JUST FOLLOW THE TEMPLATE ATTACHED(BELOW THE INSTRUCTIONS). THE BOOK IS ALSO ATTACHED SO YOU ONLY NEED TO FILL IN THE TEMPLATE BASED ON THE INFORMATION FROM THE BOOK
Dual Language Book Assignment
Assignment Description: For this assignment you need to develop and apply your knowledge of children’s language communication & literacy development and literacy teaching practices as outlined in the Early Learning Framework (ELECT) and course readings. In class you will share the book you have chosen the literacy strategies you have developed and the materials you have created. As a class you will collaboratively build a library of teaching resources. With a focus on home language and dual language books this assignment highlights a key ELECT principle:
Demonstration of respect for diversity equity and inclusion are prerequisites for optimal development and learning. (ELECT p. 11)
1. During Week 1 or 2 go to a public library: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ and find a dual-language children’s book for children in the age range 0-8 years. If you have a home language other than English please DO find a book in your home language. We want to celebrate your knowledge and develop your pedagogical skills in multiple languages!
Bring the book to class in week 3 to share and read aloud in a small group.
2. Write a summary using the template attached and be prepared to share your ideas orally with your group in week 3. Create pedagogical strategies that promote a literacy skill for that age group. Use specific examples from the book you have chosen.
a. Create one verbal strategy that promotes a literacy skill for that age group (i.e. learn key words/phrases in multiple languages).
b. Create one behavioral strategy that promotes a literacy skill for that age group.
For a specific skill cite the Early Learning Framework (ELECT) and for strategy ideas cite the Storybook Reading for Young Dual Language Learners handout.
3. Create and bring a prop that you could use when sharing the story with children. Props could include photographs objects that relate to the story or simple puppets (e.g. photocopied storybook characters on Popsicle sticks sock or glove/mitten puppets felt puppets etc.).
4. Discuss how you could support a child’s home language in a shared reading experience. Provide 2 strategies that could work when the language is other than your own.
Brown M. (2007). My name is Gabito: The life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Flagstaff Arizona: Luna Rising Publishers.
Age Group (cite Early Learning for Every Child Today [ELECT]:
One Paragraph Summary of the Book:
Languages in the Book:
a. Verbal Strategy
One paragraph citing The Continuum of Development (Ontario Ministry of Education 2007) and Storybook Reading for Young Dual Language Learners handout (Castro & Gillanders 2011).
b. Behavioural Strategy
One paragraph citing The Continuum of Development (Ontario Ministry of Education 2007) and Storybook Reading for Young Dual Language Learners handout (Castro & Gillanders 2001).


Two miles is a common distance swum by competitive or advanced swimmers. Athletes training for a triathlon may also swim this distance. Swimming two miles is about a two-hour workout at 3,200 m. Since the athlete is swimming for distance, a swimmer will likely swim freestyle, also referred to as the crawl stroke, which is the most efficient stroke. Although you are working out in water, you still sweat and should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Bring a water bottle and keep it by the side of the pool for quick breaks, if needed. Also make sure to eat at least 45 minutes before your workout to help supply your body with the energy and let food digest.
Freestyle Swim and Kicking Warmup
Performing a quick warmup will help prepare your body for exercise. The warmup should not be long, as the freestyle workout will take a majority of your allotted time. Swim 100 m freestyle and 100 m flutter kick with a kickboard. These 200 m do not count toward your two-mile workout.
The easiest, quickest and most efficient way is to swim nonstop freestyle for two miles. Try counting your arm strokes across the pool and keeping the numbers the same for each length as you swim for a consistent speed. It is probably easiest to keep track of how far you’ve swum by counting out 64 50-m laps. You can also break between miles. Swim 32 50-m laps, drink some water for a short break, then continue swimming the remaining 32 50-m laps. Try not to break longer than five minutes as you may be reluctant to continue swimming if you break for too long.
Cool-downs are meant to be as much a mental break as to decrease your heart rate. Concentrate on your breathing by breathing in through your mouth and out your nose. Use a kickboard to do a kick of your choice for at least 100 m. Kick at a leisurely pace.
When you are working your way up to swimming long distances, it is important to pace yourself. Either begin your freestyle workout by swimming at a consistent speed throughout the duration or start slowly and gradually increase or build speed as you get closer to your finish. The choice is yours.
Madison Hawthorne holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing, a master's degree in social work and a master's degree in elementary education. She also holds a reading endorsement and two years experience working with ELD students. She has been a writer for more than five years, served as a magazine submission reviewer and secured funding for a federal grant for a nonprofit organization. Hawthorne also swam competitively for 10 years and taught for two years.
Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images


Time.com's IDEAS section highlights a truth that will bring a sad nod of recognition to most Barbershoppers:
Research shows that many adults who think of themselves as “unmusical” were told as children that they couldn’t or shouldn’t sing by teachers and family members....
Children are natural musicians, as they readily sing, dance and play music from the time they are infants. People ask me all the time how they can tell if their child has musical talent. I assure them that their child – indeed every child – has musical ability that can be developed into a satisfying and lifelong relationship with music.
However, as they get older, some children begin to get messages from peers, family members, the media and (unfortunately) music teachers that they may not be very musical – that they don’t have “talent.”
Author Steven M. Demorest, Professor of Music Education at Northwestern University, discusses the Oscar award-winning short film "Sing" which traces a story just like this for a young child told to simply mouth the words.
Shows like “American Idol” have promoted the notion that singing is a rare ability reserved for the talented few, and that those without such talent entertain us only by being ridiculed and weeded out.
This “talent mindset” of music runs counter to what psychologist Carol Dweck calls the “growth mindset” that is considered critical for learning: Students who view their success as a result of hard work will persevere through challenges, while students who believe their success lies with some innate ability – like “talent” – are more likely to give up.
Read the full story The Idea of "Talent" Is Toxic to Childhood Development | Time.com.


As I have mentioned previously composition is at the heart of my philosophy when it comes to music education. It is also what starts to make your music classes exciting and moves them beyond the some times mundane experience of teaching skills or singing songs.
With the grade 5 and 6 students this term we are focusing on a number of compositional styles.
1. Composing with Melodic Instruments
3. Chance compositions
4. Composing soundtracks
5. Composoing with Text
5. Composing Machine Compsitions
These are all styles that are very accessible to children and there are lots of great examples on you tube of composers using these ideas as the basis for their own music. Composers like John Cage and the concepts he introduced always fascinate children.
The first four weeks were spent on Composing With Melody and to do this we used our diatonic instruments. Initially to children almost everything sounds good when composing with diatonic instruments so it gets things rolling quickly and gives you a chance to help them refine their ideas.
I always get them to write four parts into this composition. A bass line a melody line a chordal accompanyment and a percussion part and initially explain the roles of each of those parts. I then get them to add a B section which we decide to be something different to the A section and something short. A chance to provide a point of difference in the music. At the end of each week I film the children and one quick viewing at the start of the next week is all that is required for them to remember where they were up to. Depending on your philosophy regarding notation you could get them to notate but I find that childrens ears are generally pretty good and notation merely slows the composition process at this stage.
In the following weeks I will blog about how I go about teaching the other musical styles and upload some video.
But here is a video of a couple of completed Melodic Pieces


A primary/elementary art program would serve as platform for those who, in the future, might seriously pursue a career in art. The value of an art program rests more in its ability to provide an experience where there are no right answers. Art education allows a child to rely on their own ideas, to have faith in their own choices, and to know they are respected as an individual. There is something unchangeably wonderful for the child and her/his parents to see the child’s matted artwork on display. The work does not look like a variation of all the others in an art show.
All parents know that their children may voice more than one preference for a vocation “when they grow up.” Being able to express a plan visually would help any one making a proposal in any endeavor. Art making can be an avocation as well as a vocation.
The individual must declare that as his/her intention and work towards making it happen. On some level, an artist is self employed. More than anything else, the person must have a strong belief in their abilities, even when creating within a group. The answer to the question created by this blog becomes clear if it is asked of all disciplines. If a child learns to express ideas in writing, will she/he become an author or poet? Will all math students become mathematicians? If my son studies science will he want to be a zoologist, an astronomer, a doctor? If I teach my child to cook will she become a chef? Children know their strengths and interests if we allow and honor it.
The more important question is: What kind of a society would we have without artists, musicians, dancers, writers, film makers, actors, and people to appreciate and support their efforts that enrich our lives and mirror back to us our culture?


