Because fluency is most easily attained if instruction begins at a young age, elementary education teachers of English as a second language play a vital role in the learning process. Elementary education is the base upon which students build in middle and high / secondary schools, so a good elementary education English teacher will instill and cultivate proper study skills as well as provide interesting and interactive activities to captivate curious young children with characteristically short attention spans. These teachers must use narrative vignettes, dialogues, tests and other materials to create a comprehensive learning experience.Educational computer programs or interactive websites may also be used as tools to aid students in the language learning process.
A big factor which influences the experience of teaching English as a second language is whether the teacher chooses to instruct within the United States or in non-English speaking countries abroad. Still, some similarities exist. Regardless of location, elementary education English teachers will typically be dealing with students ages five to ten, give or take a year.
Teaching ESL in the United States In the United States, the teaching of English as a second language at an elementary education level falls under the ESL program. ESL is not part of the normal public school curriculum, rather a supplementary, comprehensive English course for students trying to attain a grasp of the language to better function in American society.
Elementary education ESL teachers are always employed by the either the public school system or a private school. Teachers of ESL must be certified to teach in that state (a full list of state certification requirements can be found here), as well as having completed a bachelor’s degree. In addition, linguistic master’s degrees, such as Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), are gaining popularity as a way to specialize and become certified to teach English. According to PayScale, elementary school ESL teachers earn a median salary of $45,198.
TESOL in Non-English Speaking Countries Teaching English as a second language outside of the United States is known as eitherTESOL, TEFL or TESL, with TESOL often used as an umbrella term. The specific responsibilities of these teachers differ from nation to nation, program to program. Regardless, the common primary duty is to facilitate the academic and social study of the English language in an environment will little regular exposure to it. TESOL teachers usually work five days a week, Monday through Friday, for seven to eight hours a day, either during normal class hours or after school. They instruct at either a public or private school, or are part of a government initiative or commercial education company.
The requirements to become a TESOL teacher at an elementary school level also vary by nation and program. The degrees demanded differ, with more stringent programs asking for a bachelor’s degree in applied linguistics, TESOL or educational linguistics, and more liberal ones accepting any major from an accredited university (even in these cases, a premium is often put on education or English majors). Certification in either TESOL, TEFL or CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is preferred, if not a must, and some courses additionally require a teaching license in elementary education. Necessary experience also differs, with some organizations asking for up to four years in a teaching English as a a second language program, along with general elementary school experience, and others accepting candidates with no prior background. Competence in the host country’s native language is often not required. Some courses stipulate that the candidate be a native English speaker and even a passport holder of an anglophone nation, such as the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom.
The salary and benefits of a TESOL teacher at an elementary education level abroad also vary according to nation and program. Compensation is paid in the national currency, varies according to status of employment (full-time / part-time), and may take the form of either a hourly wage or salary. Benefits may include yearly vacation days, free furnished housing (dormitory, hotel or private lodgings) or adequate housing allowance, free or partially-reimbursed round-trip airfare, full or partial medical insurance coverage, and bonuses. Schools may also aid candidates in the process of obtaining a work visa. Besides monetary or material compensation, teaching abroad also offers instructors an opportunity to travel and experience different cultures.


*American Academy of Pediatrics Literacy Toolkit Handouts for Parents offers printable information in Spanish and English about sharing quality books and reading with young childre
*Building Blocks for Literacy is a free online resource for early childhood educators and parents. Preschool teachers will be
interested in the free self-paced professional development workshop, which uses audio and video recordings to demonstrate techniques like shared book reading to promote children’s early
*Colorín Colorado a bilingual site for parents and educators of English language learners and the sister site to Reading Rockets, provides activities, information, and advice about teaching reading. The site includes printable tip sheets and guides (available in a variety of languages), webcasts, podcasts, e-newsletters, and other resourcs.
*Good Reads is a social networking site for book lovers that educators can use to keep track of the books they have read, write and read book reviews, find and make book recommendations, access book lists, and discuss books with other users.
*International Children’s Digital Library is an online collection of high-quality children’s books from around the world that can be read online. Books are available in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. Users can search for books by topic, child’s age, or language. Entire site available in Spanish.
*International Reading Association serves educators who teach reading to learners of all ages. The website includes podcasts, booklists, articles, a literacy forum, and resources on a variety of topics, includingbeginning readers.
*Just One More Book! is a podcast that celebrates and promotes children’s books. Episodes can be played on the website or downloaded to an audio device. The site also features listener-submitted book reviews and interviews with authors, illustrators, and literacy experts.
*Mother Goose Programs offers ideas, reading lists, and book programs to inspire teachers to integrate reading books into explorations of math, science, and other topics.
*The Official Eric Carle website includes information about this best-loved children’s author and his books, instructions for creating collage illustrations, and the Caterpillar Exchange Bulletin Board, a place for teachers to share ideas with each other.
*Our Book By Us!/Nuestro Libro ¡Hecho Por Nosotros! Written in English and Spanish, this book can be downloaded for $2.00 from the website of the National Writing Project. Caregivers and families can use it to support preschool children’s literacy development. Includes tips for adults and activity pages for children to express their thoughts about their families and experiences.
*PBS Kids Island offers free reading games and activities for preschoolers, along with resources and literacy activities for parents and teachers.
*A Place of Our Own, produced by KCET, is a television series and with this accompanying website for everyone who cares for young children. The show and website share ways to guide children’s cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and language and literacy development. Entire site available in Spanish as Los Niños en Su Casa.
*Reach Out and Read promotes early literacy in pediatric exam rooms nationwide, giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. The website (and a Spanish-language version) offers book lists for children and educators, reading tips, and early literacy milestones in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
*Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit literacy organization. Resources include information on literacy programs, strategies and advice for educators and parents, interviews with authors and illustrators, and activities and games for children. Also includes resources in Spanish.
*Reading Rockets offers information and activities for families and teachers to help young children learn to read. The site offers research-based articles, teaching techniques, and strategies to help children who struggle. Teachers can also download a free template to customize to create their own classroom newsletters. Sister site Colorín Colorado is in Spanish.
*WordWorld is the companion website to the PBS series WordWorld, a computer animated show for preschoolers. The website features interactive games
for children along with information for parents and teachers.


Background Research has demonstrated associations between smoking and reading skills, but other literacy skills such as speaking, listening and numeracy are less studied despite our dependence on the use of numbers and the oral exchange to deliver information on the risks of smoking.
Methods The authors used multivariable logistic regression to examine the effects of reading, numeracy, speaking and listening skills on: (1) becoming a regular smoker and (2) smoking cessation. Further, multivariable linear regression was used to examine the relation between literacy skills and amount smoked among current smokers. Models controlled for education, gender, age, race/ethnicity, income and, when relevant, age at which they became a regular smoker.
Results For each grade equivalent increase in reading skills, the odds of quitting smoking increased by about 8% (OR=1.08, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.15). For every point increase in numeracy skills, the odds of quitting increased by about 24% (OR=1.24, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.46). No literacy skills were associated with becoming a regular smoker or current amount smoked.
Conclusion The ability to locate, understand and use information related to the risks of smoking may impact one's decision to quit. Messaging should be designed with the goal of being easily understood by all individuals regardless of literacy level.
- health policy
- public health epidemiology
- public health policy
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Competing interests None.
Ethics approval This study was conducted with the approval of the Harvard School of Public Health. The RAND Corporation approved the use of the data for secondary analysis.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.


Vocal Pegagogy and Applications for Conductors not Trained in Singing
Walders, Patrick Michael
Maclary, Edward L
MetadataShow full item record
Musicians who are given the opportunity to conduct a choir may not always be trained singers themselves. In particular, keyboard players who are not trained as vocalists often elect to pursue careers that include choral conducting. There is no single resource designed specifically for choral conductors (or any conductor whose primary instrument is not their singing voice) who may not have received private voice lessons for an extended period in their musical training. There are many resources for advanced choral techniques, warm-ups, vocal pedagogy for those who already have experience as choral conductors, choral singers and vocal soloists. This document provides basic discussions and applications that address the fundamentals of vocal pedagogy and how those fundamentals could be applied within basic choral warm-ups and rehearsal techniques, all designed for conductors who do not have training in applied voice or in choral music education. The heart of this document focuses on basic Vocal Pedagogy, equipping the inexperienced vocalist with anatomical knowledge of the voice and the mechanics of vocal production. Inexperienced and untrained singers, along with other musicians who are seeking ways to teach vocal technique to choirs will benefit from this overview, as it will provide a single and concise resource to answer questions concerning foundational issues of vocal pedagogy, and their application within a choral rehearsal. My sources include a compilation of books, articles, and videos published in the latter half of the twentieth century, weighted more toward materials published within the last ten years. I analyze, highlight and compare current leading Vocal and Choral Pedagogy texts by Barbara Conable, Meribeth Bunch, Cynthia Vaughn, Leon Thurman, Graham Welch, Roger Love, Frauke Haasemann and other authors citing, in my opinion, the most important information needed by inexperienced vocalists who find themselves teaching and/or conducting in a choral setting. I then share my own experiences, offer applications and exercises and reflect and/or comment on the information cited. I hope this makes the terminology less technical and more user-friendly to the "vocal layperson," or inexperienced vocalist, allowing for quicker understanding and application of the content.


