Weaving with Miss Lucy
Grades/Subject: Grade 1 Art Education.
Related subjects: Social Studies.
- Students will be exposed to pattern-making in weaving.
- Using the warp and the weft technique, students will make a woven paper place mat.
- Students will learn about the history of crafts and working artists in Mitchell and Yancey counties of North Carolina by reading the stories of Ms. Lucy Morgan and the Penland Weaving Institutes. They will start to explore the boundaries of the world beyond their school and home, focusing on how these counties are home to a long tradition of working craftspeople. In this case, Penland School of Crafts taught weaving to give Appalachian women a way to bring in an income for their families, as economic growth was happening during the Craft Revival.
- This lesson can be completed in 3 class periods.
- Teacher preparation time will include time to examine the book, Gift From the Hills by Lucy Morgan.
- Upon visiting the Craft Revival website teacher may gather more information about Penland and other weaving centers and schools.
- It will be necessary to have taken 19 11" x 7" pieces of construction paper and leaving a 1” border, cut horizontal cuts approx. 1” apart. Teacher will also have taken multiple colors (in this case fall colors to honor the season) and cut 1” x 11” strips for the vertical weft.
- Book, Gift from the Hills
- Image of a loom
- Examples of early weaving
- Map of Yancey and Mitchell counties
- 18 pieces of construction paper cut with horizontal strips with a 1” uncut border on one end.
- 1” x 11” multiple pieces of colored construction paper
- The lesson will start with the story of Ms. Lucy and the Penland weavers. Using a local map, the teacher will point out where the school is and where Penland is to give students a point of reference.
- Teacher will offer information about Ms. Lucy and the Penland weavers based on selected readings from the book, so they may answer the following questions: Why did Ms. Lucy Morgan start a weaving school? Can you identify the two words we talk about to refer to the paper direction in weaving?
- Teacher will demonstrate weaving:
Teacher will hold the warp (the paper still connected with a 1” border) and explain that the warp is the foundation or the thing that holds it together, then pick up one of the strips and explain that it is the weft. By showing the students how to move the paper under/over and under/over the teacher will demonstrate how to weave in the weft. While weaving the second pieces, teacher will demonstrate how it needs to scoot up “snug as a bug” next to the first piece. (This piece should have been almost completely woven before demonstrating so that when the second piece is added the teacher can then demonstrate how to glue the edges by putting a dot of glue on each of the pieces that touch the edge).
- Before students begin, they should write their name on the back side of their warp in the area of the uncut 1” strip.
- The lesson will be closed by having each person check their neighbor’s mat to see that all the edges have been glued.
- Teacher may laminate the students’ projects.
Students products will be evaluated through self assessment and teacher evaluation. Students may assess how they enjoyed the project, and if they understand what weaving entails.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment:
- Art K-2 Objective 2.01, 3.03, 8.03
- Social Studies K-2 Objective 4.0
- Alvic, Philis, Weavers of the Southern Highlands, (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2003)
- Morgan, Lucy, Gift From the Hills: Miss Lucy Morgan’s story of her unique Penland School, with Legette Blythe (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1971)
- Stevens, Bernice A., A Weavin’ Woman, (Gatlinburg, TN: Buckhorn Press, 1971)
- Wilson, Kathleen, Textile Art from Southern Appalachia, The Quiet Work of Women. (Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 2001)
- Submitted by Jennifer Robinson, Mitchell County Schools, adapted by Jada Hansen.
This lesson was taught to a class of first graders at South Toe Elementary School in Burnsville, NC.


Minspeak is an easy way to code vocabulary.Minspeak is a way to code vocabulary that uses multi-meaning icons in short sequences with rule-driven patterns.
In 1980 Bruce Baker had his first contact with individuals who could not use speech or hand signs successfully with unfamiliar communication partners.
He saw the communication aids and visual languages (VL's) used at that time and sensed that they did not really meet the needs of those people.
Minspeak is a simple and effective way to code vocabulary.
Minspeak uses pictures – called icons.
A Minspeak icon is just a picture – a simple, easily recognized picture. Icons are chosen for a Minspeak system because they are culturally relevant and communicate a wide range of common ideas and topics. Pictures are used before, during and after a person learns to spell or read.
Minspeak systematically uses multi-meaning icons.
Pictures and icons naturally evoke multiple ideas. For example, the word bed can be used to express the idea of a bed, whereas the picture or icon of a bed can express not only the word bed, but also the idea of sleeping, living, being tired, furniture, saying goodnight, underneath, and maybe even the little word but (like in “get your butt out of bed”). Minspeak systematically uses the multiple meanings associated with a single picture.
Icons are combined into short sequences to code vocabulary.
Minspeak icons are combined in 2 or 3 part sequences in order to say all the different ideas that the picture codes. Say drink by sequencing JUICE with VERB. Say thirsty by sequencing JUICE with ADJECTIVE. This is the way Minspeak makes systematic use of multi-meaning icons.
Minspeak vocabulary codes follow rules and patterns.
Minspeak systems are developed with rules and patterns for organizing and coding vocabulary. The person using a Minspeak system learns a small set of pictures – usually less than 100 – then learns the rules for combining those icons into short sequences. As the person learns the rules and patterns, a Minspeak system becomes easier and easier to use.
- Benefits of Minspeak
- Using multi-meaning icons
- The power of motor automaticity
- Use of Minspeak
- Minspeak systems with different disabilities
- Minspeak and cultural-linguistic diversity
- The Power of Minspeak
- Minspeak, language and literacy development
- Using Minspeak in the classroom
- Support of Minspeak
- Strategies to support use of Minspeak
- Minspeak teaching materials


By the time many kids get to second grade they're already wondering whether they'll ever be "good at math." Yet researchers at the University of Michigan say all kids understand a lot more math than adults usually give them credit for. Last week they published results suggesting that children are capable of learning and understanding basic mathematical concepts and operations at a much earlier age than previously thought.
Does this mean 5 year olds can do calculus? Not quite. But it does suggest states could step up math instruction for preschoolers — and offers further proof that well-designed pre-K programs serve a much more important educational function than simply providing free day care for busy parents. Helping children develop a stronger sense for numbers early on could even reduce the embarrassing gap in mathematical ability between U.S. students and their foreign peers that international standardized tests have revealed.
The recent study by the Michigan researchers found that children as young as 3 can understand the meaning and value of multi-digit numbers and manipulate simple mathematical concepts. The finding was surprising because it contradicted decades of previous research based on the assumption that very young children do not have the capacity to fully understand place values or to add and subtract multi-digit numbers, both of which are crucial prerequisites for learning higher order math.
Maryland may be ahead of the curve in seeking to make the new view of children's mathematical abilities part of its early education curriculum. State Superintendent Lillian Lowery is urging educators to take into account the new research indicating that not only can very young children can grasp basic principles of counting, sorting and sequencing numbers, they're also capable of recognizing geometrical relationships and performing some mathematical operations.
Now that the state is moving to adopt the more rigorous math and reading requirements to meet the new Common Core standards, Ms. Lowery wants to incorporate the new findings regarding childhood brain development into Maryland's early education curriculum as quickly as possible, starting in child care centers, Head Start programs and other early childhood learning centers. She says it's past time teachers freed themselves from preconceived notions of what children can or can't accomplish because all the evidence points to even very young children being ready to absorb far more instruction in higher-level, critical thinking than the state's schools have been delivering up to now.
As a result, educators are looking to expand the tools they use to assess the math skills of students in preschool. For example, Ms. Lowery wants all pre-schoolers to be able to count to at least 20, be able to put numbered cards on a table in sequence and to know how to perform simple operations regarding quantities, such as adding and subtracting blocks. Schools have long used blocks and other objects children can hold in their hands to help them understand the concept of numbers. Surprisingly, the latest research suggests that can also learn as fast or faster from manipulating abstract quantities such as numerals. One of the more fascinating ideas to come out of the University of Michigan study was that for some reason children found it easier to manipulate Roman numerals than their Arabic counterparts.
Ms. Lowery also believes even very young children can be taught how to sort and classify various objects using numbers — for example, how many students are wearing hats or something red today? Likewise, the curriculum needs to address children's capacity to recognize geometrical shapes and properties — not just whether something is a triangle or a square but also why one is fundamentally different from the other. For instance, if a teacher puts three triangles on a table and two are oriented one way while the third is differently, the child has to understand that all three are nevertheless still triangles.
All children come to school with different degrees of development and ability. But Maryland's approach is based on the principle that its always better to accelerate their instruction than wait for everyone to reach the same developmental level before moving on. It turns out that accelerated instruction benefits even those who are less developmentally ready because the faster students help them catch up.
Poor children often come to school with underdeveloped language skills and smaller vocabularies than their middle-class peers; some studies have suggested that poor children hear fewer than half as many words spoken at home during their first five years as children from more affluent families.
But almost all children are continually exposed to multi-digit numbers, which they hear from adults in the form of phone numbers, calendar dates, street addresses, bus routes and the like. It turns out they're constantly processing that information and as a result develop a surprising familiarity with numbers long before they arrive at school. It's the job of early childhood educators to build on those experiences so kids develop the solid skills they will need to expand their knowledge later on, and Maryland's children need to start that process as early as possible in quality kindergarten and pre-K programs.
To respond to this editorial, send an email to email@example.com. Please include your name and contact information.Copyright © 2015, The Baltimore Sun


Details about Family Literacy Connections in Schools and Communities:
How can educators involved in family literacy initiatives be confident they are providing beneficial, rather than intrusive, experiences? What role should the community play in family literacy issues? How can schools, families, and organizations better collaborate to enhance literacy development for both children arid their caregivers? This volume -- developed by IRA's Family literacy Commission -- presents a wide variety of school-based and organization-sponsored programs and initiatives that address these questions. With it, practitioners and researchers will learn how others are responding to the needs of families and will gain insight into how to develop new programs. Foreword by Barbara Bush.


