This series of posts explores connections between music and other Gardner-listed multiple intelligences. This post follows on from a description of Music and Emotional Intelligence, and Music and Intra-Personal Intelligence.
What good is math and spelling if the children cannot get along with each other? â Chicago Sun-Times, 2007
In 2007 people in the city of Chicago were becoming increasingly alarmed at the violence and killings among young adults. Why could they not live in harmony? In a series of articles in the Chicago Sun-Times the call was made for more emphasis on teaching people skills. Chicagoans were recognising that their schoolsâ narrow intellectual educational focus was not working.
Interpersonal intelligence or being âpeople smartâ relates to social awareness and relationships. Skills in these areas improve academic learning and have been verified to be more important than IQ in determining professional and life success. In fact, Daniel Goleman asserts that as much as 80 percent of adult success comes from EQ. Group learning, discussed in detail in chapter five of âLearning Strategies for musical Successâ, is a natural and successful way to develop these skills and deserves a more prominent role in education. Team sport is a useful medium for teaching these skills but inherently creates division through competition. In music ensemble everyone is on the same team. There is a clear sense of purpose and the involvement is not only physical but in comparison with sport more substantially intellectual, emotional, and spiritual (when the musical genre is sacred). If the goal is to maximise the holistic benefits from group activity, music education leads the way.
Participating in ensemble builds relationships that involve trust and respect. Students and teachers must collaborate and negotiate. The group makes decisions regarding artistic goals, and individuals forfeit personal freedoms for the common good. Open communication, social engagement, cooperation, negotiation, and formal and informal tutoring are all part of a well-run ensemble program. Through group musical experiences, students learn to identify the shared emotion of the music, which creates a special empathy among participants.
An excerpt from âLearning Strategies for Musical Successâ by Michael Griffin. Reviews below.
âSuper book. I am so impressed!â â Donna Michaels, USA
âFantastic book, simply brilliant! â Ian Cooper, Norfolk, UK
âDonât miss this opportunity!â â Mary George, USA
âRarely do I come away feeling so inspired. Incredibly beneficial.â â Music Matters Blog
âA must buy for every music teacher and music studentâ â William Bruce, Teacher of Strings, UK.
âDeeply impressive, the breadth of research is fascinating!â â Robert Chamberlain, Team of Pianists and Monash University Piano Staff, Victoria Australia.
âI have read your book and it has made an amazing difference in my teaching and in my studio.â Beth Cruickshank, Past President â Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association.
Also by Michael Griffin
Music and Keyboard in the Classroom: Fundamentals of Notation is a unit of work for general music middle school classes. Designed around the mastering of practical skills, it integrates theory, aural and history, and allows students to progress at their own rate. View Table of Contents. âThis has been a great buy; the books are just superb! Interesting topics with a wide range of pieces. Great content with clear progression of learning. Fascinating teaching philosophy! BRAVO!â -The Grieg Academy, London. Available at Amazon.com
Music and Keyboard in the Classroom: Letâs Get Creative! is the fun and creative extension to âFundamentals of Notationâ.
View Table of Contents. âWe have been using your keyboard course and the results have been amazing!â â St George College, Australia
Available at Amazon.com
Second edition. Bumblebee! is more than just a collection of 123 choir exercises and rounds. The author shares timeless wisdom to help you get your choir â primary or secondary â into shape.
View Table of Contents.
âWill prove useful for almost everyoneâ- Rhinegold Music Teacher Magazine.
âThis is a great resource to add to oneâs library of rehearsal tricks.â- Anacrusis, ACCC, Canada
Modern Harmony Method: Fundamentals of Jazz and Popular Harmony (Third Edition, 2013) is a clear and well organised text suitable for students of arranging and composition, and for classically trained musicians wishing to grasp the beautiful logic of jazz harmony. Essential understandings include chord selection, voicing, symbols, circle of 4th progressions, extensions, suspensions and alterations. Included in the 107 pages are explanations, examples, exercises and solutions. The course can be started with students in year 9 and worked through to year 12 musicianship, composing and arranging. Available at Amazon.com


Do you ever wonder what advantages are achieved through learning music? Read on to discover the many benefits of music education.
Learning music is hard work, but also very rewarding, which can lead to a genuine increase in self-esteem. This can happen when a student masters the many steps along the way to becoming proficient, as well as when they have a successful recital or concert.
One of the many benefits of music education is that it is a great workout for increasing memory as the student learns to recognize the different notes.
Music can be a creative outlet for self expression. This may take the form of learning music that mimics experienced emotions. Or it may be expressed in creating music and lyrics, which can then be presented to family and friends.
Bringing People Together
Music can be a great catalyst for uniting people in a common experience, where friends can be made, and a sense of belonging can be available.
Increased Academic Performance
When talking about the benefits of music education it is often well believed that learning music can boost academic achievement. Although the exact mechanics of this is often not understood, the belief is that learning music stimulates parts of the brain that then have a carry-over impact on all academic areas. It also provides structure and focus which may benefit other areas of learning.
Learning to work well with others is one of those things that when present is often overlooked, but when absent is often painfully obvious. Performing music requires the skills associated with teamwork that are valuable throughout life. In order to play an instrument successfully students need to be tuned in to what those around them are doing so that the various instruments form a cohesive unit.
Structure, Organization, and Discipline
When talking about the benefits of music education it is important to acknowledge the value that can be found in the structure, organization, and discipline that it offers. Structure and organization are important skills to be learned. They can carry a child forward in many areas of life, not just music education. When talking about discipline here we are discussing the discipline it takes for the child to set aside time each week to practice. Learning to discipline themselves can eliminate procrastination, and like structure and organization, can be valuable in all areas of life.


As good teachers are apt to do, whenever you sit down to plan lessons or activities for your students, you keep in mind where they are in their learning. Where do their abilities typically lie? What are students of this age group interested in learning about? What would build their learning and experiences from last year through to next year? What would challenge and motivate them? How can I excite them and foster their curiosity?
All of these questions also come up when we write curriculum. What I especially appreciated when we were examining standards this time was how developmentally appropriate the National Visual Arts Standards are. The writing team must have taken time to thoughtfully consider not only how to scaffold skills in each artistic process, but also where students of each grade are typically at in their physical, social-emotional, language and cognitive abilities and development. When we first started writing curriculum using these new standards, we received a little push back about how we were challenging our kids. We often heard we weren't being "developmentally appropriate" in the tasks that we were asking students to participate. Although this feedback was in reality from a few outliers, when you are trying something new, you can be more susceptible to criticism. "Are we doing the right things for our kids?" "What exactly does it mean to be developmentally appropriate anyway?" "What does that look like for my students?"
Keeping these needs in mind, we can better develop a course that fits the child as opposed to making the child fit the course. The arts truly are integral to allowing students to stretch and grow, if we let them. How do you feel about your curriculum and the way it fits your students? Are you able to meet their specific individual needs while also encouraging and fostering their skill development and growth? I'd love to hear more about the needs of your students and how you structure a curriculum to meet them in the comments below...
I'm Michelle. I am very excited to try my hand at blogging and sharing my thoughts and reflections in the field of art education.
Original NAEA Blog Posts
NAEA Blog Posts
I started blogging at the invitation of the National Art Education Association for their Monthly Mentor column. See those original blog posts here.


Social Studies Homepage
Maryland Social Studies State Standards
American Government High School Assessment ResourcesMaryland College and Career Readiness Standards for Reading and Writing in History/Social StudiesUnited States History High School Standards8th Grade United States History and Middle School Assessment InformationSocial Studies Survey ResultsSocial Studies Teacher CertificationTask Force Report on Social Studies Education in Maryland, 2010
Literacy development is essential for students to access and understand disciplinary content and must be a shared responsibility across all daily instruction when and where appropriate.
Reading in History/Social Studies Standards Grades 6-8
Writing in History/Social Studies Standards Grades 6-8
Reading in History/Social Studies Standards Grades 9-12
Writing in History/Social Studies Standards Grades 9-12
Lessons have been aligned with the College and Career-Ready Standards.
Graphic courtesy of Harford County Public Schools
200 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-2595
410-767-0100 â¢ 1-888-246-0016
Â© 2018 Maryland State Department of Education


