This month, we introduce four new ways for educators to monitor and guide students' literacy development, all designed with No Child Left Behind standards and reading research findings in mind. The result: programs that inform educators about student progress, helping teachers manage the range of reading abilities in their classrooms.
Although all share the goal of literacy development, these products target different audiences. ClickN' Read Beginning Reading and Lexia's Primary Reading, ideal for the youngest of readers, are engaging and lively updates to traditional drill-and-practice, phonics-based instruction. Soliloquy's Reading Assistant puts a twist on fluency and oral reading practice for first- through fifth-graders, merging a patent-pending speech recognizer with popular children's stories and poems. Meanwhile, Tom Snyder Productions touts a polished, comprehension-building program to support struggling fifth- through eighth-grade readers.
ClickN' Read Beginning Reading Program (ClickN' Kids)
ClickN' Kids' newest release, designed as an intervention to support students without a solid foundation for reading, is the epitome of a captivating and systematic beginning reading program. ClickN' Kid, a goofy and affable hound, ushers users through a learning journey of 100 drill-and-practice lessons set in colorful, futuristic classroom locales. Each lesson houses four amusing learning environments that progressively teach alphabetic understanding, phonemic awareness, decoding, and word recognition.
In the first setting, the Letter Sound Chamber, ClickN' Kid uses his trusty mobile TV screen to introduce a new instructional element, such as letter sounds like "d" or "m" or the "silent e" rule. Learners then practice, matching a spoken sound to its corresponding letter, then typing that letter on the keyboard. In the next setting, the Listening Cube, kids learn how these new sounds meld into word blends.
With a zoom, ClickN' Kid zips on his jet-powered podium from the Listening Cube to the Reading Room, where the new words are contextualized into a short passage. To add to the interest, each little passage builds upon an ongoing story from earlier lessons. ClickN' Read closes each lesson with a visit to the Speed Chamber, where learners whisk through a timed letter and word recognition review.
ClickN' Read's graphics and quick animated segments are vibrant, but without unnecessary bells and whistles. The program's uncomplicated interface falls to the advantage of less experienced computer users or learners who are easily distracted from the task at hand--focus stays on the lessons.
Primary Reading (Lexia Learning)
From the same masterful developers of Phonics Based Reading comes Primary Reading, a new and improved reading program geared toward five-to eight-year-olds. Its makeover includes a sleek interface, updated sound and graphics, and 11 new activities. Primary Reading learners have the opportunity to improve phonemic awareness, sight words, vocabulary, sound/symbol correspondence, listening, and comprehension skills. Drill-and-practice exercises become gripping activities as they are tucked into animated settings where seals balance balls, pirates toss coins, and lumberjacks parachute down trees.
The fun begins when students log on and select one of the five different levels, each of which contains five activities. Ideal for kindergarten through first grade, Level 1 focuses on sound/symbol correspondence. For example, the "Consonant Castle" asks students to click on a correct consonant to complete words like "jug," "kid" and "van." With each correct answer, a tower or another small portion of the structure pops into place. Ultimately, consonant sounds are mastered and the castle is built.
By Level 4, students develop word-attack strategies within sentences and paragraphs, listen to a narrator read their correctly completed sentences, and practice irregular second-grade words like "many" "does" and "very" using the keyboard. …


SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SSA)
The goal of universal elementary education of satisfactory quality has proved elusive so far. Significant efforts have been made in independent to expand the elementary school system to the remotest corners of the country. There has been improvement but not up to the desired level. In spite of rigorous efforts in the last Sixty years of independence, social and gender gaps continue to be a feature of our educational indicators. This has a negative impact on out guest for social justice and sustainable economic well being as the poorer households are unable to develop their full human capability.
The main objectives of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan :
Education with quality
Bridge between gender and social gap
Facilities provided in Government Schools
1. Free of cost admission.
2. Free of cost text books provided to students.
3. Free of cost uniform provided to marginalized section of society.
4. Free distribution of bicycles to girl students (class-VIII)
5. Free of cost computer education to all students.
6. Regular health-check up of all students.
7. Provision of aids for disabled children.
8. Scholarship provided to students on the basis of attendance, merit, economic status.
9. Provision of library.
10.Provision of remedial classes for academically weak students.
11.Exposure visits for children.
12.Additional class rooms in primary and middle schools.
13. Separate unit of toilets for girls and boys students.
14. Drinking water facilities for students within the campus of the school.
15. Provision of mid day meal for students.
16. Provision of kitchen shed for cooking mid day meal.
17. Provision of musical instruments and sports items.


Childhood pretend play builds critical skills for later years
Every area of development – physical, cognitive, communication and social/emotional – can be enhanced when children engage in pretend play or make-believe.
Just wander through the aisles of toys at any department store and you will see lots of toys that are just like items that adults use: doll, kitchen sets, cars and trucks, lawn mowers, and so on. Children want to do the same things that they see Mom and Dad doing such as caring for babies, cooking meals and mowing the grass. Imitating what adults and older children do is an important way that young children learn about life. Every area of development – physical, cognitive, communication and social/emotional – can be enhanced through engaging in pretend play or make-believe.
Children practice controlling the small muscles of their wrists, hands and fingers as they hold a baby bottle up to a doll’s mouth or turn a toy screwdriver around and around. Learning to control these muscles is fine motor development, part of the physical domain of development. Large muscle control is practiced when children sit up, crawl, walk, run and climb. It takes years for us to develop the coordination we need to drive a car or hit a baseball into right field and children begin that physical development when they move around their environment. That is why it is so important to give children some space to move around in and join them in physical activities like pretending you are horses running or giving a piggy-back ride.
Thinking through problems can be a good exercise for developing cognitive skills. Looking for a cup for each doll to have their tea in is a math skill, as is matching a driver for each space vehicle. Playing with a set of plastic nuts and bolts and finding the right-sized nut to thread on to your bolt is problem-solving, too. These small challenges help a child to think and plan their actions just like adults do. As they play make-believe tea time or auto repair, they are practicing adult skills.
Communication skills are vital for adults, too, and pretend play can really enhance a child’s skills in this area. How often have parents overheard their toddler chatting away to themselves as he or she plays? Children will often narrate their own play, saying out loud what they are doing or imitating conversations that they have heard among adults. Practicing monologues in pretend play is useful in developing oral skills, which lead to reading and writing as older children. But, to really boost a child’s communication skills, you need to encourage dialogue between your child and other people. Joining your child in pretend play, having conversations about their play and playing “roles” with them can really improve their literacy skills later.
Early childhood literacy experts Dickinson and Sprague (2002) conducted research and found that the more time young children spent conversing with other children in pretend play the higher their scores were in literacy tests at the end of kindergarten. Children as young as 18 months old used a specialized “language of play” modeled by their mothers in make – believe play (Haight and Miller, 1993). Early childhood research suggests that giving your child time and conversation while they pretend they are a hostess or a mechanic can pay-off later in good reading and writing skills.
Finally, playing pretend with other children or adults helps children learn the social skills they will need to get along in a world full of people. In pretend play, children actually practice taking on adult roles such as a parent, a cook, a doctor or a fire fighter. It provides children the opportunity to deal with relationships between people and work out strategies to such issues as sharing with others, caring for people, providing help to others and accepting help from others. Without these early opportunities, children find it difficult when they enter preschool or kindergarten and must use social skills to negotiate their classroom and their community. Pretend play gives them a safe and secure place to practice these skills and learn to manage their own feelings.
Pretend play is the work-horse of children’s early learning. They can rehearse scenes they’ve observed and create new experiences. They can practice physical skills, thinking skills, communication skills and social/emotional skills. And, the best part is, they have fun while learning. What could be better than that?
For more information about pretend play and literacy development visiting the website Reading Rockets: Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle.


ERIC Number: ED387798
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1995
Reference Count: N/A
"Little House on the Prairie." A Literature Unit.
Maifair, Linda Lee
Intended as a an aid to classroom teachers, this handbook presents a literature unit based on the children's book, "Little House on the Prairie" (Laura Ingalls Wilder). It begins with sample lesson plans, pre-reading activities, author information, a book summary, and vocabulary lists and suggested vocabulary activities. Next, chapters of "Little House on the Prairie" are grouped for study into 5 sections; each section includes quizzes, hands-on projects, cooperative learning activities, cross-curricular connections, and extensions into the reader/student's own life. Finally, the handbook offers culminating activities, unit test options, a bibliography of related reading, and an answer key. (SR)
Descriptors: Adolescent Literature, Childrens Literature, Class Activities, Curriculum Enrichment, Elementary Education, Fiction, Literature Appreciation, Student Projects, Units of Study
Teacher Created Materials, Inc., P.O. Box 1040, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (TCM539: $6.95, plus $3.50 shipping/handling; orders of $35 or over, 10% shipping/handling).
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: Little House Books (Wilder); Trade Books
Note: For other literature units in this series, see CS 215 036-039.


