Gaming Literacy: Rethinking Teaching and Learning in the Culturally Diverse Urban Classroom
Schools in culturally diverse urban areas can and should be capitalizing on the linguistic wealth their local communities offer and the digital practices encouraged by popular culture to prepare students for a globally connected world. The educational agenda in Ontario, however, does the reverse, reshaping children's home and community repertoires towards a paper and pencil linguistic monoculture that will respond positively to test mechanisms. At Joyce Public School in Northwestern Toronto, our teacher-researcher consortium has been experimenting with socially and culturally responsive literacy engagement by designing narrative projects that provide multiple "access points" to knowledge and learning for students. Projects situate children's creative and productive capabilities within a curriculum that is both grassroots and "user generated": students creatively design narratives through ludic approaches that re-make and re-mean for them. This paper describes our current entry into creating gaming formats for narrative learning utilizing community languages.
Keywords: Multimodal Literacies, Gaming, Elementary Education, Collaborative Research, Multilingualism, Narratives
Dr. Heather Lotherington
Professor, Faculty of Education, York University
Dr. Jennifer Jenson
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, York University


You are hereHome › Phonological Assessment Battery (PhAB)
A practical measure for identifying pupils with significant phonological difficulties.
Developed by a group of expert researchers and psychologists, led by University College London, the Phonological Assessment Battery (PhAB) is designed to assess phonological processing in individual children. It is a practical measure that identifies children aged 6-14 years who have significant phonological difficulties and need special help in processing sounds in spoken language.
It is appropriate for use with bilingual children or children with English as an Additional Language and also includes data on special studies completed for children with specific learning difficulties (dyslexia).
PhAB comprises six standardised tests, all designed to sample different aspects of phonological processing:
- The Alliteration Test – assesses a child’s ability to isolate the initial sounds in single syllable words.
- The Naming Speed Tests – assesses a child’s speed of phonological production. These tests include the Picture Naming Test and the Digit Naming Test.
- The Rhyme Test – assesses a child’s ability to identify the rhyme in single syllable words.
- The Spoonerisms Test – assesses whether a child can segment single syllable words and then synthesize the segments to provide new words or word combinations.
- The Fluency Tests – assesses a child’s retrieval of phonological information from long-term memory.
- The Non-Word Reading Test – assesses a child’s ability to decode letter strings.
Due to the diagnostic nature of the results provided, PhAB can also be used to inform further teaching and intervention programmes to help with the child’s specific phonological difficulties.
Upgrade to the new PhAB2 Primary
GL Assessment is now offering an updated, newly standardised primary version of this test - the Phonological Assessment Battery: 2nd Edition Primary (PhAB2 Primary). The new assessment has the following benefits:
- It now provides targeted testing ranges for 5-6 and 7-11 year olds
- The test is newly standardised to reflect the most up-to-date phonological abilities of children
- It helps demonstrate progress after targeted intervention
- There are four new subtests, including Blending, Phonological Working Memory, Phoneme Segmentation and Phoneme Deletion.
Why use PhAB?
- Provides evidence and support towards Access Arrangements for children requiring extra time in exams
- Considers implications for further teaching and intervention programmes and includes case studies to help aid interpretation of scores
- Standardised on over 600 children with high levels of internal consistency and reliability
- It is suitable for use with pupils who have English as an Additional Language (EAL)
- Guides discussions about literacy development approaches to a childs individual learning plan, enabling professionals to prevent potential problems and remedy existing ones.
Complete Set contains:
- 10 Record Forms.