Stimulus students of varying race (black vs. white) and social class (lower vs. middle) were portrayed as showing either an ascending or descending pattern of past success to Introductory Psychology or Elementary Education subjects. Subjects then estimated the future success of the stimulus student. The results indicated a recency effect in expected future performance-a performer whose scores showed an ascending pattern of success was expected to outperform those exhibiting a descending pattern of success. Black students were also expected to outperform white students, but only when they had shown increasing success; for descending success patterns, race did not differentially affect expected performance estimates. Possible explanations for the recency finding were presented and focused on the phenomenal status of ability and the prescriptions accompanying the institutionalized role of teacher. Implications regarding the differential credit for success to students were discussed.


Story Workshop Teach pack
The result of 8 years of research into the question: What is the connection between literacy and the arts? This full-color work text and 90-minute DVD present experiences of Opal School teacher researchers and children ages 3 - 11 years. This powerful professional development kit provides a window into the fascinating relationships between adults, children, stories, materials and language and literacy development, and supports educators to begin adapting Story Workshop in their own settings. The work text guides the viewer through a series of reflection protocols that can be used by individuals or teams of colleagues.
The DVD includes a variety of video footage featuring teachers and children at work together in Opal School classrooms. It provides structural support for organizing story workshop in preschool - second grade classrooms as well as contextual support for understanding the theoretical foundations for Story Workshop and windows into children's powerful language and writing development over time.
Video 1: Introductions
Chapter 1: What is playful literacy?
Chapter 2: The elements of playful literacy
Chapter 3: What is story workshop?
Chapter 4: Defining story workshop
Video 2: The Geography of Story Workshop
Chapter 1: The Terrain to Explore
Chapter 2: A Map to Navigate the Terrain
Video 3: Individual Student Work: From Play to Final Drafts
Chapter 1: Alijah and Ruby: preschool
Chapter 2: Sophia: kindergarten
Chapter 3: Micah: first grade
Chapter 4: Wrigley: third grade
Chapter 5: Sophie and Davis: fourth and fifth grade
Video 4: The Power of Playful Literacy
Praise for The Geography of Story Workshop:
"I am awe struck! What beautiful, clear, layered, focused, organized yet spontaneous views you have provided into daily life at Opal School during Story Workshop. It will be so helpful for people to understand more about how it works, why you do it, and how rich it is."
Louise Boyd Cadwell
Author of Bringing Reggio Emilia Home
"What a great resource for teachers to think more about provocations and the relationships between children and materials. Here children see themselves as a community of learners and they also see themselves as storytellers and as authors. A beautiful music score and fabulous images."
Director, Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool, Scottsdale, AZ
"Thank you for capturing this process and making this kit! The images were powerful. Excellent -- a great way to encourage creativity and literacy in the classroom, authentically."
Director, The Helen Gordon Child Development Center
Professor, Portland State University, Portland, OR


Join us for Building Blocks Summer Symposium 2017
We welcome new and returning students to join with us for the best in summer learning and fun! Our program encourages children to learn about the world in creative and innovative ways. Your child will develop a thirst for knowledge, while exploring nature, arts and science.
They will strengthen their social and academic skills, all while playfully exploring and developing theories naturally. Children will have many opportunities to discover their own strengths and abilities to problem solve and create as they construct knowledge. Literacy, math and science are all major components of our daily lessons and activities.
Symposium Session Dates:
June 19 – July 14
July 17 – August 11
Class is from 9 am to 12:30 pm
Tuition and Class Options:
Tuesday/Thursday: $188 per session
Monday/Wednesday/Friday: $300 per session
Daily Rate: $25
Multimedia projects such as painting, mosaic art, tie dying, beading and clay projects.
Science activities designed to bring out your child’s inner scientist. Through observation and construction in your child will practice the skills of inventing and experimenting as they learn about the magical properties of color, light, mixing different kinds of natural elements and other fascinating science concepts.
As we play outside everyday, water is a fabulous source of fun and learning. Water play includes experiments with water, colors, and bubbles.
Literacy development will be part of our activities. We will draw, write and read everyday. Your child’s literacy skills will grow dramatically throughout the summer.
- Age range of children is mixed from 2- to 8-years-old.
- Snacks are provided.
- Other supplies children will need to have at school include: water clothes, towel and sunscreen.
For more information or to enroll, you can contact our school’s director at 503.694.1191 or email for more information.


The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program (21CCLC) is an initiative established by the US Congress
to provide rural
schools that have high levels of student poverty
with funding for activities during out-of-school hours (before school, after school, weekends, and summers) to allow students further opportunities to meet national and state standard
s and, ultimately, succeed in school. The program was initially authorized under Title X, Part I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) and administered as a competitive
grant at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Education
. With the reauthorization of the ESEA in 2001 (the legislation known as the "No Child Left Behind
Act", NCLB, or phonetic
"), the program was moved to Title IV, Part B and is now administered at the state level. Funds are distributed to the states by a formula
, and a competitive process is established for the distribution of funds.
Eligible applicants include Local Education Agencies (LEAs – for the most part, school districts), rural or urban schools receiving funds under Title I, Part A (the poverty indicator, which is based on the percentage of students participating in the National School Lunch Program), community-based organizations, private or non-profit organizations, or a consortium of any of these types of entities. The program consists of 13 possible area of activities; applicants much choose at least 4 and are mandated to include #13, which is activities that accommodate students with disabilities. The other program areas are (1) remedial education activities and academic enrichment learning programs; (2) math and science activities; (3) arts and music education; (4) entrepreneurial education; (5) tutoring and mentoring services; (6) activities for students with limited English proficiency; (7) recreational activities; (8) telecommunication and technology education; (9) expanded library service hours; (10) programs that promote parental involvement and family literacy; (11) assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled; and (12) drug and violence prevention.
The goal of the program is to offer traditionally underserved populations extra educational, behavioral, and recreational activities to enhance their success in school and after graduation. It is strongly encouraged that proposals address the needs of the families of students at-risk for academic failure. A major component of the program is the involvement of as many partners as possible; this becomes important towards the end of the 5-year funding period, when grantees are responsible for matching 20%, 40%, and 60% of the award amount in years 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The purpose of the matching is to urge the program participants towards creating a self-sustaining program that involves various community contributions.
Since the program’s inception, about 7,000 centers have been established. In FY 2001, the appropriation was $846 million; in FY 2001, the appropriation was increased to $1 billion. In FY 2002, the appropriation was further increased to $1.25 billion with the addition of $250 million each year through 2007.
USDOE Publication: "Outline of Programs and Selected Changes in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001"


Established in 2012 as a way to improve educational outcomes across the globe, the UN Global Education First Initiative addresses important issues facing schools. In particular, the program sets out to improve the quality of education, which dips dangerously low in many world regions. Instead of graduating highly educated students with real academic knowledge, many schools produce students who possess little more than basic literacy and numeracy skills.
To combat low-quality education in schools, the Global Education First Initiative tackles problems such as teacher shortages, a serious issue even in some of the world’s most developed countries. Many classrooms in underdeveloped regions also lack the learning materials and educational resources necessary for an effective education. The initiative also aims to improve vocational training, overcome hunger and poor nutrition, and bolster the student evaluation process.
To learn more about the strategic objectives of the UN Global Education First Initiative, visit the official website at GlobalEducationFirst.org.


Numeracy, Preschool children, Young children, Computation, Numbers, Patterns (Mathematics), Number concepts, Measurement
In 2012, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) began the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Study: Transitions from Preschool to School (LLANS:TPS). The study is part of a program of longitudinal literacy and numeracy research at ACER that started with a seven-year longitudinal study of children’s developing literacy and numeracy throughout primary school, which began in 1999 with a cohort of 1000 children from 100 schools around Australia (Meiers et al., 2006). The original Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Study (LLANS) developed new instruments for assessing children’s literacy and numeracy understanding in the first three years of primary school and described growth in skills over the entire seven years of primary school. The purpose of this report is to describe the numeracy skills of the preschool children (at the end of the year prior to starting school) who participated in the first year of LLANS:TPS. A better understanding of the numeracy knowledge and skills of preschool children has two important outcomes for early childhood educators and early years teachers: knowing what knowledge and skills can be fostered among young children, and understanding the early numeracy foundation on which formal instruction can build. We describe patterns of understanding of preschool children participating in LLANS:TPS in six significant areas of early numeracy: numbers and counting, sharing, number comparison and ordering, calculations, patterns, shapes and measurement.
Reid, Kate and Andrews, Nicola, "Fostering Understanding of Early Numeracy Development" (2016).
Copyright Australian Council for Educational Research 2016
Place of Publication
Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)


BA Elementary Education Endorsement Option: Special Education (SPED)
Meeting the needs of all students is central to our work as professional educators. Having the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the diverse learning needs of our students both supports quality learning in the classroom and our own career development.
The Inclusive Practice in Special Education endorsement (SPED) is designed to equip teachers with the initial knowledge and skills necessary for supporting the positive academic and social-emotional development of children and youth with disabilities in inclusive classroom and school settings.
The endorsement structure facilitates professional learning through the movement from knowledge and skills
acquisition to application via case based learning and practical experience. Areas of curricular focus include: a) foundations, b) assessment, c) planning, d) instruction, and e) communication and collaboration.
B EDUC 403 – Introduction to Special Education
B EDUC 482 – Planning for Student Success in Inclusive Education
B EDUC 483 – Assessment in Special and Inclusive Education
B EDUC 484 – Secondary Special Education and Transition
B EDUC 485 – Instruction in Inclusive Settings
B EDUC 435 – Student Teaching in SPED


Art teachers often have to prepare for more grades levels as a result of elective courses. Sometimes teaching at multiple buildings or schools! We don’t always have the time we need to lesson plan, grade, hang art, call parents, and do all other teacher duties on top of our personal lives!
Most resources for assistance and academic improvement is geared towards core subjects. Visual Arts programs have been cut drastically, forcing teachers to work with less. Electives in general are not given the same support as their core counterparts despite having to share professional development time, or benefit from team planning (depending on the district).
EDUKASYON is dedicated to sharing lesson plans and resources. Art Education is all encompassing and can be easily integrated with other disciplines. Creative and critical thinking move and inspire innovation. Culture, history, and human development are essential parts of a child’s educational experience that we want to engage in our art lessons. Use these lessons as is, or use them to inspire new ideas for your own.
Oh, and In case you were wondering about the spelling, Edukasyon is Tagalog (main Filipino dialect) for Education.