Manifesta och latenta ideologier om lärande inom svensk spelmansrörelse på 1920-talet
Chapter, Peer reviewed
MetadataShow full item record
- Artikler og bokkapitler
Original versionI: Nordic Research in Music Education. Yearbook Vol. 13 2011, s. 115-130
The purpose of this article is to illuminate existing educational idologies in the Swedish fiddler movement (Spelmansrörelsen) 1923-1927. This period was characterized by the organization and to some extent institutionalization of Swedish folk music. Furthermore, the purpose is to dicuss the results in relation to the folk music education of today. The empirical data is taken from the journal Hembygden, which was a magazine for scholars, enthusiasts and practitioners of folk music. Theoretically, the study is based on a concept of ideology deveoped by Sven-Eric Liedman: in every time there are two basic forms of identifiable ideology, manifest and latent. From the empirical material as a whole (around 900 articles), a selection was made to find articles dealing with aspects fo learning among the fiddlers (33 articles). After content analysis the following themes were generated: Fiddlers' repertoire, Fiddlers' masters, Places for learning, Learning formation. The writers in Hembygden often emphasized the autodidactic aspects of learning and especially the importance of learning by ear. This manifest ideology of authenticity presumed that learning directly from another fiddler by playing together was to prefer to formal schooling. In spite of a tendency towards more ensemble playing, the folk music education of today in Sweden is characterized by a similar retrospective ideology as in the 1920s. Key words: Music learning, Swedish fiddler movement, folk music, traditional fiddle music, ideology, playing by ear, formal schooling.
Nordisk musikkpedagogisk forskning;Årbok 13


CLIL is an innovative approach to language teaching, where students are exposed to foreign language while learning the content about subjects such as geography, fine arts, science etc. This course concentrates upon the practical aspects of teaching CLIL at different levels, including use of scaffolding strategies, integration of four language skills or assessment.
Application form relevant topics
New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses, Teaching and learning of foreign languages, Pedagogy and didactics
CLIL course is structured into 17 thematic modules. It is designed as a series of workshops that are composed of discussions, hand-on activities, and practical tips how to implement CLIL to schools. You will experience CLIL activities from the perspective of students, design lesson plan and teach it within a micro-teaching session in our course.
- Module 01 – Introduction to CLIL Methodology, Practice in Selected European Countries
- Module 02 – Benefits and Risks of CLIL
- Module 03 – Language Showers
- Module 04 – An Example of a CLIL Lesson
- Module 05 – CLIL Activities across the Primary School Curriculum
- Module 06 – Classroom Materials and CLIL Resources
- Module 07 – CLIL in Secondary Schools
- Module 08 – Real‐world Tasks in CLIL and Problem Solving
- Module 09 – Scaffolding Strategies
- Module 10 – Teaching Methods and Techniques Suitable for CLIL
- Module 11 – How to Prepare a Good CLIL lesson
- Module 12 – English for Classroom Management
- Module 13 – ICT in CLIL
- Module 14 – How to Start CLIL in my School
- Module 15 – Assessment in CLIL
Guided City Tour
- Develop practical classroom skills to teach CLIL, show effective techniques when teaching learners’ whose mother tongue is not the medium of instruction, promote teaching content in cross-curricular platform.
- Gain techniques for working in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms with regards to inclusive approach, promote intercultural awareness.
- Generate ready‐to‐use materials and ideas, discover the process of CLIL implementation into schools, enhance good quality of mainstream education.
- Improve competencies in using ICT in CLIL lessons, develop digital skills and media literacy, promote open educational resources and open learning environment.
- Apply CLIL method, encourage student’s critical and creative thinking, employ authentic communication and solving real-world tasks; foster innovative, student-centred pedagogies.
- Enrich communication skills, improve foreign language competencies, broaden professional vocabulary, promote EU’s broad linguistic diversity.
- Revise and develop personal and professional competences, build confidence in using CLIL methods in classrooms and teaching through a foreign language.
- Meet colleagues of different nationalities within the EU, engage in cross-cultural learning experience, exchange ideas and build a network for future international cooperation.
- Gain broader understanding of practices, policies and systems of education of different countries, cultivate mutual respect, intercultural awareness and embed common educational and training values.
General Course Information
Before the course:
You would be required to fill a Questionnaire.
You will receive “ITC Guide Document” where you will find all necessary information.
After the Course:
Course evaluation form
Course materials in electronical form / Other materials for self-study and dissemination of the techniques.
17. 02. - 21. 02. 2020
06. 04. - 10. 04. 2020
03. 08. - 07. 08. 2020
30. 11. - 04. 12. 2020
15. 02. - 19. 02. 2021
05. 04. - 09. 04. 2021
02. 08. - 06. 08. 2021
29. 11. - 03. 12. 2021
courses in BARCELONA, HELSINKI, KARLSHAMN, LONDON,
EACH COURSE WILL BE HELD WITH MINIMUM OF 10 COURSE PARTICIPANTS


Fun Game Birds Quiz – FREE Interactive Easy Science Quiz Questions for Kids
Enjoy this Easy Science for Kids Game Birds Quiz – you’ll get your quiz score after completing this FREE online interactive quiz on Game Birds. You need to answer all the questions to be able to get your score. You can do this fun quiz about Game Birds again, till you get the perfect score and become a quiz champion!
Tip: To get it right the first time, read the page with fun facts about Game Birds.
The Game Birds Quiz & FREE Online Quizzes
Our fun easy science quizzes are a free online easy science quiz resource for teachers and educators of kids in elementary school, grammar school and preschool. This fun Game Birds quiz helps your kids learn fun facts about Game Birds while enjoying this FREE easy quiz questions for kids.
If your kid is interested in science, or is in an after-school enrichment program, then this is a fun science activity, with reading comprehension benefits for kids in grade 1-5. Kids will enjoy competing against their classmates and friends, to see who scores the best, doing this entertaining free online quiz on Game Birds.
As a reading comprehension training for your kids, you can set a timer to encourage kids to do the reading comprehension activity faster, or you can limit the number of times they can read about the quiz topic, before they do the actual quiz games we offer on our easy science for kids website.
Younger kids who cannot yet read or write, such as Pre-K kids, Kindergarten kids or Preschool kids, will benefit from doing this and our other science quiz games, as a listening comprehension activity; you read out to them about the topic and then read the quiz question and answers. You will select the Game Birds quiz answer they think is correct, and at the end you get the quiz score. Your child can try many times doing the Game Birds quiz, till gets the perfect score faster, as children learn to listen more carefully and develop a better memory and attention span!
Cite This Page
You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:
MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Fun Game Birds Quiz – FREE Interactive Easy Science Quiz Questions for Kids - ." Easy Science for Kids, Nov 2020. Web. 30 Nov 2020. < https://easyscienceforkids.com/fun-game-birds-quiz-free-interactive-easy-science-quiz-questions-for-kids/ >.
APA Style Citation
Tobin, Declan. (2020). Fun Game Birds Quiz – FREE Interactive Easy Science Quiz Questions for Kids -. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from https://easyscienceforkids.com/fun-game-birds-quiz-free-interactive-easy-science-quiz-questions-for-kids/
We've recently added
- Fingerprint Identification Experiment
- Forensic Facts for kids
- Stem Cells
- Stem Cell Worksheet
- Buffalo – Part of the Bovidae Family
- Buffalo Differences Worksheet
- Draw the Buffalo Worksheet
- Who invented it?
- Famous American Inventors (Top ten and their Inventions)
- Vaccines and Antibodies
- How To Build a Winogradsky Column and Learn About Soil Science
- Potato Light Bulb Experiment
Sponsored Links :


“Study the past if you would define the future”
Here at Verulam, we seek to offer a lively and engaging History curriculum that provides our students with a map with which to navigate and understand the past and the foundations of the society in which they live. This is achieved by studying a range of periods from the ancient past to events which continue to shape the twenty first century. Throughout each study, rigour is established through development of core study skills such as interpretation, causation and significance. Our aim is to ensure that pupils think critically about any information they are given and foster a rich understanding of their cultural heritage.
Students at Verulam explore the defining concepts of the past such as empire, democracy, revolution and revolt. Through this they develop an appreciation for not only the evolution of the nation they live in but of other cultures and how they have enriched or challenged Britain and the wider world. Studies in lesson are supported by an extra-curricular club and an increasing range of enriching trips.
Key Stage 3
This course introduces the skills needed by a historian to investigate and analyse the past. These are fostered through the study of a range of time periods and different societies to provide a greater awareness of national and global society and culture. This provides them with the foundational skills required for study at GCSE, both in History and other subjects. Pupils learn to structure a developed and detailed argument based on analysis of evidence in order to present a reasoned conclusion. We also develop students’ ability to analyse different sources of evidence and evaluate the interpretations of established historians.
The programme of study includes
- What is History? Key skills and concepts.
- Roman Empire – why was it so important?
- Anglo Saxon and Norman England
- Medieval Life
- Monarchy – just how powerful was the king in medieval times?
- Henry VIII – Hero or Monster?
- Elizabeth I – How successful was she?
- English Civil War
- Industrial Revolution
- British Empire
- World War One
- Gaining Rights
- World War Two
Assessments are mostly half-termly, with an end of year exam in Years 7 and 8. All assessments are designed to develop the skills required at GCSE level.
Home Learning is set weekly and seeks to support the development of knowledge and skills in class. Home Learning varies from reading to key term and topic tests as well as project work and revision for assessments.
Where can History take you?
The skills acquired through the study of History, at any level, are invaluable for an array of career paths. Those listed below show just a few which have a direct and indirect relation to the subject.
Careers directly related include:
- Heritage manager
- Historic buildings inspector or conservation officer
- Museum education officer
- Museum or gallery curator
- Museum or gallery exhibitions officer
Careers where the qualification would be useful:
- Editorial assistant
- Information officer
- Politician’s assistant
- Management consultancies
- Publishing companies
- Television and radio broadcasters.
How parents can support their child’s learning?
Parents can discuss with the students how they plan to manage their time for the home learning tasks. We strongly encourage students to gain background research from books rather than the internet as it is often age-inappropriate for students. The school library is well stocked and the librarians are more than willing to help students find their way to useful books, although encouraging students to use local libraries and books at home would also support us in this. Visiting historical sites and encouraging discussion about the topics studied in class is also useful.


