Tours and visits outside school are an important aspect of school life. They complement the school based teaching and learning activities. They provide an opportunity for pupils and teachers to interact in a less formal way than usual. They provide an opportunity for school staff to observe pupils outside the classroom setting. School tours and visits also provide an opportunity for parents to support their children’s learning, through helping out with school trips and organising family visits outside school.
We have agreed that:
1) The children should have experienced a range of tours and visits by the end of their primary schooling, which reflects the primary school curriculum and the core curriculum programme.
2) All tours and visits should have an educational aspect.
3) In general, tours and visits should involve active learning methodologies.
4) Venues of national significance (such as national cultural institutions) will form a core part of the tours and visits programme each year, particularly given our location near the city. .
5) We should also make use of our local area for tours and visits.
6) Cost and value for money is a factor in selecting tours and visits.
7) Early each school year, the programme for that year will be agreed at a staff meeting to assist in teacher planning.
8) Pupils should visits each venue no more than once in the junior cycle of primary school and once in the R3-R6 cycle – exceptions should be agreed with the Principal or Deputy Principal when the programme for the year is being complied.
9) Sufficient helpers should accompany the school staff on a tour – a general rule should be 1:10 although this may vary depending on the age and needs and size of the group of children and the nature of the tour.
10) Parent helpers on school tours and visits should not have unsupervised access to children. See Garda vetting policy.
11) The Principal should be informed of all excursions out of a school in advance and all tours and visits should be entered on Google calendar. The Secretary or Principal/Deputy Principal should be notified that the group are leaving the school building and of the estimated time of return. The school should be contacted in the event of any change in the time of return.
12) An all day school tour will normally take place in the final term.
13) Rang 6 normally have an overnight trip to mark the end of their primary schooling. The decision regarding such trips is made annually in consultation with the class teacher taking into consideration the needs of the group in question, teacher availability and tour availability.
14) Normally, pupils will go on one out of school tour or visit per term. In addition, local visits to the library, for example, or to local parks or the canal will be ongoing. Other opportunities for excursions out of the school will be considered as they arise.
15) Pupils who do not behave appropriately during school may not be permitted to take part in school tours. See Code of Behaviour/Anti-bullying policy.
16) Where possible, payment for tours should be made through the school office. Invoices must be presented before payments will issue. Requests for cheques should be made well in advance as these are processed through the Board of Management account.
17) An account for school tours is sent to parents at the beginning of each school year. The cost is based on the previous year. Financial support will be provided by the Board of Management where necessary.
18) Teachers should have a mobile phone with them on visits in cases of emergency.
19) All requests for the office to book tours, transport etc should be emailed to the office, so that we have a record in the event of no shows etc.
20) Related policies: Child Protection policy
Code of Behaviour Anti bullying policy
Health and Safety policy
Special Educational Needs policy
21) This plan will be reviewed regularly.
A programme of visits suitable for the various classes for 2013-2014 is attached (Appendix 1). This is followed by a list of suitable places for teachers to consider (Appendix 2). Teachers can select from within the choices suitable visits for a particular class. In addition to the formal programme, regular local visits, (for example to local parks, the library, the canal) in all classes are encouraged as appropriate in order to enhance curricular provision.
Approved by RMDS Board of Management 7 November 2013
Signed: Colm Healy
Chairperson, Board of Management


I’ve been away from this blog for far too long! Time to get back to share more of the wonderful world of music available to parents, teachers, and children for learning that’s memorable and fun. I will be sharing samples from the songs available on my CD “It’s a Nice Day for Ducks” in addition to other favorite learning songs. Be on the lookout for more information on how important music is to learning and sample lessons for use with the songs. Let’s get started…
Classroom transition times can be the most trying times of the school day. Does it ever seem to take forever for your students to finish one task and move quickly and quietly to another? For a simple and effective way to encourage on task behaviors, try playing I Will Listen as a feel good reminder and a motivating cue! Ready to listen?
Feedback is always appreciated. Please post feedback or comments to this post below. Need to know more? See my contact information above. Thanks so much!
Posted in classroom transition, early childhood learning songs, listening skills, music and learning, music and self-esteem, songs for learning
Tagged following directions, I Will Listen, It's a Nice Day for Ducks CD, listening skills, music and transition, songs to learn by
Click on the link below for an enlightening article on information we should inherently know. Parents, teachers, and community – join in and speak up for children. The arts – in particular music, play a critical role in high student achievement. The problem that presents itself in education is many non-musical people set the curriculum guidelines that all educators must follow. I once had a kindergarten teacher tell me she did not see the value of music to kindergarten students. My heart sank! How much time are your children or students allowed to take part in the arts at school? Head’s up! Thirty minutes a week is not enough.
Music Lessons Enhance Brain Function in Disadvantaged Kids – Pacific Standard: The Science of Society.


Rafflesia Facts for Kids Video
Rafflesia is one of the rarest flower in the world because of if its petal size. It is known as the stinkiest flower as well. Total known species of this flower are 28.
Fun Facts: –
- This flower is reddish with white marks on all of its five petals.
- In full bloom, it is visible only for 7 day at highest.
- It is known as Corpse flower as well because of its odour.
- The odour of this flower is to appeal its main pollinator, ‘Carrion Fly’.
- The blossom will survive longer if its pollinator will go to the male blossom first then will go to the female blossom.
- These plants are usually unisexual, that means every plant has both, male and female reproductive system.
- These reproductive organs are located below the rim of the disk.
- The Rafflesia Arnoldii can be easily found in South Asian countries such as Java, Borneo, Philippines and the Indonesian Islands.
- This flower can reach up to 3 feet in height and it can weigh up to 12 kg.
- This flower is the only apparent portion of the plant. This plant does not have any roots, stem or any other part that a plant normally has.
- It takes around 9 months to get a flower from the seed.
- Its diameter can reach up to 1m.
- Tetra sigma vine from grape family is the host of this plant.
- Petals of this flower have a leather like structure.
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The Forbidden City in China is one of the best preserved medieval building complexes in the world. It consists of 980 buildings and covers an area of 720,000 square meters. It has a ceremonial Outer Court and a residential Inner Court. It is the world’s largest imperial palace. It was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.
It served as the home to 24 emperors, 14 of the Ming Dynasty and 10 of the Qing Dynasty. It is also home to the Palace Museum which is one of the biggest museums in the world. This museum houses a total of 1.17 million pieces of art.
Quick Facts: –
- Construction of the Forbidden City started in 1406 under Zhu Di. It took 14 years to finish.
- It is rectangular in shape and measures 961 meters north to south and 753 meters east to west.
- It is surrounded by a 7.9 meters high, 6 meters deep and 52 meters wide walls.
- About 90% of the roofs have yellow tiles on them as it was the official color for Chinese Emperors.
- It is home to many artefacts including porcelain and jade, gardens, plazas, historic sites etc.
- The Forbidden City was the seat of the Ming Dynasty from 1420 to 1644.
- The only entrance for visitors is the southern gate which is known as the Meridian Gate.
- The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest hall in the entire building complex and also the largest surviving wooden structure in China.
- The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the largest hall of the Inner Court. It served as the residence of Emperors in Ming Dynasty.
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The program for our 2 ½ year olds is full of learning and fun. The children are introduced to their first school experience in a warm, caring and nurturing environment.
Socialization is an important part of preschool, especially for the children of this age group. We will spend part of our day engaged in free play which will allow students to explore their environment, learn about sharing, taking turns, cooperation, following rules, adjusting to new routines, and making friends.
Language development is a progression that needs to be fostered. To encourage this we will be reading stories, singing songs, and reciting finger plays and poems.
To encourage literacy development we will be taking part in read alouds and writing activities that will encourage children to make connections between the spoken and written word. The children will also be introduced to letters and their corresponding sounds. Although children are not expected to grasp the full understanding of such a concept, exposing children to letters in a fun way is always beneficial.
Math activities are part of our day as well. This includes the exploration of
everyday objects to encourage the understanding of mathematical concepts
such as rote counting, 1-1 correspondence, estimating, more or
less, classifying and comparing, etc.
The children will also take part in organized art projects as well
Lastly, children will participate in music and movement, and gym and playground
as explore a variety of art materials. Young children learn
through hands on discovery. Keep in mind that the art
process is just as important as the finished product.
Our class will have a good balance between the two.
activities which strengthen gross motor skills and allow the children
to experience being a part of a group.


