Factors Influencing Art Curriculum Content
Demographic research in art teacher education has been limited (Galbraith & Grauer, 2004), particularly on issues associated with the challenges of bridging contemporary art education theories to practice in U.S. schools. Some art educators in higher education have been concerned about the application of contemporary art education issues by newly trained art teachers entering the field. In order to better understand factors influencing the art curriculum content actually applied by new service art teachers, a primarily quantitative survey instrument with limited open-ended response questions was used for data collection. For the purposes of this article, curriculum has been defined as course content and implementation guided by external and internal factors such as the state or school as well as the beliefs, attitudes, assumptions (Congdon, Stewart, & White, 2002), and interests of the teacher.
Contemporary approaches of art teacher education and practice emphasizing, for example, feminist, social, and critical theories in art and pedagogy have offered progressive possibilities for art curriculum that are diverse and address current social (Efland, 2004; Lampela, 1995, 2001), political (Garber, 2004), and cultural (Banks, 1993; Grossman, 1995) issues that exist in our current world. Many educational researchers have recommended the use of curriculum that is relevant to students and reflects the cultural diversity of the students' community (Ballengee-Morris & Stuhr, 2001; Boughton & Mason, 1999; Heard, 1990).
Art Education Curriculum Trends
For more than two decades the predominant use of formalism has been challenged by new approaches and theories. True to a postmodern sensibility, there has not been a dominant curriculum theory or approach, but instead a plurality of approaches that address a more inclusive body of artists and issues (e.g., social, political, and cultural), preparing preservice teachers for the dramatic demographic changes occurring in U.S. public schools.
Despite this paradigm shift in higher education, there have been noted concerns about curriculum content and its applications. Jelcich (1998) claimed that the art education curriculum in most public schools was overwhelmingly Western European. Many teachers taught within a modernist framework emphasizing Western male artists from a formalist perspective. Stewart and Katter (2003) and Stuhr (2003) noticed some difficulty bridging contemporary theories to practice. Stuhr's own preservice teachers questioned the validity and application of these ideas, since they differed from how they were taught by their K- 12 art teachers, and what they felt comfortable teaching. La Porte (2001) and Jones (1997) asserted that educators tend to teach what they have been taught as students. If this was and still is true, then, current curriculum content being taught in public schools should reflect the elements that most influenced the new teachers, whether contemporary curriculum reflects the old paradigm or the new.
These contradictions set this study into motion, asking art teachers what they practiced in the classroom, their educational experiences, the factors that hindered them from practicing what they learned in their art education coursework, and for those who moved beyond the frameworks of the past, what factors might have influenced them. These inquiries may offer a better understanding of the content and frequency of usage of higher education's curriculum and the factors influencing current curriculum practice of art teachers recently entering the teaching profession.
Overview of Study
As a response to the concern about bridging contemporary art education theories to practice, this study2 focused on the relative importance and the interrelations of various factors influencing current curriculum content implemented by art teachers in the US during their first through seventh year of teaching. …


Thomas Hart Benton was born on April 15, 1889 in Neosho, Missouri, USA into an influential clan of politicians and powerbrokers. Benton's father was a lawyer and United States congressman and his great-uncle was Senator from Missouri.
Benton spent his childhood shuttling between Washington D.C. and Missouri. He rebelled against his grooming for a future political career, and preferred to develop his interest in art. As a teenager, he worked as a cartoonist for the Joplin American newspaper.
In 1907 Benton enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago, but left for Paris, France in 1909 to continue his art education at the Académie Julian. In Paris, Benton met other North American artists among whom Diego Rivera and Stanton Macdonald-Wright. Wright's influence gave a strong Synchromist leaning to Benton's work.
Benton returned to New York City in 1913. His work as a draftsman in the United States Navy in 1919 changed his style significantly. His artwork during his navy stint concentrated on realistic sketches and drawings of shipyard work and life—a change of focus that would continue throughout his career.
On return to New York in the early 1920s, Benton declared himself an enemy of modernism and painted naturalistic and representational work today known as Regionalism. Benton taught at the Art Students League, and was active in leftist politics. He was heavily influenced by El Greco.
In 1932 Benton broke through to the mainstream. A relative unknown, he was chosen to produce the murals of Indiana life that would become that state's contribution to the 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago, Illinois. The Indiana Murals stirred controversy; Benton painted everyday people in an unflattering light, including Ku Klux Klan members. The controversy landed Benton on the cover of Time magazine and made him a household name. The mural panels are currently displayed at Indiana University in Bloomington.
In 1935 Benton left New York, where artistic debates were heated, for a teaching job at the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. His works often show the melancholy, desperation and beauty of small-town life. Benton's sympathy was with the working class and the small farmer, unable to gain material advantage despite the Industrial Revolution.
Benton's students at the Art Institute included many of the future painters of the Midwest heartland. His most famous student, Jackson Pollock, whom he mentored in the Art Students League, would go on to found the Abstract Expressionist movement—wildly different from Benton's own style. Jackson Pollock often said that Benton's traditional teachings gave him something to rebel against. Pollock never gave up on the idea art needed impact on the audience, in this way he followed Benton.
In 1941, Benton was dismissed from the Art Institute after calling the typical art museum "a graveyard run by a pretty boy with delicate wrists and a swing in his gait" and similar homophobic remarks. Despite this, his work remained popular until the end of the decade, when it was eclipsed by the rise of Abstract Expressionism.
For the rest of his career Benton concentrated on murals in public buildings in the Midwest. Benton died on January 19, 1975 at work in his studio, with a brush in his hand.


The only Historically Black College and University System in the nation
HISTORY Southern University established in 1880 in New Orleans, Louisiana Southern University and A&M College relocated to Baton Rouge (Scotlandville) in 1914 Southern University and A&M College System established in 1974
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 16-member Board of Supervisors 15 appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the LA State Senate for 6-year terms 1 student member selected by the SU System SGA Presidents
LEADERSHIP Southern University System President - Dr. Ronald Mason Jr. Board Chair - Mr. Darren Mire Board Vice-Chair - Atty. Murphy Bell
SYSTEM CAMPUSES Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge Dr. James Llorens, chancellor www.subr.edu
Southern University, New Orleans Dr Victor Ukpolo, chancellor www.suno.edu
Southern University, Shreveport (2-yr institution) Dr. Ray L. Belton, chancellor www.susla.edu
Southern University Law Center (est. 1947) Freddie Pitcher Jr., chancellor www.sulc.edu
Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center Dr. Leodrey Williams, chancellor www.suagcenter.edu
ENROLLMENT Enrolled 14,011 students in 2010-11 - 67% Male - 33% Female - 23% attend part-time
GRADUATES Graduated 2,090 in 2010-11 67 certificate/diploma (SUSLA) 85% Black 12% White 3% Other 298 associates (SUSLA. SUNO) 81% Black 17% White 2% Other 1100 bachelor's 92% Black 5 % White 3% Other 451 masters' 77% Black 7% White 16% Other 23 doctoral 78% Black 22% White 151 professional (SULC) 61% Black 35% White 4% Other
BUDGET / ECONOMIC IMPACT Estimated System Operating Budget FY 2011-2012 - $138 million SU System as a whole brings $539.5 million to Louisiana
HIGHLIGHTS / ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- The Southern University System has a new educational partnership with Education Online Services Corporation (EOServe Corp.) to implement multiple online degree programs. -The SU System established The Honoré Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement, a new program focused on significantly increasing the number of African-American male, baccalaureate degree holders in the New Orleans region. The goal is to enroll African-American males in elementary education, to have more male role models in the school system. In exchange for free tuition, graduate of the program must teach two years in New Orleans.
- The Southern University System (SUS) will become the first university in Louisiana to become 100 percent tobacco-free.
- The Southern University Law Center (SULC) is among the nation's most popular law programs according to a U.S. News and World Report article posted Thursday, March 24, 2011.