Software for Struggling Learners
Delaware District Launches Reading Intervention To Help with AYP
Seaford School District (SSD) in Delaware is looking to give its adequate yearly progress (AYP) a shot in the arm through the use of a software-based reading intervention. The district has implemented Scientific Learning Corp.'s Fast ForWord educational software in an effort to help its elementary school students achieve AYP and meet state requirements.
While SSD piloted the software in 2005, at the time it was financially unable to purchase the software. However, in December 2009, with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the district was finally able to afford the applications and in spring 2010 began implementation in its four elementary schools, two of which failed to meet state AYP requirements in the 2008-2009 school year.
"We use a variety of intervention programs to help struggling students. The programs are all generally helpful, but none address the foundational cognitive skill sets that are the key to improved critical language and reading skills," said Paula Johnson, director of elementary education for SSD. "Fast ForWord is something every learner can benefit from, including English language learners, special education students, at-risk students, and those who are working below, at, or above grade level."
Johnson and other district leaders have expressed praise for the software's attention to key cognitive factors in literacy acquisition, including memory, attention, processing rate and sequencing.
Seaford School District serves about 3,500 total students in six schools sprewad across 82 square miles in lower Delaware. It has an annual budget of $38 million.
Further information on Fast ForWord, including technical specifications and links to assistance in locating funding, can be found Scientific Learning's site here.
Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.


NEW RESOURCE FROM NAEA
NATIONAL ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
Office of the Executive Director
Phone 703-860-8000 Fax 703-860-2960
Art and Cognition
by Arthur Efland
Available from NAEA
May 8, 2002 — In this in-depth text, the preeminent art education scholar
Arthur Efland not only sheds light on the problems inhibiting art education,
but also demonstrates how art contributes to the overall development of the
mind. Delineating how the development of artistic interests and ability is an
important aspect of cognition and learning, he shows how art helps
individuals construct cultural meaning, a crucial component of social
communication—a foundation for lifelong learning that includes the arts.
In Art and Cognition, Arthur Efland:
o Explains the cognitive nature of learning in the visual arts—debunking the
persistent perception of the arts as emotive only.
o Looks at recent understandings of the mind and intelligence to determine
how they bear on questions of the intellectual status of the arts.
o Explains how a cognitively oriented conception of teaching will change the
ways that the arts are taught.
o Discusses the ways in which new developments in cognitive science can be
applied to art education.
o Describes how the arts can be used to develop cognitive ability in children.
o Identifies implications for art curricula, teaching practices, and the
reform of general education.
Topics: The Uneasy Connection Between Art & Psychology o Artistic
Development in Cognitive Developmental Theories o The Cognitive Revolution &
Conceptions of Learning o Cognitive Flexibility Theory & Learning in the Arts
o Obstacles to Art Learning & Their Assessment o Imagination in Cognition o A
Cognitive Argument for the Arts
Order No. #272 Art and Cognition
ISBN 0-8077-4218-X 216 pages
Member Price $18.00; Non-member Price $22.00
ORDER INFORMATION: Payment must accompany order. Shipping and Handling:
Canadian add 25%; foreign add 40% shipping. Virginia residents add 4.5% sales
tax. U.S. shipping/handling: up to $10.00 — $3.00; $10.01 - $20.00 — $4.00;
$20.01 - $35.00 — $5.00; $35.01 - $70.00 — $6.00; over $70.00 — $8.00.
PREPAID ORDERS: All orders under $75 must include payment. INVOICED ORDERS:
Orders over $75 may be invoiced and must be accompanied by a purchase order.
Mail to: National Art Education Association, 1916 Association Drive, Reston,
VA 20191-1590. FAX/PHONE ORDERS using Visa and MasterCard may be faxed to
703-860-2960 or by toll free phone to 800-299-8321 (8:30am to 4pm EST). WEB


Museums in Education
Museum Education is an integral component of the Art and Art Education Program. Whether taken as a core concentration in the 60 credit Masters in Art Education, or as an elective option in our other Masters and Doctoral degrees, our students are deeply interested in the role of the Museum both as a resource for pedagogical practice and as a manifestation of the cultural life of the city. Our active collaboration with several NYC museums ensures that our students work intimately with museum personnel who hold curatorial as well as educational positions.
The departmental practice of engaging students in dialogue as they experience working with art materials has its parallel in our approach to introducing them to works in museum collections. Rather than starting a dialog in a museum setting with a recitation of the name and historical information about an artist and/or the time period, we invite viewers to encounter each work on their own terms. We recognize that everyone, even the very young, brings their "lived lives" to that experience, and that by encouraging them to spend time in quiet contemplation, the work itself begins to pose its own questions. Their curiosity and imagination are stimulated. When we then invite these viewers to share their thoughts, the ideas they articulate which grow out of their personal experiences and the layering of sensory, emotional and aesthetic responses, nurture a deeper understandings and a unique connection to the work encountered.
We currently offer four different museum-related classes, in addition to several opportunities for both independent study and internships at museums throughout the city.


Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
An oil pastel is a crayon made of pure pigments bound with wax and oil that is available in scholastic, student and professional grades. Oil pastels can be used on a wide variety of surfaces, without the need for priming. They also are more convenient to use than oil paints and can be manipulated to create many of the same effects.
The first oil pastels were developed in the 1920s. They were designed to encourage Japanese children to express themselves with colors and shapes. This type of oil pastel was more deeply colored than a chalk pastel and behaved more like a crayon. Its use in art education became widespread.
In the late 1940s, Pablo Picasso and fellow artist Henri Goetz approached a French art supply manufacturer with their ideas for developing an artist-quality version of the oil pastel. Picasso was intrigued by the possibility that these pastels could be used on many types of surfaces, including unprimed canvas. Goetz wanted a medium that could be directly applied to a painting surface without the use of tools such as brushes or palette knives.
As demand grew for artist-quality oil pastels, a number of other art supply manufacturers began producing their own oil pastels. Artists can now choose oil pastels that are soft and creamy or more like a crayon in consistency. The harder ones can be warmed in the hand to be more pliable when desired. Artist-grade pastels are acid-free and contain pure pigments that are archival quality.
Oil pastels can be used on glass, metal, canvas, art boards and many grades of paper. They are applied directly to the surface in a variety of different techniques. Some artists apply the oil pastels and then use brushes for blending.
Many of the techniques used by oil painters can be transferred to their work with oil pastels. They can layer on color and mix oil pastels with turpentine, mineral oils or other solvents to create glazes. Oil pastels can be used over dried oil painting. They also can be used in mixed-media paintings with watercolors or acrylics.
These pigment crayons are very convenient for using outdoors. An artist needs only to bring his or her oil pastels, drawing surface and any pencils or tools that he or she uses. There is no need for brushes or solvents. The wax and oil binders produce a surface that is never totally dry, enabling the artist to continue working on the picture in his or her studio.
A finished oil pastel piece generally is covered in glass to protect the surface. Oil pastels never dry to the hardness of oils or acrylics. Some people use varnish as an alternative to glass framing.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!


Wednesday: The Day of Roosevelt FranklinJan 29, 2014
Yesterday, our music director, the music encyclopedia better known as Ross, showed me a hidden closet, tucked deep away within the corridors of the K, that I did not know existed. The closet had an old bike, a broom, and a stache of vinyl with one very interesting album.
Yesterday, our music director, the music encyclopedia better known as Ross, showed me a hidden closet, tucked deep away within the corridors of the K, that I did not know existed. The closet had an old bike, a broom, and a stache of vinyl that ranged from ABBA to KRS-1. There was one album in the cache that really got my attention though. It was the 1971 album called The Year of Roosevelt Franklin.
The Year of Roosevelt Franklin was an album put out by Children’s Television Workshop; an organization fronted by Joan Cooney and Jim Henson, as well as many other educators, child-psychologists, and TV people looking to create a more effective and entertaining form of children’s television. They succeeded and then some with the conception of Sesame Street, which premiered in 1969. You can read a great account of this in the book Street Gang, by Michael Davis.
Roosevelt Franklin was one of the original members of the gang. He was a Muppet, but not a Muppet like Oscar, Big Bird, Bert, or Ernie. Roosevelt was a little different than everyone on Sesame Street; Roosevelt Franklin was black. He represented the African American community on the Street.
The Year of Roosevelt Franklin was a children’s album staring the puppet singing the songs of Sesame Street. The album featured songs like “Roosevelt Franklin Counts” and “Keep on Trying” and a whole host of other Sesame Street songs sung by our felty friend. The album was intended to teach kids in the fun, playful way Sesame Street was known for.
The most notable track on the album, and the one we chose to play, was not meant to teach elementary education, but rather it was designed to teach acceptance of one’s self. The song is called “The Skin I’m In.” It is an ode to Roosevelt, from Roosevelt. It is a very simple song in which the puppet declares his pride for the color of his skin. He is proud of his skin and he is proud of himself. It is a self-affirming slow jam you can’t listen to without feeling proud of yourself., and turn away from those who can’t see past color.
“The Skin I’m In” is one of the many examples of The Muppets that being different isn’t bad, especially when it comes to one’s color. In 1970 the people at The Henson Company released “Being Green,” an even more famous tribute to uniqueness and loving/accepting one’s self. The tradition of the Muppets being proud of their differences has continued now, most notably with the song “I Love My Hair,” which also caters to African Americans. The music of the Muppets, particularly "The Skin I'm In," highlights not only the best of American media, but the best in ourselves.


