Different Types of Mountains
A mountain can be defined as a type of landform that is distinguished by a higher elevation. Mountains are taller, higher and steeper than hills. Climate conditions vary on mountains because of their high elevation. There are different types of mountains: – Fold Mountains, Fault-block Mountains, Dome Mountains (Upwarped Mountains), Volcanic Mountains, Plateau Mountains (Erosion Mountains). Type of a mountain depends on various factors like physical characteristics and their formation.
Different types of mountains: –
- Fold Mountains: – It is the most common type of mountains. When two plates collide head on and their edges crumbled, Fold Mountains are formed. This process is somewhat similar to pushing the folds of a piece of paper. Himalayan Mountains in Asia are great examples of Fold Mountains.
- Fault-block Mountains: – When materials are forced upwards by faults or cracks in the earth’s crust, Fault-block Mountains are formed. These mountains generally have a steeper front side and a sloping back side. Sierra Nevada Mountains are best example of Fault-block Mountains.
- Dome Mountains: – When a large amount of magma pushes up from below the earth’s crust but it never reaches the surface. Before its eruption, the source of magma disappears and the pushed up rock takes a dome shape. These mountains are also known as Upwarped Mountain as they take a circular shape.
- Volcanic Mountains: – When magma from below the earth’s crust makes its way to the surface, it causes an eruption. It results in lava, ash, volcanic gases, rock etc. After this, volcanic vents are formed, building up a mountain. Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea are good examples of volcanic mountains.
- Plateau Mountains: – Formation of these mountains is caused by the earth’s internal activity and they are revealed by erosion. When running water carves deep channels into a region, Plateau Mountains are created. These mountains are generally found near Fold Mountains.
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Music lessons really are for all ages! Don’t believe us? Think you’re too old to learn? Read on as Dayton, OH teacher Mike H. explains why this is far from the case!
Studies have shown that the younger a child is, the better the chances of starting a successful music education. Children as young as 2 start learning under the Suzuki method and most children have a “window” of opportunity that opens around age 3. Sadly, that window closes around age 10, well past the age where most public schools now begin their instrumental music programs.
But what if you’re an adult who never got to learn the instrument of your dreams? I have talked to people over the years who were trying to encourage their own children to take the opportunities they had not. They were encouraging their children to learn music from a perspective of missed opportunities and the thought that it’s too late for them but not for their child.
Well, it’s never too late to learn a musical instrument! Adults may not realize that now that they’re fully grown with life experience, they are capable of learning an instrument despite the perceived setbacks. They often become bogged down with work schedules, family life and the delicate balance of life. But music lessons later in life have suggested a number of extra benefits such as:
- It can be relaxing and a great way to de-stress.
- Music lessons can help with organization and planning skills.
- Music can enhance your ability to do math and logical calculations
- There are more opportunities than you might realize for public performance
- Learning an instrument later life can act as an obstacle to Alzheimers
I’d like to start at that top of that list and discuss the relaxation benefits of taking music lessons and illustrate a few examples of what that might look like. If you’re like most adults, you already have some sort of activity you enjoy when you get the time whether that be a hobby, or a simple afternoon nap.
Listening to your favorite music has a calming effect. Your blood pressure will drop slightly and your heart rate will actually pace itself to the beat of the song. This is why you prefer hearing up-tempo music while exercising but not necessarily while trying to sleep. But what about playing an instrument? In my experience, this effect is heightened a bit more than just listening, which alone is often done in the background of other activity. In that case, it’s not likely to work at all. When you concentrate on the notes of a melody of a familiar song while playing it yourself, you can hear it come to life and the satisfaction from the hard work and perseverance is more rewarding than simply listening to the song on an iPod. The skills you pick up learning an instrument pay off huge dividends and you may find it’s easier than you think to get started. So drag out your guitar or dust off your old piano and take the first step!
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Mike H. teaches drum, guitar, piano, music recording, music theory, percussion and songwriting lessons in Dayton, OH. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Wright State University, and has over 11 years of experience teaching music! Mike joined the TakeLessons team in December 2012. Learn more about Mike, or search for a teacher near you!
Photo by Tulane Public Relations


Avid readers agree that to open your mind, you need only open a book. Mrs. Colleen Thurmond, the Response to Intervention (RtII) Teacher at New Garden Elementary School, teaches students to use reading this way.
Mrs. Thurmond has taught everything from preschool to fifth grade in her 32-year career; 29 of those years have been at New Garden Elementary. She attended West Chester University and received her undergraduate degree in elementary education before receiving her master’s in literacy, allowing her to become a reading specialist.
“At each opportunity, I’ve learned so much about teaching,” explains Mrs. Thurmond. “I constantly strive to try new positions to learn more at every level. It has been a lot of fun to explore different opportunities.”
Mrs. Thurmond knew early on that she loved education, so after college she went right into teaching at the preschool level in Connecticut. Next, she got a classroom teaching position in South Carolina. She loves Southeastern Pennsylvania, so she moved back and got a job at Kennett Consolidated School District as a fifth-grade teacher. She has been with the District ever since. While her primary focus is on reading, she also enjoys teaching math, social studies, and science.
“When I first started teaching, I wanted to learn more about how kids learn to read,” says Mrs. Thurmond. “I was intrigued by the learning process. Response to Intervention covers reading, writing, and math. This approach looks at the whole child to see how they’re progressing across the board. Every aspect is considered. We even look to see if their behavior could be affecting their learning.”
Mrs. Thurmond puts interventions and strategies in place to be sure that every student is successful. If a student is struggling with fluency, for example, Mrs. Thurmond will have them do repeated readings. The idea behind this is that as a student re-reads a story or passage, they will begin to feel more comfortable with the words. The more comfortable they are with the words, the more they will comprehend the passage.
“I work with students in first through fifth grades, so it can be challenging to make sure all students are progressing. We look at math and reading data three times a year: fall, winter, spring. This lets me take the pulse and see how students are doing. Some students are monitored more frequently. Then, of course, I follow up to make sure that the strategies are working.”
Watching the students grow is a big reason why Mrs. Thurmond loves her work. Students begin in first grade as one type of learner and leave the school a whole new person, both academically and personally.
“I really get to know the students, and the parents too,” says Mrs. Thurmond. “It’s great fun to have that community feeling when working together with the students. It’s fun to see the spark in their eyes. Students will tell me ‘I can’t read’—then, usually around January, all the pieces begin falling together and they say, ‘I can read!’”
In addition to her role as the Response to Intervention (RtII) Teacher at New Garden Elementary School, Mrs. Thurmond is also a Shelter Instructional Observation Protocol (SIOP) facilitator and presenter for the District, as part of a program that helps students build their background knowledge to help them learn in the classroom. She serves on the English Language Arts (ELA) Committee, which is working on developing a “grammar scope” to look at what’s being taught and when. She is also on the Word Study Committee, which looks at phonics development and vocabulary from kindergarten through middle school and is evaluating materials that will benefit all learners.
Outside of school, Mrs. Thurmond loves to read and spend time with her husband of 30 years, Benton, and daughter, Jaime, who graduated from the Kennett Consolidated School District. She also loves to spoil her three pets: one dog and two cats. Her happy place is the beach.


Writing is an important skill, and one that can be encouraged from an early age. As a teacher of young children, there are several ways that I work to foster a love of writing in my classroom while developing fine motor skills. Here are a few suggestions for setting up a fun, inviting and engaging “office” area for your young child at home.
- Have materials such as single hole punches, scissors, staplers and tape available. In addition to being lots of fun, these items help children develop dexterity while strengthening their hand muscles.
- Short markers (such as crayola pip-squeaks) short colored pencils and triangular crayons help foster proper tripod grip.
- Alphabet and number cards are a great reference for children who are ready to begin writing letters and numbers independently.
- Offer children a variety of types and sizes and paper allows them to practice drawing and writing in different scales.
Having these materials available for your children will help to set the stage for a lifetime of writing! If you are looking for extra support at home, contact us, to set up a meeting with one of our preschool or elementary educators who can help you and your family support early learners in your family to develop fine motor skills, literacy skills, and numeracy skills.
Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.


The definition of social cohesion speaks about an intermingling of people irrespective of culture, creed or religion. Mutual solidarity encourages kids to express themselves in groups, individually and at home. In childcare education, a positive relationship among peers works wonders down the line. It establishes a formative methodology of trust and goals that work for a common purpose. There is a need to champion the cause on a global spectrum. That is where rudimentary principles work, at the very essence, in the early childhood learning curve.
United in the Classroom
The educational sector encourages that kids do not establish biases towards one another. The curriculums as a whole, with the range of textbooks, must be open without infringing on personal choices. This lays the very foundations to establish a form of democratic power among children. In doing so, the choices offered to kids via education in rhymes, songs, drama, and games, encourages them to learn about cultures. A united society is one where people of different colour or economic ratings are judged. Teachers at preschools ensure that they impart a formative view that encourages kids to think out of the box, without causing any upset.
Friends for Life
When a child makes friends with a classmate who does not reside near his home during activities for toddlers , it opens up ways to learn about other lifestyles and choices. This is the first education for the child who is able to distinguish that even though his friend does not live in the same environment as he does, he still has plenty to bring to the table. In fact, many adults will be happy to learn these little spots of wisdom from kids. To promote social cohesion through education requires that the teachers go over and beyond their call of duty. This ensures that every child in the classroom is equal without widening the gap.
In sum at http://www.chengzhu.edu.sg/ the Chinese kindergarten in Singapore, children are taught to be peaceful. During the time away from home, they open their minds to myriad options – drama, drawing, singing and generally being kids. The idea is to ensure that the hours spent at this fine school, empowers them to be socially capable of loving their culture without looking down on any other (culture). By speaking in a common language, children automatically comprehend the basis of their ethos but are not close-minded. Making friends with their peers ensures that human relationships outside from home make for amazing social cohesiveness.


