Kaadi Ali Ibrahim used to measure his assets in livestock – camels, cattle and goats – but his new home in Melkadida refugee camp does not offer much space to herd or trade animals. Those who flee must leave not only their homes, but their whole livelihoods behind.
As Kaadi and hundreds of thousands of other Somali refugees fled drought and conflict from 2009 to 2011 they journeyed through the desert – some for three months – to reach safety. Many of their animals – their sole source of income – died or were seized by armed groups along the way. Since then, they have been reliant on humanitarian agencies in five camps housing more than 200,000 refugees. “Most of us lived in the so-called bush in Somalia and lost everything to the drought. Our animals starved and we had to flee while those with businesses were protected from death,” said Kaadi.
“I was in grade five when (militants) came to our property and stole the land and all the livestock,” added Somali refugee, Ali Aden Nuur. Loss was followed by dreams for a new life, goals to learn new skills in order to provide for their families in different ways.
Learning After War
“We fled at first to find peace. Then we hoped for education. We’d never really studied, because classes were always disrupted by violence. Armed groups would chase away teachers. You can’t learn in a war,” said 19-year-old Aden Abdi Hussen, a recent graduate of the Jesuit Refugee Service tailoring course in Melkadida refugee camp. In Melkadida camp, JRS offers beginner and intermediate courses in employable skills for adults like Aden. Displaced Somalis learn technical skills in tailoring, henna tattooing, embroidery, male hair dressing and plumbing.
“The JRS training is the most school we’ve ever had,” said Kaadi who now studies in JRS vocational skills training courses which strive to provide students with the tools to become more self-sufficient and an opportunity to learn basic literacy and numeracy skills.
Preparing for the Future
The trainings also aim to prepare refugees for the day when the NGOs depart and they can return home, says the JRS teacher of the plumbing course who taught 77 people techniques in water management and tank repair last year. “They learn how to clean and purify water, so if they find themselves in an emergency, they’ll be prepared to care for their communities,” he said.
A few graduates of the course are employed by organizations managing water, sanitation and hygiene in the camp while others have secured jobs as plumbers after choosing to return home to Somalia. Students of the tailoring course are also using their skills to make a living. Mohamed Nour Mohamed, for example, opened his own shop after completing the tailoring course.
“I came here five years ago with no experience in tailoring, but I wanted to develop myself and build my future,” he said. He now rents a sewing machine and a shop in the market where he sells shirts, dresses and other garments. With his income he can provide for his three children and wife. He plans to expand his business by joining with a dozen or so other graduates in a cooperative for tailors.
“We want to have four cooperatives where people would share one shop, a sewing machine and some start-up materials. Graduates would work there and split the profits. Our first one has already started with making uniforms for plumbers,” said Mohamed. Becoming self-reliant. Vocational training for adults helps refugees sustain life in remote areas like southern Ethiopia where harsh climates make growing food difficult and food rations as well as jobs are limited.
“We aren’t handed everything here. Food rations aren’t enough to feed our families. We need money to buy extra food, clothes and pay school expenses. Life is more expensive here in the camp than in Somalia. We hope each person will be able to earn their own income eventually,” said Duale Ali Ibrahim, the eldest member of the tailoring cooperative.The youngest member of the cooperative, Ali Aden Nuur, is 19- years- old. He has completed three of the JRS trainings and hopes his ambition will bring him far.
“We’ve done plumbing, tailoring and barber school. We’re young and we want to do more than just survive here. This would be easier if we could get materials and a space in the market to manage our business. In the future, though, we really hope we can go abroad,” he said.


Spark Reading Program
“[Spark is] a tool for students to develop their education: learning, acquiring better vocabulary. It has even helped them to cultivate their own imaginations and improve their comprehension.”
Spark has helped first-graders score 49% better than the national average on reading comprehension.
Failure rates in Spark schools typically drop by 30%.
Reality in Rural Guatemala
Imagine you are seven years old. If you live in rural Guatemala, your parents are likely Maya, subsistence farmers, illiterate, and dropped out of school before the sixth grade. Quite possibly, you have never come in contact with a book, either at home or in school. Your teachers probably received little more than a high school education, and lack the training and resources they need to make a meaningful difference in your life.
The Consequences of Illiteracy
In Guatemala, poorly-trained teachers use ineffective techniques to teach reading, emphasizing rote memorization instead of comprehension and critical thinking. Kids become bored and fail to learn to read, leading to high dropout rates: 80% of rural indigenous children who begin primary school will not complete it. Without adequate reading skills, these young people enter adult life unable to understand a bank statement, a voting ballot, or the label on a bottle of medicine. They remain targets of exploitation and injustice, and the cycle of poverty continues for them and their families.
How the Program Works
The GLP’s Spark Reading Program trains primary-school teachers in effective reading instruction and provides them with a library of books. Teachers receive two years of intensive training combined with individual support and instruction through in-class visits. They also receive 60-144 high-quality children’s books (depending on grade level and class size), which enable them to read with their students every day.
These teachers transform their students into enthusiastic, competent, and lifelong readers. Their students achieve more in school, continue their education longer, and overcome the obstacles presented by low literacy.
The Spark Methodology
Early grade literacy is central to the Spark Program’s methodology. Kindergarten and first through third grade teachers focus on recognizing sounds and the ABCs—the building blocks for being able to sound out words—along with grammar and vocabulary, which make up the language knowledge to allow for reading fluency and comprehension. Third through sixth grade teachers build on these foundations to explore the written world more deeply, further developing fluency and vocabulary, along with reading comprehension strategies and activities in critical thinking and analysis.
The program starts developing reading comprehension in the early grades—and helps kids explore their own creativity. Teachers use the books to implement strategies for reading aloud that gain children’s interest and engage them in critical thinking. Students act out the story, bringing the text to life. They also retell it, using their own words and drawings to demonstrate their understanding. Children further develop essential literacy skills by authoring original stories on topics or themes important to their lives.
For example, seven year-old Spark student Fernando Augusto Gonzalez, separated from his parents at age three when they migrated to the U.S. to find work, authored a book about the night sky. He described seeing his parents’ faces in the stars, and how this helps him feel connected to them, even though they live far away.
Spark’s simple and straightforward methodology rapidly builds Spanish vocabulary, strengthens reading comprehension, builds confidence and competence working with written language, and makes the learning process more meaningful. For the first time, young people in these schools are enthusiastic about reading and writing.
Spark achieves sustainability by building local capacity for reading instruction. Supporting teachers in their professional development and working within the rural school system to promote literacy creates permanent and lasting change in program communities. The teachers who participate in Spark increase their skills, share their knowledge and best practices with teachers in other schools, and promote literacy in their classrooms.
The children who benefit from the program take their improved reading abilities, as well as actual books they have authored at school, and share them with their families, friends, and neighbors. They become vital links in the chain for promoting a lifelong culture of reading in their homes, their schools, and their communities.


Electricity Facts for Kids Video
Watch this cool personally picked and extremely easy to understand Electricity Facts for children video:
Facts about Electricity
Ever wondered how a simple circuit allows a light bulb to light? It all happens because of electricity. A circuit is a route through which an electric current can flow. In our example, electrons flow from the negative side of a battery to a conducting material on the base of the bulb. The electrons flow up a wire that is inside the bulb and across the filament which is the part of the bulb that actually lights.
When the electrons go through the filament, some of the electrical energy is changed in heat and light energy. The electrons continue down another small wire inside the bulb to another conductor on the base of the bulb. The electrons finally make their way to the positive side of the battery. There would not be a complete circuit if the electrons did not travel to the positive side of the battery and the bulb would not light. The unbroken path that the electrons follow is called a closed circuit because electricity will only flow on an unbroken path. The light bulb would not light unless there is a closed circuit.
Now, look closely at the light bulb and you will notice that there is an insulator between the conductors that lead up to the filament and the conductor that leads away from the filament. Remember that the atoms of conductors easily accept and pass on electrons. The atoms of insulators do not. As we discussed earlier, electrons will not easily pass through the insulating material that surrounds the wire. If an insulator did not surround a wire carrying a current, it is possible for the electron flow to get directed to another conductor that comes into contact with the circuit. Electricity will follow the path of least resistance. If the electrons take a path short of the complete circuit, it is called a short circuit.
Cite This Page
You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:
MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Fun Facts for Kids about Electricity ." Easy Science for Kids, Feb 2020. Web. 25 Feb 2020. < https://easyscienceforkids.com/electricity-facts-for-kids-video/ >.
APA Style Citation
Tobin, Declan. (2020). Fun Facts for Kids about Electricity. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from https://easyscienceforkids.com/electricity-facts-for-kids-video/