In the United States both scholars and the general public have been conditioned to viewing human races as natural and separate divisions within the human species based on visible physical differences. With the vast expansion of scientific knowledge in this century, however, it has become clear that human populations are not unambiguous, clearly demarcated, biologically distinct groups. Evidence from the analysis of genetics (e.g., DNA) indicates that most physical variation, about 94%, lies within so-called racial groups. Conventional geographic "racial" groupings differ from one another only in about 6% of their genes. This means that there is greater variation within "racial" groups than between them. In neighboring populations there is much overlapping of genes and their phenotypic (physical) expressions. Throughout history whenever different groups have come into contact, they have interbred. The continued sharing of genetic materials has maintained all of humankind as a single species.
Physical variations in any given trait tend to occur gradually rather than abruptly over geographic areas. And because physical traits are inherited independently of one another, knowing the range of one trait does not predict the presence of others. For example, skin color varies largely from light in the temperate areas in the north to dark in the tropical areas in the south; its intensity is not related to nose shape or hair texture. Dark skin may be associated with frizzy or kinky hair or curly or wavy or straight hair, all of which are found among different indigenous peoples in tropical regions. These facts render any attempt to establish lines of division among biological populations both arbitrary and subjective...
At the end of the 20th century, we now understand that human cultural behavior is learned, conditioned into infants beginning at birth, and always subject to modification. No human is born with a built-in culture or language. Our temperaments, dispositions, and personalities, regardless of genetic propensities, are developed within sets of meanings and values that we call "culture." Studies of infant and early childhood learning and behavior attest to the reality of our cultures in forming who we are.
It is a basic tenet of anthropological knowledge that all normal human beings have the capacity to learn any cultural behavior. The American experience with immigrants from hundreds of different language and cultural backgrounds who have acquired some version of American culture traits and behavior is the clearest evidence of this fact. Moreover, people of all physical variations have learned different cultural behaviors and continue to do so as modern transportation moves millions of immigrants around the world.


Will the development of early reading skills allow children to gain opportunities for future learning possibilities?
Name 4 stages of reading development.
4 Stages of Reading Development:
Name 3 characteristics of the emergent reader.
1. Beginning awareness that
text progresses L --> R
3. Recognition of visual clues in environmental print
Name 4 objectives of reading instruction for emergent readers.
With reading instruction the child should begin basic phonemic awareness:
1. Begin to recognize print in the environment
2. Begin to recognize letter shapes
3. Begin to make predictions in stories
4. Pretend to read
Emergent readers can be characterized as:
Emergent readers can be characterized as:
Beginning readers are often in what age range?
The age of beginning readers often ranges between:
K to 2nd (3rd) grade
Name 3 of the 6 Developmental Expectations of the beginning reader.
1. Letters are associated with sounds
2. Begin to read simple CVC words
3. Writing simple CVC words evolves to CVC
Name 3 additional Developmental Expectations of the beginning reader.
5. Blend words
6. Begin to recognize phonograms
Beginning readers begin writing simple CVC words with a single sound, usually the beginning sound. What happens next?
For beginning readers, writing simple CVC words evolves from C to CC to CVC.
Beginning readers should receive systematic and explicit instruction in reading.
Name 4 objectives of this instruction.
4. Listening and writing
The phonics objective of beginning reading instruction should include 4 elements. Name them.
* Phonemic awareness
* Phonemic blending
* Phonemic decoding
The vocabulary objective of beginning reading instruction should include 3 elements. Name them.
1. Word-attack skills
Word-attack skills refers to...
Word-attack skills refers to strategies readers use to decode unknown words.
Fluent readers can be characterized as:
Orthographic: ability to decode using larger units of print.
Developmental expectations of fluent readers contain 4 objectives. Name them.
1. Read larger units of print
2. Use analogy to decode larger words
3. Decoding becomes fluent
4. Reading accuracy & speed are stressed & improve
Fluent readers should receive systematic and explicit instruction in reading.
Name 6 objectives of this instruction.
1. Work-attack skills (multisyllabic words)
3. Spelling and vocabulary
5. Comprehension of text (context skills)
6. Utilizing metacognition
A comprehension strategy used while reading that involves:
* Monitoring understanding
* Reflecting on what has been read
Remedial readers can be characterized as:
Not able to demonstrate competency in these skills.
Remedial readers are taught from the same systematic framework used in the early grades. Are the developmental expectations the same?
The expectation is that these students will acquire reading skills consistent with the standards.
How can remedial readers attain the reading skills with which they are struggling?
Via re-teaching all of the modalities taught to beginning readers.
There are 6 objectives for reading instruction for remedial readers. Name the first 3.
1. Assessment of identified reading weakness (diagnosis)
2. Teaching explicit strategies based on diagnosis
3. Linking instruction to prior knowledge
There are 6 objectives for reading instruction for remedial readers. Name the second 3.
4. Increasing instruction time
5. Dividing skills into smaller steps
6. Providing reinforcement & positive feedback
The more thorough definition of phoneme is...
The smallest part of spoken language
that makes a difference in the meaning of words.
Phoneme Manipulation is:
* Blending phonemes to make words
* Segmenting words into phonemes
* Deleting/Adding phonemes from/to words
* Substituting phonemes to make new words
The understanding that there is a predictable relationship between phonemes and graphemes.
Systematic phonics instruction has these 3 characteristics:
2. Carefully selected letter/sound relationships
3. Logically sequenced
Explicit phonics programs ...
... provide teachers with
precise directions for teaching
Phonics instruction is most effective when instruction begins at what grade?
Kindergarten or 1st grade.
Phonological awareness includes phonemic awareness and ...
... the ability to manipulate the sound structure of language.
Does phonological awareness include the ability to work with the sounds of a language at the word, syllable and phoneme level?
Do phonological awareness activities involve working with rhymes, words, syllables, onsets and rimes?
Can understanding semantics assist when decoding in understanding why a word "sounds" correct in a sentence?
The study of:
* how sentences are formed
* pattern or structure of word order in sentences


I am very excited about the publication of Thomas Korcok’s Lutheran Education: From Wittenberg to the Future. It supplies what has long been needed: a history of classical Christian education as practiced in the Reformation tradition. Dr. Korcok shows that the Lutheran approach to education has always been the classical liberal arts + catechesis.
He also shows that the various theological conflicts were also manifested in educational conflicts: The scholastics did practice the liberal arts but with an emphasis on logic, whereas the Renaissance & Reformation educators emphasized rhetoric, with its attention to original texts (such as the Bible). The Renaissance humanists tended to believe that the liberal arts were sufficient to instill morality, but the Lutherans insisted also on the necessity of Christian catechesis. The enthusiasts, considering the liberal arts too worldly, wanted only Bible-reading schools. The pietists also considered the liberal arts too worldly and wanted schools to concentrate only on job-training. The rationalists considered the liberal arts too old fashioned, wanting only scientific education. But the Lutherans believed that the liberal arts approach to education–training students broadly, with lots of history, great books, and objective knowledge from mathematics through music–combined with rigorous catechesis, was the best approach in forming young people so that they can think like a Lutheran.
Pastors, parochial school teachers, and parents should read this book. So should anyone interested in classical Christian education. (I suspect that much of what holds true for Lutherans also applies to various Reformed educators, who also practiced this approach.)
Here is what Paul McCain of CPH says about the book:
A great new book is now available on Lutheran education which, historically, has been the key to the success of the Lutheran Church’s ability to transmit the confession of the Church to future generations. You may order it here, via the web, or call 800-325-3040. Here is a sample for you to download.
The liberal arts model has traditionally been preferred in Lutheran elementary classrooms. No other educational paradigm so well meets the requirements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. There is no reason that the liberal arts cannot be adapted to meet contemporary needs. The question is, what should be the main focus of a contemporary presentation of the arts?
Thomas Korcok demonstrates how the Wittenberg theologians settled on a liberal arts education as the preferred model for Evangelical Christian elementary schools. He then traces how that model persisted and was adapted as Lutherans moved from Europe to North America. Korcok concludes that the liberal arts model fits our contemporary setting as changes in society today make it ever more important to have an elementary education that is compatible with Evangelical Theology. The book includes:
-Historic exploration of educational models in view of theological truths
-The challenge of influences that push educators either to the Word as objective truth or away from the Word toward secular standards of truth
-A definition of an Evangelical Liberal Arts approach, its flexibility, and how it fits into classrooms today
-Extensive references to educational, historical, and theological literature
You can order the book from the link in my first paragraph or from the CPH website, along with downloading a free sample. The book is scheduled for release in August, but you can pre-order it. I wrote the foreword.
Along these lines, I should put in a plug for the 11th annual Conference of the Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, July 12-14, in Sheridan Wyoming, which is where I am heading this week. I’ll be giving a couple of talks. If you are in Sheridan, be sure to introduce yourself!