Are you ready for your kindergartners to think, talk and explore? KinderCorner is a comprehensive kindergarten program based on research that helps children make sense of the world around them, fostering development of oral language, literacy math, and interpersonal and self-help skills, as well as science and social studies concepts. Join Kinder Roo and Alex the Ape as they help all kids become Cool Kids!
KinderCorner provides students with a wide array of literacy-enhancing experiences to promote their language and literacy development. Students in KinderCorner participate in listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities throughout their entire day. Teachers model fluent reading and help students to develop listening-comprehension skills though Story Telling and Retelling (STaR) lessons. Each STaR book is read interactively with students on the first day and then retold with puppets or through dramatization on the second day.
The Learning Labs foster thematic exploration through concrete hands-on activities. Students engage in imaginative play, problem solving, exploring materials, experimenting, observing, and recording data. They interact together, enhancing their interpersonal and oral-language skills, and develop cognitive skills as they engage in imaginative play.
Theme Exploration begins with the Partnership Question of the Day that elicits discussion to set the stage for the specific topic within the theme that will be explored for the day. The daily content focus is introduced through the Daily Message. Students explore thematic concepts through books, background videos, and other interactive activities. They also learn from one to three thematic vocabulary words that will be used throughout the unit.
An environment that promotes learning and supportive classroom-management strategies enhances students’ self-esteem. As a teacher, you are a powerful influence in each student’s life. Your students look to you for confirmation that they are capable and lovable. There are numerous strategies built into the KC curriculum. One of these, Pocket Points, are small plastic chips that the class can earn for demonstrating what they have learned, sharing their responses to a question, returning their signed Read & Respond bookmarks, etc. The teacher or students place the chips that are earned into the KinderRoo puppet’s pouch. At the end of each day, during Let’s Think About It, the pocket point chips are counted and transferred from KinderRoo’s pouch to the celebration jar.
Rich, active, upfront training prepares teachers to begin implementing their program:
Goal-Focused Achievement Planning – As the school year begins, school/district leaders and your coach will develop specific instructional goals and outcomes. Each school receives:


Is Home School Connect (HSC) based on early childhood learning and parental engagement research findings?
Yes. HSC has been specifically founded to empower parents to support children’s early learning at home, in a way that is complementary to how and what children learn in school. There is a particular focus on the early years (reading & maths) to ensure children get off to a good start in school and also prevent attainment gaps from occurring in the first place.
There is strong evidence that family interest and participation in a child’s early learning has a significant impact upon academic progress. In fact, evidence suggests that in the primary years, parental/home factors are even more salient and powerful than school influences. HSC therefore embraces the concept of shared responsibility for a child’s learning between home and school.
What the parental engagement research tells us
As stated in ‘Parental Engagement – How to make a real difference’ Gross(2013), pg. 3, succinctly summarises the 10 key parental engagement findings:
- Children of parents who take an active interest in their education make greater progress than other children.
- In the primary years, family influences have a more powerful effect on children’s attainment and progress than school factors.
- Parental engagement has a significant effect throughout a child’s school years
- Gains in pupil achievement stemming from parental engagement initiatives tend to be permanent.
- In schools with matched intakes, those with strong parental engagement tend to do best – they have higher attainment and fewer problems with behaviour.
- Levels of parental engagement are linked to socio-economic status, but in parenting, it is what you do, not who you are that counts. Even where families live in poverty, children can achieve if their parents are involved and committed to their child’s education.
- The home-based factors that make the strongest contribution to the child’s achievement in the primary years include the extent of one-to-one interaction between parent and child, and parental involvement in educational activities and outings with their child.
- Parents’ aspirations for their children strongly predict their achievement, as does parents’ self-efficacy (the belief that they can make a difference to their own lives through their own actions and efforts).
- Levels of parental engagement vary, with mothers more likely to be involved than fathers, a general decline in involvement as the child gets older, and significant differences between ethnic groups. Black/Black British and Asian/Asian British parents are often more likely than White parents to want to be involved in their child’s education and to feel that it is extremely important to help with homework.
- Schools can make a difference. One study showed that if families who were initially uninvolved with their child’s education became more involved as a result of the school’s efforts, there were marked improvements in the child’s literacy. “
How can HSC and schools make a difference?
HSC (reading & maths) packs can both increase a parents’ self-efficacy in helping children learn at home as well as increase parental engagement in children’s learning.
HSC also very much views schools as partners in this process – as partners to empower parents to help their children learn at home. Where packs have been bought in for children and their families (e.g. using pupil premium funding), London based schools may wish to couple this with (Educational Psychologist or Teacher led) training for parents on how to get the most out of the materials and supporting website.
The Education Endowment Foundation’s Early Years Toolkit also advocates parental engagement initiatives as a worthwhile activity for schools to develop, particularly where schools actively empower parents to support children’s early learning and development.
Gross, J. (2013). Parental Engagement. How to make a real difference. Oxford School Improvement.


Early childcare and education is currently universally thought to be an essential portion of basic education. The World Conference on Education for all those located in March 1990 at Jomtien, Thailand promoted the concept that "Learning begins at birth". According to U . n . Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNICEF, proper early childhood programs can establish more agile minds, better school attendance, lower repetition and dropout rates and stronger academic skills. At a period, when many parents are increasingly discovering it hard to spend adequate time using children in USA, playschools or preschools in USA, by giving early childhood care and education, began to play an extremely significant role in the proper progression of skills and ethics for the future American citizens. Therefore, it is very important to take stock from the emerging trends in the preschool education of USA and analyze the implications they bear in the future.
Preschool Education in USA:
U . s . has a federal structure and education is usually a situation and native responsibility. This is reflected well within the expenditure pattern on America's education. Whilst the local communities, private organizations while stating agencies contribute greater than 90 % of your practice budget; federal expenditure generally remains below ten percent. States and communities, and also private and public organizations of all sorts are involved in establishing schools and colleges, develop curricula, and see requirements for enrollment in educational institutes of USA.
Emerging trends in Preschool education of USA:
While, by getting private players to offer elementary education, a proper competitors are sought being promoted among the playschools in USA, the government is additionally a little measures to create preschool education intended for all. So as to make early childhood education and care readily available for the disadvantaged part of American society, the U.S department to train sets aside the Title-I grants. Moreover, the Early Reading First program, established within the No Child Left Behind Act, provides competitive grants to college districts and pre-school programs, like Lead centers. The grants fund the creation of model programs to guide the institution readiness of preschool-aged children, in particular those from low-income families. To help make the kids with disabilities flourish in their life, the Special Education Preschool Grants assuring Grants program are constituted. They might provide formula grants to states to produce quality preschool education in USA readily available for the 3- to 5-year-old kids disabilities. Thus, while several preschools in USA are generating profit by taking good care of the small children, some measures will also be being delivered to make quality early child care open to the marginalized sections of the society since the Bush administration has promoted the "Good Start, Grow Smart" policy with regards to preschool education in USA. However, all isn't hunky-dory once we glance at the condition of preschool education in USA and despite all of the efforts to provide quality preschool education to any or all, preschool fees in a number of areas of USA have gone through the roof. In accordance with the Forbes magazine, the admission fee in some with the preschools has crossed $30,000. The admission fee in New York's Ethical Culture Fieldstone School has gone up to $ 40, 440. Another preschool in Nyc, bank Street charges $ 27, 450 and also the Center for Early Education in Los Angels charges $ 15, 400. This rising admission expense of preschools in USA paints an image of preschool education in USA that is in sharp contrast for the European model where most countries prefer to provide state sponsored free quality preschool education.