How to Secure a Teaching Position
In order to secure a teaching position in a public school, you must be licensed and certified to do so. There are different types of teaching licenses, including provisional, emergency, and permanent. A license authorizes you to teach, whereas a certification is an indication of what you are qualified to teach. You may also have more than one certification attached to your teaching license.
Each state sets its own requirements regarding tests and minimum passing scores to achieve state certification/licensure, although alternate paths to certification do exist. The tests are typically designed to evaluate teacher candidates’ basic academic skills, subject knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and in some cases, classroom performance.
1. Basic Skills Examination
Typically, in the first step of the process, teachers must pass basic skills examinations before they are admitted to teacher education programs or enroll in upper-level courses (those taken in the junior and senior year) at colleges and universities. The basic skills tests measure reading, writing, and mathematics skills.
2. Subject Area Tests
In the second step, educators who have graduated with a teaching degree must pass subject-area tests as part of the certification/licensure process in their state of employment. Subject assessments measure candidates’ knowledge of the academic subjects they will teach, as well as domain-specific pedagogy skills (how to best teach these particular subjects).
Many states use the Praxis system for license and certification testing. However, some states, such as Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas, use their own testing service for certification purposes. You’ll need to check the requirements for your state.
3. “Highly Qualified”
Separate from certification, highly qualified is a status given to teachers in content areas after completing course work and/or passing a Praxis exam or equivalent. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires teachers to be highly qualified in their content area. Teachers may become highly qualified in multiple areas. A teacher highly qualified in elementary education may teach all subjects in grades kindergarten through sixth. After sixth grade, however, teachers must be highly qualified in each subject area they teach. For example, passing the science Praxis test makes you highly qualified in science, so you can teach this subject to students in grades 6 through 12. If you also pass the social studies Praxis, then you may teach both science and social studies.
Be aware that higher paying school districts that are known for positive teacher morale and educationally supportive communities are more competitive. This may make it more difficult for you to secure employment in one of these schools, because you’ll compete against a greater number of applicants. Take your time investigating and selecting appropriate schools to make sure that you can come up with concrete and valid reasons, sometimes other than simply high pay, that would make you willing to work in one of these schools. An additional factor to consider is that you’ll be applying along with “alternative route” teachers, who’ve already had career experience in other work forces. Taking time to identify applicants that you might be up against during the selection process will assist you in determining where your best chances lie of securing employment.


Research Guide for Art and Music
This guide lists selected print and electronic resources available to LCU learners.
Find Books for in-depth or historical information
Art books are shelved in the N call # section. Music shelved in the M call # section.
Search the library catalog by:
keyword or phrase
Search examples: Art motif is keyword. Artâ€”Themes, motives is subject heading.
Art education is keyword. Artâ€”Study & teaching is subject.
Melody books is keyword. Musical books is subject heading.
Subject Headings listed on the detailed record define/broaden/narrow terms
Find background information in M-N Reference books, such as:
Dictionary of Art
New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians
Find Articles using Databases for current information
Journals shelved by title in current, fiche, film or back issues â€“ see catalog for holdings.
Click here for a list of current Art and Music Subscriptions.
Many journals not located at LCU may be in a full text database or at a local library or may be requested from another library (1-2 weeks delivery â€“ see ILL Info Guide)
Humanities Full Text
For teaching methods: Professional Development Collection
ANY topic: Academic Search (includes many full text journals)
Other databases may be useful depending on topic.
Few databases have all articles with text.
Database content may change due to contracts between publisher & vendor.
Internet: validate for authority, currency & source (edu, gov, org are best)
Mother of All Art & Art History Links http://www.art-design.umich.edu/mother
Artcyclopedia.com â€“ artists, art history & movements
Allmusic.com â€“ index to recordings, bios, music genres & terms
International Music Score Library Project: http://www.imslp.org/
Digital Scores & Libretti Collection: http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/loebmusic/collections/digital.html
Music Education Online: www.childrensmusicworkshop.com
Performing Arts Encyclopedia: www.loc.gov/performingarts/encyclopedia
For additional help, contact a Librarian in person or 720-7326 or firstname.lastname@example.org


by Larry Newman, Director of Children’s Music Workshop
The excitement of a new adventure is enough to provide an ample supply of positive motivation for the first several weeks of the instrumental music experience. Once the initial enthusiasm wears off, it is important to immediately develop wholesome practice habits which will guarantee a successful and personally gratifying process for your child. Your support and guidance will be the key factors in establishing the practice schedule insuring the attainment of musical goals.
For our first year elementary players, we like to see three days per week of home music practice – even if just a few minutes. The first year is “exploratory” and our goal is to instill a love for music. We encourage students to play at home for their parents. Practice is encouraged but not heavily stressed.
The most effective home rehearsal program for the second year elementary players is based on a fifteen minute session four to five times per week dedicated to quality practice. It is suggested that you and your young musician mutually agree on a practice time, and a special area of your home designated for their area of musical study. A final one or two minute recital is always effective in building performance responsibilities.
Every instrumentalist enjoys the opportunity to display their talents. You might even ask for a paragraph of what new progress was made during the practice. A special calendar can also serve as a reminder as well as a reward poster for the commitment needed to accomplish the assigned material. Remember, positive reinforcement is the most effective communication you can share in this important quest.
As students mature, it is vital to develop a discipline which makes home music practice a natural part of the day. Although many new concepts are taught during instrumental music rehearsals, the limited time does not afford the personal attention which is vital in developing the technical facility required for the upcoming years of musical exploration. The cooperative efforts of the instrumental music director, the student musicians and the willing parent/s constitute the proven recipe for success.
- Let your kids explore music. The first year a child plays an instrument is an exploratory year. The goal of the music educator is not to quickly turn a child into a virtuoso, but to help instill a love of music.
- Try group lessons. We find that most kids do better in group lessons because they like the social interaction.
- Show up for lessons. Parents should try to attend a child’s first few music lessons. Knowing what’s going on in the class will allow you to better help your young music student at home.
- Help kids learn the basics. Learning the fundamentals is very important. Violin students, for example, will need to learn to hold the bow correctly and develop proper posture.
- Stay connected. One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to stay in touch with your child’s instructor. You may find that email is the easiest way to do this.
- Keep the instrument handy. Children can get really attached to their instrument. It’s important for parents to leave the instrument out, rather than storing it away, so that the child can always have access to it.
- Don’t make practice a chore. In the first year of study, don’t force practice. Instead offer encouragement and show that you’re interested in how your son or daughter is doing. When you’re folding laundry or doing paperwork, for example, have your child perform a mini concert of songs he or she is learning.
Don’t expect flawless play from your young musician. The clearest indication that child is successful in music education is that he or she will show love and enthusiasm for the music.
Instrumental music means more to your child than just playing an instrument. It offers an opportunity to experience a whole new level of communication. This artistic language will be with them for a lifetime. These formative years of music education can open up a world of aesthetic possibilities which will bring new meaning to the growth and development of your child. Let us join hands in establishing a solid foundation of growth by creating a disciplined practice schedule at the onset of their instrumental music career.


|Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute||Home|
I am currently a first-grade teacher at John C. Daniels School in New Haven, Connecticut. John C. Daniels was the first dual language program implemented in the city. As a dual language school, we teach every child English as well as Spanish. For the first two years, grades kindergarten and first, children learn their academic foundational skills in their dominant language of English or Spanish. They are exposed to the opposite language as a second language, where they begin to learn the very basics of that language. Beginning in the second-grade, children learn all of their academic skills in both languages. There is only one other school like ours in New Haven, which makes our programs distinctive.
With these children in mind, I developed a science unit for my classroom. Through this five-week unit, the children will learn about different types of severe weather. The children also will learn about choosing meteorology as a career and what it takes to get there. Bringing the idea of a career to children in this community would be beneficial because they may never realize this could be an option for their future. This unit will help them get excited about science and weather and possibly a future career to consider.
This unit will fulfill the weather portion of the district's first-grade science curriculum. Relevant standards include:
Overall, my goals for this unit are to get the children excited and engaged in scientific inquiry. The children will be learning about severe weather through hands-on experiments, video clips and pictures. The more children are able to do and see, the greater the impact of their learning. I also want the children to learn how meteorologists contribute to science and our society. I want them to see what an interesting job they have, but also how difficult it can be. Most of all, I want the children to gain an interest in weather and have fun! Severe weather is a very interesting topic with plenty of excitement to keep the children's attention and participation.
- - Children will address, describe, question, classify and experiment (1.2s)
- - Children will understand that tools help scientists make better observations, measurements and are the equipment for investigations (5.2s).
(Recommended for Science, grade 1.)


Literacy and Life Skills for Pasifika Adults: Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) Survey
The 2006 ALL survey was designed to measure the distribution of literacy and numeracy skills among the adult population of New Zealand. The ALL survey included an oversample of Pasifika adults. This design feature has allowed meaningful insights into the distribution of literacy and numeracy skills among the adult Pasifika population of New Zealand.
Author(s): Elliot Lawes, Research Division, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: August 2009
This report is available as a download (please refer to the 'Downloads' inset box). To view the individual chapters please refer to the 'Sections' inset box. Links to related publications/ information can be found in the 'Where to Find Out More' inset box and on the webpage (below).
Section 13: Publications
Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) Releases
Links to Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey publications are listed below:
Other Publications using Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) Data
The publication 'Profile and Trends: New Zealand's Tertiary Education Sector' uses Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey data in their 2007 Research Summaries and Short Analyses. You can download these articles listed below:
- The Educational Inheritance of New Zealanders
[MS Word 87KB]
This short article contained in Profile & Trends 2007 covers a range of questions on education inheritance including: 'How much does parents' education level influence that of their children?'
- Higher-level Education is Strongly Associated with Greater Skills
[MS Word 72KB]
This short article contained in Profile & Trends 2007 explores higher level education and how strongly it is associated with greater skills.
- Healthy and Wise: Does Education Improve Wellbeing?
[MS Word 128KB]
This short article contained in Profile & Trends 2007 used the results of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey to analyse the relationship between New Zealanders' education level and their assessment of their own wellbeing.
- Literacy & Numeracy in NZ: ALL Survey Findings
[MS Word 79KB]
This short article contained in Profile & Trends 2007 summarises the first findings from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey.
- Section 1: Executive Summary
- Section 2: Introduction
- Section 3: Age
- Section 4: Gender
- Section 5: Labour Force
- Section 6: Attainment
- Section 7: Language
- Section 8: First Language
- Section 9: Place of Birth
- Section 10: Income
- Section 11: Ethnic Populations
- Section 12: Discussion
- Section 13: Publications
Where to find out more
For more information about this publication please email the: Research Mailbox