About Clarence Ward
Who was Clarence Ward and why do we celebrate his birthday?
Clarence Ward was the major force behind art education at Oberlin College during the first half of the 20th century. We are reviving the tradition of celebrating his birthday, which was an annual event when he was at Oberlin. He had so many roles at Oberlin that it's hard to say enough about his influence on the College and the town.
Clarence Ward was born in 1884 in Brooklyn, New York, but spent most of his childhood in New England. He received his A.B., A.M. and Ph.D. all from Princeton, the latter in 1914. He was hired by Oberlin College in 1916 (actually arriving on campus in 1917) and taught there until his retirement in 1947.
Teacher Clarence Ward is best remembered for his teaching, and he clearly believed this was his most important role. He was an inspiring teacher, opening the eyes of his students to see art, architecture and the world in a new way. In the early years he was the only degreed Art Historian at Oberlin, so the majority of Art History courses fell on his shoulders (he taught seven courses in 1916-17). By necessity he could teach any period of art, but his passion was Medieval and American
Founder of the Art Library One of the first things Clarence Ward did when he arrived at Oberlin College in 1917 was to found an Art Library. He then used his considerable energy to build the collection, creatively allocating funds and cleverly timing his purchases. By mid-century the library had grown to almost 25,000 volumes and was one of the largest
Chair of the Art Department As Chair, Clarence Ward oversaw the arrival of some of the brightest stars in Art History (e.g., Wolfgang Stechow, Ellen Johnson, etc.), creating a national reputation for the
Director of the Museum When Clarence Ward arrived in 1917, the Allen Memorial Art Museum was just being completed. For many years there was little growth in the collection due to lack of funds. His energy and enthusiasm soon proved contagious, and gifts of art and money turned the situation around. When he retired in 1947 the museum
Architect Clarence Ward's love of architecture was not a mere intellectual exercise; he was also a practicing architect. The Oberlin College President's House (the Samuel R. Williams house on Forest Street), the 1937 wing to the Museum and the East Oberlin Community Church are a few of his more notable projects.
Pastor Founding member and pastor of East Oberlin Community Church, Clarence Ward was beloved by generations of parishioners and especially appreciated for his children's sermons. Years after his retirement he was frequently asked to perform weddings and other ceremonies by
Barbara Q. Prior
Head, Clarence Ward Art Library


What to Say
Even if you understand why it’s so important to maintain music education programs in schools, it’s sometimes hard to find the right words to express that knowledge. NAfME can help.
Most of us feel passionate about music and we love the idea of helping kids learn how to play an instrument, or sing a particularly beautiful song, or perform before a group of teachers, parents, and fellow students.
But when it comes to actually advocating for music education or making a case for keeping a particular music program from being cut at your school, how do you get that message across?
NAfME has learned that the best results happen when you combine two things – Stories + Facts.
Advocating in favor of music education really works when you share your heartfelt PASSION for music along with some actual PROOF about why it is so important for kids.
- Sharing Stories: In your heart, you may just “feel” that studying music is a good thing for students to do. You may have stories to tell about the way music has touched your students in the classroom, or made a difference in your own life. This is PASSION for music.
- Making a Valid Argument: In your mind, you may just “know” that music education is vital to the success of a well-rounded student. This is where the FACTS come in.
If you want to be a truly successful advocate for music education, it will help if you can convey those feelings and facts in a way that comes across clearly, concisely, and honestly.
How do you start?
- Begin with a commitment to yourself to enlighten others about the importance of music education in the classroom.
- If you’re a teacher, think of one or two classroom stories you can share about how music has made a difference in a student’s life, or in your own.
- If you’re a parent, student, or someone who simply believes in the importance of advocating for music education, think of a personal story or two that demonstrates how you feel. You can also find some other stories here that you can share if you like.
- Then, go here to learn some of the facts about music education in schools that NAfME has compiled. Jot some of them down and talk them over with a friend or colleague, until you become comfortable in what you are saying.
- Remember – when it comes to advocating, sometimes “less is more”. You don’t have to be an expert in music education to make a difference. You just need to know a little, and have a few facts to share.
STORIES + FACTS = STRONG ADVOCACY FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
Whether you are a music education professional, in college to learn how to be a music teacher, or a parent advocating to keep music in school in your community, you need the tools to ensure your voice is heard.
The NAfME advocacy team can help you learn how to advocate for music education.
Find out how to speak up for the orchestra, choir, band, and any other music program. Our Broader MindedTM campaign is filled with strong arguments for keeping sequential, standards-based music classes in every school.
When it comes to advocating for music education, your voice is needed today more than ever before


Biology - BY 101: Microbiology and Cellular Biophysics
Blocks 1 and 2: Kristine Lang and Phoebe Lostroh
This course fulfills the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World (Lab) requirement.
This course introduces students to the study of microbial life from five standpoints: biophysics, physiology, genetics, molecular biology, and infectious disease. We will explore these perspectives on microbiology through intensive hands-on laboratory work combined with lectures, discussion, small group work, and individualized library research.
During Block 1, students will learn the basic vocabulary of microbiology as well as the foundational skills necessary for studying bacteria in the laboratory. Examples of topics covered include the origins of life on Earth, the isolation and cultivation of bacteria, the structure of bacterial cells, bacterial lifestyles and bacterial genetics. We will also cover topics in biophysics including the physics of microscopy, electrostatics of biological membranes, statistical models of cellular dynamics, dynamics of molecular motors, entropy and biological systems, and the interaction of light and biological systems.
During Block 2, students will use the foundations gained in Block 1 to work on an original research project in collaboration with the course professors. Prof. Lang is a physics professor with expertise in microscopy and Prof. Lostroh is a biology professor with expertise in microbiology. Using their combined expertise, they collaborate on a research project to image the shape and surface features of native and mutant bacteria in order to study cellular cytoskeletons and bacterial competence. The research project focuses on observing and characterizing these features using atomic force microscopy (AFM).
Students in this course will prepare bacterial samples and then image them with an atomic force microscope (AFM) as part of this ongoing research project. The upper figure shows a typical 30 micrometer square AFM picture of the Acinetobacter baylii cells under study in this project, while the lower figure shows a zoomed in 8 micrometer square area in 3D relief. Students in the course will participate in all aspects of the research including planning their experiments, keeping a rigorous lab notebook, preparing the samples, taking data on them, analyzing the data and presenting their results in journal style paper. So in addition to teaching the biological and microscopy methods, the course will serve as an introduction to the processes of scientific research. Exemplary students may have the opportunity to continue working on this research during subsequent summers or school years.
This FYE is combination biology and physics course that fulfills one of the pre-requisites for upper-level biology courses. This course is most appropriate for students with preparation in high school biology along with a high school course in chemistry and three years of high school math. No physics prerequisites are required; however, a willingness to engage with material using physics and mathematical models is required.
A two-block course team-taught by two instructors; one grade will be given for the course as a whole.
- While it cannot substitute as an introductory majors’ Biology course, it can count as an elective in a Biology major and is intended to encourage students consider a Biology major.
- Both blocks, taken together, count as one upper division biology elective
- In block 1 there will be afternoon labs on multiple days of the week. In Block 2 there will be assigned lab times from 9 AM to 9 PM in order to accommodate the research project. Although students will not be in lab during this entire time, they must be available for assigned lab times during this period.
- This course is most appropriate for students with two years of high school biology along with a high school course in chemistry and three years of high school math. No physics prerequisites are required; however, a willingness to engage with material using physics and mathematical models is required.


While driving home from seeing the exhibition, Sorolla and America, at the Meadows
Museum in Dallas, we discussed the artist's phenomenally rapid rise from young
art student to one of the most famous painters in the world at the time.
|Old Garden of the Alcazar in Seville by Sorolla, 1910.
Granted, Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida was born with an
outstanding talent, but talent isn't usually enough. Painting is a craft, and
the importance of good training cannot be overstated. Fortunately, his
enthusiasm for drawing and learning how to paint
was noticed by his foster parents early on,
and they saw to it that he received special art instruction. It is interesting
to note that although Sorolla was also trained as a locksmith - his
foster father's trade - he was not pressured to remain a locksmith. Instead, he
was offered better art schooling which led to winning a competition to study in
Rome. From there, he worked extremely hard to take advantage of every opportunity
to win the international prizes and recognition which eventually made him
famous enough to be an independent artist. If he hadn't received encouragement,
support and a first-class art education, his natural talent may not have been
enough to make him the exceptional painter he became.
In his prime, Sorolla pushed painting beyond the
known and accepted limits of the era into a new world of expressive
possibilities. No one else painted like him. This exhibition underscores that
Today, unfortunately, a good art education isn't a
priority in many of our schools. Why this should be so makes neither social nor
economic sense. Many in our culture consider art to be just a pastime, an
entertainment, an unnecessary luxury and that false perception makes the arts
an easy budget target to eliminate.
The reality is that the arts are a huge economic
engine that contributes over a billion dollars of growth to our national GDP
every year. But even more importantly, if there are fewer art teachers, what
will happen to all the young talents out there? How will they learn their
craft? Who will encourage and inspire them? There may be another young Sorolla,
bursting with talent, energy and ideas, but frustrated by the lack of interest
in supporting what he or she can do.
Over half of the artists we have interviewed for The
Artist's Road report that they had someone around them who was a strong
influence in encouraging their interest in art at an early age. The answer to
those budget cuts is that all of us must take up the educational slack in any
way we can. We must be available to those young people who need encouragement
or guidance and instruction in our communities. It is surprising how easy it is
to start a little fire.
Please join us at The
Artist's Road for more interesting and
informative articles. The Artist's Road Store also has unique items for the
--John and Ann