Online games links
Maths should be fun! Click on the links below to have a go at some of these online games as an exciting way to practice your maths at home.
For all ages
Sumdog: Sumdog adapts to a childs Maths level as they play games meaning it is a great way for children to play personalised Maths games. Class teachers can also set specific skills which they want children to work on.All KS1 and KS2 children have a log in for Sumdog.
Cool Math Games: This website breaks games into different categories and lots of the games have different skill level options so it's a great website for anyone looking to work on their maths in an exciting way.
Math playground: Search for games for your year group. The website breaks down ages into American Grades, so look at games for the Grade below your Year (e.g Year 3 would be Grade 2).
CBeebies Numeracy: Have a look at these games, clips and activities which will help develop those early numeracy skills! The ones with a jigsaw piece in the corner are the games.
BBC Bitesize KS1: Lots of fun activities to help children in Key Stage 1 learn more about maths!
Math playground: Click the link to go to the area of the website which has lots of games to build problem solving and logic skills which are really important. There's options to work on solving word problems, riddles and number problems so go mad!
BBC Bitesize Maths KS2: This page breaks Maths down by topic and includes handy tutorials and tips as well as quizzes and games to see what you can do!


The medium of instruction is English with due focus on our national language:
1. Pre-Primary school curriculum contains recognition of alphabets, numbers recitation, writing with crayons and subsequently with pencil to reading and writing of words and sentences. Children are involved in activities to play and be comfortable with numbers. Dramatized story telling by the teacher is given high importance. Individual evaluation of a child is objective and continuous. The P.G. Class has an activity room equipped with toys, puzzles, puzzle block and educational magnetic block, etc. which makes the students learn & recognize while they play
Primary school curriculum includes studies in English, Hindi, Maths Environmental studies, Computer and Arts. The Curriculum is aimed at vocabulary enrichment with very strong emphasis on speaking, reading and oral sentences formation with correct pronunciation."
2. Oral comprehension is given to improve attentiveness in class. Primary fundamentals of Maths are introduced in such a way so as to make their basic very strong. Special stress is laid on children working in group. Through interaction and exchange of ideas, a child rapidly matures in self expression.
3. Middle school curriculum is aimed at acquainting students with the syllabus of ICSE in various subjects at introductory level. Science and Social studies are split into three separate disciplines viz Physics, Chemistry, Biology and History, Civics, Geography respectively. The curriculum lays strong emphasis on core subjects like English, Maths and Science. High focus is on spoken and written English Self-study and reference work is encouraged to increase in-deep knowledge and promote independence in studies.


The acronyms keep changing. STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – has been touted as what educators need to focus on to prepare students for the challenges they’ll face in the modern workplace. Some have taken STEM to the next level by adding an A for Arts to the acronym to make STEAM. Recent brain research has shown that music education connects the logical left side of the brain to the creative right side of the brain, and that art shapes both architecture and design which are germane to the elements of STEM.
Today, an “R” has become the 6th element of this compound to create STREAM. Catholic schools across the country have advanced the “R” as representing Religion, since faith is an essential component to shape the whole person in the Catholic school experience. The graphic for this article comes from the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Buffalo. Even some public and private schools have also moved forward with STREAM initiatives, but their “R” represents either Reading or Robotics.
Just as the technology continues to change and evolve, the way we talk about it, utilize it, and apply it to student learning will also continue to change, and change rapidly Perhaps we could add several more letters to the acronym – an “E” and an “R” – for “Experience” and “Resiliency,” since those attributes will also be essential for the 21st Century learner.
Or we could add another “S” for “Social Studies,” and include history, geography, communication, sociology, and even psychology. The result? If you consider all the elements of the new STREAMS acronym, you get a typical class schedule…except for one missing element: Phys Ed.
Realizing that, we may have found the real missing element of education. Consider the learning domains – the cognitive, affective and kinesthetic. Much, if not all, of the STREAMS acronym deals with the cognitive domain. Phys Ed would consider the kinesthetic domain to be of primary importance. That leaves the affective domain – the one which deals with feelings, emotions, and “intuitivity.” What courses are taught that deal with that domain? Imagine what could happen if we had some.


The Maths Department at Immanuel College is eager to emphasise the value and importance of the development of numeracy skills and mathematical ability.
Pupils enjoy a wide range of teaching styles and a vast array of resources available to them, in order to encourage both collaborative and independent thinking throughout their mathematical journey.
Maths is taught in ability sets from Year 7 which are determined by the school’s entrance examination. Movement up or down thereafter is dependent upon ongoing assessment, homework and the results of regular testing. Our aims in Maths are to develop students’ abilities to reason and solve problems, and to think creatively and openly, whilst acquiring an enjoyment and appreciation for the subject along the way.
In Years 7 and 8, pupils work through the Key Stage 3 syllabus and benefit from MyMaths, an excellent resource that provides textbooks and practice books together with a website. MyMaths allows pupils to view online lessons and to complete online tasks, which provides learners the option to access the material in their own specialised way. In addition the department has its own homework resource with a focus on literacy and exam style questions.
In Year 9 pupils study the Edexcel IGCSE syllabus, with the majority of students sitting the examination in Year 11. There is the option for the most able pupils in each year group to join the Accelerated Set. This is formulated in Year 8 with pupils taking their IGCSE one year early in Year 10. The Accelerated Set then continue their mathematical studies in Year 11 by taking the AQA Level 2 Certificate in Further Mathematics. This provides the most able pupils with an opportunity to attain an extra qualification in Maths, and bridges the knowledge gap between the IGCSE and A Level. There is also an opportunity for the more able Set 1 to study a parallel IGCSE/Further Mathematics course in Year 11. These pupils take both examinations in Year 11.
More than half the Sixth Form at Immanuel College take Mathematics at A Level, with some taking Further Mathematics. There is opportunity for Further Mathematics pupils to explore the STEP qualification during form time. This helps prepare pupils for applications to Universities for numerate subjects, which include Mathematics, Physics, Economics and Engineering. There is then an option for pupils to take STEP as a formal qualification. Support is also extended to pupils for Oxbridge interviews.
Pupils in the higher sets of all year groups are entered for the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Maths Challenges run by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust. Immanuel College has enjoyed much success in these competitions, with many pupils winning certificates and a growing number of pupils advancing to the second rounds. Pupils also take part in the Junior and Senior Team Challenges, giving small groups of pupils an opportunity to represent the College and compete against other schools. A small group of pupils participate in the Hans Woyda Mathematics Competition, and have enjoyed much success in recent years. The department runs an Engineering Society that meets once a week to introduce pupils to the concepts of engineering through practical demonstrations and projects. The department also offers weekly drop-in Maths Clinics to all pupils.


Impact of music education on small children
1. Development of different skills simultaneously
While playing an instrument, a child involves ears, eyes, and fingers to produce the sound. Also, different groups of muscles, both small and big, are engaged in the process of creating a melody. As a result, a child develops various skills (both mental and physical) while learning music and can implement them in other areas of life.
2. Improvement of language skills
The studies of Children Music Workshop has proved the positive influence of music education on the language development of children from 2 to 9 years old. Since the left side of the brain is engaged in processing music as well as language, children who play instruments or sing from a young age start speaking faster and better than those who don’t do it.
3. Higher IQ scores
The University of Toronto conducted the study during which students of 6 years old were divided into 3 groups to check the connection between mastering music skills and IQ. The first group was given music classes for a year, the second studied drama classes and the last one was not given any creative classes. The results of the IQ testing have shown that the first group got 3 points higher in the total score than two other groups.
4. Improved memory
The benefits of music education for elementary school students don’t end at the IQ scores. Overall memory is improved when a child studies music. It’s reasonable: when a girl or a boy spends a lot of time playing an instrument or singing, they need to learn by heart a lot of material (notes, chords, or song lyrics). It contributes the recall of verbal information stored in a child’s memory for the rest of life.
5. An overall development of personality
The importance of music education can also be seen in the overall development of a child. Studying music helps to become a well-rounded person from a young age. A student who got used to being curious about music concepts, history of music and literature knows more than his or her peers and this knowledge can be easily applied to conventional education.
Importance of music education for academic studying
1. Better brain work
The scientists of Boston College and Harvard Medical School proved that there is a difference between brainwork of children who play instruments and those who don’t. In fact, the brain of young musicians tends to work better in solving motor tasks and defining sounds.
2. Strong study habit
Children who study music tend to be more disciplined in comparison to those who study just in conventional schools. It happens due to high standards of learning in music schools and the general complexity of studying there. To master playing an instrument, a student has to put much effort and practice every day at home. Such a habit is one of the strongest music education benefits.
3. Spatial skills development
Understanding how music is created helps an individual to develop spatial thinking that is of great help in studying math, engineering and computer science. The study conducted about this question demonstrated that the spatial skills of young musicians improved much over time in comparison to their classmates who weren’t studying music.
4. Learning to work in the team
The benefits of music education in schools also include teamwork that a child masters while studying at music school. This is due to the mandatory orchestra or ensemble classes that one needs to attend within the study program. Experience of playing together with fellows helps a child understand how to work together towards a common goal.
5. Higher test results
One of the benefits of music education is the impact it makes on the test performance of the children. The University of Kansas has made research in 2007 regarding the link between test scores and studying music of small children. It has shown that those who were studying music through high quality educational programs scored 20 percent higher on standardized testing than others who had music classes of lower quality.