Free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of fourteen years is a Constitutional mandate in India. Elementary education in India is a fundamental right. Till 1960, all efforts were focused on provision of schooling facilities. It is realization of the goal of access that other mechanism of elementary education such as universal enrolment, retention and the quality of education has become the primary focus of planners and policy makers in the country.
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All Movement) is a flagship programme of the Government of India, initiated in 2000-01 to universalize elementary education has achieved a great milestone. Interventions by the Indian government under the programme aimed at increasing the number of schools, ensuring that schools have drinking water and toilets, providing effective training to teachers and improving learning outcomes. Under the SSA, special focus on providing access to education to disadvantaged groups, minorities and girls, who are often left behind was also emphasized.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has come a long way achieving the following:
• Out of School children number has been brought down significantly (8 million in 2009, 3 million in 2012).
• Big boost to additional schools -195,000 Primary and more than 100,000 Upper Primary schools sanctioned.
• 2 million additional teacher posts. Today we have teachers with proper professional qualifications for teaching.
• Girls’ admission improved dramatically. Gender parity is achieved.
• The scheme supports 200 million children in 1.4 million schools in the country.
• Today there is a primary school within 1 Km distance of most children and almost every child is in school (Enrolment rates have gone up to 93%-95% in most parts of the country).
Fascinatingly, private investment in education has also gone up in the country. Estimates say that 27% of all the children are in private schools. In urban areas this ratio is 50%. With more urbanisation happening, the future of private schooling looks good. Therefore, in an appropriate way private schools have also contributed to universalise education in India.
India has done laudable work in universalizing primary education. The issue of access to schools and enrolment has been nearly resolved. In this scenario, the role of non-state actors has become significant. The country provides a balanced platform for a big role by private players in education. India looks forward to see the result of the interplay of the combined efforts of innovators and private players together play a major role in primary education alongside the Government.
Debate Society, Kamla Nehru College, Delhi
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Pinwheel Paper Craft
Follow these instructions to make a pinwheel paper craft - an easy craft for kids.
A stars and stripes pinwheel
Make a patriotic pinwheel and also do science for kids by demonstrating the effect of moving air on sails.
You will need
card for each child
1. Trim the piece of paper or card until it is a square, with sides equal to the width of the page.
2. Color one side blue and stick white star stickers on it. Color the other side in alternating red and white stripes.
3. Fold the square in half diagonally, each way, so that you have two diagonal folds which cross in the centre of the page.
4. Cut along the folds, but stop at least 3cm / 1,5 inches from the centre, as shown by the dotted lines in the diagram. The page should now look like 4 triangles joined at the centre.
5. Take one corner of each triangle and fold it over until the point is on the centre of the square.
6. Now prick the pin through all four points and through the centre of the page and stick it into the blunt end of a pencil.
7. Wave it in the air or blow on it, to get the sails to rotate. Loosen the pin slightly if necessary to allow the sails to turn more freely.
Get ideas for easy crafts for kids submitted by visitors to this site. You are invited to upload a pic and share your kids' preschool arts and crafts too!
Introduce your children to the map, flag, Statue of Liberty, American food, stories and more using these American Preschool Theme ideas.
Easy crafts for kids (and adults) including painting, drawing, cutting, pasting, modeling and construction activities.
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Sunday, May 5, 2013
Blog Post #15
My first post included a paragraph answering these questions: "Imagine your classroom when you start teaching. What will be the methods of teaching that you will emphasize? What tools will you use, and what tools will your students use?" At this point I can say I have a better idea of how to answer those questions. I would still like to incorporate as much art in the classroom as I can but now I have an idea of the technology I would like to use in the classroom.
I am an Elementary Education Major and I would really like to teach kindergarten or first grade, but I know I may not have my pick. Therefore, I want to be prepared to teach all ages between K-6. “What kind of technology could first graders possibly use?” would have been a question I asked prior to this course but now I ask myself what technology couldn’t they use? Children have sponge like brains; they soak up and take to everything, most of them navigate certain technology better than adults.
When I am teaching first grade or any grades above that I plan on using blogs in the classroom because I think children can gain so much from it. They are constantly working on their writing skills and they are also instantly communicating with others. It helps them develop social skills and it allows them to create a personal learning network that they can use for collaborating throughout their life.
Speaking of PLNs, I would also like to help my future students create their personal learning networks in which they can continue adding onto over the years. I learned this semester just how effective the use of a PLN can be. Blog post #11 really opened my eyes to the use of technology at an early age in the classroom. Part of this assignment was to watch Mrs. Cassidy’s video “Little Kids Big Potential”- a must view for all.
If I were to go back and rewrite my response to blog post #1 I would change a few things. Like I said, I would like to incorporate as much art in the classroom as possible-I am a strong believer in exercising human creativity. I would add the fact that I would like to incorporate the use of technology in and outside of the classroom. I would do so with the use of some project based learning; which is another technique I learned from this course.
Another thing I would change about my first blog post is my choice of age I would like to teach. For a while I have wanted to teach kindergarten or first grade because I have become comfortable with that age group, but I have realized I must prepare to be the best teacher I can be for all ages between K-6. I would really like to teach any age at this point because I have been exposed to just how much I can do with all age groups and how much fun I can make learning for them with the use of technology and project based learning. I am so eager to teach and I am so grateful for the preparation this class has given me.


Music at Wendell Park consists of an accessible yet challenging curriculum whereby children gain the necessary skills to appraise, play and to create their own music.
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.
Throughout the year, Key Stage 1 children receive an hour music lesson every week. In years 1 and 2, children learn to sing a number of songs from different times and cultures, appraise different styles of music and famous pieces as well as explore the potential of sound and music when using percussion instruments, the recorder, glockenspiel and keyboard.
Children in Key Stage 2 receive an hour music lesson, on a rotational basis, leading to a final performance. In Key Stage 2, the children continue to develop their musical skills with exciting challenges such as two-part singing, duets on the recorder, composition, improvisation classical notation.
By the end of year 6, children will have experienced a rich music program which will provide an invaluable tool when studying music at secondary school level.
We celebrate music through our weekly singing assemblies which are held on Tuesdays for Years 1 to 3 and Wednesdays for Years 4 to 6.
We run clubs focusing on music skills and choir on Monday/Tuesday lunchtimes and Music Appreciation (KS1) and Group Instrumental club (KS2) on Friday afternoons after school. Please click here for further information on music clubs.
Pupils in Key Stage 2 also have the opportunity to attend instrumental lessons run by the Tri-borough Music Hub which take place in local schools.


Though educational standards are maintained at a state level in the United States, most states use national standards in preparing curricula. When it comes to geography classes in elementary schools, educators rely on the National Geography Standards, developed in the 1990s by the American Geographical Society, the Association of American Geographers, the National Council for Geographic Education and the National Geographic Society. The guidelines were published in a book called “Geography for Life.”
The National Geography Standards in “Geography for Life” are organized around six essential elements, which replaced the “Five Themes of Geography” used by educators prior to 1994. The six elements are “the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society and the uses of geography.” Not all of these elements are covered in elementary school education, though most elementary school geography courses lay the foundation for understanding geography’s six elements.
The six elements of geography are made up of 18 standards for geography education and further focus geography education. The standards are clearly outlined in “Geography for Life,” and educators expect all students to have an understanding of all 18 standards by the end of high school. In elementary school, geography study often doesn’t begin until third grade, so the four years of elementary education don’t touch on all 18 standards.
Early Grade Geography
In grades three and four, students learn how basic geography tools like maps, compasses and GPS are used to organize information about people, places and the environment. Students also learn how to locate physical places and regions defined by either physical characteristics, such as mountains and oceans, and human features, such as cities and states. Students begin studying population, culture, settlement, economic activities and political activities and the effects of physical systems within a community, such as the way some areas are better for farming and some for logging.
Grades Five and Six
By the end of elementary school, students build on the knowledge from grades three and four, using geography tools to interpret information about people, places and the environment, perhaps by making maps or reading distance between places on a map. Instead of identifying regions, students learn how to describe regions based on physical characteristics and learn about the physical processes that shape the Earth’s surface, such as tectonic plates and weather systems. Their understanding of the effects of physical systems on a community becomes regionalized, with greater specificity in the local region.
- Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images


I have to select a major concept, theory, or issue about education.
I have to come up with 30 annotated bibliographies, however, I would like 8-10 examples of the types of annotated bibliographies out there for this education topic, only so I can learn from your examples. They will NOT be submitted as they were my own words.
I have provided an ideal 8 example annotated bibliographies. These annotated bibliographies focus on the benefits of using the arts in education.
Adolfo, Adamo; Bertacchini, Pier Augusto; Biolotta, Elenora; Pantano, Pietro; & Tavernise, Assunta. (2010). Connecting art and science for education: Learning through an advanced virtual theater with "talking heads. Leonardo; 2010, Vol. 43 Issue 5, p442-448, 7p. Found June 5, 2012: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/LEON_a_00036
This article offers a very interesting perspective into using a virtual theater to join language with performance arts in order to achieve educational goals. On the stage of this pioneering theatrical environment human actors interact with 3D faces ("talking heads") on a wide screen. These characters provide real emotion, expression, and voice and resemble historical characters such as Einstein and Buddha. The use of this technology aids students with learning disabilities, students who do not speak English, and young students to master difficult subjects while making learning fun and entertaining for the students. This also produces a sense of theatrical presence that might have been lost through classroom instruction. The response of the program to date has been very positive and will be continued to be studied for future success.
Bianchi, June. Intercultural identities: Addressing the global dimension through art education. International Journal of Art & Design Education; Jun2011, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p279-292, 14p.
This article discusses the approaches to education in relationship to theoretical perspectives and policies and presents a model of practice in engaging the arts in order to help address academic and interpersonal development. This, in turn, will widen learning in the areas of citizenship, social, and health education subjects. Bianchi argues that the arts have a strong track-record in addressing such key issues by "...challenging hierarchical paradigms which reinforce prejudice and stereotyping, the arts encourage reflexive processes and critical engagement with diversity and pluralist perspectives."The author further argues that the policy and practice must also maintain a commitment to encouraging the values of cultural awareness in order to achieve educational success.
Bohannon, R. Larry & McDowell, Carol. (2010). Art, music, and movement connections for ...
This posting discusses the use of the arts in education.