Children need lots of explicit and systematic phonics instruction in order to be able to read. Beginning readers need to know that words are made of sounds. They also need to know which letters make each sound. Because all words have vowels in them, it is usually best to begin teaching vowels. It is easier to teach short vowels because they are most commonly found in words with only one vowel. This lesson will focus on a = /a/. Students will review the short a sound, and then the students will practice spelling and reading words with the /a/ sound.
1. Introduce the lesson:
"Today we are going to be learning about the short vowel A and the sound that it makes. Every time you see an /a/ in a word, I want us to make the sound of a crying baby, aaahhh. Ok now I want everyone to act like a baby and make the crying sound… ready, aaahhhh, Good! This sound is a sound that we hear all the time in our language.
2. Introduce the tongue twister to the students.
I will hold up a sentence strip: "Ok, now let’s say this tongue twister together: Adam gave his alligators apples after they asked nicely.
3. Using the overhead and the letter manipulatives, ask the students to name the words that have the aaahhh sound in them and model the way to sound out the sounds in the words to the class. "Who can give me a word that has a crying baby sound? Good, nap. Now, if I were going to spell that word, I would listen to the sounds, /n/, /aaaaaa/ (there’s our sound), and /p/." Practice more words using the Elkonin boxes.
4. "Now I want everyone to get out your boxes and letters and we are going to practice a few words." Have the students leave their letters on their boards and then check the spelling. Start with three phoneme words, and then move to four and five phonemes. (3 phonemes) [s] [a] [d] [l] [a] [p]
[b] [a] [ck] (4 phonemes) [g] [l] [a] [d] [l] [a] [m] [p] (6 phonemes)
[s] [t] [r] [a] [n] [d]
5. "Now I am going to spell a few words back to you. If you know what word I am spelling, raise your hand and you can answer." Without using the boxes, spell out the words to make sure they can read them.
6. With the book A Cat Nap, get into small groups or partners with children and have the students read the book aloud. They can assess each other by grading each other on reading speed, expression, and knowing more words
For an assessment, you can have a picture sheet with lots of different pictures using different sounds and have the students circle the pictures with the /a/ sound in their name. Have pictures of apples, alligators, desks, lamp, shirt, etc.
J. Lloyd. (1995) Teaching Decoding in Holistic Classrooms.
Alison Bradley: Excellent E!!: http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/guidelines.html
Laura Earl: Ashley’s Apples
Click here to return to Innovations


People outside of the education profession look at Khan Academy and they see brilliance because Khan conforms closely to American cultural scripts of teaching. Teaching is telling and Khan tells in a friendly, seemingly competent way (which is actually incompetent in some important and non-obvious ways, but more on that in the coming weeks).
This is the drill: Tell students some stuff; ask them some questions to see whether they remember what you told them. See those first two headings on the Khan Academy landing page?
Watch and practice.
People outside of the education profession look at iPad apps and online schools and see efficiency because these-again-closely follow the script of teaching and learning in this country.
So powerful is this cultural script that minor tweaks are seen as revolutionary. (Rewind the video to hear the same explanation again! As many times as you like!) So powerful is this script that our roles as parents can be misconstrued as preparing our children to be this type of student. From the comments on this blog last month:
Around 6-7, I think it is important for children to first internalize basic arithmetic equations as memorized, right-brain pattern recall. Once they do this, their minds are free to think about other aspects of the math problem in front of them. Once basic one-digit equations have been internalized, the next pattern needed is the simple process of stepping through more complex problems.
This was in response to my description of something I had done that had gotten my five-year old daughter to think, rather to respond in a rote way.
A parent talking with his child about mathematics gets redirected to a fact-drilling app.
I’ll make the analogy to literacy again. The equivalent would be a parent writing about how turned on his kid was by a story, and how his kid applied the ideas of that story to thinking about her lived experience. And then got pushback about the importance of phonics instruction to prepare a child for reading in first grade.
But we know that a lifelong love of reading is fostered by reading aloud with parents. (Of course, there are exceptions, blah blah blah.) And if you love reading—barring disability—you’ll learn to read as long as you are provided competent reading instruction.
We need to similarly foster a lifelong love of numeracy. And that does not start with math-drilling apps (Of course, there are exceptions, blah blah blah.) It starts as all things do, through play, conversation and wonder.
Let’s keep the focus, shall we?
Alfie Kohn (of course) on summer learning loss.
Will Richardson on online learning and apps.


Special Needs Links
Sometimes homeschooling families have special needs children.
In fact home education is well suited to these children. Here are links
that will help the home school family with a special needs child.
- A Day's Work -
Designing, constructing, and providing: adaptive clamping system
and attachments for holding simple musical instruments and other
items to wheel chair trays and table tops; and music instruments,
storage aids, and assistive devices for music education. Also, inviting
suggestions for ways to meet unmet needs in the elementary music
education and therapeutic environment.
- ABA Resources for
Recovery from Autism/PDD/Hyperlexia - Information on behavioral
intervention (ABA) for autism (and related disorders), a one-on-one
teaching approach backed by over thirty years of research. "How-to" information,
instructional resources, support groups, professional listings,
and legal and special education information. By a parent.
- About Cerebral Palsy -
About-Cerebral-Palsy.org provides useful information on Cerebral
Palsy, Diagnosis, Causes of CP, and classification of Cerebral Palsy.
Also, allows users to contact doctors with their questions, and offers
free evaluation for lifetime benefits.
- Autism Today - everything
you need to know about autism
- Complete Disability Resource Guide
- Dyslexia My Life -
The information and advice on this site is provided by a dyslexic,
giving inside knowledge on the various ways of coping with dyslexia
and Learning Disability.
- ISER - ISER a unique and comprehensive
internet site pertaining to the needs of families with special children
and their requirements.
- Learning Abled Kids -
Learning Abled Kids provides information and tools to help parents
homeschooling bright children with Specific Learning Disabilities.
- Model Me Kids - Autism-Asperger's Social Skills Training DVDs based on peer modeling for children and adolescents with Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Social skills curriculum resources. Preview video samples
- NATHAN - NATional cHallenged
Homeschoolers Associated Network - international organization for
homeschoolers for people dealing with disabilities
- The National Academy for Child Development - designs very specific home educational and therapeutic programs
for infants, children and adults given the labels including; Learning
Disabled, Dyslexic, Distractible, ADD, ADHD, Hyperactive, Down Syndrome,
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Tourettes Syndrome, Rhetts
Syndrome, Fragile X, Developmentally Delayed, PDD, Autistic, Cerebral
Palsy, Brain Injured, Comatose, Retarded, Minimal Brain Dysfunction,
Normal, Accelerated, and Gifted.
- Positively Autism - PositivelyAutism.com is a free newsletter for parents and teachers. Each issue contains articles, resources, free teaching materials, and links related to a particular topic. Free downloads include lesson plans, data sheets, flash cards, visual supports, work tasks, and more!
- Speech Language Pathology
Open Website Directory Project - he SLP/AUD Open Directory
Project Is a link directory that is managed by Speech Language
Pathologists (you can participate). It's goal is to create a source
for all possible links relating to Speech Language Pathology and
Audiology. The site can be found at www.slpwebsites.com and www.audwebsites.com,
an alternate URL for the same site.
Glaser's Page on Homeschooling Children in the Autism Spectrum - Aut-2B-Home
Children With Autism - I offer all new clients a free 30-minute phone consultation and if they want
to continue as a client, I offer my services at affordable rates. There
aren't many people out there who are willing to help families who want to homeschool
a child with autism especially to help them choose or develop customized curriculum,
teach them how to incorporate specialized teaching strategies, etc. I
am here to help provide whatever support the family needs and I work
with clients nationwide via phone and email consultations.


Summer Reading by Grade Educational and Parenting Articles
Browse summer reading by grade educational and parenting articles. Browse all our articles by topic and grade, or use the search.
Share these articles with friends
- Stages of Emergent Reading
- Helping Auditory Learners Succeed
- The Best Kids Magazines for the Elementary School Set
- Types of Reading
- Children Benefit from Modeling, Demonstration, and Explanation
- Literacy Development: Cambourne's Conditions
- The Value of Children's Literature
- 30,000 Words: Is Your Child Getting Enough?
- Play it Up! The Best Games for Grade School
- Reasons to Read Aloud to Children


The Democracy Project promotes civic engagement and a better understanding of citizen responsibilities in a democratic society among young people through a series of education-based services and programs.
Its lead program is the summer Institute for Teachers. The goal of the Institute is to improve the teaching of civics in Delaware classrooms by working with individual teachers. Through the Institute, teachers have the opportunity to meet with many public figures and develop new and innovative lesson plans. Over the past 16 years, more than 200 teachers have participated.
In addition to the summer Institute for Teachers, The Democracy Project makes available to teachers a wide range of civic education resources (including lesson plans) and links to notable civics websites.
The Democracy Project also provides a range of activities through partnerships with:
The Democracy Project staff also teach an undergraduate course titled “Civics and Economics for the Elementary Teacher.” This course is required for all elementary education majors at the University of Delaware.