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Click here to download a high-resolution, printable PDF of the notation.
• Spice up a blues with diminished and minor seventh chords.
• Learn how diminished seventh chords are constructed.
• Use I–vi–ii–V progressions over a blues progression.
In Fig. 1 I’ve added a diminished 7th passing chord in the sixth measure. The diminished 7th (1–b3–b5–bb7) is a great way to move from the IV chord back to the I chord. In this example, the diminished chord is a tritone away from the key we are in, in the case, A. This creates some nice tension that resolves beautifully to the A7. This is a fairly easy chord to play. Since we are playing the D7 with a barre at the fifth fret, all we need to do is add our second finger on D# on the fifth string. Take your time and listen to each chord and how it sounds moving from one to the next.
We move a little closer to jazz-based harmony in Fig. 2. Check out what is happening starting with measure seven. Starting with A7, we create a I–vi–ii–V progression. Since we are in the key of A, we use the A major scale (A–B–C#–D–E–F#–G#) as a reference point. Here, the A is our I chord, F#m7 is the vi, Bm7 is the ii, and E7 is the V. When a chord is major (or dominant) we use a capital roman numeral, and when it is minor we use a lowercase numeral. Using this new system, we consider the diminished chord in the sixth measure a #IV. Again, pay attention to how the chords sound moving from one to another.
In Fig. 3 I added a few more elements to our progression. First, I changed the minor chords to dominant chords. This gives you more options when it comes to improvising. When you use minor chords in a blues, it sometimes tends to sound dark. Simply by changing them to dominant chords, you are able to “brighten” up the sound. In measure six you can see that we have added some inversions to the diminished 7th chord from the previous examples. Since all the notes in a diminished chord are the same distance (a minor 3rd) from each other, any one of the notes can be considered the root. When you slide the shape up three frets you create inversions that can be substituted for the original chord. This creates not only some cool tension, but some movement going back to the I chord.
I hope you enjoyed adding these new chords to our old blues. There’s a lot you can do with this newfound knowledge. Take your time and experiment with which chord voicings you use and where. Also, feel free to add some of your own chord voicings. Try writing a blues tune with these new progressions. The more you force yourself to use them the more they’ll stick.
Dennis McCumber has been a guitar instructor and performer for more than 20 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in music education from The College of Saint Rose. Dennis performs regularly in the New York City area with various rock, blues, and funk bands, and occasionally as a classical soloist. In addition to performing, Dennis has been a middle school music teacher in the Bronx for the past 12 years. While teaching in the Bronx, he was given a guitar lab by VH1 Save the Music and a keyboard lab from the radio station Hot97 Hip Hop Symphony. Dennis has been an instructor at the National Guitar Workshop since 1996, where he teaches Blues, Funk, and Rock. Find out more at dennismccumber.com.


Music education is a proven way for aiding in the development of your child’s brain. Exposure to music can aid in language development, increasing IQ as well as spatial-temporal intelligence reports an article from PBS.
Image from mindsonmusic.kindermusic.com
Most parents would love to give their little ones the benefits of an early music education. However, enrolling in special mommy and me classes or private lessons can be an extra expense for which many families simply do not have room in their budgets.
Luckily, with these 5 fun and mostly free tips, you can get on your way to teaching your kids the joy of music and enabling them to reap the learning and development benefits that go hand in hand with early exposure to music.
1. Keep the Rhythm
It may sound simple, but letting your kids pull out those pots and pans can be a great place to start music education. Whether it is sturdy dishes, toy maracas and tambourines or just clapping hands there are multiple ways to incorporate simple musical activities into playtime by showing them how to keep a beat and tap out a rhythm. If you or your spouse are not entirely sure how to go about this, then take advantage of multiple online resources for helping kids to learn rhythm through simple activities.
2. A Musical Field Trip
Perhaps down the road your child will be interested in taking guitar lessons, but right now it is probably simpler to start by simply exposing your little Mozart to the fun of live music. Most cities provide free concerts for children. These might take place on a Tuesday morning at the library or at an afternoon concert for children put on by the local symphony. This is a great way to inspire a love of music in children as watching performers and hearing the loud sound of live songs can be captivating. And many concerts geared toward children are free and put on by the community.
3. Make Your Own Instruments
A fun craft time activity can be made from collecting recycled materials and transforming them into musical instruments. Make a tissue box and rubber band guitar or a rain stick from an old paper towel tube and some dry pinto beans. Empty tin cans can be decorated into a beautiful drum set. The possibilities are seemingly endless. And while your children enjoy using their creativity and learning about music, they will also get the added bonus of being exposed to the idea of sustainability through using recycled materials.
4. Check Out the Public Library
Another totally free resource is the public library. The library will have picture books on the lives of famous composers as well as sound recordings to help your kids experience the different genres of music. Together, you and your child can learn about Mozart’s childhood and Beethoven’s struggle with deafness. This is an excellent way to make history and music come alive for children.
5. Share Your Own Music
Finally, pull out your own records from the era in which you grew up. Sure, the 70s and 80s may not be considered classical works, but they are still wonderful examples of the journey of music through the decades. Dance around the living room with your kids as you share rock and roll and other styles of music that they might enjoy.
Author Bio: Jessica Socheski is a freelance journalist who currently writes about finding ways to save money on health care, fitness, and nutrition. Connect with her on Twitter.


As an Indiana University Bachelor of Science (BS) in Elementary Education student at IUPUC, your degree will lead to a general license to teach kindergarten through grade six.
To meet degree requirements under the Rules for Education Preparation and Accountability (REPA) program, you must also complete an area of concentration.
Do you want to help children understand the economics, governments, history, and social structures of the world in which we live? If you are interested in current events, geography, sociology, world cultures, American history, politics, and related topics, you can help children gain a greater awareness of the systems that impact today’s global society. Consider a concentration in social studies—with your instruction, you can teach powerful, meaningful lessons that are developmentally appropriate and challenging.
- This program of study must be completed concurrently with the elementary education (K–6) teacher preparation program.
- You must have a minimum GPA of 2.5.
Program of Study
For IUPUC students starting at DURING OR AFTER the fall 2013 semester:
- GEOG-G 110 Intro to Human Geography*
- POLS-Y 103: Intro to American Politics
- Select two classes at the 200+ level from the following areas: anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, sociology, or psychology
- United States history double counts for General Education Content: Social Sciences
- World history double counts for General Education Conten: Social Sciences
* If GEOG-G 110: Intro to Human Geography is taken to fulfill the General Education: Social Sciences Elective, a second course from the Social Sciences Elective options must be taken.


Making images as natural as speaking.
– Heinemann Publishing
This is the focus of New Entries: Learning by Writing and Drawing by Ruth Hubbard and Karen Ernst, a collection of case studies about teachers integrating art, science and writing in their classrooms. Thirteen educators contributed to this book and generously share classroom activities and their own learning processes with readers. Here is what you’ll find inside this enlightening resource:
Drawing Rachel In
Susan Benedict, elementary school teacher
Benedict shares how she helped a 4th grade student with her writing and reading through nature journaling.
Widening the Frame: Reading, Writing and Art in Learning
Karen Ernst, teacher and author
Ernst describes how she created her artists workshop, a structured yet flexible workshop in which students actively engage in literature, art and writing.
Writing Pictures, Painting Words: Artists Notebooks in Literacy Workshops
Nancy Winterbourne, elementary school teacher
Winterbourne’s research interests include how drawing in science journals helps students use complex verbs to explain their observations. In this chapter, Winterbourne provides examples of how children’s communication skills are enhanced when they integrate drawing and writing.
Opening Up to Art: Imagery and Story in a High School Reading Class
Peter Thacker, teacher
Thacker shares how he became an artist and learned how to create images with his students.
Jill Ostrow, teacher and author
Ostrow writes about how to look at math concepts visually. She shares the problem-solving picture strategies her students created in her class.
Putting Art on the Scientist’s Palette
Mary Stein (scientist) and Brenda Power (writer)
Stein and Power offer practical suggestions about how teachers can integrate art, science and language to move beyond the perceived boundaries between disciplines.
Imagination Through Images: Visual Responses to Literature
Ruth Shagoury Hubbard
Hubbard discusses how students can use drawing and writing to help them understand what they read.
Reading the Image and Viewing the Words: Languages Intertwined
Irene C. Fountas (Professor, Education)
Janet L. Olson (Professor, Art Education)
Fountas and Olson discuss how reading informs drawing and how viewing images informs writing.
Parallel Journeys: Exploring Through Art and Writing in Fourth Grade
Peter von Euler, teacher
Peter von Euler explains how the use of “observational journals” helped his students unite writing and art.
I Look at My Pictures and Then Try It: Art as a Tool for Learning
Jean Anne Clyde (Professor, Literacy)
Clyde shares a story about a student’s use of art as a learning tool and how this student searched for meaning in texts, learned from others and integrated drama, art and math.
Reclaiming the Power of Visual Thinking with Adult Learners
Ruth Shagoury Hubbard
Through her work, Hubbard aims to make “visual language” commonplace among adults. In this chapter, she offers suggestions about how to introduce adults to visual learning.
Background, Foreground: From Experience to Classroom Practice
Ernst writes about a summer art workshop for teachers and how this workshop made teachers more sensitive to how their students learn.
Drawing My Selves Together: An Editor’s Notebook
Toby Gordon, education publisher
Editor Toby Gordon describes how editing the book Picturing Learning by Karen Ernst helped move her past negative comments about her work made by her kindergarten teacher.
New Entries: Learning by Writing and Drawing is no longer in print. Search for a used copy at your favorite independent used bookstore.
Hubbard, Ruth Shagoury and Karen Ernst. 1996. New Entries: Learning by Writing and Drawing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann


Free Music Advocacy Tools! Thursday, April 14, 2011
As school decisionmakers are faced with difficult choices regarding time in the school day, allocating budget dollars, and addressing testing priorities, choir programs are losing ground! And all of us who sing or work with choruses know that most adult singers started singing in school, which is why Chorus America just published “Making the Case for Your School Choir: An Advocacy Guide.”
“Making the Case” includes a case statement, with facts and figures supporting the importance of choral music education. In addition, “Making the Case” provides advice on how to build a network of choir supporters, an action plan matrix to mobilize them, a parents' advocacy guide, a PowerPoint presentation, and many other practical tools. Moreover, the linked and annotated bibliography includes every single study referenced in the data, as well as dozens of other advocacy tools.
Arm yourself with the best possibleÂ means to garner support and funding for your music program!