Science for Kids Outreach Programs: College Students Teaching Science to Elementary Students and Their ParentsKoehler, Birgit G., Park, Lee Y., Kaplan, Lawrence J.
Kitchen Science For Kids A Family-Based Program of Individual Investigation by ChildrenMichael E. Browne, Josephine A. Browne
[ACM Press Proceeding of the 2004 conference - Maryland (2004.06.01-2004.06.03)] Proceeding of the 2004 conference on Interaction design and children building a community - IDC '04 - Explorations in theoretical computer science for kids (using paper toys)Valente, Andrea
The Ben Franklin Book of Easy and Incredible Experiments: A Franklin Institute Science Museum Bookby Cheryl Kirk NollReview by: The Staff of Chris' Corner Books for Kids &, Teens
[IEEE 2011 International Conference on System Science and Engineering (ICSSE) - Macau, Macau, China (2011.06.8-2011.06.10)] Proceedings 2011 International Conference on System Science and Engineering - Development of simulator for kid-sized humanoid soccer in RoboCupKuo, Ping-Huan, Li, Tzuu-Hseng S.
[IEEE IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 2004. Proceedings. - Joensuu, Finland (30 Aug. - 1 Sept. 2004)] IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 2004. Proceedings. - Exploring theoretical computer science using paper toys (for kids)Valente, A.
It Can Be More than Just Fun and Games: Health and Science Apps for KidsGlassman, Nancy R., Glassman, Annabelle G.
Putting Kids First, College of Medicine/Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 800 Marshall Street, Slot 900, Little Rock, AR 72202, 1-800-374-3620. price $60.00Mara Newman, Rose L. Martin
Raising kids in the 21st century: the science of psychological health for childrenChantler, Jude
Moving Beyond âThose Kidsâ: Addressing Teacher Beliefs Regarding the Role of Culture Within Effective Science Pedagogy for Diverse LearnersJohnson, Carla C., J. Bolshakova, Virginia L.
[Lecture Notes in Computer Science] Information Processing in Medical Imaging Volume 511 || KIDS : A distributed expert system for biomedical image interpretationColchester, Alan C. F., Hawkes, David J.
[Communications in Computer and Information Science] HCI International 2015 - Postersâ Extended Abstracts Volume 528 || Smart Playground: A Tangible Interactive Platform with Regular Toys for Young KidsStephanidis, Constantine
[Lecture Notes in Computer Science] Knowledge Acquisition, Modeling and Management Volume 1319 || KIDS for KADSPlaza, Enric, Benjamins, Richard
ATLANTIC CITY ADOPTED AS MEETING PLACE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE FOR DECEMBER, 1936Ward, H. B.
Science for Its Own Sake: Presidential Address to the British Association for the Advancement of ScienceAppleton, E.
The Support of Research in the Bio-Sciences for the Fiscal Years 1952 and 1953Deignan, S. L., Miller, E.
Experimenters in the Schoolroom: Research scientists and imaginative teachers join to construct a new program in science for primary schoolsMorrison, P.
Science for the Citizen: An Educational Problem: Academic scientists have a responsibility for educating the nonscientist in the nature of scienceMathewson, J. H.
East Africa: Science for Development: The impact of science in a developing region reveals long-term personnel and research requirementsOdhiambo, T. R.


We all know how hard it is to manage our time wisely, let alone our children who find it even more challenging to plan their workload for the day. They have homework every day, and with their long list of distractions, it gets challenging to complete school work within 24 hours. Here are a few ways to help your child manage their time wisely for maximum output.
Create a To-do List
Creating a to-do list every day reduces stress and increases productivity. Encourage your child to take a few minutes each morning or in the evenings to plan for the next day. Break large tasks into sub-parts that are less intimidating. Avoid multitasking as this distracts from the task at hand. It is best to complete one task at a time and cross them off the list as the day progresses. Seeing the finished list can be very encouraging.
Set Precise Goals
Your child should understand the difference between long-term and short-term goals. An example of long-term goals is to do well in the final Mathematics examinations. A short-term goal would be to master the topic of fractions. Setting goals allows your child to plan the steps needed to reach them.
The most urgent and important tasks should be higher on your childâs to-do list. Attempt these tasks first as it is sometimes difficult to complete everything on the to-do list within the day. For students, it is good to prioritise weak topics, especially at the foundation level. Our online platform, Geniebook, allows your child to focus specifically on these weaker areas.
Find a place where your child can entirely focus on work. Put away all electronic devices that are unrelated to studying like mobile phones and laptops so that they can concentrate better. Put on some background music if your child works better with it playing.
Group Related Topics
Different subjects require different approaches to thinking. For example, Mathematics involves numeracy skills as opposed to English. Avoid switching between many different topics as your mind needs to adjust to the type of thinking required. One tip is to revise one challenging topic a day and not mix them up.
Students receive many sheets of homework and study materials every day. Having a systematic filing system will save precious minutes, or even hours, spent looking for something in a cluttered mess. Organising with your child only takes less than an hour and will save many accumulated minutes spent searching for materials when they can be revising.
Create a Schedule
Having a schedule creates a time limit for each task. It establishes a completion goal and encourages your child to focus. Taking note of the time taken for each task makes us realise that we sometimes spend too long on something that could be done in a much shorter time. It also keeps track on time wasted on leisure activities like playing games or watching television. While it is essential to have breaks, do not overdo them.
While creating the schedule, also consider energy levels throughout the day. A task that requires higher cognitive power should be planned at the time when the child is most energised. For example, if your childâs toughest subject is Science, get him to start revising science in the morning when his energy is at his peak.
Studying is not a sprint. Allow your child to have some time to breathe by having breaks between study sessions. Your child will be more motivated and productive after short breaks.
One standard method is the Pomodoro technique. This technique splits study sessions into 25-minute periods with a 5-minute break after each one. There is a longer break after every four periods. There are many apps for the Pomodoro technique. Try this and see if it works for your child.
Almost everyone will agree that this is a tough one, and extremely necessary to overcome. Look at the reasons behind your childâs procrastination and find ways to handle them. A few examples are being afraid of producing âbadâ work, not feeling like studying, or just having a bad habit. However, remind your child that it is so much less stressful to get started on a task than just think about doing it.
Students can also spend a few hours on the weekend to reduce the amount of work to be completed during school days. However, do remember to have plenty of time to rest and recharge!
Have a healthy lifestyle
A personâs level of productivity is linked to their lifestyle, as shown by many studies. Ensure that your child eats healthily and have enough sleep and exercise. It keeps energy levels up and in turn have better focus. The optimal hours of sleep are 7 to 8 hours. Compromising rest for extra hours of revision will do more harm than good in the long run.
Time management is pivotal to academic success. Your child can increase productivity by just removing distractions, planning a precise schedule and being disciplined.


Music is an art form that reaches beyond the confines of words and actions. It touches us spiritually, cognitively, and emotionally. Music resonates within us; it can simultaneously reflect and change us. And as an art form, it is vital that we learn to appreciate it and foster appreciation for it in children because it advances language development, creativity, and a better understanding of history and culture.
In an academic setting, music is an integral part to an excellent and balanced education. Many music education supporters have correctly fought long and hard to maintain music programs within the public school system. They have had to answer tough questions like, âHow does music benefit our students academically?â and have had to face the challenges of the extensive testing of Common Core, tight schedules, and limited resources.
As a school subject, music has been repeatedly proven to improve academic test scores, lead to intellectual success, close the academic gap, and encourage the development of important life skills such as discipline, teamwork, and communication. The studies that have strengthened the cause for music education are phenomenal, but they often miss the importance of music appreciation.
Teacher candidates in colleges and universities study the purpose of education in the United States; they learn that children are being prepared for future jobs, citizenship, and to be well-balanced individuals that appreciate deeper meaning and forms of beauty. All three purposes are equally significant, but sadly, the importance of the third one is often overlooked.
When we take the time to go to an art museum, a concert, or any other artistic endeavor, we rarely ask ourselves how academic standards are being met or if we are actually learning anything worthwhile. We may analyze the skill and quality of the art or performance, but we always move past scrutiny to how the art resonates with us. This is a natural instinct, one that is developed either consciously or unconsciouslyâoften a combination of the two.
In appreciating music, we possess the knowledge and understanding of the universal and timeless qualities that classify all magnificent art. Babies are a great example of this; they freely enjoy music as far as their understanding permits them to. My son is less than a year old, but when I turn on music or sing for him, he immediately reacts to it. He appreciates music.
I began teaching the preschool music class less than ten weeks ago, and I have seen a lot of academic progress in my students. They are becoming more adept at identifying colors, letters, learning lyrics, and demonstrating life skills like sharing, taking turns, and helping with clean-up at the end of class. More notably, though, they demonstrate an appreciation for the music that they are learning. They happily sing along to familiar songs in class and at home, they sing and dance for their families.
It is imperative to foster music appreciation and encourage the natural instinct to love music in children. It cultivates a deeper understanding of what it means to be human. If you have children, or work with children in any capacity, take the time to expose them to all genres of music. Explore music with them through music classes, private lessons, various instruments, singing, and games at home.