RLL #94: The Importance of Music with Jessica Peresta
Music and music education has been found to impact learning in so many ways. It engages nearly all areas of the brain at the same time, aids brain development and motor skills of younger children, strengthens language processing while relaxing the mind, lowering stress levels and boosting memories. In today’s episode, Colleen speaks with Jessica Peresta of The Domestic Musician about the importance of music in our families and the great impact it can have on raising our quirky kids.
Links and Resources from Today’s Show:
Leave a Rating or Review
Doing so helps me get the word out about the podcast. iTunes bases their search results on positive ratings, so it really does help — and it’s easy!
- Click THIS link to go to the podcast main page.
- Click on View in iTunes under the podcast cover artwork.
- Once your iTunes has launched and you are on the podcast page, click on Ratings and Review under the podcast name. There you can leave either or both! Thanks so much.
Want to record your own question, comment, or have your kids tell us what they LOVE to learn about? Click below and start recording!


Maspeth High School employs a classical curriculum built on two pillars. The first pillar of our classical education model is language-focused: learning is accomplished through the study of words, written and spoken, rather than through images. The second pillar is adapted from the trivium - grammar (the art of interpreting symbols), dialectics (the art of reasoning), and rhetoric (the art of expression). The trivium is the structure of every subject and discipline. To the classical mind, all knowledge is interrelated and derived from history. Eventually, our students develop an understanding of the role of their lives, families, and communities as part of the broad landscape of human existence and achievement.
We believe that a student who has engaged in English language arts, Mathematics, Science, and History for all four years of high school will be well equipped for post-secondary success. As such, all students are encouraged to enroll in the core disciplines in each year of their high school career.
English language arts (ELA) courses guide students toward mastery of the skills and standards associated with the Common Core curriculum through the lens of classical texts. Throughout their literary journey students at our school demonstrate their comprehension of each unit through participation in Socratic seminars and declamations. In 9th grade, students explore Classical Mythology through texts such as The Iliad and The Odyssey. In 10th grade, students are prepared to take the New York State Regents exam through the study of Philosophy and related texts. In 11th grade, students engage with the literary works of classical American authors and in their final year of study, students complete their classical journey with British Literature. Students also have the opportunity to enroll in AP Literature and Composition and AP Language and Composition throughout their high school career. The ELA department concludes each year by hosting a school-wide declamation competition.
Mathematics is our primary forum for teaching dialectics. Our teachers push our students to view mathematics as a method for logic and reasoning with applications in their daily lives. The mathematics department aims to dispel the stereotype that mathematics is only understood by some. All students are expected to follow the New York State mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II in their first three years of high school. Students who complete the sequence are provided with the opportunity to enroll in AP Calculus, a Pre-Calculus course sponsored by St. John's University, or Advanced Algebra with Financial Applications. Students are encouraged to take four years of mathematics in order to ensure college readiness. Each year, the mathematics department also hosts a school-wide Pi Day to promote mathematics through activities such as a competitive recitation of the digits in Pi.
All Science classes are scheduled to include a double period lab once per week in order to complete inquiry-based experiential laboratory experiments. Students are offered a wide array of science courses throughout their high school career; many choose to follow a traditional Science track of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics over their first three years of high school. In their senior year, students are given the option of four different Advanced Placement courses including AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics or AP Environmental Science. Students who choose not to enroll in an Advanced Placement course choose either Earth Science or College Astronomy sponsored by St. John's University. Additionally, each year the science department hosts a school-wide science fair in which students present their innovations and investigations of the world surrounding them.
Students begin their high school journey in history by enrolling in two years of Global History and Geography or AP World History. In 11th Grade, while students are exploring American Literature in their ELA course, they are also learning American History or AP United States History. This horizontal alignment allows for a more coherent structure and the opportunity for students to explore the content with greater attention to detail. Students in 12th grade have the option to take Government, AP Comparative Government, or AP United States Government, and Economics. The primary form of assessment across the history curriculum is a debate; debates are organized using various formats including team debates, Parliamentary debates, Lincoln-Douglas debates, and presidential debates.
Our curriculum supports college and career readiness by focusing on foundational skills that students require to be successful in their post-secondary endeavors. Our students use higher order thinking skills daily, as each lesson is built on the foundations of Webb's Depth of Knowledge and Bloom's Taxonomy. We challenge our students with daily writing prompts, class discussions and assessments of mastery. We also utilize resources such as career interest inventories, learning style assessments and self-discovery tools, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, to guide our students toward making informed choices about their lives beyond Maspeth High School.


Resources › For Educators Functional Skills: Skills to Help Special Education Students Gain Independence Share Flipboard Email Print dennisvdw / Getty Images For Educators Special Education Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Management Lesson Plans Math Strategies Reading & Writing Social Skills Inclusion Strategies Individual Education Plans Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Teaching Homeschooling By Jerry Webster Special Education Expert M.Ed., Special Education, West Chester University B.A., Elementary Education, University of Pittsburgh Jerry Webster, M.Ed., has over twenty years of experience teaching in special education classrooms. He holds a post-baccalaureate certificate from Penn State's Educating Individuals with Autism program. our editorial process Jerry Webster Updated July 16, 2019 Functional skills are those skills a student needs to live independently. An important goal of special education is for our students to gain as much independence and autonomy as possible, whether their disability is emotional, intellectual, physical, or a combination of two or more (multiple) disabilities. Skills are defined as functional as long as the outcome supports the student's independence. For some students, those skills may be learning to feed themselves. For other students, it may be learning to use a bus and read a bus schedule. We can separate the functional skills as: Life SkillsFunctional Academic SkillsCommunity-Based Learning SkillsSocial Skills Life Skills The most basic of functional skills are those skills that we usually acquire in the first few years of life: walking, self-feeding, self-toileting, and making simple requests. Students with developmental disabilities, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, and significant cognitive or multiple disabilities often need to have these skills taught through modeling, breaking them down, and the use of Applied Behavior Analysis. The teaching of life skills also requires that the teacher/practitioner complete appropriate task analyses in order to teach the specific skills. Functional Academic Skills Living independently requires some skills which are considered academic, even if they do not lead to higher education or the completion of a diploma. Those skills include: Math Skills - The functional math skills include telling time, counting and using money, balancing a checkbook, measurement, and understanding volume. For higher functioning students, math skills will expand to include vocationally oriented skills, such as making change or following a schedule.Language Arts - Reading begins as recognizing symbols, progressing to reading signs (stop, push), and moves on to reading directions. For many students with disabilities, they may need to have reading texts supported with audio recordings or adults reading. By learning to read a bus schedule, a sign in a bathroom, or directions, a student with disabilities gains independence. Community-Based Learning Skills The skills a student needs to succeed independently in the community often have to be taught in the community. These skills include using public transportation, shopping, making choices in restaurants, and crossing streets at crosswalks. Too often parents, with the desire to protect their disabled children, over-function for their children and unknowingly stand in the way of allowing their children to acquire the skills they need. Social Skills Social skills are usually modeled, but for many students with disabilities, they need to be carefully and consistently taught. In order to function in the community, students need to understand how to interact appropriately with different members of the community, not only family, peers, and teachers.