Five games to encourage kids with cleaning
With the kids off school, it can be tiring for parents to keep them entertained and out of our hair for six weeks. It can also play havoc with cleaning schedules as they run around the house, traipse in mud and do messy activities like painting. While your children may be reluctant to tidy up after themselves, Sph2onge has come up with five activities that will have them doing their bit.
Similar to musical statues, put on some upbeat music and they have to clean while the music is playing. When it stops, they have to freeze wherever they are, until the room is cleaned up.
Develop their hand-eye co-ordination by making the laundry basket or washing machine a ‘goal’ and have them throw items in from various distances. You can also incorporate a physics angle of how far items of different weights or materials will travel.
Using a robot voice, give your child commands to follow as if they were a robot. “Take Sph2onge to sink – wipe kitchen surface”. Encourage them to do robot movements and stay in character for the whole task.
Create a list of 12 chores and, using two dice, they have to roll the dice and do the selected chore. This will also encourage their numeracy skills by adding up the two numbers to different sums.
Tell your children the floor is infected and anything left down there will be contaminated. Designate a ‘safe’ zone where everything must be taken then use your Sph2onge to ‘decontaminate’ the area.
Do you have any "tactics" which you use to make cleaning fun with your kid/s - comment below?


One of the most powerful benefits of my school's blended learning model is the amount of time it creates for me to work individually with my students on their literacy development. One strategy I use often is a Writer's Workshop Conference, which consists of my having a targeted conversation with each student during which I am able to give feedback about his or her writing. I work hard at the beginning of the year to establish a classroom culture in which all students, regardless of the activity they are involved with at any given moment, understand how important it is that I be able to provide focused, uninterrupted support to each of them. This makes it possible for me to focus on one student's writing for three to five minutes every day while other students are working individually or in small groups.
Planning is an essential part of a blended teacher’s practice. In blended environments, where students can be at different points in a course on various modalities, blended teachers need to be very intentional about how they plan. Check out the video below to see how Mark plans for instruction in his blended classroom.
My students engage in a strategy called Math Fact Fluency for a few minutes each class period. They use a dry erase marker to fill in a blank multiplication table inside a plastic sheet protector according to a specific rule (by 2s, by 5s, etc.). I use this strategy to help my students notice patterns within the multiplication table and to develop a deep conceptual understanding of multiplication.
As a blended school, sometimes there is an overwhelming amount of data. Knowing how to use it and when is critical in making sure that the data is both purposeful and useful. Included is both offline (DRA, RAZ, and Interim Benchmark assessments) and online (iReady) assessments to inform instruction and make groups (guided reading, computer groups, and skills-based groups).


- Course type: Self-paced
- Available Lessons: 413
- Average Lesson Length: 8 min
Eligible for Certificate:
Certificates show that you have completed the course. They do not provide credit.
Watch a preview:chapter 1 / lesson 1FTCE Elementary Education K-6: Passing Score
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Course SummaryThis course can help you study the topics covered on the FTCE Elementary Education K-6 exam, including concepts in language arts, social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics. Use our lively video lessons, short quizzes and other study aids to fully prepare for the test. This Study.com course was updated in 2018.
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41 chapters in FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060): Practice & Study Guide
Course Practice TestCheck your knowledge of this course with a 50-question practice test.
- Comprehensive test covering all topics
- Detailed video explanations for wrong answers


The following ACTION was passed by a unanimous vote of the Maryland State Board of Education. The following is the text of the proposal by the Maryland State Department of Education
TEACHING READING : ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
PURPOSE: Recommend that a separate reading test be required for the initial certification of Early Childhood, Elementary Education , ESOL, and Special Education Teachers (birth-grade 3, grades 1-8, and grades 6-12)
ISSUE: Maryland does not currently require a separate foundations of reading test; instead it is an option to be used in lieu of the literacy/reading coursework.
TEACHING READING: Elementary Education ( 5205 available July 1, 2019)
Focuses on the knowledge and skills a beginning teacher must have to support reading and writing development.
Uses the five essential components of effective reading instruction as identified by the National Reading Panel: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency , and comprehension.
Assesses understanding of the science of teaching reading and the relationship between reading skills and writing instruction since receptive and productive literacy are interrelated.
Acknowledges multiple approaches to pedagogy used in tandem with content.


The Primary School Curriculum was developed based on the National Curriculum of Indonesia and the Cambridge Primary Checkpoint. It aims to provide a broad learning experience and encourages a rich variety of approaches to teaching and learning that cater for the different needs of individual children. The primary curriculum is designed to nurture the child in all dimensions of his or her life-spiritual, moral, cognitive, emotional, imaginative, aesthetic, social and physical.
The curriculum aims to:
Develop each child’s potential to the full
Encourage a love of learning
Help children develop skills they will use all their lives.
The curriculum is presented in 11 subject areas in Lower Primary and 14 in Upper Primary.
Medium of instruction
The medium of language used by teachers to teach students at JPS is English in most of the subjects. Teaching educational content, through English language increases the amount of exposure the learner gets to it, and the opportunities they have to communicate in it, and therefore to develop their control of it as a passport to global academic and business communities.
Assessment in primary school is about building a picture over time of a child’s learning progress across the curriculum. The teacher uses different ways to gather evidence about how and what the child learns on an ongoing basis. This information is used to celebrate the child’s current learning, and to help make decisions about next steps for future learning.
Report to parents
Mid Semester Progress Reports
Monday – Friday
Lower Primary (P1-P3) – 7.00 am – 12.30 pm
Upper Primary (P4-P6) – 7.00 am – 01.30 pm


Often one of the myths surrounding Personalized Learning is regarding the misconception that students are given completely free reign over what they study. This is not the case at all. In fact, teachers are bound more than ever to the foundational skeleton of the content areas: The standards! The Alaska State Standards guide all the work that we do as educators. It is what we are bound to teach. It is what our state has determined to be what our students need to know.
With Personalized Learning, we are innovative about the ways that we approach and monitor student progress on the standards, but the standards remain the foundation of education. Amy Angleton, Language Arts teacher at Skyview Middle School who has contributed to this blog in the past goes says it in more depth…
“The first step to be innovative within the confines of parameters such as standards is to understand the parameters deeply. State Standards are an essential basis for education. Without standards, educators would have no framework for what their students need to know at specific levels in order to prepare them for the next levels. Think of utilizing standards like you would learn a sport. When someone learns a skill in a sport there are foundational skills that a player needs to have before they are able to progress and play the sport as a whole. To learn these skills they practice them slowly and perfectly hundreds of times to create muscle memory. Teachers create muscle memory with the standards. When a teacher knows the standards deeply they do not have to look at them every time they create a lesson that is innovative and creative. They create lessons that address the standards automatically because they have muscle memory, they have become automatic. Of course (just like in sports) it is important to refresh every now and then just to make sure you are on the right track.
After understanding the standards deeply, then teachers can create checklists and essential skills students will use and be familiar with that are based on standards without using them directly. Then, innovation can really begin. Once a teacher has the end goal set, the skill that students need to master, there are unending possible ways to teach a student to accomplish that goal. There are unending possible choices to give students to take ownership for their own learning. There are online portfolios and projects and videos and explorations that students can all do. This is the exciting part, the moment that teachers articulate the end goal to students is the moment that innovation can begin.”
We see this playing out all over KPBSD! Amy is at a middle school, but if you look at West Homer Elementary, you will see “I can” statements on their walls. An “I can” statement is the standard that you are trying to teach put into student-friendly and actionable language. For example, the Alaska State Standard says, “ Add up to four two-digit numbers using strategies based on place value and properties of operations.” The “I can” statement for this is “I can add double digits. I can name the place a number is in. I can tell if it is addition or subtraction.” The student knows exactly what they are trying to accomplish!
At the high school level, we find teachers like Meredith McCullough at Kenai Central High School using standards-based grading. Students monitor their progress on the English/Language Arts standards during the course of the semester and provide evidence for their achieving the standards in regular conferences with their teacher. Even at the high school level, standards are put into student-friendly language that students can easily use. This is a clear example of Student Ownership and Reflection, one of the Core Four components of Personalized Learning. Students can progress at the pace that is healthy for them and understand the scope of their work to get credit for a course. This also allows the teachers to provide the resources and assistance that students need to master the standards.
The myth of PL being a free-for-all is clearly busted! Standards drive our work. Teachers and students all over the district use the standards as the basis for what we teach and study. This provides a clear foundation district wide and means that students are receiving their education with fidelity.