The study of French includes instruction in language, literature, linguistics, and culture. Students of French studies acquire the skills required to not only speak the language, but also to learn about and appreciate French societies, cultures, and artistic expressions. The French studies program is designed to help students develop a solid grammar and vocabulary base that allows students to become effective communicators with an equal emphasis on cultural awareness and imparts skills to future foreign language teachers so that they may similarly enable elementary school students to begin the acquisition of foreign languages.
The French-Elementary degree satisfies the academic major requirement for teacher certification with an endorsement in elementary education and must be accompanied by the professional preparation program in elementary education. See Elementary Education for program admission, completion, and teacher certification requirements.


Almost half the adults in England only have the maths skills of a primary school child, according to a report out today.
Figures show that while literacy rates are improving, the number of adults who have numeracy skills no better than those expected of an 11-year-old has shot up from 15 million to 17 million – 49 per cent of the adult population – in the last eight years.
Part of the problem, according to National Numeracy, a new charity launched today, is that it has become socially acceptable to boast of poor mathematical skills.
The consequences are jeopardising both the economy and individuals' ability to understand the pay and deductions on their wage slips.
Chris Humphries, chairman of National Numeracy and former chief executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, said: "It is simply not acceptable for anyone to say 'I can't do maths'.
"It is a peculiarly British disease we aim to eradicate. It tends not to happen in other parts of the world and it's hitting our international competitiveness."
A poll carried out for the new charity of 2,000 adults by YouGov found that while 80 per cent would be embarrassed to tell someone they were bad at reading and writing, only slightly more than half (56 per cent) would feel ashamed to say they were bad at maths.
Yet Mr Humphries insisted that numeracy was, in fact, more important than literacy to one's future, as demonstrated by three recent studies.
"All three concluded that numeracy was a bigger indicator of negative outcomes than literacy," he said. "This was a bit of a surprise to the basic skills world but not to us. There is a strong correlation between lack of numeracy and multiple disadvantages."
He added: "People with poor numeracy are twice as likely to be unemployed while 65 per cent of young people in jail have the lowest levels of numeracy."
He put the problem down to the fact that improvements in basic skills had focused on literacy, partly because a large publishing industry was prepared to invest in improving reading skills while further education colleges struggled to find enough maths teachers.
"There are not enough well-trained numeracy teachers. Those with a strong background in mathematics have far better opportunities outside teaching".
Mass use of calculators only had a limited effect, added Mr Humphries. "Even with calculators they can't do these problems because they don't have enough understanding to interpret problems or analyse them," he said.
Sir Mike Rake, the chairman of BT, said compared with literacy, "numeracy may be an even clearer indicator of economic and personal success."
Case study: 'I struggled to the point that I was crying'
Paula Rodrigues, 35, a mother-of-three from London. She studied maths GCSE at City and Islington College
"When my children went to school I went to work in a hospital. I went for the interview and I passed the reading test so they gave me the job. But I struggled with the basic maths test to the point that I was crying. It was terrifying and embarrassing... I wanted to get a job as a teaching assistant but I couldn't get an interview without maths. [Studying maths] was hard at first. I never thought I could do it. My daughter is now doing GCSEs so I can help her. I can apply for jobs and it has changed everything"
Number crunching: You take the test
1. Screws come in packets of 30. Each bracket needs four screws. What will one packet of screws be enough for?
A: 6 brackets with 3 screws left over; B: 7 brackets with 2 screws left over; C: 7 brackets with 3 screws left over; D: 8 brackets exactly
2. Hasran has planned a new TV cupboard. A TV is 40cm wide and will sit in the middle of a shelf that is 900mm wide. How wide is the gap on each side of the TV?
A: 10cm; B. 25cm; C. 43cm; D. 50cm
3. Match these discounts with the following labels:
1. £300 reduced to £180
2. £240 reduced to 160
3. £350 reduced to £280
Labels: A. Amazing 1/3 off! B. Massive 20% off! C. Slashed by 30%! D. Reduced by 40p in the £
Answers: 1. B 2. B 3. 3 (1-D; 2-A; 3-B)


High school math is the next step in a child’s life where they are taken out of the basic principles of mathematics and ushered into a world of greater depth, learning skills that they will carry with them into adulthood and hopefully exercise their critical thinking skills in a way that will help them in their career field of choice. Starting with the first year of high school, 9th grade math builds upon the basics and also introduces new components of practical math application, such as consumer math and finances.
An example of a typical 9th grade math course will include the following :
- Consumer Mathematics
- Applied Business Math
- Algebra 1
Some students may excel beyond the required courses in their first year and go on to study Algebra 2, Advanced Algebra, and perhaps even venture into calculus. Every student is different and now is the time for them to truly understand and put into practice all of the equations they were taught up to transitioning from elementary education, to high school.
An important element of approaching 9th grade math, is to consider the student and what interests they have, and the goals they have for themselves in the future. If they have plans to attend a college, and what degree they wish to achieve can affect the course material they pursue while working toward their high school diploma. When looking at 9th grade math the entire four years of high school should also come into focus and contribute to what and how the student studies.
Along with learning new math expressions students will begin to learn how to use a variety of problem solving strategies. They will learn how to determine what information is needed while problem solving, and how to use multiple representation to explain situations ( numerically, algebraically, graphically, etc.) They will begin to understand how to reason, prove their reasoning mathematically, and then communicate their reasoning to others.
It is important for teachers to take the time to connect with their students on this subject. Young people who are struggling in grasping basic concepts, or did not fully learn foundational principles in elementary and middle school will have a much more difficult time transitioning into higher math. Algebra in particular can become a source of frustration without basic understanding. Parents should also be aware of where their child is at, and what they should be working on. Having teachers and parents who are willing to be involved can help a student feel more comfortable with asking questions and less inhibited in the math world.
9th grade truly is a transition from child to young adult. Diving into the world of higher math is one step closer to equipping the next generation with the tools they need to succeed. With proper support from teachers, parents, and a school that facilitates an atmosphere of learning through asking questions and hands on application, 9th grade math is one more brick in the foundation of a child’s education that they can build upon for the rest of their lives.


How to Teach Any Child to Spell / Tricks of the Trade 2-Book Set
Category Description for How to Teach Any Child to Spell & Tricks of the Trade
Some children, even though motivated, full of phonics instruction, and diligent workers, just don't seem to "catch on" to spelling. Gayle Graham designed her spelling program for just such a child and in the process developed a program that would be a strong contender for teaching any child to spell. What a coincidence, then, that she selected this title (How to Teach Any Child to Spell) for her little (35 pages; 5.5" x 8") teacher's manual. Expanding on one of Ruth Beechick's three approaches to teaching spelling, Mrs. Graham has developed the Beechick "individualized method" into an individualized spelling notebook. Her methodology is simple enough; put one spelling rule on each page, help the student categorize his own spelling mistakes under the proper rule, discuss the reason for each error developing a strategy for remembering the word's spelling, and drill the student's own misspelled words daily. However, she's packaged all this into a 90-page notebook (Tricks of the Trade); hole-punched with an attractive layout and engaging illustrations. What sets this approach apart from other phonics-based spelling programs is the reasoning involved. The student is actively involved in the classification/analysis of his very own spelling difficulties. This reasoning process is a significant element in each daily spelling lesson along with more typical elements - daily writing, phonics review, review of misspelled words. Another key and unusual element is daily oral reading with "penciling" - a process which draws the reader's attention to patterns of words and phrases.
The How to Teach book is full of helpful information including an examination of spelling myths, a look at spelling stages and strategies, a short tutorial on teaching spelling by syllables, and a strategic compilation of basic phonics/spelling rules. Although phonics plays a key element in any student's command of spelling, the slightly different perspective of seeing phonics as the building blocks for words helps engage the student in the analysis process which is the key to success. Carefully chosen helps continue into the appendix: rules worth remembering, daily phonics review, frequently misspelled words, and a recommended resource list.
The two-book set includes both the teacher's manual How to Teach Any Child to Spell and the consumable Tricks of the Trade: A Student's Individualized Spelling Notebook. ~ Janice