“To be guided by love is to live in community with all life. However, a culture of domination, like ours, does not strive to teach us how to live in community. As a consequence, learning to live in community must be a core practice for all of us who desire spirituality in education.” b. hooks
Children are born with the ability to love. Love is a form of intelligence and as a pedagogical framework it creates curriculum that oppose the fear many teachers engender in an era of assessment and accountability. Art experiences in the classroom open the capacity for affective learning that nurtures the capacity to grow and flourish with kindness, compassion and empathy. Ruskin (1893) explained how by use of the head, heart and hand, art becomes a natural venue for teaching and learning that is holistic and embraces the totality of the human experience. At the core of all artistic efforts is the concern to express and experience what it means to be human. Throughout time artists have used the arts to express the relationship between the self or identity and one’s relationship to the world. To be human means more than to be able to think: it encompasses the integration of all the senses and faculties we associate with the human person.
Embracing a pedagogy of love, infused with aesthetic and artistic explorations allows students opportunities to open to the complexity of their own experiences, developing accepted values such as wisdom, compassion, kindness, joy, beauty and peace, and gratitude. Art can remind us what it means to be human and create awareness of the interconnectedness of all life forms. As Bell Hooks states in her quote above,” To be guided by love is to live in community with all life.” How can classrooms cultivate pedagogy of love and nurture students’ awareness of humanity’s shared experience?
How do you, as a teacher, create a classroom based on love not fear?
Share and post lessons or curriculum ideas you’ve done with your students that cultivates a pedagogy of love in your classroom.
A few good books:
The Heart of Art Education: Holistic Approaches to Creativity, Integration and Transformation. Laurel H. Campbell & Seymour Simmons III, Editors
Love, Peace, and Wisdom in Education: A Vision for Education in the 21st Century. Jing Lin
Strong Spirits, Kind Hearts: Helping Students Develop Inner Strength, Resilience, and Meaning. Sandra Finney
The Compassionate Classroom: Lessons that Nurture Empathy & Wisdom. Jane Dalton & Lyn Fairchild


College Admissions Testing
Standardized tests make it possible for colleges and universities to compare and evaluate prospective students. No college uses test scores exclusively to accept students, however, standardized tests are certainly an important part of college admissions. The following is useful information about the various types of standards tests.
The American College Test is a standardized exam including four sections: English, reading, mathematics, and science reasoning. Each section is scored separately and a composite is then determined. The composite scores range from 1 to 36 with the National average is a composite of 21. Test sites are available throughout the area and tests are offered in October, December, February, April, and June. It is the student’s responsibility to sign up and pay for the ACT. Applications are available in the Guidance Office. The ACT is required by most Missouri colleges and is important for determining state-funded scholarships such as Bright Flight. Starting in 2005, the ACT has an optional writing component. Check with the colleges and universities you are applying to for specific information about the writing section requirements.
Advanced Placement tests are three-hour exams measuring mastery of a predefined curriculum in a single subject area and are given in May at school. They are scored from 1 to 5 and cost about $80 each. Normally a 4 or 5 corresponds to an A in a college class; a 3 a B; a 2 a C; and a 1 indicates little mastery. Often, colleges will give course credit toward graduation for scores of 4 or 5 in some subject areas.
The PLAN is an abbreviated American College Test (ACT). The test is administered to all tenth graders in the fall at school and has four sections: English (grammar and writing), Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning. The test also includes an interest inventory and can provide some potential career possibilities.
The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) is administered in October at school to juniors and is an abbreviated form of the SAT. It measures critical reading, math problem-solving, and writing skills and can be used as an indicator of future success on the SAT. Unless the student receives a high score, the PSAT results are not placed on the transcript. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation uses the PSAT results as an initial screening for those who wish to be considered for National Merit recognition. The top half of one percent of students in each state are designated as semifinalists. It is helpful to identify yourself as a member of a minority on this test because there are separate competitions for students of color. Results are available in December.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test is given at various sites on Saturdays, generally every five weeks. The Guidance Office has dates posted and sign-up forms. It is up to the student to sign up and pay the fees. Registering on line is a convenient option, but a major credit card is needed. The scores are reported to the student, the high school, and any colleges chosen. It is important to have test results sent directly to the college as they require an official copy before admission can be finalized. The SAT now includes a writing component.
SAT - Subject Test
SAT Subject Tests are one hour tests which measure achievement in specific subject areas. They are given at the same time as the SAT I so they cannot be taken on the same day. Some colleges require the tests for admission particularly the selective colleges. Check with the individual colleges and the Guidance Office for more information.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language is for international students whose native language is not English. Check with the Guidance Office for further information.
- Prepare for college entrance exams by taking practice exams. DON’T GO IN COLD.
- Be prepared to retake college entrance exams. (Statistically your scores will probably increase).
- Check to see which test (SAT I or ACT) is required at colleges of interest to you.


Amplify sought to help a large, urban school district confront an enormous literacy problem in kindergarten and first grade students. Members of our team were members of the Amplify team that developed new technology to reverse the trend, using assessment, instruction, and teacher support.
Our contributions: project management; data management; development; UX design; visual design; strategy, concept development; strategy; workshop facilitation.
Using Assessment to Design Lessons
Burst:Reading uses formative assessment data to organize small groups of students with shared skill needs and generates a specific sequence of lessons for each group. Student’s progress is monitored, and the cycle then begins again with a new, data-driven lesson sequence.
Individual Students, Unique Needs
Teachers deliver the intervention matched precisely to individual students’ needs. Engaging content and short, game-like activities motivate students and brings the lessons to life.
Customized Support for Teachers
Recognizing a wide variance in teacher abilities, we built an effective, highly personalized PD program. This can range from just a few days of literacy development and assessment tools, to side-by-side coaching in classrooms.
Seeing Progress from the District-wide View
We worked closely with the district at every level to develop and monitor a comprehensive roadmap, and identify potential obstacles. Comprehensive reports identified best practices and challenges. If instruction drifted from its objective, teachers could quickly take action to get back on track.
“When it comes to Burst, we couldn’t be happier with the results we’re seeing. The pieces of the puzzle have finally come together for us.” – Darlene Dingess-Adkins, Logan County District Director of Title 1 and pre-K
Intervention That Works
After just six months, students in the Burst:Reading program significantly increased literacy skills compared to students not in the program.


Jaguars – The Big Cats
What’s the difference between a jaguar and a leopard? Both have a tawny coat with black markings, but jaguars are larger and stockier. Leopards live in Africa and Asia. They also live in Central and South America.
Jaguars are big cats. Only tigers and lions are bigger. Males weigh up to 250 pounds, while females are smaller. Like all cats, jaguars are carnivores. They hunt their prey by stalking it through the grass and trees. Then they pounce for the kill. Jaguars eat wild pigs, turtles, cattle and even caiman, which are like alligators.
Fun Facts about Jaguars for Kids
- Jaguars are nocturnal. They lounge around during the day and hunt at night.
- Some jaguars are black with spots. They are sometimes called panthers, but they’re really jaguars.
- The native South American word for jaguar, “yaguara”, means animal that kills in a single bound.
- Jaguars love to swim in lakes and rivers.
- Jaguars wave their tails over water to attract fish.
- Tawny: Gold or bronze
- Carnivore: Eats meat
- Nocturnal: Hunts at night, sleeps during the day
- Prey: A hunted animal
- Caiman: A type of alligator
Learn More All About Jaguars
Watch this awesome video all about jaguars:
A documentary about jaguars – their lives and difference between leopards.
Question: Are jaguars good mothers?
Answer: Jaguar moms usually have two babies at a time. The babies’ eyes are closed when they are born. Mom takes care of them for up to two years.
Question: Do jaguars live in prides?
Answer: Jaguars live alone except when a mother is raising her cubs.
Cite This Page
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MLA Style Citation
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The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation envisions schools as a site of social transformation. However, to make this transformation a reality, it is also vital to catalyse and develop the most crucial link in this transformation—the teacher. The existing teacher development and management system trains teachers as deliverers of information rather than co-constructors and facilitators of knowledge. A shift in the paradigm of learning necessitates redefining the role of teachers as facilitators who design equal-opportunity, creative environments where learning can happen. With this is in mind, the Foundation conceived the Teacher Empowerment programme in 2011.
The Teacher Empowerment programme sought to provide a robust and comprehensive framework of analysis and intervention for building the capacity of teachers and refining the teacher management system. The programme also strove to enable teachers to evolve pedagogical practices that encourage critical thinking in children, versus the pursuit of a curriculum-driven learning structure. This programme also emphasised the need for and supported teachers’ empowerment to faciliate each child’s access to learning, irrespective of caste, community, religion, gender, socioeconomic equations, regional identity, etc. As part of this programme, the Foundation supported the District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) to conduct courses leading to a diploma in elementary education (D.El.Ed.). The Foundation also established the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Chair for Teacher Development and Management at the National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA) and carried out a national study to analyse the ‘Working Conditions of Teachers’.