Social Skills Groups
Social Skills Groups – Elementary
The goal of social skills groups is to improve an individual’s social interaction with his/her peers and adults through enhancing his/her ability to use language for social thinking. Foundational skills of social communication are taught in the initial phases of the group sessions followed by activities and tasks geared towards the generalization of those skills. Groups typically consist of 4-6 children aged similarly (within 2 years approximately.)
Social Skills Dyads – All Ages
The goal of social skills dyads is to improve an individual’s social interaction with his/her peers and adults through enhancing his/her ability to learn language. This delivery model is considered a prerequisite to the social skills groups. Children in the dyads are considered language learners and may need additional assistance with behavior as well as attention. Instruction is individualized and geared around the basic foundational pragmatic skills. A dyad is comprised of two children matched similarly through skill set and ability level.
Social for Life Skills – Adolescent
The goal of social for life skills groups is to improve an individual’s social interaction with his/her peers and adults as it relates language skills and adolescence. Using evidence-based curriculum, skills such as social inferencing, reading and delivering nonverbal body language, adjusting registers (how you speak to a peer versus adults), delivering greetings/salutations, appropriate use of social media, in addition to much more. Instruction may be delivered in a variety of settings to teach generalization skills.
Building the Foundations for Social Interaction
EBS Children’s Institute believes in helping children develop their social language and emotional skills, critical to establishing lifelong relationships and interaction with the world around them. Our team weaves the foundations of friendship, self-awareness, resiliency, flexibility, self-regulation and problem solving into engaging group sessions. The activities we offer allow children to practice their pragmatic skills and foster peer relationships in a safe, therapeutically guided environment.


The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) borders Canada to the north, Mexico to the south, the North Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the North Pacific Ocean to the west. At roughly 9.8 million square kilometers, the U.S. is the world’s third-largest country in size and population and one of the most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations.
The U.S. consists of 50 states (48 continental plus Alaska and Hawaii), a federal district, Washington D.C., and small territories in the Pacific and Caribbean. The capital city is Washington, D.C. Students from all over the world come to study in USA.
The United States of America (USA) is the brightest destination for the students. The American degrees are recognized world over and give a cutting edge advantage for a successful career. Student can encounter and experience almost any climate, landscape, lifestyle, and culture by selecting the right location, the experience obtained during campus life is worth as much as the education itself.
United States of America has the world’s largest International students population, with nearly 6, 50,000 students nearly 4% of all students enrolled in higher level education are international students, and the numbers are growing each year. USA is the premiere destination for international students, because it has more institutions of higher learning than any other country in the world. There are more than 3,800 universities and colleges in the USA, offering courses at various levels. Research at many of these universities is cutting-edge and often published in journals worldwide the vast of resources in America, the opportunities for practical training related to your field of study are vast.
The U.S. has the world’s largest population of international students: nearly 600,000. Education system in the USA is different from the British system of education as practiced by India and from other countries.
After the Nursery school and Kindergarten, primary or elementary education starts, which will be from first to sixth grade. Grades from 7thto 12th is known as secondary education in which seventh to ninth are known as Junior High School grades and 10thto 12thare known as Senior High School Grades.
One could join the first year of college, either in a community college which offers a two-year Associate degree or a technical institute of similar duration programs. Completion of this level will make one eligible to take up two more years of the undergraduate program at a four-year college or a university, on completion of which leads to a Bachelor's degree. A Master's degree after that could be between one to two years. And Doctoral level education could be simultaneous along with the Master's or additional, which can be another 3-4 years. On completion of two years in college (first two years of Bachelor's program) one could join a first professional degree, which will be an additional four years.
US colleges and universities require that all their applicants take one or more standardized tests. These tests include the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), ACT test (American College Testing Assessment, GRE (Graduate Record Examination), and GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test). Additionally, International Students also required taking the TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language).
US Universities are either public or private institutions. Thus, public school tuition expenses are based on nonresident costs which are less expensive than private universities. It differs from university to university ranging from public cost $ 5000 a year to $ 30000 per annum for private institutes.
living expenses come to around $10,000 a year.


Teachers Professional Learning Unit Resources
General Certification Requirements
Each state has unique requirements for teacher licensure or certification. For information about the requirements in your state, be sure to check with your state Department of Education. Even though most states have unique requirements, teachers are typically required to fulfill the following basic requirements:
- A bachelor's degree, and in some states, a post-baccalaureate or master's degree. For elementary education, either a major or minor in education (for B.A.) or a Masters in Education will be required.
- For secondary subjects, a degree in the teaching area. An approved, accredited education program that fulfills student teaching and practicum requirements must be completed.
- In addition to the major, proof of a strong liberal arts foundation may be required. Most states require a passing grade on their state test or the PRAXIS exam. Some states require proof that you have taken a variety of college courses in basic subject areas (English, math, science, social studies, and language), particularly for obtaining licensure in elementary education.
To recruit more teachers, especially in areas with a shortage of teachers, a number of states have programs that offer nontraditional routes to teaching. Several have special licensing procedures for non-traditional applicants. The requirements for an alternative teaching licenses can differ by state. See the your state's Department of Education website for further information or search for alternate routes to teaching on the National Center for Alternative Certification website. Typically, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree in the subject to be taught, receive a passing score on state-required examinations, complete a state approved teacher preparation program, and may be required to fulfill a supervised teaching internship. After successful completion of these requirements, the applicant will be issued a teaching credential.
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Promoting Language and Literacy in Early Childhood Care and Education Settings
The foundation for life-long literacy is established during the early childhood years. Emergent literacy and language acquisition skills precede the ability to read and write and influence later literacy skills development. Young children who develop an awareness of and interest in literature and language are more likely to enter school with increased early literacy skills and to experience academic success in later years. This brief summarizes Promoting language and literacy in early childhood care and education settings: Literature review (Halle, Calkins, Berry, & Johnson, 2003, see www.childcareresearch.org/location/ccrca2796), a more extensive review of research on programs to promote language and emergent literacy in early childhood care and education settings for children ages three to five. The literature review focused on 'targeted interventions,' that is, programs designed specifically and exclusively to enhance children's language and literacy development, as well as on 'comprehensive interventions,' that is, programs that include a language and early literacy component but aim to improve multiple developmental outcomes by offering additional services (e.g., home visits, parent support groups, pediatric check-ups) sometimes starting in infancy, and usually running for longer periods of time than targeted interventions. Examples of comprehensive interventions are the High/Scope Perry Preschool Study, the Infant Health and Development Program, the Abecedarian Project, the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, and the Chicago Child Parent Center and Expansion Program. The review only selected studies that followed rigorous empirical research designs and were published in peer-reviewed journals. A table summarizing the studies cited in the larger review is located at www.childcareresearch.org/location/ccrca2797.
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Resources › For Educators Communicative Intent A Foundation of Building Communication Skills Share Flipboard Email Print JPCreative/Getty Images For Educators Special Education Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Management Lesson Plans Math Strategies Reading & Writing Social Skills Inclusion Strategies Individual Education Plans Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Teaching Homeschooling By Jerry Webster Special Education Expert M.Ed., Special Education, West Chester University B.A., Elementary Education, University of Pittsburgh Jerry Webster, M.Ed., has over twenty years of experience teaching in special education classrooms. He holds a post-baccalaureate certificate from Penn State's Educating Individuals with Autism program. our editorial process Jerry Webster Updated April 12, 2019 Communicative Intent is critical for developing communication skills. In typical children the desire to communicate wants and desires is innate: even if they have impaired hearing, they will indicate wants and desires through eye gaze, pointing, even vocalizations. Many children with disabilities, especially developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders, are not "hard-wired" to respond to other individuals in their environment. They may also lack "Theory of Mind," or the ability to understand that other people have thoughts that are separate from their own. They may even believe that other people are thinking what they are thinking, and may get angry because significant adults do not know what is happening. Children Who Lack Communicative Intent Children with autism spectrum disorders, especially children with apraxia (difficulty with forming words and sounds) may even show less interest than skill in communication. They may have difficulty understanding agency -- the ability of an individual to impact his or her environment. Sometimes loving parents will over-function for a child, anticipating his (most often) or her every need. Their desire to care for their child may eliminate opportunities for the children to express intent. The failure to support building communicative intent may also lead to maladaptive or violent behavior, as the child wants to communicate, but significant others have not been attending to the child. Another behavior that masks a child's lack of communicative intent is echolalia. Echolalia is when a child will repeat what he or she hears on the television, from an important adult, or on a favorite recording. Children who have speech may not actually be expressing desires or thoughts, merely repeating something they have heard. In order to move a child from echolalia to intent, it is important for the parent/therapist/teacher to create situations where the child must communicate. Developing Communicative Intent Communicative intent can be developed by letting children see preferred items but blocking their access to those same items. They can learn to point or perhaps exchange a picture for the item (PECS, Picture Exchange Communication System.) However the "communicative intent" is developed, it will be reflected in a child's repeated attempt to acquire something he or she wants. Once a child has found a means to express communicative intent by pointing, by bringing a picture, or by uttering an approximation, he or she has their foot on the first step toward communication. Speech pathologists may support teachers or other therapy providers (ABA, or TEACCH, perhaps) to assess whether the child will be able to produce vocalizations that they can control and shape into understandable utterances. Example Jason Clarke, the BCBA in charge of Justin's ABA therapy, was concerned that Justin spent most of his time in self-stimulatory behavior, and seemed to show little communicative intent during his observation of Justin in his home.