Lesson Plans for Creative Dance PDF
Children love to express themselves through movement—and with this great new resource, you can guide them through a range of actions and dances that will help them develop both physically and mentally.
Lesson Plans for Creative Dance: Connecting With Literature, Arts, and Music is a resource for physical educators, classroom teachers, and dance specialists as well as a useful supplement to college level elementary education courses. Author Sally Carline has tested and refined the creative movement activities that she has prepared for educators and for preservice teachers, and she includes background material that will ground you in understanding how to best teach and incorporate movement activities in a variety of classes and settings.
Lesson Plans for Creative Dance supplies you with
• lesson plans that incorporate Laban movement concepts and extend children’s movement vocabulary;
• a progression of learning that creates a rich, extended experience for students;
• 28 dances with music for students through age 12; and
• ways to incorporate dance with various types of literature, art, and music.
Part I presents guidelines for assessing creative dance based on Rudolf Laban’s analysis of human movement. You learn about body, dynamic, spatial, and relationship awareness and gain insight into using rubrics to evaluate your students. You also learn how to help children warm up properly, channel their energy, and improve their footwork and rhythmic skills. Part I will help you incorporate dance with action words, action rhymes, and other poetry as well as with visuals and rhythm in a variety of settings.
Part II offers 28 age-appropriate, ready-to-use dances that include a variety of lesson progressions as your students acquire and develop movement skills. You will be able to teach dance skills and incorporate other creative elements and concepts to give your students an understanding of the many ways in which a skill can be performed.
Through Lesson Plans for Creative Dance, you can work on several ideas within the same lesson and continue to develop those ideas in future lessons. You can also incorporate ideas from language arts, social studies, art, music, and science to facilitate children’s learning and increase their enjoyment of various subjects.
This lesson planner will help you take your movement education to the next level, help your students acquire skills and knowledge, and bring meaning and joy to your creative dance sessions.
Table of Contents
Part I: Introduction to Teaching Creative Dance
Chapter 1. Teaching and Assessing Creative Dance
Chapter 2. Introductory Activities
Ages 4 to 6
Ages 5 to 7
Ages 6 to 8
Ages 7 to 9
Ages 8 to 10
Ages 9 to 11
Ages 10 to 12
Part II: Dances With Literature, Arts, and Rhythm
Chapter 3. Dances With Action Words and Visual Aids
Chapter 4. Dances With Action Rhymes
Chapter 5. Dances With Poetry
Chapter 6. Dances With Rhythm
Part III: Dances With Music
Chapter 7. Dances for Ages 4 to 6
The Queen’s Guards
Chapter 8. Dances for Ages 5 to 7
When I Get to the Fairground
Pattern to Cure a Headache
Peter Pan and His Shadow
Chapter 9. Dances for Ages 6 to 8
The Full Moon
The Little Chinook
Battle of the Seasons
Chapter 10. Dances for Ages 7 to 9
The Space Stealers
The Volcano Makers
Chapter 11. Dances for Ages 8 to 10
The Abandoned Cartwheel
Chapter 12. Dances for Ages 9 to 11
Skeletons and Ghouls
Chapter 13. Dances for Ages 10 to 12
The Sheriff and the Cowboy
ExcerptsAction word sentences for older children (Ages 8 to 12)
Dances for ages 6 to 8
Introductory Activities for Ages 4 to 6


At home, there are a lot of things you can do to help develop your child’s numeracy skills, here are just 6:
- Help your child develop a growth mindset about math.
- Talk about math and point out ways you use math everyday. Do math out loud. Add, subtract, multiply, divide, estimate…do it out loud so your child can hear your thinking.
- Play games that involve math with your child. Games that use dice and spinners (e.g., hide and seek, hopscotch, Snakes and Ladders, Sorry, and Trouble) help with counting. Games using playing cards (e.g., Snap and War) help with comparing and ordering numbers. Games that use strategy (e.g. Guess Who, Checkers, Labyrinth, Sequence, and Chess) help develop logic. Puzzles, Tangrams, Blokus, Nowhere to Go, Pentomino, Rush Hour, Q-Bitz, and Tetris help develop spatial reasoning. Monopoly and Life help with currency. Battleship helps children get familiar with the coordinate grid system.
- Make fractions part of your daily life. Use them when cooking, dividing up a cake, comparing who ate the most pizza…
- Point out patterns everywhere…in nature, shapes, floor tiles, numbers, cell phone plans…
- Read stories to them with math themes (refer to the “Link to Literacy”).
At Home Online Engagement and Support
There are a variety of online programs that can promote a love of mathematics and provide support for children. Here are a few that are available to the students of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board:
Prodigy is an online math game that allows your child to develop his/her numeracy skills while exploring various magical worlds. While most children have been given an account by their teacher, parents are able to link to their child’s account to view his/her progress.
SuccessMaker (also known as Home Grown Math Success) is an adaptive online Math program for Grades 1 to 8 students that is aligned to the Ontario curriculum. If you are interested in having your child work on this program, please contact your child’s teacher.
e-math+ is designed to support grade 3 to 6 students on their mathematical journey. It contains a variety of tools, such as videos, virtual manipulatives, and a glossary, that are helpful for children and parents as they work through their school work. Students access their e-math+ accounts from the mynelson.com website and log in using the information provided by their teachers.
Mathify (Click the Mathify icon within myClass):
Mathify (formerly known as Homework Help) is an innovative platform provided by TVO and the Ontario Ministry of Education. This site focuses on mathematical help for Ontario students. It is an enriched online classroom tool providing a seamless learning experience for Grade 7 – 10 students, as well as providing live after-school math tutoring with OCT math teachers.
Ontario Certified math tutors available 5:30-9:30pm ET, Sunday to Thursday.
For more ideas to help develop your child’s numeracy skills and online resources, please check out the PDFs below.


Computers are now part of everyday life. For most of us, technology is essential to our lives, at home and at work. ‘Computational thinking’ is a skill children must be taught if they are to be ready for the workplace and able to participate effectively in this digital world.
The new national curriculum for computing has been developed to equip young people with the foundational skills, knowledge and understanding of computing they will need for the rest of their lives. They will learn how computers and computer systems work, they will design and build programs, develop their ideas using technology and create a range of content.
We use the Switched On Computing Program from Rising Stars. This program has been written by Miles Berry who is the Director Nacce which is the national association for everyone promoting learning with technology in a connected world. Nacce have identified five areas which the new computing framework covers which gives you an overview of what the children will learn.
You can find out more about the program which we use by visiting the Switched On Computing website.


Balanced scorecard makes better gradeEducation in English is spreading. English is the most sought after medium of instruction in India today. Even in the small towns and villages, the parents are aware that the mastery of English is necessary for a respectable living. I get reminded time and again about my own medium of education at the high school and intermediate in science level. The switch over from the vernacular in school final to English in intermediate science was not very difficult for science education. Why is then English medium spreading so fast and is being recommended right from primary stage even by National Knowledge Commission in its report? Perhaps, the better employability of the students of English medium education demands this.
Kerala and Delhi states ranked at the top of the recently developed Educational Development Index (EDI). However, according to the State Report on Elementary Education in India, 2005, a National University of Educational Planning and Administration publication, Andhra Pradesh has more students studying in the English medium than any other state, followed by Tamil Nadu. The study only account for students studying in government and government-aided schools- primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary schools.
In Andhra Pradesh, while 90.34 lakh students out of a total of 1.13 crore students go to schools where Telugu is the medium of instruction, 19.32 lakh attend English medium schools. However, In the EDI list, AP is ranked eighth.
In Tamil Nadu, third on the EDI list, out of total enrolment of 97.8 lakh, 78.2 lakh students go to the schools with Tamil as the main medium of instruction, while 18.06 lakh go where English is the preferred medium.
In Maharashtra, 7.58 lakh go to English-medium schools while 1.04 crore go to Marathi-medium schools.
In Bihar and UP, English-medium students lag further behind in enrolment numbers. Both the states are the last in ranking. One reason may be the less urbanization of the states.
Surprisingly in Jammu and Kashmir, more students study in the English medium than any other language.
Interestingly, Kerala and Delhi states ranked at the top of the recently developed Educational Development Index (EDI). EDI rankings did not take the medium of instruction as a performance indicator. But students enrolled in English-medium schools are only a small fraction of those receiving instruction in Malayalam and Hindi respectively. In Delhi, Hindi is the most favoured medium with nearly 15.5 lakh students opting for schools with national language as the medium of instruction. Again, English is way behind with only 4.34 lakh students going where it is medium of instruction.
The medium of instruction for the subjects other that English must be the vernacular. The kids at the tender age coming from all sorts of social status can’t be sufficiently comfortable in understanding the subject if taught in a language that is not their mother tongue.
The Kerala and Delhi model can work and are better. Students may start learning English from the primary class itself and can continue learning up to school final or higher secondary as one language. The medium for other subjects may remain the language of the majority of the students- one of the major Indian languages. But the emphasis must be on using newer techniques. The students after 12 years or more for school final or higher secondary must be able to communicate perfectly in English. They need not be mastering the fine intricacy of grammatically correct English and appreciate the finer literary aspects of English writers and poets. But they must be as good in written and verbal communication as those studying in English medium or better. Teaching, testing, and examination must aim for attaining this skill of communication through rigorous language labs, group discussions, dramas, debates, and presentations through audio and video aids. And that will serve the purpose of the market.
However, it will require first the training and development for the teachers responsible for teaching this foreign language to the students. Students can’t be expected to learn a language from the teachers who themselves are deficient in communicating in English language. And that must be taken care of on priority in education.


