children with intellectual disability (ID).
The American Association of Mental Retardation (AAMR) defines ID as a “…disability characterized by significant limitation both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior…”. Numerous individuals believe that children with ID should be taught in separate classrooms and/or schools; however, researchers argue that setting high goals for ID students with the same general expectations as regular educational students will improve their learning and education outcomes.
Since all students learn to read in a distinct method, children with ID are no different. There are two approaches that researchers believe will teach ID students to learn to read. The first approach, which is sometimes called the traditional or direct instruction approach, focuses on subset skills such as phonics and sight word recognition and involves drill and practice. The second approach is a holistic approach that teaches comprehension, critical thinking, phonologic awareness, decoding and vocabulary (www.readingassessment.info/resources.com) It is believed by many researchers that one approach is not necessarily more effect than the other; rather, many ID students will learn to read through a combination of direct instruction and the holistic approach (www.readingassessment.info/resources.com).
According to research, there is not one exact research-based reading program that “fits” every ID student. Typically, teachers will gather various skills from numerous programs. The Edmark Reading Program has been very successful for samples of kindergarten and first grade students as the students were able to generalize their reading ability to untaught words and the program developed critical pre-reading skills such as left to right progression. (www.proedinc.com)
Another reading program that has been researched and successfully utilized with children with ID, is Patricia Cunningham’s Four Block Model. This model includes four components, namely Guided Reading, Working with Words, Writing, and Self-Guided Reading. All four of these components involve critical components in learning to read and the simple exposure to the Four Block Model exposes ID students to literacy activities and the literacy experience (Locke, 2000).
No matter what the approach, all students, including children with Intellectual Disability, need to learn the critical skills of reading. Whether a student learns through phonics isolation or through the holistic or whole language approach, as long as a child learns to read, that student can be more successful in life.
Locke, Peggy A. (2000). Literacy: Everyone Can Benefit. Retrieved on
September 17, 2008, from Promoting the Participation of Literacy for Individuals Web site: www.csun.edu.
Reading and Students with Mental Retardation. Retrieved on September 15,
2008, from www.readingassessment.info/resources.com.
The Edmark Reading Program and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Retrieved on September 17, 2008, from Website www.proedinc.com .


Teaching Talented Art Students
The National Art Education Association has just released a new book entitled "Teaching Talented Art Students" by Gilbert Clark and Enid Zimmerman. "If ever there was a case for the important role that the arts play in improving cognitive development, this book is the best source I have seen to date. Readers will find unequivocal evidence that thinking skills, planning, problem solving, and creativity as well as technical facility in the arts are all outcomes of good art education programs," said Joseph S. Renzulli, Director, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Based on more than 25 years of work and research in the field, Clark and Zimmerman present contemporary issues and theories regarding the education of artistically talented students. The authors provide practical information on how teachers and administrators can develop curriculum and programs that help students realize their visual-arts talents. Clark and Zimmerman show how students should be encouraged to focus on communication and expression, create unique and complicated works using real-world issues and images, seek critiques from teachers and peers, and explore historical and contemporary imagery by other artists whose work relates to their own.
- Refutes widely held misconceptions of learning in the visual arts, providing readers with sound, research-based approaches to teaching artistically talented students.
- Provides 40 illustrations and 35 figures that include practical applications of identification, curriculum frameworks, and assessments related to art talent development.
- Provides a comprehensive review of relevant literature, discussing the intellectual history of significant concepts.
Gilbert Clark is Professor Emeritus of Art Education and Gifted Education at Indiana University. Enid Zimmerman is currently Professor and Coordinator of At Education and Gifted and Talented Programs in the Curriculum and Instruction Department in the School of Education at Indiana University.
Copies of the book may be ordered from the National Art Education Association Publications list .


Current information about this program can be found under the Education Research program.
Principal Investigator: Donald Leu
RFA Goal: Development Project
Title: Developing Internet Comprehension Strategies Among Adolescent Students At Risk to Become Dropouts
Purpose: Improving reading comprehension among poor, minority, and often low-achieving adolescents is a critical national issue, particularly because academic achievement is dependent on the ability to read and comprehend at high levels. As the Internet becomes an increasingly important source of information, it presents new challenges for reading comprehension, as well as new opportunities for reaching students who have struggled because of their limited ability to comprehend printed materials. Although reading on the Internet can pose new challenges--as it demands new, higher-level comprehension skills--it also has the potential to increase students’ engagement with learning, creating a context that permits renewed attention to reading and to instruction in reading comprehension strategies. The purpose of this project is to develop a research-based adaptation of reciprocal teaching to support poor, minority, adolescent youth in acquiring reading comprehension skills. At the conclusion of this project, the researchers will have developed instructional materials that can be used to teach comprehension while students read on the Internet.
Setting: This project takes place in largely minority, poor school districts in urban Connecticut and in rural South Carolina.
Population: More than 1,000 7 th-grade students are participating in this research project over three years.
Intervention: The intervention being developed in this project is titled Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT). Adaptations made to traditional reciprocal teaching include specific instruction about unique strategies used to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate information on the Internet. In addition, students bring their own comprehension problems when reading on the Internet into the classroom.
Research Design and Methods: During Year 1, the research team gathers foundational information about Internet use among the target population. Both survey data and in-depth verbal protocols are being collected from participating 7 th graders. A pilot test of the preliminary model of IRT is being conducted as well. In Year 2, the researchers build on the information gathered during Year 1 to refine Internet Reciprocal Teaching and then field test an implementation of IRT by conducting a design experiment aimed at identifying key factors associated with successful implementation and outcomes across diverse contexts. Eight purposively sampled English/Language Arts classes are participating in the design experiment, four as experimental classes and four as comparison classrooms. Building on the findings from the design experiment, a true experiment is being carried out in Year 3 to test the potential effectiveness of IRT. In the true experiment, 12 7 th-grade English/Language Arts classes are being randomly assigned to one of three conditions in order to test the potential effects of their adapted reciprocal teaching approach. In one condition, students participate in telecollaborative projects. In a second condition, students participate in the same telecollaborative projects but with the addition of instruction using Internet Reciprocal Teaching. The control condition is described below.
Control Condition: During the design experiment in Year 2, data are being gathered from four comparable classrooms that are using the Internet to some extent. During the true experiment carried out in Year 3, control children receive normal instructional practices used to meet district and state standards in English/Language Arts.
Key Measures: Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected in both the formative and experimental phases of the project. Quantitative data will include experimenter-developed online reading comprehension assessment measures; reading, vocabulary, and word analysis subtests of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills; and assessments of engagement with reading and in school learning. Qualitative data include detailed “thick descriptions” of intervention use in classrooms and schools.
Data Analytic Strategy: Both qualitative and quantitative data analyses are being conducted. Descriptive results from the survey of Internet use are tabulated. Data collected during the formative experiment are analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA to test for pre/post differences between means of the experimental and control classrooms. Data gathered during the true experiment in Year 3 are being analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). This development project is intended only to obtain evidence of the potential effectiveness of the intervention; the study is under-powered for analysis at the unit of random assignment (classroom) and will be analyzed at the level of the student.