Changing the Voices of Teachers and Children: Singing and Elocution in South Australia in the Nineteenth and Early-Twentieth Century
Southcott, Jane E., Journal of Historical Research in Music Education
In 1931 a new enrolee in the Adelaide Teachers' College, Isabel Kimber, began her two-year course. (1) At that time Olive Carter (known as Ollie) was the lecturer for elocution, voice production, and correct speech, and Frank Gratton was in charge of music, both at the college and in the Education Department. Kimber recalled that, "We all had to sing to Ollie Carter and she'd tell us whether we had a drawing room voice or what we had." (2) Those with a "drawing room voice" were encouraged, while those with something else received remedial attention. Regular lectures were given on music and voice production. Sometimes the content might overlap. Teachers and, for example, their fourth-grade students, were expected to practice the recitation of such poems as "The Land of the Counterpane" by Robert Louis Stevenson and "Hiawatha Goes Hunting" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. (3) In 1900 South Australian school inspector Alexander Clark had noted the skills and importance of recitation of poetry that demanded "a great variety of treatment ... [which needed] not only pure and correct pronunciation of the consonants and vowels, but an effort to find an appropriate speed." (4) There had been concerns about vocal tone, singing tone, and elocution from the inception of state-supported education in South Australia during the second half of the nineteenth century, as elsewhere.
That Worrying Australian "Twang and Slang"
Concerns about the Australian accent were noted early on in the Australian colonies. In 1844 Mrs. Charles (Louisa Anne) Meredith noted that "a very large proportion" of Australians have "the same nasal twang as many Americans." (5) Mrs Meredith was not alone. In 1859 Richard Horne wrote of "the colonial twang." (6) After this initial flurry of concern, however, comment waned and for the next twenty-five years there was little public debate by authorities, governmental or self-appointed, about the "twang." Then the debate resumed. In the late 1880s music educator Samuel McBurney entered the fray, offering what Baker called a number of "semi-phonetic observations." (7) On January 18, 1894, the Bulletin published a poem, "The Austrylian [sic] Songstress," which concluded with the lines: "Twere [sic] better if thou never sang, Than voiced it in Australian twang." (8)
The Bulletin opined in a leader headed "Twang" on January 6, 1892:
The early English convicts, mostly from London, brought it [the accent] with them. Early Australian parents were too busy, and generally too uneducated, to notice that their offspring had caught the complaint, and said 'kike' for 'cake.' ... If the thing is to be eradicated the reformers must start upon State schools at once, for every year brings its thousands of recruits to the twang brigade. At present there is no effort made to raise the standard of State school accent, nor are the masters in general aware that it is a terrible thing to hear the youngsters reading. They read nearly as nasally themselves. The twang is everywhere ... If it remains on familiar terms with society for a few years longer, it will become the accepted pronunciation of the country. (9)
Disparagingly, this accent was ascribed as a "Cockney vulgarity" which was brought to Australia "long before rabbits, sparrows, snails and other British nuisances were grafted upon our budding civilisation." (10) Baker dispels the notion that the Australian accent is solely a variation of the Cockney dialect but also ascribes it to more northern English modes of speech, from which origins it has developed independently in Australia. He states: "The allegation that Australians talk like Cockneys must be regarded as one of the popular myths." (11)
The Educators' Response
Despite the debate concerning the provenance of the Australian accent, colonial educators heard the call to action. Once the decision had been made that there was only one way of pronouncing English, the South Australian "Education Department partook enthusiastically of 'the vulgar insolence of telling other Englishmen that they do not know how to speak their own language. …


Area of Study Guidelines: Educational Studies for Student Matriculated After Jan. 1, 2008 Policy
|Office of Academic Affairs|
|Academic and Student Affairs|
|Area of study guidelines, Educational Studies , AOS|
To provide context for the area of study guidelines for area of study Educational Studies.
Area of Study Guidelines: This set of guidelines helps students plan their degree plans by spelling out what the academic world and many employers understand a particular concentration to mean. The guidelines are found in many academic publications.
Disciplinary — A program of study guided by the existing framework of a discipline.
Interdisciplinary — The simultaneous and interrelated study of two or more disciplines.
Problem Oriented — A program of study organized around a problem.
Professional/Vocational — A study which focuses on acquiring knowledge and skills needed for specific career performance and applications. It also entails inquiry into the conceptual foundations of the profession, the role of the professional in that career, and the relations between the profession and society at large.
Registered Teacher Certification Program: SUNY Empire State College does not have a registered teacher certification program at the undergraduate level.
Thematic — A program of study focusing on a particular theme or set of ideas.
Our 21st century work and social environments require new knowledge and skills. There is an increasing need for individuals who can help others not only learn new things, but use what they know in various settings. Students who choose to design a degree program in Educational Studies have careers in areas as diverse as teaching, researching and policy-making. Educational Studies degree programs are usually not the best option for students who wish to earn New York State teaching certification (see the section on teacher certification at the end of this document).
Students pursue a wide range of concentrations that may distinguish them as practitioners, researchers/evaluators, social activists, specialists or generalists. Yet, common to all Educational Studies degree programs is study of the following topics:
- Foundations of education
- Learning theories
- Instructional strategies
- Curricular design
- Diversity issues
- Uses of technology
- Social context of learning
- Methods of inquiry
- Human development
- Content as appropriate to the concentration
Students may address these topics in various ways as appropriate to their concentrations. These topics could be included in one or more studies or advanced standing components, and may not necessarily appear as these explicit titles. In the rationale, students describe how their degree program addresses these topics.
For those interested in becoming practitioners, other components in the concentration should demonstrate an emphasis on understanding learners and learning, and effective teaching and learning strategies. Concentrations may include community and family education, instructional technology, teaching and training, early childhood learning or adult learning.
Students interested in study and research on education, society, and culture may design concentrations based in the social and behavioral sciences or the humanities. These disciplines might include anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology. The degree program for those choosing this concentration should include more than one component in methods of inquiry.
Degree programs may also be organized according to thematic or problem-oriented frameworks, with concentrations such as social change, public policy, learning communities and lifelong learning. These degree programs should demonstrate a focus on a distinguishable theme or learning context.
Empire State College does not have a registered teacher certification program at the undergraduate level but does offer a Master of Arts in Teaching degree that encompasses New York State teaching certification at the middle school and secondary levels.
Students interested in obtaining teacher certification as undergraduates should consult the New York State Education Department for specific requirements and share these requirements with their primary mentor. Students planning to pursue certification after completing their Empire State College undergraduate degree should consult with the college through which they plan to pursue certification. Often, undergraduate students seeking teacher certification are better served with liberal arts or disciplinary concentrations.
For more information on pathways to teacher certification, consult the Educational Studies web site and talk with an Educational Studies or Master of Arts in Teaching mentor.
Revised: November, 2007
Revised: August, 2000