Many parents may wonder how in the world a little baby can make music! Every child’s development benefits from early exposure to music and movement. Nothing stimulates your baby's rapidly growing brain like music & movement! Plus, making music is a profoundly satisfying way to interact with, bond with & soothe your baby. The earlier you start your baby in Music Together® classes, the more development you will be able to witness- from language to fine & gross motor skills to making social interactions. Infants may attend a mixed-age class, whether registered on their own or attending free (up to age 6 months) with an older sibling. Meet other parents with babies and learn fascinating music activities and catchy new tunes you can use at home with your baby. Babies are welcome in any of our mixed-age classes here.
What age are the babies in a Music Together class? Babies range from only a few weeks old to several months. As soon as you are ready to get out of the house, your baby is ready for class! If you can talk to your baby, you can sing to him/her!
Whoa. Music for babies?! Yes! Nothing stimulates a baby's brain like music! And little babies are like sponges- soaking up all kinds of information around them! From small finger-play songs, to large jumping & swinging songs, your trained teacher will lead you through a variety of activities, facilitating fun and creative ways for you to interact musically with your baby, while stimulating her cognitive, physical & emotional development. Your teacher can explain the ‘whys’ behind the ‘whats’ and point out emerging musical behaviors in your baby.
Why aren’t there separate classes for different age groups? In the 1980s Music Together pioneered the development of the mixed-age approach in early childhood music. In each class we strive to create a musically rich, developmentally appropriate environment where the whole family can enjoy music and nurture skills at the level right for each child. While the children do have plenty of opportunities to interact with each other, our primary focus is on facilitating musical interaction between you & your baby. Mixed-age classes also provide a rich learning environment because children of different ages thrive when they interact with each other: the babies are often fascinated by the older child, and the "big" children enjoy helping and sharing with the "little" ones. This approach is based on research from music education, early childhood development, and family relationships.
At what age should I start class with my baby? As soon as you are ready to get out of the house with your new baby! Babies learn music the same way they learn language; by being immersed in it. Just as it is never too early to start talking to your baby, it is never too early to start singing with your baby!
Research indicates that singing and dancing with your baby will have a positive effect not only on his music development specifically, but his brain development as a whole. In addition, we also see the wonderful benefits that moms, dads, and other primary caregivers get from bonding through music. Research suggests that stress hormones decrease in both the infant and the adult when that adult sings to her little one! Imagine having a rough day, and now your baby just doesn't want to settle down for the night (or even an hour!). Bouncing, strolling, rocking.... nothing seems to work, and you're just getting more anxious. Raise your voice and sing -- even if it doesn't calm your baby right away, it will help you to breathe more calmly and settle your own mind. Your baby feels you, and will respond to your changed mood. Remember, YOUR VOICE is precious to your baby. It doesn't have to be perfect. Yet it will always be remembered.
Articles of Interest
Is Music for Wooing, Mothering, Bonding - or Is It just "Auditory Cheesecake"? by Carl Zimmer from Discover Magazine, December 2010
Does Singing To Your Baby Really Work? by Kimberly Sena Moore from Psychology Today's Blog "Your Musical Self", July 29, 2011


If you love working with children and are passionate and enthusiastic about music, becoming a general music teacher could be the right career choice for you. General music teachers play an important role in bringing the gift of music to their students. They may work with children in public and private schools, from pre-K until high school. As of 2010, the average salary for music teachers was between $43,580 and $48,690, according to the Career Development Office at the Berklee College of Music.
Education and Training
Music teachers are usually drawn to the profession because they are already accomplished musicians. To become a music teacher, you must play at least one instrument with a high level of proficiency, although you'll need to learn additional instruments, including piano, during your undergraduate studies. General music teachers need to have at least a bachelor's degree in music education, but many teachers also earn master's or doctoral degrees in music performance or music education. Some music teachers decide to apply for voluntary national certification with the Music Teachers National Association. To work in a public school, you will also need a state teaching license.
General music teachers teach children and adolescents the fundamental principles of music and musicianship skills, such as music theory and basic notation. To help children learn these principles, they may teach children how to sing or play easily-accessible instruments, such as drums, recorders or xylophones. They may teach music in their own classrooms or travel to different classrooms throughout the day. In addition to teaching, general music teachers must also often direct school musicals or ensembles for public performance, help develop educational programs and collaborate with other teachers. General music teachers also try to recognize musical talent in their students in order to encourage them to undertake further musical studies, such as joining a school orchestra or band.
In addition to musical instrument proficiency, a strong background in music theory and musicianship and basic piano skills, music teachers must also have the ability to work well with, and relate to, children of all ages. You must be able to convey your enthusiasm and excitement for music to your students to help instill them with a desire to learn. You should also continue your own musical development and participate in musical ensembles during your free time to help keep your musical skills fresh and sharp, suggests Chris Foley, pianist and teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
While sharing the gift of music can be rewarding and fulfilling, teaching music isn't just about music. You'll need to have effective classroom management skills and know how to assess and grade your students' progress. You may need to participate in extracurricular activities or work after hours to assist students who need extra help. Sometimes, you may have to deal with children who have behavioral disorders or developmental or learning disabilities. This requires patience, dedication and a positive attitude, in addition to knowing effective strategies for integrating these students into your classroom.
- Berklee College of Music Career Development Center: Salary Ranges for U.S. Music Positions
- Music Teachers National Association: MTNA Professional Certification Overview
- Artists House Music: The Responsibilities of a Music Teacher to His or Her Students
- Music Teachers Helper: Skill Upgrades for Music Teachers
- National Association for Music Education: Teaching Students with Behavior Problems
- Richard Lewisohn/Digital Vision/Getty Images


back to Background Publications
Easterbrooks, S. R., Lederberg, A. R., Miller, E. M., Bergeron, J. P., & Connor, C. M. (2008). Emergent literacy skills during early childhood in children with hearing loss: Strengths and weaknesses, Volta Review, 108(2), 91-114.
The difficulties for students with hearing loss in gaining proficient literacy skills are well documented. However, studies describing the nature and variability of emergent literacy skills for students with hearing loss or the rate at which progress occurs at young ages are limited. We assessed emergent literacy skills and outcomes at the beginning and end of a school year for 44 young children (mean age = 5.2 years) who are deaf and hard of hearing and who had some speech perception skills. These children generally showed gains similar to their peers with typical hearing in knowledge of letter names and common written words, but lagged in phonological awareness skills. Correlational analyses suggest that these skills were systematically related to the children’s literacy development, similar to what has been found in children with typical hearing. The results show that children participating in this study progressed on some phonological awareness skills (alliteration, blending, and elision) but not on others (rhyming, syllable segmentation). This article discusses the relevance of the findings for an emergent literacy curriculum.


The ability to read and comprehend text is crucial to achieving success, not only in school but in the working world. Good readers are purposeful when reading and choose appropriate comprehension strategies automatically; however, less skilled readers, including many students with disabilities, often do not. These students need explicit instruction in order to accurately and efficiently gain meaning from text. This HotSheet will define reading comprehension and describe some of the more and less effective practices for instruction.
What is Reading Comprehension?
Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading. Understanding and obtaining meaning from written text material is what is commonly referred to as comprehension. Reading comprehension is interdependent on students’ existing background knowledge, knowledge about the content of the text, awareness of cognitive and metacognitive strategies (strategies that help students to be more aware of their own thinking and learning), and competencies in basic reading skills including accurate and fluent decoding and vocabulary knowledge. Reading comprehension is often demonstrated through students’ abilities to retell the information in their own words or to answer correctly questions about what was read.
Why is Reading Comprehension Important?
Teaching children to read, including reading comprehension, is one of the major purposes of schools. Students’ success in school is largely determined by their ability to read fluently and gain meaning from reading materials in all subject areas. Younger children (primary aged) can learn strategies to assist with comprehending the meaning of pictures and the basic story elements of narrative text read aloud to them. Older students can learn more complex strategies to help with their understanding of the expository text found in their science and history textbooks. Students can also learn to self-regulate their own reading comprehension. Self-regulation is the ability to monitor one’s own learning. This becomes increasingly important as students progress through the grades and are expected to “read to learn.” However, the ability to read and understand does not end with the classroom; reading comprehension is of lifelong importance. Students apply reading comprehension skills to everyday life. For example, reading comprehension is necessary for a person to successfully conduct research on-line, correspond through email, follow a recipe or a computer manual, and even obey road signs.
Reading Comprehension Facts
- A student can read fluently and not understand what was read.
- Reading comprehension is an active process.
- Strategies for improving reading comprehension can be taught.
- Basic reading skills, including decoding and fluency, can influence text comprehension.
- Vocabulary knowledge influences text comprehension.
- Background knowledge influences text comprehension.
- Expository text, such as content area instruction materials, may require more complex reading comprehension strategies than those required for narrative texts, such as prose stories. See table on next page.
Reading ComprehensionView PDF: "Reading Comprehension"
Sheri Berkeley and Margo Mastropieri describe the importance of reading comprehension and what is known about effective practices.