One of the mainstays of standards for music education has been to evaluate musical works. Whereas evaluating is a generally well understood concept when it comes to student work, evaluating artistic work has often been more problematic; it has been confused with editorializing. Under this confusion, if I like a musical work, then it is … Continue reading Evaluate or Judge?
I've always had a love for classical music. I'm not sure why, but for as long as I can remember, and my family tells me it goes back further than that, I have pulled myself away from distractions and settled in to enjoy a symphony, concerto, or sonata. With this background, it is not surprising … Continue reading When Teaching Music Appreciation, Keep It Simple
Elsewhere on this site, I wrote about the top 25 classical music works, and key words that help explain why they are as popular as they are. After writing that post, I decided to take the results to my eighth grade students and see if the key words in the survey resonated with these adolescents. … Continue reading Classical Music and Contemporary Culture
The popularity of classical music is of interest to those who teach music, and to those who run symphony orchestras. One of the things that attracts audiences to concert halls is favorite repertoire being on the program. Contemporary composers of classical music have at times been at odds with audiences, because their music was not … Continue reading Strong Beat and Driving Rhythm Found in Top Classical Pieces
Experienced teachers know that words matter, and that when writing out a lesson plan, the more specific our language is, the better for us and our students. For example, a teacher might write that students will be able to discuss the use of dynamics in Mozart's overture from The Marriage of Figaro. This objective specifies exactly … Continue reading When Planning Music Lessons, Watch Your Language
Since Friday, I have been sharing a presentation I gave at two conferences of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). In this session, I gave an overview of what the very youngest human minds can do musically, and how early childhood educators who are not music teachers can still include music in their programs. Today I … Continue reading The Amazing Human Musical Mind, Part 2
If you've ever written a thesis, book or even a blog post, you probably know that just the right words don't always just come flowing out of your brain onto the screen or page. Case in point, I have already deleted one word and replaced it with another in just these two opening sentences. The … Continue reading Dispelling the Wrong Note Fallacy
Most ideas and words can easily be misunderstood without context. Take the word chair. If I sit on the chair, he'll expel me from the committee. If you were thinking of a piece of furniture, my sentence didn't make much sense. You had to know I was talking about the chair of a committee; a person. … Continue reading What Is The Context?
One of the challenges that often face music teachers is a tension that develops between students playing music they enjoy, and teachers who want their students to play music that facilitates growth in musicianship. Often, this comes down to the teacher wanting the student to play classical music, and the student wanting to play popular … Continue reading Student Choice in Selecting Repertoire
As I taught my pre-kindergarten three year olds today, several of them were really good teacher's helpers. I don't mean they shared a snack, or helped a friend put on a jacket, I mean they helped me teach them their music class. Children will tell you a lot about how to teach them if you're … Continue reading What Your Students Will Tell You


We are starting to see some great information beginning to be generated for music education: real concrete information that you can use as we begin planning for what our fall classrooms are going to look like.
Preface before continuing: the majority of this post is centered on instrumental music education, but can be applied to all other disciplines as well!
On Tuesday night, an OUTSTANDING webinar was conducted featuring various professional organizations across the country. I’d encourage you to spend the time to watch it (warning: it is almost 2 hours long, so you might want to speed it up). The major points that came out of it are as follows:
- MANY Resources are going to be making their way to you very soon.
If you’re an elementary instrumental music teacher, you are most likely very worried about those beginning days of how to teach to get a sound out – or even just putting the instrument together. There are going to be a series of videos put together in the coming weeks that deal with those fundamentals for every instrument. We know you’re going to have to create a lot of content for this fall – hopefully this is one thing you won’t have to worry about.
- There are TWO scientific studies being run right now on aerosol dispersants in regards to music making.
Run by both the University of Colorado-Boulder and Colorado State University, their initial findings should be available in the beginning of July. I believe that every one of you will be able to use this data to help your districts make decisions on just what is possible this fall.
You can view the webinar in its entirety here:
The first of the reports mentioned in this webinar became available last night. There are MANY great resources in this document that can easily be adapted to ensembles of all levels in our region.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day!


English Language Arts
Washington County Public Schools focuses on the development of literate individuals able to read, write, speak, listen and use language effectively in a variety of content areas. Beginning with our youngest learners, students build foundational knowledge, acquire basic literacy skills and develop an understanding that print conveys meaning. As our children grow in their experiences with texts and language, children begin to communicate their individual thoughts and ideas through speaking and writing and to share in the thoughts and ideas of others through listening and reading. Instruction and curriculum focus on building strategies to comprehend a variety of texts, both literary and informational and to recognize that texts are structured in predictable ways to promote understanding and serve a purpose.
In the middle and upper grades, students will be challenged with more complex texts and experiences in preparation to respond to print, both digital and traditional formats, and to assimilate previous learning with new ideas in order to formulate their own thoughts and opinions on topics. Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they have read. This stresses critical-thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills that are required for success in college, career and life.
Our literacy standards also supplement the standards in content areas. For more information regarding the Maryland Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, use the links below.
Reading Informational Text
Reading Foundational Skills
Speaking & Listening


April 26, 2020
A resource for improving musicians, music teachers, and parents of future musical prodigies.
New to The SITE?
Explore the Website
Recent Blog Articles
April 18, 2020
April 8, 2020
March 17, 2020
March 15, 2020
March 11, 2020
The Literate Musician: See the Approach in Action
Ever wonder how to take all of the theoretical MLT knowledge and turn it into a curriculum? This step-by-step guide adapts MLT into a full-fledged audiation guide.
Your guide, Andy Mullen
Andy Mullen is a teacher, folk musician, multi-instrumentalist, composer, recovering singer-songwriter, and lifelong learner.
He has taught all levels of students in a number of subjects, and is currently a middle school general music teacher and choir teacher in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Andy holds Masters degrees in Music Education and School Administration, as well as certification from the Gordon Institute of Music Learning (GIML) in Elementary General Level 2 and Early Childhood Music.


Start Early: The First Three Years
Just as a child develops language skills long before being able to speak, the child also develops literacy skills long before being able to read. What parents do, or don't do, has a lasting impact on their child's reading skill and literacy.
Children develop much of their capacity for learning in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90 percent of their eventual adult weight. When parents talk, sing, and read to their child, links among the child's brain cells are strengthened and new cells and links are formed.
Play is the work of young children. From the first lullaby to dramatization of a favorite story, music and other creative arts can stimulate language and literacy development. Parents can help build pre-literacy skills through dramatic play and one-on-one interaction.
Many pediatricians believe that a child who has never held a book or listened to a story is not a fully healthy child. Reading aloud to young children is so critical that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that doctors prescribe reading activities along with other advice given to parents at regular checkups.
Despite the considerable evidence of a relationship between reading regularly to a child and that child's later reading development, 6 in 10 babies and 5 in 10 toddlers are not read to regularly by parents or family members.
Nurture Your Budding Reader: The Preschooler
Preschoolers with large vocabularies tend to become proficient readers. Parents who talk and read with their children can greatly enhance their vocabularies. The vocabulary of the average children's book is greater than that found on prime-time television. Yet more than 4 in 10 preschoolers are not read to regularly.
Children ages 3 to 5 spend an average of 13 hours and 28 minutes a week watching television. When children are plugged into television instead of reading books, they are not developing key literacy skills that will prepare them for school and help them learn.
The single most significant predictor of children's literacy is their mother's literacy level. The more education a mother has, the more likely she is to read to her child.
Some experts believe that for America's poorest children, the biggest obstacle to literacy is the scarcity of books in many homes. And while books are available at public libraries, only 37 percent of children aged 3–5 visit a library at least once a month.
Ready to Read: Heading for the Classroom
Parents are truly their children's first and most important teachers. It is clear that parents should not leave to schools alone the important tasks of language and literacy development.
Reading to a child for 30 minutes per day from infancy helps prepare a child to learn. A 5-year-old who has not been read to daily will enter kindergarten with far fewer hours of "literacy nutrition" than a child who has been read to daily from infancy. No teacher, no matter how talented, can make up for those lost hours.
Parents who value reading are more likely to visit the library and give books as gifts. Access to quality reading material should continue throughout a child's school years. The National Assessment of Educational Progress found that students with higher reading scores were more likely to report four types of reading material in their homes—encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, and at least 25 books.
Parents cannot assume that schoolwork makes up for too much television. Children of all ages watch as much TV in one day as they read for fun in an entire week. Overall, children under age 13 spend 90 minutes a day in front of the TV—one-quarter of their free time.
Adults pass on to children their own expectations about education and achievement, both positive and negative. Shared enthusiasm about books and reading between a parent and child can deepen the child's interest in learning to read. Children who learn from parents that reading is fun may be more likely to sustain efforts to learn to read when the going gets tough.
Source: U.S. Department of Education.