February 14, 2019
Read Across America and the benefits of rhyming for young readers
I’ve got a magic charm
That I keep up my sleeve
I can walk the ocean floor
And never have to breathe.
Life doesn’t frighten me at all
Not at all
Not at all.
– Excerpt from “Life doesn’t frighten me” by Maya Angelou.
Whether a profound poem, a sing along, or a silly story with blue haired parrots that eat carrots: Rhyme is an is an important element of early literacy development.
The practice of rhyming is enjoyable and provides an engaging and memorable reading experience. It also aids in teaching early literacy skills like phonemic awareness and fluency development. When children learn to rhyme, it helps them develop the ability to break words down into smaller parts like puzzle pieces and string them together, like sleeve and breathe.
Learning to read through rhyme
Through exposure to rhyme in books kids learn to segment words into phonemes, improving their decoding and comprehension abilities.
Dr. Seuss, whose March 2 birthday is the historical marker for Read Across America Day, is an author whose stories are synonymous with rhyming. His signature style has endured the test of time largely because kids have fun reading stories that utilize anapest meter (de de DUM pattern) which helps children understand and focus on the language. It also tunes their ears to subtle differences in inflection and rhythm—key components to reading aloud. The rhyming structure allows kids to more naturally learn about word families and begin to create a mental library of sounds.
While Dr. Seuss books have been popular around the world for decades, many new books maintain the essence of rhyme while exploring new narratives. Books like Happy in our Skin by Fran Manushkin and This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt address topics of multiculturalism, identity, and race acceptance.
Cognition and social emotional development
Taking the Time to Rhyme: How Rhyming Benefits Early Education, by Learning Liftoff, discusses how rhyming can improve memory and cognitive development around fundamental patterns in language. The article also explains how social and emotional development can occur when students have a bonding experience reading rhyming books. It can help to build confidence and foster positive associations with reading.
Social and emotional learning are important benefits of the Reading Partners program, our recent Child Trends study shows significant progress in key SEL skills including improved reading engagement, persistence, and social competence.
For Read Across America Day this year, consider exploring some new books with rhyming patterns. Books that bring joy to readers, teach important life lessons, and also play an important role in teaching early literacy skills and introducing the wonder of rhyme to young children.
To get you started, check out this list of multicultural rhyming books for kids assembled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.


The Kindergarten program is based on the belief that all children are curious and have a sense of wonder about their world. We recognise that each child will bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences to Kindergarten. Our role is to nurture their thirst for learning and to guide them as they seek answers to their questions.
The Kindergarten environment is designed to facilitate learning through play. Play is recognised as a context for learning and can be both child led and teacher initiated. Play experiences are balanced with learning through intentional teaching, social interaction, inquiry projects and the expressive arts.
A large variety of open-ended, multi-sensory materials are available for the children to use and there is a strong connection between the indoor and outdoor environment. Our program has a strong emphasis on the development of early literacy and numeracy skills that will help form a strong foundation for future learning. The Kindergarten program is planned according to the principles, practices and outcomes outlined in the Early Years Learning Framework and the Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines. Educators work closely together to ensure a smooth transition into Pre-Primary and beyond.
Kindergarten Days and Times : Monday, Tuesday & Thursday (8:50am-2:50pm)
For information regarding enrolment into Kindergarten please follow the link below.


Our curriculum at Highfields Spencer Academy is based on building knowledge and developing growth mindsets, so is named the ASPIRE curriculum. It will challenge and stimulate our children into asking searching questions, shape their learning and enable them to develop into independent critical thinkers and learners. The curriculum is based around a new text every half term which the children will receive. This allows for vocabulary to be developed and a love of books and literature to be developed at an early age. The delivery of the curriculum will have a strong emphasis on talk, active learning and be project based.
Building resilience is crucial in ensuring that our children are lifelong learners and have a positive mental health and well-being. Children be given opportunities to develop their growth-mindset through reflection time, believing that with hard work and determination, anything can be achieved.
Varied enrichment opportunities will be provided to all children to consistently enhance their learning experiences and at least one visit or visitor will be used to bring learning to life each half term. Our curriculum offers opportunities to inspire creativity, curiosity and build aspirations. It is extremely important to us that the curriculum unlocks potential in all of children and allows them to flourish. Our curriculum is based upon providing children with the knowledge and skills they need to enable to unlock their potential in all stages of life.
Developing the holistic child is of upmost importance and, with this in mind, we offer a broad and balanced curriculum which encompasses the whole national curriculum. Children will explore and learn about a theme each half term which will enable them to take a step back in time through their History topics and travel around the world with their Geography topics. The other foundation subjects will be linked into our half termly theme ensuring that children learn about their topic through a range of mediums e.g Art, Music, PE.
Children will learn a modern foreign language and this will be enhanced through the study of at least one book per year written in a different country. This may be an African folktale, a Japanese picture book or a Chinese traditional story.
Through our links with Universities we will look at opportunities to invite students from different cultures to spend a week in a classroom so that children can learn first-hand about different places and ways of living. Our links with our local Trust secondary schools will give us the opportunity to use secondary specialist equipment and facilities, as well as provide our children with positive role models.
In Reception, children will follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum with a focus on learning through purposeful play, phonics, books and literacy. Extensive use will be made of outdoor learning with opportunities to develop reading, writing and numeracy skills woven through all activities.
The curriculum will be full of ‘WOW’ moments so that learning is real, exciting, fun and challenging. We will use Class Dojo to make meaningful communications home and to share personal achievements.
We aim to put community at the heart of our school and of our teaching and learning by encouraging involvement with the locality to add an extra dimension to our children’s learning.


This is our program for children 2 years old. In this program the maximum number of children we can have in this group is 10 with 2 Early Childhood Educators.
In this program children are introduced to all developmental areas of learning and learn through play. They work on projects geared around their own interests and likes. They learn letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. They learn though sensory activities, gross and fine motor skill development, art and expression, building, dramatic play, group time, and outdoor play. They start to learn self help skill and toileting. They start to learn about community and become active members in their world. Parent involvement in greatly encouraged in our program and through projects.
Communication Charts are also used in this age group and the Educators find it an effective tool in the communication between Educators and Parents. Children’s days are tracked on this sheet along with tracking toileting and eating and activities.


Common Core State Standards
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
- Reading 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
- Craft and Structure 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
- Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
- Text Types and Purposes 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
- Language 1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- Language 3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
- Comprehension & Collaboration 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- Comprehension & Collaboration 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
- Presentation of Knowledge 4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Social Studies – National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
- Theme 1: Culture
- Theme 2: Time, Continuity, and Change
- Theme 3: People, Place, and Environments
- Theme 8: Science, Technology, and Society
- Theme 9 : Global Connections
National Standards for Music Education
Core Music Standard: Responding
- Analyze: Analyze how the structure and context of varied musical works inform the response.
- Interpret: Support interpretations of musical works that reflect creators’ and/or performers’ expressive intent.
- Evaluate: Support evaluations of musical works and performances based on analysis, interpretation, and established criteria.
Core Music Standard: Connecting
- Connecting 11: Relate musical ideas and works to varied contexts and daily life to deepen understanding.
National Core Arts Standards
- Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
- Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
- Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
- Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
- Anchor Standards 11: Relate artistic ideas and work with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.


Third Grade Math Summer Packet and Level Up to Fourth Grade Kit
This kit includes summer work that covers the CORE curriculum used in a third grade classroom, a ruler, an answer key, a progress chart, and stickers. Each section of work includes a brief review (where needed) of how to do the work. The work sections in the third grade kit include:Representing Numbers; Comparing and Rounding Numbers; Ordering numbers; Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, and Dividing Whole Numbers; Table of Multiples, Prime and Composite Numbers; Simplifying Fractions; Fraction Number Line; Graphs, charts, and plots; Pre-Algebra; Two-dimensional figures; Area of rectangles and squares; Perimeter of rectangles and squares; Using Conversions; Function Tables; Multiplication properties; Time review; Money review; and measurement review. There is a progress chart to record work done. At the end of the summer you or your child can post how many days were finished on either the ABC Crate Instagram or the ABC Crate Facebook page to win a prize that will be mailed to your child. I would recommend logging the days that need to be completed on a calendar (there is a copy of the June, July, and August calendar for your use in the kit) with your child to set expectations for your child at the start of the summer.
This educational kit was made with love by a certified Montessori teacher of 18 years. I am certified in Early Childhood Education (preschool and Kindergarten), Elementary Education I (grades 1st to 3rd), and Elementary Education II (grades 4th to 6th). I have worked as a lead teacher in all the above grades, Montessori teacher trainer, dance director, and Parent Education director. I hope you enjoy this kit as much as I enjoyed making it. I created the ABC Crate LLC so that I could share the joys of Montessori lessons and philosophies with all who seek wonderful lessons for their little ones. I have many more kits to come ranging from preschool to middle school. Feel free to drop a note about which lessons you would like sooner. ABC Crates are great for Home School programs, parents seeking support material for the home, and for teachers to use in their classroom. My website is abc-crate.com and my email is email@example.com.