Linking the Strands of Language and Literacy: A Resource Manual
Candace L. Goldsworthy, Katie R. Lambert
Details: 231 pages, B&W + CD, Softcover, 6" x 9"
© 2010 | Available
This book is designed for beginning and seasoned speech-language pathologists and others in regular and special education who work with students demonstrating oral and written language problems. The intent of this book is to provide a resource of excellence, a schema of good practice. Wherever you are in your practice you can use this book with a growing sensibility toward expertise. You may enter this book as a beginning clinician and move to a more advanced level, then move toward proficiency, to advanced proficient, and finally to expert. As you use the suggested goals and materials you will get more and more experience with the various language pathways, and with more practice your skills will become like second nature. The CD includes downloadable forms in both Word and PDF formats.
- Overview of the strands of language and literacy
- Play Strand
- Listenting Skills Strand
- Early Oral-Written Language Strand: The Rationale
- Linking the Strands of Oral-Written Language: The How Tos
- Oral Narration Outlines and Language Literacy Activities
- How to use the accompanying CD
- Oral Narration Outlines and Language Literacy Activity *:Materials
- Blueberries for Sal Story Board
- Corduroy Story Board
- Happy Birthday Moon Story Board
- Harry and the Terrible Whatzit Story Board
- Harry the Dirty Dog Story Board
- Stone Soup Story Board
- The Hungry Thing Story Board
- The Little Red Hen Story Board
- The Snowy Day Story Board
- The Three Little Pigs Story Board
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story Board
Details: 400 pages, B&W, Softcover, 6" x 9"
© 2014 | Available
Barbara Culatta, Kendra M. Hall-Kenyon, Sharon Black
Details: 488 pages, B&W, Softcover, 6" x 9"
© 2013 | Available
Language and Literacy Development: An Interdisciplinary Focus on English Learners with Communication Disorders
Linda I. Rosa-Lugo, Joyce W. Nutta, Florin Mihai
Details: 424 pages,B&W, Softcover, 6" x 9"
© 2012 | Available
Karyn Lewis Searcy
Details: 288 pages, B&W, Softcover + CD, DVD, 8.5" x 11"
© 2012 | Available
Margo Kinzer Courter
Details: 185 pages, B&W, Softcover, 8.5" x 11"
© 2011 | Available


We have just heard the exciting news from the U.S. that our Living First Language Platform has won the Solve – MIT Challenge in New York this morning in the category of Early Childhood Development.
Solve is an initiative of MIT that advances lasting tech solutions to address the world’s most pressing problem, and within the the Early Childhood Development category, was seeking technology-based solutions to improve learning and cognitive outcomes for children under the age of five.
There is overwhelming consensus from domestic and international research that children’s early learning occurs best in the language the child speaks most fluently, in their mother tongue. A lack of linguistically inclusive early education is recognised by communities and leaders as a major factor in low levels of attainment and engagement of Indigenous children and families in early education. In remote areas of Australia, around two-thirds of Indigenous children speak some words of an Indigenous language, and in some communities, almost 100% of children encounter English for the first time when they enter school. Globally, around 221 million children do not have access to education in their First Language.
The Living First Language Platform provides an accessible, cross-platform digital solution with associated training that equips community members with the tools they need to develop resources and foster quality interactions in local languages.
We’re proud to have won this prestigious global competition, and to continue to shine a light on the importance of First Language in children’s early language and literacy development.
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Districts increasingly are contacting us for assistance finding high quality materials to support ELs. Whether, and if so, how materials support ELs is part of Learning List’s quality review rubric. Having reviewed thousands of materials, we have observed seven trends in how instructional materials address the needs of ELs:
- The availability of materials designed specifically to support language acquisition and development is limited, as is the number of materials available in languages other than English. There are significantly more materials that support language acquisition at the elementary level than there are for secondary students. As a result, districts often choose reading intervention programs, which are generally provided in English, as support for their secondary EL students. These materials, however, do not typically support students’ acquisition of content knowledge in subjects other than English Language Arts.
- Materials for elementary ELA/R generally provide instructional strategies to support ELs but may lack the level of systematic, explicit instruction in foundational skills that ELs need. Research has proven that explicit, systemic instruction of foundational skills is best for most students, and it is vital for ELs.
- Materials that include a significant amount of digital content tend to provide more language adaptions than print-only materials. If publishers of digital materials offer to print content to meet a district’s needs, districts should be aware that the printed copies may not contain as many EL supports as the digital version contains.
- Comprehensive materials provide adaptions more often than supplemental materials do. Few materials provide EL-specific supports or adaptions, even if they are labeled as such. Comprehensive materials that have supports, commonly only provide general instructional strategies or adaptions to support any special population. For example, an instructional material might suggest that teachers front-load vocabulary instruction or that they work with students in small groups. Generalized adaptions might include a bilingual glossary or screen readers.
- Materials with strong support for English Learners provide instructional suggestions or adaptions to content based on students’ levels of English proficiency. For example, an ELA/R product we recently reviewed allows the teacher or student to adjust the complexity of reading selections based on level of English proficiency. A science product we reviewed provides language acquisition strategies that address listening, speaking, and reading. Other products provide instructional suggestions, such as scaffolded suggestions for teaching academic vocabulary that are specific to the students’ level of English proficiency.
- Few materials provide translation support for ELs whose native language is something other than Spanish. When translations are present, they are most often provided for Spanish speaking students. We have seen only a handful of instructional materials that support instruction in additional languages. One digital product we have reviewed provides the content in more than 15 languages.
Given the demographic trends in the United States, it is likely that the number of English Learners and the variety of languages spoken in our schools will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. As a result, there will continue to be a significant need for quality instructional materials. At Learning List, we will continue to be part of the conversation and part of the solution by continuing to review materials for the supports EL students and the teachers who serve them need to be successful.


Hobbies Playing Music The Oratorio: History and Composers Sacred Drama for Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra Share PINTEREST Email Print Wikimedia Commons Playing Music Music Education Basics Music History Music Lessons Music Theory Playing Guitar Playing Piano Home Recording By Espie Estrella Espie Estrella is a lyricist, songwriter, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. our editorial process Espie Estrella Updated May 14, 2018 An oratorio is a sacred but non-liturgical dramatic and extended composition for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra. The narrative text is usually based on scripture or biblical stories but is not typically intended for presentation during religious ceremonies. Although the oratorio is often about sacred subjects, it may also deal with semi-sacred subjects. This large-scale work is often compared to an opera, but unlike the opera, the oratorio typically lacks actors, costumes, and scenery. The chorus is an important element of an oratorio and the narrator's recitatives help move the story forward. History of the Oratorio During the mid-1500s, an Italian priest by the name of San Filippo Neri founded the Congregation of the Oratory. The priest held religious meetings that were so well attended a separate room had to be built to accommodate the participants. The room where they held those meetings was called the Oratory; later the term would also refer to the musical performances presented during their meetings. Often cited as the first oratorio is the February 1600 presentation at the Oratoria della Vallicella in Rome, called the "Representation of Soul and Body" (La rappresentazione di anima e di corpo) and written by the Italian composer Emilio de Cavalieri (1550–1602). Cavalieri's oratorio included a staged presentation with costumes and dancing. The "father of the oratorio" title is usually given to the Italian composer Giacomo Carissimi (1605–1674), who wrote 16 oratorios based on the Old Testament. Carissimi both established the form artistically and gave it the character we perceive it today, as dramatic choral works. Oratorios remained popular in Italy until the 18th century. Notable Composers of Oratorios The oratorios which were written by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier, especially "The Denial of Saint Peter" (Le Reniement de Saint Pierre), helped establish oratorios in France. In Germany, composers like Heinrich Schütz ("Easter Oratorio"), Johann Sebastian Bach ("Passion According to Saint John" and "Passion According to Saint Matthew") and George Frideric Handel ("Messiah" and "Samson") explored this genre further. By the 17th century, non-biblical texts were commonly used in oratorios and by the 18th century, stage action was removed. The popularity of the oratorio waned after the 1750s. Later examples of oratorios include "Elijah" by the German composer Felix Mendelssohn, L'Enfance du Christ by the French composer Hector Berlioz and "Dream of Gerontius" by the English composer Edward Elgar. Reference: oratorio (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 06, 2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Onlineoratorio. In The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie © Macmillan Press Ltd., LondonDean W. 1978. Oratorio. The Musical Times 119(1626):653-668.Otten, J. (1911). Oratorio. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Rawlins JT. 1981. Carissimi, Progenitor Of The Oratorio. The Choral Journal 21(8):15-20.