Crossing midline is an important developmental skill that is typically mastered when a child is 3 or 4 years old. Crossing midline is the ability to reach across the middle of the body to the other side. It creates connections in the brain by requiring the left and right sides of the brain to âtalkâ to each other in order to coordinate movement and learning.
Children who have difficulty crossing midline can have difficulty with handwriting, reading, and gross and fine motor skills. (moreâ¦)
Good gross motor control provides the core stability and strength necessary for hand and finger muscles to do their work. Gross motor skills involve the postural control and movement of large muscle groups in the neck, shoulders, trunk, and legs; these skills allow us to perform tasks like sitting upright, standing, walking, running, and playing. Gross motor skill development typically precedes the development of fine motor skills.
To write proficiently, students must have the postural control and core stability to sit upright, along with the shoulder strength and endurance to stabilize the hand and fingers.
The following gross motor activities can help improve strength and postural stability: (moreâ¦)
The muscles used in handwriting begin to develop and strengthen in infancy, and by the age of five most children have developed enough muscle strength and control to begin writing. The small finger muscles are the ones most central to the writing process, but the larger muscles of the hand, shoulder, arm, and wrist also need to be strong and efficient in order to provide the necessary stability that allows the smaller muscles to do their job. Fine motor skills such as thumb opposition and in- hand manipulation rely on muscle strength and control. For children who need help improving the muscle strength that leads to fine motor skill success, here are some ideas: (moreâ¦)
Hand preference can begin as early as 18 months but usually develops around the ages of 3 or 4. Some children do not develop dominance until as late as 6 or 7. Determining hand dominance, and encouraging the use of the dominant hand, helps children to develop speed and accuracy with fine motor activities, especially handwriting.
Children who chew on their pencils, clothing, toys, etc. are usually seeking oral sensorimotor input to organize, calm, and focus their nervous system.
Strategies to support your childâs oral sensory seeking behaviors:


Orphaned Jane is sent to work as a governess for brooding Mr. Rochester's daughter, Adele. Love begins to grow between Jane and her moody employer, but his mysterious first wife threatens to ruin their chance at happiness.
About the Author
Charlotte Bronte lived from 1816 to 1855. In 1824 she was sent away to school with her four sisters and they were treated so badly that their father brought them home to Haworth in Yorkshire. The elder two sisters died within a few days and Charlotte and her sisters Emily and Anne were brought up in the isolated village. They were often lonely and loved to walk on the moors. They were all great readers and soon began to write small pieces of verse and stories.
Once Charlotteâs informal education was over she began to work as a governess and teacher in Yorkshire and Belgium so that she could add to the low family income and help to pay for her brother Branwellâs art education. Charlotte was a rather nervous young woman and didnât like to be away from home for too long. The sisters began to write more seriously and published poetry in 1846 under male pen names â there was a lot of prejudice against women writers. The book was not a success and the sisters all moved on to write novels. Charlotteâs best-known book, Jane Eyre, appeared in 1847 and was soon seen as a work of genius. Charlotte really knew how to make characters and situations come alive.
Charlotteâs life was full of tragedy, never more so than when her brother Branwell and sisters Emily and Anne died within a few months in 1848/49. She married her fatherâs curate in 1854 but died in 1855, before her fortieth birthday.
"At the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte BrontÃ«."


UNM to Exhibit Holocaust Artwork
The University of New Mexico Art Museum will present works of art made during the Holocaust in an exhibition titled, Through a Narrow Window: Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and Her TerezÃn Students, beginning Friday, Jan. 28. The exhibition, guest curated by Art Education Program Associate Professor Linney Wix, is a collaborative project between UNM's College of Education and the Art Museum. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Jan. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the UNM Art Museum.
The exhibition, which runs through Sunday, March 13, will present 20 works by Bauhaus artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis (1898-1944) and 29 works made by the children and adolescents who studied with her during their mutual imprisonment in the TerezÃn concentration camp between 1942 and 1944 in what was formerly known as Czechoslovakia. Works by Dicker-Brandeis span her student years at the Bauhaus, her mature years and the 21 months she was interned in TerezÃn. The 49 works on view at UNM are gathered from art collections in Prague, Vienna and Los Angeles.
"The exhibition honors not just Friedl Dicker-Brandeis but the works that were created, and that survived, because of her, and serves as a reminder thatâ¦art can flourish in even the darkest times," said Wix. "The UNM exhibit will provide a unique opportunity for New Mexicans to experience these compelling works as they consider what it means to share trauma through viewing art and understanding a particular art and education perspective as developed at the early Bauhaus and adapted for teaching children by Friedl Dicker-Brandeis."
Born in Vienna in 1898, Friedl Dicker-Brandeis was an acclaimed Bauhaus-educated artist and teacher. Her creative output spanned the painting of landscapes, still lifes and portraits to designing textiles, furniture, interiors, costumes and theatrical sets.
Late in the fall of 1942, Friedl Dicker-Brandeis received notice that she was to be deported to the TerezÃn concentration camp. In preparation, she packed art supplies. She also visited the shopkeeper in her small town of Hronov, Czechoslovakia, saying, "Hitler has invited me to a rendezvous. Do you have something warm?" The shopkeeper gave her a wool coat and told her she needn't pay for it. She brought him a painting, 'The View of Franzenbad from the Window,' saying, "I painted this in an hour. It takes much longer to make a coat" (Makarova, 2001, p. 28).
Friedl was only 44 years old when she traded her painting for a coat. She had behind her years of artistic study and practice; ahead, she would have an opportunity to share her life experiences in art with children traumatized by war and incarceration. That art, as facilitated by Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, served as a strategy for hope and survival for Terezin's child artists and will be highlighted in the exhibition. Friedl's approach to teaching art directly reflected her studies at the Bauhaus during its foundational years.
A series of family workshops, lectures and public performances including the nationally acclaimed, "And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank" and "Brundibar!," a children's opera first performed at the TerezÃn camp, will take place during the weeks of the exhibition.
For a complete schedule visit: Through a Narrow Window Events
A publication of the same title (UNM Press; 128 pp., 61 color plates), including a foreword by Vera John-Steiner, a preface by E. Luanne McKinnon, and essays by Edith Kramer, Linney Wix, and Kristina Yu as well as a translation of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis's 1943 essay "On Children's Art" by Lerke Foster, is also available.
The exhibition will be at the UNM Art Museum located in the Center for the Arts. The museum is open Tuesday â Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free but a $5 donation is suggested.
For more information visit: Through a Narrow Window:
Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and Her Terezin Students, UNM Art Museum or call (505) 277.4001 for current programming information.
Media contact: Steve Carr (505) 277-1821; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org


Factors relating to fathers' direct and indirect involvement in early childhood literacy in Thika municipality, Kenya
Maina, Wanjiru Anne
MetadataShow full item record
The extent of mothers and other female caregivers' involvement in emerging literacy has been investigated over the years in both developed and developing countries. In developed countries research on fathers' contribution to the child's early literacy development suggests that fathers have an important impact on child learning and academic success. In developing countries this has not been adequately investigated and documented, and research in Kenya has documented the traditional view of fathers as not being directly involved with infants and young children. The study intended to find out the extent of fathers' direct and indirect involvement in early child literacy development and identify factors that might be related to fathers' extent of involvement, including type of work, family income, and fathers' level of education, gender bias and fathers' role definition. The two guiding theories were: Holdaway's Theory of Literacy Development and the Social Development Theory by Vygotsky, The study used a descriptive research design. The site of this study was Thika Municipality within Central Province. The target population was fathers with 4-5 years old children in pre-schools. Seven schools were selected through simple random sampling. Stratified random sampling was used to select the sample of fathers. Fathers were clustered according to their nature of work. Simple random sampling was used to select the study sample from the cluster groups. Data was collected using questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for analysis. A t-Test for Related Samples was used to compare means and Pearson Chi-square used to test the relationship between the two variables. Findings from the study indicated that fathers' level of education had significant relationship on direct and indirect involvement while income was significantly related to direct involvement only. The other three factors had no significant relationship with fathers' direct or indirect involvement in their children's early literacy. Recommendations included awareness creation workshops for fathers on their important role in early literacy and further research to look into other factors that might be influencing fathers' direct and indirect involvement in literacy in the same area and another research in another metropolitan area using the same factors for comparison of results and further conclusions.


As I write this article, our ELC children are underway in preparation for our annual ELC Concert. This showcase will present a mix of favourite songs that each ELC group has rehearsed independently and collectively.
On reflection, this experience has inspired me to write about the benefits of music, not just in early childhood, but for a childâs entire educational journey.
What Children Learn from Music
Past research has suggested that exposure to music from early childhood onwards helps children to speak more clearly, develop a larger vocabulary, and strengthen social and emotional skills.
Renowned psychologist, Howard Gardner, argues that music intelligence is as important as logical and emotional intelligence. This is because music has the ability to strengthen the connection between the body and brain to work together as a team.
Music is a natural and important part of young childrenâs growth and development. Early interaction with music positively affects the quality of all childrenâs lives.
Successful experiences in music help all children bond emotionally and intellectually with others through creative expression in song, rhythmic movement, and listening experiences.
âMusic gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.â â Plato
Music in our Education Program
Music education for young children involves a developmentally appropriate program of singing, moving, listening, creating, playing instruments, and responding to visual and verbal representations of sound.
Ideally, time is made available during our day here at the ELC for activities in which music is the primary focus of attention for its own value. It may also serve as a means for educators to facilitate the accomplishment of non-musical goals.
Musical experiences are planned for various types of learning opportunities and integration with other areas of the curriculum in one-on-one and large-group music focus.
Children bring their own unique interest and abilities to the music learning environment. Each child will take away that bit of knowledge and skill that he or she is uniquely capable of understanding and developing.
In the ELC, the children are provided with a rich environment that offers many possible routes for them to explore as they grow in awareness and curiosity about music.
Lyn Pewtress, Kilvington ELC Coordinator


