Schooling The Symbolic Animal / Edition 1by Bradley A. U. Levinson
Pub. Date: 11/28/2000
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
This anthology introduces some of the most influential literature shaping our understanding of the social and cultural foundations of education today. Together the selections provide students a range of approaches for interpreting and designing educational experiences worthy of the multicultural societies of our present and future. The reprinted selections are… See more details below
This anthology introduces some of the most influential literature shaping our understanding of the social and cultural foundations of education today. Together the selections provide students a range of approaches for interpreting and designing educational experiences worthy of the multicultural societies of our present and future. The reprinted selections are contextualized in new interpretive essays written specifically for this volume.
- Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
- Publication date:
- Edition description:
- New Edition
- Sales rank:
- Product dimensions:
- 6.06(w) x 9.13(h) x 0.95(d)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Acknowledgements Chapter 2 Introduction Part 3 The Symbolic Animal: Foundations of Cultural Transmission and Acquisition Chapter 4 The Impact of the Concept of Culture on the Concept of Man Chapter 5 Culture is Ordinary Chapter 6 The Education of the Samoan Child Chapter 7 Stalking Stories Chapter 8 Education and the Human Condition Chapter 9 The Nature of Education Chapter 10 Why Do Frenchmen? Chapter 11 Becoming a Marihuana User Part 12 Culture, Modernization, and Formal Education Chapter 13 The Shaping of Men's Minds: Adaptations to Imperatives of Culture Chapter 14 Formal Schooling and the Production of Modern Citizens in the Ecuadorian Amazon Chapter 15 Transmitting Traditional Values in New Schools: Elementary Education of Pulap Atoll Chapter 16 The Cultural Transformation of Western Education in Sierra Leone Part 17 School Practice and Community Life: Cultural Congruence, Conflict, and Discontinuity Chapter 18 What No Bedtime Story Means: Narrative Skills at Home and School Chapter 19 Understanding Cultural Diversity and Learning Chapter 20 Formation and Transformation of Funds of Knowledge Among US-Mexican Households Chapter 21 Habitus and Cultural Identity: Home/School Relationships in Rural France Part 22 Cultural Production and Reproduction in Contemporary Schools Chapter 23 Ability Grouping as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: A Microanalysis of Teacher-Student Interaction Chapter 24 Beneath the Skin and Between the Ears: A Case Study in the Politics of Representation Chapter 25 Moments of Discontent: University Women and the Gender Status Quo Chapter 26 Class and Gender Dynamics in a Ruling Class School Part 27 New Directions and Approaches to Culture, Learning, and Education Chapter 28 Those Loud Black Girls: (Black) Women, Silence, and Gender Passing in the Academy Chapter 29 Tying Things Together (and Stretching Them Out) With Popular Culture Chapter 30 Fieldwork in the Postcommunity Chapter 31 The Fax, the Jazz Player, and the Self-History Teller: How Do People Organize Culture? Chapter 32 Afterword: Implications for Policy and Practice
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Mother Child Education Program (MOCEP)
Activity: Training mothers as "first educators"
Name of the Organization: ACEV - Mother Child Education Foundation
Headquarter: İstanbul, Turkey
Geographical reach: Turkey
Number of beneficiaries: 830,000 mothers and children
Project Representative: Ms Ayla Göksel
About the Project
The Mother Child Education Program (MOCEP) is a 25-week-long, home-based, low-cost training program for children from five to six years of age who do not have access to preschool education services, and their mothers.
The program targets both the mother and the child, with educational outcomes geared towards both groups. It enriches children cognitively, in order to boost school readiness and optimal psychosocial development, and trains mothers, creating sustainable nurturing and healthy home environments. Studies have found that, with MOCEP, children are better prepared for school, show lower drop-out rates and achieve consequent success in education, all resulting in better life chances than their peers. Its impact has also been proven on mothers as they report better relations with children and spouses as a result of positive parenting, and improved communication skills and self-esteem, all resulting in the empowerment of women as individuals and mothers.
MOCEP has proved innovative in developing a low-cost, effective, home-based program for young children with new training materials and methodology. As such, it formed the basis for the government's family education program. It has also inspired the use of new media, such as distance learning via TV, and the development of new models of family education at ACEV, such as the Father Support program.
Young children from low socio-economic backgrounds often do not have access to quality preschool education. They begin their first year of primary school at a level significantly below their luckier peers who have had ample stimulation, having benefited from center-based preschool services. The former are also exposed to risk factors such as poverty, political or armed tension, and parents with low education levels, which further hinder their developmental opportunities.
There is strong scientific evidence that the early years (up to the age of six) are the most formative, with rapid cognitive, social, emotional and motor skill development. Hence, proper care and stimulation in this period has life-changing consequences, especially for children from underprivileged backgrounds, as early education has the power to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Since parents play an important role as "first educators" of their children, it is also crucial to empower them so they can improve the immediate developmental environment of their children.
The principle behind MOCEP is that early childhood education is crucial for children's future prospects of a healthy, happy, successful life in school and beyond and that mothers especially play a critical role in the early years of their children and need to be empowered with child-rearing skills and information to be able to better support the healthy development of their children.
Through MOCEP, ACEV alone has trained over 1,000 adult education teachers and reached over 400,000 children and mothers through face-to-face training in Turkey. Further numbers of beneficiaries have been reached in Turkey via implementations conducted by the State. MOCEP has also reached over 5,000 mothers and children outside Turkey through ACEV's partnerships. Results of quantitative and qualitative analyses of MOCEP implementations in Turkey and abroad proved that the program has been successful in empowering the mother and preparing the child for primary school and beyond, as well as improving intrafamilial relationships as a whole.
MOCEP has been institutionalized as a state-run family program and has thus been transferred to the Turkish Ministry of Education to be expanded throughout Turkey. In addition, MOCEP has been translated and replicated by NGOs working with families in 12 European, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries, namely Bahrain, Belgium, France, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and the United Kingdom. Currently, NGOs in Palestine and Brazil are actively seeking funds to translate and implement MOCEP in their countries.
Early Childhood Education is an important tool to promote peace and avoid violent behavior through the provision of democratic values and skills that enhance communication. One of MOCEP's next steps is to expand its programs for victims of conflict as external funds become available. It will continue to share the story of MOCEP with academics, practitioners, policy makers and philanthropists as there is continued interest by worldwide experts in understanding, analyzing and transferring the program for further global expansion. For example, MOCEP continues to run in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and an evaluation of its impact will be conducted by Yale University academics in 2014.
MOCEP will continue to partner with global networks of philanthropists, academics, practitioners and policy makers. Generating funds will be critical in conducting these initiatives.


Here's the latest article from the Special Needs Children site at BellaOnline.com.
Explaining Disabilities to Classmates
Understanding and explaining to other children what a having a developmental disability will mean for our children is a complicated challenge that may lead to unintended consequences for them as well as their classmates, who may be sensitive about our acceptance of their abilities and struggles.
Please visit specialneedschildren.bellaonline.com for even more great content about celebrating and supporting children with special needs and their families.
Find resources, links and news stories about disability issues at:
Teaching Home Addresses to Children
Severe Weather Events and Children
Medical ID Bracelets for Children
Managing Emergency Events and Drills at School
Peer Mentoring Programs and Childhood Disabilities http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art61295.asp
Creative Playtime for Babies and Children
Dolls for Children with Special Needs
Boardmaker and PECS Communication Systems
Preparing for Emergencies with Children
Community Emergency Response Training - CERT
Music Education - Every Voice Heard
Music Education and Music Therapy
Photography Lessons for Children
Reading Readiness and Reading Strategies
Reading and Literacy Skill Development
Establishing Advocacy Priorities
To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Special Needs Children located here -
I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!
Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!
Pamela Wilson, Special Needs Children Editor
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surrounding the parental home was an extremely fine garden, and in its grounds young Linnæus laid the foundation of his subsequent studies. The father's garden was noted for being the finest and most variegated in the district, having as many as four hundred species of flowers. When quite young, Carl made himself familiar with the names of trees, plants, and flowers growing in the neighbourhood.
Until the age of ten Carl was educated by his father, but in 1717, when Charles XII. of Sweden and others were intriguing against the Brunswick dynasty in England, he was sent to his first school at Wexio. He had a fair elementary education, including Latin. The principal, or rector, of the school was fond of botany, and he took a special interest in Linnæus when he discovered that his new pupil knew all the names of the trees, plants, and flowers growing in the vicinity of the school. During his school days at Wexio, Linnæus greatly neglected his studies, and to such an extent that the tutors complained to his father. He was so enraptured with botany that he was compelled to confess to his father that he had no inclination whatever for the ministry. This was such a severe blow to the father that without further delay Carl was apprenticed to a bootmaker. However, this step caused other onlookers to think that young Linnæus would waste his time and talents as a bootmaker, so much so that Professor Rothmann (professor of medicine in