Didn't find it here? Try a Google Custom Search!
Your Emerging Theory/Philosophy of Teaching
Complete this rating scale to find out if your beliefs about
learning are consistent with those of behaviorism,
cognitivism, or humanism.
Educational Psychology Interactive:
Click on Index of Topics in the left-hand margin to
find the topics included in this site.
A hypertext, alphabetical index.
From Scientific American. See also
Classical Conditioning: How It Works and Few Examples.
Introduction to Operant Conditioning.
and Operant Conditioning.
and Behaviorism - An Historical Outline
An overview of the history of behavioral learning theories.
An on-line tutorial in the basics of behaviorism.
B. F. Skinner Foundation
A Skinner bibliography as well as information about Skinner's
contributions to psychology.
Social Cognitive Theory
Information on concept of learning developed by
Cognitive Learning Theory
An article titled, "Foundations of Cognitive Theory: A Concise
Review." See also
Cognitive Learning Theory, and
Cognitive Learning Theory - WebQuest.
A basic introduction to the humanistic view of learning. See also
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) Humanistic Theory of Learning and
Education is . . . And Is Not.
and Open Education
overview. See also
down the page for information on humanism and confluent
education), Courage and Fear: A Lesson
Plan Using The Red Badge of Courage
of confluent or holistic learning), and
Lesson Plan Index.
also 12 design
principles based on brain-based learning research.
The Whole Brain Atlas
From Harvard Medical School.
The Responsive Classroom
A popular approach to elementary education that employs many humanistic
Responsive Classroom Fact Sheet for a brief overview.
A. S. Neill's
Learn about Summerhill and A. S. Neill.
An excellent, concise list of advantages and disadvantages of several
Madeline Hunter Method
of Principles of Direct Instruction and
Model Lesson Plans Index.
and other information from Funderstanding. See also
Introduction to Cooperative Learning
Cooperative Learning and
Cooperative and Collaborative Learning?
Office of Research - Consumer Guide: Cooperative Learning
One more page with information about cooperative learning. It
includes a summary of research on cooperative learning
as well as brief descriptions of specific
approaches to the use of this technique.
The "official site" for this cooperative learning
technique. See a
school nutrition unit for a n example of this model.
An overview of this cognitive technique.
See also Reciprocal Teaching Lesson Plans
Model Lesson Plan.
A good overview of constructivism and its use in teaching science.
Association for Constructivist Teaching
The Learning Cycle Approach to Science Instruction
Information on Piaget's three-phase learning cycle.
See also The Jean Piaget Society.
Principle - Optimal Learning
A site devoted to "newer innovations in education that optimize learning"
such as multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence, and brain-based learning.
Learning Styles Resource Site
Under construction, but should be a good source of information.
Learning Styles Lesson Plan Index
for several lesson plans based on the work of
Anthony Gregorc as well as
Check Your Personal
Index of Learning Styles Questionaire,
and The Vark Questionnaire.
The Myth of Learning Styles
An article debunking the importance of learning styles. See also
Do Learning Styles Matter for Learning? and
Do Learning Styles Really Matter?
What Is the
Good source for more basic information. See also
Multiple Intelligences for a high school lesson plan on
Howard Gardner's theory of
A very brief online inventory.
See also Assessment: Find Your
Return to Index
Background for this page is from


SCOTTISH primary school teachers should only be allowed into the profession if they have a maths Higher, an expert has said.
Educationalist Keir Bloomer believes the measure is a vital part of a wider drive to improve basic numeracy in the classroom.
Currently, students who enter primary school teacher training courses in Scotland only need the equivalent of a Standard Grade in maths. However, they must have a Higher in English.
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Last year, a major report found around one-quarter of pupils were not classed as working either well or very well in primary school numeracy tests.
Mr Bloomer, the author of a recent report on the future of Scottish education commissioned by think-tank Reform Scotland, believes part of the problem is a lack of confidence in teachers.
He said: "Primary school teachers can be accepted on to teacher training courses with only a Standard Grade pass in maths, rather than a Higher.
"We need to ask why that is the case. Surely we ought to be expecting high standards of numeracy in the primary teaching profession?"
Mr Bloomer, a former chief executive of Clackmannanshire Council, called for a wider campaign to change attitudes towards numeracy. He said: "We have a culture in which it is perfectly fine to say 'I was rotten at maths' but you wouldn't dream of saying 'I'm not very good at reading'.
"We have got to change that because there is a tolerance of poor standards of numeracy that I think is wholly regrettable. So much of our economic fortune, and therefore our social stability, rests on our scientific capacity and therefore our numeracy.
"There is a feeling that maths is hard and, not only is it hard, but it is something for a particular kind of person who is perhaps more geeky. We have to change that."
Mr Bloomer said Scotland should learn from the best avail-able international practice to find out what works best and called on the Scottish Government to make greater efforts to stress the importance of numeracy.
Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, backed Mr Bloomer's concerns.
She said: "We need to think carefully about how, at home and at school, we help build these absolutely fundamental skills.
"Where parents lack confidence in maths themselves it can be a challenge to avoid passing this on to their children.
"The simple message is it's not enough to criticise parents for not supporting their child – practical steps have to be taken."
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland union, added: "We understand the view it may be desirable to look at the entrance requirements for new teacher training entrants in the future, particularly in English and Maths, in light of the new curriculum's focus on literacy and numeracy."
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "The new Curriculum for Excellence includes an emphasis on the development of young people's numeracy skills across all areas and at all levels of the curriculum.
"This reflects the importance that the Scottish Government places on numeracy, which unlocks learning in other areas of the curriculum, particularly in science and technology, and is therefore vital for success in the modern world and workplace, and for our future economic prosperity."


Why is Education a Global Issue?
On May 12, Asia Society Northern California will honor Co-Founder and CEO of Teach For All Wendy Kopp for her role in transforming education at its 11th Annual Dinner, Education in a Global Era: The U.S.-Asia Connection. Kopp will also speak at Asia Society's program the same day, Global Education for a Global World, which will explore global competence and how to achieve it for all students.
Teach For All is a global network of independent social enterprises working to expand educational opportunity in their countries by enlisting talented future leaders to the effort. It is currently active in over 30 countries.
After 20 years at Teach For America, why was it important to “go global?”
Teach For All grew as a response to social entrepreneurs from many countries who were looking for help in adapting Teach For America’s model to their own contexts. As we progressed, we saw that educational inequity is a pervasive global problem that is very similar in its nature from place to place, which led us to realize that we could make a big impact through supporting the development of this model around the world and fostering learning and sharing among the staff, teachers, and alumni in different countries.
What innovations have you found in Asian countries?
The example of Shanghai, China, is so striking. Twenty years ago they had low educational outcomes and significant disparities, but today they have the highest levels of educational excellence and equity in the world. They’ve done this through investing in teacher development, setting rigorous standards that require students to think critically, and integrating disadvantaged students while providing them with extra support, among other things.
This past fall, I met Minxuan Zhang, President of Shanghai Normal University, who has been at the center of this transformation. He told me that the number one reason for their success is their “open door policy”—they send educators around the world to learn from other systems. Imagine if we all had this kind of global approach—we could be learning so much from one another.
What skills must today’s students develop in order to be successful in an interconnected world?
Cultivating leadership skills in our students is essential—perseverance, self-efficacy, critical consciousness about our world, critical thinking, and communication skills. Some of the world’s greatest potential leaders are today’s most marginalized students because they’ve overcome adversity and have experienced the inequities we must address if we’re going to build a stronger and more just society. But unlocking their potential is going to take channeling immense resources and energy into schools in low-income communities.
You said in a recent interview that it’s very difficult convincing people to invest in improving education globally. How have you approached this?
Globally, 250 million children aren't on track to learning even the most basic literacy and numeracy skills. We cannot afford to ignore this given that our fates are interconnected – our economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, public safety, and health. One economy fails and we all feel the effects. When educational disparities widen in one corner of the world, hopelessness festers and the whole world grows less safe. We’re working to help people understand this, and also to understand how much we can improve local outcomes—and in turn our collective welfare—through taking a global approach to fostering learning and sharing across contexts.
More Information & Further Reading
Kopp featured at Asia Society's December 2013 program Making the Grade in Global Education
Learn more about Asia Society's Education initiatives.
Interview edited for publication. Asia Society’s Global Learning and Leadership’s mission is to develop students' and young leaders' global competence as the foundation for understanding between people in the Asia Pacific region and throughout the world.


Making homemade ketchup is easier than your child may think. Invite her into the kitchen to experiment with concocting this tasty condiment while learning more about the history of ketchup! Who knew this popular condiment included so many ingredients?
What You Do:
- Start by helping your child get out all the ingredients needed for making the ketchup along with a saucepan.
- Now offer your child a pairing knife and invite her to cut the tomatoes in half and place in the saucepan. She can also roughly chop the onion and place it in the saucepan.
- It’s time to get measuring! After putting the heat on medium under the pot, your child can start measuring and adding the rest of the ingredients for the ketchup, except the brown sugar, vinegar, lemon, honey and salt.
- Invite your child to set the kitchen timer for 30 minutes and let things simmer. She can use a spatula to give things a stir every once in awhile.
- Once time is up your child can turn off the heat and let the tomato mixture cool for 10 to 15 minutes. She should also remove the bay leaf before things hit the blender.
- Now your child can gently pour the mixture into the blender and blend on low until a smooth consistency is achieved. Remember, things may be hot, so blend with caution!
- Invite your child to pour the mixture back into the saucepan and add the sugar, lemon, apple cider vinegar, honey and salt. She can turn the heat back to medium and let her ketchup simmer for another 15 minutes.
- All that’s left is to let her ketchup cool and make some French fries to dip in her homemade condiment! What isn’t eaten can be put in a lidded jar and saved for later!
Did you know: Ketchup was actually invented in Indonesian and Asian culture and was very popular in the 1700 is China? Henry J. Heinz was the first to bottle the condiment in 1876, putting it at the top of American’s favorite things to have on the kitchen table.
Tip: If the taste of your ketchup changes, it's probably time for it to be thrown out.
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.