Our reading program for our kinders is "Animated Alphabet". Art is fully
integrated - students learn their alphabet/sounds by writing, drawing,
physical actions, and sounds (many are musical). I work closely with our
kindergarten teacher, so when she is studying the letter "C", I may do cut
paper Cookie Monsters, or perhaps draw Clifford. I also teach K-2 library
and the K teacher went to the administrator and got my schedule with her
class changed to 1 library per week and 2 art, instead of the reversed
classes I did have.
> Wow...I can't believe that would be in question. First of all...art is
great for fine motor development. Also it is a great place to experiment
and explore. I would start doing the research...because there is tons
relating to artistic development for younger children. You are looking for
research that is development with art education. Start with Lowenfeld. HE
did a tremendous amount of reserch. Also there are lots of studies out
there re: art and young children. Also, a person on our staff recently
wrote a book.....I belive the title is "Young At Art" which discusses
artistic development I think 18 months-age 6. Make sure you go in which
hard data and even some charts and graphs might help. Most school boards
are data driven. Something art folk have a hard time accepting...and you
have to meet them on their playing field.
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|Math Concepts for elementary Education II|
|ELEM ED MATH 2|
|CLASS CODE:||MATH 306||CREDITS: 3|
|DIVISION:||PHYSICAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING|
|GENERAL EDUCATION:||This course fulfills a General Education - Math requirement.|
|DESCRIPTION:||(Meets GE requirements only for Elementary Education majors who have taken Math 305.) This course is for Elementary Education majors. Geometry, probability, statistics, and informal logic for elementary education teachers.|
|TAUGHT:||Winter, Summer, Fall|
|CONTENT AND TOPICS:||Geometry with translations, networks, and coordinate geometry; permutations and combinations; probability and statistics, including its misuse; geometry as shape, transformation and measurement; Geometer's Sketchpad; Logo|
|GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:||1. Gain an enthusiam for mathematics.
2. Learn and practice descriptive statistics as well as simple counting and probability concepts.
3. Understand and can use correctly the vocabulary of 1, 2, and 3 dimensional geometric figures.
4. Learn the measurement process and master perimeter, area, volume, and surface area problems.
5. Learn and practice rigid transformations as well as similarity transformations and symmetries.
6. Gain an understanding of construction techniques and apply those ideas to the notions of congruent and similar triangles.
7. Learn to use Geometer's Sketchpad and LOGO.
|REQUIREMENTS:||Attendance, a copy of the text and activities manual, and a calculator are required. Students will take examinations, complete a research paper, participate in in-class activities, complete all homework assignments and projects, and complete all other assignments the instructor may require.|
|PREREQUISITES:||Math 305 (Must have received at least a C- in Math 305.)|
|EFFECTIVE DATE:||August 2002|


Learn about the life and works of various composers and lyricists.
This section features contemporary and historical composers
and lyricists from Macmillan/McGraw-Hill's Spotlight
on Music series.
Download and print outlines of major European musical styles
featured throughout Macmillan/McGraw-Hill's Spotlight
on Music series. These outlines provide an overview
of the major developments in European and American music history,
beginning around the year 1400.
and Traditional Styles
Read fascinating articles on a variety of folk and traditional
styles currently featured in Macmillan/McGraw-Hill's Spotlight
on Music series. These carefully researched articles
provide you with important information on the origin of musical
styles from all over the world.
Read about and listen to musical instruments featured in Spotlight
on Music. Supplement lessons in the series with reference
articles on the background and history of instruments from all
over the world.
Orchestration Lesson Plans
Download and print out detailed lesson plans that supplement
the Spotlight on MusicOrff Orchestration
books for Grades 1-6. These lesson plans provide teaching suggestions
as well as opportunities for creativity and improvisation to
enhance your students' music making experience.
on Performance Broadway for Kids Resources
Research original resources for some of the Broadway for Kids
musicals offered in Grades 1-8 of Spotlight on Music.
The above link will take you to the Broadway Junior web site
of Music Theatre International-the creators of the original
Broadway Junior productions.
on Performance Theme Musicals
The Spotlight on Performance section within Grades K-6 of Spotlight
on Music features songs grouped by topical themes. Macmillan/McGraw-Hill
provides you and your students with fully-scripted performance
opportunities that weave together these songs in a unique and
innovative way. These original scripts include dialogue, costume,
set, and stage directions to create yet another valuable performance
opportunity for your students. Download and print out copies
of the scripts to distribute to your students.
Correlations, and Resource Links Spotlight
on Music is sequenced for mastery of MENC's National Standards
for Music Education, as well as state-specific music standards.
Order a free copy of grade-level correlation charts and browse
links to web sites specifically tailored to your teaching needs.


Developing Engaged Readers in School and Home Communities
Edited by Linda Baker, Peter Afflerbach, David Reinking
Routledge – 1995 – 336 pages
This book comprises a synthesis of current directions in reading research, theory, and practice unified by what has been referred to as the engagement perspective of reading. This perspective guides the research agenda of the National Reading Research Center (NRRC), a consortium of the University of Georgia, University of Maryland, and affiliated scholars. A major goal of the book is to introduce reading researchers to the engagement perspective as defined by the NRRC and to illustrate its potential to integrate the cognitive, social, and motivational dimensions of reading and reading instruction. Engaged readers are viewed as motivated, strategic, knowledgeable, and socially interactive. They read widely for a variety of purposes and capitalize on situations having potential to extend literacy.
The book is organized into four sections representing key components of the NRRC research agenda and the engagement perspective. This perspective emphasizes contexts that influence engaged reading. Accordingly, the first section of the volume focuses on the social and cultural contexts of literacy development, with chapters devoted to examining home influences, home-school connections, and the special challenges facing ethnic minorities. The engagement perspective also implies greater attention to the role of motivational and affective dimensions in reading development than traditional views of reading. Therefore, the second section examines motivational theory and its implications for reading engagement, with special attention to characteristics of classroom contexts that promote motivation in reading. The engagement perspective embraces innovative instructional contexts that address the cognitive, social, and motivational aspects of reading. Thus, the third section includes chapters on current directions in promoting children's learning from text, on the value of an integrated curriculum in promoting reading engagement, and on the challenges of assessing students' development as engaged readers. Finally, the broader conception of reading implied by the engagement perspective requires an expanded array of research approaches, sensitive to the complex and interacting contexts in which children develop literacy. The concluding section focuses on these important contemporary issues in literacy research and educational research, with chapters examining the variety of alternative modes of inquiry gaining prominence in literacy research, teacher inquiry, and ethical issues of collaboration between university and teacher researchers.
Intended for university-based researchers, graduate students, and classroom teachers, this volume brings together researchers who think about students and their literacy development in school and home communities in distinctly different ways. The cooperative and collaborative inquiry presented contributes to a richer understanding of the many factors influencing engaged reading.
"The issues addresseed through this research are critical, 'cutting edge' matters. In all, the papers in this volume are complementary pieces that address overlapping concerns regarding literacy learning and supportive educational contexts."
—School Psychology International
Contents: Preface. L. Baker, P. Afflerbach, D. Reinking, Introduction: Developing Engaged Readers in School and Home Communities: An Overview. Part I: Social and Cultural Contexts of Reading Development and Engagement. S. Sonnenschein, G. Brody, K. Munsterman, The Influence of Family Beliefs and Practices on Children's Early Reading Development. L. Baker, J. Allen, B. Shockley, A.D. Pellegrini, L. Galda, S.A. Stahl, Connecting School and Home: Constructing Partnerships to Foster Reading Development. R. Thompson, G. Mixon, R. Serpell, Engaging Minority Students in Reading: Focus on the Urban Learner. Part II: Motivation and Engaged Reading. B.L. McCombs, Alternative Perspectives for Motivation. P. Oldfather, A. Wigfield, Children's Motivations for Literacy Learning. L.B. Gambrell, L.M. Morrow, Creating Motivating Contexts for Literacy Learning. Part III: Engaged Instruction and Learning. S.A. Stahl, C.R. Hynd, S.M. Glynn, M. Carr, Beyond Reading to Learn: Developing Content and Disciplinary Knowledge Through Texts. J.T. Guthrie, K. McGough, L. Bennett, M.E. Rice, Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction: An Integrated Curriculum to Develop Motivations and Strategies for Reading. P. Afflerbach, Engaged Assessment of Engaged Readers. Part IV: Toward Contextualizing Literacy Research. J.F. Baumann, D.R. Dillon, B. Shockley, D.E. Alvermann, D. Reinking, Perspectives for Literacy Research. K. Jervis, E. Carr, P. Lockhart, J. Rogers, Multiple Entries Into Inquiry: Dissolving the Boundaries Between Research and Teaching. P.L. Anders, The Ethics of Collaborative Educational Research.