MC students help elementary schools prepare for ‘Read Across America Day'
February 27, 2003
The National Education Association (NEA) began a “Read Across America Day” on March 2, 1998, to encourage reading in schools across the country.
Some MC students will help elementary students “get in the spirit” a little early by reading library books to them in their classrooms.
WHO: Maryville College students (including members of the football team), elementary students.
WHAT: Classroom readings.
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 28, from 8 until 8:30 a.m.
WHERE: Foothills Elementary School in Maryville, Tenn.
CONTACT: Dr. Rebecca Lucas, assistant professor of elementary education, has coordinated the activity. She can be reached at 865.981.8107.
Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state's third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for offering its students a rigorous and highly personal experience that includes an undergraduate research requirement, Maryville College is a nationally ranked institution of higher learning that successfully joins the liberal arts and professional preparation. Total enrollment for the fall 2014 semester was 1,213.


As every musician knows, sheet music is extremely over-priced and sometimes hard to come by.
Even at Manhattan’s most famous music stores like Patelson’s Music House, a well-priced and well-stocked collection is hard to find. It is true that it’s possible to order music online or from store warehouses, but the order can take weeks to arrive.
Music libraries, such as the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, are an alternative, although for the most part they aren’t stocked very well and what they do have is in poor condition and often missing parts. University and conservatory libraries are exclusive. Where are we musicians supposed to get our music—cheaply, easily, and not in a decrepit state?
The answer is the International Music Score Library Project. The IMSLP, a public domain music score library, has been online since Feb. 16, 2006 and currently has 26,269 scores available to the public. The library consists mostly of scans of old editions out of copyright as well as the scores of contemporary composers. IMSLP has the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, George Frideric Handel and a large portion of Franz Liszt, among others.
IMSLP states its philosophy on its Web site: “We at the IMSLP believe that music should be something that is easily accessible for everyone. To this end, we have created the IMSLP in order to provide music scores free of charge to anyone who has internet access. IMSLP will always be freely accessible.” This simple declaration has larger implications: IMSLP allows anyone from professional musicians to amateurs to read music online, and gives classical music an opportunity to reach new people in new ways.
Listening to music, reading music, and listening to and reading music at the same time are three distinct things. Listening to music is a passive experience. Reading music can be very technical and requires a basic knowledge of theory. But listening to music and reading its notation simultaneously is a visual experience. Even if the person doesn’t understand what this chord is or why that accidental is there, watching the contours of the musical lines and experiencing the complexity of so many notes or the simplicity of so few inspires awe in the minds of anyone who even remotely appreciates music.
IMSLP makes classical music more accessible to the casual listener or musician. But on a higher level, perhaps it will one day contribute to a movement of making music—reading as common as reading a magazine or a book. The fact is that not everyone reads music, and the quality of music education in most public schools is dubious at best. The easier it is to obtain sheet music, the easier it will be to distribute it and educate with it.
Playing an instrument is not imperative in learning how to read music, although it certainly helps. IMSLP has the potential to transform the universal language of music into a commonly read language as well.
The Web site itself, based on the Wiki principle, is well organized and comprehensive. It has forums for discussion on copyright issues and musical analysis. Supplementary materials accompany more standard pieces. Several editions are included, even orchestral parts (in the case of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies, for example), as well as transcriptions for any number of pianos, scholarly analysis, and a recommended list of recordings.
Besides offering a huge score archive, IMSLP also has repertoire for solo instruments and chamber groups. I, for one, would much prefer to print out Camille Saint-Saëns’ Sonata for Oboe and Piano from IMSLP and get it bound myself than pay at least $30 for a copy that I will end up writing all over anyway.
Of course, the Web site only has a select number of editions, and editions of earlier music from the baroque and classical eras can vary widely in articulation and ornamentation. Even so, IMSLP provides an economical alternative for more creative musicians and a chance for music reading to become a favorite pastime rather than an acquired skill.
Catherine Rice is a Barnard College sophomore majoring in music. Breaking Down Classical runs alternate Wednesdays.


Besler looks on as the elementary school student peers intently through the
microscope at the test plate. Besler, a junior majoring in elementary
education, helps the student adjust the lenses, and the pond water sample—complete
with microorganisms too small for the eye to see—comes into focus.
moment, the child is captivated; but then, like most of the other first through
eighth grade students, she finds herself distracted by the next station over,
where another group of kids are digging for worms. Besler and her Northern
Arizona University peers observe as these 40 students from the STAR (Service to
All Relations) school spend the day on campus learning from future teachers.
teaching the students, the education majors in the ECI 306 class
are learning, too.
trying to think like kids,” Besler says. “Their thinking process is so much
more broad then ours, so it’s our goal to try to connect with them on that
students Besler worked with came to visit the College of Education from the
STAR School. Twenty-five miles east of Flagstaff, this school is located on the
southwestern corner of the Navajo Nation, and primarily serves Native American students
from preschool through eighth grade. The curriculum is innovative in its approach,
combining traditional Navajo values and a community-based outlook with
sustainability – for example, the school is run entirely on solar-powered
single-day event is only one component of an ongoing partnership between the
university and the STAR School. Many education majors go to STAR for their
student teaching experience, and STAR students benefit from a variety of
activities offered on campus.
day, STAR students were engaging in inquiry-based activities, which involved
having them take an active role in their education. Jeffrey Bloom, a professor
in the College of Education who helped organize the trip, noted that for many of
the STAR students, the university visit itself was educational.
plants a seed,” Bloom says. “There’s an opportunity for them, post-high school.
These kids get to see the possibilities for themselves.”
and a fellow instructor, James Manley, tried to teach the Northern Arizona
University education majors that great learning requires a guiding hand, not an
really want to engage kids and see the magic of their brilliance as a teacher,
you have got to let them go, and let them have the experiences,” Bloom explains.
Fun in learning
experiences, like digging for worms and using the microscope to examine microorganisms,
were designed to be both fun and engaging. For example, Tayla Swaw, a junior
majoring in special and elementary education, took her group of students
outside to participate in an activity that might have drawn a harsh glare from
a teacher in a traditional classroom setting: the folding—and flying—of paper
make them all the time, so when they hear about paper airplanes, they get
really excited and just want to go and play with them,” Swaw explains. “Sometimes
the classroom management is difficult, but it teaches you that you have to do
hands-on work for them to learn this stuff.”
activities were seemingly less straightforward. One area of the classroom had
been set aside for several mind puzzles and building constructs for students to
work with. With very little prompting from their older mentors sitting amongst
them, the STAR students took initiative, teaming up and working together to
solve the puzzles – one of which involved adjusting weighted objects to get a
piece of cardboard to balance on a tennis ball.
children are really thinking and trying to figure things out for themselves,”
Tomko, a junior elementary and special education major, worked with the
students. She explains the activities with the STAR School students mimic new
teaching techniques being administered in the classroom.
opinion, and in the opinion of a lot of other teachers, the U.S. is going
toward a very conformative way of teaching, where all students learn in a very
traditional, guided manner,” Tomko says. “But, if you were to walk into a
classroom that was inquiry-based, there would be students all over. It will
look like chaos, but there’s control in there.”
other words, Tomko says, elementary students can learn the same way that many
students at Northern Arizona University are taught.
teaches them a lot of responsibility by having to learn on their own,” Tomko
explains. “It's amazing to see them get motivated and start talking to their


Down Syndrome: Helping Your Child Learn to Walk and Use Other Motor Skills
Children with Down syndrome have reduced muscle tone, which can delay development of their motor skills. Children with delays may roll over, sit up, pull up, stand, and walk later than other children their age.
Encourage motor skill development through active play.
Guide your baby in playful exercises, which helps him or her learn to walk.
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
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Using Exit Slips in the Art Room
Art teachers use multiple forms of formative assessment on a daily basis. Formative assessment is immediate and allows teachers to change content and make accommodations based on student learning. Teachers assess learning by monitoring student progress on a project and through conversations. Some easy strategies teachers use to assess learning include thumbs up- thumbs down or fist to five, but these ideas just scratch the surface – If formative assessment is an area you want to explore deeper, keep in mind we spend an entire discussion board talking about it in the AOE class Assessment in Art Education.
Exit slips are one of my personal favorite formate assessments to use with my Middle School students.
“Exit slips are one of the easiest ways to obtain information about students’ current levels of understanding.” – Robert Marzano
Exit slips are quick, easy, and provide immediate feedback.
Here are some exit slip samples from my classroom:
According to Marzano, there are four different kinds of prompts that teachers can use on exit slips:
- Prompts that provide formative assessment data
- Prompts that stimulate student self-analysis
- Prompts that focus on instructional strategies
- Prompts that are open communications to the teacher.
Here are more examples of wording you might consider using for exit slips:
What is one thing you learned in the art today?
The most important thing I learned today was…
My favorite thing I learned in art today was…
I need help with…
What are you confused about regarding what you learned today?
What could you have done differently to help you learn better today?
How can what you’re learning in art be applied to your daily life?
The thing that surprised me today was…
By reviewing the responses on the exit slips, teachers can quickly assess students understanding of a concept, the struggles they’re having, what they like or create differentiated learning groups based on the student responses.
Do you use exit slips in your art room as a formative assessment?
What ideas do you have for an exit slip?