Mary Evelyn (Reid) Wrinch
(1877 - 1969)
Mary Evelyn (Reid) Wrinch was active/lived in Ontario / Canada. Mary Wrinch is known for modernist painting, miniatures, printmaking.
courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada
Biography Mary Evelyn (Reid) Wrinch
A painter and printmaker, Mary Wrinch immigrated to Toronto from England in 1885. The artist made this city her home base, from which she ventured into the Ontario northland to paint, particularly around Lake Muskoka.
Remarkably, Wrinch adapted her modernist* style to this landscape years before the Group of Seven* became famous for depicting the same region. Her art education began at the Central Ontario School of Art in Toronto (now OCAD), where Wrinch studied under Robert Holmes, Laura Muntz, and G. A. Reid (whom she later married, in 1922) [see all in AskART], graduating in 1893.
She subsequently traveled to London, England, to further her training at the Grosvenor Life School under Walter Donne [see AskART]
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How Children Learn to Read
By: Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities
Building blocks of reading
Reading skills are like building blocks. To learn to read well, children need the blocks of knowing the sounds of letters and the blocks of knowing the meanings of words (vocabulary), word parts (grammatical markers) and groups of words (overall meaning or semantics). To build these foundations of reading, children need effective reading instruction.
The best ways for parents to learn about the kinds of reading instruction at their child's school is to talk with teachers, listen to him or her talk about what they do during the day, and examine homework assignments. Knowing the differences between phonics and whole language - the two main approaches to teaching reading - can help parents determine what methods their child's school is using to teach reading.
Phonics focuses on the sounds of letters and words
A phonics approach focuses instruction on learning to associate printed letters and combinations of letters with their corresponding sounds. Phonics instruction gives students strategies to unlock or decode words.
- "Sounding out" words as a way of figuring out new words. For example, in a phonics lesson, "moon" would be sounded out as "mm-oo-nn."
- Practice worksheets or exercises on letter sounds, matching pictures with spoken words, short vowel/long vowel or letter of the week.
Whole language focuses on comprehension
A whole language approach to teaching reading can include:
- Teaching reading and writing throughout the day in the context of the lesson topics
- Teachers emphasizing storybooks rather than worksheets as well as multiple writing opportunities
A balanced approach can help all children learn to read
A decade of research shows us that there is no one best way to build students' literacy skills. A balanced approach to teaching reading combines a strong foundation in phonics with whole language methods. Only through more than one kind of instruction can students gain the skills to recognize and manipulate the sounds of letters and words and the skills to understand what they read. Since all children learn differently, only a balanced approach to teaching reading can give all children the skills they need to read well.
An effective reading program
- Recognize that students learn to read in a certain order: first they must understand that words are made up of different sounds, then associate sounds with written words, and finally they can decode words and read groups of words.
- Students who have trouble learning to read need to be specifically taught the relationships of letters, words and sounds. (Awareness of letter/sound relationships is the main tool good readers use to decode unfamiliar words.)
- Each child needs a different amount of practice to be a fluent reader.
- Phonics instruction should be based on individual student needs and taught as part of a comprehensive, literature-based reading program.
- Abundant opportunities for children to read at their own reading level help them to learn to read for meaning and enjoy reading.
- Highly trained teachers can help children develop good, overall literacy skills: good vocabularies, knowledge of correct syntax and spelling, reasoning skills and questioning skills.
Reading instruction for children with learning disabilities
For children with language-based learning disabilities, learning to read is especially difficult because they have a harder time with sounds of letters and words than their peers. Research indicates that because phonics instruction focuses on recognizing and manipulating sounds of letters and words, more intense phonics instruction may be beneficial for children with learning disabilities.
Early warning signs of learning disabilities
- Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
- Difficulty "sounding out" unknown words
- Repeatedly misidentifying known words
- Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d), inversions (m/w), transpositions (felt/left), and substitutions (house/home)
- Transposes number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs (+, -, x, /, =)
- Difficulty understanding or remembering what is read because so much time and effort is spent figuring each word
If a child regularly displays one or more of these behaviors, he or she may have a learning disability and parents should seek appropriate testing and intervention from their child's school.
With diagnostic tests, it can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy which students in kindergarten and first grade will have difficulty learning to read. Identifying reading difficulties early means children have more time to learn to be successful readers. Since reading is learned more easily and effectively during the early years, identifying language-based learning disabilities and providing appropriate interventions give children more time to learn to read well.
Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (1999)


Target Sound ID
By Foundations Developmental House, LLC
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Welcome to the Target Sound ID app. The Target Sound ID app develops phonological awareness, sound order sequencing skills, and auditory attention skills. This app increases the ability to break words down into smaller parts and recognize smaller parts in words. Being able to break words into smaller parts and recognize sounds in words is an important skill that is necessary for early reading and spelling skills. Target sound identification promotes literacy development as well as sound identification during speech production tasks. Memory also plays a small part in this task, as the child must internally hold onto the word in their mind while analyzing the sound in a specific position of the target word. This app was created by Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist Lynn Carahaly, M.A., CCC-SLP.
Phonological awareness provides a beginning reader with an important tool for understanding relations between written and spoken language. A deficit in phonological awareness is accepted as a consistent feature of reading disabilities. Poor phonological awareness is linked to poor reading skills independent of IQ.
The Target Sound Identification app directly enhances and elevates phonological awareness skills in order for a young child to become a proficient reader and speller. The Target Sound Identification app includes over 350 colorful and engaging picture cards.
The child is presented with a picture card and a field of three sound (phonogram) cards. The child must identify (by tapping on) a sound in the specific requested position of the word. For example, “Point to the first sound you hear in the word: ship”. In this example the correct response is: sh. "Point to the last sound you hear in the word: dog”. In this example the correct response is: g.
You have the ability to choose if you would like to work on initial (first) sound identification, final (last) sound identification, or initial and final randomized.
• First Sound
• Last Sound
The randomized presentation will put more auditory attention demands on the child because they have to really attend to whether the target is asking for the first sound or last sound. Selecting “First Sound” will always ask to identify the first sound. Selecting “Last Sound” will always ask for the last sound.
This app is not intended to be self-guided by the child. The parent, teacher or specialist is to provide support and feedback to the child as needed.
Want more apps to support the literacy and learning development for your child? Check out these other great apps developed by Lynn Carahaly, M.A., CCC-SLP to facilitate phonological awareness, auditory processing, and literacy development: Auditory Word Discrimination, Auditory Blending, Sound Matching, Auditory Rhyming, Syllable Counting, and Auditory Figure Ground.
What's New in Version 1.0.6
Optimization for iOS 7
- Category: Education
- Updated: Dec 06, 2013
- Version: 1.0.6
- Size: 231 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: FOUNDATIONS DEVELOPMENTAL HOUSE, LLC
- © 2013 Foundations Developmental House, LLC
Compatibility: Requires iOS 4.3 or later. Compatible with iPad.