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How is the test administered?
AABL is delivered on an iPad either one-to-one or in small groups of children. ERB recommends a 1:1 child/proctor ratio when administering to the youngest applicants, for entrance to PreK. We recommend a 4:1 child/proctor ratio when administering to Kindergarten applicants, and no more than a 6:1 child/proctor ratio when administering to Grade 1 applicants.
Is the test timed?
The administration is untimed and may take approximately 30 to 40 minutes for the Kindergarten and Grade 1 applicants and approximately 40 to 50 minutes for your youngest applicants.
Where is it administered?
ERB can administer AABL in our NYC office, but we are looking for test sites around the United States. If you would like your school to become an AABL test site, the test site application may be found here.
Is there a minimum age requirement to take AABL?
Yes. Applicants have to be a minimum of four years of age at the time of testing.
What constructs will be measured?
Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Early Literacy, and Mathematics.
What school readiness skills does Verbal Reasoning assess?
Verbal reasoning assesses children's understanding, reasoning, and problem-solving skills using concepts that are presented in pictures. It does not require reading and is understandable to both readers and non-readers.
- Verbal Analogies
- Verbal Classification
- Sentence Completion
- Verbal Inference/Deductive Reasoning
What school readiness skills does Quantitative Reasoning assess?
This section assesses a student's ability to use numerical concepts and numbers to solve problems. Specifically, it does this by prompting the child to:
- Recognize and apply addition, subtraction, or another numerical concept
- Infer or deduce solutions to novel problems
- Compare and contrast quantities
- Identify shapes and patterns
What school readiness skills does the Early Literacy section assess?
Early Literacy assesses the foundational skills needed for reading: phonemic awareness, knowledge of phonics, and emerging reading skills.
- Blending phonemes into words
- Recognizing phonemes in isolation
- Manipulating phonemes
- Letter-sound knowledge
- Decoding words
- Word and sentence reading
What school readiness skills does the Mathematics section assess?
Mathematics assesses a child’s skill with numbers and operations, pre-algebraic concepts, geometry, and measurement.
- Recognizing and naming numbers
- Counting and skip counting
- Determining ordinal position
- Adding and subtracting
- Identifying basic shapes
- Recognizing common measurement tools
How will the test be scored?
ERB determines a raw score, based on correct answers. We then convert the raw score to a scaled score, ranging from 40 to 160, with a mean of 100. Scaled scores allow for comparisons across children taking different forms of the test. In addition to the scaled score for each test, we provide norms for each age category.
Will there be any on-site preparation for applicant test-takers?
Yes. Test administrators will review the directions with the child before beginning the test. This will ensure that each child receives on-site tutorials on how to respond to the three types of questions: multiple-choice, drag and drop, and touch. Families can go here to access free online guides and videos for each level, to help prepare for test day.
How much does it cost?
The cost is $65.00 per child, paid for by the parent as he or she signs up his or her child to take the AABL. Fee waivers will be provided as necessary.


A Hop, Skip and a Jump: Enhancing Physical Literacy Tool Kit
This tool kit is a collection of activities developed by students in the Early Learning & Child Care 1285 course at Mount Royal College. This tool kit is intended to enhance the physical literacy development of preschool children by providing child care centers in the Calgary area with feasible, structured physical activities, paying special attention to the space and equipment to which most centers have ready access. The objective is to offer activities that are straightforward, inexpensive, and easy to implement in any setting and focus on the development of basic gross motor skills important in child development.
Although the activities are the work of the Early Learning and Child Care students, it is important to note that some ideas may have been adapted from resource books referenced at the end of this book. Many of the resources listed at the end have inspired the collection of activities and will inspire a set of workshops that will accompany the tool kit.


Story Time is one of the most powerful learning experiences for children because they naturally make sense of the world through story and play. Story Time promotes language and literacy skills, but also strengthens cognitive and social-emotional skills as well.
Every other month, our schools receive a selection of books carefully and intentionally curated for each age group. Classroom activities have been specially designed to go along with each book. Each activity sheet illustrates how to read that book to support language and literacy skills, as well as activities that engage the different developmental domains.
Plus, our Story Time at Home Newsletter gives families fun facts about language and literacy development and ideas for how to read with children at home.
The Power of Reading
A Message From Dr. Susan, Chief Academic Officer
Of all the moments you share with your child each day, reading a story together is one of the most impactful to your child’s development. When you curl up together and open a new or favorite book, you are deepening critical social and emotional bonds with your child and creating a language-rich experience that fuels the developing brain. Why is reading aloud to your child so powerful?
- Stories help your child learn about themselves and others.
- Picture books are filled with rich vocabulary that develops your child’s oral language skills.
- Reading a book together helps your child with critical life skills, such as sustaining focus and attention, controlling impulses, and developing social skills like empathy
Humans process and organize experience by thinking narratively, about who, what, where, and why things happen around them. Young children know this instinctively and are drawn to storytelling and books, wanting to hear them again and again. When you sit your child on your lap and point to the pictures, make animal sounds, or recite favorite phrases, you’re making connections that last a lifetime!


As the debate over testing — how much, how often, and why — continues worldwide, Australia is earning accolades from international education experts for testing standards that promote effective learning and teaching. This ranges from classroom tests to certification tests administered at a statewide level, according to John Zubrzycki and Lee Lawrence of The Christian Science Monitor, who notes that the US is paying attention:
As the United States prepares to roll out testing pegged to the new Common Core State Standards, it behooves American educators to listen in on Australian debate pitting well-established state exams against newer federal tests.
Recently, Australia has introduced an additional national layer of assessments with the nationwide standardized testing and curricula. According to critics, that's a step toward a failed U.S. model.
Australia's National Assessment Program (NAPLAN) was introduced in 2008 and tests literacy and numeracy skills through multiple-choice and short-answer questions. Students in Grades 3, 5, 7, and 9 are required to take it, and the results for individual school performance are published on My School, a public website.
Critics argue that the content is too narrow and the stakes too high. Since NAPLAN scores appear as the only measure of school and teacher performance, they say, teaching to this test has taken precedence over education strategies that encourage exploration, creative thinking, and analysis. They also point out that NAPLAN has not been around long enough to take credit for Australia's solid performance on Program for International Student Assessment tests. Federal policymakers hope NAPLAN will raise these scores further, while some critics refer to NAPLAN as "napalm."
Liliana Mularczyk, principal of Merrylands and president of the NSW Secondary Principals' Council said that NAPLAN shows only a tiny sliver of a student's ability. "You need to look at the whole person's learning level at different times, not just based on 40 questions."
Mularczyk noted that assessment, like the Australian high school certification exams that students in most states take at the conclusion of Grade 12, measure a range of skills, abilities, and knowledge. These exams are pegged to standards and curricula, which are formulated at the state level through an extensive and collaborative process that involves teachers, school administrators, and education experts.
When they sit for these state exams, students choose among 20 to 30 subjects, and "there are different approaches for different subjects," says Kevin Donnelly, a retired English teacher and founder of Education Standards Institute, a Melbourne think tank. "Here in Victoria," he explains, "some science exams might have a section with short answers and multiple choice," but most of the subjects require students to write essays. In the case of dance or music, they must perform; for visual arts they submit a portfolio.
Students are also required to present a portfolio of research projects, science experiments, and in-school assessments that are considered alongside the exam results. This certification process, in many ways, resembles a cross between the International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement.
In radical contrast to the U.S., the state exams are then made available – students turn in their answers, but can leave clutching the sheet of questions. Also, anyone can access descriptions of the information and analysis expected in each answer, the grading guidelines, as well as sample answers and how these are ranked. This helps teachers understand the degree of critical thinking, factual knowledge, and communication skills their students need to succeed.


How to become a Wildlife Biologist
- Wildlife biologists work in many areas. Marine biologists are interested in aquatic life and their ecosystems. They study whales, sharks, fish, and other marine plants and animals. Sometimes they work at aquariums.
- Other wildlife biologists work in nature centers or as forest rangers. Some do research; others teach at universities or work with government agencies to protect wildlife. Some work for museums or zoos.
- Wildlife biologists sometimes write books or magazine articles detailing their research and teaching others about conservation.
- Wildlife biologists need at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as environmental studies or biology. Many wildlife biologists have a master’s degree. Wildlife biologists need to have a keen interest in science and math. They need to be able to review data, conduct research, think creatively, and solve problems.
- You won’t become a millionaire as a wildlife biologist. Most earn between $50,000 and $85,000. But you’ll probably have good work hours doing interesting things. You might spend some of your time in an office and some of your time out in the field.
- Most jobs in wildlife biology are with federal and state government agencies. These jobs can be hard to come by. The more education you have, the better your chances of landing a good job.
Questions and Answers
Question: Could I become a television personality like Jeff Corwin or the Kratt brothers?
Answer: Maybe, if you have that perfect blend of knowledge, enthusiasm, and stage presence, along with a little luck. Chances are, you’ll more likely get a great job away from the television cameras.
Want to work with animals? Watch this short video about people who have careers training and caring for animals at zoos and amusement parks.
Cite This Page
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MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Wildlife Biologist Facts for Kids ." Easy Science for Kids, Feb 2020. Web. 16 Feb 2020. < https://easyscienceforkids.com/wildlife-biologist/ >.
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Tobin, Declan. (2020). Wildlife Biologist Facts for Kids. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from https://easyscienceforkids.com/wildlife-biologist/
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We believe music study is the perfect means for creating emotional, intellectual, and personal growth in students of all ages. The process of learning and mastering a musical instrument, and the lifelong journey of finding poetry and meaning through a study of great repertoire, makes music study a truly “whole brain” activity: it makes equal demands on our powers of both analysis and expression. Performing in front of others – cited by many as their greatest fear! – leads to greater self-knowledge, confidence, and empathy.
Our mission as teachers is to instill effective practice habits from day one. Self-sufficiency is the ultimate goal for every student, regardless of their ambition at the keyboard. Students should one day leave their piano studies with a capacity to read and comprehend music notation (thereby being able to learn any piece they want); express themselves through a beautiful piano tone and healthy technique; and carry a love of great music with them throughout their lives.
To that end, we view our role as a support to our students in their learning process (parents play an equally important supporting role, and are required to be involved most directly in the early stages of a student’s lessons). Lessons are structured, energizing, and thought-provoking; we often ask more questions of our students than we provide answers or a “to-do” list. Above all else, our students are the reason we teach, and lessons are tailored with great care to the personality, level of experience, and learning style of each student (including but not limited to students diagnosed with ADHD, on the autism spectrum, and with other unique developmental or personality traits). Pianists in Progress aims to provide a rigorous and rewarding music education in a welcoming, uplifting, and joyous atmosphere.