Want to bring quality STEM + music education into your living room? Our basic plan is for your at-home young musician, songwriter, or producer. Each subscription allows one student to work through all thirteen lessons at their own pace and repeat them as many times as they would like. Take the course alone or share the fun with family and friends!
"Project Rhythm helps me get out of my shell… it’s like wow, I can do this? I can play the piano, I can write songs. It gives me confidence. It’s a really great experience."
- Tamika, Project Rhythm Student
Who Is This For?
Ages: 10 - 18
Grades: 5th - 12th
- The course doesn't require any previous music or tech knowledge to facilitate
- Works with Chromebooks, PCs, Macs, and all tablets
- Aligns with Common Core, SEL, STEAM and ISTE standards
- No formal music training required for students
- Timothy Ryan, Staff, Camp AmeriKids
Welcome to Project Rhythm video
13 Lesson Videos
In-platform guided worksheets
Options for group activities
Students will learn:
Lesson 1: Establishing a Working Environment
Lesson 2: How to Use Soundtrap Recording Platform
Lesson 3: Critical Listening
Lesson 4: Assigning Roles
Lesson 5: How to Make a Beat
Lesson 6: Lyric Writing
Lesson 7: Recording Vocals
Lesson 8: Song Arrangement
Lesson 9: Culture Reflected & Transformed Through Music
Lesson 10: Mixing Songs
Lesson 11: Advanced Production & Song Critique
Lesson 12: Exporting Songs
Lesson 13: Performing Your Songs
"At first, I didn’t want to write because I wasn’t good at it, but I learned and I helped write the chorus to a song. I also didn’t know about technical stuff, but now I do. And when people had different ideas we would try it different ways and there wasn’t any arguing. There’s nothing you should change about it, it’s great."
- Stephanie, Project Rhythm Student
Get started now!
Project Rhythm brings a new kind of music method to your classroom. It teaches students how to collaboratively produce their own music in groups and is a fun way for students to take charge of the learning process. Project Rhythm is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to uplifting youth through music. After 10 years of direct programming, Project Rhythm’s method is now available as an online curriculum.


Montana Content Standards
MT.CC.RF.K. Reading Standards: Foundational Skills
Phonics and Word Recognition
RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.K.3.b. Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
MT.CC.L.K. Language Standards
Conventions of Standard English
L.K.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.K.2.b. Recognize and name end punctuation.
L.K.2.d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.


Technological devices are now an integral part of everyone’s lives. Everywhere you look now is a mobile device and its more often than not in your child’s hands. They expertly swipe up, down, left and right and seem to know how to use your devices better than you do. If children are uneducated in the use of these devices, they may feel like they are at a disadvantage when they start Kindergarten.
So, is all this technology okay for our children and in childcare? Within reason, YES!
Many parents resort to apps and media to entertain, educate, and sometimes distract them from destroying a restaurant while waiting for a meal. But with star ratings, recommendations, and a plethora of apps, how do you feel confident you’ve chosen the right thing.
There are many benefits of exposing your children to modern technology;
Children can follow objects on the screen and actively engage in the activity. This skills is essential when your children go to ‘big school’ as it assists with writing, drawing and even reading.
Literacy and numeracy skills which promotes School readiness
When finding apps to download onto your smartphone or tablet for your child, consider how meaningful or educational the activity is. It must provide the opportunity for the child to gain necessary skills for school. Reading games, sight words, spelling and math games are all fun and educational and enhances their numeracy, literacy, spelling and comprehension. These games should encourage higher order thinking skills and applied learning which develops problem solving skills.
There are many interactive games that encourage multi-sensory engagement. Children can develop skills in art, music and media using their imagination and creativity. There are apps for almost anything such as making their own book, learning to play piano or colouring in.
Connectedness to the world
Children that live in remote areas may never go to an aquarium or a zoo, however with technology they can search and access various exciting things that under normal circumstances would be near impossible to see, hear or learn about. Children then begin to understand the world is a vast place that stretches far beyond their home and school.
So what should we look for when choosing what apps to download for our children?
The app should be age and developmentally appropriate – ask yourself, “is this skill something my child would be able to get the hang of?” remember children enjoy being challenged, too easy and they may get bored, too hard and they may give up.
Educational and entertaining, who says you can’t have both? If you can engage a child’s interest and they are having fun, then they are learning at the same time. Challenge their curiosity and imagination and encourage them to create something new.
Children are sponges and will imitate what they hear and see. Make sure that positive language and role models are used in the apps you download, games that convey simple messages and model positive social lessons on sharing and turn taking. Avoid applications and games with violence or inappropriate language.
Look at the demo videos, do some research, test the app yourself, ask other parents what their children are playing. And remember, there’s nothing they love more than learning something new with you.
Here is a few apps that we’ve found children are loving at the moment.


Jobs for Psychologists Working With Students
As with almost every profession, psychology offers students the chance to specialize in the areas that most interest them.
One of those areas is working with children, teens, and young adults.
Many psychologists have a desire to work with young people. During childhood, many people develop the mental health and behavioral issues that concern them the rest of their lives. In the right job, psychologists can have a positive impact on the development of young minds.
Jobs for Psychologists in Education
Some colleges offer degree programs with concentrations that focus on working with school-age children. They include:
- Elementary education
- Secondary education
- Special education
- Child and adolescent psychology
Continue reading below for a closer look at each area.
Psychologists who work with elementary school-age children focus on detecting and dealing with psychological issues early in the student’s life. The idea is to help them with these issues before they worsen.
Elementary education psychologists typically work with students who have been identified as experiencing behavioral issues. They partner with teachers and students to support both a teacher’s ability to teach these students and the students’ motivation and ability to learn. They help identify students who are experiencing delayed development.
In some school districts, elementary education psychologists also work with and find appropriate resources for students who come from low-income homes or dangerous situations.
Teenagers experience vastly different issues than those at the elementary school level. Secondary education psychologists deal one-on-one with students who are experiencing emotional issues, behavioral problems or academic difficulties. With students of this age, the range of issues is enormous. Psychologists in this area have the expertise to deal with a wide variety of issues and work with teachers, administrators, and parents.
In this role, psychologists work with students who have developmental or learning disabilities and are at-risk academically. They develop learning plans and work with parents, teachers, and administrators to ensure the plans have the best chance for success.
Psychologists may also work on developing school-wide and district-wide plans that address education issues related to students with developmental and learning disabilities. For example, school psychologists in special education may work with administrators to create a framework for identifying, treating and supporting students with academic or behavioral issues.
Other special education jobs for psychologists involve working with consulting companies to develop educational materials for children with developmental issues and for the teachers who work with them.
Child and Adolescent Psychology
Child and adolescent psychologists may not work directly for the school system but still, work with students of all ages. Some create private practices where they focus on clients of school age. As with those who work in schools, the issues can range from those with special needs to the influence of peer groups and society on students.
Overall, psychology is a fascinating field with many different career paths. For those wanting to work with children, online psychology programs such as those offered by Touro University Worldwide can open the door to many fulfilling jobs.
- The role of public health is uppermost in our m...
- Entry-level psychology jobs are open in a varie...
- Forensic psychology helps solve crimes, assist ...
- Jobs for criminal justice graduates include law...
- Physician assistant doctoral programs prepare s...


The October 2009 issue of Knowonder Magazine is a free download available on Teachers Pay Teachers. Knowonder is a free children’s magazine published in Utah and specializing in short stories for children to enjoy. The magazine’s mission is to promote literacy by making it easier to access. Knowonder’s monthly magazine contains stories for every day of the month.
The benefit this free download has for students can be achieved in the classroom or in the home. Because stories are short – no more than two manageable magazine pages – children are able to enjoy the benefits of reading or being read stories without being burdened by a task that seems intimidatingly long. Authors of these stories are both kids and adults, and these authors represent voices from across the globe. One significant benefit of the worldwide pool of authors is the many cultures and backgrounds represented in these stories, making the variety of topic and theme much richer.
Knowonder supports its mission to promote literacy and a daily reading habit by providing a lot of new and interesting content in one accessible format. By reading stories written by children and adults from around the world, children who read Knowonder Magazine are exposed to new cultures, perspectives, and underlying assumptions about society and the world. The magazine is structured so that stories could be read daily as recommended, or teachers and instructors could select specific stories to become the focal point(s) of lessons and class discussions. Parents could easily become involved, because the “work” of using Knowinder is simply to read aloud, or to have the child read. In other sections are full-color pages containing art projects submitted by readers from around the globe, as well as pen-and-paper activities like crosswords and mazes for kids. The magazine also contains content geared toward adults, including projects, columns about parenting, and recipes.
Knowonder Magazine is a tremendous resource for teachers, parents, and others who are interested in literacy development in children. One thing that users would need to keep in mind is that the magazine is delivered electronically and the file is 132 pages long, which may make printing the full magazine undesirable or even unfeasible for some users.
You can download your own copy of an issue of Knowonder Magazine here.
You may also enjoy the following TeachersPayTeachers products:
- 50 Writing Prompts for Homeschoolers (free)


This text provides rich discussions of learning processes and subsequent pedagogical approaches to the implementation of these new theories in practice. Section One emphasizes how students learn, retain, and synthesize new information from print and digital literacies using cognitive and social psychology lenses. Section Two presents models for deep, contextualized learning needed to obtain content mastery. Section Three focuses on revised learning, or adjusting previously held misconceptions within educational development. This text not only contributes substantially to understanding the mental constructs involved in the reading and writing process but also offers novel perspectives on how to optimize instruction using current theoretical lenses to bolster literacy achievement. Theoretical Models of Literacy Development serves as an invaluable resource for researchers, teacher educators, curriculum directors, and graduate students in their efforts to help individuals learn to read and understand information in the global information age.