UNESCO will highlight the critical role of climate change at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18 (COP15).
Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges of sustainable development and a key theme of the UNESCO-led UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014 (UN DESD 2005-2014).
The DESD aims to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning, a goal reaffirmed at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development held in Bonn in April 2009.
Mr Richmond, speaking at UNESCO’s International Seminar on Climate Change Education held this July in Paris, said there was a clear need for interdisciplinary and intersectoral cooperation in the field of ESD and SD and that the economic dimensions must not be forgotten.
Interviewed by UNESCO on the occasion of COP15 and also a speaker at the July conference, climate change education specialist Mr Philippe Saugier echoed Mr Richmond’s views.
‘Education in the twenty-first century must forge the global consciousness and identity. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is the shaping of the global citizen; conscious of the challenges that loom over our shared future and capable of addressing them,’ said Mr Saugier who is the Education Coordinator of the CarboSchools Project.
The project brings together carbon science researchers, secondary school teachers and young people to learn about local and global impacts of climate change and research on the topic and act locally to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
He said: ‘At present, in practically all the world’s education systems, sustainable development is still on the sidelines. We must place it in the centre and, then, the very term education for sustainable development will vanish, as it will be obvious that the purpose of education, taken as a whole, in the same way as reading, writing and numeracy skills, will be to restore and preserve the balance in people’s relations among themselves and with their environment.’
UNESCO has produced a special DESD Quarterly link on climate change and ESD. UNESCO ESD specialists will take part in two side events at the Copenhagen conference. On December 10 as part of the Young and Future Generations Day they will participate in an Education and Climate Change event organized by Service Civil International with support from Energy Crossroad and Yale University..
On December 15 UNESCO will co-sponsor and organize A Working Forum on Climate Change: Engaging Stakeholders in Civil Society with the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development Education Caucus, the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future and the World Aquarium and Conservation for the Oceans Foundation.
Alongside the DESD UNESCO promotes education and raises public awareness on climate change through its Institutes and networks such as the Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet), a global network of more than 8.500 educational institutions in 178 countries and the UNESCO University Twinning and networking scheme (UNITWIN) which has 640 UNESCO Chairs and 60 UNITWIN Networks involving over 770 institutions in 126 countries.
UNITWIN promotes the sustainable management of ecosystems through inter-university training and research activities at national and international levels.
ASPnet supports initiatives such as the flagship Sandwatch Project which brings together school students and community members to develop sustainable approaches to preserving the marine and coastal environment.
During the second half of the DESD UNESCO will continue to promote the integration of ESD into national education strategies and policies, school curricula, teacher training, educational programmes and policies. Teacher training will be enhanced to take into account current global challenges and develop ways to support educators’ communities of practice. It will also work to share best practices such as the CarboSchools Project and materials in teaching and learning on climate change. This year UNESCO also published its Enhanced Strategy for Action on Climate Change.
• Special DESD Quarterly on climate change and ESD
• UNESCO ESD website
• The UNESCO strategy for action on climate change (en Inglés)
• Associated Schools network ESD projects
• United Nations Climate Change Conference website)
• Interview with Philippe Saugier
Publication Date: 04-12-2009


Patterns & Sorting Flip Chart
Newpath Learning • Product is No Longer Available • 51144
An engaging, standards-based activity for key Pre-K math concepts! Colorful, bright and well-organized chart contains activities to build core, foundational skills, such as learning patterns and sorting. Flexibly designed for use in whole class, small group, and individual instruction. Free-standing chart contains 10 double-sided pages covering a key concept, write-on/wipe-off feature, and teacher's guide.
Each Math Readiness Flip Chart Set Includes:
- 10 Double-sided, laminated charts, each 12" x 18"
- Side 1 features graphic overview of topic
- Side 2 is a "write-on / wipe-off" activity chart
- Spiral-bound on a durable, free-standing easel
- Teacher's Guide featuring step-by-step teaching instructions along with copy-masters and exercises
Patterns & Sorting
- Patterns (abab)
- Patterns (abbabb)
- Patterns (abcabc)


Family programmes aim to encourage family members to learn together. They should provide inter-generational learning to both adults and children and provide progression for the adult to other learning. The term ‘adult’ assumes that this includes mothers, fathers, carers, grandparents – whoever has a caring role for the child. The programmes have two main aims:
These are used as an opportunity to engage families by providing a positive shared learning experience and are used as the opportunity to initially engage parents with low literacy or numeracy skills. Programmes can focus on a particular theme or activity such as arts and crafts, healthy eating or messy play and should be designed to give the adults the skills and confidence to support their children. These may initially be a short workshop leading onto a longer 10 hour programme.
These programmes aim to help parents and carers understand how English and Maths are taught so that they can support their children’s learning. The programmes vary according to the age of the children.
The adults’ prime motivation for coming on these courses is their children. Two trigger points for parents are, firstly, when their children begin to develop language and secondly, when they move into formal education. At both of these times parents may realise that they do not have the right set of skills to give their children the full support they would like to provide.
Typically FEML programmes are divided into sessions where parents learn with their children, and sessions where the adults and their children learn separately. These courses are taught by specialist Skills For Life tutors who work with the adults, alongside specialist teachers who support the children’s learning. All adults on these courses have the opportunity to take national qualifications and, as their English and Maths skills improve, they may move on to further learning and into employment.
For further information about family programmes please contact
Family Programmes Manager


Information Literacy development
I've just been browsing a report recently published by Ofcom titled "Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report." [PDF]. Much of my work in schools and with teachers involves discussions about the sorts of skills and dispositions young people need to be considered 'literate' in an increasingly digital world. The research carried out by Ofcom reveals some useful data to help inform how schools think about a response, including…
- an increase since 2010 in the number of children aged between 5-15 who have a PC or a laptop
- an increase from 93% from 88% of children aged between 12-15 year olds use the Internet from home
- children say that they would likely to miss their mobile or the Internet rather than TV
- 33% believe that the information on a website must be truthful
- only 23% of parents are concerned with what their kids see on the Internet
- 49% of parents state that their children know more than them
- 88% of the kids feel confident and know how to stay safe on the Internet
A quick scan down this list reveals some key areas of potential 'disconnect' between what many adults (incl. teachers) and students think is the case, and what is reality. Of particular note is the final statistic, revealing a very high percentage of young people who consider themselves to be responsible and safe online. The questions raised for me are; "who is helping our kids navigate this complex world of the WWW?, How are they learning to feel confident and safe?" As a parent of school-aged students I'm not convinced this would be accurate in practice (- which is why I spend time with them talking about and modelling responsible online behaviour).
Understanding digital literacy is a complex issue, largely because of the way the thinking about it is evolving. There's certainly no shortage of useful links and article son the topic online.
- This post from a blog of the University of Northern Iowa provides a useful schematic, along with a number of links that could be useful to teachers in developing a better understanding of the topic.
- Janice Chia from Nanyang Technological University posted how she is addressing the constant evolution of information literacy in her library context, with advice that could be applied in a number of other contexts, including regular classrooms.
- The FloridaTech blog reports on how information literacy is an important skill in the workplace
These, and the many other posts and reports, convince me that all schools need to be placing a high priority on developing programmes addressing the information literacy needs of students. Failure to do so will be as significant in their lives as if my teachers had failed to ensure I could read and write when I went through school.


Teaching & Learning is the heart of education and at the center of what happens in our schools each day. Various webpages have been developed with a focus on what goes on in and around our classrooms.
Professional Development is very important in our district and is critical to strong teaching and learning. There is a professional learning community established in each of our schools to support teachers and staff to constantly improve their craft. This support takes many forms, including teacher leaders in specific subject or skill areas that work one on one with teachers in their classroom, Wednesday faculty meetings where all teachers learn together, grade level groups that facilitate curriculum and strategy sharing, and dedicated staff development days.
Using assessment to inform instructional planning is integral to the on-going improvement of our schools and is often a part of professional development work.
- Read a piece from our A+ News about why we assess our students here.
- More on assessment and testing here.
- 2013 School Accountability Report Cards
- 2012 School Accountability Report Cards
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in every BUSD elementary school
Every child will READ PROFICIENTLY by the end of the third grade.
In 2010-2011, BUSD implemented the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) in every elementary school. This research-based literacy program builds on each child’s strengths as a reader to help them access more interesting texts. Components of our literacy program include one on one and small group guided reading, easily accessible “just right books” read every day in class and sent home every night, robust classroom libraries, and trained UC tutors in the after school program. Leveled book boxes and lists are available to help students and parents find “just right” books. Additional writing and spelling instructional components support reading proficiency.
Teachers assess a student’s reading level regularly and report it three times a year to parents on the report card. Literacy specialists in every elementary school team teach in classrooms, work with small groups of students, and monitor student progress toward grade level proficiency. (These are all components of RTI2 as explained below.) Parent liaisons reach out to families to help support literacy development in the home.
Common Core Mathematics
Visit our Math Blog to find resources on the Story of Units and Story of Ratios mathematics curriculum.
Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2)
Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) is a data-driven, multi-tiered approach to the early identification and support of all students, including those who demonstrate learning and behavioral challenges. RTI2 begins with high-quality, culturally responsive differentiated instruction, positive behavior systems, universal screening and data analysis of all children’s learning in the general education classroom. When students are not yet proficient despite high-quality core instruction and positive behavior support, a team of educators comes together in a problem solving setting to identify the academic and behavioral needs of those students. RTI2 is not a particular program, but rather a process. RTI2 works with the Universal Learning Support System (ULSS) model adopted by Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD): it offers a way to systematically use data to identify who is not yet proficient and provide support to get students to meet grade level expectations.
Students who are not yet proficient academically are provided with targeted instruction and interventions at increasing levels of intensity and specificity in addition to quality core instruction to accelerate the rate of learning. Similarly, students who do not respond consistently to whole class and school-wide positive behavior systems are provided with additional supports and behavior interventions until he/she shows adequate progress. Therefore RTI2 is a fluid multi-layered approach.
More information on RTI2 is being developed for a more complete explanation of how it works in BUSD.
- Response to Instruction and Intervention Manual (RTI2)
- RTI Resources
- Tiered Reading Intervention
- RTI Manual Key Terms
- RTI Team Activities
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Creating a positive school climate where all feel welcomed and supported to do their best is the goal of PBIS efforts in all of our K-8 schools. You can read more here.
Toolbox: Social Emotional Learning Curriculum for K-6 Students
Toolbox is a research-based social-emotional learning curriculum. It teaches critical social competencies necessary for academic and life success such as: resiliency, self-management, and responsible decision-making skills. Learn more here.