Analyst, Skills Beyond School Division, Directorate for Education and Skills
A few decades ago young people in the United States were among the most educated in the world, but other countries have caught up. Today, despite still being relatively highly educated, the skills of adults lag behind those of adults in many other countries. This has been revealed by the new international Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), which measured the skills of adults in 24 countries.
A newly published report, Time for the U.S. to Reskill?, looks at the U.S. and draws some challenging policy conclusions. One in six adults in the U.S., about 36 million people, has weak literacy skills – they can, at best, read short texts and understand basic vocabulary. In Japan the comparable figure is one in 20. In the U.S. nearly one in three have weak numeracy skills against a cross country average of one in five.
These results are not impressive, but what is really worrying is that there are few signs of improvement. In fact the average basic skills of young adults are not very different from older persons, but if you look around the world you see a very different picture – while the overall results of the U.S. are similar to that of Poland, young Poles have better skills than their U.S. counterparts. That means that if nothing else changes, the basic skills of the Polish workforce will progressively leave the U.S. workforce behind.
Unsurprisingly, the school system appears to be one of the roots of the problem. PISA assessments show U.S. teenagers have mediocre basic skills and these are now reflected in the skills of young adults. Dramatic improvements in initial schooling are needed to turn this around. But the millions of adults have already slipped through the net also need help through effective learning opportunities for young adults, policy measures linked to employability and adult learning programs adapted to diverse needs. Not least, it is crucial to build awareness of the implications of weak basic skills, the costs of inaction and the need to tackle the challenge in the interests of all.
More encouragingly, some of the results point to pathways of opportunity. Participation in adult education is relatively high in the U.S. and many of the low-skilled who for one reason or another did not participate in learning activities express an interest in learning. The results of the survey provide much food for thought and show that this moment is also an opportunity for the U.S. – an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of adult skills, take action and change course for the better.
Time for the U.S. to Reskill? What the Survey of Adult Skills Says
OECD Press release: Concerted Action Necessary to Address U.S. Adult Skills Challenge, says OECD
Presentation: Time for the U.S. to Reskill? What the Survey of Adult Skills Says
OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills (2013)
Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
For more on skills and skills policies around the world, visit:
Photo credit: American construction © Shuttersctock


Division of Social Sciences and Human Services
Historians study the historical aspects of human society. Their research helps us understand the different ways in which individuals and groups make decisions, exercise power and respond to change. Historians research, analyze and interpret the past. They use many sources of information in their research, including government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films and unpublished manuscripts such as personal diaries and letters to build a picture of past events. Historians usually specialize in a specific country or region; in a particular time period; or in a particular field, such as social, histories.
Other historians help study and preserve archival materials, artifacts and historic buildings and sites. There are a number of fields that require education, training and personal qualities similar to those of historians. If you earn a degree in history it may be a good foundation for a career as a lawyer; reporter or correspondent; social worker; middle and high schools; college or university faculty; counselor; research assistant; administrative aide or management or sales trainee.
Educational Opportunities in History
Associate of Arts
The associate of arts is for students who want to pursue bachelor’s degrees in history by completing the first two or more years at LCCC. Students completing the associate of arts degree may transfer with junior (or higher) standing to the four-year university or college of their choice. Students may also select the associate of arts degree if they wish to complete the first two or more years of a bachelor’s degree program at LCCC in program fields such as fine art, computer art, graphic design, liberal arts, business, music, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, theater, urban studies, elementary education and secondary education.
There are virtually no limitations to the programs that can be pursued as LCCC can customize associate of arts programs to meet the transfer college/university’s requirements. The associate of arts program may be completed in two years, if taken on a full-time basis.
Educational Opportunities through LCCC’s University Partnership
Bachelor of Science in Education Middle Childhood Licensure (Grades 4-9)
The Ashland education program is based on current research, effective practice and dynamic collaborative relationships among Ashland faculty, pre-K through 12th-grade teachers and administrators. The program is implemented through diverse experiences in university classes, field/clinical experiences, model sites and professional development centers. Ashland University believes that a professional educator is a reflective practitioner who links practice with theory in the following ways:
Works cooperatively and collaboratively with all members of the educational community
Communicates clearly and effectively through a variety of means
Demonstrates understanding of human development, cultural diversity, socioeconomic influences and learning differences, thereby enabling all children to learn and contribute
Employs research in areas such as learning theory and instructional methodology
Uses a variety of appropriate assessment techniques to enhance learning
Masters appropriate disciplines so as to engage students in meaningful, active academic study
Integrates educational technology in the teaching and learning process
Assumes the lifelong responsibility to grow academically, professionally and personally
Bachelor Plus in Graduate Education for Teacher Licensure
The bachelor plus program is a graduate program designed to provide initial teacher licensure to people who hold bachelor degrees from accredited colleges or universities in fields other than education. The bachelor plus program is fully state-approved and leads to teacher licensure by the Ohio Department of Education. Some course work earns graduate credit. However, some undergraduate courses are necessary in each program teaching area.
Ashland University is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This accreditation includes the basic and advanced levels of professional education programs offered at the institution
Graduate courses are generally taught in late afternoon or evenings so that candidates may hold full- or part-time jobs while doing the course work. Courses are taught by qualified faculty from the various colleges/departments and are designed to provide the candidate with the necessary background in educational concepts, planning, teaching styles, classroom management, and area content. Classroom field experiences are included and scheduled early in the program to provide actual classroom experience.
Student teaching is taken near the end of the program. The length of time needed to complete the program is dependent upon the number of courses to be taken by individuals based on their pre-admittance evaluation.
SSL 03 1041


The Early Childhood Education Program believes that all children should be provided a nurturing, active, and challenging environment that encourages curiosity, active learning, values, problem solving, language development, and a positive self-image. To meet these goals, the teaching staff supports a hands-on environment by implementing specific learning centers throughout the classroom including: blocks, creative art, sensory/science, library, dramatic play, and manipulatives. The children are provided with a wide variety of materials at each center: Legos, puzzles, puppets, cooking equipment, crayons, markers, stickers, paper, glue, paint, dolls, dress-up clothes, play food, dishes, magnifying glasses, prisms, plants, animals, books, tapes, scissors, and math manipulatives.
To develop the curriculum, our program uses the following resources: California Department of Education's Prekindergarten Learning and Development Guidelines, California Department of Education Desired Results for Children and Families, the standards supported by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the Scholastic Books' "Big Day" curriculum. The information gathered from these resources forms the major strands of our developmentally appropriate program: teaching strategies, socio-emotional development, language/literacy development, cognitive development, fine and large motor development, assessment of children, and parent-teacher relations. We designed our preschool curriculum to align with state standards and provide preschool students with a head start on their academic careers and social development.