Music affects everyone in diverse ways, but many will confirm that music ultimately changes lives. Being exposed to music brings about countless benefits, and many experts believe that music is a crucial part of education, creativity and expression. In 1985, the National Association for Music Education dedicated a monthlong celebration of music in schools to raise awareness of musical education for all students. Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM) is celebrated each March and is an opportunity for music teachers to highlight the programs in their academic community that bring the benefit of music to students at any level.
At MSU, music is a part of our daily lives â whether we notice it or not. We walk to class to the tune of the bells in Beaumont tower, we sing âVictory for MSUâ and the âAlma Materâ at every sporting event, and weâve all seen at least one amazing musical at the Wharton Center. While those things may seem obvious, there are many other ways to experience and participate in music at MSU and during MIOSM, even if you arenât a music major.
The College of Music schedules performances that students are welcome to enjoy. From piano performances and symphony bands to jazz orchestras and wind symphonies, there are more days in the month of March that feature musical events than days that do not. These festivities are completely unique to MSUâs college experience and are free to students with a valid ID. Generous sponsors and lovers of music donate time and funds to make these performances happen, including MSUâs public radio station, WKAR.
WKAR is a public radio station in East Lansing that is owned by the university and has been providing students and faculty with classical music channels since 1948. Along with stations that play classical music, WKAR also provides some of National Public Radioâs popular programs. Fans of folk, jazz and classical music can tune in at any time of the day to catch playlists within their favorite genres. Student radio is an underrated but crucial aspect of ensuring that music is an integrated part of education, by making it accessible to anyone on campus.
Speaking of student radio, MSUâs Impact 89FM has students covered on all things alternative music. Impact is one of the nationâs largest college radio programs with over 300 students who work and volunteer for the station; this collaborative effort is recognized across campus as students are involved with not only FM music and DJing, but also with updating the websiteâs written articles about music, covering all MSUâs sports teams, managing marketing and conducting professional interviews. Impact also hosts events over the course of the semester that aim to get students involved with music in any context.
One of the most well-known events that Impact sponsors on campus is Open Mic Night with the University Activities Board. Open Mic Night takes place every other Tuesday night and is a favorite of Spartan students. March 13 and March 27 are the next Open Mic Nights, so grab your friends and head to the MSU Union for a night full of music. Students are encouraged to embrace their musical, comedic and creative sides by signing up to sing a couple of songs. There are even regulars who perform; The Three Dollar Bill Crew, a huge crowd pleaser, leave the crowd laughing every time. You donât need to be the next BeyoncÃ© or Justin Timberlake to perform â you just need to have fun!
Music is an important part of MSUâs social and cultural identity, found in any corner of the university. There are countless opportunities for students to get involved with music whether itâs through working at one of the radio stations, performing at open mic night or attending events scheduled by the College of Music. Since March is Music in Our Schools Month, take advantage of all the music our school has to offer and make the most of this university.


The Moon Room
Ages 2 & 3
Children 2 to 3 years old enjoy many challenging activities designed to help them develop social skills, language and a feeling of self-confidence in the loving, nurturing atmosphere of the Moon Room. Moon Room children learn to share and take turns. âHands-onâ materials encourage the development of small and large motor skills and age appropriate readiness skills. There are lots of opportunities for creative expression such as art, music, singing, dramatics and more! Our teachers partner with parents, providing support and helpful tips for Moon Room children who are not yet toilet trained.
The Moon Room is where it all begins at age 2! Starting school early helped with speech development, communication, and fine motor skills. My little one is tough and strong willed and I worried that I was putting him in school too young. Just the opposite, the Moon Room helped him tremendously with structure and patience, all in a LOVING way. Because that's what I believe they need and what Sundance gives kids above any other school.
Our Lower School play-based curriculum is uniquely designed to provide students with a multi-sensory, inquiry based learning experience which draws from an eclectic blend of the best educational practices. Those include:
- Traditional Montessori
- Whole Language
- Handwriting Without Tears
- Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
- Reggio Emilia Inspired techniques
Children have a natural love of shape, color, pattern and texture. All children enjoy the creative manipulation of materials. When children are encouraged to experiment with a wide variety of media under the guidance of an effective teacher they can benefit from increased self esteem and joy of self expression as well as a wide variety of other cognitive, physical, emotional and social skills.
- Hand eye coordination and fine motor development
- Perceptual and discrimination skills
- Tactile and kinesthetic awareness
- Creative expressions
- Self esteem
Our Lower School Creative Movement Program is rooted in the belief that learning through the arts not only educates students by elevates them to a deeper awareness of themselves and of the world around them. Children work together during each stage class dancing, pretending, singing, sharing, and learning the value of teamwork!
Lower School Stage classes are formatted to help students explore the basic four elements of dance. Whenever a person moves, the body uses space, force, and time. The children enjoy participating in the different lessons designed to help them discover the exciting possibilities inherent in the combination of these elements.
Each week the stages become an indoor playground for your child's imagination as they dramatize, pretend, and 'become' everything from shy sea creatures silently watching the sunlight glitter on the waves as they glide gracefully through water, to determined ducklings braving navigating their way out from inside their shells, eager to see the world for the first time! We dance through the seasons, paint our favorite colors on the surface of the moon, help frowning frogs find friends, and even drive our cars (with caution of course!) to some delightfully dear destinations.
The Mat Room
The early childhood years are a critical time for the development of physical skills. At Sundance our developmentally appropriate Mat Room program is designed to help children build a foundation of basic gross motor skills (throwing, catching, kicking, balancing, skipping, galloping, etc.). These skills are invaluable lifetime tools that children need and use to successfully participate in regular physical activity. Our main goal is to help children strengthen the sense of what they can do and to challenge them to do even more!
The primary goal of early music education is to develop the ability to perform, to create, to listen to music with understanding and most of all develop a passion for music. At Sundance our students will develop the ability to sing on tune and tap out and recognize the beat or rhythm to a song. Similar to learning a language, musical ability develops during the first five years of a childâs life.


There is national and international evidence that the first year of undergraduate studies is the crucial year for students. Students who progress beyond this first year have much greater chances of successfully graduating. As a result, Irish universities have been active over many years in addressing issues aimed at improving student retention (in particular during first year) and successful progression to graduation.
Irish universities have made considerable advances in recent years in the area of reinforced foundational skills, based on their experience of assisting undergraduate students who have demonstrated insufficient preparedness for third level academic and other requirements. Examples include the widespread availability of mathematics support centres, academic English support programmes and study skills support programmes. Universities also provide IT and foreign language skills development support for students. These supports are available throughout the year, as students need them, rather than only during an induction phase at the start of the year. Please click here for examples of student support services which are available across the Irish universities.
These provisions, along with many others which are designed to ease the transition of students into higher education, are available to all new students through formal induction/orientation events. They are reinforced through a system of personal tutors/student advisors /Year Heads who have specific roles, in particular for first year students, in relation to providing advice and information on general student issues, monitoring of academic progress, assisting in academic choices, and general advice regarding potential changes in a studentâs educational arrangements.
Ensuring that students acquire key generic skills (e.g. study skills, research skills, communication skills, quantitative reasoning, essay writing and critical thinking) is also addressed in a mainstream way through the design, delivery and assessment of all academic programmes, where broader issues of specific and generic knowledge, skills and competences are incorporated as part of the universitiesâ adoption of the National Framework of Qualifications, and articulated through defined learning outcomes for each programme and module.


In the first year, the Core Curriculum is taught in four sequential workshops spread across the year, matching the developmental trajectory of childrenâs growing skills.
The first two-day session is delivered in the summer prior to the start of school. Each of the remaining three workshops is a one-day session with the second workshop occurring in the fall, the third in the winter, and the fourth and final workshop taking place in the spring. Each workshop builds on the one before it, and all four are required.
Teachers attending the K Year 1 Core will also receive a 1 year subscription to the PowerTools app and access to analytics on classroom and individual level trends to support instructional planning. PowerTools helps teachersâ facilitate childrenâs reading instruction and increases the dosage of supported reading practice in Semester II. Classrooms need 4-8 iPads to implement PowerTools; classrooms can also implement Tools K without this technology asset. Our training will integrate approaches with and without PowerTools in 2018-2019.
In addition to the Year 1 Core content, our four-workshop series is supplemented throughout the year by virtual technical assistance, live webinars, and support through our innovative app based learning system, the iScaffold. Teachers have ongoing support and a range of ways to learn.
What will teachers learn?
- How to embed practice in self-regulated learning into all activities
- Strategies to help children improve the quality of their make-believe playâcritical for self-regulation development
- New research-based literacy and math activities that incorporate self-regulatory components
- Classroom management techniques to maximize time, facilitate productive interactions and increase and maintain student engagement
- Cutting edge research and the underlying Vygotskian theory that can unify and guide their teaching practice and help teachers meet the needs of all learners
Who can register?
This workshop series is designed for preschool teachers, paraprofessionals and related support staff in programs and schools seeking research-based innovative approach to curriculum that impacts childrenâs self-regulation development at the same time it builds foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
The cost is $3,750 per classroom which includes:
- 5 days of in-person professional development for lead and assistant teaching team
- 2 live webinars
- 2 Teacher Manual Sets
- 2 iScaffold 12-month subscriptions
- 2 sessions of Technical Assistance support (either in person or virtual) by a Tools of the Mind trainer are provided for each district registered
Additional attendees may be added at a cost of $1,875 per attendee. These additional attendees could be additional assistants in the classroom, support staff, coaches, and/or administrators. Additional TA may also be purchased.
Are you registering 3 or more classrooms? If so, you can receive a free seat for your program administrator at our professional development workshops as well as a free iScaffold subscription and manual set for that administrator. Please include it on the registration form when you sign up!
- August 13 & 14, 2018
- October 9, 2018
- December 17, 2018
- April 12, 2019