Sybil Andrews (1898-1992) was a notable British artist and a member of the Grosvenor School, well known for her modernist linocuts produced between 1920 and 1988. She developed a formal language encouraged by Claude Flight, a teacher and mentor. Her prints, influenced by Cubism, Futurism and Vorticism, captured the dynamism of the roaring 1920s and 1930s: images of race cars, motorcycles, machinery, sports, and daily life are all captured in bright, vivid colors exuding speed and movement. The color linocut was a 20th-century phenomenon and her medium of choice as it captured the spirit of the modern age: industrialism and utilitarianism.
Mary Ryan Gallery represented Andrews from 1983 until her death in 1992. As the primary American gallery involved in promoting her art, we featured four exhibitions of British linocuts and placed hundreds of her works, as well as those by fellow Grosvenor school artists, in private and museum collections. In 1983, Mary Ryan Gallery held a complete retrospective of Andrews’ linocuts. Her work was also the subject of solo shows at the gallery in 1987, 1992, and 1995.
Born in East Anglia, England, Andrews was first introduced to art through John Hassal’s correspondence course in Bristol during WWI. Following the war she returned to her hometown in Sussex where she met architect and artist, Cyril Power. Together, they moved to London. Andrews’ art education continued in Heatherly’s School of Art in London, where she studied under Henri G. Massey. One year later, she left Heatherly’s to study independently with Polish sculptor Henri Glicenstein. It was there that she witnessed a lecture demonstration by William Kermode on black and white woodblock printing. Andrews attended many of Flight’s classes on linocutting, becoming one of his most successful pupils.
Prints such as “Straphangers” and “Rush Hour”, depict the London Underground as the symbol for the new machine age. However, Andrews had a greater interest in capturing the rhythm of the human figure engaged in either work or sport, and many of her linocuts reflect this fascination. Her interest in sporting activities possibly helped Andrews secure a commission from the London Passenger Transport Board between 1929 and 1937. During these years she worked jointly with Cyril Power under the pseudonym “Andrew Power” to produce posters for sporting events including the tennis at Wimbledon. When Andrews emigrated with her husband from Britain to Campbell River on Vancouver Island in 1947 she continued to make linocuts, and broadened her subject matter to include the lumber industry and farming. In total, Andrews made about 80 linocuts; half of her output completed before 1939.
Important publications include the catalog raisonné of her prints by Peter White, accompanying the Glenbow Museum exhibition. Her “Speedway” is the cover image of the major monograph, “Linocuts of the Machine Age” by Stephen Coppel. “Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints, 1914-1939” was published by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2008 in conjunction with an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.


The 21st century has been labeled the “visual age,” and interweaving art into all subject areas bears a host of qualitative and quantitative benefits for its learners. Join co-presenters Emily Valenza and Julie Knutson in a one-hour exploration of the why, what and how of arts integration in history and social studies.
Valenza and Knutson discuss current research on incorporating the arts into social studies, along with strategies for the creating immersive and engaging lessons that allow students to situate art history in cultural context. Throughout, focus is maintained on building the 21st-century skills that students need most: critical thinking, research, collaboration, and creativity.
- Cultivate historical empathy and the consideration of multiple perspectives through the arts
- Create thought-provoking Surrealist collages using primary source documents to reinforce History topics
- Structure an interactive mask-making unit that brings biographical studies to life
- Foster your students' sense of synaesthesia with art games to enhance their descriptive writing skills
- VIEW recording of webcast
- DOWNLOAD slides
- DOWNLOAD certificate of attendance
- DOWNLOAD Q&A transcript
- EXPLORE LITERACY THROUGH THE ARTS RESOURCE LIST ON TITLEWAVE
- REGISTER for June 23rd Webcast (Ditching Dewey: Genrefication for Your Library, Presented by Tiffany Whitehead, The Mighty Little Librarian)
Teaching with Visual Art and Photography
- Duke University – Center for Documentary Studies/ Literacy Through Photography
- FotoFest International – Literacy Through Photography
- Getty Museum – Exploring Photographs
- Indiana University – Mathers Museum of World Cultures
- Teaching Tolerance – Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice
- Visual Thinking Strategies (NYT Learning Network Partner) – Further Reading
- Learning to Look with the National Portrait Gallery (download PDF)
- "I am excited to try these ideas in the fall." --Julie J.
- "Thank you for many, many great ideas!!!" --Richard W.
Post your comments or questions in the comments section.
Art Teacher and Art Department Coordinator
Kingsley Montessori School
Emily Valenza is an art educator fascinated by digital storytelling, cinematography, scientific illustration and aesthetic critique. She has been teaching art to adults and students in community centers, public, and private schools for over 13 years.
She believes that everyone can be an artist and that being an artist in today's world means that you are constantly changing, challenging ideas, and inventing new ways of seeing and doing things. New methods of creating art are being discovered every day so there is no better or more exciting time to dive in than NOW!
Emily has a bachelor's degree in Art Education from Penn State University and is the Arts Department Coordinator at Kingsley Montessori School in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston.
Follett School Solutions
Julie Knutson is an experienced social studies educator and curriculum writer, with tenure teaching at the middle and high school levels. Julie holds an M.A. in art history, and staunchly advocates for the integration of arts education into all content areas. In 2010, while working with FotoFest’s Literacy Through Photography program in Houston, TX, she authored “Contemporary U.S. Photography,” a curricular companion to the organization’s biennial.
Currently, Julie works as an academic consultant for Follett School Solutions. She is active in the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), serving on the board for the Future and Advancement of the Social Studies (FASSE), and also occupies a seat on the board of Students of Strength, an online academic mentoring and coaching service.


Luckily the children I teach have it very differently. They start their art education very young. In fact research shows that preschoolers are the ready foundation for art appreciation and that it should start then. Courses such as Art Appreciation 101 for Young Children are flourishing and they teach that learning about art helps children improve their ability to observe things around them. Using paintings, sculptures and pieces of architecture as prompts for thinking routines such as See Think Wonder help children to express creative ideas, communicate and develop language skills, use problem solving and reasoning skills.
If you don't use the Harvard Thinking routines it is as simple as asking children What do you see? What do you think of when you see this piece of art? How does it make you feel? What part of the story is this painting? Do you like it?
There are a myriad of ways to celebrate art that involves appreciation of it.
1. Visit a gallery or exhibition. I made a point of visiting my local gallery today. Last week I went to an exhibition put on by local printmakers.
2. Share picture books, especially those that feature the works of artists eg. Willy's Pictures by Anthony Browne, Dan's Angel by Alexander Sturgis and Lauren Child or any of the Anholt's artists series by Laurence Anholt.
3. Look at books designed specifically for children which have large reproductions of famous paintings like those by Lucy Micklethwait. Her I Spy series also makes the art appreciation fun. Gillian Wolfe has a series that all have Look! in the title and similarly Gladys Blizzard has a series Come Look With Me.
4. Look at books that go with a gallery and do things to draw you into a close study of their paintings. The Queensland Art Gallery does this in 21st Century Art for Kids. Roy and Matilda: the Gallery Mice books by Susan Venn do this for the NSW Art Gallery, the Victorian Gallery and the Queensland Gallery. The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra has books it has published for themselves that introduce very young children to art that is in their gallery. Further afield the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is an expert at this.
5. If you have never experienced a book published by Prestel for children you must. You will not be disappointed.


Assignments help teachers manage reading instruction in any digital text, and they help students organize their evidence, notes and thoughts before submitting them to their teacher. Assignments are just one of several new premium features in Subtext. Teachers can browse our new Common Core assignment templates for free, but then assign them to students who are upgraded users. Learn more about buying and managing licenses.
Here’s what’s new and improved in Assignments in Subtext 3.0:
- Common Core Assignment Templates for Any Book or Article. Our curriculum specialists have created over 50 assignment templates, each with a set of activities that help support key foundational skills emphasized in the Common Core State Standards and College & Career Readiness. To find a template (like ‘Making Inferences’ or ‘Sum it Up’), tap the blue ‘View Assignments’ tab under any book or article, then tap ‘+’ to add a new Assignment. Filter by type of text (Literature or Informational), grade level, and anchor standard, then choose a template. Templates can be kept as is or edited to your liking.
- Activities in Every Assignment. We have two activity types built into assignments: A ‘Highlight & Tag’ activity requires students to tag passages with core concepts as they read. A ‘Show you Know’ activity serves as a summative writing prompt that ties the student’s thoughts together. You will have the option to use the recommended activities created by our experts or to add your own. Read more about Activities.
- Streamlined Workflow. Based on feedback from teachers, we simplified the assignment creation process. Now only page range is a required field, and you can preview your assignments too.
- Assignments for Teachers. After hearing from many districts hoping to use Subtext for professional development, teachers can now assign to students or teachers. We hope this also helps teaching teams that want to test their assignments before giving them to students.
- Collaboration is Built Right In. You can share assignments with colleagues teaching the same books. Just share your assignment to “Teachers +” and they’ll be able to use your assignment template in their class.