It’s a race of numbers for you and your ants!
Engage children with this colourful ant-themed board game that will develop early numeracy skills.
Start marching! Beat your fellow ants to the picnic basket while comparing and counting up numbers in two delicious levels of play. Scrumptious shortcuts, including a banana peel, watermelon wedge, and corn cob, make your journey through the garden faster and more satisfying. The first player to reach the picnic basket wins! A super-fun way for kids to build key skills.
- Players select a card to determine how they move forward on the game board
- Game play develops:
- Number recognition
- Greater than/less than
- Early addition and subtraction skills
- Game play uses numbers 0 – 10
- Game play is suitable for the whole family
- Includes two levels of play
- For 2–4 players
- Includes game board, 48 number game cards, four ant-themed game pieces and instructions
- Game board measures 43cm x 43cm
How to play
- Choose your level of play: comparing numbers or finding the difference between two numbers. Divide the cards equally between players.
- Each player sets down one card. The players compare cards and the one with the highest number or largest difference moves ahead that number of spaces.
- Make your way around the game board, crawl over the banana for a shortcut! Be the first ant to the picnic basket to win the game!
Product Code: LER 3481


Humans are an inherently musical species. Besides whales and dolphins, humans are possibly the only mammal species that makes music. In fact, we have been creating music longer than we have been farming or even painting. Human history and music seem to go hand in hand, yet scientists still grapple with the question of why we make – and love – music. While no single answer has been found, here are the most recent theories behind our age-long desire for song…and a load of reasons for keeping your hearing loss in check.
The Social Bonds of Music
Music has long served the dual purpose of entertainment and communication. While people listen to music to have a good time and dance, commonly sung songs forge social bonds. For example, the tunes that are blasted during a baseball game help rally the crowd and home team together. In a similar way, national anthems drum up a sense of patriotism within a country’s citizens. Music has wound its way into many of our social practices, on a national, local and personal level.
Studies show that our minds process music the same way as spoken language, according to Professor Krumhansl of Cornell University. Some African and Asian dialects directly incorporate music into their speech, as meanings change according to the tone and melody with which they are spoken. In short, our brains understand music as a way of communicating and connecting with other people, much like talking. As Aristotle said, man is by nature a social animal–perhaps music lies at the very basis of that sociability.
The Evolutionary Argument
Over the past hundreds of thousands of years, humans could have developed music as a tool to perpetuate the species. Scientists are exploring music’s potential role in natural selection, particularly when it comes to finding romantic partners. Charles Darwin himself surmised that, much like the mating calls of birds, we humans have developed our own mating melodies. Consider the many musicians who are also legendary lotharios, such as Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger. Some scientists believe that they wooed with song, just as a peacock attracts partners with its tail. The evolutionary argument runs deep, as music predated the hunter-gatherers, possibly dating back as far as 250,000 years.
In addition to helping us choosing mates, researchers believe that music contributes to social cohesion and group effort–both necessary to our survival as a species. Singing songs together could have helped our ancestors accomplish a difficult task, such as building communal living quarters. Music may also provide a form of perceptual and motor skill development, helping children improve their hearing and speaking skills.
The Emotional Side
We use music to express, experience and emphasize our emotions. If you want to try an experiment at home, watch a poignant movie scene with the background music muted, then watch it again with the music playing. Chances are you felt significantly more emotion while the music was playing. As far as feelings go, music might be just as internalized and natural to us as facial expressions. Music even affects how we respond to visual images, making sad scenes look more melancholic and happy scenes appear particularly joyous. Consider any musical score, and how the songs evoke emotions during the film, often as powerful as the visual image itself.
Music As Memory
In some evolutionary arguments for the purpose of music, theorists believe that music allows for communication from one generation to another. In other words, music is a means of transmitting a collective memory. While folk and traditional music was particularly popular for societies without written language, the modern man still sees music as a form of living history. From the brass bands of the Roaring Twenties and the Barber Shop quartets of the 1950’s to the psychedelic sixties, music continues to be a means of connecting to the past.
Personal memories can often carry a tune as well. You may remember the song playing during your first slow dance or tunes you would listen to during road trips. When you hear these songs years later, they can bring you right back to that moment in time. Music forges some of your memory and becomes a part of who you are. As part of our collective and individual memories, music helps us understand our histories and our identities as human beings.
Needless to say, take good care of your dear ears and make sure to monitor your hearing loss – Audicus Hearing Aids can help you with that.
Source: Audicus Hearing Aids, Orato, Cornell University, University of Budapest, NeuroWhoa, Gary Larson’s the Far Side


Hungry Little Minds is the new Department for Education campaign campaign that encourages parents and carers to adopt positive activities and behaviours to boost children’s communication, language and literacy development.
The three-year campaign aims to help parents understand that they have a massive impact on their child’s learning. Reading, playing and chatting with them are simple things they can do to help them develop, even when they are too young to say much back. Parents can access tips and activities from hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk and also search for activities in their area using a new postcode finder service.
Click on the link below to download the policy paper Improving the Home Learning Environment, which sets out the evidence base underpinning the government’s behaviour change model to improve the home learning environment.
First published 08 July 2019


US EPA: Healthy Watershed Protection
NOWC (Network of Oregon Watershed Councils)
NOAA: What is a Watershed?
US EPA: How’s My Waterway?
OSU Extension: Watersheds
O. Berk: Water Cycle Glossary Terms
Jefferson County Historical Society
City of Madras
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
City of Culver
City of Metolius
City of Antelope
Oregon Noxious Weeds
Clean Water Starts With You
ODA Water Quality Resources
OSU Extension Irrigation Info
Learn about fish and fishing on Trout Unlimited's Stream Explorers site.
Learn about watersheds on the Science for Kids site from the US Forest Service.
Watch a video about watersheds from PBS.


The goal of the Hackensack Public School’s music education program is to empower students to experience music as a source of personal enrichment, as a vehicle for the constructive expression of human emotions, and as a unique intellectual discipline. These goals will be attained through a structured, sequential program of study.
In grades K-4, music teachers introduce basic music concepts through singing, playing instruments, moving, and listening. Students will gradually develop their singing voices and repertoire of songs, and a sense of rhythm beginning with the steady beat and continuing toward complex rhythms and meters. Movement experiences are included as a means of demonstrating concepts such as pitch, rhythm, and form. Listening experiences include traditional and contemporary classical works, American folk music, and music of other cultures. Through these experiences students will have the opportunity to apply and demonstrate an understanding of music concepts.
I personally believe all children are musical, and that every child needs a stimulating, supportive music environment to develop music competence. Children’s musical growth occurs best in a musically rich and developmentally appropriate setting.
Through activities which develop music learning and skills, students are actively involved in learning important academic skills such as language, math, social studies and science. Successful experiences in music performance result in increased self-esteem and emotional growth. Participation in music education fosters a knowledge and appreciation of all the arts and provides an expressive outlet which can last a lifetime.


Creating Musical ebooks by Amy M. Burns (pg 48)
This article gives examples about how to use the app and cloud-based program, Book Creator, to create ebooks. My students have used this successfully to create ebooks about recorder tips, pitch explorations, a showcase of their compositions, and “All About Me” ebooks. When the books are created, they can be exported as videos so that their audio and video recordings stay intact. If you would like to see these examples in action, check out my website, amymburns.com, and click on a grade level.
Feierabend Fundamentals by Andrew Himelick (pg 54)
This amazing book, which was released last July, goes in depth about the fundamentals of Dr. Feierabend’s approach found in his First Steps and Conversational Solfege series. Dr. Feierabend, along with master music educators such as Kevin Boyle, Lillie Feierabend, Betsy Greene, Connie Greenwood, Rachel Grimsby, Andrew Himelick, Lindsay Jackson, Craig Knapp, Chris Anne Powers, Stephanie Schall-Brazee, and Dr. Missy Strong, authored this book to help teachers explore further the process of how they can help develop their students into becoming tuneful, beatful, and artful musicians.
Personalized Learning – Part 2 by Megan Endicott (pg. 33)
Megan Endicott, a music educator at Dolvin Elementary School in Georgia, continues to explain how to progress your classroom’s learning environment into an individualized learning space for your students. She explains how to move away from the “one size fits all” in teaching and to move towards more personal and individualized instruction. She gives examples of programs, apps, and strategies she has successfully used to achieve personalized learning in her classroom.
Differentiated Collaboration for Arts Integration by Shawna Longo (pg. 56)
Shawna Longo, the 2019 Technology for Music Education (TI:ME) Teacher of the Year, speaks to how to increase student engagement and deepen student learning. Shawna gives a wonderful step-by-step process on how educators can begin to collaborate together so that they can successfully achieve an integrated lesson, unit, project, or curriculum.
Check out the latest issue of NJMEA’s Tempo, by clicking on it below or visiting njmea.org. In addition, stay tuned for a new free webinar about the technology applications used to achieve more “doing music” in the elementary music classroom that could not be done in traditional ways. This webinar will showcase items and tools from my music classroom as long as students’ works.