The third grade is a transitional year from primary to elementary. In third grade, students are encouraged to move from teacher directed activities to working more independently. Students use the foundational skills they learned in the primary grades to help them succeed socially and academically. Student progress is reported each nine weeks and Parent/Teacher/Student conferences are held twice a year.
In third grade, students read and write more independently than in any previous grade. Students spend significant blocks of time engaged in reading and writing on their own as well as completing assigned tasks and projects. Students listen critically to spoken messages of others, as well as making their own contributions to discussions. They also plan and present oral presentations. Third graders read grade-level material fluently, with comprehension. Students read in a variety of genres including realistic and imaginative fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Third grade students write with more complex grammar such as proper nouns and commas in a series. Students write longer and more elaborate sentences and organize their writing into larger units of text. Students write several drafts to produce a final product.
Students build on the learning from previous grades in all strands of mathematics, including arithmetic/number, geometry, measurement, logic, patterns, probability, and statistics. Multiplication and division are the focus of arithmetic instruction. All mathematical concepts are introduced using concrete manipulatives, and gradually introducing students to abstract understanding and concepts. Students use appropriate language and organizational structures such as tables and charts to represent and communicate relationships, make predictions, and solve problems.
In third grade, the study of science focuses on research using the Scientific Method. Students plan and implement simple class investigations to develop the skills of collecting data, using tools, making inferences, communicating conclusions, and making informed hypotheses. Students learn material from Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science, with an emphasis on Physical Science.
The third grade Social Studies curriculum includes instruction in Citizenship, Economics, History, Government, Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Map Skills, and Current Events. Social Studies skills and processes are woven into the daily lessons.
Students open each school day with prayer and attend a weekly all-school Mass where they worship and praise God. Students are encouraged to join one of the may opportunities in the church to actively participate. In the classroom, through their study of religion, students deepen their understanding of Church and the community.
Students attend music class weekly. Each student learns the enjoyment of music both as a listener and a participant. Rhythm instruments, such as the recorder, are an integral part of the program. They also have the opportunity to sing in the school mass choir. Students perform on special occasions.
Students receive art instruction weekly. The children use a variety of techniques such as clay, wood, and paints. Color study is a main focus throughout the year. Famous artists are studied and their techniques emulated to provide a myriad of examples for students.


The purpose of this paper and session is fourfold. Firstly, we outline an enduring educational and social problem, poor levels of literacy amongst some adults, including students in higher education, and a potential innovative solution – the gamification of literacy learning. The problem of literacy development in higher education is often subsumed under study skills programs; however, we suggest that serious computer games can be used as digital tools to assist students overcome the shame associated with poor literacy and provide an engaging way to learn.
Secondly, we outline the development of two serious literacy game apps, and discuss findings from an initial evaluation of one of the apps, Apostrophe Power.
Thirdly, we offer some critical observation about game development and educational technology.
Finally, we provide a series of questions formulated to facilitate a critical sharing of experience around individual and institutional use of educational technology.
This paper was presented as an emerging initiative at The Students Transitions Achievement Success and Retention (STARS) Conference, Perth, 29 June - 2 July, 2016.


Classical music has served Chicagoans in a broad variety of ways.
Classical music was heard in Chicago at least from the time of its incorporation and city charter in the 1830s.
Early settlers such as Mark Beaubien (fiddle), John Kinzie (violin), and Jean-Baptiste Beaubien (piano) owned instruments and played for dances at the Sauganash Tavern.
A Miss Wythe opened the first school of music in July 1834; Samuel Lewis opened a second the following year, and a shipment of pianos arrived in 1835.
Short-lived amateur performing groups began with the Old Settlers' Harmonic Society (1835–36, also called the Chicago Harmonic Society) and soon included the Chicago Sacred Musical Society (1842), the Chicago Choral Union (1846–48), and the Mozart Society (1849).
In 1847, Frank Lumbard was appointed vocal teacher in the public schools, a move that placed music education at the core of the civic enterprise.
As Chicago expanded, its growing audiences could attract touring artists.Musicians visited intermittently, offering recitals that mixed classical and popular music with virtuoso feats. Soprano prodigy Adelina Patti performed with violinist Ole Bull in 1853, '54, and '57, and with her family troupe in 1860.For the city as a whole, classical music has served as a signal of Chicago's cultural sophistication and economic strength.Cultural events and institutions were one means of placing Chicago's civic vitality above that of rival cities and proclaiming its coming of age to the nation and the world.In a city of superlatives, Chicago's musical culture could likewise excel.To combat pejorative labels such as “Porkopolis” or “Second City,” civic boosters strove to make Chicago a “First City” of the arts.


Our youngest daughter is a budding cook and loves making cookies and cakes. She has a page-a-day calendar with recipes for cookies on. Here's one batch she made last week:
For the Cookies:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of 3 lemons
1 1/2 cups plain flour
For the Filling:
4 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
grated zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1/2 lemon
Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest together until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and cornflour together and stir into the creamed mixture. Roll into balls and press flat on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool.
To make the filling, beat the butter and sugar together with the lemon zest and juice until light and fluffy. Spread the filling onto the flat side of one cookie, then put another cookie on top and sandwich together.
Baking as a way to practice numeracy skills
Baking is a great way for kids to practice a number of skills - not just the skill of baking!
Measurements are well practised as ingredients are weighed etc. Depending on the unit of measurement, sometimes fractions are sometimes practiced - as they are here, when things are measured in cups, and half cups etc. This is something that can come up on the Naplan test in Grade 3 too. For example - here is a question I found on one of the past papers:
Thomas needs 3 cups of flour to make a cake.
He only measures 1/2 cup at a time.
How many 1/2 cups of flour will he need?
1 2 3 or 6 ?
When a student is faced with a question like this, of course they are being tested on their knowledge of basic fractions, but if they have had the real life experience of measuring flour using half cups for a recipe, then the question becomes so much more familiar and so, easier.
We have a large and varied selection of recipes that the girls can bake from - with measurements in cups, grams and ounces, depending on where the recipes come from ! It is great for the kids to be exposed to all these different measurements and to also be able to understand how they relate to each other. Many recipes have 2 different measurements shown, so the kids get used to seeing for example 100g (4 oz), and so gradually learn to convert between different units of measurement.
The more kids bake and weigh ingredients, the better they become at estimating weights. It is not only important that kids can read and use units of measurements, but also that they have a rough idea of what, for example 1 kg might feel like.
Another way of practising this is by helping at the shops when buying say - a bag of sugar, and feel the weight of it when they put it in the basket. Or perhaps they know their own weight and so then have a reference point to compare other things to.
Estimating real weights and lengths etc is something else that may appear on the Naplan test, where the students may have to choose the most sensible or likely option from the answers as to what something might weigh or measure.
Here is another example of a question from a past paper:
Which of these is the closest to the length of a real shoe?
To answer this question, students need to understand what 1cm is actually like and be able to relate this to real life objects. I remember always using my 'big' 30cm ruler at school to compare things to when estimating lengths. It's helpful for kids to have a point of reference like this to refer to - something that they can think, "Is this object longer or shorter than my 30cm ruler?"; thus making it easier to estimate the length of something they don't know.
Real life is often the best practice
I hope these examples show that written tests not only test the student's knowledge of facts - but can be a measure of their understanding of some basic things they encounter in real life.
Sometimes the best practice for basic numeracy and literacy skills for young kids is doing something 'real' - like baking!
So - take a look in your recipe books, and see what tasty delights your kids could bake with you, for some 'homework' today!