Artists of the Harlem Renaissance
Visual artists of the Harlem Renaissance attempted to win control over the representation of their people from white caricature and denigration while developing a new repertoire of images. Prior to World War I, black painters and sculptors had rarely concerned themselves with African American subject matter. By the end of the 1920s, however, back artists had begun developing styles related to black aesthetic traditions or folk art. As African art became better known in Western art circles, West African cultural models gained importance for black American artists.
Many of these artists produced their best work in the 1930s and helped cultivate the next generation. The Great Depression forced many artists to return "home" from Europe and brought them together in a critical mass previously unknown. In the 1930s, New York City became a centre of art education with new galleries, schools, and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, which was founded in 1929. Most important for the aspiring black artists were the School of Arts and Crafts and the Harlem Community Art Center. In the middle and late 1930s, with Works Progress Administration (WPA) aid, federal arts projects under the New Deal provided and unprecedented level of encouragement to the development of black artists and helped start the careers of a new generation of artists.
The seven artists were selected to reflect the broad range of the art produced during the Renaissance in painting, sculpting and photography.
Begin this path
- Harlem Renaissance Artist Sargent Claude Johnson, 1888-1967
- Harlem Renaissance Artist Aaron Douglas, 1899-1979
- Harlem Renaissance Artist Lois Mailou Jones, 1905-1998
- Harlem Renaissance Artist Hale Aspacio Woodruff, 1900-1980
- Harlem Renaissance Artist Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, 1877-1968
- Harlem Renaissance Artist Augusta Savage, 1892-1962
- Harlem Renaissance Artist James Van Der Zee, 1886-1983
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Annotation fills the gaps, making the page seem comprehensive. Some images have been printed with clues about the digital manipulation that has taken place see top right ; this can allow students to look back and understand how various effects were achieved, as well as communicate this to the examiner.
This sketchbook page introduces students to different ways of drawing water using various line techniques. Show your ideas developing After you have experimented and chosen an inspiration or two, show how your own artwork develops and expands from your knowledge. We also help students to develop concepts from scratch to for ultimate answers.
This crumpled up piece of newspaper resting on the sand allows students to practise drawing form, detail and space. Then choose another medium and a style and experiment making your art that way.
Drawing of skulls buried in sand. Ching produces beautiful pencil drawings of bones. Drawings can be done on a variety of material to identify the best material to use to deliver the artist information. Learning from the artwork of Sylvia Siddell: We help learners to grow with confidence as they learn these skills through guidance.
Take pictures of the original piece, or keep the original, and describe it in detail in written format. This A Level Art sketchbook page contains pen drawings from life at a string ensemble practice in a music hall, exploring ways of capturing the movement of the violin.
Every speck of the page has been considered and worked over, using colors that integrate and link with the Chrissy Angliker artworks analyzed. Many students identify with HSC art coursework, students draw repeated pictures with unrelated themes from different angles, using a different material.
The photocopier is an underutilised art tool. This page is a reminder of what really matters in the initial stages of a project: Here we have drawings of shells using graphite and white paint on a ground of watered down acrylic. This sketchbook page illustrates how a student might learn from artist model Sylvia Siddell.
We, therefore, help students get art coursework ideas from scratch that help them identify best markets to stake.artist research page examples. Artist Pages - Use for students to write about famous French artists - High School Art Education Find this Pin and more on artist research page examples by mrs Sketching, Keep a Sketchbook, Journal, Ideas, Design, Inspiration Log, Skizzenbuch, GCSE Art, A Level Art, Art College, Art Teacher.
o 35% for the write-ups o 25% for the photos Â§ 12Â½% of which relating to the artist Your coursework, in your work journals and elsewhere, should include research, supporting studies and work showing the development of your ideas, leading to.
Aug 09, Â· BLOG (you can find more art advice here) ; ultimedescente.com Exam short films - ultimedescente.com?v=ehp8XaYCXeA ultimedescente.com Famous artists enhance art history research paper topics by focusing on the individual artist and how his art work contributed to the time period or era of his life.
Order a custom essay on any artist and Paper Masters will write the research from scratch. Siqueiros research papers discuss the artist known for his fresco murals and. Visual research â Pictures collected about a theme. Visual analysis - When you copy a picture you are visually analysing it.
Research â Information visual or written about a theme. Artist research page â Research presented in the sketchbook investigating the artistsâ style. Refine â Carefully and thoughtfully improve. Tone â Light and dark. This collection of International GCSE Art sketchbook examples was created to inspire the students of an experienced art teacher and Coursework assessor Skip to content.
This example of an International GCSE sketchbook page shows copies from artist model Raymond Ching.
Ching produces beautiful pencil drawings of bones.Download


Gross motor skills, fine motor skills, language skills, cognitive skills and social-emotional skills all develop together with each small piece adding to other small pieces to create a foundation. Sometimes small babies and young toddlers do not achieve their developmental milestones as expected. There are many different reasons for this including but not limited to premature birth, difficult birth, drug exposure, low or high muscle tone, torticollis, and gastric distress. Gross motor skills tend to be among the first piece where education and intervention can create a change.
Our therapists have experience working with babies to identify these barriers to movement and then work with the families to help move past those barriers maximizing a babyâs potential. This promotes development of solid foundational skills that promote exploration and learning.


There are many reasons for using games in your team building program. The most important reason for most facilitators is that games can add an element of fun. In the other training activities, fun may not be the foremost goal. Games can entice team members to become involved. Team members will interact with each other in a different type of activity from the rest of the training program. Thus, games bring them together in a new situation. While participating, they get to know another side to their team mates.
Some of the other reasons are listed below.
- Participating in games provides team members with an opportunity for movement that can be sadly lacking in the daily training/school routine.
- Physical activity/movement promotes an increase in brain activity and re-energises the body.
- Both increased brain, muscle activity lead to increased blood flow that will both refocus attention and improve the individualâs mood.
- Any change in activity level will refresh participants and offset boredom. This is often called a brain break.
- There is some evidence that goes further to say that if the games require movement that encourage participants to be active they can improve learning, concentration and memory.
- Interactive games build relationships between team members.
- Games can provide a structured, interesting activity where participants are unconsciously learning team building concepts
- In the developing of relationships, team members can get to know one another and start to trust one another while having fun.
- Games can be educative in subtle but effective ways.
- All games can help develop a range of communication skills and some require use of literacy and numeracy skills.
- Good educational games can be motivational and promote a range of higher order thinking skills such as:
- creative thinking (as found in the energiser and team bonding games)
- problem solving and analytical thinking skills (icebreakers, energisers, team bonding and trust games)
- collaborative, cooperative thinking plus negotiation skills (team bonding and trust)
- reflective, evaluative and critical thinking (closure games).


Lin Fengmian, Wade-Giles romanization Lin Feng-mien, original name Lin Shaoqiong, alias Fengming, (born November 22, 1900, Meixian, Guangdong, Chinaâdied August 12, 1991, Hong Kong), Chinese painter and art educator who sought to blend the best of both Eastern and Western art.
The son of a painter, Lin learned traditional Chinese painting techniques as a child. After graduating from high school, he moved to France, where he studied European painting at the Dijon Art College and the Ãcole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1922 his oil painting The Autumn was exhibited at the prestigious Salon dâAutomne in Paris. The following year his Chinese ink paintings were again shown at the Salon dâAutomne, and 42 of his paintings were displayed in the Exhibition of Chinese Ancient and Modern Art at Strasbourg, France.
In 1925 Lin returned to Beijing, where he had his first solo exhibition one year later. Lin strove to capture the essence of both Eastern and Western art in order to achieve a new synthesis. He studied the stone engravings of the Han dynasty as well as the porcelain drawings of the Song and Yuan dynasties. He also emulated aspects of the distortion and simplification of Chinese folk art in his use of rich colours and bold, rapid brushstrokes. Into this he integrated the emotive qualities of European masters such as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Rouault. These influences led him to create paintingsâset against a monochromatic background of ink wash-and-line drawingâthat were deftly furnished with gorgeous colours set in forceful motion. The resulting rhythm of clear but changeable light and intense sentiment became known as the âLin Fengmian Style.â
In 1927 Lin became a member of the Committee for the National Art Education and helped to establish the National Art College (now known as the Zhejiang College of Fine Arts). In 1938 he became director of the National Art Academy, an amalgamation of the Hangzhou and Beiping art academies. Lin was a pivotal figure in shaping the development of Western art training in China. He went on to teach some of the most renowned painters in 20th-century China, including Zhao Wuji, Li Keran, Wu Guanzhong, and Xi Dejin. He also published numerous articles that explored the interrelation of Eastern and Western art and discussed the future of Chinese painting.
In 1966 the artist was targeted by the Cultural Revolution. Fearing prosecution, Lin destroyed many of his experimental works but was nonetheless imprisoned for four years. In 1977, when the Revolution ended, he traveled to Hong Kong and had a hugely successful exhibition, the first of many successful international retrospectives of his work in the late 20th century.