This is a decisive stage between the ages of 6 and 12. Our main goal here is to develop the skills of each child, developing skilled future citizens who are able to adapt to a changing global environment. We provide them with a firm basis on which they can build a better world.
We focus on personalised learning, boosting the skills of each student, teaching thinking and creativity strategies. We also endeavour to develop their abilities and values. To reach this goal, we work with:
INTERNATIONAL PRIMARY CURRICULUM
A programme with a methodology designed to ensure in-depth and active learning. This stimulates curiosity on the basis of connections between subjects, and we impart important and enriching knowledge in the process.
SUMMATIVE OR PERFORMANCE TASKS
The purpose of this type of work is to develop research, problem-solving, reflection and application of knowledge skills.
IMPORTANCE OF ICT
We understand the role that information and communication technologies (ICT) play in learning and student motivation. To build the technological abilities that our society demands, all our classrooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, we have a computer room, and students use iPads in classrooms.
Besides teaching our students to be ICT users, we also teach them to be creators. Our students get an in-depth insight into this technology through programming, while developing skills such as logical thinking and problem solving. Our annual participation in the Junior First Lego League gets the students interested in science and technology.
As is the case in other stages, Primary Education is bilingual. English is a classroom language, along with Spanish, and 60% of the classes are taught in English. To provide external recognition of language learning and to track our children’s progress, the English course covers preparation for the Cambridge exams, from Starters to the Preliminary English Test (B1).
We have native Teaching Assistants to boost our children’s oral and communication skills.
French or German is added to the curriculum as a third language from Year 4 of Primary.
We believe that having emotional intelligence is important for life in society, which is why the school has created an Emotional Education programme. In this programme, our educational psychology team comes into the classroom to provide our students with the tools they need for a world in constant change (self-respect, empathy, assertiveness, managing emotions and social skills).
The school is also part of the Botín Network of Responsible Schools, a programme that fosters emotional, intellectual and social development, and promotes communication and social harmony in schools.
Eco-school: We want to make our children aware of the importance of caring for the environment and responsible consumer habits from a very young age.
Organic garden: This is where our students plant vegetables and learn the importance of the sustainable use of resources and their environmental impact.
Music and art education have their place in Primary education as the universal language of emotion.
Physical education, health and wellbeing: The school has joined the Programme of Schools Committed to Sport to promote a healthy lifestyle and to help students and their families make a commitment to this. In Primary education, our children have one hour of swimming a week in their school timetable.


The library card, or more properly the borrower's identification card, is the ticket to a library's resources, as it is used to identify the bearer as a registered borrower and provides information, typically in the form of the bar code, for the loan record in the charging or circulation process.
Of course! And proudly! But that may change, as some libraries begin to accept a smart phone scan of the library card--and others have investigated using library cards for more than circulation control which would make the smart phone substitute highly valuable.
Many libraries offer library cards to very young children and even babies. In the early 1990s a number of libraries gave out packets of information about early literacy to new mothers. These packets often included applications for library cards. Library cards for the babies themselves came soon after. Libraries often issue the card in conjunction with early literacy development programs. The cards are designed to get parents to start thinking about developing their child's reading skills as early as possible--and to get them into the library!
See the links below for examples of libraries that offer these services.
We do not know, exactly. Statistical surveys collect a count of registered borrowers, but with qualifications. While many libraries require a renewal of one's credentials, people may also hold more than one library card--as suggested by the pictures of people holding more than one library card in the Flickr slide show, "Show Us Your Library Card." We do, however, use surveys to obtain an estimate that two-thirds (2/3) of Americans have library cards.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) statistics collects the number of "registered users," defined as "a library user who has applied for and received an identification number or card from the public library that has established conditions under which the user may borrow library materials or gain access to other library resources." But a note requires that the report should be for files that have been purged within the past three years.
The availability of a national library card remains a popular suggestion from library users and patrons year after year. However, neither ALA nor PLA (Public Library Association, a division of ALA) coordinates national public library service.
Due to the process by which public libraries are funded, the establishment of any national reciprocal borrowing privileges would be complex. Public libraries in the U.S. are set up under a local governance model, as the majority of funding for most public libraries comes from local taxes. On average, nationwide, local taxes are responsible for over 80% of public library funds, with 10% coming from state sources; federal interests contribute less than 1%. (Note that it is precisely because libraries are locally funded that many libraries charge a fee when providing library cards to persons not resident in the library district.)
Also, there is no mechanism set up by which the materials borrowed by “national” library users and patrons could be returned to their home institutions—which are presumably a state or more away--in a timely manner. Nor is there a mechanism to ensure that these materials would be returned. Creating such a multi-state secure mechanism that would protect and secure the varied collections of all of the libraries across the country from any misuse or abuse of a national borrowing system would pose a formidable challenge.
How widely a library card may be used also varies by jurisdiction. Over the years, public libraries have made great strides in resources sharing, through the development of inter-library lending procedures, cooperative partnerships, regional networks, and even some statewide networks. But a single all-state borrowing card and system would be difficult to develop, though there are successful statewide and extensive regional networks for reciprocal borrowing.


This summer we’re hearing from our amazing camp staff. Our Hope College students do the heavy lifting of planning, prepping, and teaching our hands-on camps all summer long! Each week, 2-3 student staff members will recap a camp they’ve led and share tips on how to keep the fun going at home!
Happy summer everyone! I am Ana Gamboa-Andrade, I recently graduated from Hope in November and am teaching at the ExploreHope Science Camps this summer. I majored in Elementary Education in the Integrated Sciences so I love seeing campers immersed in hands-on science education.
This week, I had the joy of leading the Prehistoric Planet camp. Our little paleontologists had so much fun in this camp exploring any and everything about dinosaurs and fossils. They got to take part in some fossil digging and assembly, creating teeth and claw molds, exploring descendants of dinosaurs, and excavating their own dinosaur eggs!
This was a Kindergarten through 2nd grade camp, so along with the week being fun, it was also cute as heck! One of our favorite activities was getting to create our own tar pit slime. We pre-portioned out some ingredients for a gooey slime and added a few drops of black paint to give it that tar feel. Once they finished kneading it, they got to play with some small dinosaur toys and get them stuck in their tar.
If you’d like to share some of the Prehistoric Planet fun at home, you can try making some yummy pudding fossils with a few simple ingredients.
- Vanilla pudding
- Chocolate pudding
- Crushed up graham crackers
- Crushed up Oreos
- Dinosaur gummies or sprinkles
- Blue food dye
- Clear dessert cups
Before assembling your pudding fossils, you’ll want to dye about a third of your vanilla pudding blue to represent a lake bed. Once your materials are prepared, walk your little paleontologist through this yummy model of fossil formation.
Imagine 200 million years ago, some dinosaurs were walking in a riverbed. Scoop a layer of blue pudding in the bottom of the cup to represent the river bed and put the dino sprinkles on top.
All of a sudden the dinos were buried by a landslide, a flood, or a volcanic eruption! Quickly cover the dinos with cookie crumbs.
Over time more sediments accumulated on top of the river bed. Some of the sediments were big, and some were small. Some of the layers were thick, and some were thin. Use the chocolate and vanilla pudding along with both kinds of crumbs to make layers, burying your dinos deeper in the Earth. Let your paleontologist create their own story.
Over millions of years, the pressure on top of the material surrounding your dinosaurs turned the mud and dirt into rock, and the dinosaurs into fossils. Enjoy!
Visit ExploreHope Summer Camps for more info. Although many of our camps are full, there are still openings for all ages.


ERIC Number: ED329423
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1986
Fun with Physics.
This book shows how physics relates to daily life. Chapters included are: (1) "Physics of Fun" (dealing with the concepts of friction, Bernoulli's principle, lift, buoyancy, adhesion, cohesion, surface tension, gas expansion, waves, light, mirror images, and solar cells); (2) "Physics of Nature" (illustrating the concepts of inertia, static electricity, magnetic fields, echoes, spectrum, color and scattering); (3) "Physics at Home" (describing conductors and insulators, viscosity, pressure, levers, transformers, and the electromagnetic spectrum); and (4) "Physics of Sports" (discussing the center of gravity, elasticity, centripetal force, electric circuits, and action/reaction forces). At the end of each chapter, several activities are introduced. A glossary, index, list of science museums, and a list of additional reading materials are appended. (YP)
Descriptors: Athletics, Elementary Education, Elementary School Science, Museums, Physics, Science Activities, Science Interests, Science Materials, Scientific Concepts, Scientific Principles
National Geographic Society, 17th and M Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20036 ($7.95).
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher; Reference Materials - General
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Geographic Society, Washington, DC.
Note: Colored photographs may not reproduce well. Oversized poster and game board have been removed.