The costume is the prop that helps young children communicate the role they are enacting both to themselves and to others.”
The post, written by Sandra Waite-Stupiansky, PhD, professor at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and a facilitator of the NAEYC Play, Policy, and Practice Interest Forum, states: “When children dress up as part of their pretend play, they represent themselves as someone else–a mother, a monster, a dinosaur. It’s an important part of their development of ‘transforming’ one thing into another. In this case, they are transforming themselves into another role… the costume is the prop that helps young children communicate the role they are enacting both to themselves and to others.”
But here’s the rub: Educators see differences between traditional pretend play — and the benefits that can bring to early childhood learning — and dressing up for Halloween. The big difference: Originality and choice.
NAEYC: “In pretend play, children use props and clothing to enact a role that promotes the story (scripts and scenarios) of their dramatic play. They make conscious decisions as to what will work for the roles they are enacting. They have power over the play, and they choose the costumes using their imaginations and resources.”
It continues: “On the other hand, Halloween costumes are often predetermined and very specific in their design, so there is little room for the imagination to take over.”
So what would be best for a child’s imagination? The post indicates parens could engage their children “in developing the costume, using items found around the house–or making items–to represent the firefighter’s props. For example, you could cover the upside-down bowl with red duct tape and convert a cardboard paper towel roll into a hose. The process of creating the costume is just as important as wearing it.”
Another interesting point: It’s not just the children who learn from the dressing up. For adults — parents, caregivers, and practitioners — it becomes an opportunity to gain new insights into the child: “Adults get an opportunity to peer into the window of their child’s thinking and emotions. We might see them playing with the power of a superhero when they put on a cape, or nurturing a new baby when they put on adult shoes and sit in a rocking chair with a baby doll. We see parts of the children’s personalities that aren’t otherwise exposed.”


Mayerson Academy’s Orton-Gillingham
Why is this work important?
Based on the NAEP Reading Report Card (2017), 63% of fourth grade students fell below the proficient level on a national assessment. Designed for pre-K–6 classroom teachers, K–12 intervention specialists, and tutors of those with dyslexia or reading difficulties, Mayerson Academy’s Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Reading Program courses address the development of the foundational skills necessary for students to become proficient readers. With coaching and supervision from master teachers, participants learn to design and implement explicit, systematic and structured multisensory lesson plans custom-tailored to the needs of individual students or small groups.
How do we go about it?
Offered in both face-to-face and online formats, Mayerson Academy’s Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Reading Program addresses the five essential components of reading – phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension – as recommended by the National Reading Panel Report (2000). What differentiates Mayerson Academy’s Orton-Gillingham courses is the practicum. Master teachers provide on-the-spot feedback, correction and suggestions as they watch teachers teach. The goal is for each participant to implement Orton-Gillingham methodology with fidelity to strengthen core reading instruction. Our programs are accredited by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and/or the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC).
What results will you see?
Thanks to more than two decades of work in the field, our instructors are established as recognized leaders in literacy, equipping teachers to develop students’ capacity to become successful readers and writers. When educators engage in training over time at a deeper level, impact on student achievement is exceptional. Teachers who conscientiously implement Orton-Gillingham methodology recognize student learning that transforms struggling learners into confident, successful readers. An outside evaluator from the Ohio Department of Education’s Dyslexia Pilot rated Mayerson Academy’s program “exemplary professional development” due to the significant reading gains of students.
We are grateful for the incredible partners with whom we work, like these four. See the full list here.


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Stride uses games and rewards to inspire students to master difficult math, language arts, reading, and science concepts.
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Stride’s adaptive technology guides students to practice concepts precisely where they need it most—and then serves up a variety of content that’s lively and engaging, rich with a spirit of community and competition.
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Big Universe is a digital literacy solution featuring thousands of leveled eBooks to help support teachers in literacy development.
Big Universe lets you meet every K–12 student exactly where they are with a personalized learning path to build literacy and higher order thinking skills. Reach every student with our library of leveled, Spanish, nonfiction-fiction pairs, and Hi-Lo content.
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Big Universe takes on literacy development from a variety of standpoints. Its easy-to-use interface is designed for students’ needs, while also allowing teachers to easily access progress reports. Below are some of Big Universe’s key features:
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Resources › For Educators Cosmos Episode 1 Viewing Worksheet Share Flipboard Email Print FOX For Educators Teaching Teaching Resources An Introduction to Teaching Tips & Strategies Policies & Discipline Community Involvement School Administration Technology in the Classroom Teaching Adult Learners Issues In Education Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Special Education Homeschooling By Heather Scoville Science Expert M.A., Technological Teaching and Learning, Ashford University B.A., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cornell University Heather Scoville is a former medical researcher and current high school science teacher who writes science curriculum for online science courses. our editorial process Heather Scoville Updated April 27, 2019 Once in awhile, it is necessary to have a "movie day" in class. Perhaps you have a substitute teacher and want to make sure your students are still learning and reinforcing concepts you've been studying. Other times call for a "reward" of a movie day or as a supplement to a unit that may be particularly difficult to grasp. Whatever the reason, a great show to watch on these movie days is "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" with host Neil deGrasse Tyson. He makes science accessible and exciting for all ages and levels of learning. The first episode of Cosmos, called "Standing Up in the Milky Way", was an overview of science from the beginning of time. It touches on everything from the Big Bang Theory to the Geologic Time Scale to Evolution and Astronomy. Below are questions that can be copy and pasted into a worksheet and modified as necessary for students to fill in as they watch Episode 1 of Cosmos. These questions are designed to check understanding of some of the most important parts while hopefully not taking away from the experience of watching the show. Cosmos Episode 1 Worksheet Name:___________________ Directions: Answer the questions as you watch episode 1 of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey 1. What is the name of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “spaceship”? 2. What is responsible for creating wind and keeping everything in the solar system in its clutches? 3. What lies between Mars and Jupiter? 4. How big is the centuries-old hurricane on Jupiter? 5. What had to be invented before we could discover Saturn and Neptune? 6. What is the name of the spacecraft that has traveled the farthest away from Earth? 7. What is the Oort Cloud? 8. How far from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy do we live? 9. What is the “address” of Earth in the cosmos? 10. Why do we not know yet if we live in a “multiverse”? 11. Who wrote the banned book that Giordano Bruno read that gave him the idea that the Universe was infinite? 12. How long was Bruno jailed and tortured? 13. What happened to Bruno after he refused to change his mind about his beliefs of an infinite Universe? 14. Who was able to prove Bruno right 10 years after his death? 15. How many years does one month symbolize on the “cosmic calendar”? 16. What date on the “cosmic calendar” did the Milky Way Galaxy appear? 17. What date on the “cosmic calendar” was our Sun born? 18. What day and time did human ancestors first evolve on the “cosmic calendar”? 19. What do the last 14 seconds on the “cosmic calendar” represent? 20. How many seconds ago on the “cosmic calendar” did the two halves of the world find each other? 21. How old was Neil deGrasse Tyson when he met Carl Sagan in Ithaca, New York? 22. What is Carl Sagan most famous for?