ERIC Number: ED127364
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1976-Jul
Reference Count: 0
Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study: Phase II, 1973-74, Final Report: Volume I. The Effects of Teaching Performances on Pupil Learning.
McDonald, Frederick J.; Elias, Patricia J.
The Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study (BTES), Phase II, was a research project on effective teaching behavior--what teachers do that significantly affects what and how pupils learn. The purposes of Phase II were to (1) develop an assessment system for measuring teacher and pupil behaviors and other factors which could influence each of them and their interrelationships and (2) generate hypotheses about the interrelationships among teacher and pupil behaviors and related factors. Forty-one second grade and 54 fifth grade experienced teachers participated in the study. This volume presents the plan of the investigation, the research strategy, the rationale for the design, the tests and methods of their selection, and the major results of the study. Actual classroom teaching was observed; pupil performance was measured in reading and mathematics. Data were also gathered on correlates of pupil learning such as verbal aptitude, cognitive style, expectations for greater or lesser success in reading and mathematics, and indices of home and community variables. Data were collected on each teacher's background and measures were made of a variety of perceptual-cognitive aptitudes, knowledge of the subjects taught and how to teach them, attitudes toward these subjects, and the teachers' expectations for each of their pupil's performances. Data were also collected on the environment of teaching to determine if differences in the organization of instruction, shared responsibility for the design of the curriculum, administrative style, and organizational climate were related to differences in teacher performances. (RC)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Achievement Gains, Achievement Tests, Aptitude Tests, Classroom Environment, Classroom Observation Techniques, Criterion Referenced Tests, Educational Testing, Elementary Education, Elementary School Teachers, Expectation, Grade 2, Grade 5, Mathematical Models, Mathematics, Measurement Techniques, Norm Referenced Tests, Predictor Variables, Reading, Research Design, Research Methodology, Statistical Analysis, Student Attitudes, Student Behavior, Student Characteristics, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Behavior, Teacher Characteristics, Teacher Effectiveness, Teaching Methods, Test Reliability, Test Validity, Verbal Ability, Videotape Recordings
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Sponsor: National Inst. of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: California State Commission for Teacher Preparation and Licensing, Sacramento.; Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ.
Note: For related documents, see TM 005 524-535


Master Fine Motor Skills With These Fine Motor Activities
Fine Motor Skills incorporate the use of the small muscles - hands and fingers - with the eyes. These skills are used for tasks such as grabbing small objects; manipulating things; and even handwriting.
Our Muffin Math Game is one of the best fine motor activities for young learners. Using tweezers, the children sort pom pons by color, shape, and size into the correct muffin spots. Not only is the game strongly focused on fine motor skills development, but also on counting and sorting.
We create fine motor activities to be fun and engaging. Most children love Play-Doh. Encouraging students to make shapes and letters with the Play-Doh helps strengthen their hands and fingers, while developing their academic knowledge. It's important to make learning fun.
We always start by putting the Play-Doh in front of the child and asking them to divide it into four (4) parts. The child should use their whole hand to squeeze the Play-Doh and use their number knowledge. We then ask them to use their pinchers - index finger and the thumb - to pinch off some of the snakes, and then we proceed with the skill building activities.
If we are creating letters, we always sing the sound while creating it: "C,C,C" or "S,S,S,S". Children love rhyme and music. "C says /C/. S says /S/. We try to integrate all the components of learning while engaging students in the activity. If they are manipulating Play-Doh; singing the sound a letter makes; and seeing the actual letter in front of them; they are more likely to perform the activity successfully and retain the learning.
The Toddler Matching Bundle is great for fine motor practice. It provides early exposure to foundational skills such as letters, numbers, shapes, and colors while practicing fine motor skills with the hands-on nature of the activities. These activities allow for parents and teachers to sit down with their children and have easy resources to practice the basics.
The Toddler Matching Bundle includes:
- Flower Color Match - Match the petals to the correct center of the flower.
- Alphabet Match - Match the picture on the ice cream cone to the correct letter cone.
- Animal Match - Find the other half of the animal.
- Shape Match - This can be used as a memory game, or larger pictures can be used to sort the shapes.
These activities are meant to be used over and over. At first, this will be a guided activity but eventually your child will be able to use these tools independently. Don't forget that your child pointing to the right card (before they are able to pick it up) is a fine motor milestone too!
Be sure to grab our Plah-Doh freebie this week to practice fine motor skills at home!


âI must study politics and war, that my sons may study mathematics and philosophyâ¦in order to give their children the right to study painting, poetry, music and architecture.â
-John Q. Adams
Arts Education is a critical component in the development of the whole child. Creating art engages the studentsâ minds and helps to develop all aspects of thinking. Our children will need the skills afforded through the arts to be leaders in the fast paced 21st century. The arts provide skills that enable students to be creative and fully participate in a global society. Acceptance of all races, ethnic groups and cultures is the foundation for living and working in the 21st century. Through the study of the Arts, children are exposed to a variety of cultures which fosters an understanding and appreciation for those cultures.
Technological changes in the past 20 years require a solid understanding of the impact these changes have on the environment and how we learn. Creation in the Arts has also transformed dramatically in the past generation and the use of technology has given greater access to more children to explore and create art.
Cross curricular infusion of the Arts through Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, World Language and Physical Education addresses the needs of the 21st century child. By teaching across the curriculum, the learner is able to link aspects of all subjects and synthesize the material more efficiently.
Children in grades K- 5 should receive exposure to the four areas of arts education: Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Art in a sequential manner. They should achieve a basic literacy in the content knowledge and skills of the NJCCCS. In grades 6 â 8, students should identify an art area of focus. This focus is to be determined by the child. The child should then develop a competency in skills and knowledge of the specific arts area. Grades 9 â 12 allow the student to remain focused on one of the arts areas with the goal of achieving proficiency in at least one area of the Arts as determined by the knowledge and skills standards of the NJCCCS.
All children in the Newark Public Schools will have an equal access to a sequential arts program that is aligned to the NJCCCS.
Special Assistant for the Arts
2 Cedar Street
Newark, NJ 07102
Visual, Performing & Living Arts Resources
Other Internet Resources
- Alvin Ailey
- American Ballet Theater
- American Repertory Ballet
- Art Educators of NJ
- B&H Photo
- Carnegie Hall
- J. W. Pepper
- Lincoln Center
- Music Educators National Conference
- National Art Education Association
- Newark Museum
- NJ Music Educators Association
- NJ Symphony
- The Kennedy Center


Kindergarten-The Matching Game 2
Using ScratchJr, the students worked to create an animated matching game. Choosing 3 animals from ScratchJr, the students drew their game plan in their Launch Logs, then moved to the iPads. The students chose either the "green flag" or "touch" triggers to move the animals to the first letter of the animals' name. This project reinforces the importance of giving program commands in the correct sequence.
1st Grade-Scratch and the Butterfly 1
To learn how sequential programming and trigger blocks work in ScratchJr, the students played a game where each person on the team gets a piece of paper showing a program made out of ScratchJr blocks. Each student had a different trigger block to start the next student's program.
2nd Grade-Moving with Math 2
Building on the skills learned in the last cycle, the students created an animation in ScratchJr that included 2 farm animals and a barn. The students chose the trigger (green flag or tap) to move the animals to the barn and then made the animals disappear into the barn. The students used the grid again to determine how many pixels the animals needed to move to get to the barn and answered questions about the process in their Launch Logs.
3rd Grade-Code Sketches 1
Now that students have an understanding of basic programming, they used the iPad app Hopscotch to program actors to draw shapes. The students learned how to add an actor, draw a line, use loops and functions to make the program efficient. After completing a basic square, students were challenged to use repeating squares to create colorful patterns.
4th Grade-The Body's Computer 2
In this cycle students completed their clay models of the brain adding labels that named each part of the brain and described the functions that each part controls.
5A & 5B-Organizing the Kits
To better understand and learn the names of the pieces and parts of the robotics kits, the students organized the kits. All of the parts were separated into bags and batteries were installed. In the next cycle we begin to build!
5C & 5D-Information Highway 2
After learning about binary code during our last cycle, the students learned how computers store images. They created their own pixel pictures, wrote the code for the images and then passed the code to another student who then duplicated the image.
Welcome to the STEAM Studio Blog for Jamestown Upper & Lower Elementary Schools in Hudsonville, MI. Here you will find the latest projects and concepts we've been working on in class.
comes to Hudsonville with 17 years of teaching information and technology skills to elementary students. After earning a BA in Elementary Education at the University of Northern Iowa and a Masterâs degree from the University of Iowa in 2000, she drew a circle on the map and chose Southwest Michigan.