Published October 1979
by British Universities Film & Video Council .
Written in English
|The Physical Object|
Audiovisual education or multimedia-based education (MBE) is instruction where particular attention is paid to the audio and visual presentation of the material with the goal of improving comprehension and retention.. According to the Webster dictionary, audio-visual aids is defined as "training or educational materials directed at both the senses of hearing and the sense of . produce and evaluate audiovisual materials for all levels of. music education were. attained by an informal research procedure. It was concluded that the use of. non-book instructional materials is an effective means of improving music education. but the misuse of such materials will almost as certainly cause harm. The final. Book-Review - Audio-Visual Materials for Higher Education - Part Four - Physical Sciences and Technology Author: J. Ballantyne, C. A. Ronan. Higher education students live in a world of technology, instantly accessing information from any device and at any time. Student learning and engagement is no longer confined to only classrooms. Virtual learning opportunities, like video conferencing and collaboration tools, allow professors to instruct efficiently and students to learn.


Vatican City Quiz – Fun FREE Interactive Earth Science Quiz for Kids
Enjoy this Easy Science for Kids Vatican City Quiz – you’ll get your quiz score after completing this FREE online interactive quiz on Vatican City. You need to answer all the questions to be able to get your score. You can do this fun quiz about the Vatican City again, till you get the perfect score and become a quiz champion!
Tip: To get it right the first time, read the page with fun facts about the Vatican City.
The Vatican City Quiz & FREE Online Quizzes
Our easy Geography quizzes are a free online quiz resource for teachers and educators of kids in elementary school, grammar school and preschool. This fun Vatican City Geography quiz helps your kids learn fun facts about the Vatican City while enjoying this FREE earth science quiz.
If your kid is being home-schooled, or is in a special education program, then this is an easy science activity, with reading comprehension benefits for kids in grades one to five.
Kids will enjoy competing against their classmates and friends, to see who scores the best, doing this fun and free earth science quiz on Vatican City.
As a reading comprehension educational activity for kids, you can set a timer to encourage kids to do the reading comprehension training in a faster way, or limit the number of times your kid can read about the Vatican City quiz topic, before they do the actual fun interactive quiz for kids.
Younger kids who cannot yet read or write, such as Pre-K kids, Kindergarten kids or Preschool kids, will benefit from doing this Vatican City quiz and our other fun online quizzes, as a listening comprehension activity; you read out to them about the topic and then read the quiz question and answers.
You will select the Vatican City quiz answer they think is correct, and at the end you get the quiz score.
Your child can try doing the Vatican City quiz again, till gets the perfect score faster, as your kid learns to listen more carefully and develop a better memory and attention span!
Enjoyed doing this fun interactive quiz about the Vatican City? Check out all our other fun Science quiz questions for Kids at our online quiz website. Visit our Earth Science for Kids all about the Vatican City page. Get lengthy info here.
Cite This Page
You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:
MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Vatican City Quiz – Fun FREE Interactive Earth Science Quiz for Kids - ." Easy Science for Kids, Feb 2020. Web. 24 Feb 2020. < https://easyscienceforkids.com/vatican-city-quiz-fun-free-interactive-earth-science-quiz-for-kids/ >.
APA Style Citation
Tobin, Declan. (2020). Vatican City Quiz – Fun FREE Interactive Earth Science Quiz for Kids -. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from https://easyscienceforkids.com/vatican-city-quiz-fun-free-interactive-earth-science-quiz-for-kids/
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Current music practices and teachers' needs for teaching music in public preschools of South Korea
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The present study aimed to investigate the current music practices and teachers' needs for teaching music in public preschools of South Korea. The data were obtained from the public preschools in South Korea, and 66.7% (n = 606) of the total sample (N = 908) responded. The online survey consisted of 42 questions: a Likert-type scales, single and multiple-choice responses, and open-ended questions. The 42 questions regarding the current music practices of public preschools were divided into seven categories according to question content. The majority of teachers stated that their lesson plans included group music activities more than twice a week, lasting less than 30 minutes on average. The most important reason indicated for including music in the curriculum was "enjoyment and recreation." Almost all teachers planned music curriculum with a weekly theme, and they chose songs to complement the theme. Singing and finger play were reported to be the most frequently occurring activities in public preschools. The teachers taught songs with piano accompaniment or a CD, and several common CD collections for music activities were revealed. Rhythmic instruments were the most accessible instruments in a music center, but a piano was the most frequently used by teachers during circle time in the classroom. Teachers identified a lack of ideas for music activity in preschools as a difficulty. The majority of participants requested more applicable and thorough preservice and inservice music education programs for preschool teachers.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.


Many kids with ADHD are what’s called twice-exceptional, having a gifted IQ and a disability. Often the ability (giftedness) hides the disability, or the disability hides the ability. And, most U.S. schools do not have programs to address both disability and giftedness in the same student. That means parents often take on the job of enrichment for gifted needs. Listen as Colleen Kessler, M.Ed., and I discuss what giftedness really means and the set of strengths, weaknesses, and challenges that come with giftedness. Learn how to advocate for your child’s twice-exceptional needs in school and how to understand and nurture those same needs outside the school environment, as well.
Colleen Kessler, M.Ed., is an explorer, tinkerer, educator, writer, creator, and a passionate advocate for the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional children. She has a B.S. in elementary education, a M.Ed. in gifted studies, is the founder of the popular blog and podcast Raising Lifelong Learners as well as Raising Poppies, a community of support for parents of gifted children, and a sought after national speaker. The author of more than a dozen books for teachers, parents, and kids, Colleen left teaching after more than a decade to write and speak about parenting, education, giftedness, and hands-on learning and play.


SHS Web of Conferences
Volume 26, 2016ERPA International Congresses on Education 2015 (ERPA 2015)
|Number of page(s)||5|
|Published online||26 April 2016|
Photo art creativity in the education: Light drawing
1 Mersin University Press & Public Relations Department, 33343, Mersin, Turkey
2 Fırat University Faculty of Communication, Department of Visual Communication Design, 23119, Elazığ, Turkey
a Corresponding author: firstname.lastname@example.org
Since the early ages, people live together with art, and create various branches of art. Painting, as one of the most important branches of art, occurs on the walls of the caves of prehistoric ages. By the nineteenth century, photography shows itself and come as a branch of art until today. Photographers have created new methods and techniques throughout history. Among these, we can say that “painting with light” is one of the techniques by which the artist can create original works of art and reflects his/her creativity freely. This study aims to cite the importance of creativity in art education by the applications of “painting with light”. First the history of art is touched briefly, and then the invention of photography is mentioned and the relationships of photography and painting is studied. In the final section by informing about the technique of “painting with light”, it is discoursed how to get a work of art with this technique.
Key words: photograph / light drawing / art / creativity
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2016
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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In our recent webinar on soft skills, there were several questions around the details of naming, assessing, and validating a “soft” skill through digital credentials. Let’s break these concepts down a bit further.
A working definition of a soft skill
You can call them soft skills, power skills, foundational skills or work skills. We are talking about skills, abilities and competencies that transcend work environments and are not technical or work/content-specific. For example, being able to communicate in writing is a soft skill; being able to write computer code is not because we’d describe that as a technical work-specific skill. Leadership is a soft skill because it cuts across work environments and
roles; human resource management is not because not everyone has the prerequisite knowledge nor would many people be called to apply these skills across the organization.
Step 1: Name the problem. This is not going to be a sequential guide, but if you cannot name the soft skill, you won’t be able to describe it, measure it or assign a credential to it.
Step 2: Describe the skill. It is important to describe or define a soft skill within a given a context. If you expect someone to display robust decision making skills, for instance, what
would that look like? Would they research alternatives? Would they list pros and cons? Would they prioritize? If you can operationalize a skill, you can more readily assess its existence.
Step 3: Don’t forget the context. A little self-disclosure; while I have no problem talking with people all day long for work, and while I was a former teacher, my presentation skills are
reserved for the context of working online. If you come to my house and want me to teach you about gardening, don’t expect a powerpoint or an organized lesson plan. The context in which you expect a soft skill to be displayed is crucial. In describing a skill, be clear and precise about the context.
Measuring a soft skill
Fundamentally, I believe the reason we struggle with assessment is that we are too wedded to testing. It is absolutely possible to measure one’s knowledge via a test. It is also possible to measure the likelihood of someone knowing when to use a skill via a test. However, you probably won’t be able to measure a soft skill unless you see it in action (observe) and preferably see repeat performances so you know the skill is consistent. Again, we’re talking about soft skills, not technical skills like being able to create a pivot table or draw blood. For many, this observation and documentation may seem subjective and “fuzzy.” I would argue that it depends on how well trained the observers are and the quality of the instrument used for documenting or recording the observations. Even if you gave me the most detailed checklist or leveled rubric, I will need some training on how to score. And, the best rubrics are
tested and normed so that multiple reviewers would achieve similar (if not identical) results. This is an extra task in the process, but an important one.
Creating a digital credential
Putting together the description, operationalized, and the details of what should be observed, you have the ground work for a decent digital credential recognizing a soft skill. Another way of thinking about this is “What does this credential represent and what would I expect the person to be able to do as a result?” Articulating that along with the criteria of what the earner had to do (or what was observed), you have the makings of metadata.
The makings but not yet a finished product
One of the outstanding questions from the webinar had to how we could offer a digital credential for a soft skill that might be context dependent. Then context can be stated in the metadata. “The earner can work through team conflict while working with others in an academic exercise” would be an example. This doesn’t devalue the fact that the individual has proven those skills at some point.
As we think about how digital credentials can be used to help earners surface and communicate their skills, credentials that represent soft skills are a natural extension of one’s technical and content-specific competencies. It’s well worth the effort to name, assess and validate soft skills through digital credentials.