A web site from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service is helping kids use science to bridge the gap between agriculture and daily life.
Geared for children ages 8 to 13, ''Science For Kids'' is a series of interactive stories based on research projects featured in Agricultural Research, ARS' monthly publication, and other news items.
Sci4Kids is on the web at: htttp://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids.
''We're hoping children will use the site to gain a greater understanding of agriculture's importance to their daily life the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the water they drink,'' said I. Miley Gonzalez, under secretary of agriculture for research.
''Today's children are tomorrow's farmers, scientists, policy makers and consumers, so it's important that children have access to information about agricultural research that is significant and timely as well as enjoyable.''
News stories will be added regularly, accompanied by photographs, graphics, trivia, classroom connections and links to other scientific resources. Sci4Kids stories also offer a window through which kids can peek into the sometimes wacky world of science.
Another Sci4Kids feature, ''Dr. Watts,'' allows kids to e-mail questions or comments about the stories they read.
Kids, as well as parents and teachers, can also e-mail Dr. Watts their suggestions for improving the site.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal ©2014. All Rights Reserved.


Literacy Program Mission & Learning Outcomes
The mission of the Master of Science program in Literacy Education is to prepare highly capable and ethically responsible literacy professionals who thoroughly understand and can implement the theory and practice of literacy acquisition and instruction. Consistent with the missions of St. John Fisher College and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education, as well as the standards set forth by the International Reading Association and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the literacy program develops the knowledge, skills, and dispositions literacy educators need in order to effectively teach all students ways of using multiple forms of text that will provide them with opportunities for success in a global community. The program embraces the belief that all children learn and that learning occurs when students are actively engaged in constructing meaning within a collaborative and supportive community of learners. As such, our candidates for professional certification in literacy learn how to create learning environments that address the diverse learning needs of students, are informed by best practices, use ongoing meaningful assessment of student learning, and are continuously informed by self reflection and a commitment to professional development. Finally, our candidates learn how to disseminate information about literacy development to the family and community so that literacy learning becomes meaningful in all aspects of a child's life.
The program is designed for teachers who hold initial or provisional classroom certification and wish to become certified in Literacy Education. We offer two graduate literacy programs leading towards professional certification, one in Literacy Birth - Grade 6 and the second is in Literacy Grades 5 - 12. The Literacy Education and Special Education programs are designed to be mutually supportive by providing preparation that will give the teacher candidate knowledge and expertise in both areas. The logic behind the linkage of the two programs is simple: literacy teachers frequently work extensively with children with exceptional learning needs, and special education teachers frequently find that the primary tool or skill they need to teach is literacy.
School of Education Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this program our candidates will be able to:
- Choose literacy practices that demonstrate knowledge of psychological, social, cultural, and linguistic foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the major components of reading (phonemic awareness, word identification and phonics, vocabulary and background knowledge, fluency, comprehension strategies, and motivation) and how they are integrated into fluent reading.
- Use their knowledge of the writing processes, language development, writing development and ongoing assessment to provide instruction in the components of writing, assist students in constructing meaning in their written work, and provide genuine opportunities for students to write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
- Demonstrate knowledge of language development and literacy acquisition and the variations related to culture and linguistic diversity.
- Select and use a wide range of instructional practices, approaches, methods, and curriculum materials, including technology-based practices, to support reading and writing instruction for learners at different stages of reading and writing development and from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
- Select and use a variety of assessment tools and practices to plan and evaluate effective reading and writing instruction that meet the needs of all students including those at differing developmental stages and those from differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
- Create a caring, supportive, inclusive, challenging democratic and safe learning environment that fosters literacy development, independently and collaboratively, by integrating foundational knowledge, use of instructional practices, approaches and methods, curriculum materials, and the appropriate use of assessments.
- Demonstrate valuing of the role of student language, particularly student talk, in student learning, and establish an appreciation of student culture/language background as a foundation for future learning and engagement in learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the new literacies (i.e., digital, visual and media literacy) and their impact on literacy acquisition and instruction.
- Demonstrate an understanding and respect for the role language and literacy play within various disciplines (social studies, science, mathematics, foreign language, etc.).
- Demonstrate multiple comprehension strategies appropriate within particular disciplines for development of active literacy users within the subject area.
- Create ways to engage students, teachers, parents, and other adults from the community to enrich instruction.
- Participate in, initiate, implement, and evaluate professional development programs.
- Contribute actively to the improvement of teaching, learning, and the advancement of knowledge and profession practice.


|Date:||14 November 2012|
In 2011 the Evidence and Analysis Unit at the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) produced a short report that looked at data from the Charities Commission and mapped just over 8,000 charities within the broad 'culture' sector.
The report plotted the geographic spread of the charities and looked at broad trends in income profile and activity types. Of these charities 2,133 have been identified as delivering music and education. In response to this work the Arts Council commissioned research agency NCVO to complete the analysis of the Charities Commission data and map the current location and key characteristics of these music education charities.
As well as plotting the geographic location of the charities, the research looked at trends, patterns and common themes to this data. Arts Council England will use these to:
1. Provide an accessible directory of local and regional music education charities.
2. Ensure that Music education hubs and other organisations are able to identify and partner with relevant local charities.
3. Link music education provision supported by the Arts Council, together with the resources of the charities sector in order to maximise the resources of both parts of the ecology.
|Author:||David Kane and Jenny Clark|