Details about Art and Creative Development for Young Children:
Written for pre-service and in-service early childhood professionals in child care, preschool, or kindergarten through third grade settings, ART AND CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, 7th Edition, takes a child-centered approach to art education. Updated throughout, the book includes an in-depth discussion of technology to aid teachers in understanding the role that technology can play in children's visual art appreciation and production. Guidelines for establishing an inclusive art program in classrooms for young children are included for early childhood professionals. Activities and recipes make the text a valuable resource for in-service teachers.
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Rent Art and Creative Development for Young Children 7th edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by J. Englebright Fox. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by CENGAGE Learning.


A case study of an extra-curricular school activity designed to promote creativity
Abstract:This article reports on case study research into an extra-curricular activity carried out in a secondary school. It used new technologies and interdisciplinary teaching methods in collaboration with a creative partner to promote creativity. The research aims were informed by issues emerging from government policy in England, recent literature on creativity and the particular school context. Predetermined themes included extra-curricular learning and creativity, synaesthesia, planning, interdisciplinary work, information and communication technology, subject and pastoral perspectives and the role of creative partners working with novices. Emerging themes were the participation theory of learning, and leadership. This case study highlights the importance of distinguishing between knowledge-lean and knowledge-rich creativity in interdisciplinary work, and of achieving clarity about what precisely a creative partner explicitly models when working with novices. The final interdisciplinary outcome can be accessed at:
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
Publication date: July 7, 2008
More about this publication?
- The International Journal of Education through Art is an English language journal that promotes relationships between art and education. The term 'art education' should be taken to include art, craft and design education. Each issue, published three times a year within a single volume, consists of peer-reviewed articles mainly in the form of research reports and critical essays, but may also include exhibition reviews and image-text features.
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- ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites


Best Instructional Practices
Best Instructional Practices are specific teaching methods that guide interaction in the classroom. These effective practices have been identified through research on student learning. Best Instructional Practices are like vehicles used by teachers to efficiently move students forward in their learning. Look for the vehicle icons throughout this Web site to indentify how teachers have used these strategies along with digital primary sources to help students learn.
The Primary Source Lesson Plans Collection uses the following Best Instructional Practices that fuel effective and efficient classroom interaction to drive students on their journey of discovery in a Lesson Plan. Find out how digital primary sources help teachers use these strategies to achieve learning goals with students.
Teaching for Understanding
Teaching for Understanding challenges students to think and use their knowledge to solve problems and connect ideas. Digital primary sources help student identify large scale themes that are central to the discipline being studied. Primary sources require students to use critical thinking and apply of knowledge because the each source is both a puzzle that needs to be interpreted and solved alone and a piece of a larger puzzle of a topic understudy. For this reason, teachers interested in fostering student understanding will find using primary sources particularly useful.
Differentiated instruction is a philosophy that values diversity and recognizes learners as individuals in pursuit of common learning goals. Differentiated Instruction takes place when teachers plan for student differences before teaching a lesson. Instructional decision making rooted in Differentiated Instruction can be recognized by a pre-assessment of student knowledge, skills, and understanding of the curriculum prior to beginning a Lesson Plan and the teacher taking specific actions to recognize the results of the pre-assessment. Lesson Plans based on Differentiated Instruction often provide opportunities to build relationships between the teacher and student and among fellow students through ongoing assessment. Digital primary sources leverage efforts to differentiate instruction because the digital sources can easily be edited or adjusted to address student learning needs. A variety of formats, engage learners with different strengths to enter into an exploration of a topic. The relationship of the primary source to the topic understudy can be very concrete or abstract or can require a high level of background knowledge and vocabulary or the source might have needed vocabulary printed right on the source. This variation in the sources helps teachers to add rigor to the curriculum for all students.
Literacy Instruction provides specific strategies to enable students to locate, comprehend, evaluate, and apply knowledge by reading the materials created by real life. Content related vocabulary instruction is part of literacy instruction. Primary sources are compelling reading materials for all content areas in the K-12 curriculum. The mysterious context, historic vocabulary, and different formats challenge students to read, think, and use what they know about a subject to make sense of the primary source.
"Information Literacy is the ability to structure a search across a variety of sources and formats to locate the best information to meet a particular need." (Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning, American Library Association and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 1998)
"Reading Comprehension is the ability to understand text, including words, numbers, and images in print or digital form." International Reading Association. Specific reading comprehension strategies used in model activities include: predict outcomes, ask questions to clarify, hypothesize, summarize, recall main ideas, apply information, infer, connect ideas across contexts, and evaluate information.
Technology Integration is the action of using technology to create unique Lesson Plans for students that could not be achieved without the technology. Dr. Christopher Moersch developed the Levels of Technology Integration Scale that describes different types of instructional uses for technology. Digital primary sources help teachers effectively use technology to teach literacy skills, thinking routines, and content knowledge while developing technology expertise. Students are motivated to solve problems through online research with digital primary sources to build understanding of the curriculum.


I don’t know a lot about Afro-Caribbean rhythms, beyond the fact that they cause me intense joy whenever I hear them. My formal music education has focused almost exclusively on harmony, and I’ve had to learn about rhythm mostly on my own. That’s why it was so exciting for me to discover the work of Godfried Toussaint. He introduced me to a startlingly useful pedagogical tool: the rhythm necklace.
A rhythm necklace is a circular notation for rhythm. Let’s say your rhythm is in 12/8 time. That means that each cycle of the rhythm has twelve slots where sounds can go, and each slot is an eighth note long (which is not very long.) A 12/8 rhythm necklace is like a circular ice cube tray that holds twelve ice cubes.
What’s so great about writing rhythms this way? Rhythms are relationships between events that are non-adjacent in time. When you write your rhythms from left to right, as is conventional, it’s hard to make out the relationships. On the circle, the symmetries and patterns jump right out at you. I recommend the Toussaint-inspired Rhythm Necklace app to get these concepts under your fingers and into your ears.
You can’t look into Afro-Caribbean beats without coming across a bell pattern called Bembé, also known as “the standard pattern” or the “short bell pattern.” Here’s how it sounds:
I was probably first exposed to Bembé by Santana’s “Incident at Neshabur.”
Bembé’s meter is ambivalent. You can represent it as duple (4/4) or triple (6/8 or 12/8). Practitioners urge you not to think of the bell pattern as being in one meter or the other. Instead, you’re supposed to hold both of them in your head at the same time. The ambiguity is the point.