Johnson State College’s General Education Curriculum (GEC), a program of integrative learning, addresses the accelerating pace of change in all areas of society at the local, national and global levels. The goals and outcomes of the GEC are designed to equip our graduates with the skills to flourish in a world marked by constant innovation and global interdependence.
As the mission statement for the College’s GEC states, “In order to help students enrich their lives and become fully engaged citizens of their world, the Johnson State College General Education Program strengthens the foundations of written and oral communication, mathematics and quantitative reasoning, and understanding of the scientific method. It complements the depth of the [student’s chosen] major with a breadth of experiences that cross disciplinary boundaries and emphasize connections between the student and the community.”
Essential Learning Outcomes for Students:
- Broad knowledge of human cultures and the natural and physical world, including social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, histories and the arts;
- Intellectual and practical skills, including effective writing, inquiry, quantitative and information literacy, and teamwork and problem solving;
- Integrative learning, including the capacity to adapt knowledge, skills and responsibilities to new settings and questions.
(Adapted from the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ College Learning for the New Global Century, 2007)
There are two General Education programs in place at Johnson State College:
- General Education Curriculum for Campus-Based Students
- General Education Curriculum for External Degree Program (EDP) Students
General Education Curriculum for Campus-Based Students
In addition to a focus on “Foundational Skills” in writing, mathematics and science, the GEC program for campus-based students centers around four “Integrative Perspectives,” or ways of looking at oneself, society, the broader world – even the universe – and one’s place within it. The courses and experiences attached to each perspective foster the development of knowledge, skills and the ability to reflect on one’s learning. In these ways, the Integrative Perspectives become active tools for personal development and engagement with community and life as a whole.
In addition, the curriculum includes programming for first-year students designed to help them successfully transition to college both academically and socially, build connections within the JSC community, and experience the many opportunities and resources at JSC that support their success through graduation:
The First-Year Seminar: All students entering JSC with fewer than 15 college credits must take a First-Year Seminar (FYS). Students may self-select a FYS from any of the available offerings.
The Creative Audience: All entering JSC students must complete two semesters, 0.5 credits each, of Creative Audience programming. Students attend six events each semester from a wide variety of offerings to complete this requirement.
Foundational Skills Component
Foundational Skills: 16-19 credits
Integrative Perspectives Component
Integrative Perspectives: 21 credits
General Education Curriculum for EDP Students
Students enrolled in the External Degree Program must earn at least 60 credits in liberal arts. These credits must include the following components of general education:
Key Skills: 6 credits
* Mathematics: (3 credits)
* Rhetorical Expression: ENG-1220 (3 credits), or earn a waiver by passing a challenge exam. This requirement must be met by the end of a student’s second semester or after completion of 15 credits in EDP. ENG-1220 meets the College’s graduation requirement in writing for EDP students, and no other course or experiential credits can substitute for it.
Integrated Knowledge: 25 credits
Individual and Human Relationships (6 credits). English literature or writing, languages, communications, psychology or other courses with a focus on understanding self and others.
Social and Historical Relationships (6 credits). Sociology, history, political science, economics, law and other courses focusing on social institutions, movements and problems past and present. At least three credits must emphasize an historical perspective.
Environmental and World Relationships (7 credits). Sciences (physical, biological, environmental, health). At least four credits must use or study scientific method, including a lab or field study.
Universal and Philosophical Relationships (6 credits). Studies with a focus on transcendent issues, symbolic systems and aesthetic understanding. At least three credits must be in a consciously speculative field such as philosophy, religious studies, mythology, aesthetic or symbolic theory. Other credits can be in areas such as art, music or drama.
Note: For students majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies (B.A.), a maximum of 6 credits in the major can be used to fulfill the General Education Curriculum or the External Degree Program.


Contact: Science Press Package
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Nudging an asteroid
Scientists have made a discovery about an asteroid named “6489 Golevka,” that may help them to better predict asteroids’ travel routes through the solar system. Researchers generated this image of 6489 Golevka by measuring how radiowaves bounced off the asteroid's surface.
Image courtesy of NASA.
Click here for a high resolution photograph.
Scientists have made a discovery about an asteroid named "6489 Golevka" that may help them to better predict asteroids' travel routes through the solar system. Most of the asteroids in the solar system cruise along an asteroid highway called the "main belt" that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Every now and then, one will take a detour onto another path that carries them towards the center of the solar system. These objects may then become "near-Earth asteroids" if they come within 121 million miles (195 million kilometers) of the sun. The chances of a large near-Earth asteroid hitting Earth are extremely small, and none of the asteroids that scientists are now tracking will hit Earth any time soon. Still, scientists do want to be able to predict that paths that near-Earth asteroids will take.
One of the influences upon an asteroid's path is called the "Yarkovsky effect," which can give an asteroid a gentle nudge out of the main belt. This effect occurs when the sun heats certain parts of an object's uneven surface more than other parts. Once the Yarkovsky effect has caused an asteroid to exit off the main-belt highway, the asteroid can potentially get redirected into the inner solar system, towards Earth. At least, that's what scientists have been thinking should happen. They haven't actually observed the Yarkovsky effect on a real space object until now.
Steven Chesley of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and his colleagues detected the Yarkovsky effect using radar measurements of 6489 Golevka taken by telescopes in Puerto Rico and California. More studies of this effect on Golevka and other asteroids will help clarify our understanding their past, present and future travel routes. The study appears in the 5 December issue of the journal Science.
Back to Science for kids
Science is published by AAAS, the non-profit science society.


Fourteen Weeks to a Better Band, Book 1
Concert band Bb trumpet/baritone (TC)
Composed by Roger Maxwell. Band Book/Method-Instruction. Part book. Composed 1974. Published by C.L. Barnhouse (CL.073-1994-24).
Item Number: CL.073-1994-24
Roger Maxwell has dedicated his music career to writing material which will help students overcome reading barriers. He has conducted extensive research which underscores the need for such materials which will, in turn, help students to better understand the language of music. C.L. Barnhouse Company is proud to recognize Mr. Maxwell's leadership in music education. His "Fourteen Weeks to a Better Band" Books I and II continue to be valuable classroom tools. Please visit www.14weekstoabetterband.com for details of his research.


Preschool Language & Literacy Development
Now Available! Multi-Sensory ABC Twiggles Curriculum
The ABC Twiggles program is a research-based curriculum with an engaging blend of technology, literature, and instructional teacher support.
Did you know that e arly literacy research suggests that early literacy skills like alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, letter recognition, and writing letters are the strongest and most consistent predictors of later success in reading.
ABC Twiggles features a multisensory program that incorporates visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic techniques and learning activities. Immersed in an environment with sights and smells, language and auditory rhythm, and opportunities for gross and fine motor movement, each letter of the alphabet is presented to children in a variety of integrated contexts, thus enhancing children’s memory of alphabet letters and their corresponding sounds.
Learn more about the program and view all resources for the Letter A for Free!
Other Early Literacy Activities:
Teach the alphabeth song
Read alphabeth books together
Help your child to recognize her/his name. Write the letters of his/her name and say each letter as you write it. Have your child find the letters in her/his name on billboards or store signs.
An easy way to introduce your child to capital and lowercase letters is to help your child to practice writing his or her name. Point out that the first letter of the name is a capital letter, while the rest of the letters are lowercase letters.
Read to your child as often as possible so that they get exposed to literature. Ask your child to find letters in books, magazines, etc.
Look for words and letters everywhere you go: on traffic signs, on restaurants, in advertising, at the grocery store.
View also the kindergarten milestones for language and reading skills
Taktile learning. Use a plastic sheet protectors for each letter printout. Help your child to form letters on top of the plastic using yarn, play-dough, or cookie dough.
Make an alphabet book with a page for each letter. With your child cut out pictures from magazines and catalogs that begin with each letter. Glue each picture to its appropriate page.
Letter A activities and crafts
See more preschool ABC letter activities and crafts
This little snowman (coming soon!)
Great Parents and Teacher Resources
Teachers: Put Reading First
Parents: A Child Becomes a Reader


The Literacy & Communication Model Demonstration Classroom Project for Students with Deaf-Blindness
A project funded by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina Deafblind Project
Definition of Deaf-Blindness
Often when we hear the term "deaf-blindness," the story of Helen Keller comes to mind. While she was deaf-blind, this severity of hearing and vision loss is NOT necessary in order to be considered as deaf-blind. The Federal Registry uses the following definition:
"Determination of deaf-blind children. As used in this part, the term 'deaf-blind children' means children who have auditory and vision disabilities, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational difficulties that they cannot properly be accommodated in special education programs solely for the deaf or blind child." Federal Registry, Volume 40, No. 35, February 20, 1075, Section 121c.37(a)
Certification of Deaf-Blindness and Available Services
In order to be registered on the Deaf-Blind Census, students must be certified as having a vision impairment and a hearing impairment of varying degree. Reports from doctors, teachers of the hearing impaired, teachers of the visually impaired, other related service providers, and/or classroom teacher reports can be used to document dual sensory impairments. After students are identified on the state Deaf-Blind census, the Exceptional Children's Department can offer special services to students, parents and educators, such as technical assistance, consultation, and inservice trainings. Two forms need to be completed, along with the appropriate documentation, and returned to Chris Jones, State DB Project Director at the Department of Public Instruction: the Student Information Form and the Deaf-Blind Certification Form.
The Model Classrooms Supporting Students Deaf-Blindness
By working directly with selected school sites and individual students, the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies is working to identify and implement exemplary practices in literacy and communication for students who have been identified with deaf-blindness. Model sites are located in 4 different counties in the state. In addition, the project staff at the CLDS provides training and support through a variety of mechanisms.
Student Case Studies
As part of the project, case studies are being developed to support educational teams and families in their efforts to address the literacy and communication needs of individuals with severe disabilities, including deaf-blindness. The following case studies are currently available:
To follow the case of Jake, click here.
To follow the case of Matthew, click here.
Downloadable Teaching Resources for Students with Multiple Disabilities, Including Deaf-Blindness
Another component of the project involves the development of instructional materials and resources designed to support the implementation of successful practices throughout North Carolina and beyond. These downloadable resources include specific directions for implementing the core instructional activities developed in the model sites, as well as directions for creating specific materials to support successful communication and literacy development. To learn more about the resources available, go to the downloadable classroom resources page.
For more information about the project, contact Gretchen Hanser, Project Director.