Purpose: Combines fun activities with a reliable and valid procedure that gives meaningful results in identifying children with gross motor problems
Ages: 3-0 years through 10-11 years
Administration Time: 15 to 20 minutes
The TGMD-2, a major revision of The Test of Gross Motor Development, is a norm-referenced measure of common gross motor skills that can be used by kinesiologists, general and special educators, psychologists, and physical therapists. The TGMD-2 assists in identifying children 3-0 through 10-11 who are significantly behind their peers in gross motor skill development and who should be eligible for special education services in physical education.
The TGMD-2 is made up of 12 skills (six for each subtest):
- Locomotor: run, gallop, hop, leap, horizontal jump, slide
- Object Control: striking a stationary ball, stationary dribble, kick, catch, overhand throw, and underhand roll.
Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the gross motor skills and a simplified scoring system allow you to administer the TGMD-2 quickly and easily in 15 to 20 minutes. The TGMD-2 combines fun activities with a reliable and valid procedure that gives meaningful results in identifying children with gross motor problems. You can use the results of this assessment to develop instructional programs, monitor progress, evaluate treatment, and conduct further research in gross motor development.
Evidence related to content sampling and test-retest time sampling reliability is provided. Reliability coefficients for the Locomotor subtest average .85, the Object Control subtest average .88, and the Gross Motor composite average .91. Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) is 1 at every age interval for both subtests and 4 or 5 for the composite score at each age interval. Coefficient alpha for selected subgroups are all above .90 for the subtest and the composite. Time sampling reliability coefficients range from .84 to .96. Content-description, criterion-prediction, and construct-identification validity that further support the use of the TGMD-2 in identifying children who are significantly behind their peers in gross motor development are also provided.
Using the TGMD-2. you will obtain standard scores, percentile scores and age equivalents. The test also provides a Gross Motor Quotient if both subtests are completed.
Complete TGMD-2 Kit includes: Examiner's Manual and 50 Profile/Examiner Record Booklets in a sturdy storage box.


How Children Learn Motor Skills
Physical development consists of two major components: physical fitness and motor skill development. Physical fitness includes strength, endurance, flexibility and body composition. Motor skills include locomotion (running, walking, jumping, hopping), manipulation (throwing, kicking, catching, bouncing), and stability (bending, twisting, rolling, dodging).
Mastery of a range of motor skills, combined with good overall physical fitness, is critical to the healthy development of a child and forms the basis of their athletic competence.
Great Play helps each Player reach his or her full physical potential by building a broad-based foundation of skill, fitness and confidence that will last a lifetime.
The Science of Learning Motor Skills
To perform a task or movement, our brain sends signals to our motor units (individual nerves and collections of muscle fibers) at precise intervals to orchestrate the contraction of muscles throughout our body.
Learning a motor skill is like writing a computer program to a disk – the program, imprinted on the brain, plays back as a motor reflex. The method of imprinting a motor skill “program” on the brain is repetition (i.e., “practice, practice, practice”).
Over time, basic motor skills can be combined and built upon to master more complex skills.
Implications for Teaching Motor Skills
There are several implications for learning, based on the way our bodies acquire new motor skills. To achieve the greatest success, children should:
- Start with proper form or technique
- Get plenty of touch time (repetitions) to "program" their mind and body with the technique
- Build up from a solid base of fundamental skills to the more complex skills over time, seizing key developmental windows
Using Proper Technique
Learning a skill improperly is, in many ways, worse than not learning it at all. Instructors of complex motor skill sports, like golf, tennis, skiing, baseball, etc., often describe having to get new students to "unlearn" their current technique in order to improve – or taking a step back in order to take a step forward.
Starting off with proper form is essential, particularly for the foundation skills that form the basis for the complex skills children need to learn later. Practice doesn’t make perfect, "perfect practices makes perfect."
Great Play Approach: We start each class with skill development, to encourage proper technique; then we coach Players throughout the class through “directed play” to help ensure proper form is being learned.
Getting Plenty of Touch Time
Movement skills become ingrained in “muscle memory” through repetition. Children cannot master motor skills by watching or listening or standing around while others get their turn. They master them by doing – over and over and over again. Proper technique, repeated extensively, leads to mastery over time.
Great Play Approach: Our games are designed to maximize touch time and the ability to explore and master new skills. We also encourage learning to continue outside of the Arena, with parents and friends.
Building Skills During Key Developmental Windows
Just as the brain is ready for certain types of academic material (e.g., reading, counting or foreign languages) at certain stages, so too are the mind and body ready to learn certain kinds of motor skills and make different types of physical adaptations at certain ages.
Children need to build a strong foundation of fundamental skills in order to be able to learn and perform more complex sports skills as they mature. To achieve full potential, new skills should be consistently introduced when the child is ready to learn them. Introducing new skills too early will lead to failure and can be discouraging. However, missing the opportunity to introduce a skill for which a child is ready can delay or prevent them from ultimately achieving their potential.
As children mature, the fundamental movement skills learned previously are applied as specialized skills in a variety of sports, games, and recreational activities. For example, the fundamental skill of striking an object in an underhand, sidearm, or overarm pattern is progressively refined and later applied in sport and recreational pursuits such as golf, tennis, and baseball.
Great Play Approach: Our curriculum is based on continuously introducing and mastering age-appropriate skills through play – from building a solid foundation at younger ages, through developing complex movement skills over time, using our SCORE™ training methods.
The bottom line
Children who learn proper technique, get plenty of practice, and build up from foundation skills to complex skills at the proper developmental times will be in a good position to reach their full potential, and they will be well on their way to an active life.


Musical Futures is a movement to reshape music education - driven by teachers, for teachers. At its heart is a set of pedagogies that bring non-formal teaching and informal learning approaches into more formal contexts, to provide engaging, sustainable and relevant music making activities for all young people.
Funded and managed by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the initial aim of Musical Futures was to devise new and imaginative ways of engaging young people, aged 11–19, in music activities. Following a year of consultation in 2003, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation identified the following objectives:
- To understand the factors affecting young people's commitment to, and sustained engagement in, musical participation.
- To develop ways in which the diverse musical needs of young people can be met and their experience of music making enhanced.
- To realise viable, sustainable and transferable models which can support a national strategy for music and young people
- To investigate, and make recommendations on, the most appropriate methods of mentoring and supporting young people's preferences and skills
- To find ways of validating and (where appropriate) accrediting all forms of young people's musical experiences, including those undertaken without supervision
- To facilitate support for music trainees, leaders, teachers and performers/composers through the provision of development opportunities which highlight collaborative working practices
After inviting applications from consortia of local music education providers, three Pathfinder Local Authority Music Services – in Leeds, Nottingham and Hertfordshire - were commissioned to explore new approaches and structures which might ensure that more young people participate in better quality musical experiences for longer.
Informal Learning in the Music Classroom
A programme of informal learning, drawing on the real-life learning practices of popular musicians, developed by Lucy Green, Institute of Education and Hertfordshire Music Service. It involves students in self-directed, independent learning, in friendship groups, working on a series of musical tasks.
The Whole Curriculum Approach
A programme developed by Nottingham City Music Service that aims to develop school music beyond the classroom confines for Year 7-8 students, and involve them in real musical activity, in genuine musical situations and environments. It aims to draw together good practice from classroom, instrumental and extra-curricular music into an integrated package for students.
Personalising Extra-Curricular Learning
An approach by Education Leeds Artforms to empower young people to make positive, informed choices about the music they engage with beyond the classroom.
All classroom resources for the Personalising Extra-Curricular Learning model can be downloaded from http://www.musicalfutures.org.uk/teachers_pack_leeds_resourcepack.html
NUMU is a safe online community for young people to showcase their music; collaborate, compete and develop their talent. Schools can join NUMU and establish their own school record label, and enable their students to create an online portfolio of work.
Who is Musical Futures for?
Musical Futures was initially designed for secondary schools, with a particular focus on 12–14 yr old students, as this has long been an age at which students seem to lose interest in music learning in school. However, teachers in primary and tertiary education have successfully adopted Musical Futures approaches. We have also seen these approaches tailored to work with students in challenging circumstances (for example students with special educational needs, or in Young Offenders Institutes and Pupil Referral Units).