It May Be Time To Consider Piano Lessons For A Brain Boost
Playing the piano is relaxing and fun, but it can also benefit your brain. Here are five ways piano lessons improve cognitive abilities.
- Bigger vocabulary. Whether you take lessons at our Bay Area piano store or from a private teacher at home, studying piano improves your vocabulary and verbal sequencing abilities.
- Better hearing. As you study piano, you will train your brain to recognize and interpret pitches and tones more accurately.
- Improved hand-eye coordination. Playing the piano requires you to read music with your eyes and play the corresponding notes with your hands. Over time, better hand-eye coordination is inevitable.
- More neural connections. Northwestern University reports that piano playing increases the number of neural connections in the brain, leading to improved cognitive abilities.
- Improved academic abilities. Research studies have shown that children who take piano lessons have better general and spatial reasoning capabilities than their peers. Piano players also perform better in mathematics.
With regular piano lessons, all of these benefits can be yours. If you aren’t ready to buy your own piano, opt for piano rentals while exploring your interest in music education.


Access teaches adult learners the communication and numeracy skills (FLC) necessary for occupational learning & skills development.
Who is it for?
The introduction of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) highlighted the need for a qualification that prepares adult learners for occupational training and skills development.
Access is for adults who are not prepared for occupational training and skills development, because they lack the underlying communication and numeracy skills that are needed.
Click here for more information on the QCTO Foundational Learning Competency framework.
What does it cover?
Foundational Learning Competence (FLC) refers to competence in two subject areas: Communication in English and Mathematical Literacy (numeracy). Together these two form a part qualification, which was submitted to SAQA for registration in March 2012.
Access (FLC) has been designed for an occupational training context, which uses English as the language of learning and training. It is seen as a platform for progress in both occupational training as well as in applied work performance.
How is it taught?
The Access facilitators present relevant, outcomes-based lessons, guided closely by the material, which is itself the product of over 15 years of research and experience. Remediation and extension mechanisms help the facilitators to extend learning beyond just the training room –to the point where learning meaningfully transforms learners’ lives.
Computer-assisted learning introduces technology to learners in an enjoyable and flexible way. It involves combining time on the computer with workbook activities and learner-facilitator interaction. Here, the facilitator guide complements the computer lessons and also provides the facilitator with tools for remediation and extension.


With the coming of the Common Core, English teachers are being asked to include more social studies content into their instruction – a good.
Posts about common core social studies written by Thomas Kenning.
A “draft framework” for common social studies standards is scheduled for release next Tags: Columbus, history, social studies, Teaching.
Praxis II Elementary Education Test Prep (Social Studies Section)
Scholarships and Grants Program. They focus on quality social studies and history instruction. Skip to main content. With […] Common CoreCredentialsteaching It might be aimless to talk pedagogy in the next few years without first naming the precipitating development that will have the most impact on it. An iPad lets students tag common core social studies and interact with content, a fun and efficient way of meeting the Common Core standards for integrating and analyzing information. Could something like this happen again today? School districts and teachers have begun adopting these materials in the belief that something that claims to be Lusty wifes ass double penetrated gif Core aligned actually is.


As an adventurous little girl searches for the rare fruit of a special tree, researchers at Gallaudet University hope children and adults will start their own journey in bilingual language learning and love of reading.
“We wanted to translate our valuable research findings into useful, exciting, and real tangible educational resources for children to use directly—to hold, play, tap, and touch in their hands,” wrote Melissa Malzkuhn, Digital Innovation and Media Strategies Manager at Gallaudet's Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning, in an e-mail interview.
An all-deaf team led by Ms. Malzkuhn developed an interactive, bilingual app for the iPad that tells the tale of a curious girl's quest for the delicious fruit of the baobab tree, an original story first devised in American Sign Language (ASL).
The storybook was designed based on three overarching research findings, Ms. Malzkuhn explained:
* Early exposure to bilingual models leads to healthy cognitive development for both languages.
* It's important for literacy development, especially reading, for children to see vocabulary words used in context.
* Visual phonology—which is found in the forms of finger spelling as well as in the hand shapes, movements, and rhythm in sign language—plays a key role in the cognitive processing of deaf and hard of hearing children.
With these findings in mind, the developers included in the app 170 video-embedded vocabulary words that are signed and finger spelled, allowing users to tap on a video during reading when they don't know a vocabulary word or aren't sure how it is signed. The app can be viewed in three different modes: watch, read, and learn.
“In the watch mode, you enjoy the ASL storytelling, like a cinematic experience with an animated background showing the action as depicted in the story,” Ms. Malzkuhn wrote. “This is perfect for very young readers who are starting to learn to read or simply want to gain the concept of the whole narrative. This also is a good starting point for parents or others who want to learn and practice ASL.”
In the read mode, the video-linked words are highlighted, and readers can tap them to activate the video. The learn mode is a glossary of all the video-activated vocabulary words.
Ms. Malzkuhn and her team are developing two other apps. “The Little Airplane That Could” is a creative adaption of the classic “The Little Engine That Could,” featuring a little plane trying to take two dogs to their dog show over a formidable mountain, she noted. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” takes a new look at a timeless fable with ASL storytelling and emotive paintings.
In addition to these two storybook apps, the team has plans in place for future research.
“We are currently developing an eye-tracking study using the Tobii eye-tracking system, and we are now collecting user characteristics through two other methods: data tracking that's already built in the app and a survey that we have completed with over 60 schools for the deaf in the nation,” Ms. Malzkuhn wrote. “After identifying the user characteristics, we will then move on to efficacy studies, but this won't start until 2014.”
The hope of this work is to inspire a love for stories and learning.
“That's the number one motivating factor behind this all, that research findings can be embedded successfully in a design that executes a narrative so well that children will enjoy reading and learning, leading them toward more stories,” Ms. Malzkuhn wrote. “At the heart of this all, don't we all love a good story?”
The app is available for $6.99 on the iTunes store: http://bit.ly/BaobabApp.
HJ Return to thehearingjournal.com


Rasa Lila is a dramatic play
depicting the story of Krishna as described in Hindu scriptures.
As an early childhood professional, I agree with Wohlwend's main argument that dramatic play
is a necessary part of the school day.
They were building the scene or setting for their narrative and dramatic play
to take place, and beginning to anticipate and discuss the events that might take place and the characters they may encounter.
The expert compares requests for holding snap parliamentary elections in the fall, along with presidential and local ones, known in Bulgaria as "3 in 1" to a dramatic play
where actors exchange cues.
The exhibit will allow children and families to discover through hands-on activities, dramatic play
and multi-media experiences the role of nature in the daily lives of Japanese children.
This study surveyed 98 teachers of 4-year-olds about dramatic play
in their classrooms and about their attitudes and practices about rough-and-tumble play.
At the preschool level, children engage in dramatic play
and learn who is a leader, who is a follower, who is outgoing, who is shy.
Young children were encouraged to explore their environment and express themselves through multiple forms (words, movement, the visual arts, dramatic play
Each selection includes two or three activities specifically support a particular book's storyline and characters, with the accompanying physical activities are designed to enhance the development of basic motor skills as jumping and skipping, as well as dramatic play
The lab is outfitted with 10 classrooms that include learning stations for art, music, science, reading and literature, computers and dramatic play
Daily opportunities for language and reasoning, science, math, block play, dramatic play
, art and music
Sex, science, the limits of love, and the struggles of individuals seeking to find meaning in their own lives, in a future world so close to our own, set the stage for a dramatic play
of human emotions and the crushing press of ruthless events.
Solitary active withdrawal consists of dramatic play
by oneself, such as pretending to be an airplane in the vicinity of peers, but not interacting with them.
It is also clearly in the interest of language and literacy development to provide preschool children with dramatic play
experiences that draw from familiar thematic contexts (Ferguson, 1999).
We create a spectacle with a complete plot outline--rising action, climax, and resolution," says Eifman, "but it is not a dramatic play
, not a retelling of the story.