This Maltese Application focuses on the development of the first key skill: Phonological Awareness, particularly at a Phonemic, Syllabic and Word Level of awareness.
As a key literacy skill Phonological Awareness is one of the building blocks of literacy development.
Children need to be aware of the first, middle and final sounds of words. They have to be aware that words are made up of building blocks too; syllables.
Word-to-picture matching is another important tool, easing the child towards more confidently identifying words whilst reading.
Rhyming also helps the child attain a greater familiarity with different words whilst recognising that different words can have certain similarities in sound. Through the use of this application, children will be learning these fundamental literacy skills in a fun and engaging way.
Added Support for Android 10" tablets


Breathing New Life into Classroom Book Clubs
Reviewed by Jacqueline Barreras
Reading Breathing New Life into Book Clubs: A Practical Guide for Teachers this summer made me realize that collaborative reading using book clubs can provide students an engaging and meaningful experience all the while they are applying the logistics.
Throughout the book Sonja Cherry-Paul and Dana Johansen build on their idea for developing life-long readers (in grades 3-8) using an array of examples and research-based evidence. The goal: “to nurture students’ love of reading and their desire to share the experience with others” (3).
The book is organized in a sequential format that allows teachers to progress step by step in planning for a book club unit of study — grouping students into book clubs, guiding students in setting up their readings, and providing possible teaching points to support book clubs during their reading journey.
At the start of the book the authors explain the what and the why for using book clubs as an approach to foster a love for reading. This information is useful for new and veteran teachers expanding their professional development and wanting to bring a fresh approach to their literacy classroom.
A breakdown for initiating book clubs uses brief summaries to drive the point home that creating a culture of reading is doable if we follow proven procedures for planning, reading, reflection, observations, and assessments.
Students can have meaningful and purposeful conversations
What I love most about this book is that Cherry-Paul and Johansen really mean it when they say it’s a “practical guide.” In addition to the how-to structure, they offer a variety of ideas and examples from various grade levels for each procedure. When I’ve tried book clubs in the past, my students loved reading a common book and meeting together to discuss the story, but I always felt their conversations were not as in-depth as I was hoping they would be.
In chapters four and five, the authors provide what they call “pathway mini lessons” with samples of student work. The lessons offer possible teaching points that can support students’ book club conversations through those moments when the discussion is at risk of faltering. “With some guidance, students are able to engage in rich conversations that are similar to those that occur in adult book clubs” (79).
Ideas worth trying and sharing
By the end of reading Breathing Life into Book Clubs, I found myself developing a book club unit of study that applies the process shared by Cherry-Paul and Johansen. Simply reading the book and jotting down my thoughts was not enough. By actually working on the unit, I was able to anticipate how I can use the book as my toolbox for alternatives when there are rough spots during the implementation process.
Throughout the book, by providing extensive resources Cherry-Paul and Johansen demonstrate their understanding of the challenges teachers could face when integrating or re-integrating book clubs into our classrooms. They write, “We hope our book will inspire you to join us on this journey to breathe new life into book clubs” (13). Yes!
Jacqueline Barreras teaches 5th grade for the School District of Palm Beach County in Florida. She has a Master’s of Science in Elementary Education and has been recognized by the state of Florida as a High Impact Teacher. She loves learning alongside her students in order to help them continue to grow. She also loves camping with her family and reading.


AN ACT Relating to defining dyslexia as a specific learning disability and requiring early screening for dyslexia.
Defines “dyslexia” as a specific learning disorder that is neurological in origin and characterized by unexpected difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities not consistent with the person’s intelligence, motivation, and sensory capabilities, which difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language.
Requires that beginning in the 2020-21 school year, each school district must screen every student in kindergarten, first, and second grade for indications of dyslexia.
If a student shows indicators of below grade level literacy development or indicators of dyslexia, the school must provide interventions based on the school’s system of support. Parents and families must be notified of the interventions being offered to their student and whether the student continues to show below grade level literacy development or indicators of dyslexia. Upon parental consultation and consent, a student can be referred for further evaluation.


Does the thought of teaching your child to read make your heart race? I’ll admit that my two biggest fears when we started homeschooling were the prospects of teaching my child how to read and of one day having to conquer algebra. After all, reading is the basis for everything in between!
Homeschooling = A Learning Lifestyle
I learned along the way that the more I make learning a part of our lifestyle, the happier our days are. With laundry, errands, and toddlers, “life happens,” as the saying goes. Creating an environment for learning that happens naturally is crucial to success. Charlotte Mason’s motto was, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” Her living book approach to reading feels intuitive in many ways.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to teach your child to read. Start with real life experiences, use real literature, and even incorporate nature study. I’ll also let you in on a little secret—if your child isn’t reading fluently at age four, you are not a failure. Adopt a gentle approach, and it will eventually happen.
The ABCs of Teaching Your Child to Read
Building an atmosphere for learning doesn’t mean you have to equip a schoolroom with all the latest materials and curriculum packages. Simply talk to your child throughout your day, teaching him that /s/ begins socks as you fold the laundry together.
Play with magnetic letters or Scrabble tiles, pushing them together to form word families (once at is mastered, add b for bat, c for cat, etc.) Make letters out of play dough, draw words in the dirt with a stick.
Take a walk and talk about the things you see in nature. “See the yellow flower? It’s a daffodil. Daffodil starts with the sound /d/.”
Read aloud, often. And read things that are beautiful. Phonics instruction is fine, but it should not be the primary focus of reading lessons. Charlotte Mason wrote that children need to read what is “pleasant and meaningful.” Move beyond a textbook approach to reading and incorporate poetry, nursery rhymes, and living books.
Good literature is not only pleasant for the parent to read aloud, but words with meaning are more interesting to children. If they can form a picture in their minds as you read, language will come alive for them. Even emerging readers will start to pick up words as they learn them by sight. Poems with repetition are especially enjoyable. One of my young child’s favorites was A. A. Milne’s “Happiness”:
John had a
John had a
After just a few readings, my son recognized “Great Big” and “Waterproof” when I came to them. I began to pause at these points, and he would chime in. Here he was reading words beyond three letters/one syllable. We were reading together!
God gives each of us the gift of language. Just as children learn how to talk, they have the ability to read—we just have to help them unleash it. Nurture this time of emergence, and keep young readers engaged and excited about words.
Start training children to narrate even before they can write. Ask them to tell you about the birds at the feeder, have them tell stories back to you after you read aloud, and give them your undivided attention when they want to tell you about their discoveries.
Expose your child to living, breathing literature. If you must go the traditional textbook route, remember that keeping reading joyful and meaningful will ensure that your child will grow to love reading. Don’t squelch their enthusiasm by making reading lessons tedious and boring, but nurture it and watch it flourish.


Book Reviews 299 Cambridge University Press: Melbourne, 2016; 210 pp. ISBN 978-1-107-57862 Language and Literacy Development in Early Childhood offers a concise orientation to important aspects of language and literacy learning in the early years for ‘early childhood educators and caregivers, parents and family members’ (p. 2). As an introductory text for this wide readership, the book is a worthwhile add- ition to the ﬁeld because the particular choice of topics, their scope and organisation, shows some refreshing variation from several existing textbooks. As a guide for further study, the authors’ valuable perspectives on language and literacy development in the early years provide useful references for additional readings and resources. The authors’ stated intent is to develop understandings that will help edu- cators and parents provide ‘the best opportunities for language and literacy development’ for all children (p. 1). Central to their book is the work of Heath (1983), Bernstein (1990) and Williams (1998). Each of these researchers demonstrated how children from more marginalised social and cultural groups were disadvantaged because their home language and literacy uses differed from those at school. While dated, these studies are worth describing in a text of this nature because the understandings they
Journal of Early Childhood Literacy – SAGE
Published: Jun 1, 2018
It’s your single place to instantly
discover and read the research
that matters to you.
Enjoy affordable access to
over 18 million articles from more than
15,000 peer-reviewed journals.
All for just $49/month
Query the DeepDyve database, plus search all of PubMed and Google Scholar seamlessly
Save any article or search result from DeepDyve, PubMed, and Google Scholar... all in one place.
Get unlimited, online access to over 18 million full-text articles from more than 15,000 scientific journals.
Read from thousands of the leading scholarly journals from SpringerNature, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford University Press and more.
All the latest content is available, no embargo periods.
“Hi guys, I cannot tell you how much I love this resource. Incredible. I really believe you've hit the nail on the head with this site in regards to solving the research-purchase issue.”Daniel C.
“Whoa! It’s like Spotify but for academic articles.”@Phil_Robichaud
“I must say, @deepdyve is a fabulous solution to the independent researcher's problem of #access to #information.”@deepthiw
“My last article couldn't be possible without the platform @deepdyve that makes journal papers cheaper.”@JoseServera