CORE: ASL Skill Development
Fluency in ASL is a critical skill for paraprofessionals and professionals working with deaf students. ASL proficiency is needed to effectively communicate with deaf children and adults and in the teaching of deaf children. ASL proficiency is also essential for paraprofessionals and professionals so that they can serve as a language models for those deaf students who are building their ASL competency. Many deaf students begin school with little to no language foundation and the development of strong ASL proficiency provides access to the formal curriculum and incidental learning as well as a rich and full language for informal interaction, academic discourse, and literacy development.
The Deaf Education Paraprofessional program requires 16 credits of ASL as a foundation for ASL skill development. We know that no language is fully learned in an academic classroom. For that reason, we encourage ASL learners to participate in a variety of college and community activities so that they can interact with fluent ASL users who can serve as language models and cultural guides. Possible on-campus opportunities include: joining the ASL Club, participating in workshops and weekend retreats sponsored by the ASL/Interpreter Education Programs or the Gallaudet University Regional Center, and/or serving as a notetaker for deaf students at KCC. Off-campus opportunities include: Deaf Starbucks (monthly gatherings at the Kahala Mall or Ward Center), ASAD Town Hall Meetings (Aloha State Association of the Deaf), and other Deaf events throughout the area. Contact your ASL instructor or Deaf friends for more information.
CORE: ASL Evaluation
Prior to enrolling in DEAF 294 in your final semester, you will need to take the ASL Proficiency Interview (ASLPI) and score at a 2.0 level or above. For more information, contact Layce Reed, the CORE Deaf Education Academic Counselor.


Here are some examples of topics covered at previous educational conferences
Making It Look Real
Ever have a student ask you what’s “wrong” with their drawing, and you didn’t quite know the answer? Take this workshop to discover how to control proportion, value, and perspective while learning how to identify and avoid common mistakes students make that destroy the illusion of believable space.
Drawing Secrets of the Old Masters
Do you want to learn and teach the drawing secrets of the Old Masters? Participants will learn technical drawing skills by working from a 19th century drawing course. Lesson plans that feature technical drawing skills will accompany the instructor demonstrations and hands on portion of the class.
The Modern Atelier: Skill-based Training in Visual Literacy
Atelier training is a new movement. This curricula of training is skill-based and seeks to develop a sensitive, artistic eye and methods of representing nature that pre-date Modern Art. The subject matter includes all the traditional categories in Western Art: figurative, landscape, portraiture, and still life painting. This class will describe “a day in the atelier” and the value of this kind of art education for anyone seeking a career in art.
Why Copy? Introduction to a Bargue Plate
Charles Bargue was instrumental in creating a late 19th century drawing course. Bargue believed that when students copied drawings by trained artists, that their own observation skills significantly improved. Additionally, Bargue believed that drawing from antique sculptures taught design and taste to budding artists, so many of his copying plates show these subjects. Students can still learn a great deal from these copying plates today. This lesson is designed to teach the drawing concepts of the envelope, line, and value in order to produce a technically solid copy of a Bargue plate.
1. The two Bargue plates in this lesson plan are already broken down into steps for students to follow. 2. Show the original envelope that Bargue started his drawing with, as well as a few, big, major, straight lines of the subject.
3. Show a more fully developed block-in drawing that again uses big, major, straight lines.
4. Show a rendering of the subject with a clear organization of values.
5. Notice that in the shadow portion of the Bargue plates that there is no area lighter then the darkest
area of the light portion. Notice in the light areas that there is no value darker than the lightest area of the shadow areas. This maintains the value organization of the Bargue plate.
Adopting 19th Century Techniques in the 21st Century: Ways to Teach Form, Value and Line From the Flat
This class will assist you in building confidence in your drawing ability using proven skills-based instruction. Through this course you will better hone your understanding of value, form and line. We will use the drawing plates of Charles Bargue (a 19th century academic artist) to teach several skills in drawing: value, form and line.
Making It Look Natural
Have you ever had a student ask you what’s “wrong” with their drawing, and you didn’t quite know the answer? Take this workshop to discover how to control proportion, value, and perspective in order to create naturalistic artwork. Learn how to identify and avoid common mistakes students make that destroy the illusion of naturalistic artworks.
Nature’s Design During the Renaissance, observing design from nature was considered to be the most essential skill that an artist was expected to learn. But what types of design were observed, and how can they be applied to contemporary artwork? Come to this hands-on workshop to learn about nature’s design and how it can be taught in K-12 classrooms.
Literacy and Art: Unknown As Inspiration
Participants will se up a master copy from “The Jeune Femme,” a lithograph from the Charles Bargue drawing course. The lesson is designed to teach how the subject of the plate has inspired artists and writers since the early 1900s, and how copying drawings improves students’ observational skills.
The Modern Ateliers: Skill-based Training in Visual Literacy
This lecture will describe “a day in the atelier” and the value of this kind of art education for anyone seeking a career in art. The curricula of this training gives students 1:1 weekly contact with a living master who teaches through demonstration, 1:1 critique, and skill-based instruction.


For a shape to qualify as a nonagon, it must have nine sides and nine angles. All of these need to be closed lines and it also must be a 2D shape. There are regular and irregular nonagons. Better understand the nonagon and print off a page for the kids to colour in.
What you need:
computer with internet access
There is a misconception amongst some parents that mathematics education does not seriously begin until the first formal year of schooling. In fact your pre-kinder student has already begun developing a range of mathematical behaviours which will support their numeracy development.
These emerging numeracy skills, like all milestones will develop within the context of opportunity and repetition at the individual pace of your child.
Shapes are the base of many mathematical activities and to identify these shapes, it is important for kids to see examples and learn the differences between them. Our simple, printable charts will help your kids better understand nonagons.
Print the nonagon to help your kids learn the differences in the numbers of sides and angles with a visual aide to follow.


Literacy & Education
Literacy continues to be a part of the work of SIL internationally and in the Philippines. SIL is involved in literacy activities which touch the lives of adults, young people and children.
Although the Philippines has a basic literacy rate of more than 88.5%, pockets of illiteracy remain. According to the Department of Education, there are more than 1 million pre-literates in the country and more than 6 million people are deemed to be functionally illiterate. Many of these are found among the indigenous cultural communities where SIL works in association with the Philippines Department of Education.
Some of these communities have no written tradition for their languages. In those instances, linguistic research can be the starting point for development of an appropriate orthography for the language. The goal is to produce an alphabet that is easy to read and write, so that students can transfer their literacy skills in the vernacular into other Philippine languages that they learn. SIL endeavors to serve these communities through a learner-centered, “bottom-up” approach which keeps the power of decision – ownership of the process and the product – in the hands of the community. We desire that, from the beginning, learner success and enjoyment will build a foundation for continuing education, benefitting the individual, the community and the nation.
MALEI (Matigsalug Literacy Education Incorporated) oversees the on-going development of literacy and education among the Matigsalug Manobo of Davao del Norte and Bukidnon. SIL members helped facilitate the formation of this people's organization. MALEI aims to include community education as part of their on-going programs for out-of-school youth and adults. Typically, this would include sessions on topics such as budgeting, leadership training and agricultural matters.
Under the umbrella of OMALRACDI (Obo Manobo Active Language Resource and Community Development Inc.), various activities take place in partnership with SIL. These include the promotion of literacy through equipping Manobos to become literacy teachers and supervisors. To date, more than eight Literacy Teacher Institutes have been held in Manobo communities, taught by Manobos. OMALRACDI also facilitates health care education programs through primary health care classes taught by a Manobo midwife.
The Tagakaulo Kalagan in Sarangani Province and Davao del Sur work in association with the Department of Education Bureaus of Elementary Education and Alternative Learning Systems. Beginning in the barangay of Lutay, an area which formerly had neither formal schools for children nor non-formal classes for adults, a program for children has begun where basic reading and writing lesson materials are constructed first in the mother tongue of the students, and then bridging into Filipino and English. SIL members are very active in this area and the program is spreading to a number of other Tagakaulo speaking areas.


A recent report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences calls for more attention to language teaching in the U.S. The report notes that U.S. students have much less access to foreign language instruction than students in other economically developed countries, and that Americans are thus much less likely to be bi- or multilingual.
As an expert on language and literacy development in children, I’ve talked to many immigrant parents who expect their children to grow up bilingual, only to be surprised that they end up as monolingual English speakers. Meanwhile, foreign language learning opportunities for English speakers are limited. Why is the U.S. so bad at producing bilinguals?
Native language loss
The dismal state of bilingual and multilingual fluency in the U.S. has a couple of sources. Notably, far too many of the children with the greatest potential to become good bilinguals – the children of immigrants – lose fluency in their parents’ language. It’s estimated that by the third generation, immigrants have completely lost fluency in their heritage languages.
Ongoing support (political and social as well as educational) for maintenance of minority languages is limited. Bilingualism can be impeded by a general sense that it’s more important for immigrants to learn English than to maintain their first language, and that these are somehow in conflict with one another.
In my view, it’s ironic that we have students walking up staircases at one end of their school building to attend Spanish foreign language classes while at the other end of the same building native Spanish speakers are being taught English and content in ways that lead to their loss of Spanish.
Foreign language classes ‘fail’
The other factor contributing to a lack of bilingual proficiency in the U.S. may be low expectations. Too many Americans accept the claim that foreign language instruction is a dismal failure, that a very large percentage of students will never become fluent in another language and that investing in foreign language learning is likely to be a waste of time.
How do we explain, then, that l00 percent of students in Germany, Scandinavia, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore and many other places achieve high levels of competence in English – and typically in at least one or two other languages as well? Is the U.S. student population afflicted with some peculiar block to foreign language learning?
I would argue that we as Americans do have a block to successful foreign language learning: our deeply unrealistic expectations about how it works. Can a few years of experience in middle school or high school classrooms (experience that likely adds up to less than 600 total hours of instruction) generate excellence in another language? Frankly, no – at least not for most students.
Moving forward through opportunity
Despite the current limitations of most curricula, such classroom experience can, however, form a solid foundation for truly learning a foreign language.
This is particularly true when a genuine communicative opportunity arises. Some lucky students get that opportunity on trips abroad. Others might seek it out by volunteering in refugee centers or programs serving immigrant youth, or by seeking digital contacts with native speakers.
Many efforts to rethink the traditional foreign language classroom experience have been tried. These efforts include immersion, dual immersion and other bilingual school programs. Such programs typically recruit kindergartners and build second language skills by teaching content through the second language.
They often work well, but starting at kindergarten is not a requirement for ultimate fluency. Immersion programs are effective and, in fact, generate equivalent learning in less time if started at later grades. Late immersion may be more efficient just because older students are better learners, and are generally more likely to have had a say in choosing the immersion program – thus they’re also more motivated to learn.
With such opportunities to improve foreign language instruction, let’s not give up on it entirely – let’s figure out how to complement it with the experiences that enable students to exploit it optimally!