Kolkata as an Educational Destination
Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man -- Swami Vivekanad
The cradle of modern education in India, Kolkata is the birthplace of geniuses like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Keshab Chandra Sen, whose names have been imprinted in the history of Indian Education forever. With a literacy rate of 80.86%, the city is the home to some of the most reputed names in the field of education like the IIM Joka and the Calcutta Medical College.
The cosmopolitan culture of the city finds a reflection in the various systems of various systems of education like the I.C.S.E, C.B.S.E, W.B.H.S.E (West Bengal Board of Higher Secondary Education) and the Islamic Madrashas. A large number of schools in kolkata impart primary and high school education to the students under these educational systems.
In the early days education in Kolkata was imparted to the students in the vernacular language Bangla and Sanskrit. However, with the advent of British Imperialism, the story took a new turn. It is interesting to note here that the concept of western education was brought forth with a view to accelerate their interests. The advent of education was welcomed with certain apprehensions which were later cleared out with the help of great scholars and reformists like Ram Mohan Roy and Vidyasagar.
Role and Responsibility of the Government
Educational scenario in Kolkata has improved leaps and bounds with an important initiative from the Government of West Bengal. It has taken significant steps in educating one and all and spreading the need of computer literacy even in the outskirts of the city. Schools offering free elementary education to the children belonging to the lower economic classes also take care of other needs of the children like food and clothing. They provide the students with mid day meals and school dresses.
Keeping in mind the importance of the city in the field of scientific study and research the government has also encouraged the growth and development of internationally renowned institutions.
Today and Tomorrow
While the steps taken by the government has ensured secure educational years for the students in the city at present, their future is also no less bright. No sooner does the child complete his school education than he gets a choice of graduating with a subject of his choice from a huge list of colleges. Then comes the role of the universities in helping them to do their post graduation courses or research. Today there are also a number of institutions offering vocational education to the students like National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research.
Future trends of education in Kolkata hint a bent towards a simpler format keeping in mind the American system of school education. Apart from that there is a general shift of the question pattern from essay to short answer types.


Pictures from the spring chorus program
MA MUSIC WEBPAGE
Don Greene, Music/Choral Director
Mary Louise Baker, High School Music Appreciation
THE FINE ARTS AND THE BRAIN: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
· A West Virginia Study found that students with more arts credits performed better on the ACT.
· California third graders who participated in a special arts program saw their reading scores improve by 87 points.
· The Dana Consortium found that art improves attention skills and that students who study music have better geometric reasoning.
· The book Studio Thinking links art education to skill-like persistence, vision, and engagement.
· Schools that have higher levels of student participation in the fine arts receive higher academic ratings and have lower drop-out rates.
MUSIC CLASSES OFFERED
- K-6 General Music
- 3-5 Lower School Chorus (after school)
- 6-8 Middle School Chorus
- High School Chorus
- Music Appreciation- College Credit
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MUSIC CLASS
Sixth grade students are now learning about the guitar and how to play a few basic chords. Knowing these chords will allow them to play hundreds of songs.
Here's a look at some of the other great things we are doing in our music department:
Students in Grades K-5 use the virtual music program called Quaver Music! Check out this website for a PDF version of the Curriculum Map. This Curriculum Map will inform you of what your child is studying/learning by grade level and lesson in music class. To see this information, copy and paste the address below in the address bar on your computer.
Marlboro Academy High School Choir
Marlboro Academy Middle School Choir
Marlboro Academy Lower School Choir
Marlboro Academy Music Curriculum Guide
Course Title/Grade: General Music Grades K-6, Middle School/High School Choir
Textbook(s): K-5 General Music- Quaver Music Curriculum (online music program)
6 Grade General Music- Instrument Exploration (recorder and guitar)
The Marlboro Academy Music Curriculum provides the foundation for quality music instruction for elementary, middle, and high school students and represents the core program for which all music courses are accountable. The curriculum has
· To clearly articulate what every student should know, understand, and be able to do in music in each specialization (general and choral) and at each level;
· To align with the current National Standards for Music;
· To reduce the breadth of music content at each specialization and level so that concepts can be explored in greater depth.
In elementary music (K-6), students focus on singing, playing instruments, improvising, composing, reading and notating music, as well as analyzing, evaluating and integrating music with other academic disciplines. This skill‐based approach spirals learning through each grade level and continues through the secondary levels and more advanced musical studies. There is a Lower School Choir available to all students in grades 3-5 who have passed an audition. This class meets two days a week after school.
The Middle/High School Music program is a natural continuation of the general music programs at the elementary level. High School/Middle School Choir is available to all students who have passed an audition as an elective (high school only).


Culture is a quite universal term, which unites numerous aspects in its meaning. Writing an essay you can deal with such points as cultural literacy, culture shock, cultural diversity, assimilation, bilingualism, multicultural communities, pluralism, and anthropology. Here is a topic list for culture essay and a brief guide on essay writing.
Culture essay topics.
- Topics on cultural anthropology.
- The subject of cultural anthropology.
- Cultural anthropology issues: modifications by globalization.
- Region studies in cultural anthropology: the concepts of “domestic” and “exotic”.
- The theories of cultural areas.
- Diffusionism in culture.
- The linkages of culture anthropology and ethnography.
- The role of ethnography in general scope of knowledge.
- Religious studies ideology.
- Culture critique in anthropology.
Topics on cultural assimilation.
- The notion of assimilation, its meaning and types.
- The common features of cultural and national assimilation.
- How does cultural assimilation stand out of its other types?
- The American style of cultural assimilation,
- The world history of cultural assimilation.
- Immigration as one of the causes of cultural assimilation.
- Cultural assimilation between different nationalities in the United States.
- Intermarriages and cultural assimilation.
Topics about resolution of cultural conflicts.
- The most common causes of cultural conflicts.
- Ethnicity and cultural conflicts.
- Cross-cultural perspectives of conflict resolution.
- Alternative methods of conflict resolution in culture.
- Cultural conflict management and resolution.
- Cultural conflicts at school: the reasons, effects and solutions.
- How to avoid cross-cultural conflicts at schools?
- How to prevent cultural conflicts at the workplace?
- Topics about cultural literacy.
- Literacy as a fluency in culture.
- Cognitive activity and cultural literacy.
- The role of communication of cultural literacy development.
- The cultural literacy and romanticism: why does this cultural period matter for general development of a person?
- The concept of cultural “amnesia”.
- The issues of cultural unliteracy among modern youth.
- The role of teacher in student’s cultural literacy.
- What does cultural literacy matter?
Topics on cultural diversity.
- The role of globalization processes in cultural diversity.
- Cultural diversity in the United States of America.
- Educational issues connected with multiculturalism.
- How to prevent conflicts grounded on cultural diversity.
- “Respecting diversity”: the meaning of the principle.
- Discrimination as violation of basic human rights.
- Cultural diversity in media.
- Cultural diversity: European challenges.
- How to manage the diversity?
- Cultural diversity and religion.
- The methodology of fighting against racism.
Writing tips on culture essay.
- When you have selected the particular aspect you are going to research make sure that you focused your attention on one issue. An essay is usually a short academic writing genre, which is why you will not be able to include numerous facets. However, if your task is an extended essay you should not hesitate about selecting several facets to research on.
- Remember that, despite of the topic you select, your paper should be coherent, well-structured and clear. If you dare to choose a very complicated issue to write about you must be sure that you have enough sources, arguments and experience for that task.


Young children whose parents read aloud to them have better language and literacy skills when they go to school, according to a review published online ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Children who have been read aloud to are also more likely to develop a love of reading, which can be even more important than the head start in language and literacy. And the advantages they gain persist, with children who start out as poor readers in their first year of school likely to remain so.
In addition, describing pictures in the book, explaining the meaning of the story, and encouraging the child to talk about what has been read to them and to ask questions can improve their understanding of the world and their social skills.
The review brings together a wide range of published research on the benefits of reading aloud to children. It also includes evidence that middle class parents are more likely to read to their children than poorer families.
The authors explain that the style of reading has more impact on children's early language and literacy development than the frequency of reading aloud. Middle class parents tend to use a more interactive style, making connections to the child's own experience or real world, explaining new words and the motivations of the characters, while working class parents tend to focus more on labelling and describing pictures. These differences in reading styles can impact on children's development of language and literacy-related skills.
The Reach Out and Read programme in Boston has improved the language skills of children in low income families by increasing the proportion of parents reading to their children.
The programme provides books and advice to the parents about the importance of reading aloud. Parents who have been given books were four times more likely to say they had looked at books with their children or that looking at books was one of their child's favourite activities, and twice as likely to read aloud to their children at least three times a week.


Research-based Reading Comprehension Strategies Posters (B& W or color), Graphic Organizers & Activities. Support students in visualizing, making inferences, determining importance, using background knowledge, synthesizing information, asking questions, and monitoring comprehension. Perfect for reading all fiction and nonfiction texts!
Get these 8 grammar mini anchor charts to glue in your students interactive writing journals. They are a great resource to help your students remember some important grammar rules. Topics included: Punctuation Rules, Capitalization Rules, Comma Rules, Quotation Marks, Subject and Verb Agreement, Subject and Predicate, and Compound and Complex Sentences!
Would you believe me if I told you this Chicken Bacon and Tomato Pasta Bake is one of the best pasta bakes ever? This was one of those recipes that kind of came about by accident. You know the ones I mean right? The ones where you look in you fridge for inspiration for dinner, grab a...Read More »


Perfect for core instruction and interventions, this kit will help you build and reinforce the reading foundational skills necessary for your students to become independent readers.
• 68 Picture Cards (All letters are represented)
• 26 Alphabet Cards
• 4 Dominoes matching games (14 matches per set)
• Bingo card template
• Word list
Use the picture and alphabet cards to:
• Sort pictures by initial sound and place with corresponding letters
• Use picture cards and corresponding letter cards to set up matching/memory games
• Use as flashcards to practice initial sounds
• Play a Bingo game
Game instructions for Memory, Bingo, and Dominoes are included.