Increasing access and participation of girls in education is a state priority.
Consequently, the Government will pursue the following strategies to ensure that more girls are enrolled and retained in Puntland's primary schools:
- Intensification of awareness raising and sensitization campaigns at home, the community level, the school and the world of work.
- Sustained advocacy at the highest level of Government to gain support for and commitment to actions in favor of girls' education.
- Creating an enabling learning environment for girls by ensuring that there are adequate and relevant facilities, such as separate latrines for girls, in all primary schools and putting in place facilities that allow girls some level of privacy.
- Promoting teacher-training programs that prepare teachers to be more sensitive to the needs of girls.
- Review of the primary school curriculum in order to make it more gender-sensitive.
- Removal of all forms of sexism and negative stereotypes from the school curriculum and textbooks.
- Putting in place and enforcing mechanisms to ensure that schools are more protective of girls, including improving security for girls at school as well as during their trips to and from school.
- Introducing/strengthening programs of financial incentives for girls from the most deprived backgrounds as well as other incentives to help retain those enrolled in school.
- Enactment of legislation aimed at safeguarding the educational interests of girls, including a ban on early marriage.
- Recruitment of more female teachers, head teachers and other educational administrators at all levels of the system to provide role models for girls and to provide support for the specific needs and concerns relevant to girls.
- Strengthening representation of women in school and other local, district and management committees.
- Supporting measures that allow girls to get back into school in the event that their schooling was interrupted by early and/or unplanned pregnancies
At the secondary school level, government will continue to adopt similar strategies to attract and retain girls in secondary schools given the major socio-economic benefits of girl's education at this level.


“W-sitting” is a position that is too commonly used by children when seated on the ground. In this position, a child sits on their bottom, with knees bent, feet tucked under, and legs splayed out to each side in a “W” configuration. Because this position is so common, most adults do not realize that use of this position can have negative ramifications on children’s growth and development.
Negative Effects Of “W” Sitting:
The reality is that this position can cause orthopedic problems, delay development of postural control and stability, and delay development of refined motor skills. For these reasons, its use is strongly discouraged.
Excessive use of a “W-sit” during the growing years puts undue stress on the hip abductors, hamstrings, internal rotators and heel cords, leading to the possibility of orthopedic problems in the future. “W-sitting” can lead to hip dislocation, and for children with pre-existing orthopedic conditions, these conditions can worsen when major muscle groups are placed in shortened positions. The muscles begin to tighten, and this can lead to a permanent shortening of the muscle, which can affect coordination, balance, and development of motor skills.
The “W-sit” widens a child’s base of support, resulting in less need for weight shifting, postural control and stability as they are playing, moving and reaching than in other seated positions. In addition to resulting in decreased trunk control, the “W-sit” does not require as much trunk rotation, which helps develop midline crossing and separation of the two sides of the body needed for bilateral coordination. Good trunk control and stability, midline crossing and bilateral coordination are needed to develop refined motor skills and hand dominance. Children require the opportunities to develop more mature movement patterns in order to develop higher level skills.
How to prevent W-sitting:
It is best to prevent children from developing this habit. However, we all know children who have already established this as a preferred seated position. When possible, anticipate and catch it before you see your child move into a “W-sit”. If and when you do see your child in a “W”, consistently encourage her to adjust to a different position by saying, “Fix your legs.”
Consistency is key. Make sure children know what some of their other options are so they can choose an alternative. Functional seated positions that will allow the child to develop trunk control and mature movement patterns include “tailor sit” (also called “criss-cross”), “long sit” and “side sit”. It is important for parents to teach and encourage alternate seated positions at home, and teachers to teach and encourage their students to use alternate seated positions at school. This encouragement will have positive effects on a child’s growth and development of foundational skills.
When playing with a child on the floor, hold his knees and feet together when kneeling or crawling – it is impossible to get into a “W-sit” from there. The child will either sit to one side, or sit back on his feet, and from there he can be helped to sit over to one side. Try to encourage sitting over both the right and left sides to promote bilateral development. Using various patterns of movements and positions demand trunk rotation and lateral weight shifting.
If a child is unable to sit alone in any position other than a “W”, talk with an occupational therapist about supportive seating or alternative positions such as prone and side-lying. Sitting against the couch while playing may be one alternative, as well as using a small table and chair. A therapist will have many other ideas based on each individual child.


People are most likely to choose to improve their literacy
A £5bn scheme to boost the literacy and maths skills of 2.25m adults in England by 2010 is on target, a watchdog says.
Between 2001 and 2007 1.5m adults got the equivalent of a good GCSE in maths or English under the Skills for Life scheme, the National Audit Office said.
But it said not enough were workers who lacked basic maths skills because many had a "phobia" about the subject or were too ashamed to enrol on courses.
It also said too many people were still leaving school without these skills.
In England, 56% of adults have literacy skills below the level of a good GCSE while for maths the figure is 75%.
The report said the government had exceeded targets for the number of adults reaching basic literacy and numeracy standards (750,000 by 2004 and 1.5 million by 2007).
And it said ministers were on course to meet the 2010 target of improving the basic skills of 2.25 million adults.
But the watchdog said only 2% of workers who lacked basic maths skills had gained a numeracy qualification under the scheme between 2001 and 2007 and it warned ministers that their 2020 targets were at risk.
By 2020, ministers want 95% of adults to have the skills in the three Rs that they need for daily life - such as paying bills and reading train timetables.
Commons public accounts committee chairman Edward Leigh said the number of adults without a grasp of basic maths and English was "a big problem".
"The UK has a greater proportion of adults with the lowest level literacy and numeracy skills than many of its international competitors," he said.
"Given the greater scale of the problem in numeracy, it is disappointing that the department has done less well in raising numeracy standards."
NAO head Tim Burr said: "The Skills for Life strategy is making good progress in improving the skill levels of adults with poor literacy, language and numeracy skills.
"Building on this progress, the department needs to reduce regional variations in participation and in achievement levels for people with literacy or numeracy needs.
"It could also work more closely with other parts of government to encourage people to take up Skills for Life courses."
And Skills Minister David Lammy said: "As today's NAO report acknowledges, we have made excellent progress since our Skills for Life strategy was launched in 2001, with nearly 2 million adults gaining a first qualification since then. But we are not at all complacent.
"Processes are already in place to address some of the NAO's concerns. The government launched a national high-profile ad campaign, 'Get On', in March 2008 to increase demand for numeracy, with further activity planned over the summer."
The NAO report also highlighted the problem of young people leaving school without good skills in literacy and maths.
In 2006-07, 45% of pupils leaving school had not gained Level 2 maths (GCSE grades A*-C) and 40% had not gained Level 2 English.
More than 63,000 pupils left school without Level 1 or 2 maths (a GCSE grade A*-G) and almost 38,000 left without Level 1 or 2 English.
Alan Tuckett, director of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, said the signs were encouraging but big challenges remained.
The government needed to focus more on those with the lowest levels of achievement.