Early childhood services are offered through the Department of Consultant Services and include:
- addressing current issues
- providing information
- offering professional development and programming opportunities
- offering opportunities to share and network on the local regional and state level.
Services support the development of children from birth to age eight in Macomb County.
Great Start Macomb
Great Start Macomb is a partnership of local professionals, community leaders and parents committed to establishing and maintaining a comprehensive early childhood system addressing all factors influencing a young child's readiness for school and life.
Through public and private funding, this collaborative seeks to assure the highest quality resources and service integration to support our children's physical and emotional health, child care, early education, basic needs, and provide resources for parents and professionals. Local investment in young children today means a thriving globally competitive workforce tomorrow.
Visit www.greatstartmacomb.org to learn more.
Helping children get ready to learn to read
Reading aloud to young children promotes language acquisition and literacy development. Research shows there are six early literacy skills that children must know before they can learn to read. When you read to children, you promote each of these important skills.
A child's enjoyment and interest in books.
Refers to a child's understanding that print conveys meaning, has different functions, and is organizes in a certain way.
Learning that letters have names and are different from each other, and that specific sounds go with specific letters.
The ability to hear and manipulate the smaller sounds in words.
Knowing the name of things.
Being able to understand and tell stories
Reading aloud to children is critical for academic success.
Literacy Guides were developed by a group of professional educators to help parents and families foster language and literacy skills with young children. The guides are to be used with popular children's books. They are specifically designed for parents or for educators to use with parents. The guides include engaging games, songs, rhymes, and questions to ask young children. If you would more information about the literacy guides please e-mail JoAnne Elkin (Early Literacy/Early Childhood Consultant) at email@example.com
National Literacy Resources
Please click on the links below:
- Home Literacy Environment Checklist
- Classroom Literacy Environment Checklist
- Family Child Care Literacy Environment Checklist
- Reading Rockets
- Reach Out and Read
- Reading is Fundamental
- Get Ready to Read
- Getting School Ready!
- National Center for Family Literacy
- Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Professionals - STEPS Career Lattice
The Great Start Collaborative’s in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties are working to create a place for all early childhood professionals to access a career guide.
Great Start Collaborative STEPS Career Lattice:
Video on how to use the STEPS Career Lattice:
Making the Right Connection
Link to Making the Right Connection, a Resource Guide for Macomb County families.
April is the Month of the Young Child
Link to the MI AEYC Month of the Young Child web page.
Month of the Young Child Community Event - Click here for PDF links to event handouts.
Before and After School Child Care
Information on Macomb County School-Age Child Care Council (McSACC).
Great Start School Readiness Program
Facts about the Great Start School Readiness Programs.
Parenting Awareness Michigan
Parenting Awareness Michigan (PAM) celebrates people raising children and promotes year around parenting education and resources. Michigan celebrates the month of March as Parenting Awareness Month. PAM - unique to Michigan - provides guidance, materials, resources, referrals, and technical assistance. PAM directs its efforts to assisting local organizers plan special parenting events, celebrations, and education opportunities in March and throughout the year, and encourages a broader understanding and acknowledgment of the importance of effective parenting.
Guide to Fun for Families
Inside you will find many ideas for activities and places to visit with your family throughout the year! From museums, nature centers, and attractions to local libraries, parks and recreation departments and theaters, you will find endless possibilities for enjoyment, learning and relaxation. This edition includes ideas to do at home!
Family Fun Guide
Macomb County Directory of Children's Services
A Directory of Services for Macomb County families and children.
Early Childhood Resources
Information on Child Care, Early Years, Existing Early Childhood Initiatives in Macomb County, Information, Organizations & Research, and Parent Involvement in Education.
Statewide Organizations Concerned with Early Childhood Services in Michigan
Compiled by the Michigan Association of United Ways


Preschoolers may not be able to calculate the circumference of a circle or ponder the delights of pi, but they’re more than ready to enjoy a standing play date with patterns, shapes and numbers.
In fact, says Professor Douglas Clements of the Morgridge College of Education and the Marsico Institute for Early Learning & Literacy, young children have “surprising capabilities to learn incredible amounts of surprisingly deep mathematical ideas — they’re not sitting there writing formulas on paper, but they’re learning in a way that’s appropriate to their developmental level.”
Clements should know. Along with his wife, Professor Julie Sarama, also of the Morgridge College, he’s one of the country’s foremost experts on teaching math to young children. The two hold the University’s James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning and the James C. Kennedy Chair of Innovative Learning Technologies, respectively.
When Clements and Sarama share their research findings, policymakers and educators take notice. In May, for example, Clements was on Capitol Hill, testifying at a Congressional briefing about the importance of early childhood mathematics intervention.
Together, the two have published more than 125 research studies, as well as 20 books and 70 chapters in scholarly tomes. Their nationally recognized Building Blocks mathematics program, designed for prekindergarteners, is celebrated for developing the cognitive foundations for quantitative and spatial reasoning.
The husband-and-wife team has guided more than 25 research projects and more than $25 million in grants from, among others, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Studies. Today, they are working on five of those projects. They are joined on these high-impact projects by co-investigators at universities across the country and by DU graduate students interested in qualitative and quantitative research.
One of their projects explores innovative ways to help children learn science, math and technology content. Another creates and tests assessments that allow teachers to understand exactly what children understand. Still another project follows the progress of more than 1,000 students participating in an effort known as TRIAD (Technology-enhanced, Research-based, Instruction Assessment and professional Development). To date, TRIAD students have a better grasp of mathematics concepts than their counterparts in a control group. Continued study will show whether that advantage persists through later years.
Clements and Sarama hope their work will remind decision makers — everyone from school superintendents and politicians to parents and teachers — that the best educational solutions are rooted in cognitive science.
As much as they’ve accomplished, Clements and Sarama still have a robust agenda focused on providing the science to support effective education. Clements sums it up this way: “It shouldn’t surprise me, but it continually surprises me how many things you have to get right to do education well.”


iOS iPhone Education
Study by App is now offering early elementary students a new way to practice their basic math skills. This application allows students to practice skills ranging from number and shape recognition, counting, and sorting all the way to patterns, addition and subtraction.
Study by App uses an audio and visual flashcard system to keep the user engaged through the learning process. The flashcard system is broken down into the specific topics to make for easy selection. Within each topic, the flashcards are scrambled each time the app is opened to allow for a fresh experience each time it is used.
Study by App hopes that users will be able to effectively learn and practice basic math skills at their own pace. Designed with the young learner in mind, this app is a great tool for students in grades K-2, as well as special education students.
This app was developed by Kelly Richards using the Study by App, LLC web developer program. Kelly Richards is a graduate of Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. She has earned degrees in both Special Education and Elementary Education. Kelly has experience teaching students with autism and other varying disabilities, with students ranging from kindergarten through high school.
We appreciate your feedback. For questions or comments please email: firstname.lastname@example.org.


These are critical times in an increasingly global world where war has become a permanent condition and the global economic crisis has impacted all arenas of civil society in profound ways. As cultural workers, artists and educators continue to engage in human rights discourses that open new ways of thinking about human rights as a cultural practice, and as a site of knowledge and action. This special issue of JCRAE will focus on how art, media, technology, and education are responding to a range of human rights issues in terms of representation, witnessing, performance, and memorialization of atrocities/injustices. The issue of human rights encompasses all injustices — such as trafficking of humans or organs, terrorism, environmental racism, incarceration, immigration and border issues, economic injustices, labor, gender and sexuality, etc.
Topics include but are not limited to:
- Performing human rights
- Memory and human rights
- The ways in which the media “disciplines” and/or challenges the discourses of human rights.
- The pedagogy of human rights
- Human rights as spectacle
- Projects that address human rights issues through the arts in schools, community organizations, public spaces, etc.
- The politics of representation in relation to documenting and presenting atrocities
The Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education is an annual publication of the United States Society for Education through Art.
Deadline for submission of papers for the 2011 issue on Human Rights in Art and Education is September 1, 2010.
JCRAE focuses on social/cultural research relevant for art education, including cultural foundations of art education, cross-cultural and multicultural research in art education, and cultural aspects of art in education. These areas should be interpreted in a broad sense and can include arts administration, art therapy, community arts organizations, and other disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches that are relevant to art education. Theoretical research and studies in which qualitative and/or quantitative methods as well as other strategies are used will be considered for publication.
Papers should be in APA style and may be submitted either through the mail or electronically. Hard copies should be sent in triplicate to:
Dipti Desai, Senior Editor
Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education
New York University, Department of Art and Art Professions
34 Stuyvesant Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10003, U.S.A.
Electronic submissions should be in .doc format; a title page containing the author’s name and affiliation should be submitted as a separate document. Electronic submissions should be sent to Dipti Desai and Kate Brideau (Assistant Editor):
dd25[at]nyu[dot]edu and please cc. kcb265[at]nyu[dot]edu


I wasn't sure whether to include this, but in the end thought it a curiosity which might interest a few people; "object lessons" were a staple of the primary school curriculum in Victorian England, and here's the way "The Apple" would have been taught in thousands of classrooms throughout the country:
LESSONS ON OBJECTS
As given to children between the ages of six and eight
in a Pestalozzian School at Cheam, Surrey, 1873 (22nd edition).
Published by Seeley, Jackson and Halliday, Fleet street, London.
It is spherical,
The pips are:
brown on the outside when ripe,
white in the inside,
The core is
REMARKS ON WORDS
|Cosby Methodist Church|
|Links to other sites|


Faça uma monografia perfeita!
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Atividades lúdicas no Ensino Fundamental: uma intervenção pedagógica. / Playful activities in elementary school: A pedagogical intervention.
Tatiana Dornellas Albrecht
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO
This dissertation is related to the research line called Pedagogical practices and their relations with teacher training of the Masters Program in Education of the Dom Bosco Catholic University. The research project general goal was to investigate the possibilities of carrying out playful activities as a contribution to the teaching and learning process with first graders in elementary education at a public school in Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. It had the following specific goals: a) to analyze the use of playful activities with a class of first graders in elementary school; b) to identify the teachers view of the use of playful activities in elementary school; c) to observe the childrens interest during the games proposed by the researcher. The research project methodology was of a qualitative nature and was based on interventions made by the researcher. Its instruments were observations and interventions made in the classroom as well as conversations and an interview with the teacher. After the period of observation the researcher played games with the children on nine days in order to contribute to the development of their learning process. The dissertations main theoretical references are the reflections of authors such as Heller, Vygotsky, Duarte, Leontiev, Walton, Winnicott and Antunes, among others. One of its conclusions is that the first graders of the researched school participated with enthusiasm in the playful activities developed during the period of intervention. In general they showed an improvement in their learning process, particularly in terms of their concentration during the tasks carried out.