Remember Charlotte’s Web? Fern and her brother seemed to have an ideal life. They spent their summers outdoors, playing with the farmyard pets and swimming in the pond. These activities are part of life for many children living on farms—but there’s much more to being a farming family.
- Farming dates back at least 5,000 years to Sumeria when people began irrigating and harvesting crops. Ancient Egyptians relied on the Nile River to provide water for their crops.
- Water has always been a major obstacle for farmers. In areas with lots of rainfall, floods can wash away fertile soil, as well as seeds and tiny plants. In dry climates, farmers have to figure out how to get water to their plants. Hand watering was backbreaking, but necessary, work. Pioneers tamed the west by building massive reservoirs and canals that could store and carry water to fields.
- Pipes and sophisticated sprinkler systems have replaced hand watering, but farmers today still have to pay for water, sometimes negotiating with other farmers and people who want it.
- A farmer usually refers to someone who owns the land and farms it; occasionally, farmers might rent land from someone else. In the 1800s, people could homestead—or borrow land from the government for farming. If they stayed on the land and produced crops, the land became theirs.
- Farmers grow a variety of crops, depending on their climate. Corn, wheat, potatoes, soybeans, and sugar beets are some of the major crops grown in the U.S. Most of the fruits and vegetables eaten in the U.S. grow in California, known for its rich soil and warm climate. Some farmers have orchards, vineyards, or even forests.
- Some farmers raise livestock like cows, sheep, and goats. Ranchers raise beef cattle, while dairymen raise cows for milk and cheese. Shepherds tend sheep and goats. Farmers might raise turkeys, chickens, or pigs. Some farmers even raise fish!
- Today, some farms are owned by corporations and might consist of thousands of acres. Family farms are often just a few hundred acres.
- On a family farm, everyone must lend a hand. During the summer, adults are often out in the fields before the sun comes up. During harvest season, they work until after the sun goes down. Children help as much as they can. Chores include planting, weeding, harvesting, gathering eggs, and feeding animals.
- Field hands are often hired to help with some of these tasks—especially on larger farms.
- Modern farming techniques have made it easier to grow more food. In the 1930s, one farmer could typically grow only enough food to feed three or four people. Today, a farm can grow enough food to feed as many as 100 people.
- Farmers sell their produce and livestock to grocery stores, processing plants, farmers markets, farm stands, or CSAs.
Questions and Answers
Question: Are farmers able to earn a lot of money?
Answer: Yes and No. Farming has always been a risky venture. Drought, hail, diseases, and insects can wipe out a crop before it ever gets to harvest. Market trends often determine how much a farmer can sell a crop for. If the market has a downturn, farmers might earn very little for a summer of backbreaking work. Tell a farmer today that you appreciate him or her!
Watch a video about kids and farming.
Cite This Page
You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:
MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " All Farming Facts for Kids ." Easy Science for Kids, Feb 2020. Web. 23 Feb 2020. < https://easyscienceforkids.com/farmers/ >.
APA Style Citation
Tobin, Declan. (2020). All Farming Facts for Kids. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from https://easyscienceforkids.com/farmers/
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BTEC Level 2 First Award in Art and Design – Awarding board Edexcel (Year 9 1 Year option)
GCSE Unendorsed Art, Craft and Design and Photography - Awarding Board AQA
A Level Art, Craft and Design, Graphic Communication, Photography and Art Textiles – Awarding Board AQA.
Mrs S Goodall (Head of Department), Mr A Connell, Mrs L Judd, Mrs S Steven, Mrs E Wilk (Technician)
Art education involves:
- Enabling students to become visually literate: to use and understand Art as a form of visual and tactile communication and to have confidence and competence in reading and evaluating visual images and artefacts.
- Developing particular creative and technical skills so that ideas can be realised and artefacts produced
- Promoting students' aesthetic sensibilities and so they make informed judgements about Art
- Encouraging students' capacity for imaginative and original thought and experimentation
- Helping students to learn about and observe the world in which they live
- Enabling students to articulate and communicate ideas, opinions and feelings about their own work and that of others
- Teaching students to value the contribution made by artists, craft workers and designers and to respond thoughtfully, critically and imaginatively to ideas, images and objects of many kinds and from many cultures.
Key Stage 3
In Years 7 and 8 students experience a broad-based education with the initial emphasis on developing, recording and research skills and developing an understanding of the formal elements then moving onto promoting the acquisition of technical skills together with a more complete understanding of how Art as a language can be used.
Key Stage 4
In Years 9, 10 and 11 students continue to build on their practical skills as well as their ability to be creative and express ideas in a personal way. Teaching is in line with the AQA syllabus for the two exam courses offered which include Art, Craft and Design and Photography. All students are encouraged to visit Art galleries in order to appreciate the work of others and to make meaningful connections with their own work.
In Year 9 there is also a one-year BTEC Level 2 vocational Art option. The BTEC First Award in Art and Design provides the opportunity for students to develop their knowledge and understanding by applying their learning and skills in a work-related context. This is an exciting but demanding course equivalent to one GCSE.
Key Stage 5
Students at this level carry out a broad-based programme of study covering a range of media areas depending on their chosen specialism. Projects are designed to give students the opportunity of developing personal responses that grow out of combining high levels of technical expertise and strong individual ideas. On all A Level courses students are expected to explore a wide range of genres and techniques. They develop their ideas, skills and personal styles in order to build a confident portfolio of work that also supports their College applications.


Today I was re-reading Eve Harwood and Kathy Marsh’s brilliant chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Music Education. This paragraph gave me pause once again as I considered how to best enable children to compose and improvise in the ways that are natural for them and also help to guide without killing these natural impulses. I put the entire paragraph here because I think it is very powerful and one that pre-service teachers need to be aware of as well. You will find this quote on p. 329 of volume 1.
Embedded Opportunity for composition and Improvisation
“As the children play together, there is a a focus on creative reworking of musical material rather than a fixed product. While there are many precedents for classroom improvisation and composition, for pedagogical reasons these have often been conducted within preconceived frameworks devised by teachers. Although formal frameworks and expectations also operate within children’s musical play, the aesthetic decisions are ongoing and their own, allowing more fluid, steadily developing, and satisfying performative outcomes. Novelty is part of playground game practice, enabling children to respond to the new and different in their sonic and kinesthetic environment, in turn transforming it into something that meets with individual and communal approval” (Marsh, 1995, 2008).


Are you looking for multisensory techniques that will help your students succeed at reading and spelling? Do you want to enhance your understanding of the rules and patterns that govern written English so that you can better help your students learn to read? Are you looking for an explicit phonics program that will supplement the reading materials you already use without adding additional costs to your school’s budget? Are you looking for a reading program that is flexible and can be applied to young children as well as older students, children with language-based learning disabilities as well as emergent readers? If so, then this is the program for you.
The Stratford Friends School Multisensory Teacher Training Center provides instruction to educators and other professionals in the Orton-Gillingham Approach to Language Instruction. A phonics-based approach, Orton-Gillingham provides training in the five major components of effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, in-depth phonics instruction, reading comprehension strategies, vocabulary development, and reading fluency. Also included is spelling instruction. Research has shown that spelling instruction undergirds and supports reading and should be an integral part of a strong reading program rather than being taught as a separate subject.
Strategies for multisensory instruction are emphasized. These techniques are widely recognized to enhance all academic instruction. For students with learning differences, the addition of multisensory techniques can mean the difference between success and failure. Participants learn how to apply these strategies in their own classrooms and in one-on-one or small group tutoring sessions.
Stratford Friends School Multisensory Teacher Training Center provides on-site training to educators and other professionals holding a Bachelor’s Degree.


There is growing interest in the relationship between physical and psychosocial factors related to resilience to better understand the antecedents of health and successful adaptation to challenges in and out of school, and across the lifespan. To further this understanding, a trans-disciplinary approach was used to investigate the association between the multidimensional constructs of physical literacy and resilience in children at a key stage in their development.
Cross-sectional data were collected from 227 school children aged 9-12 years old from five schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Resilience was measured using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, and physical literacy through the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth tools. Data were provided by self-report, surrogate assessors of the child (physical education teachers and parents), and trained assessors for movement skills. These data were analysed using correlation and logistic regression.
Resilience was significantly correlated with numerous indicators of physical literacy, including movement capacity, confidence, and competence, environmental engagement, and overall perceptions of physical literacy. Regressions indicated that resilience could be predicted by movement confidence and competence, environmental engagement, and overall physical literacy.
The findings of this study, using a constellation of sources, provide foundational evidence for the link between resilience and physical literacy among children, encouraging the importance of physical literacy development in schools. Longitudinal studies are required to further examine this relationship and how these previously unrelated fields may work together for a richer understanding of the interplay between the physical and psychological determinants of well-being.


A one year programme to progress learners with functional skills level 2 in maths to a full GCSE maths qualification.
A 30 hour course which raises parental/carer awareness of the new methods and terminology used in schools and assists them in generating ideas and resources to support their child's learning at home. It will also enable learners to develop their own skills with an opportunity to work towards a nationally recognised qualification in Literacy.
- Karan Dart: Karan Dart
This is a course for parents to eimprove their ICT skills through a programme of study to enable them to assist their children with their ICT development as well as working towards City and Guilds Qualification.
This is a 30 hour programme designed to help parents to improve their numeracy skills and take a National Test qualification at the end of the course.


By Katrina Dix, News & Advance
Reprinted with permission
Adults might glaze over if the conversation turns to programming, but children haven’t learned to be intimidated, making them the perfect students for Tech Cats Coding Camp.
“You get kids interested in this stuff early … then they’re not going to blink,” said Katrin Schenk, who is leading the camp, now in its second year.
About 24 rising 3rd to 7th graders are attending the full-day camp this week, the second of two sessions for younger students. This year, a session for rising 8th through 12th graders will meet next week.
Schenk, a Randolph College physics professor and neuroscience researcher, sees coding as a tool rather than an end in itself. She started picking up programming skills as an undergraduate, finding them necessary for her academic research.
“A lot of times you have to simulate something. There are some things you want to do [that] only a computer can do,” she said.
Although it’s a coding camp, the children don’t spend the whole day in front of computers, or even most of it.
The day starts with hands-on activities and games designed to give students practice with math and programming concepts. Next, they spend some time working with “Scratch,” a drag-and-drop if-then coding tool available at scratch.mit.edu. The language is fairly sophisticated, Schenk said, and offers robust options for designing interactive stories, animations, games, music and art.
Zach Bowden, 11, described by camp staff as a computer whiz, said his love of programming turned on like a light switch after he was exposed to it at school and then got the chance to teach himself.
“I just fiddled with stuff … I’m just, like, obsessed with it,” he said. “One day I was like, ‘Can we do something else?’… and the next day I’m like, ‘Can we do this instead of something else?’”
Zach wants to write a more complicated, multiplayer game soon, and to learn to write code in Python, a high-level programming language.
In the afternoon, campers spend some time outside on the Randolph campus, which was part of the draw to move the camp from Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, where it originated last year.
“I feel like it’s great for kids to be in that college environment,” Schenk said.
In its first year, the camp received some funding from the Lynchburg Office of Economic Development, and the Region 2000 Future Focus foundation served as a partner along with Randolph College. This year, other than use of the space donated by Randolph, the camp is tuition-funded, Schenk said. Tuition for 3rd through 7th grade campers is $295, while the older students’ tuition is $200.
After spending time outside, campers sometimes hear from visitors in careers like engineering, before turning to building and programming LEGO robots and testing them on an obstacle course.
For Nikitha Pradhe, 10, the ability to see what she visualizes come to life is the most exciting part.
“You can just tell it to do what you want and it will do it. That’s pretty cool,” she said.
One of the camp’s counselors, Miosha Williams, a senior at Liberty University studying elementary education, said the campers seem to just absorb the new skills.
“I’ve been amazed at what kids this age can do,” she said. “To be so young, but to have so much knowledge.”