The NWT Literacy Council is a not-for-profit organization that promotes and supports literacy development in all the official languages of the Northwest Territories.
Literacy levels are an issue in the north—more than 50% of NWT residents do not have the literacy skills they need for everyday living. Literacy and health are closely linked. When people think about the links between them, they tend to think about the difficulty people may have reading instructions on medicines. But the connections between literacy and health go well beyond a person’s ability to read. A recent report on the health of Canadians shows that people with low literacy skills are more likely than those with higher literacy skills to be unemployed, poorer, have poorer health and die earlier1.____________________________
1 Health Canada, Towards a Healthy Future: Second Report on the Health of Canadians
|Previous||Table of Contents||Next|


These are exciting times in the world of education.
Touch-screen technology is enabling teachers and parents to empower children to be at the helm of their own learning. Investigations with these devices can inspire young students to think creatively and to take risks in learning as they solve problems using a process of trial and error in a setting that holds little to no social risk.
Touch-screen education can help teachers and parents meet a wide range of learning styles and content areas integral to early childhood, primary education, elementary education and beyond. But as we embrace the advantages of our new iPads, I also hear parents and teachers voicing frustration about some new challenges and situations arising in their wake.
Variations on old themes such as budgeting, curricular planning, student distractibility, and teacher apathy are described in this recent article being passed around in both education and tech communities who share on Facebook. The article articulates five areas that are being experienced by many in schools where thoughtful teacher planning did not include the new tech that arrived in their classrooms.
As I meet with parent groups and school staff to discuss such issues, I feel what is most important in any educational community is to be honest and forthright regarding the fact that those immense opportunities that come with touch-screen tablets also bring the responsibility to make new plans, set new limits and take time to play with these new tech-tools ourselves. As both an educator and app developer, I can see how challenging it is to find apps that are out there, somewhere, that dovetail with school curriculum.
For educators who are investigating which elements of technology and learning apps to use in their classrooms we encourage asking some key questions. These include:
1. What will the child learn from the app?
2. Does the app offer the child an opportunity to practice a skill needed in school?
3. Does the app motivate a child to transfer that learning into the real world?
4. What conversation and collaboration will the app inspire?
There are plenty of educational resources out there to help you determine developmentally appropriate practices, but few are coming from the developers themselves at this time. At Mrs. Judd’s Games, we have introduced helpful tools such as the U.S. Common Core State Standards guide and our Teachers’ Guides on our website for each app to supplement the learning, although these are unfortunately still rare commodities in the app development world.
There are some exceptions, of course—there are several developers we have noticed who provide exceptional educational background for parents and teachers, most notably Toca Boca, who provide a letter to parents in each of their colorful learning apps and have helped set a precedent for developers in this regard. We feel this information is critical to those teachers and parents who want to plan for touch-screen experiences being offered. We encourage educators to look for apps where developers either have an educator on their game design team or supply pedagogical context.
With upcoming titles offered by Mrs. Judd’s Games that deliver learning experiences in phonics, addition, subtraction and repeating patterns, we challenge our fellow app developers to offer similar informational devices so that teachers can plan their school day and curriculum in a manner that best suits the educational purposes at hand.
Frances Judd is an educator and chief game designer for Mrs. Judd’s Games. Her touch-screen apps include fun, engaging titles like Snowflake Station, Chalk Walk, Left Right Pup, Rhinomite and Crabby Writer: Phonics, Read & Write. Each app integrates childhood play themes, Common Core State Standards and relationships to other forms of hands-on learning. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest; Image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad


One of the ways the Plan Ceibal English programme is able to work is through the use of a specially-written lesson plan that allows the (generally non-English speaking) classroom teacher (CT) to follow what the remote teacher (RT, the English teacher) is teaching in Lesson A, and also that allows her to carry out the practice activities in the follow-up lessons B & C, when she is alone with the children.
As Jeremy Harmer mentioned after his visit and observation of a remote class:
The English lessons in Plan Ceibal look (as far as I can see) pretty much like most Young Learner English lessons. They include monsters and songs, basic grammatical patterns, the sort of vocabulary you'll find in most general English coursebooks, and scripts (with quite a lot of Spanish thrown in) to guide the distance teacher.
|Objectives slide from the Week 1 lesson plan|
The lesson plans are similar to the kind of lesson scripts you can find in some published course-books. They indicate (in some detail) what the teacher should do in each part of the lesson
There are actually two versions of each scripted lesson plan, one in English and one is Spanish. The Spanish version allows the classroom teacher to understand exactly what to expect to happen during the remote (class A) lesson and what they need to do to practise in the follow-up (classes B & C) lessons.
This seems to be working well. The survey of classroom teachers that was undertaken last year (650 out of a total of 985 CTs responded) showed that 65% of the CTs used the lesson plans almost always for classes B & C. 33% said they used them sometimes, and only 2-3% stated they never or almost never used them. It's also great to see that 98% of the CTs evaluated the digital materials of the programme positively.
The lesson plans were (and are still) being written by a team of writers based in Argentina, led by Cristina Banfi and Silvia Rettaroli, and it is thanks to their hard work and those of their colleagues that they are working so well.
You can learn more about how these materials were developed by reading the paper 'ELT through videoconferencing in primary schools in Uruguay: first steps' by Dario Banegas (2013), who was the former project manager on the programme. In this paper, he talks about the importance of the weekly cycle of coordination (between the CT & RT), the lessons A, B & C and the ongoing evaluation and adjustments. The lesson plans have also been written to tie in with the Uruguayan primary curriculum. As Banegas states:-
The authors (Banfi and Rettaroli, 2012) drew on curricular content to teach English and established curricular and procedural bridges with the Uruguayan primary school curriculum. The course authors justified the adopted approach on the necessity to encourage language use related to learners' experience of the world and their formal education trajectories. This led to developing lessons which responded to learners' interests and context.
In a future blog post, I'll be looking at one of these lesson plans in detail.