Collaborative interactions among preschool children in a computer environment
Ahmad, Mohd Sharani and Adam Assim, Mohamad Ibrani Shahrimin (2003) Collaborative interactions among preschool children in a computer environment. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 11 (2). pp. 147-155. ISSN 0128-7702; ESSN: 2231-8534
Official URL: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/view_archives.php?...
This paper reports on a study which investigated the collaborative interaction patterns exhibited by five-year-old pre-primary children in an educational computer environment. A case study method was used in one pre-primary centre in a metropolitan city, to examine the patterns of collaborative interaction among young children whilst engaged, in dyads, with the computer within a naturalistic classroom environment. A total of 243 interactions were identified and classified into 16 interaction patterns. Factors facilitating and inhibiting collaborative interaction were identified as: developmental appropriateness of the software; preexisting computer competency and attitude towards computer; mutual friendship between collaborators; children's social goals; appropriate structure of enjoyable learning environment; mutual understanding of the turn-taking system; and non-isolated physical settings. In effect, this study shows that early childhood educators will be in a better position to integrate the computer into their classroom and to promote positive prosocial interaction among children whilst engaged at the computer, if it were to be afforded the same status as other traditional early childhood learning materials and activities.
Repository Staff Only: Edit item detail


Hands on Learning
Greenhouse Montessori provides learning experiences for the students. The more alive and applicable learning is, the more it sticks with the child. We constantly include live animals, bugs, science experiments, and more.
Parts of the Animal
Greenhouse Montessori provides a live animal enrichment program. Every other Wednesday, a local farm brings animals for us to learn about, care for, and interact with. This program is an incredible way for kids to get up close and personal with animals such as horses, llamas, alpacas, sheep, rabbits, and other domesticated farm animals in a small setting. See the photo albums for pictures of the next best thing to having a farm. The kids and parents love this program.
As much time as we can spend outside, the better. Our facility is located on an acre lot, with much space to play, learn, and explore. During outdoor environment, parent volunteers are encouraged to help and the children have time to work outside doing classroom extensions, science, cooperative games, nature exploration, and more. We became a certified Nature Explore Classroom in 2015 with the Arbor Day Foundation. This certification recognizes a commitment to connecting children with nature.
Understanding our role in nature starts in our own backyard. Our garden has plenty of space to plant and harvest. We have several garden boxes for our vegetables as well as a few flower beds entirely planted by the children. For a child the see how one seed provides a feast is important at Greenhouse Montessori. They plant the seeds and are shown how the roots grow and the leaves sprout as they peacefully tend to the plants. Our sitting area within the garden yields to sounds of birds and many animals from the farm next door.
Other School Enrichment Opportunities
Family involvement makes such a difference in a community. We plan a family night once a month for our school community. These events include food, games, activities, and quality time spent together. It is very exciting for me to watch fathers holding babies that belong to another family, and the whole night of mingling that looks more like a family reunion than a school party. This is one of my favorite parts of our school.
Every week, Miss Renee comes to Greenhouse Montessori to provide a unique Music Program for the children. The program integrates different types of instruments, music & movement, music education, and more depending on the classroom level. Additionally, this program helps to coordinate performance opportunities throughout the year at different family events which allows the children to present what they have learned.
Showing children how to be good citizens and contributing members of society begins young. When children are given different ways that they can help others, it becomes a part of them. Numerous times throughout the year we participate in different events that show the students many ways to help others. From stuffing animals by hand for kids at Phoenix Children’s Hospital to making place mats for friends at the assisted living home, our students are familiar with ways to help make someone’s day brighter.
The children at Greenhouse have many opportunities to enjoy experiences outside of the classroom as well. Throughout the year, the teachers and parents come together to coordinate field trips to all kinds of different places from the pumpkin patch to cultural festivals. These trips encourage parent involvement, hands on learning, and memorable experiences. Connecting to our community in this way is an important aspect of Greenhouse Montessori.


How do Secondary school music teachers undertake action research?
Cain, T. (2008) How do Secondary school music teachers undertake action research? In, International Society for Music Education World Conference., Bologna, Italy, 21 - 25 Jul 2008.
Full text not available from this repository.
The theoretical position that underpins this study is that it is possible for practitioners to undertake ethically-informed research into their own practice whilst also changing that practice, through the process of action research. In this process, practitioners (such as teachers) operate a series of flexible cycles, deciding what is worth researching, collect and analyse data, in order to evaluate and improve their own educational influences, thereby making their teaching practices research-informed. Action research is sometimes contrasted with more traditional methods in which knowledge production is the job of external researchers. It is associated with the terms ‘teacher research’ ‘practitioner research’ and ‘Self-study’. Because it integrates research with action, it is essentially practical in nature, and it is seen as having a political purpose, particularly in empowering (emancipating) groups of people to work together for the common good.
Although there has been a proliferation of action research in education during the last sixty years there are few published studies of action research in music education – a literature search has revealed fewer than thirty such studies in academic journals, books and conference proceedings. The purpose of this study was to investigate why this might be – what factors discourage music teachers from undertaking action research. In consultation with Local Authorities in the South of England, a group of ten Secondary school music teachers was recruited. Over the course of one year, they undertook small-scale action research studies in their own schools and also met together to discuss and share their work. Participant observation of these meetings was used to understand how the teachers decided what to research, how they collected and analysed data, and how they came to understand patterns in their data. Semi-structured interviews were used to understand how they experienced the research process. Analysis of the data is continuing; preliminary analysis suggests that the teachers were heavily influenced by the need to conform to government-sponsored initiatives and to provide quantitative data that might demonstrate clear achievement by their pupils. As a result, they understood action research in largely technical terms. These findings build on previous studies of action research by teachers and student teachers including studies by Roulston et al. (2005), Strand (2006) and Cain et al. (2007). The study suggests that action research can act as a powerful means for music teachers to examine and develop their practice, but that its potential is not fully realised by music teachers. The study suggests some conditions which might better realise this potential.
|Item Type:||Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)|
|Keywords:||action research, practitioner research, teacher research, music education|
|Subjects:||L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
M Music and Books on Music > M Music
|Divisions:||University Structure - Pre August 2011 > School of Education > Leadership, School Improvement and Effectiveness
|Date Deposited:||10 Nov 2008|
|Last Modified:||31 Mar 2016 12:48|
|RDF:||RDF+N-Triples, RDF+N3, RDF+XML, Browse.|
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Kids and Teens: School Time: Science: Experiments
Science: Educational Resources: Science Fairs
Shopping: Recreation: Science and Nature: Education
Shopping: Toys and Games: Educational
Bizarre Stuff You Can Make in Your Kitchen
- A large collection of classic home science experiments with illustrations.
Classroom Polyhedra Activities
- Detailed instructions for creating both simple and complex structures using common materials.
Cleghorn Electronics Kits
- Provides details of projects and experiments that can be done at home.
- Experiments that are not always safe, cheap, or guaranteed to work every time.
- Cool science tricks, experiments and activities that can be done anywhere including in restaurants.
Easy Science Activities with Elizabeth Blake
- This is a site of science activities to help homeschoolers, parents and teachers of elementary students.
Eggs Across the Net
- 2002 Class to class project involving raw eggs. Results are posted on the web.
- Free science experiments that can be done in class or at home using step by step instructions. Also provides links to other science websites.
Fun Science Gallery
- Activities and experiments devoted to the amateur scientist. Teachers and students also will find it useful.
- A collection of experiments you can try at home.
Jerry's Electronic Plans, Kits and Curious Things
- Electronic plans and kits.
Kids' Science Projects at The Science Club
- Grouped by level of difficulty and technical prowess as simple, medium, or advanced.
Kitchen Science Experiments
- Provides details of over a hundred science experiments to do at home, each with instructions, what to expect and an explanation of the basic scientific principles involved.
The Latest in Home Edu-tainment: The Science Lab
- Suggestions for lesson plans, activities, and lab projects for teaching science at home.
PASCO: Free Online Experiments
- Covering physics, biology, chemistry, earth science, environmental science and middle school science.
- Interesting experiments one can perform with homemade radiation detectors, and how to build them.
- Provides a range of science resources including a free experiment of the week newsletter and a large number of science experiment videos.
- Virtual online school where users can submit science experiments, read the latest news about science, participate in discussions, chat, design their profile and have fun.
Science Experiments at Steve Spangler Science
- A collection of various science experiments that can be conducted at home and by children.
Science Experiments Using Data Loggers and Oscilloscopes
- A library of physics, chemistry and biology experiments. Examples include measuring the speed of sound, pH of drinks, magnetic induction and the discharge of batteries.
Science Experiments You Can Do
- A number of reasonably simple experiments and demonstrations that can be performed by kids, teachers and hobbyists.
Science Explorer: Exploratorium
- Offers many easy-to-do experiments, from creating volcanoes to tiny sparks.
Science Fair and Project Ideas
- A collection of 1850 ideas for science projects and ideas, the site offers advice on undertaking a project, the types of projects, and advice on completing this type of task
- A growing collection of papers on physical science projects for all ages.
Science made simple
- Science projects and experiments.
- Contains experiments for all ages. Science links and project examples.
- Simple science experiments for fun.
- Science projects and kits for all ages. Membership required to view most projects.
- How to make toys (and projects) that demonstrate scientific principles using simple tools and equipment.
Science, Science Projects and How Things Work
- This site tries to answer some of the questions asked by inquisitive minds. A number of science projects and experiments are included.
The Scientific Method
- In-depth discussion of the concepts of scientific research and how to conduct experiments so as to provide valid results.
Solar Electric Panel Plans
- Do it yourself instructions for building a low cost, high output, commercial quality, photovoltaic panel for science experiments
Vicki Cobb's Science for Kids
- Some experiments to do. Books which includes these experiments are for sale on the site.
Wonderama: Explorations in Science Education
- Wonderama is a Lansing based company providing assembly and hands-on programs in science and math to students in Michigan.
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Definition of Color hearing
Color hearing: A form of chromesthesia in which hearing a musical tone elicits the perception of a color. In one case, an art teacher had a broad range of consistent linkages between tone and color. For her, high octaves tended to evoke lighter color values, while lower octaves elicited darker ones. And rapid major chord tone sequences elicited rapid flashes of colors, "somewhat like fireworks exploding."
Ref.: Haack, P. A., & Radocy, R. E. (1981). A case study of a chromesthetic. Journal of Research in Music Education, 29, 85-90.
Last Editorial Review: 6/14/2012
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Need help identifying pills and medications?