The Early Childhood Learning Center
The Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC), under the direction of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), provides a learning environment for both children and university students on PLNU’s campus, a dynamic that Susan Rogers, director of the ECLC, calls a “classroom within a classroom.”
PLNU students taking a class in the development of the special needs child give one-on-one support to children with autism in the ECLC. Since children with autism tend to cling to organization and order, they may have individualized schedule boards or cards that have pictures or words lining up the day’s activities.
A poster board on the wall of the ECLC is covered with pictures of the different activities in the classroom. As a way of augmented communication, a student with autism can point to the various pictures to indicate where he or she would like to play. One boy in the class has a plastic keychain attached to his schedule that bends and swivels – a coping mechanism for sensory integration.
In Tamara Heinz’s 3-year-old class, she has a “sensory box,” a play table filled with objects of different textures that help sooth and perhaps ground the children to take in different stimuli.
“Giving a child with autism something tactile is just a calming tool,” said Heinz. “Giving children tools for transitions helps since change can be hard for them.”
Children can also jump on the trampoline or run through the trees outside the classroom if they need to move. These are just a few examples of the different avenues the ECLC provides for children to feel more comfortable and to listen and participate more on their own terms.
Children in the ECLC are not the only ones being impacted by a rich learning environment. FCS students get 100 hours of classroom time at the ECLC, giving them priceless field experience for their future careers.
“Many of our students have been inspired to become special education teachers,” said Kay Wilder, Ph.D., chair of the FCS department. “Many others now have the knowledge to identify a child with a learning disorder, which is helpful in many different situations.”
“It’s a real ministry,” said Rogers. “Our students will be helping children and families for the rest of their lives.”


Let’s Debate: Assessment Anchors
In a recent Assessment in Art Education class, we had a wonderful debate centered around the pros and cons of using anchors for assessment. I decided I would take this discussion to the AOE community in the hopes of continuing this conversation and hearing what YOU all think about this hot topic.
What are Anchors?
In a nutshell, anchors are visual images or exemplars that teachers use to correlate with grading criteria. For example, when I student taught in New Zealand (many, many moons ago) we were required to grade students artwork using a 5-point grading scale (with 5 being the highest). To view a sample Matrix of Curricular Indicators we used, click here or on the image below.
At the end of a particular unit, my co-operating teacher and I had to submit a student example correlating to each of the points on the grading scale to the Ministry of Education along with a written description defending our choices. The Ministry, in turn, audited each teacher’s samples to make sure we were grading consistently and provided feedback if we were not. In the states, this is something you might do at the district level. (Keep in mind, New Zealand has a relatively small population, so it was easier to accomplish countrywide initiatives.)
In your art department, for example, you could determine what specific skills represented mastery of different criteria and share examples of work at each level. This leads to a wonderful, eye-opening conversation about assessment as teachers try to keep their grading consistent. And, by the way, this doesn’t mean that you all have to teach the same lessons. If you grading criteria is Use the slab technique to create a recognizable 3D form, there are many ways to teach this particular standard and therefore, many different exemplars to compare and contrast.
After you have your grading criteria and anchors in place, you can easily refer to them while you are grading and better yet use them to justify grades, should parents, administrators or students require hard evidence. However, the controversy unfolds around this point:
Do you show your students assessment anchors?
Many class participants DO show students examples of student work. Some show only high-end examples, while others show a variety of examples and have student discuss the pros and cons of each piece. Some show only teacher samples, while others show only artists’ work. And still others create and use a visual matrix for each lesson. On the other hand, there are teachers who prefer not to show samples, so that students were more apt to use their imagination and not copy the work of the teacher or other students. The results and opinions were quite varied.
What is your opinion and experience using anchors in the art room?
Should assessment criteria be clear and visible or left open ended in the art room?


This play-focused, build those super-important foundational skills idea is brought to you by Melissa & Doug, written by our Blog Ambassador Amy Mascott.
For many parents, Daylight Saving Time is a totally uninvited, unwelcome guest.
With a simple flick of the clock hands, we magically “spring” forward or “fall” back. And our children’s fragile sleep patterns which take weeks–months even!–to establish are thrown to the wayside. Kids jump out of bed at 5 o’clock in the morning instead of 6 o’clock. They can barely keep their eyes open through dinner, and it’s an honest-to-goodness song and dance to keep them awake until 7 at night.
Though understanding the “why” behind Daylight Saving Time may be a little difficult for most kids (and adults, too!), many kids can more clearly understand the concept of that lost or gained hour with the help of a hands-on learning clock like Melissa & Doug’s Turn & Tell Clock.
For the few days leading up to Daylight Saving Time, in a free moment here or a free moment there, I would ask my kids to use the hands on the Turn & Tell Clock to show me the time when:
- we leave our house for school;
- he or she eats lunch at school;
- school ends;
- we usually eat dinner;
- we start baths and books before bed;
- different activities begin and end, like soccer, Brownies, religion class, and gymnastics.
They could always check their work with the numeric, or analog clock by opening a small window on the clock’s face where the same time would be shown “digitally”.
And then I simply reminded them that Daylight Saving Time was going to begin late, late Saturday night (November 2) into early, early Sunday morning when they were still sleeping. What Daylight Saving Time meant was that the clocks were turned back one hour in the fall and moved forward one hour in the spring to move sunlight to better hours for workers.
So after I asked them to show me the times as mentioned above, I challenged then by asking them to show me:
- one hour before or one hour after;
- thirty minutes before or after;
- fifteen minutes before or after;
- five minutes before or after.
And they’d move the hands, tell me the time, and then check in the little window to see if they were correct.
Here’s to hoping that the every family really does enjoy that “extra’ hour of sleep and that learning to tell time is made so much more fun for everyone with the help of the Turn & Tell Clock!
Stop by and follow these great educational Pinterest boards:
- Baby and Toddler Toys| Melissa & Doug
- Best Toys for 1 Year Olds | Melissa & Doug
- Best Toys for 2 Year Olds | Melissa & Doug
- foundations | teachmama
Hang with Amy over at teachmama.com for more cool, super-sneaky ways to throw in some learning in the name of fun or join her at we teach–a forum for parents and teachers to connect, share ideas and grow–no matter the classroom. Or tweet with her (@teachmama), pin with her or chat with her on Facebook!
See all Blog Ambassador posts by Amy →