Otto F. Ege Collection
The Ege Manuscript Leaf Portfolios
In the late 1940s, longtime Cleveland resident and art historian Otto F. Ege selected fifty medieval manuscripts from his personal collection and removed several dozen individual pages from each one. He mounted each leaf onto a large paper mat using tape hinges, and added a descriptive label to the mat. He then put one leaf from each of the fifty component manuscripts into a durable portfolio box; each of the resulting boxed sets thus contained a different leaf from each of the fifty original manuscripts. Forty boxes containing fifty leaves each were made in this way, and were offered for sale to university and public libraries around North America.
This was an extraordinary thing to do. For centuries, the act of biblioclasty (literally, "book-breaking") has been reviled--in most people's minds there exists an urge to protect books, especially old ones, and to view cutting pieces out of them as nearly acute a crime as burning them outright. But Ege's impulse was actually a largely altruistic one. He had devoted his career to teaching book arts such as decoration, typography, and layout design to the general public, and he believed that the transformative beauty of medieval book decoration could inspire bookmakers today to greater heights of creativity. He authored dozens of articles on this subject in art education journals, and loaned materials to public book exhibits regularly. His "Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts" portfolios were part of his longstanding commitment to populist art education in North America.
The manuscripts he took apart were his personal property, and there is strong evidence that most if not all of the books he used in this project were already damaged in some way. Manuscripts which have lost their front or back covers, or from which pages are already drifting out, were (then as now) less expensive to acquire than ones with intact bindings. They were mostly books that saw a lot of use during church services in the Middle Ages: Bibles, psalters (collections of the Psalms), missals (books containing the text of the mass), hymnals, Books of Hours (personal prayer books, often owned by wealthy women), breviaries (prayer books used by priests), and so on. Rarer items in the portfolios include pages from 15th-century manuscripts of Livy's History of Rome, Thomas Aquinas's Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, and the Dialogues of Gregory the Great. The relative scarcity of copies of these latter texts, combined with the high quality of the work of their scribes, earns these three leaves special mention.
A secondary intention of Otto Ege's in making these sets was, of course, to profit financially from what was by then more than thirty years of book collecting. Sadly, Ege died in 1951 before selling any of these particular manuscript portfolios. His widow Louise, however, continued with the commercial plan, and began selling the boxed sets compiled by her husband to individuals and institutions for $750 each. Denison University is fortunate to own one of these forty portfolios, purchased in 1956 by Denison alumnus, benefactor, and longtime trustee Percy Wiltsee (Class of 1901), who then generously donated the set to the college.
To date, thirty of Ege's forty specimen sets of medieval manuscript leaves have been located, nearly all of them in libraries in the U.S. and Canada. The purpose of this website is to provide a single location where images, descriptions, and other information about Otto Ege and his leaves can be gathered and shared; in a sense, it is an attempt to "virtually" reconstruct the component manuscripts, as well as to promote the study of one of the most important figures of 20th-century book collecting. We hope you find the contents of this site useful, and invite your participation to the ongoing project of Ege Studies as we move into the future.
Greta Smith (Miami University) and Fred Porcheddu (Denison University)


MS Nucleus is developing a complete free science curriculum, and so far all the levels K-6th grade are completed. When you visit their website, click on “Free Access”, and you’ll be able to download all the lesson plans, activities, and worksheets for any level directly to your computer. You can then print out any or all of this information.
MS Nucleus has designed each year of work to cover topics in units of varying lengths: Applied Science, Universe Cycle, Plate Tectonics, Rock Cycle, Water Cycle, and Life Cycle. (Chemistry and physics topics are addressed throughout the curriculum, as appropriate for the context of each unit.) Every unit is sequenced to build on the ones that came before, which is why Life Cycle comes last each year. The underlying idea is that you can’t really understand how life is sustained if you don’t already have some background in understanding the water cycle and the earth sciences, and you understand the earth science topics better with some grounding in understanding the universe cycle, and so on. The applied science topics are designed to demonstrate ways in which science is useful in everyday life.
Overall, the curriculum does seem to be well organized to lead to an understanding of how the various branches of science are interrelated and why they are important. As a big fan of Nebel’s Elementary Education, (a topic for another article, in its own right) I’ve come to really appreciate how meaningful it is to present science in such a way that students can make crucial connections and understand how everything fits together, rather than just teaching random disjointed topics hear and there.
Because the courses are organized in units, however, you can certainly just pick and choose the topics that you want to cover, to fit with other science related activities and interests that you may have. You download the lesson plans and worksheets for each unit individually, so you can easily download and print only the units in which you have the most interest.
Activities are a central component of the program, which is great for elementary science, but it does mean that you will need to gather some materials. The website does sell kits of supplies for each unit, and they are relatively reasonably priced. At this point, however, I plan to use materials that I have locally, and adapt the lessons if I can’t locate something. For instance, one of the lessons has you using hand lenses to observe the characteristics of various specific sea shells. You could easily use the magnifying lenses you have on hand, and then collect items to observe on a nature walk. Especially if you use this program as a supplement to other resources, it won’t matter much if you can’t do each and every lesson exactly as specified.
See also my review of Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, an outstanding k-2 science curriculum at an amazing price.
There are such wonderful, affordable materials available for science these days!If this page was helpful, Stumble it!


This resource shows how art education programs can be expanded to address community-based and cultural traditions. The text explains how art and aesthetic choices are at the heart of communities and discusses how folklife and community practices are associated with the natural and built environment, different occupations, recreational activities, and ethnic traditions. Activities for involving students in their local community traditions and ideas for expanding student awareness of traditions in communities around the world are included. 121 pages, softcover
Table of Contents:
- Introduction: Art in Everyday Life
- What Is a Community?
- Folklife and Community Practices
- Why Should Art Programs Focus on Community
- Art Programs Focusing on Natural and Built Environment


The new elementary school principal could hardly believe what he was hearing - an eighth-grade student struggling to read a fourth-grade book! "He must be severely handicapped," the principal thought. Upon investigation, however, he found that the reader was a typical 14 year-old boy. Except for one thing - he couldn't read.
I was that school principal, and I soon discovered that those students were not alone; half the adults in the United States can't read simple instructions like those on a job application or a medicine bottle. Canadians fare only slightly better.
So why can't these students read? In desperation I sought an answer from the district's experts. They sent me 2,000 miles away to a reading specialist with a Ph.D. I hung on every word she spoke, but returned to my school no wiser for the effort.
Over the next twenty years I examined every reading instruction methodology that promised even a glimmer of hope, but none provided the answers I so desperately needed. Although some of the methods seemed to help some of the students, there were always large gaps that left many unable to read.
Years later new scientific research on the complex functions of the brain revealed that all the reading instruction programs used in schools - even those that include basic phonics instruction - are predicated on faulty assumptions. They attempt to teach reading to an area of the brain that can't process language in any form. It is the old "Dick and Jane" whole-word method. The entire system was destined to fail from the start.
Armed with the latest research, I began designing a step-by-step protocol that would gently guide students through all the complexities of reading. It had to work in harmony with the brain's sophisticated neurological architecture, and it had to include everything needed to enable students to read and comprehend written English. It must transfer the information on the printed page to the brain smoothly and logically, and result in an orderly, one-way flow of information. Nothing like this had ever been done before.
The new strategy proved itself the very first time it was used. The student was a sixth-grade girl who was stuck at third-grade reading level. After only 28 hours of instruction she advanced to eighth-grade level. Her parents and teachers were shocked at the change. Some called it a fluke. Others called it a miracle in reading instruction. It was neither. It was a simple matter of putting all the complex components of reading together in a logical, easy to understand sequence.
Following that initial success, other students soon responded very much like the first student had. Some were taught individually or in small groups, while others were taught in regular school classrooms. They typically gained between two and six years in total reading skills after only 30 to 60 hours of instruction.
Many of these students had severe learning disabilities. The new method could not cure their disabilities, but it helped them to develop strategies for bypassing some of the defective parts of the brain. In so doing, they suddenly discovered that reading was no longer a problem. Today learning centers, clinics and schools around the world use the reading instruction method. Thousands of students of all ages who were previously doomed to a life of failure and frustration have seen lifelong barriers crumble.
One California school used the method in their first- and second-grades. While other schools in the area failed to reach a 50-percent literacy rate, the first-graders of that school scored an average of 3.7 [third-grade, seventh month] in reading while the second-graders averaged 6.2 [Sixth-grade, second month]. Every student scored at grade level or higher.
A severely dyslexic 55 year-old woman said upon completion of the course, "I feel that I've lived my entire life wandering in a long, dark cave, and now I'm in the sunshine for the very first time." Her reading level rocketed from fourth-grade to college level.
The reading instruction method has proven effective at every stage of learning from preschool to adult level, as the primary mode of instruction as well as remedial instruction for the learning disabled. It is called the Academic Associates Reading Course .
It is extremely satisfying to know that so many students have been saved from a lifetime of failure and frustration because of this simple, yet effective method of teaching reading, which any good teacher can use.
[If Dick and Jane were around today they would probably be held back a grade or two, so ineffective was the reading methodology with which they were taught.]
Using this method also helps with spelling difficult words.
Sign up for our complete reading instruction program now.Save up to 25% on Sports Flicker Sticker Bundle at SmileMakers.com through 8/31!