Writing Wizard can grow with students, starting with the fine motor skill development of forming shapes and advancing to writing numbers and letters and reviewing the phonetic sounds of those letters. The correct formation of each letter is stressed, impressively representing the most renowned handwriting styles. Once students have mastered shapes, numbers, and letters, teachers can create custom word lists for students to practice, giving kids the chance to practice writing their names, sight words, and more.Continue reading Show less
Writing Wizard for Kids is a highly customizable app that helps kids practice tracing letters, numbers, shapes, and words while hearing the letter names and phonetic sounds. Choose from uppercase or lowercase letters, numbers, shapes, or words and customize the handwriting style, choosing from D'Nealian, Handwriting without Tears, Zaner-Bloser, Scandanavia, and UK. Choose the character and watch as a hand with a pointed finger writes the letter, number, shape, or word and then shows where to trace first. Red arrows and targets show tracing direction, and sounds cue kids for what to do next. The bright, animated graphics that accompany each tracing page are eye-catching and rewarding.
Teachers can use the multiple settings to adjust letter size, show or hide the letter model, and create their own words. There's also an optional 5-Stars progressive tracing system that requires the user to trace each letter five times, with increasing difficulty. Detailed reports show teachers how each student is progressing. Writing Wizard provides simple, tailor-made, and fun tracing practice.
Kids will find Writing Wizard to be an engaging beginning-writing practice tool. Surprising animated graphics -- from dancing cupcakes to rushing rainbows of stars, tiger faces, and bouncing hearts -- motivate kids to keep following the audio and visual prompts to trace each letter, number, and word properly to see what happens in the end and then play with the animations by swiping, tapping, or tilting the device.
The customization options help teachers tailor the experience to each student's current level and increase difficulty for more precision in tracing as they improve, including settings for left-handed students. Kids also can improve fine motor skills and practice following visual directions as they watch and follow the hand, dots, and arrows that guide them along the correct tracing paths.
Key Standards Supported
Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
Print all upper- and lowercase letters.
Reading Foundational Skills
Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or many of the most frequent sound for each consonant.


Readership Programs for Children
The summer break may not always be beneficial to children. Studies show that children lose an average of one month of learning during the time off between school years. One way to counter this is to engross them in activities that stimulate their intellectual endeavors. Reading books helps children to develop a passion for literature while engaging them in continued learning. Reading programs have popped up all the country in the last few decades, especially in the summer. Children who participate in literacy programs are more likely to read more later in life and find greater comprehension in other areas, including mathematics. Here are a few programs that may help your children to develop a passion for literature.
Read Across America
The National Education Agency (NEA) works to promote reading across the country. They hand out resources to teachers and participating groups. In addition to book recommendations and reading plans, they pass out Dr. Seuss hats, t-shirts, tote bags, highlighters, and other merchandise. They also work with schools to develop guest reading events. In the past, celebrities such Shaquille O’Neill, Garth Brooks, Serena Williams, and Morgan Freeman have read to children in elementary schools as part of the program. They give grants to smaller reading programs and have even begun a program for the children of deployed service members. For more information, visit their website. Read Across America has become one of the most successful programs in the country for getting children to read.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
When considering reading initiatives, Dolly Parton does not normally come to mind. She may be a country music legend with her own theme park, but her literacy endeavors are much less known. In 1995, she began a program to provide lower income East Tennessee families with one book each month to stir their children’s passion for literature. Today, the program has expanded across the United States and into the UK and Canada. Any community that is willing to partner with the program locally will qualify for families to receive one book a month free of charge. There are currently 1600 communities involved in the program. Visit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to see if your community is participating. If not, it would be a great program to bring into your area. Children receiving these books have been shown to demonstrate a greater degree of literacy than others around them.
Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge
Scholastic has long been a mainstay in literacy development for children. The Scholastic Bus and Book Fairs have long created connection between kids and literature. During the summer, they challenge children to read for as many minutes as they can. Parents, teachers, and libraries can participate by logging and keeping track of how much the children read. The children are registered to win free books if they complete a certain number of minutes. This program caters to the competitive nature of children and creates a fun environment that encourages literacy. Find out more on the Scholastic website.
Barnes & Noble Summer Reading for Kids
Beginning each May, Barnes & Noble offers kids a free book after each eighth one that they read and log in. The free book comes from a group that has been specifically selected for children in grades 1-6. This program helps parents to not only build literacy in their children, but a sense of accomplishment at the completion of a reading goal.
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF)
RIF is the oldest and largest literacy program for children in the United States. Originally a government-sponsored program, RIF offers a few programs to improve literacy. The Read For Success program offers educators access to high-quality educational resources, including books, professional development, tote bags with eight books for each kid, and on-line access to teaching resources. Their Books for Ownership, formerly known as the National Book Program, creates events for children to pick out books that they would like to read. For more information, visit Reading Is Fundamental.
Literacy in children is a growing epidemic. It is important for children to read and be read to at younger ages if they are to find success in life. These are only a few readership programs designed for children. Find out what works for you and your children. Developing a love for reading in a child is one of the most important things a parent can do for their child.


The central government notified the RTE Rules 2010
on April 9, 2010, which are applicable to all schools under the central government, and in the five Union Territories without legislatures. Most of the states have notified similar Rules with a few variations. The Rules define the limits of a neighbourhood and make it mandatory for the local authority to maintain list of children within its jurisdiction. They also prescribe the composition of the School Management Committee to be formed in government schools. Private schools shall reserve 25% of the seats for disadvantaged children. These schools shall be reimbursed for either their tuition charge or the per-student expenditure in government schools, whichever is lower. All private schools have to be recognised before they can start operation. Recognition is contingent upon meeting the minimum standard laid down in the Act Existing private schools have to meet the norms within three years of commencement of the Act. If they are not compliant after three years, they shall cease to function. Government schools under the central government have to meet only two conditions: the minimum qualification for teachers and the student-teacher ratio. For all state government schools and un-adided schools, the power to make rules is delegated to the state government. The central government circulated Model Rules
for the RTE Act to the states. All state governments, except Goa, have notified the state RTE Rules. Delhi and Puducherry have also notified them. Most of the states have notified similar Rules with a few variations. We list some of the variations. Andhra Pradesh:
The break-up of the 25% quota among the various disadvantaged groups have been included in the Rules. Scheduled Castes: 10%; Scheduled Tribes: 4%; Orphans, disabled and HIV affected: 5% and children with parents whose annual income is lower than Rs 60,000: 6%. Rajasthan:
Private schools either have to be affiliated with a university or recognised by any officer authorised by the state government. Karnataka:
In addition to the minimum norms under RTE Act, private schools have to comply with the Karnataka Education Act, 1983. Gujarat:
If an existing recognised school is unable to meet the infrastructure norms it may be given the option of demonstrating that it achieved certain learning outcomes, both in terms of absolute levels and as improvement from previous years. Uttar Pradesh:
The government shall pay per child reimbursement to the school after it gives a list of children with their Unique Identity Number and other details. Kerala:
The local authority has to maintain a record of all the children (0-14 years) within its jurisdiction. It shall also maintain the Unique Identity Number of every child, as and when issued by the competent authority, to monitor his enrolment, attendance and learning achievements. Haryana:
Defines textbooks, uniform and writing material. It states that Hindi is to be the preferred medium of instruction in all schools. For using other language, permission of Director, Elementary Education Dept is required (to be given within 45 days or deemed to be granted). West Bengal:
The Rules give detailed definition of the appropriate age for each class. They require schools to be set up in a relatively noise-free and pollution-free area with adequate supply of drinking water and electricity. Existing schools (which are already recognised or affiliated with a Board) may get the local municipal authorities to provide infrastructural support including relaxation of building rules to comply with the requirements of the Act. Additional sources
- PRS Brief on Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008.
- PRS Bill Summary on Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2010.
- Accountability Initiative’s Policy Brief on 25% Reservation under the RTE.