George Winter was born in England, where he studied four years at the Royal Academy before coming to America in 1830 to continue his art education in New York. In 1835 he took up residence in Cincinnati, Ohio. Upon hearing of the plight of northern Indiana’s Potawatomi Indians, who were being removed to Kansas in what became known as “Potawatomi Trail of Death,” Winter settled in Logansport, Indiana, to document their culture. After 13 years in Logansport, he moved to Lafayette, Indiana, and then spent three years in California. Shortly after his return to Indiana in 1876, Winter died suddenly. Although he is known primarily for documenting the relocation of the Potawatomi and Miami tribes, Winter was a writer whose prose not only conveys the anguish of the relocation but also the beauty of the surrounding countryside. Winter is also known for his documentation of the life of Frances Slocum, a Quaker child who was abducted by Indians and later became the wife of the tribe’s chief.
Winter’s early training in England exposed him to the traditional pastoral, classically inspired landscapes modeled after the work of 17th-century French painter Claude Lorrain. Although this canvas purportedly depicts a view of the Wabash River near Lafayette, the graceful trees that frame the foreground, the measured recession of space, and the warm, dusky light suggest that it is a thoroughly idealized scene. Landscapes that partially transformed the untamed Indiana countryside into an orderly, ideal world probably appealed to Winter’s purchasers.
Kitty Dye. Meet George Winter: Pioneer Artist, Journalist, Entrepreneur, St. Louis, Missouri: LeClere Publishing Company, 2001. ISBN-13: 978-0970250117
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Editor’s Note: Teaching Channel has partnered with Student Achievement Partners on a blog series about the new assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards. They have assembled a group of teachers who have either tried aligned sample assessment questions with their students or have participated in field testing of the new consortia (PARCC/Smarter Balanced) assessments this spring. Throughout the month of April, these teachers will share their thoughts, concerns, and optimism for what new assessments can mean for their classrooms. We hope this series will help ease fears and give teachers a platform for honest discussion.
Assessment season can bring on sweaty palms and racing hearts… for teachers. This year, there is an additional level of uncertainty as the Common Core State Standards are rolled out across the county and new assessments are being field tested or administered. This may feel like the moment of truth (how will my students do? how will that reflect on my teaching?), but it is just the beginning of the process of making sure our students are on track for success in college and beyond.
As teachers across the country are partaking in opportunities to understand, prepare for, and try new assessments in their classrooms, many are excited by what they’re seeing and how their students are responding. Like you, some have tried Common Core-aligned sample mini assessments and exercises from Achievethecore.org in their classrooms, as well as sample items and tasks released by both assessment consortia, PARCC and Smarter Balanced. Others are shifting their formative assessment practices in new and innovative ways to see how their students are doing with these new expectations. We’ve gathered a group of teachers from around the country to share honest reflections on how it’s going.
MEET THE TEACHERS
Tricia Ebner teaches gifted and talented middle school students in an ELA-based program in Hartville, Ohio. She is a member of Ohio’s PARCC Educator Leader Cadre, National Board Certified in early adolescent ELA, and a Student Achievement Partners Core Advocate.
Christina Suarez has been teaching high school social studies in Vermont for 11 years. As an advocate for the Common Core, she is also working with the Vermont Agency of Education’s Professional Learning Network to assist local development and implementation of performance-based assessments.
Cay Freeman is a 28-year veteran teacher in Windsor, Connecticut, who teaches intervention classes to 6th-8th grade students who struggle with math. In 2010, she was the district Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Connecticut Teacher of the Year.
Em LeBlanc is a third grade math, science, and social studies teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She works with teachers throughout her district and state while being an advisor for the Louisiana Teacher Leaders, conducting professional development such as being a State Trainer for Eureka Math, and holding other leadership roles in education. Em has certifications in elementary education, special education, and educational leadership.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Over the next few weeks, this “on the ground” teacher team will address new assessment topics. They’ll talk about their unique classroom experiences — from preparing to use new technology to reflecting on their practice. We invite you to join the conversation, engage in discussion, and with each blog we’ll ask you to respond to a specific question. Our goal is to start an honest conversation among teachers about these shifts in instruction and assessment. We hope you’ll share your own successes, struggles, and questions with us. Come back throughout April for a new entry each Thursday.
We’re kicking off the “Assessment Diaries” series with a video of teachers reflecting on how aligned assessments can support the hard work happening in their classrooms.
After you’ve watched, use the comment section below to tell us what you think about this statement:
A promise of the new Common Core-aligned assessments is the elimination of the dreaded “test prep” time. High quality, aligned assessments should reflect and reward instruction aligned to the learning goals of the Standards. No more surprises. Do you agree?
We’re really looking forward to this series and hope you are too. See you next week!
READ ALL ASSESSMENT DIARY ENTRIES
Student Achievement Partners (SAP) was founded by David Coleman, Susan Pimentel and Jason Zimba, lead writers of the Common Core State Standards. SAP is a non-profit organization working to support teachers across the country in their efforts to realize the promise of the Common Core State Standards for all students. SAP has one purpose: to help all students and teachers see their hard work lead to greater student achievement.


Story posted Jaunary, 2008
• More than 90% of parents whose children attend this program report that their children do better in school and learn new things because of the program
Students in Genesee County, Michigan have no excuse to be "home alone" after school. A countywide afterschool initiative called Bridges to the Future enrolls more than 17,000 youngsters in safe, organized activities that are designed to support in-school learning - with a healthy emphasis on kid-centered fun.
Genesee County, home to the city of Flint, has seen its share of tough times in recent years, due to a declining economy, increasing poverty, and rising levels of violence and crime. Bridges to the Future is providing the county's students with the attention and the caring they need to rise above these trends and see the way to success.
"Bridges to the Future is a testament to our community's ability to work together and provide enriching and quality afterschool programming for the very students and families who have been impacted most by the declining economy," said Ron Butler, United Way of Genesee County executive director, in an article by Michigan's Center for Educational Networking.
Bridges to the Future is available at no cost to all students in Genesee County schools, from kindergarten through ninth grade. The program is an innovative partnership between United Way of Genesee County, the Genesee Intermediate School District, and the county's 21 public school districts. Other community partners include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Flint's Longway Planetarium and many more. Funding for the program comes from a range of private, foundation and government dollars.
Using an "adaptive youth development model," the afterschool program reinforces the fundamentals learned during the school day by providing fun and creative learning opportunities.
Among the keys to the success of Bridges to the Future: a determination to tailor learning opportunities to the interests of students. (Bridges students made sushi during a recent "Taste of the World" study program at Anderson Elementary in Flint.) Students can choose from more than 250 activities in areas from literacy development to music, community service, fitness and more. And, a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) at each Bridges to the Future site ensures that student input helps guide the program's design and offerings.
According to a recent third-party evaluation, more than 90 percent of parents whose children attend Bridges to the Future report that their children do better in school and learn new things as a result of the program. Bridges to the Future has received a number of accolades and awards; it was named the nation's most outstanding afterschool program by the National Community Education Association in 2003.
Further details about this story can be found in our sources:
Alex Nikoloff, for Michigan Department of Education Leading Change, "Genesee County Offers Bridges to the Future", Fall 2004
Bridges to the Future
For additional information, please contact:
Director of Health, Safety and Nutrition Services
Genesee Intermediate School District
Phone - (810)591-4447
Fax - (810)591-4940
Email - firstname.lastname@example.org
Photo courtesy of the Bridges to the Future


My four-year-old is in love with books and is always asking someone to read her a story. One of her other favorite activities is using her older brothers collection of LEGO bricks to build houses and castles for her dolls. Because of her love of books and LEGOs, I was pretty sure she would love the new LEGO DUPLO Read & Build sets.
I knew I was right when she caught me taking a picture of the set and she exclaimed, "Ohhh! Can I play with those?" She was pretty excited when I told her that the new set was just for her.
These fun sets include a book and the LEGO DUPLO blocks to build the characters from the story. As you read the story, there are easy to follow instructions that allow your pre-schooler to build the characters that you are reading about. There are also questions that not only help them interact with the book, but allow them to act it out with the DUPLO characters they have just created.
Not only does the addition of the blocks make reading the story fun, but asking pre-school aged kids questions about the story and allowing them to engage with the book is a great way to promote reading readiness. I always try to ask questions about the stories I read to my kids. It is a skill I picked up in my elementary education classes. These books make that even easier because the questions are built right into the story.
Not only will these books help prepare pre-school age kids for reading, they are also great for practicing color and shape recognition as the children locate the required bricks for character building. Not to mention that they are learning to follow printed visual instructions and are getting practice problem solving as well. All of these skills are what make LEGO sets some of my favorite toys for children of any age and these LEGO DUPLO Read & Build sets are the perfect skill level for Miss Ruby.
Reading the book once wasn't enough, so we read the story together twice as she followed along building the characters and acting out the rolls they played. And when story time was over, there was still plenty of fun to be had with her new farm animal friends.
Do you have a preschooler that would love a LEGO DUPLO Read & Build set? Tell me how you think the new Read & Build sets will help your child learn to read and you will be entered for the chance to win a $100 LEGO Gift Card!
Visit LEGO.com to see other Read & Build sets and order online. Check out BlogHer.com to find other reviews and more ways you can enter to win.
Sweepstakes Rules:No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 7/11 – 8/19/12.