Examine the library catalog.
You are looking at the Basic Search screen.
There are many different search options and ways to limit your results. For the purposes of this tutorial we are going to show you the most direct way to find a book on your topic.
Proceed to the next step.
Think about how to best describe your topic.
Keyword searching gives you the power to combine two or more terms: where education will find all books on education, education and elementary will find primarily books on elementary education.
Connect your words with and and switch the search type to Boolean keyword (last in dropdown list).
In order to limit your search to circulating books only, click on the Limit to dropdown box.
You will see Circulating Books as the second option; select it.
You are now ready to search.
Did your search produce any results? If not, double-check the spelling of your keyword(s) at Merriam-Webster Online.
If you put in more than one word, did you use and to combine the terms? More than one word without and, or or not between them will not search, unless the words are placed in quotation marks " " in which case they are searched as an exact phrase.
Try different options until you have search results listed and then proceed to the next step. If you need more tips, take a look at a video on keyword searching.
Examine carefully the list of titles produced by your search.
You can click on each title to see more details and decide if each book is relevant to your topic.
You can also see its call number, location, and whether it is checked out or not.
If you want to use a book, write down the floor and call number to look for it on our shelves.
1. Go to the correct floor in the library, usually 3rd floor for circulating books.
2. Follow the alphabet until you reach the call number you are looking for.
3. Take your book to the circulation desk to check it out (located next to the entrance). You'll need your OU SpiritCard. See how long you can keep books.


(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved. Contact us for information about using this image.
The children photographed in front of their South Deerfield, Massachusetts, school were educated very differently than their grandparents. In the early nineteenth century, towns like Deerfield had as many as twelve one- room schools. By 1920, the introduction of grade levels, blackboards, supplying the same textbooks to all students, and larger schools placed in central locations were all part of a new system. The willingness of the community to build this large, modern school building showed their increasing interest in providing the best possible elementary education for their children. The design of the new building also addressed growing concerns about lighting, cleanliness, and proper air circulation for young students.


Across the country, severe teacher shortages, especially in small towns and urban areas, mean trouble for some schools districts. Teachers with emergency or out-of-field credentials are commonplace in schools due to the teacher shortage. In some areas, many public school teachers have neither a college major nor minor in their primary field.
Due to growing student enrollments, high turnover rates and teacher retirements, education and policy experts estimate the teacher shortage will create a higher than average number of openings for teachers in the nation's elementary and secondary schools. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that between 2008 and 2018 the nation will need to hire nearly half a million additional teachers.
Special Certification Options
Because of the teacher shortage in specific high-need areas, you may be able to get a temporary per diem teaching certificate if you have pertinent education and/or job experience in a subject area. This will allow you to start teaching while gradually taking classes toward your permanent teacher certification. For more information on emergency and provisional teacher certificates, see our teaching certification article.
Subject Areas Affected by the Shortage
While states and cities report widely differing needs, there are some clear commonalities among the specialties most needed today. The national teacher shortage has created the severest demand for the positions listed below:
- Bilingual / ESL teachers
- Foreign language teachers
- Special education teachers
- Mathematics teachers
- Science teachers
- Urban and rural school teachers
Specialties that currently have an adequate number of qualified teachers in most areas include general elementary education, physical education, history and social studies. If you are interested in one of those fields, you may want to obtain licensure in more than one subject or another endorsement to gain an advantage when looking for a job.
Make the Most of Your Options
Because of the push to find qualified teachers to overcome teacher shortages, some school districts are offering unheard-of teacher perks and benefits to attract potential teachers. Higher paychecks, signing bonuses, housing assistance, employer-paid moving expenses, on-site childcare and continuing education courses are all offered in different locations throughout the country. Some districts have made hiring easier by streamlining the interviewing process and are even relaxing residency rules to find more qualified teachers.
All of this is in addition to the already great benefits offered to public school teachers nationwide, including comprehensive health and dental insurance, life insurance and pension plans.