General Geology 1
This course introduces potential geology majors earth science through an investigation of the environmental quality of the local environment, and supporting just-in-time lessons.
Entry Level :Environmental Geology Course Size
Integrated lecture and lab
University with graduate programs, including doctoral programs
This course models the activities of geoscientists in order to provide practice with foundational skills, and provide students with an early experience from which to judge their interest/aptitude for a career as an earth scientist.
In your department, do majors and non-majors take separate introductory courses? yes
They cover different topics. The majors course involves more extensive integration of research skills and use of technology.
If students take a "non-majors" course, and then decide to become a major, do they have to go back and take an additional introductory course? yes
This introductory course covers topics in geology (earth materials, weathering, energy resources, local geological setting) and meteorology. Lab work focuses on sampling and analysis of air-borne particulates and answer questions such as "what is in the air?", "how much particulate matter is in the air?", and "where did the particulates come from?".
1. Students will be able to inform members of the community about a Brooklyn-related environmental issue that they analyzed from the perspective of a geologist
2. Students will be able to evaluate a claim of an environmental risk as presented in the media
3. Students will be able to effectively and accurately describe complex data and procedures
The course is place-based, focusing on their own community and campus. Priority is given to the lab experience, and lecture material provides scaffolding for the practical activities.
Our students (and their families) are very career-minded. Modeling a practical urban environmental geology investigation provides students with experiences from which to judge their interest/aptitude for a career as an earth scientist, and provides skills and experience to aid in their search for career-related internships.
The main assessment is based on the presentation of their research findings to the class and invited guests (e.g., EPA representative, community official).
References and Notes:


Students learn math adds up in unique ways
Published 9:53 pm, Monday, December 21, 2009
FAIRFIELD -- Trying hard not to step on each other's feet, Arin Garland and Eleanor Rowe, both 9 and fourth-graders at the Six to Six Magnet School in Bridgeport, learned to mambo at Fairfield University Monday.
In another classroom in the Dolan School of Business on this snow-shortened school day, Danny Mai, 9, and Steven Jean, 10, both fourth-graders at Blackham School in Bridgeport, fashioned stained glass windows out of construction paper.
The object of all of this? To improve math performance -- one of the great challenges faced by schools across the nation -- by showing students how math is used outside the classroom.
In all, 50 third-through-sixth graders from four different schools, all participants in after-school math clubs, took part in the program called Connect the Dots. Funded by a $25,000 grant from General Electric and arranged by Jennifer Goldberg, an assistant professor at Fairfield University, the idea was to help students see some novel and alternative ways math can be used.
"Some students have a hard time connecting math to the outside world," said Goldberg, who is director of the elementary education program at Fairfield and director of the Might Math Kids Club. She also is out to dispel the notion that some of us are naturally "math" people and others are not.
Monday's workshop included two schools from New Haven and two from Bridgeport.
In the music class, students were challenged to measure pitch and count half and quarter notes. They also learned how to make patterns and count out steps.
Wielding a pair of scissors and some glue, Steven Jean said he's not afraid to tackle algebra or geometry.
He's actually looking forward to it.
"I want to see how it is. How difficult it is and if I can do it," he said.
Classmate Tavary Atkins, 9, said he liked the program, but noted this was not his first time on a college campus. Both his older brother and sister are in college, one at the University of Connecticut, the other in Albany, N.Y.


Engaging Student Teachers' Hearts and Minds in the Struggle to Address (Il)literacy in Content Area Classrooms
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy - J ADOLESC ADULT LITERACY 05/2007; 50(8):620-630. DOI: 10.1598/JAAL.50.8.1
Although research supports the importance and impact of using reading strategies in content area classrooms to improve students' comprehension, many secondary teachers do not use this knowledge to improve the delivery of content. This article describes a themed literature circle curriculum developed as part of a reading course for content area credential candidates. Literature circles were used to enhance these preservice teachers' understanding about the connections between literacy and social justice. Using qualitative methods, the author explored changes in participants' mental models about literacy. Participants reported new understandings and new commitment to integrating literacy into their content classes.
Available from: Jennifer Mitton Kukner
- "Individuals with less proficiency in literacy are at an enormous cultural, social, political and economic disadvantage (Alger, 2007; Government of Alberta, 2009; UNESCO, 2008), and approaches to literacy development in schools have effectively become an issue of social justice (Alger, 2007, 2009; Freire, 1997; Robertson & Hughes, 2011; Keyes, 2009). As the use of standardized assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to measure VWXGHQWV ¶ OLWHUDF\ SURILFLHQF\ increases locally, nationally, and internationally, teacher accountability for student literacy achievement in all subject areas is brought sharply into focus (Cheng, Kliner & Zheng, 2009). "
Available from: Abiah Ruel
- "Teacher educators are urged to extend their support of their teacher candidates through at least the first years of teaching, so that they implement and sustain pedagogical choices that support critical literacy (Anagnostopoulos, Smith & Basmadjian, 2007; Long, 2004). Collaborative reflective and problem solving discussions are common strategies teacher educators use to promote critically conscious approaches to pre-service teaching (Alger, 2007; DeShon Hamlin, 2004; Jewett & Smith, 2003; Laman, Legan & Van Sluys, 2005; Rogers, Kramer, Mosley, Fuller, Light, Nehart, Jones, Beaman-Jones, DePasquale, Hobson & Thomas, 2005; Stevens & Mitchell, 2006). Online conversations and online journaling are two increasingly popular vehicles for prompting such reflective and problem solving discussions. "
[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: An electronic conversation spontaneously constructed by elementary teacher candidates accomplished the critical reading of text, the connection of these readings to their work as teachers, and the framing of that teaching in terms of socially conscious inquiry and action. The structure of the conversation facilitated the exploration and establishment of the candidate’s identity as critical literacy educators; the implicit rules of engagement facilitated mutual trust, respect and appreciation. This created a safe space in which to engage in a discussion that rendered the teacher candidates vulnerable to self-doubts about critical literacy pedagogy, even as it showcased their intellectual strengths as critical readers. Implications for teacher education are included.
Available from: Leigh Hall
- "Previous research on teacher book clubs suggests they can be effective for helping teachers examine their beliefs and pedagogical practices and therefore potentially inform their visions. Alger (2007) found that preservice middle and high school teachers' experiences in a book club increased their understandings about illiteracy and helped them see a link between literacy instruction and social justice. Kooy's (2006) work with novice teachers showed that book clubs can provide a support system for beginning teachers to construct new pedagogical knowledge and develop greater understandings about what it means to teach and to learn. "
[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: This study examined how the use of book clubs in a literacy methods class informed preservice, elementary teachers' visions of self as literacy teachers. Teachers began the study with the vision of teaching students the reading and writing skills they were weakest in. Teachers though transformed their visions to include culturally responsive teaching, becoming an activist, and creating spaces for struggling readers and writers to grow. However, the majority believed that it was important to utilize the pedagogical practices that were demanded by the schools they would work in so they could fit in and be identified as a good teacher. Teachers indicated that they would forgo their visions, engage in sub-standard literacy practices, and knowingly marginalize students, to obtain a positive professional identity.
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.


An official report says that schools and colleges should encourage teenagers to continue taking maths in the sixth-form amid concerns too many young people are unfit for the demands of university or the workplace.
Every teenager in England should be given maths lessons even if they fail to sit a full A-level in the subject, it is claimed.
It coincides with a decision to increase the education leaving age from 16 at the moment to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. All young people will be forced to remain in school, college or some form of on-the-job training.
The recommendation – in a document published by the Department for Education – comes amid growing concerns over standards of advanced numeracy skills.
On Friday, a study by the Sutton Trust charity showed that teenagers in England were less likely to score top results in international maths tests than in almost any other developed nation.
The country was ranked 26th out of 34 in terms of the proportion of pupils reaching high standards in the subject, with pupils being around four times less likely to achieve good scores than those in Switzerland and South Korea.
Pupils are also much less likely to study A-level style maths than almost anywhere else in the developed world, it emerged.
Elizabeth Truss, the Conservative MP for South West Norfolk, who has campaigned for improved standards of maths education, said: “It is shameful that England has the lowest proportion of students taking maths post-16 in the developed world.
“This is hampering social mobility and competitiveness. Studying maths provides higher economic returns than any other subject, with maths A-level resulting in a 10 per cent earnings premium. There is a shortage of qualified students for university places and industry.”
A policy paper released by the DfE earlier this week set out a series of reforms designed to boost standards of qualifications sat by pupils between the age of 16 and 19.
It said that all pupils who fail to gain at least a C grade in GCSE English and maths at 16 would be expected to carry on studying these subjects until they achieve a good mark.
But it said the Government was also committed to a “broader ambition” to get all pupils to carry on with maths until 18, regardless of standards achieved in GCSEs.
“Schools and colleges should encourage young people to continue with their study of maths once they have achieved a Level 2 [GCSE] qualification, in light of the value placed on mathematical ability by employers and higher education institutions,” said the report.
The conclusions came as maths teachers and academics prepared to call for a new suite of sixth-form courses to be developed to enable pupils to carry on studying the subject post-16 – giving them a recognised qualification for the extra study.
The Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education, which represents subject experts and teachers, said A-levels were seen as “inaccessible or inappropriate” to any student who failed to gain an A grade in the subject at 16.
In a report to be published next week, they will say: “Access to a well-recognised qualification is effectively denied to the 250,000-plus people who achieve a grade B or C at GCSE. These people have achieved a good grade by league table standard, but in mathematics they are effectively disenfranchised.
“Put simply, the vast majority of young people have no widely-recognised way of continuing to study mathematics after GCSE."
A DfE spokesman said: “All young people must be able to demonstrate their understanding of maths, whether they are going onto further study or into employment. A good qualification in maths is demanded by employers.
“That is why we have announced plans for all young people who fail to get a C or better in GCSE maths to study the subject up to 18, until they get a good qualification.”