The purpose of this research is to add to the theory on lesson planning in mathematics by describing the affordances, constraints, and meditational aspects of how teachers plan elementary mathematics lessons and how lesson plans actualize during the teaching process. Case studies (Yin, 2009) of four fourth grade elementary school teachers were conducted and data were collected through written documents, interviews, videotapes of teaching, and photographs of artifacts used during teaching. The data were analyzed and coded using a grounded theory approach (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Results indicated that standardized testing influenced the lesson planning process by mediating curricula use, teacher collaboration, and other lesson planning elements. This resulted in a focus on skills and algorithms, as opposed to teaching for conceptual understanding. Analysis of lesson plan actualization indicated teachers were following their lesson plans as they taught, with only minor adjustments. Therefore, teacher support personnel should provide professional development opportunities to assist teachers to plan conceptually based lessons with elements of effective teaching to improve student understanding, which would help students perform well on examinations. Similarly, teacher education programs should prepare pre-service teachers to write lesson plans that include elements of effective teaching and help pre-service teachers understand the affordances and constraints that exist in educational contexts.
|School||UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO|
|Subjects||Mathematics education; Elementary education|
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Advocacy is the act of speaking, writing, or acting in support of an issue or person. It may be an educational activity, such as an article about the benefits of art education in the curriculum, or it may be participation in a rally around a particular cause.
Lobbying commonly means discussing issues with legislators. However, for 501-c-3 nonprofit organizations, lobbying is a form of advocacy that has a legal and IRS definition. Generally, this means asking policymakers to take a specific stance on a specific piece of legislation.
The Advocacy Handbook in this section was designed to assist the public in how to effectively express their points of view to legislators. It also includes a section on how the legislative process works in New Mexico.
An informed and involved citizenry is crucial to the democratic process. The How to Host a Candidates' Forum booklet delineates the steps in producing a forum where people can get to know candidates and learn what they think about a variety of issues.
This Advocacy section also has links to useful information on different aspects of advocacy provided by a variety of organizations.
Information about advocating for arts education can be found in the Arts Education section of the New Mexico Arts web site.


From local villagers of red panda range countries who use red panda habitat for their survival to the general public in developing countries, few people are aware of the plight of the red panda.
The Red Panda Network’s first goal is to raise the level of awareness in local villages surrounding red panda habitat, and our second goal is to raise awareness in the general public worldwide. Communities surrounding red panda habitat are usually marginalized and have inadequate elementary education. The Red Panda Network complements this education through its “forest guardian” program.
We conduct “forest guardian” workshops that provide educational training about the importance of red panda and the fragility of the Eastern Himalayan ecosystem. At a “forest guardian” workshop community members are trained to perform monthly monitoring of sample plots in each community forest area, documenting presence/absence of red pandas, other wildlife, and take note of changes in vegetation.
Together with teachers in 30 schools we developed a middle-school curriculum for red panda environmental education. In similar workshops teachers are trained and given educational materials to conduct “forest ranger” trainings at their local schools, building awareness in the young generation for forest conservation issues, and the value of the resources.
In 2006, our objective was to conduct 5 “forest guardian” trainings in Nepal. In 2007-2009, The Red Panda Network conducted another 5 trainings in Nepal. In 2010-2013 we continued to train existing and new forest guardians. In 2013-2014, we plan to establish programs in India.
In addition to the “forest guardian
” program, we raise awareness in the general public worldwide. For example, in 2005, we assisted in the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in the creation of the red panda content for their South Asia Trail exhibit (opened spring 2006), created and published the RPN website and attended 5 conferences and expos.
From 2006, we began using the power of the internet to reach out to a wider audience. In 2011 we significantly increased social media outreach. Between 2011 and 2013 our Facebook page went from 1,000 to over 12,000 ‘likes’, and individual posts, which in mid 2012 barely reached one to two-thousand people in 2013 routinely exceeded five- to ten-thousand readers. An iPhone game created by our volunteers hit 10,000 downloads in it’s first month in mid 2012, and continues to reach completely new audiences who had never heard of red pandas.
Besides zoos, we identified schools as important outreach partners. With San Jose State University Environmental Education majors, we created a cross-cultural curriculum and volunteer awareness program to be used in elementary schools in the Santa Clara Valley.
Since 2009 students in schools around the world participated in our awareness programs:
Our Red Panda rangers
program has become a big hit with young conservationists, and with the creation of the annual International Red Panda Day
we succeeded to deepen and multiply our education outreach and participation in zoos and partner organizations worldwide.


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Julie Blair's Story
Curious in Kindergarten
During my student teaching, I planned a lesson based on Taking Photos of Curious George: Exploring Character Through Images from ReadWriteThink.org. I fell in love with the concept and reinvented the project to cater to my kindergarteners' needs. I planned a five-day unit, overflowing with Curious George.
We began the week by reading Curious George books, creating webs, and making lists of character attributes. For example: He is a monkey, he likes bananas, he lived at the zoo, he is friendly, he likes to explore, and he is curious. Next, we made a list of places in our school, and I put my students in groups to let them brainstorm what he would do in different places or how he might get into mischief. Giving students the power to decide the course of the story was very exciting, and they were very imaginative! We came back together as a group and made a list of things Curious George would do in our school.
The following day, we posed George in different places in the school and took pictures of him doing the things we had listed. I came to class the next day with printed photos and gave each student a different photo to write a sentence about the picture. We had discussed Curious George's actions beforehand, but it was up to them what they wanted to write. Because I teach kindergarteners, I made a list of words on the board, like “Curious George,” “nurse,” “library,” “gym,” and so on for them to copy the spelling if they needed to.
On the final day, we worked together to put our photos (with sentences) into the order we wanted our story to follow. I allowed the students to take turns deciding what should come next in our story. Then I created a digital photo story out of the photos and their handwritten sentences. I also added music to it, and it came out so cute!
I was so inspired by this ReadWriteThink lesson that I found ways to incorporate Curious George aspects into almost every subject. We baked banana bread, created Curious George clocks to practice telling time, wrote journal entries including Curious George, and so much more! I also used my Curious George toy to spark interest each day by hiding him somewhere different in the room.
Based on the outcome of this project, ReadWriteThink will become a permanent part of my teaching career!
Grades K – 2 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Students will be monkeying around in this lesson when they create a digital class book in which they imagine what Curious George would do if he visited their school.
Students create an organizer of adjectives that describe Curious George.
Drawing Curious George
Students draw their own George and label him with adjectives.
Students create a list of locations within the school where Curious George could cause mischief.
See the mischief that George creates when he visits the school.
Students recreate Curious George's visit to their school.
This is the graphic organizer I made for us to list and brainstorm George's character traits!
Can You Find George?
Hiding George in the classroom helped my students stay motivated!
Our Favorite Scene
My students decided that George would visit the cafeteria and eat too much food!
Rules of School
In one of our final scenes, students lecture George about how to follow the rules in school!
Playing on the Computer
I scanned their handwritten sentences and used them in the photo story.
One student wrote "playful" as a descriptive word about Curious George.
I am currently a student teacher in a kindergarten classroom, and I love every minute of it! In May 2011, I will graduate with my degree in elementary education. I am very excited to be finishing up, and hope I have my own classroom very soon! I live in Warren County, Tennessee, where I was born and raised. I am very family oriented. I love long drives, pretty countryside, and relaxing with friends. I also enjoy going to the lake, shopping, scrapbooking, and, of course, TEACHING!