The U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded EDC $22 million over five years to assist the Ministry of Education in Rwanda in creating new national standards for literacy and numeracy. EDC will implement the Literacy, Language, and Learning Initiative, to be known as L3, which also aims to improve education in grades 1 to 4.
Building on EDC’s experience in strengthening early education, the new program will focus on improving early grade literacy in Kinyarwanda and English, and early grade numeracy, and will help provide children with the tools to develop analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills. In addition, EDC will introduce best practice methods to strengthen the quality of teaching and improve the availability and use of reading and instructional materials. English will be reinforced through a radio education program, pioneered by EDC and used in dozens of countries, to improve and expand education.
“Through the L3 program, EDC will help to strengthen teaching and learning so that children throughout Rwanda will leave primary school with solid literacy and numeracy skills,” said EDC’s Said Yasin, who will serve as chief of party for the program. “We will be helping the Ministry of Education set forth a vision of effective teaching and learning and then assist teachers to translate that vision into action.”
With funding through 2016, the program will reach 24,000 teachers in more than 2,800 schools and include efforts to improve equity in education, with attention to girls and other disadvantaged learners.
For more information on EDC’s international work and programs, go to www.idd.edc.org.


How Children Learn Music, Grades 58
The period represented by grades five to eight is especially critical in students musical development.
The music they perform or study often becomes an integral part of their personal musical repertoire. Composing and improvising provide students with unique insight into the form and structure of music and at the same time help them develop their creativity.
Broad experience with a variety of music is necessary if students are to make informed musical judgments. Similarly, this breadth of background enables them to begin to understand the connections and relationships between music and other disciplines.
By understanding the cultural and historical forces that shape social attitudes and behaviors, students are better prepared to live and work in communities that are increasingly multicultural.
The role that music will play in students lives depends in large measure on the level of skills they achieve in creating, performing, and listening to music.
Source: National Standards for Arts Education, published by Music Educators National Conference (MENC). Copyright © 1994 by MENC. Used by permission. The complete National Arts Standards and additional materials relating to the standards are available from MENC, The National Association for Music Education, 1806 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 20191, telephone: 800-336-3768.


Albuquerque Preschool – 2 years old to 3 years old
Inventors. Problem-solvers. Discoverers. Dreamers. Children 24 to 36 months are opening their eyes to the larger world around them and taking an active role in it. They learn as they take things apart, put them together and ask lots and lots of questions. At ABC Preschool and Childcare, we encourage this development and give them the guidance and tools they need to explore and learn within a comfortable, secure environment.
- Motor Skill Development — outdoor games, dancing, movement
- Language Development — recognizing and forming letters, story time, speech
- Sensory Development — textures, understanding the senses, descriptive activities.
- Imaginative Development — arts and crafts, dramatic play, storytelling
- Social Development — large- and small-group activities, sharing, politeness
Sparking Curiosity, Interest and Independence of Your Child
All these areas of development are part of our curriculum, which was designed with the belief that all children are capable and talented, and that they learn in their own ways. This method even extends to how we organize our classrooms that are divided into distinct areas of interest that meet children’s need to move, explore and express and relax. For more information regarding our Early Preschool Room, stop in to any of our locations.


Mr. Michael Delahunt
Graphic Design 1 & 2
Retouch the "Iron Man"
"To retouch" is to repair a damaged photo.
Your assignment is to retouch a photo of damaged artwork promoting a fantasy super-hero:
1 Make a copy of the PICT file (an Apple graphic file format) that is a scan of this damaged picture.
Do not work on the version displayed here.
A much higher resolution copy of this file can be found on the PHS-ITC server > Assignments > Graphic Design > Iron Man. Drop that file into your own folder on the PHS-ITC server.
2 Open it in PhotoShop Elements. You will be able to see the damage done to the original artwork much more easily when you have done so.
3 Remove and repair both folds from the entire image. Worth 10 points.
4 Fix the wrinkle. Use the blend (gradient tool). Worth 15 points.
5 Remove the marker scribble as if they were never there. Worth 15 points.
6 Fix the letterring. Worth 10 points.
7 Clone the bottom and top of the image across the lost portions (white) along the edges of the canvas. As part of this task, add the tip of a little-finger to Iron Man's right hand by cloning another finger. Worth 10 points.
8 Fix all of the fold marks within the figure using the stamp tool. Worth 20 points.
9 Finish before the deadline -- end of class February 21 -- and place a copy of your final product in the drop-box. Title a copy of the file you've completely retouched as
"[period 1 or 2] iron [your last name]"
drag and drop it into Users > Assignments > Graphic Design > drop-box.
Worth 20 points -- one-fifth of the 100 points you can earn are for turning this assignment in by its deadline.
Return to Graphic Design Course
ArtLex has thousands of articles about art terms used in art production, art criticism, art history, aesthetics, and art education. I created ArtLex for my students, to help them increase their understanding of art concepts, readings, writings, and conversations. Some of the hyperlinks found on the pages about my elementary art program will take you to ArtLex articles about terms on these pages.
I have taught art at three elementary schools in the Paradise Valley Unified School district (northeastern Phoenix and north Scottsdale) from 1986-. I began publishing information about my classes on the Web in 1995. I taught at Pinnacle High School during the 2001-2002 school year, and posted these lessons that year. I will maintain them as time permits.
Please send your comments to


NAPLAN is not a test of content. Instead, it tests skills in literacy and numeracy that are developed over time through the school curriculum. Excessive test preparation using previous tests is not useful.
NAPLAN tests identify whether all students have the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for their learning, and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community. Students are assessed using common national tests in reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
NAPLAN tests broadly reflect aspects of literacy and numeracy common to the curriculum in each state or territory. The types of test formats and questions are chosen so that they are familiar to teachers and students across Australia.
ACARA provides example tests so that teachers and students can get a sense of the ‘look and feel’ of the tests and to understand what types of questions are asked. NAPLAN tests are not tests students can ‘prepare’ for and previous NAPLAN tests are not available on this website. Students should continue developing their literacy and numeracy skills through their school curriculum because the tests contain questions similar to those that are undertaken in regular classroom learning and assessment.
From 2013, practice questions will not be included in any of the Year 7 and 9 tests. Feedback indicates that practice questions for Year 7 and 9 students are unnecessary as these students are already very familiar with the types of questions used in the tests. Practice questions will continue to be included for Year 3 and 5 tests.
Year 3 example NAPLAN tests
Year 5 example NAPLAN tests
Year 7 example NAPLAN tests
Year 9 example NAPLAN tests