Second Grade Standards, Second Grade Reading Standards, Second Grade Foundational Skills Standards, Second Grade Reading, Second Grade Skills, Reading Standards Second Grade
Second Grade Reading: Foundational Skills Standards
Phonics and Word Recognition
- RF.2.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
- Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.
- Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.
- Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.
- Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.
- Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
- Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
- RF.2.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
- Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
- Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Second Grade Common Core Workbook USB$59.00 Add to cart
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Second Grade Common Core Assessment Workbook Download$29.00 Add to cart


National Standards: Raising the Bar for Global Opportunity
Should the United States adopt a set of national education standards? What would they require? Who would set them? Most importantly, are standards the best method to effectively educate all students? These questions and others were addressed at a March 2 panel discussion hosted by the Program on America and the Global Economy (PAGE) with six Einstein Fellows. Kent Hughes, the Director of PAGE and moderator of the event, introduced the panelists and began by praising the breadth of their collective experience.
Arundhati Jayarao, a middle and high school chemistry and physics teacher from Virginia and fellow in the Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was first to speak. Jayarao started off by asserting that "there should be no zip code attached to the education a student receives." While acknowledging that national standards can help ensure exposure and consistency in curricula, Jayarao emphasized the importance of standards primarily in elementary education. Jayaroa explained that by harnessing a child's natural curiosity early, students would continue to feel enthused about learning as they age. While Jayarao suggested that standards could help ameliorate an ever-widening achievement gap, she also expressed concern that the highest achieving students may not be sufficiently challenged by standardized education.
Echoing the potential of properly implemented national standards was Indiana high school biology and environmental science teacher, Kirk Janowiak. Janowiak, who is a fellow at the Department of Energy, also cautioned that national standards could limit curriculum innovation. Given that achievement comes more from accurate assessments than from standardized curricula, Janowiak argued that system-wide assessments tied with standards would provide better results. However, Janowiak explained that national standards still would not reach every student, and thus emphasized the importance of individual relationships among all the relevant actors and greater access to educational opportunities.
Ben Van Dusen, a high school physics teacher from Oregon then suggested that national standards would be extremely helpful for more accurate state-to-state comparison. While noting that standards would improve assessment and comparison efforts, Van Dusen, who is completing his fellowship at the National Science Foundation (NSF), also proposed that standards would benefit students by setting a core curriculum. Though Van Dusen questioned the feasibility of bringing an effective agenda, such as the International Baccalaureate program, to scale on a national level, he recommended considering it as a possible model for educational standards.
Highlighting a more technical and skills-based perspective, John Moore, a high school environmental science teacher from New Jersey, emphasized the need to always keep in mind the main purpose of educational advancement, which is to prepare our students for the workforce. Moore, also a fellow at NSF, argued that any standards should be tied to developing a skilled workforce. He argued that educators should focus on system-wide and results-driven reforms while always keeping in mind this need to adequately prepare our students for our increasingly globalized and competitive economy.
Mark Greenman, a high school physics teacher from Massachusetts and NSF fellow, thought that that the United States should begin to study and consider other educational models and standards in earnest. Coming from a district with recently implemented academic standards, Greenman thought the remarkable improvement in students' scores he had witnessed could be attributed to the framework the new standards offered. Instead of the previously scattered curriculum, Greenman's school district had a unified plan, which benefitted the students immensely. Greenman argued that standards are necessary because of the number of students who are achieving at below basic levels who could be helped by widely implemented standards.
Sarah Yue, a high school chemistry teacher from California and NSF fellow, emphasized the advantages of uniformed curriculum pacing. Noting high student mobility, Yue reasoned that by using uniformed pacing, the difficulty of transitioning between schools could be alleviated. However, she also explained that by setting a uniform pace, time for valuable geographically focused issues, such as geo-science research in California schools on earthquakes, might be lost. Yue acknowledged the limits to implementing national standards and argued that they should be used to set a floor for student achievement, but not a ceiling.
While the issue of national education standards continues to be a controversial issue, the six Einstein Fellows offered practical applications and critiques of standards. Though the panelists expressed differing opinions, they all agreed that standards would not be a panacea, but could serve as a valuable baseline for systemic educational improvement.
By Shelley Harriman
Kent Hughes, Director, Program on America and the Global Economy