DotMomming: Picture book apps have come under recent criticism as just another toy to divert impatient kids. I think that is completely overlooking their value: How can picture book apps best be used in early literacy development? I like to see my six-year-old work his way through them on his own, as he deciphers the words solo and experiences the interactive surprises nestled into the book for himself. There is also a school of thought devoted to shared engagement between adult teacher and child learner. What is your take?
Patrick Cox: The author makes one of many assumptions people make about picture book apps and other forms of digital literature: once a child gets their hands on an electronic device, he or she will cease to engage with other human beings. This is another age-old argument. Similar moral panics have erupted in the past around books – that too much reading is bad for children, is somehow unnatural, cuts them off from “real” communication, and makes them lazy or “soft.”
The truth is, and I think most people know it, sometimes kids engage with books in interaction with parents, and sometimes kids engage with books on their own. What seems to be a difficult leap to make is that the same holds true for digital reading. The current “new thing” is digital reading in many different forms (many of which are enjoyed by adults), so the current moral panic is that the dreaded glowing screen is turning our children into zombies who don’t know how to communicate. It’s an easy, breezy topic for a magazine column or discussion board post.
But the question isn’t, “What are we to do in the face of this debilitating technology?” but rather, “How can we use it to enable our children (and us!) to communicate better?” Apps, like books, are merely tools, and we have more control over how we use them than they have power to control us. A recorded narrator’s voice needn’t eliminate parent interaction with a child while reading. Parent and child can enjoy together, can still talk about the text and images, a child can ask questions about the content of the app, a child can later relive the story through imaginative play. . . Indeed, a child can engage with an app alone, and an app can keep a child busy or quiet at a restaurant. . . which is also just like a book.
I think shared engagement is absolutely essential, not only for learning to read but for parent-child bonding! These technologies and formats are as new to me as they are to my four-year-old-son: we both saw a picture book app for the first time together! And we figured it out together – how to use it, what we like about it, what we don’t like about it, what we’ll use again. The new platform hasn’t kept us from engaging with one another while reading. It’s given us something else to utilize as we engage with one another.


No prep, print and go January printables perfect for busy teachers! Use for morning work, test prep, centers, assessment, sub plans, independent work, working with words, homework and you name it – very versatile! All printables are aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, but pages are not individually marked with the standard, so if you’re in a state or district without CCSS, you can still use them easily!
This Common Core Crunch ELA and Math series is most specifically aimed at first graders, though it can be used with strong kindergartners and developing second graders.
January Math Pack
January Math & ELA Bundle
Sept to Dec ELA Bundle
Jan to May ELA Bundle
Yearlong ELA Bundle
Martin Luther King, Jr
There are un-themed pages, as well!
Parts of Speech: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives
Vowels – long & short
Don’t forget to download the Preview – it includes a couple freebies so you can “try before you buy!”
CCSS - K-2 Anchor Standards
Reading: Foundational Skills: K.1; K.2; K.3; 1.1; 1.2; 1.3
Writing: K.1; K.2; 1.1, 1.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
I always want my buyers to have a 4 star experience! If you have any questions or suggestions at any time, please contact me at email@example.com. I love it when my buyers are completely satisfied!!!
Monthly Math Printables
Monthly ELA Printables


Deserts of the World
When you think of a desert, what do you imagine? Perhaps you imagine the saguaros of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Maybe you think of the camels and sand dunes found in the Sahara Desert in Africa. Both of these images are correct, but did you know that deserts can also be cold?
A desert is any place that gets less than 10 inches of moisture each year. Most deserts actually lose more moisture than they gain. Some deserts are really hot! The Sahara Desert can reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The Gobi desert in Asia is very cold. So is the desert in Antarctica. Both these places are deserts because they are very dry.
Deserts probably don’t seem like very fun places to live. Most deserts seem bare and desolate. But, over 1 billion people live in desert areas. Life is challenging in the desert. Both people and animals must adapt. Crops don’t grow well and water is scarce.
Fun Facts about Deserts for Kids
- Many animals that live in the desert are nocturnal. They hide out in burrows during the day and come out at night when it’s cooler.
- Deserts cover over 20.9 million square miles of the planet.
- Lots of plants and animals live in the desert. In fact, only rain forests have more kinds of life. Over 200 rattlesnakes can live in one square mile of the Sonoran desert.
- Desert plants have padded leaves that store water during drought.
- Saguaro: large cactus with limbs that look like arms
- Desolate: empty, bleak
- Scarce: in short supply
- Nocturnal: an animal that sleeps during the day and wakes at night
- Burrow: hole in the ground
Learn More All About Deserts of the World
Check out this fun video all about deserts:
A video documentary about deserts and semi deserts.
Question: What is an oasis?
Answer: An oasis is a wet area in the desert where there is a river or pond. Both animals and people gather at these places.
Question: Do hot deserts ever get cold?
Answer: The Sonoran desert can be very hot during the day and very cold at night. The temperature can drop up to 59 degrees from day to night.
Cite This Page
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MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Fun Desert Facts for Kids ." Easy Science for Kids, Aug 2017. Web. 20 Aug 2017. < http://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-deserts/ >.
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Group Name: Skittles.
Skittles started their day with an energetic camel race outdoors. Kids were happy to help their camel friends to run and win a race even if they were told that those camels are slow in nature. It was a great opportunity to learn about desert friends-The camels. That was wonderful to learn about the world.
Desert camel numeracy.
During this activity counting and recognition of numbers was the main emphasis and that is to say, counting from one up to ten was made easier with camels labeled with numbers.Kids sorted numbers carefully and this enhanced their numeracy skills.
A cactus craft painting activity with a fork was another superb sensory activity to put their fine motor and expressive arts and design skills to work.
The kids were also happy to trace lines to exercise their wrist muscles. Well done kids.
Group Name: Pollys.
Our day started with the Ball tossing game.
This game was good for kids to learn how to identify colors and also their physical, social and emotional skills were boosted.
It was nice having them improve their fine motor skills as well as cognitive skills because they put their little brains to work.During expressive arts and design hour, the kids made a cute lizard craft, gave him a tongue, eyes and colorful dots.Here their little hands were put to exercise and extra concentration was required for every child as they wanted to perfect this desert animal.
Reading is a great way to improve their language, communication and imagination skills.Little ones had a good time today when the teacher read the story about desert animals.They had a chance to interact and express their thoughts.
What can we do with a sand?
This question has been on their minds and this mystery has been solved with the help of the teacher.Little Pollys discovered that sand can be used for building.This was done when they used their tiny hands to make sand castles.It was a wonderful sensory play and they learned how to make an amazing sand structures.This helped to develop their fine motor skills as well as knowing the world skills.
Group Name: Seattles
Desert sensory box!
Engaging in sensory activities is one of the favorite activities for kids. It’s a wonderful experience which stimulates their senses. The kids had some sand, some plastic animals as well as tape to make their own little desert with animals inside. They were provided with cactus, snakes, camels and lizards to make out a desert sensory box.
In order to review numbers, kids were provided with categories of desert animal pictures. Those pictures were used to cover some numbers. Kids will pick up any animal, try to call out the name and tell us the number which was below the picture. Kids were given number |8| and plain sheets of paper to paste it on. Before doing so, the number must be called out. Activities like this are meant to strengthen their numerical skills.
It was a great exercise as well as a lovely dance for the kids as they enjoyed dancing as jackrabbits after being provided with rabbit ears. They followed the tune of the music. It was not focused on efficiency and value but more of fun, exercise, and fitness for the kids.