|Comments and Teaching Tips given for Windows to the Universe||Comment on this resource|
Aug 24, 2007
As a teacher, I would take advantage of the teaching tips and links. I liked that the resource was useful for many age groups. The graphics are motivational.
Aug 24, 2007
I used one of the activities that was entitled snack tectonics. The students enjoyed it because they got to play with food. They also enjoyed eating their "plates" after the activity was over.
Jun 21, 2005
You should click on all the links because it really helps you to learn.
May 23, 2005
Use a computer with high speed connection for better results
Dec 8, 2004 by Katie Bauman, Geo 305
I am an elementary education student at MSU. I came across this site while searching for resources that will help me teach the fifth grade Minnesota Standard on the earth's spheres. I found this site to be very well organized and easy to navigate. I will definately use this site in my future teaching. Being able to access the information in both English and Spanish is helpful, since many classrooms today are growing in diversity. The visual images on the site are wonderful, and the graphics accompanying the lessons provide a great visualization of how to set up the experiments and activities.


A special report from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University says more resources are needed to address the growth in the number of Latino students in the state who speak limited English. The report says communities and schools tend to segregate and marginalize non-English speaking students. IU Professor of Education Peter Cowan co-authored the report. He says the public often downplays the need for programs to help bridge gaps.
At the same time that Latino students are often isolated, immigrant families may be distrustful of the school district or local governments. IU Professor Rebecca Martinez says it takes specially trained staff to help build trust between families and school officials.
The CEEP report recommends focusing more time on training for staff and broader literacy development for students. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Indiana saw the third fastest growing populations of English language learners in the country, with a 408 percent growth rate over the past decade.


- Discovery Education -- Contact Ms. Bianco for access code
Discovery Education streaming is a digital video-based learning resource from Discovery Education. With streaming video, educators gain on-demand access to 50,000 content-specific segments from 5,000 full-length educational videos.
- Kappa Delta Pi: International Honor Society in Education: Teacher Resources
KDP-recommended web sites, books, journals, and articles on hot topics in education
- Smithsonian Education -- Resources for Educators! Lesson plans, online activities, field trip planning and more.
- Discovery Education: Explore the Blue -- Explore the Blue has a variety of K-5 resources designed to inspire students to get outside and become a future conservationist, from standards-aligned cross-curricular lesson plans and streaming video to a U.S. Habitat Map.
- International Reading Association: ReadWriteThink -- standards-based lesson plans and reviewed Web resources for K-8 educators and students.
- National Geographic Education: Teacher Homepage
- Science NetLinks - Resources for Teaching Science
- Council of Economic Education: EconEdLink - Economics & Personal Finance Resources for K-12
- Literacy Network - Thinkfinity Literacy Network delivers free, top-quality online educational resources for literacy instruction and lifelong learning for adults and family literacy programs. The content on TLN strengthens literacy development, creativity and critical thinking skills for success in the 21st Century.
- The Kennedy Center: Arts Edge: Connect, Create: Educators
- Smithsonian's History Explorer - Your gateway to innovative, standards-based online resources for teaching and learning American history, designed and developed by the National Museum of American History.
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Illuminations - Resources for Teaching Math
- National Endowment for the Humanities: EDSITEment! - Explore lesson plans by subject: Art & Culture, Foreign Language, History & Social Studies, and Literature & Language Arts
- Thinkfinity Teacher Resources -- contains more than 55,000 authoritative educational and literacy resources for teachers, students and community programs including standards-based K-12 lesson plans, student materials, interactive tools and web sites.
- Wonderopolis: Camp What-A-Wonder: Wonder of the Day - Create. Laugh. Imagine. Explore. Learn. Smile. Grow. Wonderopolis is a place where wonder and learning are nurtured through the power of discovery, creativity and imagination.
- The Learning Network: Grades 3-12 (The New York Times) -- This URL connects to the archive of daily lesson plans posted over the past two years at the New York Times Learning Network.
- Starfall.com -- a free public service to motivate children to read with phonics. Our systematic phonics approach, in conjunction with phonemic awareness practice is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, special education, homeschool, and English language development (ELD, ELL, ESL).
- GlobalSchoolNet.org -- Provides online opportunities for teachers to collaborate, communicate, and celebrate shared learning experiences.
- Discovery School -- Free teachers resources from Discovery Education
- Scholastic (children's publishing, education and media company) -- lesson plans, online activities, teaching strategies
- TeachersFirst -- A collection of lessons and web resources for K-12 classroom teachers, their students, and families. Materials are arranged by subject area and grade level.
Other links to explore:
- Musicals101.com -- Grades 7 - 12 Widely recognized as an expect on musical theater, Musicals 101.com creator John Kenrick was a producer and manager on Braodway in the 1980s and 1990s.
- AASL (American Association of School Librarians) 2011 Conference: Get Reading @ Your Library: Promote Reading without Competition, Extrinsic Rewards or Prizes
Teachers and interns contact Ms. Herward to share your favorite lesson plan sites.
Created by Linda Herward October 12, 2011
Contact Benoni Outerbridge at email


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Thinking Allowed 2016: Consumerism, Work-life balanceMonday, 8th February 2016 00:15 - BBC Radio 4Laurie Taylor and guests look into our want for an abundance of possessions and the middle class bias in work-life... Read more: Thinking Allowed 2016: Consumerism, Work-life balance
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Teaching children to read is one area where collaboration between teachers and parents/carers is of vital importance. In this free course, Involving the family in supporting pupils' literacy learning, you will examine how families and schools work together to establish the links that underpin childhood literacy development and the ways in which educational institutions respond to the diversity of needs amongst students.
After studying this unit you should have:
- an enhanced understanding of models for involving parents and carers in children's literacy acquisition.
- Current section: Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 The family and literacy
- 2 Involving parents and carers in students' literacy learning
- 3 Identifying theoretical models of parent–school partnerships
- 4 Family literacy
- 5 Supporting the literacy acquisition of travellers' children
- 6 Collaboration between teachers and parents
- Keep on learning
Study this free course
Enrol to access the full course, get recognition for the skills you learn, track your progress and on completion gain a statement of participation to demonstrate your learning to others. Make your learning visible!
Involving the family in supporting pupils' literacy learning
This unit examines the importance of the relationship between the family and literacy. You will examine how families and schools work together to establish the links that underpin childhood literacy development and the ways in which educational institutions respond to the diversity of needs amongst students.
This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course
Copyright & revisions
Originally published: Thursday, 14th July 2011
Last updated on: Thursday, 26th July 2012
- Creative-Commons: The Open University is proud to release this free course under a Creative Commons licence. However, any third-party materials featured within it are used with permission and are not ours to give away. These materials are not subject to the Creative Commons licence. See terms and conditions. Full details can be found in the Acknowledgements and our FAQs section.
- This site has Copy Reuse Tracking enabled - see our FAQs for more information.
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Value of Literature-Based Instruction for All Students
There is growing evidence favoring literature-based programs for students
experiencing difficulty. Literature offers a rich background from which to
learn vocabulary, to accumulate knowledge about written language, and to
develop literacy skills (Morrow, O'Connor, & Smith, 1990). Literature-based
programs provide a meaningful basis from which to learn skills and strategies
(Tunnell & Jacobs, 1989). Literature-based programs can lead to increased
use of literature for independent reading and improved attitudes toward reading
for students experiencing difficulty in learning (Morrow, 1992). Literature-based
programs can also result in higher test scores for those students (Roser, Hoffman,
& Farest, 1990).
Gifted and Talented Students
Gifted students benefit from an environment that encourages risk taking,
learning by trial and error, and finding solutions to real problems.
Teachers can meet the needs of gifted students by equipping them with strategies
for locating resources, by observing and facilitating students' independent work,
and by finding ways for them to contribute to the larger community of the classroom
and school (Cohen, 1987). Within the context of literature-based programs, there are
many such opportunities.
Students Acquiring English
Students acquiring English need a strong and supportive context for learning, one in
which they can experiment with language without fear of failure, one in which the
acquisition of literacy in a second language is seen as an exciting and meaningful
endeavor (Rueda, 1991).
Teachers can encourage students to enhance their oral and written communication with
activities such as dramatization and art. In conversations, they can focus on the message
students are conveying rather than elements of form, grammar, and pronunciation (Allen, 1991).
Literature and literature-based instruction provide a rich source of language, vocabulary,
and syntax in a way that oral language alone cannot. A thematic organization of literature
offers ways to extend linguistic support and to offer a variety of reasons to read, write,
and talk (Allen, 1991).
Students of Diverse Cultural Backgrounds
Students learn best and are more highly motivated when the school curriculum reflects their
cultures, experiences, and perspectives (Banks, 1989). Studies demonstrate that the school
performance of students of diverse cultures can be increased when steps are taken to create
for them culturally familiar and comfortable classroom situations (Heath, 1983). Perhaps the
best documented example of this is the Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP), with
native Hawaiian students (Tharp & Gallimore, 1988). One of the features of traditional
Hawaiian culture is that storytelling is a group rather than an individual activity. When
classroom practices were restructured to include this type of cultural interaction pattern,
dramatic gains in student literacy were seen.
In addition to the academic gains that can be achieved by motivated students with healthy
self-concepts, addressing diverse cultural backgrounds in literature also helps students to
develop social sensitivity to the needs of others and to understand the similarities as well
as differences among people (Norton, 1990). This, in turn, helps students better understand
See also Multicultural/Diverse Perspective Instruction
Go on to Meeting Individual Needs of All Students References
Back to Organizational Patterns
Reading/Language Arts Center |
Education Place |
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American History – David Niecikowski
Contributing author, DrToy.com
Bone up on some games that will help you bone up on American history.
Download | PDF (opens in Acrobat)
David Niecikowski is an expert on the use of board and card games to increase academic and social achievement. He is certified in Elementary Education and Secondary Social Studies with a Master Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He has taught all grade levels and currently teaches gifted children, grades 1-6. He has reviewed over 700 games for national publications and for Dr. Toy. He provides professional development training on the educational applications of board and card games at schools, libraries, juvenile centers, industry trade shows, and national and state education and homeschool conferences. David is also a published game designer and provides consultation on game design, production, and marketing.