The Paradigm Trust KS1-2 Phonics and English and KS1-3 Science and Foundation Subject Curriculum: Intent, Implementation and Impact
We teach the right things efficiently.
The curriculum for Paradigm Trust:
- prepares pupils to lead fulfilling lives and to play an active, positive and productive role in our democratic society.
- is based on the National Curriculum;
- enhances pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development;
- promotes fundamental British values;
- makes provision for pupils to develop their literacy and numeracy skills so that they can access all areas of the curriculum;
- is responsive to both the current and future needs of pupils through planning from now to 2022;
- accommodates future examination and assessment reforms;
- ensures that pupils will be equipped with the correct qualifications to gain access to future study and employment;
- is well organised and staffed appropriately throughout all year groups;
- prioritises all year groups equally;
- meets the needs of learners with special educational needs and disabilities;
- encourages pupils to master skills and deepen knowledge and understanding;
- prepares pupils for an ever changing, wider world of work;
- encourages the use of environments and expertise beyond the classroom including immersive learning;
- provides interesting and varied extra-curricular activities and educational visits to broaden pupils’ experiences;
- has local, national and international dimensions.
- ensures that pupils have the background knowledge to interpret new information from sources including texts and images.


Music in schools: where words finish, music begins
The National Curriculum for Music – An Assessment and Progression framework
ISM has put together an assessment and progression framework that give an overview.
Does the school have an up to date Music Plan which is a response to the recommendations set out in recent key documents?
Some documents to consider:
Music in schools: sound Partnerships (Ofsted Oct 2012)
Music in schools: promoting good practice (Ofsted September 2012)
Muisc in schools: wider still and wider (Ofsted March 2012)
The Importance of Music: A National Plan for Music Education (DfE Feb 2011)
Music in Schools: sound partnerships – Eight effective music education partnershipshttp://www.musicalbridges.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Music-in-schools-sound-partnerships-case-study-booklet.pdf


Choosing the proper time for a young ballet dancer to start training with pointe shoes is a controversial topic because it was thought that starting pointe ballet training too early would damage the growth plates in a child’s feet. However, there has been no study to date showing that dancing on pointe when growth plates are still open leads to growth failure.
The question shouldn’t be “at what age can my child start dancing on pointe?” but rather “is my child ready to begin ballet dancing on pointe?”
Traditionally, it was thought that children should be 12 years of age or older before advancing to pointe ballet. Some dance teachers will go as far as to request that their students obtain X-rays of their feet to see if the growth plates are closed before allowing them to start pointe training.
Determining if your child’s ready for ballet pointe
Children vary greatly in terms of their musculoskeletal maturity, motor skill development and mental maturity. Not all twelve year olds are ready to dance on pointe while some ten year olds are ready. The decision to allow your child to begin pointe ballet work should be based on several factors including physical capability and mental maturity rather than by age or number of years of training, although many dancers require 4-5 years of training to achieve the technical requirements to begin pointe training.
Work closely with the dance teacher
A good ballet teacher will know when your child is ready to begin training on pointe. There are several functional tests that a dance teacher can have your child perform to assess her/his readiness to go on pointe. Only after a dancer has demonstrated mastery of proper skills and technique, alignment, balance, control, strength and flexibility will a dance teacher recommend that the student advance to pointe ballet work.
Starting pointe ballet training before these elements are acquired can lead to injuries because of weakness in the foot and ankle and overall lack of coordination. Furthermore, attaining mental maturity is also very important, as a ballet dancer will need to show that they can learn and perform the choreography, as well as be able to handle corrections.
So there is not a simple answer to a straight forward question! Many factors need to be considered. A young ballet dancer may begin on pointe shoes when they are mentally mature and can demonstrate proficiency in their technical abilities.
Read more articles on sports safety.


Elementary education programs prepare individuals to work with students in grades K-6, however, these programs are not typically found at the associate's degree level. Students seeking an online 2-year program in education can consider enrolling in an early childhood education program instead. These 2-year programs often focus on preparing students to work with preschoolers or infants and toddlers, but some programs may include coursework for working with children from birth through third grade.
In online associate's degree programs, students take several general education courses in areas such as composition and humanities to help sharpen their writing and critical thinking skills. Subject-matter courses like working with special needs children and language development are also part of the curriculum. While these programs allow students to complete all of their coursework online, some programs also require distance-learning students to complete practical experiences at local educational sites.
Throughout their course of study, students learn some fundamental teaching principles by taking classes such as the following:
- Literacy in early childhood education
- Child development
- Classroom development
- Cross-cultural studies
- Professional behavior in early childhood education
- Child psychology
- Educational technology
Online programs allow students to view lectures and course materials, submit assignments and take exams online. They may also participate in chat rooms and interact with other participants or professors through the Internet. Online students are typically required to have access to an updated computer with Internet access as well as software programs, like Microsoft Office or Java. Some programs may also require online students to have a webcam, microphone or headset.
Students who complete associate's degrees program in early childhood education may pursue careers as preschool teachers, teaching assistants, Head Start teachers or infant/toddler specialists. Licensure and certification requirements vary by job title and state. In many states, childcare workers are required to earn the Child Development Associate (CDA) certification awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition or the Child Care Professional (CCP) designation offered by the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation. These certifications typically require one to meet specific education and experience requirements as well as pass an exam. Preschool teachers who work in public schools are also required to earn state licensure.
Continuing Education Information
Individuals who wish to teach in elementary schools must have at least a bachelor's degree, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Graduates of an associate's degree program may continue their education by enrolling in a bachelor's degree in elementary education, which can be found as both online and on-campus programs. Online programs in elementary education typically require student teaching or fieldwork assignments that must be completed at an approved educational facility. After completing an approved education program and supervised teaching experience, prospective elementary school teachers must also earn state licensure or certification by passing an exam before they can teach in a public school.
As there are not many elementary education programs found at the associate's level, students can choose to complete an early childhood education program that is available online at the associate's level. Through this program, students study literacy in early childhood education, child development, child psychology, and classroom development to prepare them for a career in teaching.


Creative problem solving is what education is all about, Thomas says, and art projects– including language arts, performing and fine arts — demand ongoing evaluation and unique, multi-layered approaches precisely because they are so uniquely personal. “One thing I teach my students is that there is no product that has not been touched by art.”
A native of Winslow, Thomas grew up watching her family run the famous La Posada hotel in juxtaposition to the Navajo and Hopi communities of the American Southwest. With a two-plus-page resume packed with artistic accomplishments and accolades in various media, Thomas is an artist at heart who chose to devote her working career to serving non-mainstream, and in some cases, underfunded, educational groups, from the deep south — inner city Savannah — to the western desert. She is currently an art teacher at Peach Springs Elementary School in Peach Springs Arizona, located in the heart of the Hualapai Nation near the Grand Canyon.
Thomas, the artist, and Thomas, the educator says the same challenges apply to art education — easily extrapolated to all of education — in Peach Springs, Arizona as to any exclusive private school or major metropolitan school district. “We have removed the struggle from educating and raising our kids.”
And ubiquitous standardized testing only provides only a flat, dead-end problem-solving paradigm, versus art across the curriculum, she adds, referring to the writings of British educational philosopher Ken Robinson.
Thomas, who recently represented Peach Springs schools at the National Institute for School Leadership in Washington D.C., says educators are at least discussing these issues, although it may years before changes trickle down to the classroom. She also admits that the “lack of growth,” and possibly a brain drain scenario, may prevent some Native American communities from benefitting immediately from educational resources and technologies. However the uniqueness — and in some cases, remoteness — of these communities within our American culture may be reason enough to provide them with more of these cutting-edge resources.
In the meantime, Thomas is in a unique position to enact her educational vision on a daily basis. She continues to teach hands-on art concepts to Hualapai children in Peach Springs — concepts that respect traditional Hualapai ideas of spirtuality and sustainability. “Everything we know about history and culture is through art,” Thomas says.
Sustainability, a Never-lost Lesson Among the Hualapai
An over-reaching idea in the Hualapai community — and in many Native American communties — is sustainability at all levels, says Loretta Jackson-Kelly, director of the Hualapai Cultural Center in Peach Springs, Arizona.
“We teach that there is a means of survival for all things,” Bennett Jackson says. “We engrain in them that we are not the only entity (in nature) — there are other living things in existence. We offer gratitude through prayers and offerings (before the hunt). There is a means of survival for all things.”