How to create a voltaic cell battery using a lemon.
1Polish the zinc and a penny (a small copper coin) with sandpaper.Ad
2Squeeze lemon without breaking its skin. The squeezing action releases juices inside the lemon.
3Cut two slits in the top of the lemon, 1 to 2 centimeters apart.
4Insert a penny (or copper coin) into one slit and the zinc into the other.
5Test to see if voltage is produced by touching leads of voltmeter to both the penny and the zinc.Ad
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- You can replace the strip of zinc with a galvanized nail.
- If you can get a copper strip instead of a penny, it will work even better. You can place it deeper into the cell. Pennies made after 1982 only have a thin layer of copper on the outside, the rest is zinc. Pennies from before 1982 and some from 1982 have a much higher copper content. You can hear the difference if you drop the pennies on a hard surface. If you have a real strip of copper, it will work better.
- You can replace the penny with a silver or nickel coin.
- You can replace the voltmeter with the speaker from an old transistor radio.
- Many other replacements are possible: experiment with them.
- This is called a wet cell; normal batteries are dry cells.
- Always be careful when working with electricity.
- Power in single cell isn't strong. You will require several linked together to light a light bulb (two or more cells make a battery).
Things You'll Need
- Zinc strip
- Penny (small copper coin)
- One lemon
- Scissors or knife
Sources and Citations
- Lemon battery, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_battery
Categories: Science for Kids
Recent edits by: Karen, Hailey Girges, Abrogation316
In other languages:
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 110,727 times.


As a young black girl growing up in the South during the 1950s, Evelyn Coleman knew first hand the ugliness that racism brings. Though the story told in Circle of Fire is fictional, it based on real life situations at the time. Because of Colemans own racial struggles throughout her life, she felt honored to write about the topic and wanted to make sure her message got out to the youth of today. "I hope you will remember that hate is always dangerous. And that it is important to speak out when you see something wrong" Coleman states in her message to readers (149). Coleman cannot stand the idea of racism and makes it clear throughout the story, and so does Mendy Thompson, the main character in Circle of Fire.
Mendy is a young black girl living in the backwoods of Tennessee. With many of her siblings gone away for the summer because of work, she finds it tough to relate to anyone. This leads to Mendy's finding a secret spot deep in the woods that she calls her own. Only two other creatures on the planet know of Mendys secret location: Mr. Hare, her pet rabbit who she recently set free in the woods, and Jeffrey Whitehall, a white boy from the next farm over, who is Mendys best friend. In the story, Mendy and Jeffrey have not been able to play as much as they were able to in the past. Both Mendys and Jeffreys parents say that the two can no longer hang out, and that if they are caught with one another, both Mendy and Jeffrey will be in serious trouble.
Mendy does not understand, nor does she like these new "rules," but she obeys. One day while Mendy visits Mr. Hare, she notices that someone else has been to her secret hideaway. The trespasser left behind some trash, and Mendy hopes that this is the first and last time this trespasser decides to visit. A couple of visits later, however, Mendy discovers the trespasser had returned, but this time he was not alone. Evidence of more than one person is prevalent as trash litters the area. Not pleased, Mendy decides to use the trapping skills her father taught her to scare these trespassers away. What she finds because of her traps frightens her beyond what she could imagine.
Mendy realizes that these trespassers are hate-filled people, and she decides to use the clues they left behind to catch them and teach them a lesson. She keeps the secret from her mother and father as well as from Aunt Sis, an elderly black woman who survived slavery and is a friend of Mendy's mother. Mendy tells only Jeffrey about what has been going on in their secret place and asks for his help in figuring out who these people could be. Jeffrey initially declines to help because he knows it is too dangerous for them to be seen together. Mendy investigates and finds some rather shocking news. What does she find out? Who are the trespassers? What will become of her and Jeffrey's friendship? Read Circle of Fire and these questions and more will be answered.
I was impressed by how entertaining this book was. I am an elementary education major, so I felt it would be a good idea to look at what students might be reading. I also chose this story because I was not a member of the intended audience. I am a twenty-one year old male reading a story intended for younger girls, around the age of 12. I wanted to see if Colemans story could appeal to those outside her intended audience, and it did.
The way Coleman narrates Mendy's story is entertaining for any age. The manner in which Coleman describes the landscape, the people, as well as the events occurring around the characters paints a wonderful and complete mental picture for the reader. More importantly, Coleman uses racism as the foundation for the story and directly expresses her views on how destructive and wrong racism is. By doing so, she allows readers to see, as well as feel, the power and negativity that racism brings to the lives of both the victims and the perpetrators. Though the events of racism in the story may not be as harsh as they were in real life during the 1950s, Coleman shows readers some of the consequences of racism.
An additional section in the back of the book gives historical facts about racism. It explains every-day life for blacks and whites in the South at the time and does so in such a manner that younger readers can understand. This section also talks about those who fought for civil rights, both white and black Americans, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This shows readers that in the past people spoke up for what was right and should continue to do so today because racism still exists.


Yearling Middle School
6th Grade Band
Miss Van Ness, Band Director
this class is intended to continue music education of the band student through various performances and various types of music.
Instrument and tis accessories, pencil, and adgenda book --EVERY DAY!
1. the students must be in their seats when the bell rings.
2. The students must be prepared to start when the teacher steps on the podium.
3. The stdents will not talk when the conductor is talking.
4. the students must be prepared for class EVERY DAY - pencil, adgenda, and instrument.
5. Students will NOT use any instrument or its accessories that does not belong to them.
1. Failure to follow rules 1-3 will receive a point. After two points in one class this becomes a step in their adgenda. Then the implementation of the school Behavioral Plan goes into effect.
2. Failure to follow rule 4 will result in a zero for their participation grade for that day.
Failure to follow rule 5 will result in an automatic referral.


There are 8.3 million children who are 5 years and younger living in Tanzania. With limited access to formal education, can media intervention make a positive and significant impact on what these children learn? Sesame Workshop, which produces Kilimani Sesame, the Tanzanian version of Sesame Street, recently commissioned researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in full collaboration with a Dar es Salaam-based research team, to examine the effects of a six-week intervention delivering Kilimani Sesame content to 223 children in the rural district of Kisarawe and the city of Dar es Salaam. The article is expected to be published in July in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.
Kilimani Sesame, which features the feathered and furry Muppets of Sesame Street characters, presents educational objectives that include improving children's basic literacy and numeracy skills, as well as providing knowledge and reducing the stigma related to HIV/AIDS. The study found that children with greater exposure to Kilimani Sesame showed more gains in cognitive, social and health outcomes than those with less exposure. Specifically, children who viewed more Kilimani Sesame content had higher scores on tests of literacy and primary math skills, greater ability to describe appropriate social behaviors and emotions, and knew more about malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Children with greater exposure to Kilimani Sesame were also more likely to say an HIV positive child could play with others and that they would invite an HIV positive person into their home to share a meal. These findings remained robust over and above the contribution of factors that are important in predicting these outcomes: child age, child gender, location, general media exposure, and the child's performance in these outcomes prior to the intervention.
"We are pleased that researchers at an esteemed academic institution have found evidence of the impact of this media intervention." said Dr. Charlotte Cole, Vice President of International Education, Research, and Outreach at Sesame Workshop. "Children learn best when learning opportunities match their own daily life experiences. Kiilmani Sesame, which was developed by a team of Tanzanian educators and producers, provides images and content that features an environment familiar to its viewers and imparts age-appropriate messages - such as malaria prevention information - that are critical to children living in the country."
"This was an exciting opportunity to see how media can have a great impact," described Dr. Dina L.G. Borzekowski, an Associate Professor with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Health, Behavior and Society. She continued, "Despite lacking basic resources such as household water and electricity, children in this study benefited from the culturally-relevant and age-appropriate books, radio and video. Sesame Workshop demonstrates how media can best be used engage and motivate young children. This intervention offers a powerful, educational foundation to help Tanzanian children reach their highest potential."
Explore further: Major U.S. food makers cut 6.4 trillion calories from products: report
More information: The study abstract can be read here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2010.05.002