Objectives: This area of the curriculum aims to enable learners to develop value, attitude, behaviour and personality with emphasis on being thoughtful, practical and adaptable through certain learning activities in Ethics Education, Art Education, Physical Education, Music and Dances, and Scouts. Thus the curriculum is designed to cultivate the following characteristics:
- Knowledge and understanding of moral and aesthetics principles as well as ability to take care of physical and mental health.
- Competence in analysing, criticising, problem-solving, expressing and working cooperatively.
- Self-sacrifice, unity, discipline, frugality, honesty, gratitude, love to work and appreciation of exercises.
- Interest in learning and ways of working, creativity and application of knowledge in decision making and problem solving in daily life and work.
- Ability to improve oneself toward desirable characteristics and to apply knowledge in solving personality problems and personality development.
Scouts (Grades 5-6)
Description: Conducting troop meeting session, practising according to Scouting procedures and organising the following activities: studying, analysing, planning, implementing activities at activity bases with emphasis on patrol system and concluding results of activities, and closing the session with the following topics:
- Third Class Scout (Tenderfoot): Knowledge about the Scouting Movement, the Promise and the Scout Laws, outdoor activities and rules for Scout drill.
- Second class Scout: taking care of oneself, helping others, journey to places, Scout skills, hobbies, interests and knowledge about the Promise, the Scout Laws and rules for Scout drill.
- First Class Scout: self-dependence, community services, adventures, craftsmanship, and rules for Scout drill.
The objective is to enable learners to gain knowledge and understanding about Scout activities, to behave according to the Promise, the Scout Laws and the mottos; to be lively, well disciplined, economical, honest, patient, devoted and unselfish; to help themselves and others; to be good leaders as well as good followers, to work and live with others, to develop interest and conserve nature and environment.
Note: After participating in the above activities and passing all tests, each learner will receive badges of third class, second class and first class, successively.
The boys wear khaki shorts and shirt and in our area they wear a yellow scarf with the badge of our province on the back. On their left shoulder are pinned coloured ribbons showing which patrol they are in. Below are the 2nd class and 1st class badges. On the right shoulder there is the name tag for the school and below that is the number for their Group and Troop. At the bottom are the proficiency badges. On the left shirt pocket are two white stripes for Patrol Leader and one stripe for Assistant Patrol Leader. This is also where the Tenderfoot badge goes. They wear a traditional B-P style hat.
The girls wear a green uniform and a green hat. On their left shirt pocket they wear a bronze Nate Nari pin badge. On their left shoulder they have a badge with a flower on it which represents which patrol they are in. Everything else is the same as the boys.


4228.0 - Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, Australia, 2011-2012 Quality Declaration
Previous ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 15/02/2013
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For literacy and numeracy, proficiency scores have been grouped into five skill levels with Level 1 being the lowest level. For a full description of the skill levels, refer to the appendix titled Scores and skill levels. The relatively small proportions of respondents who actually reach Level 5 often results in unreliable estimates of the number of people at this level. For this reason, whenever results are presented by skill level for literacy and numeracy, Levels 4 and 5 are combined.
Please note that data previously released in the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALLS) and Survey of Aspects of Literacy (SAL) publications are not directly comparable with PIAAC data. For further information refer to the Data Comparability section of the Explanatory Notes.
PRELIMINARY DATA - SKILL LEVELS IN LITERACY AND NUMERACY
Approximately 7.3 million (44%) Australians aged 15 to 74 years had literacy skills at Levels 1 or 2, a further 6.4 million (39%) at Level 3 and 2.7 million (17%) at Level 4/5. For the numeracy scale, approximately 8.9 million (55%) Australians were assessed at Level 1 or 2, 5.3 million (32%) at Level 3 and 2.1 million (13%) at Level 4/5.
Proportion at each skill level, literacy and numeracy
PRELIMINARY DATA - STATE AND TERRITORY OF USUAL RESIDENCE
Results for literacy and numeracy across all states and territories showed similar proportions to that of Australia as a whole for most levels. For numeracy, the Australian Capital Territory recorded the highest proportion at Level 4/5 (23%).
PRELIMINARY DATA - AGE
The proportions of people at Level 1 are higher among the oldest age groups (people aged 60 years and older) than in the younger age groups (people aged 15 to 29 years) for both literacy and numeracy skills.
Proportion at each literacy level, By age group
Proportion at each numeracy level, By age group
PRELIMINARY DATA - SEX
There was little difference in the proportion of males and females at each level of the literacy scale, however a higher proportion of males (17%) attained scores at Level 4/5 on the numeracy scale compared with females (9%).
Proportion at each literacy level, By sex
Proportion at each numeracy level, By sex
PRELIMINARY DATA - LABOUR FORCE STATUS
The tables of this publication apply a concept of labour force status as defined for the international PIAAC survey and hence the international labels are used. (For example 'Out of the labour force' is used in place of 'Not in the labour force'.) While the concept of 'employed' aligns with that used by the ABS Labour Force survey, there is a subtle difference in the concept of 'unemployed', which in turn impacts on the numbers in 'out of the labour force'. For further information refer to the Glossary.
There was a statistically significant difference in the proportions of those employed and those out of the labour force at Levels 3 and 4/5 for both the literacy and numeracy scales. For literacy 42% of employed people achieved Level 3 compared with 31% of people out of the labour force whereas for Level 4/5 the results were 20% and 9% respectively.
Similarly for numeracy 36% of employed people attained a Level 3 score compared with 23% of people out of the labour force and for Level 4/5 the respective results were 16% and 7%.
Those out of the labour force had the highest proportion of people assessed at Level 1 for both scales (literacy 24% and numeracy 36%).
Proportion at each literacy level, By labour force status
Proportion at each numeracy level, By labour force status
More information on literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments skills will be available once the data are finalised later in 2013.
These documents will be presented in a new window.


Children at A Child’s Place are talked to, read to, listened to, and encouraged to express themselves with words; this makes up the four components of literacy. They are encouraged to create their own stories and communicate their perceptions of the world. Children are also guided towards a conceptual understanding of written language and reading. Various signs and messages are used in the classroom at an early age by the teachers and the children, such as Open/Closed; Stop, etc. As our students are exposed to the power of the written word and encouraged to write by themselves, they become eager and interested in gaining new skills in order to read. When children are ready, we encourage them to use their knowledge of print to write according to their individual stages of development. This is an important phase in the child’s literacy development and helps each student build a sense of competency. Whatever the child needs to move them towards literacy is available and offered according to their own timetable. This will include opportunity to hear and see written language, to dictate language, to gain mastery of drawing and writing tools, and in time to write on their own.
At A Child’s Place children will have the opportunity to analyze and explore print and letter-sound relationships in a meaningful way and to enjoy the pleasures of literature. This sequence applies to all ages and in greater depth in our Primary Class. Children participate in Literacy Workshop and Writer’s Workshop where they engage in print in a plethora of ways that include small group and individual instruction.


Painting like Michelangelo - my class STILL talk about it. It was all over the the floor and on their hair and clothes, but it was super fun! This is also great for students struggling with fine motor hand writing. It builds strength in pincer grasp.
Lace your shoes! - Fine Motor Activity for Kids This activity is great for young children to learn how the shoe laces work. It is easy to make, fun for kids and low cost. You can use real shoe too, but this tissue box makes it easier for young.
Fun Kid Activity: Lines of Colored Tape, straws and pompoms. Try straws and cotton balls. Adding the lines ups the challenge. Using pompoms allows you to adjust the size from tiny to pretty big. The pompoms are also nicer looking.
Little boys will love the idea of working like daddy in the garage and everyone will appreciate the fine motor workout you can get from matching nuts and bolts. This idea (and several more in the same post) from Counting Coconuts.
An idea for Tom to build for me for any students with fine motor difficulties and a fun activity for our grandkids. Homemade busy board for fine motor skill development - this is heaven for a curious kid!


Cut up pipe-cleaners and place them in a bottle. Use a magnet to Cut up pipe-cleaners and place them in a bottle. Use a magnet to manipulate them. kids will stay busy for hours.if not at least 10 minutes!
Nature Crafts and Activities for Kids You Will Want To Do RIGHT Now
this is a wonderful idea. When i was a kid i alway had a hard time telling the difference in clouds with out looking at a text book love love love this! Cloud inspector (science for kids, weather activity)
play dough recipe- we use a bit of baby oil in it as well to add a really smooth and soft texture. The recipe: 4 cups water, 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tablespoons cooking oil, 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
This could be a fun science fair project someday :) Ants stomachs are transparent. a woman noticed it when ants drank/ate spilled milk one day so she gave them some colorful candy and then photographed them!
Funny pictures about This is what happens to an egg submerged in vinegar. Oh, and cool pics about This is what happens to an egg submerged in vinegar. Also, This is what happens to an egg submerged in vinegar.
Another science fair idea: Make rainbow roses by splitting the stems into strands and placing each one in food coloring. The roses draw the food coloring into the petals.Hmmm not a bad idea for Amarah's Science Fair Project!


Independent evaluation of the effectiveness of Institut pour l’Education Populaire’s “Read-Learn-Lead” (RLL) program in Mali. Endline Report
Context and objectives. Mali has made great advances in primary education access since 1990 (IEP, 2008). The proportion of primary school-age children enrolled in school has roughly tripled since that time. Mali has also embarked on substantial curriculum reform in elementary education, with a stated focus on active learning and first- as well as second-language literacy development. In practice, multiple curricular approaches coexist, including a majority of schools that continue to practice the entirely French language-based “classic” program of study.
The Institute for People’s Education (Institut pour l’Éducation Populaire, or IEP) designed the Read- Learn-Lead (RLL) program to demonstrate that the new official curriculum (here, the Curriculum program), if properly implemented and supported, can be a viable and effective approach to primary education, using mother tongue and a very specific pedagogical delivery approach. The RLL program sought also to demonstrate how the new Curriculum can be effectively implemented and supported, and what resources are needed to do so. RLL offers students and teachers carefully structured and systematic lessons, activities, and accompanying materials for instruction and practice on critical early reading skills in mother-tongue medium during the first years of elementary school. It is organized around three programmatic “results sets,” the first of which focuses on Grades 1 and 2 and is the subject of the present evaluation.