The Analysis of New Turkish Science and Technology Curriculum in Terms of STS Objectives
National Curricula in Turkey for Science and Technology from 4th to 8th grade have been under revision since 2003. The major goal of the new science and technology curriculum is the development of scientific literacy. One of indispensible dimension of scientific literacy is the understanding of Science, Technology, and Society relationships. This aspect was integrated into the curriculum in three domains: The nature of science and technology, the relationship between science and technology, and the social and environmental connections of science and technology. The aim of this paper is to analyze the weight of each STSE objective in the curriculum. The results indicated that STSE objectives were not distributed homogeneously in the curriculum. Moreover, no objective about the nature of science and technology domain was found among the objectives which are mostly referred. Instead, the mostly cited STSE objectives are generally related with two domains, which are the relationship between science and technology and the social and environmental connections of science and technology. Thus, it can be implied that to achieve the ultimate goal of scientific literacy, all three domains proposed in the foreword of curriculum to be given equal emphasis.
Keywords: Curriculum, Science Education, STS
Research Assistant, Elementary Education Department, Middle East Technical University
Research Assistant, Elementary Education Department, Gaziosmanpasa University


In Step 1 you will hear and read about a perspective on a practice dilemma. The dilemma is about a teacher who wants to maximize the benefits of storybook reading for the children in her class.
In Step 2 you will turn the dilemma about enhancing storybook reading into an answerable question to help guide the search for evidence on the effectiveness of dialogic reading.
In Step 3 you will consider the following key sources of general evidence about dialogic reading practices. First you will learn about the research related to dialogic reading. Then dialogic reading will be defined and further explained with examples and activities. Last, you will learn about policy guidelines and experience-based knowledge related to early language and literacy development.
In Step 4 you will integrate sources of evidence, different perspectives and contexts unique to the dilemma in Step 1 to make an informed decision.
In Step 5 you will consider ways to evaluate the plan for using dialogic reading practices that resulted from the decision-making process.


Lesson Plans and Teacher Timesavers
- A Super Resource
- Teachers Love It!
Puzzles Makers Too!
- Instant Worksheets
- Quick Puzzles and Rubrics
Vocal Lesson Plans
Teacher Songs | Songs
and Poems Printables
a succesful Show Choir - By the end of the first grading period there
should be a marked improvement in the students overall performnce level
Doggie, Where's your bone? - The children will be able to learn the
song through memory.
Dancing: An Intro to Conducting- Students will learn and practice
moving their hands to the beat of music (conduct). Through conducting,
students can develop an awareness and appreciation of musical beats.
us sing! - To teach the students through repetetion Twinkle Twinkle
Little Star and Andy Apple (both age approiate melodies)
the Melody- Students will gain an apreciation and knowledge of melodies
by creating and practicing melodies as a class.
- Pitch and Performance - Understaning how pitch differences(as opposed
to other properties of sound such as duration, volume or timbre)are represented
and created in music.
Patterns: Imitating the Rythm of Words- Students will examine and
repeat the rythmic patterns that are found in words and develop and understanding
and apreciation of rythm.
( Do - So ) - The student will be able to name the notes, to write
the notes and to sing the notes and the important thing is to memorizes
Your Feet- Students will practice following a pattern and become familiar
with the concept of beat in music. They will be introduced to tempo.
With Popular Music- Teaching with Popular Music is part of a broad-based
effort to include more of America's children in a balanced, sequential
music education program.


Handbook of Family Literacy
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The emerging field of family literacy, which cuts across early childhood education, early literacy development, parent education, adult education, and parent-child literacy interactions, has never had a comprehensive volume that pulls together and integrates its many interacting components. That is the mission of this handbook. It provides scholars, students, policymakers, and practitioners (both inside and outside the field) with an invaluable snapshot of its current boundaries and rapidly growing content. With contributions from experts in each of its component fields, it provides an up-to-date picture of existing family literacy programs, of the research and theories that guide these programs, of current issues, and of likely future directions. Key features of this outstanding new book include the following:
*Comprehensive--Whereas many books deal with various components of this broad and loosely coupled field, until now there has never been a book that profiles and integrates its overlapping component fields.
*Recommendations for Practice--Information essential to the development of curriculum and instructional strategies is integrated throughout the book. Practical guidance is offered in such diverse and intersecting areas as early literacy, the role of literature and storybook reading in literacy learning, adult learning needs and strategies, and professional development.
*Cultural and Family Influences--The book examines cultural and family influences on literacy practices and provides effective ways of responding to family diversity, including the needs of bilingual and immigrant participants.
*Program Implementation--Program recommendations cover such distinct topics as integrating the curriculum, enriching early childhood classrooms, enhancing parent-child literacy interactions, and coordinating with other agencies.
*Assessment--To promote future research and evaluation, attention has been focused on ways of assessing children, adults, the educational setting, and implementation strategies.
This book is intended for professionals (directors and staff) and graduate students in the areas of family literacy, early childhood education, child development, parenting, and adult education, as well as researchers and policymakers in child development and family literacy.
- Taylor and Francis, April 2004
- Download options:
- EPUB 2 (Adobe DRM)
You can read this item using any of the following Kobo apps and devices:


Education and wage differentials in the Philippines
In the Philippines, an important part of income inequality is associated with the wage difference between the less educated and the better educated. The majority of the least educated are employed in low-paid services jobs and the agricultural sector. Tertiary education is to a large extent a prerequisite for high-paid occupations. Using the Labor Force Survey 2003-2007, this paper examines disparities in human capital endowment, returns to education, and the role of education in wage differentials in the Philippines. The empirical results show that returns to education monotonically increase - workers with elementary education, secondary education, and tertiary education earn 10 percent, 40 percent, and 100 percent more than those with no education. The results also show that education is the single most important factor that contributes to wage differentials. At the national level, education accounts for about 30 percent of the difference in wages. It accounts for a higher percentage of the difference for female workers (37 percent) than male workers (24 percent). There are also differences across regions and sectors. As an economy develops, the demand for skills increases. In the Philippines, efforts to improve education to increase the supply of highly educated people are important not only for long-term growth, but also for helping to translate growth into more equal opportunities for the children of the current generation.
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