10 Simple Reading Comprehension Strategies for Elementary School Children
Recently there has been a wave of panic among parents and teachers as a result of
the falling standards of literacy in schools, and this has been brought to bear
in a number of government-led reports and investigations in the English speaking
world. One of the principal concerns is the abysmal standard of reading comprehension
among elementary school children.
This article outlines ten simple and easy-to-implement reading comprehension activities
for parents of elementary-level students.
1. Ask simple questions while you read with or to your child
Be sure to ask your child questions about what has happened in a passage of the
storybook you are reading, such as “What do you think the rabbit will do now?” or
“Why do you think the little boy went inside the house?” This is a great way to
check that your child is staying focussed on the story, and is aware of what is
2. Use prediction strategies
Ask your child what she thinks is going to happen next in the story. You can do
this at the end of each page, or at the end of a chapter for older readers.
3. Encourage your child to relate what is happening in the story to his own life
This is a good way to enable your child to relate to the events of the story, and
a powerful strategy for boosting reading comprehension, as we are always more stimulated
when we are affected personally. If, for example, there is a pet in the story, you
can ask “You have a pet as well, don’t you. What’s his name? What type of animal
4. Use the ‘retelling strategy’
Ask your child to tell you what has happened in the story. This can be either verbal
or written, and can be done either at the end of the story or at the end of each
5. Choose reading materials that you know your child will be interested in
for instance, your child has shown an interest in tractors or cars, try reading
a storybook that features these vehicles.
6. Use contextual clues to help your child
If your child is having problems deciphering
the meaning of certain words, use contextual clues within the story to help. This
will teach your child a valuable skill, while allowing her to explore new boundaries
in a comfortable and safe environment.
7. Adopt the ‘Main Idea’ reading comprehension strategy
Often a new storybook can seem overwhelming to a young reader, as there are so many
new concepts, themes, words and situations to digest. It is always a good idea to
encourage your child to see the bigger picture when you read to him, as this will
give him a framework to pin the rest of the story to.
8. Alternate reading hard and easy texts with your child
Similarly, re-read known and loved stories as well as new books each day. The new
books will challenge her, while re-reading the old stories will nurture her reading
confidence and provide a safety blanket of familiarity.
9. Read aloud to your child
Language means more to young children when they hear it than when they read it.
Listening to a story that is being read to them enables children to understand how
intonation and patterns of language can affect the meaning of a story. It also gives
them access to a world that only more adept readers would be able to otherwise enjoy.
10. Read with your child every day
This is possibly the most important point of all. Set aside a regular time each
day to read with your child. It doesn’t have to be for more than 15 minutes, but
the benefits from setting aside a bit of time to read with your little one can be
amazing. Create a cosy nook on the couch, bring along a few loved toys, cuddle up
with a favourite book and, most importantly, have some fun. If you don’t treat it
as a chore, neither will your child.


UC researcher seeking to improve childhood speech disorder
UC researcher seeking to improve childhood speech
December 9, 2012
A University of Canterbury (UC) study is looking at how best to improve the literacy and education achievements of New Zealand children who struggle with speech disorders.
UC senior literacy lecturer Dr Brigid McNeill is conducting a national study by following 54 children aged five to seven years with suspected childhood apraxia of speech.
Childhood apraxia of speech is a poorly understood speech disorder. There are huge gaps in knowledge about how to diagnose it properly, what aspects of communication and literacy development are likely to be affected and how best to support children with the disorder.
``Traditionally, the disorder has been thought of as a purely ‘motor’ impairment with children’s difficulty pronouncing sounds thought to be due to difficulty planning movements for speech,’’ Dr McNeill said today.
``More recently, concerns over the language and literacy development of those affected have received attention in the literature. Such findings implicating language and literacy development in those affected have cast some doubt over whether this can be viewed as a purely ‘motor planning’ disorder.
``My current project is the first study of its kind to explore the broad profile of children with the suspected disorder over time with a large sample. Children in the study participate in a comprehensive speech, language and literacy assessment five times during the two year study.
``Speech production, oral movements, vocabulary knowledge, listening comprehension, storytelling, grammatical skill, reading and spelling are among the areas of development monitored. The study draws participants from Northland to Dunedin. Data collection for the project is nearing completion, with the participants undergoing their final assessment in the next three months.’’
Dr McNeill said initial analysis of the results showed participants were generally affected in their motoric, language and literacy development. More than 75 percent of children in the study required support in at least one area in addition to speech production.
More work was needed to be done to enhance the literacy and educational achievement of children with the disorder in New Zealand, she said.
``Children with severe speech difficulty are usually referred for speech and language therapy support in the pre-school years. There’s a lot we could be doing to facilitate early literacy development in this group rather than waiting for difficulties to be recognised later on.
``These findings have huge implications for the selection of speech therapy approaches for the group. It seems that it is not enough to work on ‘output’ or speech movement skills alone for many children with the disorder. Such an approach is likely to ignore the broader underlying difficulty and do little to enhance early literacy development.
``The results show a need to integrate speech therapy and educational support for children with speech disorder. Such a model has the best chance of seeing children affected by such difficulties meet their communication and academic potential,’’ she said.
About five percent of New Zealand children are affected by some form of speech disorder. Dr McNeill’s project has received $300,000 from a Marsden Fund fast start research grant for excellent early career researchers.


Art as a Behavior Modification Tool
Groves, Judi E., Multicultural Education
Like a sleeping giant, the project slumbered. As I prepared for my first day working with students in the after school program of the local school district, I could not help but wonder what I would discover when that giant stretched, yawned, and opened its eyes. As the Artist in Education at the art center of a small rural community, I wondered was it possible to share my love of art with students who would be attending because they must and had already been in classrooms all day.
I wondered would my idea to use the creative process as a behavior modification tool be successful. Barkan (1962) argues that ...."artistic activity anywhere is the same, whether at the frontier of art or in a third-grade classroom...The difference is in degree not kind" (p. 14) I hold this belief to be true.
The supplies were gathered, the pages of ideas organized into lesson plans, the schedule determined, and it seemed as if it was finally time to begin. Armed with resolve, I stood outside the cave. "Wake up giant," I cried...." I have come to play."
Paradoxically, social responsibility in art education presupposes a willingness to play. If play is a willingness to explore and investigate a particular environment, to take risks in the search for novelty and discovery to engage interactively in a continuing dynamic process, then play is at the heart of art education (Hicks, 2004).
Standards and Skills
The format for rules, consequences, motivation, and implementation were developed together by students and the lead instructor. The project purpose was to teach the process of "Discipline Based Art Education" (DBAE) to youth at risk by using art's creative process as the tool for developing cognitive abilities that promote decision making and problem solving. These strategies can be taught sequentially.
DBAE teaches the brain how to learn. This methodology builds confidence which leads to the discovery of self and leadership skills. With the advent of DBAE, student contact with original works of art was considered central to curriculum planning and art museums became of particular importance in the study of art (Clark, Day, & Greer, 1987).
The lessons were developed according to state art standards and taught in the sequence that would offer the greatest amount of success for the students:
(1) Children and youth demonstrate skills, knowledge, and/or understanding of the arts consistent with national, state, or local arts education standards by teaching the creative process in accordance with content standard #6, using active learning projects that include both two and three dimensional art projects in accordance with art content standard #1, brainstorming techniques, how to recognize ideas, and mind mapping, how to prioritize ideas, and plan development, steps to completing the work, content standard #3, developing visual journals as a form of student evaluation in accordance with content standard #5, formulating gallery talks, discussion of terms, styles, cultures, and history, content standard #4.
(2) Children and youth will learn to work together, complete projects, and control their behavior.
Developing a method to guide and motivate self control was implemented at the beginning. On the first and following days, each student was given a sticky note that was placed in front of him or her on the table. When rules were broken, the sticky note was removed and was not replaced for the remainder of the session. If the note was in place at the end of the session, the student could sign it with his or her name and place it in the opportunity box. At the end of the week, there would be a drawing and the student whose name was drawn would receive the reward.
The reward was a simple art supply, but in the eyes of most of the students, it was a treasure since most did not have access to art supplies at home. …


USF researchers are teaching piano as a means of studying its impact on cognitive performance in adults and children.
Video: Katy Hennig | USF News
By Katy Hennig
TAMPA, Fla. (July 2, 2013) – Ever wanted to learn how to play the piano?
Researchers at the University of South Florida researchers are conducting a series of piano training camps investigating the effects of intense piano instruction on cognitive performance in both adults and children.
Jennifer Bugos, assistant professor of music education, is working with Nathan Maxfield, a specialist in USF’s communication sciences and disorders, to establish a data set that will provide information on the viability of musical training to assist with other brain functions.
“What we are doing is investigating the effects of piano instruction on cognitive performance. So we are looking at several different areas of cognitive processing as well as executive performance,” said Bugos.
This is the second year that Bugos is teaching piano in an intense two-week course to establish a connection between cognitive development.
“Prior results from our past research studies we’ve seen the results of longer-term piano intervention, we’ve seen increased performance in working memory performance and increase in planning performance in older adults,” said Bugos.
Delroy McPherson heard about the study through Maxfield and was eager to try to learn a new skill.
“So I decided to give it a try to see what it was all about. I’ve never played a piano and I don’t have one, but it’s good, I’m learning, I’m not really that good but I am picking up some stuff,” McPherson said.
Participants come every day for 10 days for a 3 ½ hour session. During the session they learn basic piano technique, finger dexterity exercises, scales and arpeggios, music theory as well as standard piano repertoire.
The process includes testing before and after the piano lessons looking at cognitive and behavioral methods, as well as memory tests. The researchers perform EEG testing, or non-invasive electroencephalogram analysis of the participants.
“We look at overall brain activity while one is looking at some words on a screen so they are making decisions about what they see and what they hear, so we are looking at data on that level. We are also looking at stress levels, we are measuring cortisol levels,” Bugos said.
The research is being funded by a grant from the School of Music and the College of The Arts in an effort to secure more funding for future studies.
“This has been a fabulous experience for me,” said Lilli Guttman, a retired schoolteacher from New York. She has surprised herself at the speed in which she is learning the piano and credits Bugos with providing the opportunity for her and others that have had no prior musical training.
“I have grown exponentially. The skills that she has given us are unbelievable, this is a fabulous program,” said Guttman. “I didn’t expect to go so fast. I expected, ok, I’d learn to play piano with my right hand, maybe with my left hand. But never with both, never using harmony and melody at the same time. I never even knew the difference between harmony and melody.”
Katy Hennig can be reached at 813-974-6993.