Almost half of adults have maths skills below those needed for the lowest possible GCSE pass grade, a government survey suggests.
One in five adults were below the numeracy standard set for 11 year olds
The Department for Education and Skills blamed "decades of neglect" for figures showing millions of people lacking basic literacy and numeracy skills.
The survey found 47% of the adults in England - or 15 million people - had a lower level of mathematical knowledge than was needed to gain a grade G at GCSE.
Some 21% - or 6.8 million - were less numerate than the standard set for 11 year olds in national tests.
Meanwhile, 16% of adults had sub-GCSE literacy, with 5% failing to achieve the expertise required of 11 year olds.
Skills minister Ivan Lewis said: "I am determined to ensure that today's young people will no longer endure the decades of neglect in literacy and numeracy education which is reflected so starkly in this survey.
"Our recruitment of 50% more maths teachers in just four years and dedicated literacy and numeracy strategies in primary schools are already delivering significant improvements in maths attainment at secondary level."
The DfES said the number of adults with sub-GCSE literacy skills had fallen from 7 million to 5.2 million since 1997.
However, the earlier figure was based on an estimate.
Those adults lacking an 11 year old's accepted standard of numeracy had fallen just by just 200,000.
The DfES findings, based on a survey of 8,730 16 to 65 year olds in England, found a strong link between numeracy and literacy and higher wages.
Some 68% of full-time workers earning more than £20,000 a year had gained at least one GCSE at grade C or above.
Parents with poorer numeracy and literacy were also less confident when helping their children with school work, the DfES found.
The CBI estimates that poor skills cost the British economy £10bn a year.
Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis said: "Decades of neglect in British education are continuing under Labour.
"After six years in office, the government can no longer blame its discredited predecessor for the shocking lack in the nation's skills.
"The Government's obsession with misguided targets has resulted in minimum improvement at GCSE level."


Find information and resources related to the CORE 2013 Summer Symposium focused on Academic Language and Literacy Development, and its key implications for CCSS implementation.
Useful Web Links
Academic Language and Content Knowledge: A Symbiotic Relationship
Virtual Learning Opportunity - December 5, 2014 3:30-5:00 PST
Webinar hosted by WestEd with presenter Jeanpaul Lapid.
Join colleagues for the first of four interactive webinars focusing on the development of academic language and extended academic discourse strategies particularly for English learners. The first webinar will highlight and support the key ideas and themes of “Effective Expressions” as stated in the CA ELA and ELD Framework for TK-12th grade educators regarding the purpose, routines and procedures of a structured academic conversation and extended academic discourse in the classroom for English Learners. This learning event sets the stage for the next three webinars that are a deeper dive into strategies targeted to grade spans and/or subject areas reflected in schools’ problems of practice.
♦ Realizing Opportunities for English Learners in the Common Core English Language Arts and Disciplinary Literacy Standards
These archived webinars are recommended for anyone seeking more information on strategies for English Learners. (coming soon)
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Sent to the Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 23, 2013
The Dispatch feels there is no "magic bullet" to close achievement gaps ("Wide racial gaps persist in education testing," Sept. 22.). But there is a magic bullet: the library.
There is enormous evidence that self-selected pleasure reading is the source of much of our literacy development: Those who read more read better, write better, spell better, have larger vocabularies, and better grammar.
Students who live in poverty are "behind" in reading because they have few books in their homes. They also live in neighborhoods with few bookstores and with poorly-funded and often distant public libraries. Their only sure source of books is the school library. Strong school libraries with certified librarians can help close the gap in reading between high- and low-poverty students.
Students who start to read for pleasure at any age, at grade three or in high school, can make excellent progress in literacy development.
Original article: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/09/22/wide-racial-gap-persists-in-testing.html


The world of outcomes and indicators can get very complex and confusing. In my Educational Social Studies 310 class during the fall of 2015, we were asked to take a strand of the Social Studies curriculum and decide on a outcome to deconstruct for a presentation. My group of Miss Berner and Miss Waldbauer and I decided to look at the grade three social studies strand called Interactions and Interdependence of Nations. We chose the outcome IN 3.3: Illustrate examples of interdependence of communities. We created a lesson plant that we would use with a grade three classroom as well as an adapted version of that lesson to keep our fellow Elementary Education colleagues engaged in our 20 minute presentation of the outcome. The resource package below contains our lesson plan as well as resources that can help educators develop their own activities for the Interactions and Interdependence of Nations strand in grade three social studies.
Until next time, thank you for reading my blog!


Math Musings: An Adult Numeracy Blog
(Click the title of an entry to read full text.)
Teaching Math to ESOL Learners: A Reflection
For this installment we’re featuring a special guest blog by Sister Margaret Lanen of Notre Dame Education Center in South Boston (http://www.ndecboston.org) When I was asked to teach a math class once a week this year, I was most willing. I taught algebra, geometry and advanced math in high school for many years and thought … Continue reading Teaching Math to ESOL Learners: A Reflection
What Does It Mean for Math to Be Relevant to Adult Learners?
by Melissa Braaten When I am trying to prioritize my curriculum and to build buy-in from my students, I am always trying to think about how to make the math relevant to them. But what does relevance mean? Is it relevant for someone to learn math that they might use someday in a career they … Continue reading What Does It Mean for Math to Be Relevant to Adult Learners?
Our professional development programs and workshops are appropriate for teachers of all levels and experience – whether they have a strong math background or have some math anxiety of their own! Our goal is to inspire math learning with an emphasis on meaning. Our trainings provide opportunities for teachers to foster conceptual understanding, improve reasoning and justification skills, and to share experiences with peers.
We can custom design our professional development for targeted, content-based workshops or help programs and states create initiatives that put in place a sustainable, long-term model to support both teachers and administrators. Learn more about the options by visiting Our Projects.
ANC staff are experienced at helping programs and states implement best practices while ensuring their curricula are aligned with frameworks, and can operate within system mandates. Our recent work has focused on assisting programs to align with the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education based on Common Core Math Practices.
We also offer support in adapting both traditional math content and specialized content for a range of audiences, including learners with limited literacy and numeracy skills.
Custom curricular materials development
The ANC has developed curricular materials for specific audiences and purposes. For example, Statistics for Action materials were created to help environmental organizers and citizens in affected communities to understand and communicate data about toxic issues.
In another example, ANC staff are working with health educators on materials for adults with diabetes. Researchers at the University of Colorado in Denver are implementing and examining the efficacy of increasing numeracy as a means to help diabetes patients achieve better health outcomes.
The work of the ANC is informed by the body of available research on adult learning, adults use of math in and out of school, and on children’s mathematical thinking development.
ANC staff members take a research-based approach to development projects, collaborating with educators, partners, and evaluators. We collect data on what works and revise accordingly. We report on changes of teachers and learners in accordance with the project’s design and goals. In recent projects ANC staff have worked closely with external evaluators to document the impact on teachers and others.


David Spencer's Education Paragon is a free educational resource portal helping David Spencer's secondary school students, their parents and teaching colleagues with understanding, designing, applying and delivering assessment, curriculum, educational resources, evaluation and literacy skills accurately and effectively. This wiki features educational resources for Indigenous Aboriginal education, field trips for educators, Davids Music Jam, law and justice education, music education and outdoor, environmental and experiential education. Since our web site launch 10.5 years ago on September 27, 2006, online site statistics and web rankings indicate there are currently 1,868 pages and 11,682,604 page views using 7.85 Gig of bandwidth per month. Pages are written, edited, published and hosted by Brampton, Ontario, Canada based educator David Spencer. On social media, you may find David as @DavidSpencerEdu on Twitter, as DavidSpencerdotca on Linkedin.com and DavidSpencer on Prezi. Please send your accolades, feedback and resource suggestions to David Spencer. Share on social media with the hashtag #EducationParagon
The following definition is from David Spencer's Education Paragon Glossary.
Think Literacy is a group of resources published by the Ontario Ministry of Education to help educators and teachers strengthen the connection between literacy skills and the courses teachers are teaching.
Think Literacy is focused on literacy for students in grades 7 to 12 and provides resources such as:
- lesson plans
- Reading Strategies
- Writing Strategies
- Oral Strategies
- word wall
- Think Literacy Resources for Teachers from the Ontario Ministry of Education


The Power of We
The Power of We: The Ohio Study Group Experience traces the work of a network of early childhood educators who are inspired by and engaged in the study of the early childhood programs and practices of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The text describes how the network of study groups began, expanded, and sustained their work. It explains how study groups serve as professional development and are integral to the shaping of learning communities and making an impact on classroom practices in early childhood programs. It chronicles some of the specific experiences of study groups as well as initiatives of Ohio Voices for Learning (OVL), the organization formed by study group facilitators. This book is important for the uniqueness of the organization it describes and the direction it provides for others interested in replicating the study group experience in their geographic area. The targeted audience is the general early childhood education field. It is also appropriate for any educator engaged in or interested in study groups and professional learning communities.
Information Age Publishers
Curriculum and Instruction | Education | Elementary Education and Teaching | Teacher Education and Professional Development
Biddle, Julie K., "The Power of We" (2010). Faculty Book Gallery. 2.