The push to put babies to sleep on their back to reduce the risk of sudden death has led to an uptick in flat heads, but few cases need any intervention, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Most skull deformities in otherwise normal children resolve with just monitoring and counseling for the parents on positioning, a report from the AAP noted in the December issue of Pediatrics.
Orthotic helmets to mold the head into shape should be considered only for severe cases of deformity or those that don't improve after 6 months of age, noted the writing committee, which was led by James Laughlin, MD, of Indiana University in Bloomington.
Since the AAP started recommending putting infants on their back to sleep in 1992, the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has fallen by more than half.
But positional skull deformity has risen drastically since then and now affects about 13% of healthy singleton babies, the report noted.
Parents often worry about it causing developmental delays, but there's no rigorous prospective evidence for a causal link, Laughlin's group pointed out.
Keeping babies supine leads to some delay in early motor skill development related to upper body strength and rolling over, they acknowledged, but this resolves over time.
Clinicians should watch for skull deformity risk factors at birth, such as multiple births, large for gestational age, and breech or transverse position, and then screen for it at each well-child office visit up to age 1, the report recommended.
Parents can help prevent or resolve positional skull deformity by:
- Placing the baby supine for 30 to 60 minutes of "tummy time" when the baby is awake and being watched
- Alternating the position of the head when the baby goes to sleep each night
- Periodically changing the direction the baby sleeps relative to active areas, such as the door to the room
- Avoiding prolonged time spent in car safety seats and swings
In cases of torticollis, or "wryneck," specific neck exercises should be done at each diaper change to stretch out the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles.
Two to three months of these kinds of measures usually lead to improvement.
"There is currently no evidence that molding helmets work any better than positioning for infants with mild or moderate skull deformity," the AAP report emphasized.
In severe cases, helmets are best used from ages 4 months to a year.
Imaging studies are unnecessary for diagnosis of positional skull deformities in most cases, and can even be misleading, the authors noted.
In the interest of minimizing radiation exposure and possible need for sedation, imaging should be ordered by specialists rather than pediatricians or primary care physicians, and should typically be reserved for suspected craniosynostosis or cases requiring surgical intervention.
Surgery is rarely needed, but may be indicated in severe refractory cases of positional skull deformity, the report noted. When it is needed, early surgery tends to take less invasive procedures.
The researchers declared that any conflicts of interest had been resolved through a process with the American Academy of Pediatrics Board of Directors.
Zalman S. Agus, MD Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner


To ensure that students are given the opportunity to learn about art by working as artists, they must be given choices. If a student makes “cookie cutter Art” without being allowed choices, they may be learning something about art, such as a skill or new concept, but they are not authentically making Art. Giving students choices does not mean that the teacher is absent. The Teaching for Artistic Behaviors (TAB) approach to Art Education is a child-centered choice-based approach, making the student totally responsible for the decisions of what to make, how to make it, what materials to use, and how long to work on it.
I’m attracted by the idea of TAB- students being real artists instead of making what they think I want them to make (no cookie cutters!), but I do have a few reservations. My reservations are more practical than theoretical, such as
- If students are responsible for what materials they use, how do you order adequate supplies with a limited budget?
- How do you ensure students experiment with different media and encourage them to try new things if they are content to use the same materials each class period? (I know I have some students who want to do nothing but paint, or use clay for the whole year.)
- Students are obviously responsible for their learning and designing their assignments, but how do you make sure they are pushing themselves and not coasting when they are allowed to work at their own pace? (Sadly, when I have 6th graders who chose to make a snake for their project because they think it will be easy but "can't" roll a coil and want me to do it for them, this is a concern.)
If you use TAB in your classroom, I would love to hear about your experience with it. I'm not ready to totally jump to the TAB ship, but I am interested in incorporating more aspects of it in my classroom. I've read that demos and introductions are used to cover the standards and that makes sense, I just wonder how the rest of it works in practice, rather than in theory.


Early Childhood Education (ECE) prepares students to become early childhood educators, working with children from the ages of birth through third grade. With multiple program options, exemplary faculty, small class sizes, and extensive field experiences, candidates who complete this program become thoughtful, knowledgeable, and effective educators. Course work includes a combination of theory, methods, and field experiences in a variety of early childhood education settings and emphasizes understanding and respect for intercultural/familial diversity. Throughout the program, students attend classes with other Early Childhood Education students as a cohort group.
The program in early childhood education consists of an academic major in Early Childhood Education (ECE) with three additional options for students: a sequence of professional certification courses that lead to teacher licensure Pre-K through third grade, Dual Endorsement (ECE and Elementary Education endorsements) or non-certification.
Early Childhood Education - Non-Certification: This option offers students the preparation for working in child care settings, head start programs and with school-age children in after-school programs. Students complete a major in early childhood education and complete a preschool internship.
Early Childhood Education - P-3 Endorsement: This option offers students preparation for an Early Childhood Education endorsement to work with young children from birth through third grade. Students complete a major in early childhood education; take a one-term preschool internship and a two-term primary internship.
Dual Endorsement in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education: This option offers students preparation for elementary and P-3 endorsement. Students complete a major in early childhood education, a preschool internship, a year-long internship in a primary grade and take additional coursework in elementary education.


This third edition of Marie Clay’s highly-valued An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement presents her familiar assessment tasks designed for systematic observation of young children as they learn to read and write. Always respecting the author’s intention, the editors have taken a fresh look at the way the book’s message is communicated to teachers. Layout and expression have been refreshed to ensure clear understanding, and the administration and interpretation of each task in the survey have been carefully structured for consistent delivery.
The observation procedures arose from a theory of how children learn to manage the complex task of reading and writing continuous text. That process is described in Marie Clay’s books Becoming Literate: the Construction of Inner Control; Change Over Time in Children’s Literacy Development, and By Different Paths to Common Outcomes. The intervention described in Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals makes use of these observation procedures.
This book will continue to be an invaluable resource for early literacy assessment for many years.


ERIC Number: ED117764
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1976
Reference Count: N/A
Children and Communication: Verbal and Nonverbal Language Development.
Wood, Barbara S.
This book takes a broad look at children learning to communicate with words, sentences, body language, and touch. It shows how children learn to communicate effectively in everyday situations by selecting the most appropriate communication strategies--the verbal and nonverbal language which they feel are best suited to the situation. Part 1 examines the forces that affect the development of children as communicators. Part 2 probes children's progress with words, sentences, and meanings. Part 3 explores the nonverbal language children use. Part 4 offers a model of communication instruction that includes activities, materials, and ideas for the classroom. (RB)
Descriptors: Child Language, Communication (Thought Transfer), Elementary Education, Instructional Materials, Language Acquisition, Language Usage, Nonverbal Communication, Speech Communication, Teaching Models
Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632 ($9.95 cloth)
Publication Type: Books
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A


Improving Literacy Education through Professional Study: The Leadership Role of the Teacher-Librarian
Asselin, Marlene, Teacher Librarian
Improving literacy is a universal political and educational priority (United Nations International Literacy Decade, 2003-2012). In developed countries, the focus is on reducing inequities in reading abilities between minority and mainstream children (International Reading Association, 2003). Through school library programs and professional leadership initiatives, teacher-librarians have always played important roles in supporting literacy. This column outlines stakeholders' responses to the mandate of improving student achievement, and identifies areas of literacy in which teacher-librarians can take leadership roles in professional development initiatives in their schools.
In this hot climate of literacy education and achievement, stakeholders adapt one of two different stances to the challenge: either a "quick fix" approach focused on materials and one-stop workshops with "experts" or a longer-term view focused on teachers' knowledge.
The first method de-skills teaching by promising results from "foolproof" packages and one-time workshops. Educators are being pressured to purchase expensive commercial reading programs that are marketed to raise test scores (see http://www.reading. org/positions/be_wary.html). Research has shown that the traditional lecture or workshop by a person outside the school culture has limited value, yet it persists. It is interesting that the quick-fix approach appeals most to those stakeholders from outside of classrooms.
The second approach views the teacher as the significant catalyst for students' literacy development. Research is becoming conclusive that "nothing can take the place or importance of having knowledgeable teachers in the front of every classroom" (Harste, n.d.). The question then becomes how to enable teacher knowledge. Based on the fields of teacher research (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993) and educational reform (Darling-Hammond, 1997), innovative and meaningful professional development models have emerged the last five years. In literacy, these programs aim to change school culture in both intellectual and social ways. Intellectually, they intend "to increase teachers' knowledge and repertoire of instructional practices, to increase their effectiveness with all students, and to increase student achievement" (National Council of Teachers of English Reading Initiative, n.d.). Socially, the programs "promote empowerment and professionalism, create bonds among staff members, and increase mutual respect n all of which translate to a better learning community for children" (IRA, Literacy Study Groups).
Powerful models of professional development around literacy include the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Reading initiative, the Center for Inquiry, IRA Study Groups, and Case Technologies to Enhance Literacy Learning (CTELL) (see references for further information about these programs). Principles of the change process that frame these models are:
* Professional collaboration, at the base of which is collegiality;
* Learning as inquiry, which is relevant to actual students in the school;
* Teacher choice of level of involvement;
* Development of substantive teacher knowledge;
* Use of predictable yet flexible structures in pursuing one's inquiry; and
* Inclusion of teachers and administrators in the learning community.
Teacher-librarians are already adept with several of these principles. In the spirit of the principles, I suggest that teacher-librarians team with the school literacy mentor or leader to facilitate professional development initiatives in their schools (many schools have these positions now n they can be either classroom teachers with additional responsibility or a district-based person responsible to several schools).
What areas of literacy can teacher-librarians lead?
Results and conclusions from the recent PISA study (Topping et al. …