Primary school children in England will have to learn about evolution and British history under a shake-up of the national curriculum.
Schools Minister Vernon Coaker says the subjects will be compulsory elements of a new primary school curriculum being introduced in 2011.
Scientists and humanists had lobbied ministers for the inclusion of evolution in the theme-based timetable.
History is already compulsory, but there were fears it would be sidelined.
Schools will not be told which parts of British history to teach.
Earlier this year, when the curriculum changes were announced, critics complained that children would learn more about the internet than history.
Ministers say they want to "reinforce" history by making it a statutory element of the new primary curriculum.
The curriculum is set out in a new education Bill just introduced to Parliament.
It was drawn up after a review by Sir Jim Rose, which called for distinct subjects to be replaced by six new "areas of learning".
Mr Coaker said: "What and how our children learn lies at the heart of our policies to raise standards.
"We've seen that an inspiring and rigorous curriculum can transform failing schools, which is why these plans are based on the very best practice from this country's top-class teachers."
He added: "Teachers will have more freedom to use their professional judgement and creativity to make links between subjects that make sense to their pupils: from linking history to the arts, or science to PE."
Evolution is arguably the most important concept underlying the life sciences
Andrew Copson, British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association (BHA) had led a campaign to have Darwin's theory of how life evolved through natural selection made a compulsory element of the new primary curriculum.
It organised a public letter signed by more than 500 from scientists and supporters.
Andrew Copson of the BHA said: "This is excellent news. Evolution is arguably the most important concept underlying the life sciences.
"Providing children with an understanding of it an early age will help lay the foundations for a surer scientific understanding later on."
He added: "Public authorities clearly need to do more to tackle the growing threat to the public's understanding of science from creationist-inspired beliefs and other pseudoscience".
Evolution is already taught in secondary schools and many primary schools, but under the curriculum changes, it will become compulsory for primary pupils, with the recommendation that they are taught the subject in their later years at school.
The new curriculum says schools must "investigate and explain how plants and animals are interdependent and are diverse and adapted to their environment by natural selection".
Professor Sir Martin Taylor, vice-president of the Royal Society, said: "We are delighted to see evolution explicitly included in the primary curriculum.
"One of the most remarkable achievements of science over the last two hundred years has been to show how humans and all other organisms on the earth arose through the process of evolution."


There is an interesting article from the 2009 July issue of Scientific American Magazine: “Crawling May Be Unnecessary for Normal Child Development“.
As a parent who is pro-baby wearing, I have to admit being somewhat conflicted about “over carrying” my baby since it is commonly accepted that babies need “tummy time” for their development. Failure to offer adequate tummy time is thought to delay a child’s motor skill development. Tummy time offers a baby the opportunity to learn to crawl.
Interestingly, it has recently been argued that crawling might actually be a fairly recent development in the history of “modern” humans. A study on babies of the Au hunter-gatherers of Papua New Guinea revealed that these infants do not go through a crawling phase. Instead, they are carried until they are able to walk on their own. Whenever the babies are placed on the ground (which is usually a rare occasion), they are placed in an upright position and propped up in sitting positions. Au babies don’t go through the normal crawling phase that most babies in developed countries do, instead they tend to sit upright and scoot along on their bottoms to move from one location to another.
Not crawling offers some other benefits as well – it reduces an infant’s exposure to ground pathogens. Historically, the main reasons for reducing an infant’s floor time is largely protective. By keeping infants close to their parents, they are kept safe from predators. Unlike our modern floors which are usually kept clean and free from potentially dangerous objects, infants had to be kept safe from such objects.
Looks like it is okay to carry your baby as much as you like after all. Your baby will learn to walk without floor time and will not be physically or developmentally handicapped for it. That’s great news for me since I recently bought myself the Ergo Carrier for Gareth and I fully intend to maximise my usage of it.


Stylistically and culturally, jazz music has had an enormous impact on American music, influencing many of the most beloved musical minds of our time. In preparation for the 100th anniversary of the first jazz recording, Pepper has taken the time to ask many of the musicians we’ve interviewed about how jazz has influenced their lives. No matter what their preferred style, they all had something to say about the importance of jazz.
This short video shows just how important it is for young musicians to learn to appreciate jazz. Pepper is proud to partner with the Jazz Education Network – tireless advocates for bringing jazz to young learners – to promote the teaching of this quintessential American art form. Next month, JEN will be having its 2017 Conference in New Orleans, a fitting place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of recorded jazz. Working together, we can encourage every music teacher to recognize the importance of jazz in music education.
To hear more of our Inside Voice interviews, take a look at these videos from Sharon Burch, Brian Balmages, Mary Lynn Lightfoot, and Julia Kamanda. And stay tuned for our in-depth video interviews from Eric Whitacre, Andy Beck, Rollo Dilworth and Greg Gilpin coming soon. Subscribe to our blog so you don’t miss a thing!


Answer/Quote: “Writing folders or portfolios include samples of students’ written work collected over time….. Teachers should encourage students to keep their drafts, revisions and final copies in the folders as well as works in progress…. The folder can contain formal as well as informal pieces.”
Quote: “Even very young children can produce writing that, although unsophisticated, demonstrates their emerging literacy…as well as write their own stories by using invented spelling. Dating work and sorting it in a portfolio allows teachers to keep a running record of children’s progress.” P. 199.
Quote: “Bilingual students should be free to use both languages to plan and revise text and be encouraged to keep various versions of a text in their folders, although monolingual English-speaking teachers may want to see a final product in English.” P. 200.
Quote: “If students do a lot of writing and teachers do not want to review it all, they can ask students to select what they consider to be their best work. Students can then give teachers the final product as well as the various drafts that went into its preparation. Teachers need to see how students progressed throughout the writing process if they are to further students’ writing development.” P. 200.
Title: “Assessing the Literacy Development of Second-Language Students: A Focus on Authentic Assessment.” Georgia Earnest Garcia, pp. 180-205. In Kids Come in All Languages: Reading Instruction for ESL Students. Eds. K Spangensberg-Urgschat and R Pritchard. Newark, DE: IRA. 1994.


In this paper, the interaction between Turkish Makam Music and Western Music who is composed from tampered sounds has been discussed and the interaction has been situated in a historical period. This interaction has been evaluated in three domains which are; education; performance and composition. The education on this two musical language has been done detachedly in Ottoman Empire and in Turkey as well and this fact may interrupt the formation of composers who can compose with both languages. As composition process is an individual process this two musical knowledge has to be given to one same person. At the other hand even the education goes detachedly the performers has used the western harmony with makam at the last 40 years. This has been showed with different examples from the albums of artists such as Zeki Müren, Barış Manço, Sezen Aksu, İnci Çayırlı. All this examples has showed that this period starts at 1970’s. The multicultural character of this music has been underlined for showing how this music is able to adapt himself to a different culture. After adapting Arabic, Persian and Byzantine music characteristics to himself, this music can and should embrace western music harmony system at the end of 200 years of intense interaction.
Keywords: Makam Music, Maqam Music, Western Music, Multiculturality, Music Education, Harmony


David Spencer's Education Paragon is a free educational resource portal helping David Spencer's secondary school students, their parents and teaching colleagues with understanding, designing, applying and delivering assessment, curriculum, educational resources, evaluation and literacy skills accurately and effectively. This wiki features educational resources for Indigenous Aboriginal education, field trips for educators, Davids Music Jam, law and justice education, music education and outdoor, environmental and experiential education. Since our web site launch 10.5 years ago on September 27, 2006, online site statistics and web rankings indicate there are currently 1,868 pages and 11,682,604 page views using 7.85 Gig of bandwidth per month. Pages are written, edited, published and hosted by Brampton, Ontario, Canada based educator David Spencer. On social media, you may find David as @DavidSpencerEdu on Twitter, as DavidSpencerdotca on Linkedin.com and DavidSpencer on Prezi. Please send your accolades, feedback and resource suggestions to David Spencer. Share on social media with the hashtag #EducationParagon
In a secondary school setting, a textbook is a classroom resource bound as a hardcover or softcover book. The textbook contents refer to a specific branch of study such as communication technology (com tech), English, geography, history, mathematics or science. Well written textbooks often provide a table of contents, index, glossary, diagrams, photos and exercises to help develop a student's critical thinking, literacy skills and communication skills.
Textbooks are usually written by experienced classroom teachers and edited and published by other professional writers and editors involved in publishing. Some recent textbook publishers make portions of their textbooks available to the purchasing school in digital format such as an Adobe Acrobat PDF, Microsoft Word document, OpenOffice.org document and or e-book format.
- "Textbook." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 17 Jan 2009, 12:30 UTC. 19 Jan 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Textbook&oldid=264656655>.