November Resources for Math Teachers
Looney Math Consulting offers resources for math educators
in the form of word problems, book recommendations and helpful links.
Math Resources Website:
Search RICH TASKS by grade level at Yummy Math
Yummy Math provides teachers with an easy way to bring real-life into their math classrooms. When math is explored in contexts that are familiar and of interest to students, students will be more engaged to do math, reason, think critically, question and communicate. Activities are written to correspond with the NCTM Process Standards and the CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Featured Mathematics Blog:
(Not just for Kindergarten!)
“Welcome to Differentiated Kindergarten! I’m Marsha, a teacher-mom committed to the journey of creating a differentiated classroom for my students. It’s my goal to meet the needs of all my students through fun, engaging and developmentally appropriate activities.
Read more …
Book Recommendations for Math Educators:
” This resource applies familiar reading comprehension strategies and relevant research to mathematics instruction to aid in building students’ comprehension in mathematics. Building Mathematical Comprehension demonstrates how to facilitate student learning to build schema and make connections among concepts. In addition, this resource provides clear strategies to help students ask good questions, visualize mathematics, and synthesize their understanding. This resource is aligned to the interdisciplinary themes from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and supports the Common Core State Standards.”
“Powerful Problem Solving shows what’s possible when students become active doers rather than passive consumers of mathematics. Max Ray argues that the process of sense making truly begins when we create questioning, curious classrooms full of students’ own thoughts and ideas.” Available from Heinemann
Thank you for visiting the Looney Math Consulting Resources Blog. Each month we offer math problems, websites, books and other publications with the intent to connect mathematics teachers to valuable resources.
Continue the conversation:


Reading helps kids gain knowledge throughout school and life. How your child reads makes a big difference in helping them comprehend the text. Below are some reading comprehension strategies:
Before reading, your child should scan the material. What do they think it will be about? What do they hope to learn from it?
While your child is reading, they should ask themselves questions such as, “Do I understand this?” “What is it about?” “What happened?”
If your child doesn’t understand a word, sentence or concept, they shouldn’t give up. Re-reading and sounding out words helps.
After reading, your child can make a “map.” They can write the story’s title and surround it with five circles. In each one, fill out the who, what, when, where, and why of the story.
They can use review questions at the end of chapters to reinforce information. They can even make their own practice test.
They can share their opinions and facts included in the text. “Did you like the ending?” “Why or why not?” “What was your favorite part?
”TheSchool Public Accountability Reports (SPARs)are available for review at all Lee County public schools or at the District’s Communications Department at the Lee County Public Education Center. SPAR reports may also be viewed online at:http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/


The haptic storybook was originally an idea introduced in a 2014 study by Siyan Zhao. In this study participants were children 4-6. They wore haptic vests that generated haptic sensations on the children’s’ backs as they listened to the stories. The sensations corresponded to the events in the stories. The results showed children younger than five could not associate haptic sensations with semantic meanings in the story. In the 6 year old participants these sensations that were story related improved the children’s’ performance on story comprehension.
Story listening plays an important role in young children’s literacy development. It builds comprehension and story telling skills. Children make connects in vocabulary, grammar, and phrases in the context of a story because it is presented in a more meaningful way. I decided to take a popular children’s’ book and add places where haptic feedback might be helpful to add to create more pathways to learning these critical skills through story telling.
I decided to read the book “One Duck Stuck”. I have read it many times with my students. A duck gets stuck in the mud. Several animal friends help him get unstuck along the way. The animals gather around closely. Some of them jump on his back. This is a perfect place to add haptic feedback. Here is a Tumble book version on this book. http://asp.tumblebooks.com/ViewOnline.aspx?Is5=false&ProductID=51.
Using a haptic vest as an interface, these sensations can be simulated on a child’s back during the reading of this story
- 3 moose licks the duck
- 4 crickets hops on the duck’s back
- 5 frogs plop on the duck’s back
- 7 snails slipping on the duck’s back
- For 8 possums the child could experience a brush of the blossoms lowered by the possums from the tree.
- 9 slithering snakes or the feeling of slithering on the back (might freak some kids out…)
- 10 dragonflies brush their wings against the duck’s back
- As they all try to get the duck unstuck, there is a feeling of splashing, force, and a combination of the above sensations.
This example, as I said, might be a little too creepy crawly for some. It is one example of where a teacher could add haptic feedback. Other sensations might be snow falling, splashing, rain, something on a person’s back, vibration from a construction site, a lick from a puppy, butterfly wings or a hug


Welcome to Week #2 in the improvisation tip series. Starting this week, we’re going to discuss a few topics related to rhythm. In today’s music education, most people can agree that rhythm is one of the weakest areas for students. Today, I’m giving a “2 for 1” special on rhythm because I couldn’t decide which rhythm topic to start with! So let’s dive in….
#1: Beats 1 & 3. There’s so much to talk about with just this topic that I’ve decided my next book will be all about rhythm and this could easily be a chapter or two. In 4/4 time you have strong and weak beats (or tension and resolution). Beats 1 & 3 are the resolution and 2 & 4 are the tension (we clap on 2 & 4). The majority of harmonic changes happen on beats 1 & 3 (resolution). Melodically speaking, we want our lines to end on resolution (or targeted) points most of the time (unless you’re extending the line, etc). However, many struggling improvisors tend to start their melodic lines on beats that make their resolutions awkward. One way to resolve that problem is to feel 4/4 music in “half time” or by feeling the pulse on beats 1 & 3. This does two major things. First, it’s easier to conceive ideas at “slower” tempos. However, you will need to remember that while you’re feeling it slower…the changes are still going by at the normal rate. Secondly, by feeling beats 1 & 3…they give you great launching pads for your melodic line. Notice how many great lines you transcribe start on the “and of 1” or the “and of 3.” They also tend to make your line resolve in logical places. There’s more we can discuss on this, but I’ll save some of that for another week.
#2: Syncopation. When we hear the phrase jazz rhythm…the first word that should pop in to your mind should be-syncopation. Jazz is FULL of syncopation. It’s what gives the music it’s forward movement. I don’t know about you, but when I hear someone improvise, I want to hear more than just a string of eigth notes. Don’t get me wrong, continuous eighth note lines are important and every musician should be able to do them. However, they’re not the end all. If you look at a lot of the bebop heads that were written, very few of them were quarter notes and half-notes (like many of the American Songbook standards). They were full of syncopated rhythms (i.e. Confirmation, Donna Lee, etc). In an interview, Dizzy Gillespie was asked what he thinks about when he improvises and he said, “I fill my head with rhythm.” If you talk with those who were around Dizzy the most…they would tell you he filled his thought process with syncopation. For an exercise, take a song you know the most and forget about what you would do harmonically. Fill your head with jazz syncopation (if you need help, sing what a drummer would play or sing the rhythm to a bebop head). Keep that syncopation flowing in your mind and then start to improvise over the changes. For the first couple of times you will either revert back to your melodic sense (you stopped thinking the syncopation) or your lines will sound awkward and wont resolve in a logical manner. Don’t worry about it…because it’s an exercise. However, over time, the syncopated rhythms and your melodic sense will start working together and your lines will make sense and they’ll SWING.
Next week we’re going to continue on the topic of rhythm. Also, if you haven’t checked it out already, be sure to either click the link to your right or click below for more information about my book, “Targeting: Improvisation with Purpose.”


Is there a place of art in our lives now? Watching duplicated TV shows on television, listening to some local contemporary music and observing boring walls of surrounding buildings, my answer would be, “Not very much”. Have we stopped being creative? Addressing the question to education, I would ask, “What subjects first comes into your mind when you think of education?” – Probably, Mathematics and Languages. No one doubts that for a new globalized economy, with international distributions of goods, mathematics and languages are needed. Yet, they are not enough to raise morally and esthetically developed personalities for a society, because life is not just facts and numbers. It is filled with visual and emotional experiences that everyone endures throughout one’s life. Understanding and, more importantly, coping with them comes through moral exercises, which should be provided in school settings. Besides, the policy makers of our country want citizens to be innovative, i.e. creative. In other words, creating new methods or develop new strategies in learning and searching to generate innovative ideas for country’s further development.
How can we expect students to think creatively, if we do not provide opportunities to become creative? Not many students have been given opportunities to observe The Guarnica, for example, which does not only depicts the act of the attack, but illustrates the emotions caused by it. Any piece of music produced by harmonious collaboration of musicians can be an unforgettable emotional experience for students. It may also provoke a thoughtful discussion on how much scrutinized work it requires, provided they practice producing music together, let’s say, in a school band, instead of roaming around in gangs.
I believe any forms of art (visual art, music, drama) should be embedded in school curricular if we want to raise creative thinkers. Art education should share equal amount of hours alongside other academic subjects. Many studies have proved the role of art education in improving student achievements, moreover, they have showed the increase in the student engagement, as it allows the involvement of students who have naturally diverse intelligences and different socioeconomic background (Snyder, Klos, & Grey-Hawkins, 2014). Why, then, there is such ignorance in education towards arts and humanities, whereas the matter is of paramount importance and should be considered today, if we want more creative thinkers tomorrow!
Snyder, L., Klos, P. & Grey-Hawkins, L. (2014). Transforming teaching through arts integration. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 10 (1). Available at https://eric.ed.gov/?q=Transforming+Teaching+through+Arts+Integration&pr=on&ft=on