Creativity is another important element that can enable one to understand a comprehension. According to the literature available, most poets first think of the title of the poem before they think of the content or the message. Understand multiple meanings such as the word "party".
In most cases, the theme of a poem can be deduced from a quick analysis of the title.
In addition, it will form the basis of analyzing the grammatical structure of different sentences. In some cases students are told to deduce the meaning of certain words from the manner in which they have been used in a narrative.
Include signal and directional words: Literal level Why do the leaves turn red and yellow in the fall? Once the reader gets an idea concerning the theme of the poem from the title, he or she should then proceed to read through the poem to get the general idea.
However, there are certain words that have been found to be quite confusing and can significantly affect the general comprehension of the text. However, this also requires a thorough understanding of the comprehension so that the reader will be able to tell why some characters act in a certain way.
Teachers monitor the discussion and provide cognitive scaffolding. Complete understanding of a poem can never be achieved by just a single reading. ELL Instruction Why reading comprehension skills are particularly important for ELLs ELL students will still need a lot of vocabulary development and teaching of comprehension strategies even if they: Based on their knowledge children can make certain predictions.
Debrief with the whole class to ask students to share how they applied the strategy or skill. And also prediction gives children a good reason to read the text till the end, because now they have the purpose to do that â to find out whether their prediction was correct or not.
There are two main functions of prediction. Provide a brief, simple outline of a reading assignment or an oral discussion in advance of a new lesson. Label, define, model, and explain the strategy or skill.
Let me rethink what was happening. Each time you hand out a new textbook, take students on a "virtual tour.
This will certainly give the general overview of the work that is essential for the proper comprehension. Students with limited or interrupted schooling may not have the same level of knowledge as their peers, especially when it comes to historical or cultural topics.
Additional steps for ELLs Identify vocabulary words that you think might be difficult for students to understand when they read the text. Allow students to use their native language with peers for a quick brainstorm to discover what they know about a topic before presenting their ideas to the whole class.
There are several prediction methods that are used while reading classes: Walk through the book with the students, pointing out photographs, illustrations, and other graphic elements.
For example, after listing four facts about a healthy diet and four opinions about what is good to eat, label one list as facts and the other list as opinions.Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners Lydia Breiseth Comprehension is the goal of reading, but it can be the most difficult skill to master, especially for English language learners (ELLs).
Why reading comprehension skills are particularly important for ELLs. ELL students will still need a lot of vocabulary development and teaching of.
Key Points of the Challenge were: 1) identify reasons why it is appropriate to teach reading comprehension strategies in content-area class. If the text is an essay, short story, or a short poem, read the whole text to get an overview of its content. If you are reading a lengthy text, such as a novel, you may wish to read one or two chapters at a time.
2. Then, read the text a second time. Reading Comprehension Strategies: Worksheet. Reading Comprehension Strategies And Reading Skills English Language Essay.
Print Reference this. there were few researchers who investigate the relationship of reading comprehension strategies and reading comprehension of students. At HETC, reading has a key place in any English courses when students study English not only as the.
Sample of Comprehension Strategies Essay (you can also order custom written Comprehension Strategies essay).Download


A coloring book (or colouring book, or colouring page) is a type of book containing line art to which a reader may add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media. Coloring pages are not only exciting, but also useful for children and adults. Traditional coloring books and coloring pages are printed on paper or card. Some coloring books have perforated edges so their pages can be removed from the books and used as individual sheets. Others may include a story line and so are intended to be left intact. Today many children's coloring books feature popular cartoon characters. They are often used as promotional materials for animated motion pictures. Coloring books may also incorporate other activities such as connect the dots, mazes and other puzzles. Some coloring books also incorporate the use of stickers.
Paint books and coloring books emerged in the United States as part of the "democratization of art" process, inspired by a series of lectures by British artist Joshua Reynolds, and the works of Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and his student Friedrich FrÃ¶bel. Many educators concluded that all, regardless of background, students stood to benefit from art education as a means of enhancing their conceptual understanding of the tangible, developing their cognitive abilities, and improving skills that would be useful in finding a profession, as well as for the children's spiritual edification. The McLoughlin Brothers are credited as the inventors of the coloring book, when, in the 1880s, they produced The Little Folks' Painting Book, in collaboration with Kate Greenaway. They continued to publish coloring books until the 1920s, when the McLoughlin Brothers became part of the Milton Bradley Company.


learn. Also examined in the paper are the financial benefits of incorporating educational programs instead of cutting them, as well as the effect these programs play on the recidivism rate. A constantly changing geopolitical environment has continued to place increasing amounts of emphasis on obtaining a post-secondary school education. Some believe that our education is an obligation. However, the research paper continues to evolve to meet the needs of a world marked by continuous change or effective action. The only obligation we might have towards education is to treat it as a privilege as well as a right, but certainly not an obligation to have an education. tags: Education Budgets for Art Education Term Papers 2029 words (5.8 pages) Preview - Why have creative skills been put on the back burner in todays society. Records of history show Greece as the birthplace of philosophic thought, it is said that Philosophy is the child of the wise men of Greece.
Education Through Experience Essay - 1054 Words
Individuals in the society acquire new approaches in life that build opinions on the economical and social life. tags: Papers School Learning University Essays Better Essays 769 words (2.2 pages) Preview - The Importance of Physical Education and Health In studying Physical Education and Health, I have learned that there are a significant number of benefits of physical activity. Students are considered receptors, which the teachers or oppressors, fill with how they see the world. College gives another level of critical thinking for people who want to push themselves to a new level of understanding, especially those who have always been taught that way and thrive. I was awarded As and Bs through my hard work. Beforehand, I would like to define the term social institution followed by my own interpretation. (Cunningham, 171) said Pat McGeer of the Ministry of Education publication Education Today. So how does it all happen. The worldwide lack of education is due mainly to the scarce availability of formal schooling and its limited depth. One of the many benefits of a liberal arts education is that you will receive training in a variety of subjects. In the television show Community, the view of education differs in many of the characters. You are an Information Technology Professional and are being sustainable development essay in malayalam measured against your peers, most of whom hold Bachelor Degrees.


Master of Music (MM)
The purpose of this study was to examine the ways music is used in classes at the Little Gym. It also attempted to uncover the benefits of the use of music in the classes as identified by the participants. This investigation of music at the Little Gym required the use of standard qualitative data collection strategies performed over the course of four months of fieldwork. Approximately sixty hours of observations were completed, both as an observer and a participant observer, and twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents and teachers. Data analysis entailed transcribing and coding interviews, examining observations field notes, and reviewing the Little Gym website and class brochures. Emergent themes included the use of music to facilitate transitions, give instructions, and enhance creativity and imagination among students. Further, the benefits of music in the classroom included helping children focus, creating a positive distraction for the students, and providing music education benefits. Music educators and classroom teachers working with early childhood teachers working with early childhood learners might apply these findings in their classrooms, introducing elements of musical play into lessons, using music to facilitate transitions and give directions, and providing opportunities for children to enjoy positive experiences with music.
Document Availability at the Time of Submission
Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.
Alexander, Alison Elaine, "A study of children's musical play at the Little Gym" (2012). LSU Master's Theses. 4172.
Bartolome, Sarah Jane


Consistent with ACARAâs Student diversity advice on the Australian Curriculum website, the progressions support teachers to cater for the diversity of learners by:
- acknowledging studentsâ different rates of progress through the levels and across elements
- acknowledging that students at the initial levels demonstrate literacy skills in different waysacknowledging that some students communicate using augmentative and alternative communication strategies to demonstrate their literacy and numeracy skills
- acknowledging different starting points in studentsâ literacy or numeracy learning development
- supporting teachers to differentiate for students at all stages of schooling
- complementing ACARAâs English as an additional language or dialect teacher resource EAL/D Learning Progression: Foundation to Year 10, which describes important features of second language development
Adjustments may be needed for students with disability to demonstrate their learning and be considered against the progressions.
The Australian Curriculum provides advice to support teachers in meeting their obligations under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2006) (the Standards) to ensure that all students with disability are able to participate in the Australian Curriculum on the same basis as their peers through rigorous, meaningful and dignified learning programs.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Standards are intended to give students with disability the same rights as other students, including the right to education and training on the same basis as students without disability.