The themes explored in this issue of Language Arts challenge readers to consider how literacy development is influenced, shaped, and created by inequities related to race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. The books reviewed in this column investigate conditions of classroom inequities from different perspectives: curriculum, educators, and policy. The first book, Children’s Literature and Learning: Literary Study across the Curriculum, written by Barbara A. Lehman, examines how educators can address issues of diversity and inequities, both through curriculum and by the kinds of literature they bring in to the classroom. The second book, Building Racial and Cultural Competence in the Classroom: Strategies from Urban Educators, edited by Karen Manheim Teel and Jennifer E. Obidah, offers a collection of articles intended to give teachers and teacher educators strategies for building cultural competence in future educators. And finally, Translating Childhoods: Immigrant Youth, Language, and Culture, by Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, challenges our understanding of the sociology of childhood for children from diverse backgrounds, raising new implications for wide-reaching education policy.


The oldest known survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp has died at the age of 108, PolskaTimes newspaper reported on Monday.
Antoni Dobrowolski died on Sunday in the town of Debno (north-west Poland) where he lived after World War II, the newspaper quoted an official of the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum as saying.
Dobrowolski, a primary school teacher, ran secret classes during Nazi Germany's occupation of Poland, when anything beyond four years of elementary education was prohibited.
In 1942, Dobrowolski was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz. He was later moved to the concentration camps of Gross-Rosen and then Sachsenhausen, where he was liberated by the Soviet Army in the spring of 1945 as the war ended.
Auschwitz was the largest Nazi concentration camp, where more than 1 million people died, 90% of them Jews.


Instructional strategies that challenge dominant ...
|Title||Instructional strategies that challenge dominant pedagogy|
|Author(s)||June Countryman, Leslie Stewart Rose|
|Journal||Canadian Music Educator / Musicien Educateur au Canada|
|Abstract||The article presents a curriculum of equity, diversity and social justice in music education practice. A delineation of these terms is offered in order to emphasize and direct attention to the goals represented by these ideas such as an equity-educator is more concerned with who participates and who does not. It also offers prompts to help educators develop spaces that nurture independent music practitioners within a peer-oriented environment.|
Using APA 6th Edition citation style.
Times viewed: 691


Sick of the same old arts and crafts projects? Try a new kind of art—string art! Kids make a simple geometric design while they learn how to use a hammer and nails. Along the way, they get lots of practice with fine motor skills and hand eye coordination, too.
What You Do:
- Help your child position the larger plate so that it's centered on the wood board, and have him use a pencil to lightly trace around the outside.
- Now, have him position the smaller plate inside the larger circle and trace around the outside, creating a smaller circle inside the larger one.
- Have your child use a ruler to measure and mark every half inch around each circle. As he works, he's also getting great practice with his math skills and concentration!
- Now its time for some hammering! Place a magazine under the wood base to ensure his nails won't pound through the work table. Then, help him use the ball peen hammer to hammer a nail into each mark on both circles.
- When the nails are all in, its time for some colorful string! Have him cut a length of string and tie it around a nail on the outside circle. Then, have him loop the string around the nails, first on the inside and then outside circle, creating a zigzagged design around the circle.
- Next, he can use the other color of string to tie, loop, and zigzag on the nails that haven’t been looped with string.
- Have him continue tying and looping lengths of string until each nail has been looped with a piece of string.
When he's all done, help him find a special spot to display finished geometric string art for the whole family to enjoy!
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


People’s Collection Wales
The People’s Collection Wales is a website full of fascinating photographs, sound recordings, documents, videos and stories about the history and heritage of wales and its people. Discover trails, collections and stories, or just search for a photo of your favourite place! Join the site and add your own history!
Spring Bulbs for Schools
Plant bulbs in your school grounds to study climate change. Join this UK wide investigation and improve science and numeracy skills. All schools must apply by the end of July to take part in the following September. Free to all schools in Wales -spaces limited.
Places now full for 2015-16. Applications open in May to participate in 2016-17.
Science, Geography and ESD&GC.
The First World War Education Project
The National Library of Wales and National Museum Wales are leading a project to produce education resources for schools to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. As part of this project we are using items from the collections of both institutions to create digital teaching resources for Hwb.
Voices of the Museum
In 2012 the learning department at the National Roman Legion Museum worked with pupils from Blackwood Comprehensive School and members of Caerleon Reading Group on the ‘Voices of the Museum’ project. This project was designed to encourage the groups to choose objects on display at the museum that grabbed their attention. They were then asked to discuss why they chose them and think about how they relate to their own daily lives.link


Be sure to visit our blog Forever Free to get personal stories and the latest up-to-date information on literacy.
Did You Know?
Language proficiency is the foundation of literacy development
Language development starts at birth
Children who do not have a solid language foundation are at risk for reading delays
How can I help my child develop language? Read more here.
Welcome to the Georgia Pathway to Language and Literacy! Georgia Pathway to Language and Literacy (Georgia Pathway) is a Community of Practice (CoP) of professionals, advocates, and parents who serve deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students throughout the State of Georgia. The mission of the CoP is to advance the literacy proficiency of Georgia’s children who are D/HH and achieve grade-level reading proficiency by the end of third grade for all Georgia students with hearing loss, regardless of their communication modality.
Georgia Pathway is partnered with educators, non-profits, government entities, and other organizations throughout Georgia and the US.


Teachers’ Internet use in class and lab
- 25% use the Internet daily to educate students.
- 5% said they never use the Internet in the classroom and another 5% said it was not available to them.
- No teachers use YouTube daily, but 16% use it weekly. And 17% use other video streaming weekly.
- 5% use Facebook or Twitter in the classroom at least monthly.
- Teachers rarely use Skype or other video conferencing. About 3% use it monthly.
- During a typical class period, 45% of teachers said they spent no time online, and 59% said their students spent no time online.
- Teachers reported that their schools block Internet content, including educational sites such as Spanish language learning, and music education. Some said many sites are blocked unless there is a request to unblock them.
- Of Rockbridge County teachers, 82% said YouTube was blocked, Lexington, 36%, and Buena Vista, 23%.
- Unblocking content was moderately difficult to impossible for 78% of Rockbridge County, 58% of BV, and 46% of Lexington teachers.
Teachers’ Internet use in general
- 25% use email to communicate with students.
- 6% use Facebook to communicate with students.
- Nearly every teacher has Internet access at home (96%).
- Two-thirds have used the Internet 15 years or longer and spend between 1-3 hours online daily.
- The majority spend half of their online time doing teaching-related activities (planning, grading, instruction).
Teachers’ technology use in class and lab
- Nearly half use a computer daily in the classroom or lab to educate students.
Teachers’ attitudes toward technology and the Internet
- The higher they rated their own skill, the more they believed the Internet and technology improved student learning. Rockbridge County teachers were most likely to agree that using Internet/technology in the classroom improves student learning, followed by Lexington, and Buena Vista.
- More than half of Lexington teachers agreed (moderately to strongly) that their students know more about the Internet and technology than they do. About one fourth of Rockbridge County, and just under a third of Buena Vista teachers agreed.
- Speed ratings: In all three school systems, the majority of teachers rated the Internet speed in their classrooms and labs as average to very slow.
- Reliability ratings: The majority in Rockbridge County and Lexington said their classroom or lab Internet was average to very unreliable. But in BV, the majority rated the Internet as moderately or very reliable.
Skills (teacher self-assessment)Note that green and brown lines show higher skill ratings. Light orange means never used.
Training and support
- The majority of teachers agreed (moderately to strongly) their technical support staff was helpful--85 percent of Rockbridge County, 70 percent of Buena Vista, and 67 percent of Lexington teachers.
- The level of technology and Internet training among the teachers was similar among school districts, at 11-20 hours. But, those with less training used Internet/technology significantly less in the classroom.
Washington and Lee University Associate Professor Claudette Artwick supervised the Teachers, Internet, & Technology Survey. Students in her Communication Research Methods course designed the survey. It was administered online in March 2012 to all teachers in Rockbridge County, Lexington, and Buena Vista school districts. A total of 77 teachers participated, for a 20 percent completion rate. Special thanks to the school district superintendents for their assistance in distributing the email invitations to participate in the study, and to the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation for funding the gift card incentives for participants.