Developmental delay is more than just being “slower to develop” or a “little behind”. It means your child is continually behind in skills other kids their age have.
Developmental delays may be caused by short-lived issues, such as a speech delay being caused by hearing loss from ear infections or a physical delay being caused by a long hospitalisation. Delays may also be early signs of learning and
attention issues. While it’s not always clear what is causing the delay, early intervention can often help kids catch up. Some kids still have delays in skills when they reach school age.
If you are concerned about your child’s motor skill development, book an appointment with our physio today for an assessment.
For more information please view our Fact Sheet below:


Even before Congress declared "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official anthem of the United States in 1931, its complicated melody and soaring pitches were controversial.
The composition, argued the Music Supervisors National Conference in 1930 (now the National Association for Music Education), "was too difficult a musical composition to be rendered properly by schoolchildren, informal gatherings and public meetings where the singing of the national anthem [is] appropriate," according to a 1930 New York Times article.
Although Francis Scott Key penned the words in 1814 during the War of 1812, the melody is actually much older. It's based off an 18th-century British pub song called "To Anacreon in Heaven." That's right: a song to be sung whilst drunk. Listen here (audio, and inspiration for this post, via the National Museum of American History).
The song had been the de facto anthem since President Wilson ordered it played at military events. But many were not happy with merely codifying what had become complacency. A 1927 New York Times editorial, "Wanted, A National Anthem," voiced the common concerns. (Find more historical Times shade-throwing here.)
Both the words and the tune of that song are admittedly unsuitable for the purpose of a national anthem; and their acceptance is a strange instance of the hit-or-miss fashion in which a national anthem is sometimes made. The verses by Francis Scott Key describe a comparatively unimportant incident of the War of 1812.
It then goes on to explain why "To Anacreon in Heaven" is an unsuitable melody:
It is too elaborate in structure for a popular anthem, and is likewise of such a wide compass as to be singable by a mixed assembly only with some difficulty.
The Times preferred a song that could be more easily sung in "a fit of enthusiasm" — although, if a drinking song isn't meant to be sung in fits of enthusiasm, what is?
Many patriotic songs in the American playlist have origins in recycled tunes. "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" has its melodic roots in a folk song, "John Brown's Body." "My Country Tis of Thee" is a direct rip of "God Save the Queen," the British national anthem. This historical remixing underscores a sense of America as a melting pot, that old ideas turn new (although sometimes that appropriation is for the worse).
"The Star-Spangled Banner" may be tough to sing, but when it's sung correctly, it makes for a transcendent, powerful moment.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to email@example.com.


Musica Maths is a subject relating to music for all learners, predominantly for 'Music Student and Music Lovers'. Musica Maths imparts the 'fundamental to complex' concepts of making Music in an interesting and standardized structure and methodology.
Musica Maths enables to 'Read & Write' music, which will help students to explore instrumental or vocal music to greater heights.
Music learning cannot be complete without Musica Maths.
Reading a music score, playing your favorite composer's tune, or simply recreating a new melody to an intricate musical structure for an instrument, voice or orchestra you've always dreamed of performing, and if there is a deep and strong will to master music, you'll certainly find a way.
A beginner, professional singer, aspiring composer or a passionate teacher - no matter who you are in music, we have just the right course structure - spread across 50 levels and 5 Bridges - where each level is taught, examined, monitored and certified on a monthly basis.
Under the unique and structured methodology of Ms Ahluayu S V Naiud, you will understand rather than memorize, explore rather than learn, and read rather than listen.
Founder of 3Bs Western Music Academy in 2004, Ms Ahlauyu is a qualified musician with an LTCL (Licentiate of Trinity College of London), who is into music education since 1991 with a vast knowledge and teaching experience in India and abroad for international examination boards.
Musica Maths is a mesmerizing subject that has made learning music theory a beautiful art. This is the only subject that can help to apply our knowledge practically. I have now developed more interest towards music and its system. My parents can witness a sense of confidence that I have developed over a year as Musica Maths student.
I am really happy that I started learning music theory through "Musica Maths". The Levels are structured so well and makes the learning process easier. It helps me to read music sheets and understand music better. I believe strong music theory base should help someone to progress faster while learning to play an instrument. I strongly recommend it!
One Fantastic Subject, which is making my brain more active. Took this course with a doubt "whether it will work for me or not". However, my doubts are shattered in the first level. It is designed perfectly to make my brain conceive the subject and its concepts with unique exercises. Now I have completed Level 2, feeling more confident that I can go far to complete all 50 Levels and be perfect in the art of music.
If you would like to share our vision in imparting music through unique mathematical concepts, you can become our presenter.


For a current source of articles & discussions about boys'
education, like the "Writing the Playbook" Facebook page:
Read Kelley's blog on EdWeek: "How to Create a Boy-Friendly School"
Read Kelley's article in ASCD's Educational Leadership: "Teaching to the Minds of Boys" (September 2006)
Read Kelley's blog on the Boys Initiative: "It's time we re-write our playbook for teaching boys"
Kelley was a special guest on Education Week's webchat: "Strategies for Addressing School Gender Gaps" - Read the transript here.
In these videos, check out Kelley's take on several important parenting topics at "Kids in the House."
For AVL 2019 conference attendees:
Read Kelley's article in ASCD's Education Leadership: "Gender-Friendly Schools" (November 2010)
The Newsweek cover story (January 2006) featuring Kelley's school, Douglass Elementary in Boulder CO
The Today Show segment (January 23, 2006) featuring Kelley's school, Douglass Elementary in Boulder CO
A local news story by Channel 9 in Denver about the success of Kelley's school, Douglass Elementary, in creating a boy-friendly school (Feb 2007)
Helpful Websites I Recommend:
Purchase teacher-created & ready-to-use Brain Break activities at a tiny price! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brain-Breaks-for-the-Classroom
Get information & activity ideas from BluEarth which is an organization that helps teachers integrate movement in Australia. Click on the "Teacher Resource Center" tab for activity descriptions & videos. http://www.bluearth.org/home/home.cfm
JAM (Just A Minute) School program brings movement to the classroom. http://www.jamschoolprogram.com/
Whole Brain Teaching - classroom videos showing movement & call-and-response techniques at all grade levels: http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisBiffle
Real World & High Interest Math Problem-Solving:
Choice Boards are great for giving students a "menu" of learning activities from which they can choose. Letting kids have a say in their learning is important especially for boys.
Comic Book creator tools:
These sites help students turn content knowledge into comic books & graphic novels.
Some get quite sophisticated and work well through high school.
Video Game creators:
Students create all aspects of a video game. How about having them write a
game play manual to go with it? This can work well as an enrichment/independent
Boys like to have an authentic audience for their work. This site lets them share with the world.
Have students read & write book reviews on the Scholastic Books site.
This website was created by children's author Jon Sciezska & is a website "by guys & for guys."
At Guys Read, it is definitely cool to read. I love the stickers, bookmarks & book recommendations.
Getting Boys to Read:
This website is created by a school librarian, Mike McQueen, who is an expert at engaging boys
in reading. He posts lots of ideas, book recommendations & expert interviews that will be of interest
to parents & teachers alike.
“Movie trailers” for books:
Instead of creating a traditional book report, why not create a multi-media book trailer? Check out this
website for some helpful tips. Find great student examples by searching YouTube for "book trailers."
Music-in-the-classroom research and resources:
A nice summary of the research on effective ways to use music in the classroom, by Eric Jensen:
Brain-friendly classroom music CDs that are based on the brain research:
From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, here are teacher -created lesson plans that incorporate rock music
across into all areas of the curriculum (middle & high school):
Lesson plans for teaching the curriculum through rap music:
Teaching suggestions, lyrics and music of all genres for all content areas (preK - elementary):
For an enormous collection of music from around the world:
Hip Hop music in the classroom (all grades/content areas):
"Like" the Writing the Playbook Facebook page for current articles & issues related to boys and education.