As teachers, weâve all heard of really great ideas weâd like to incorporate into our lessons. Sometimes our excitement is met with success, while other times we try it and vow never to do it again. Using a blog with a classroom of kids has the potential to go either way. Itâs all in the planning â and itâs worth it.
Thereâs a learning curve involved with blogging that we need to address so our students can be successful. It doesnât always work when we unleash a class full of creative wonders and keep our fingers crossed that students will stay on task and be respectful. With my classes, I try to focus on feedback before we do anything else. Itâs something they receive on a regular basis, but itâs not always something that they have practice giving. Being able to collaborate and discuss ideas is an essential skill. Before any authentic blogging occurs, we work on sharing ideas and giving each other feedback in a way that will further everyoneâs learning. This is an important skill.
The Importance of Commenting
Students love blogging for the authenticity of audiences and format. They are willing to put themselves and their writing out there, and they donât want to read a bunch of comments that are irrelevant or only serve as false flattery. They want to know what their audience really thinks, and even discuss their ideas with them. So the best thing you can do as a teacher is teach kids how to comment on peersâ work, in such a way as to improve the original piece, or further the understanding of the one who is commenting. Sounds easy right?
Involve the kids, and practice with writing that is low risk, or does not belong to them. Use examples which are not blog posts, but other formats; or have students create paper blogs (a practice I adopted from @pernilleripp). It calms studentsâ nerves, and allows for honesty in comments. Honesty is a great teaching tool because in encouraging honesty we ensure authentic feedback, but we need to teach them how to be honest in a productive and friendly fashion. So, practice and set some ground rules from the discussions you have with your class around their commenting. Discussing how a comment might make someone feel is important, as is a discussion around the purpose of posting a comment. Does it further anyoneâs understanding? Does it enhance the discussion?
How to Leave Effective Comments
Have students take notice of interesting ideas in the post and make connections to what they already know, ask questions, and notice whatâs going on in their heads while theyâre reading â reading comprehension strategies at their best. When theyâre ready to comment, encourage them to give an honest opinion â but not a critique of the writing. Focus on the content.
- Ask questions about difficult concepts
- Share what the writing made them think about
- Challenge the thinking of other people. Sometimes learning happens when people are forced to rethink their ideas.
- Always be polite. Rude people are rarely influential. In fact, their opinion is usually ignored.
- Encourage them to finish with a question which other bloggers and commenters can respond. This encourages conversations and purposeful comments.
Be polite, Be specific, and Be positive
In the end, our class motto ends up looking something like: Be polite, Be specific, and Be positive. However, we work really hard on separating a comment which disagrees with ideas made in a post, with a personal attack on the writer. If their thinking gets challenged, we donât want them to be offended. Instead, encourage them to listen to their peers, consider their positions, and decide whether or not they agree. Give them the right to accept or reject ideas, and have them respond to the comment to let the audience know how their ideas have influenced them.
Ideally, working together to enhance our communication and solidify our ideas will serve us all well in the future. Starting a blog where kids can safely learn how to interact and provide kind, quality feedback to each other, will make them more aware of themselves as writers and thinkers.
Photo Credit: Alan Levine via flickr cc


January 16, 2018
Research shows reading improves kids' emotional intelligence and increases empathy
Growing up in a small town in Iowa, books were my window to a larger world. I would curl up in our overstuffed floral chair and be transported to a new worldâfrom the 1930s Dust Bowl in Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse to the castle in Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Books taught me about people who had different life experiences and grew up in different places than the Midwest.
The author, David Foster Wallace, accurately summarizes the importance of reading fiction and how fiction can help us better understand others, saying, âFiction is about what it means to be human.â
This notion that reading can better help us connect to the broader human experience is more than a simple observation, it has been supported by extensive research. Studies show that reading can help kids build developmental skills of emotional intelligence and empathy, enabling our young readers to better connect with other perspectives and human experiences.
Fiction can increase emotional intelligence
The ability to learn about diversity through reading has been studied extensively, as researchers try to tap into what lifelong readers know as the magic of reading.
According to an article in the Scientific American, researchers at the New School in New York City âfound evidence that literary fiction improves a readerâs capacity to understand what others are thinking and feeling.â The article further argues that literary fiction can âsupport and teach us values about social behavior, such as the importance of understanding those who are different from ourselves.â
The results of this study suggest that readers have greater emotional intelligence and empathy, meaning they can better put themselves in someone elseâs shoes.
An important concept for parents, volunteers, mentors, and teachers to keep mind during classroom time and one-on-one sessions with kids. By supporting kidsâ literacy development and a love of reading, you will in turn foster their emotional growth as you read and discuss fiction with them.
Stories and human connection
The notion that reading is a valuable skill for building social awareness and empathy is echoed by many authors who know and love this magical, important part of reading.
In an interview with Lit Hub, author Sunil Yapa says, âEmpathy is a radical act, particularly when you use it to connect with people who are very different from you. Loving others is wonderful, but caring for others is profoundâ¦Empathy is a profound act of imagination and human connection. In fiction, we imagine ourselves into other peopleâs experiences. Of course, another word for that is âreading.ââ
In this quotation, Yapa captures the essence of the connection between empathy and reading. He highlights how stories can be used as points of access for understanding other peopleâs lives.
Whether fiction or nonfiction, reading offers a unique experience to become engrossed in the stories and life experiences of the characters in the book. Providing readers with the opportunity to connect with other worldviews.
Applying this research in practice
At Reading Partners, we have the chance to read and discuss amazing childrenâs fiction with the students we work with. Giving children an array of diverse choices of fiction will not only help them become better readers, but will encourage them to be more empathetic people.
Books can be a window into different worlds for our students, just like they were for me growing up. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena and Home by Carson Ells are two of my recent favorite childrenâs books that inspire empathy.
Here are some tips to incorporate this research in your next tutoring session:
- Pick a literature book for read aloud time that discusses different types of life events and/or cultures.
- Ask comprehension questions related to charactersâ responses to the events in the book.
- Encourage your student to think about how they might have responded to the events a character is experiencing in the book.
The opportunity to strengthen each studentâs empathy through reading is an exciting prospect. Stories matter, and understanding others matters. Iâm grateful for all the time I spent reading growing up and believe reading has made me a more empathetic person.


Youth Music: Exchanging Notes
Can young people involved in musical activities those at risk of low attainment or exclusion? The Exchanging Notes project set out to find this out, and look at how the quality of music teaching could be improved to make it more effective.
Exchanging Notes is a four-year research programme, pioneering new partnerships between schools and music education providers. The programme, funded by Youth Music, began in September 2014. Seven projects have been funded over the four years with grants totaling Â£1,195,308.
Each partnership works with young people at risk of low attainment, disengagement or educational exclusion to see whether participation in regular music-making activities can enable achievement of musical, educational and wider outcomes. Researchers in the School of Education supporting the project over a four-year period through the evaluation of the educational and musical outcomes of these new models.
Aim of research
The central aim of the research is to ensure that young people at risk of low attainment, disengagement or educational exclusion achieve the best musical, educational and wider outcomes through participation in a pioneering music education project, and to develop new models of effective partnership-working between schools and out-of-school music providers.
With this in mind the project had some intended outcomes:
- To improve the quality and standards of music delivery for children and young people.
- To embed learning and effective practice in host and
andshare practice beyond the project.
- To improve young peopleâs educational and wider developmental outcomes.
- To develop the creative, expressive and musical ability of young people.
Method of research
Over the four the researchers have gathered a range of data to explore the aims of the project. This includes in-depth qualitative research with music leaders, teachers young people through interviews and observations, as well as quantitative data collection in the form of engagement scales and perception surveys. We have also collated the young peopleâs school assessment and attainment data to track progress and progression over the four years.
Research and evaluation of Exchanging Notes show that there is a great need for the exploration of partnership work currently in English schools: partnership working is important for supporting young people at risk of educational exclusion and there are musical, educational and social benefits. But likewise, there is also a need for more value to be placed on music in schools, with greater exploration of its social impact and the measurements of success.
The final evaluation report is due January 2019. This will focus on the overall outcomes of Exchanging Notes, drawing together findings from multiple qualitative and quantitative datasets.


Project duration: 2011-2015
Instructors: Yaara Oren, Michal Raz, Tali Keren, Oren Ben Moreh
The Weizmann Initiative is an art education project that took place at MoBY for five years. The group included 7th, 8th, and 9th graders who attended weekly classes at the museum. During the course of the project, the participants acquired tools of artistic production with which they learned to look inwards â into their inner world, and outwards â at their surroundings. With these tools the participants were encouraged to inquire, envisage, and create new worlds. Classes included experimentation with a wide range of artistic mediums and an introduction to the history of art; from classic masterpieces, through contemporary art practices, to video and street art.
A significant part of the learning process was the lively discussions that were sparked in class, and which contributed to the participantsâ artistic observation and interpretation abilities. During the workshops, the museum class was turned into a lab in which art was employed as a tool for investigating the limits of self-expression and human imagination. Special emphasis was placed on material aspects of production; participants experimented with various materials, which enabled intuitive acts and led to new discoveries.
The Weizmann Initiative focuses on a group of teenagers and accompanies them from primary school, through middle school, to high school. The unique duration allows the Department of Community and Education team to develop a meaningful relationship with the participants. The workshops included individual projects alongside collaborative work which advances the participantsâ social skills.
The program was made possible due to the generous support of the JDC-Israel Ashalim.


This library guide highlights resources held by UVic Libraries on the topic of art education
with a particular focus on research and theory.
For teaching resources related to art education in K-12 contexts please consult the library guide
Education - Lesson Plans - Art
For Fine Arts resources more generally please consult the Fine Arts Librarian, Tad Suzuki, and his library guides:
Your best source of information for an introduction to research in art education is your instructor or supervisor.
Ask them for their recommendations of useful introductory resources.
Let me know if you have recommendations for additional resources to be listed on this guide.
Close up of 'The Crystal Garden Banner' by Carole Sabiston, Curriculum Library, UVic Libraries
Photo credit: C. Nahachewsky, 2014
A number of scholars in UVic's Faculty of Education focus on art education research.