Second Language Acquisistion Program Research
The SLA program encompasses four major categories of research that draw on the strengths of faculty in Modern Languages:
Literacy development in second languages:
- Does literacy development differ among first- and second-language learners?
- How do literacy skills acquired in one language affect learning to read in another language?
- How does oral language proficiency relate to literacy development in a second language?
- In what ways is learning to read similar (or different) across languages?
- What type of intervention and scaffolding can content teachers provide to help language learners develop their academic literacy?
Social dimensions of learning a second language (context, identity, culture):
- Do different learning contexts (e.g. the formal language learning classroom, study abroad settings, intensive domestic immersion programs) promote different types of language learning? In what specific ways do students profit from each?
- How do learners develop control over pragmatic mappings of form, function and context of use? How can the development be measured? Do the individual and contextual factors affect the development?
- What does it mean to be a bilingual professional?
- How does interaction in a multilingual classroom contribute to the construction of a bilingual professional identity?
- How are monolingual English only ideologies in the US challenged by individual and institutional practices that support bilingualism?
Instruction and learning of second languages (classroom based research, program evaluation, impact of instruction on learning):
- How can we apply some of the positive results of study abroad experiences to classroom instruction in stateside learning programs?
- How can we use multimedia materials to help students learn languages?
- Is it true that countries that have one, and only one, official language are economically better developed than countries, which formally encourage multiple language use?
- Can children who participate in school-based (K--12) second language programs develop bilingual proficiency and cross cultural awareness and sensitivity?
- Does participation in Heritage Language programs (i.e., Saturday or weekend schools) help children to develop literacy skills and a sense of their ethnic identity?
Cognitive aspects of learning a second language (processing, memory):
- How do bilinguals manage to keep their two languages separate? Are they stored separately in the brain?
- In groups of people who speak two or more languages, how do people decide which language to use when?
- How can simultaneous interpreters manage to listen in one language while speaking in another?
- Why are some people better at learning second/foreign languages than others?
- What are some of the strategies that successful language learners use to improve their learning?
During the academic year, students are expected to devote an average of 20 hours per week to activities such as supervised teaching of language courses and assisting in faculty research projects. Third and fourth year students may have an opportunity to devote their full 20 hours to working as research assistants depending upon availability of extramural research support for faculty projects.


By Victoria Priest
The Scholastic Art Competition brings hope to an area where art is slowly being pushed aside in our schools. Once kindergartners had the pleasure of learning about color, line, value and rhythm, but today in the Plainview area a student will not experience a traditional art education until the seventh grade.
Art is being put on the back burner due to the demands of the traditional subjects such as math, science, English and social studies. Students are tested on their knowledge in these areas, and that is where the focus will lie in education.
However, schools are required to include fine arts in their curriculum, and many schools haven chosen to include music instead of visual art. This is slightly understandable due to the amazing talent of the Plainview Band. But because of this, visual art education is being pushed upon the traditional teachers — which may or may not be a good thing.
One good thing is that it requires teachers to think outside of the box and create innovative lesson plans that include art. This allows students to learn the traditional subjects with a bit of flare.
One bad thing is that art is just one more thing the teacher has to worry about. They stress all year about the math, reading and writing TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test. Now they have to worry about whether or not their students are learning art as well.
Debbie Gibson, art teacher at Estacado Junior High, understands the reasons for cutting art from the curriculum but is still deeply saddened at the lack of art knowledge she experiences every year with each new batch of eighth graders.
Instead of incorporating art into other areas, Gibson has tried to incorporate other areas into art. This may be the strategy that art needs to survive. The students will still be getting extra practice in the traditional subjects, while still getting a full art education.


Childhood Music Education in the New Millennium
by Ken Guilmartin
Importance of Music in Early Childhood
by Lili M. Levinowitz
Music-Movement Connection in Early Childhood
by Jill M. Davis
What do parents think of the program?
What should I expect of my child?
What should I expect of myself?
What about practicing at home?
Center for Music and Young Children (CMYC)
Appreciation: A Universal Language for All Ages
From the National Association for the Education of Young Children
Babies: Can Classes Really Create Mini-Maestros... or Even Help
Kids to Read?
by Michael Barry
Helping Children Cope with Disaster
Jane M. Farish / The National Association for the Education of Young


Communities developing resources and competencies for using their languages
Foundational understanding for language development work of all kinds
Publications, fonts and computer tools for language development, translation and research
SIL offers training in disciplines relevant to sustainable language development.
7,105 languages are spoken or signed. CLICK for map of world languages & regional websites.
SIL's dedication to language development past and present
(November 2012) As the 2015 deadline approaches for achieving the Education for All goals, UNESCO and the Brookings Institute’s Center for Universal Education are joining together in a new effort to measure quality in education. While much attention has focused on improving access to school programs for all children and youth, access is only a first step. In order to ensure that education opportunities are truly effective, methods for measuring outcomes are also needed. To address this concern, education and development leaders have been invited to serve on the newly formed Learning Metrics Task Force.
Dr. Diana Weber, a Senior Literacy and Education Consultant for SIL, will participate in the Measures and Methods Working Group for Primary Level. This team will work together over the course of the next seven months to develop recommendations for how learning can best be measured. They will also contribute to a dialogue on global development and collaborate on global sharing of successful methods. The working group’s first assignment is to pool knowledge of available assessments of early childhood learning that could be recommended at a global level or as options that countries could adopt at the national and regional level.
As SIL’s representative, Dr. Weber will bring an important perspective to the table: SIL recognizes the key role of local languages in all development, including making education truly accessible and effective for all students. The best schools in the world are ineffective when students don’t understand the language used by their teacher or printed in their textbooks. Around the world, children and youth from ethnolinguistic minority communities struggle to benefit from available education because school is conducted in a language that is unfamiliar to them, rather than the language they speak at home. Studies have shown that student success increases dramatically when the language of instruction is the students’ mother tongue.
The Learning Methods Task Force is scheduled to release a final report in September 2013. Its recommendations are not binding, but can be adopted
as education leaders in a given country see fit. The report will include recommendations for:
SIL contributes to the Education for All goals through language development efforts such as multilingual education and mother tongue literacy for children and adults. SIL is an official NGO partner of UNESCO with consultative status.
Above: While classroom settings differ, children around the world are engaged and excited about learning when school is taught in the language they know best. Clockwise from top left, students and teachers from ethnolinguistic minority communities of Mexico, Peru, Thailand, Kenya, Senegal, China, Vanuatu, Jamaica and Uganda.