Hewitt, Allan (2009) Some features of children's composing in a computer-based environment: the influence of age, task familiarity and formal instrumental music tuition. Journal of Music, Technology and Education, 2 (1). pp. 5-24.
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760 children aged 8 to 12 composed 1,696 short melodies using a computer- based software application. As well as providing an appropriate composing environment, the software maintained a detail event-driven log of all user interactions. Session logs were used as the basis of a detailed behavioural analysis of children's composing processes, exploring the influence of three variables (age, task familiarity and formal instrumental music tuition) on composing processes. Results suggested that older children tended to engage in less exploratory composing behaviour in comparison to younger participants, such as listening to their emerging melodies or trying out different notes. Participants receiving formal instrumental music tuition were far less likely to use the exploratory functions of the software in comparison to their non-expert peers. Older children worked faster than younger children, and were more efficient in their use of the software functions. Increased familiarity with the software was accompanied by greater speed in interaction, regardless of instrumental expertise. Implications for music composition pedagogy and future research in musical creativity are discussed.
|Keywords:||composing, music education, computer-based environment, age, instrumental music tuition, Musical instruction and study, Education (General), Computer Science Applications, Music, Education|
|Subjects:||Music and Books on Music > Musical instruction and study
Education > Education (General)
|Department:||Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > School of Psychological Science and Health > Physical Activity for Health|
|Depositing user:||Dr Allan Hewitt|
|Date Deposited:||22 Jul 2009 10:32|
|Last modified:||25 Jun 2015 20:50|
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Graduate Catalog 2015-2016
Home | Graduate Catalog 2015-2016 | Graduate Programs, Disciplines, and Course Offerings | Graduate Programs in Education | Graduate Education Courses | EDE - Childhood Education (Elementary Education) Courses | EDE 684 Big Ideas Of Science
EDE 684 Big Ideas Of Science
3 Lecture Hours; 1 Laboratory Hour; 4 Credits
Education research suggests that students improve their learning and understanding of science when connections are made to essential questions and big ideas. In science big ideas include energy, evolution and matter. This course will enable students to develop deep, transferable understanding and skills by relating the concepts taught in the elementary science curriculum to science big ideas. This course will focus on the development of students' ability to understand the changing world in which they live. They develop this by utilizing a broad range of thinking skills and learning styles to promote meaningful and deep learning. The course will include activities and experiments that address multiple learning styles and abilities, and foster skill development including mathematics, scientific literacy and technical skills.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in Sequence I of the Graduate Elementary Education Program or EDE 604 or equivalent
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The pyramids of Egypt. Italy’s Villa Rotunda. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Anderson’s own Victorian style Gruenewald House.
Anderson author Shirley Montgomery takes a colorful and interesting look at architecture through history, then delivers her readers to the doorstep of an entirely new and unprecedented era in architecture in her newly published book, Architecture of the Early Twenty-First Century: A Global Need for Sustainability.
Montgomery offers readers a visual tour of the historical references that have impacted United States architecture and beyond. She documents the journey with ample color photographs, including some of regional interest.
Segue into the second part of Montgomery’s book, however, and you’re stepping into the 21st century where architecture is a whole new ballgame. The current imperative for development that is sustainable is defining a new style in architecture.
“Our buildings look different today,” says Montgomery in the preface. As climate change looms ever more undeniably, buildings that strive for eco-efficiency are dominating the landscape of new architecture.
“A lot of people interested in the history of architecture are not interested in sustainable,” said Montgomery. “I think a lot more people would be interested if they realized that was the direction architecture is heading now.”
“Buildings today look the way they do because of alternative energy,” said Montgomery. Today’s architecture employs solar, geo-thermal, and wind energy. While net zero energy consumption may be a goal, at the same time, the new architecture speaks to quality of life for those within its walls.
“There’s a lot of daylighting going on, open air,” said Montgomery. “You’re part of the outdoors.”
“They’re trying to enhance the living environment for people working in their buildings. It just really has an impact on you,” said Montgomery. The author acknowledges that sustainable development in architecture is a process.
“It’s just something that has to happen gradually,” said Montgomery.
Nevertheless, she has a sense of urgency. “I think it’s terribly important. ... I think we can have a really huge impact on the melting of the ice cap and the raising of the sea shore.”
Montgomery brings authority to her topic, but she brings a passion as well.
Montgomery is one-half of the duo who founded Anderson’s krM Architecture in 1978. Her husband, Kenneth, was the principal architect. The firm’s work is evidenced in public and private buildings all around Anderson and in other cities.
Montgomery is an interior designer and art educator whose hand is visible, for example, in the interior design of the Anderson Public Library.
Montgomery was at home raising nine kids, several of whom went on to become architects, prior to earning her bachelor of arts in education at Anderson University in 1975. She then earned a master's in art education from Ball State University in 1982. She taught at the university-level for seven years. In 2008, Montgomery tacked on a master's of architecture from Ball State.
“My emphasis was on sustainable architecture,” said Montgomery. “It sort of changed my world.”
Montgomery, now 79, founded her book first on the work she did in documenting the historical references that influenced architectural style in the United States for her master's thesis in 1982. Then, she explored what’s happening today, and why.
“It was something I felt like I had to do,” said Montgomery.
— Nancy R. Elliott is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Reposted with permission. Photo credit: Nancy R. Elliott.
Anderson University is a private Christian university of about 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America's top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, music, nursing, and theology.


What is needed, now that we have got away from the lock step, now that we are happily emancipated from the meaningless thralldom of mechanical repetition and the worship of drill for its own sake—what is needed now is not less drill, but better drill. And this should be the net result of the recent reforms in elementary education. In our first enthusiasm, we threw away the spelling book, poked fun at the multiplication tables, decried basal reading, and relieved ourselves of much wit and sarcasm at the expense of formal grammar. But now we are swinging back to the adequate recognition of the true purpose of drill. And in the wake of this newer conception, we are learning that its drudgery may be lightened and its efficiency heightened by the introduction of a richer content that shall provide a greater variety in the repetitions, insure an adequate motive for effort, and relieve the dead monotony that frequently rendered the older methods so futile. I look forward to the time when to be an efficient drillmaster in this newer sense of the term will be to have reached one of the pinnacles of professional skill.
But there is another side of teaching that must be supervised. Although habit is responsible for nine tenths of conduct, the remaining tenth must not be neglected. In situations where habit is not adequate to adjustment, judgment and reflection must come to the rescue, or should come to the rescue. This means that, instead of acting without thought, as in the case of habit, one analyzes the situation and tries to solve it by the application of some fact or principle that has been gained either from one’s own experience or from the experience of others. This is the field in which knowledge comes to its own; and a very important task of education is to fix in the pupils’ minds a number of facts and principles that will be available for application to the situations of later life.
How, then, is the efficiency of instruction (as distinguished from training or habit building) to be tested? Needless to say, an adequate test is impossible from the very nature of the situation. The efficiency of imparting knowledge can be tested only by the effect that this knowledge has upon later conduct; and this, it will be agreed, cannot be accurately determined until the pupil has left the school and is face to face with the problems of real life.
In practice, however, we adopt a more or less effective substitute for the real test—the substitute called the examination. We all know that the ultimate purpose of instruction is not primarily to enable pupils successfully to pass examinations. And yet as long as we teach as though this were the main purpose we might as well believe it to be. Now the examination may be made a very valuable test of the efficiency of instruction if its limitations are fully recognized and if it does not obscure the true purpose of instruction. And if we remember that the true purpose is to impart facts in such a manner that they may not only “stick” in the pupil’s mind, but that they may also be amenable to recall and practical application, and if we set our examination questions with some reference to this requirement, then I believe that we shall find the examination a dependable test.


Did you hear about the forthcoming launch of Google Glass? How exciting. Just another piece of technology that can connect us to being further disconnected from one another.
Ok, maybe that was a bit harsh, but let’s remember Albert Einstein’s famous quote on technology: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” While maybe that is also a bit extreme, there is something to be said about the technology consumption of our youth today.
Too much time online, playing games, watching movies, texting and chatting, equates to less physical activity. While the stats on childhood obesity are well documented, at The Commons we also place an emphasis on how technology can impact the development of key foundational skills in children.
Person-to-person interactions require a high level of emotional management skills. As the digital era pulls our youth towards tech-driven communication, parents and teachers need to make sure that interpersonal communication is not neglected. Strengthening a child’s capacity for self-expression and their ability to take perspectives from others is important. Furthermore, conflict negotiation is most relevant in face-to-face circumstances.
With all this in mind, how do parents adjust to the rapidly changing social landscape of the modern world? What are some tips to encourage a more balanced lifestyle at home, while also encouraging healthier social and emotional development in your kids?
Try some of these suggestions:
Tech-Time OutMake sure there are boundaries within which technology is not acceptable, i.e. at the dinner table, during punishment, and/or the car ride home from school.
ModelingMake sure you are leading by example. If you want your kids to be less tech-needy, you need to be willing to turn the television off, put down your phone and close your laptop more often as well.
Monitor & ModerateMake sure you know how and when your children are using technology. Recognize scenarios within which your child would be better off communicating in person, and encourage them to do so by explaining the benefits of doing so.
Hopefully you’ll find these take-home-wellness tips to have positive effects. For more information on programs dedicated to social skills, stop by our center today.


At Fahan we believe in a strong supportive network, a curriculum that encourages students to be excited and passionate about learning, and an emphasis on providing students with good moral and ethical behaviour and awareness.
The Fahan Middle School curriculum is based on the theory of educationalist, Howard Gardner, who said that there are many types of intelligences. Working on this principle, teachers aim to ensure that Middle School students have the opportunity to learn in ways that best suit them.
• verbal-linguistic: word intelligence
• logical-mathematical: number and reasoning intelligence
• visual-spatial: diagrammatic intelligence
• musical-rhythmic: music and rhythm intelligence
• bodily-kinaesthetic: body intelligence
• interpersonal: social intelligence
• intrapersonal: self intelligence
• naturalist: natural environment intelligence
• spiritual and existential: philosophical intelligence
Teaching based on this theory means that the core curriculum is more meaningful for Middle School students. Girls in this age group often learn best when they are engaged with the subject matter in ways that suit them. We aim to provide dynamic discussions and interactive lessons that relate to issues and subject matter that middle school-aged girls are concerned about while continuing to focus on developing sound literacy and numeracy skills.
The Mini-Course program offers a choice of two six-week specialist Mini-Courses in the categories of Academic, Life Skills, Recreational and Fine Arts. These courses broaden and expand upon the curriculum and are taught either by a Fahan School teacher or by a qualified member from the community who has extensive expertise in a particular area.
As Year 6 is the bridge between Primary and Secondary education, the Mini-Course program is also offered to these students so that girls in Year 6, 7 and 8 have the opportunity to work collaboratively with peers who share similar interests and Year 6 students can enjoy a smooth transition to Secondary education. Not only do these courses keep learning exciting and fresh, but they also allow students a glimpse of their time in Senior School.
|Languages Other Than English (LOTE French and Japanese)|
|Studies of Society and the Environment (SOSE incorporating History and Geography)|
|Health and Physical Education|
Students are also encouraged to take part in extracurricular activities so they may broaden their school experience. These include:
Debating and Public Speaking
The Readers’ Cup
Maths and Science Competitions
Fahan Choir and Vocal Group
Middle School Concert Band
In the Fahan Middle School, we aim to prepare your daughter not only for her life as a Senior School student, but also for her life as a responsible adult in a challenging world.
For more information