Communities developing resources and competencies for using their languages
Foundational understanding for language development work of all kinds
Publications, fonts and computer tools for language development, translation and research
SIL offers training in disciplines relevant to sustainable language development.
7,105 languages are spoken or signed. CLICK for map of world languages & regional websites.
SIL's dedication to language development past and present
Other professional experience and service
Graham, Barbara E. 2013. Creating cycles of writing and reading in a resource-poor school community in Kenya: Could one literacy event lead to ongoing literacy practices? International Journal of Educational Development 33(3):294–301. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059312001411.
Gains, Paula, and Barbara E. Graham. 2011. Making space for expressive and creative writing in African primary schools: A two-site action research study in Kenya and South Africa. Reading and Writing: Journal of the Reading Association of South Africa 2(1):77–95. http://www.rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/viewFile/14/14.
Graham, Barbara E. 2010. Mother tongue education: Necessary? Possible? Sustainable? In Multilingualism in African schools: Constraints and possibilities, (ed.), Naz Rassool and Viv Edwards, Special issue, Language and Education 24(4):309–321. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09500781003678696.
Graham, Barbara E. 2012. Involving parents and community members in children’s literacy development: Two attempts. Paper presented at the British Association for Literacy in Development Meeting, Schooling and Family Literacy: The Role of Parents in Supporting Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Programmes, Horsleys Green, Buckinghamsire, U.K. May 15, 2012.
Graham, Barbara E. 2012. Which language for the education of children in early primary classes in Tana Delta, Kenya? Paper presented at the British Association of Applied Linguistics, Language in Africa Special Interest Group Annual Meeting: The Social Life of Language and Language Development in Africa, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. May 5, 2012.
Graham, Barbara E. 2011. Developing writers and readers of indigenous African languages: A necessary step in development. Paper presented at African Renaissance, Integration, Unity and Development: The Place of African Languages in the Development of Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. September 28–October 1, 2011.
Graham, Barbara E. 2011. Developing writers and readers of local mother tongues: A viable low cost initiative? Paper presented at A Reader: The Empowered Leader. The 7th Pan-African Reading for All Conference, Gaborone, Botswana. July 11–14, 2011.
Graham, Barbara E. 2009. Literacy and linguistic diversity in multilingual classrooms. Paper presented at The 6th Pan African Reading for All Conference: Literacy for Community Based Socio-Economic Transformation and Development, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. August 10–14, 2009.
Graham Barbara E. 2009. Pokomo mother tongue education implementation and evaluations. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Reading, United Kingdom. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.499364.
Graham, Barbara E. 2008. Making use of the linguistic diversity in mother tongue education classes. Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference of the EDiLiC Association: Curriculum and the Development of Plurilingual and Pluricultural Competence, Barcelona, Spain. July 2–4, 2008.
Graham, Barbara E. 2007. Questions that demand answers: Community discourses about mother tongue education. Paper presented at the 5th Pan African Reading for All Conference: Literacy for Human Liberation, Legon, Ghana. August 6–10, 2007.


Jewish Art in Jewish Classrooms now has The Art of the High Holidays ready for High Holidays 5776. Our curriculum teaches our children about the customs, rituals and history of the Jewish people through visual art. Information is available here.
"I was amazed to see how every single one of my students was highly engaged in the process of observing and discussing the artwork provided." -- Synagogue Religious School Kindergarten teacher in Chicago.
We have extensive information about this project on our website. Click here for details on the project. On the website, you can learn about the IOU teaching method, review a sample lesson plan, view a short segment from our supplemental video (link to video above or from several pages under the JAJC tab) and find quick answers to your questions on the FAQ page.
Jewish identity is often most strongly expressed today through appreciation for aspects of Jewish life beyond rituals. This curriculum will engage your students in exciting new paths to Judaism.
Don't miss out on this wonderful learning experience ready now for the High Holidays in 5775!! Purchasing early will mean you will have time to become familiar with the projgram as well as participate in our webinars this summer.
JAE HONORS ARTIST WITH NARKISS AWARD
A full house was present to celebrate with artist Reeva Shaffer as JAE presented its first first Narkiss Award for Jewish Art Education. Shaffer, an internationally recognized artist, was honored for her lifetime of contributions to Jewish art and Jewish art education.The award was a testament to Judaism's foremost art historian, the late Prof. Bezalel Narkiss, z"l. At the event, JAE also introduced our Jewish Art in Jewish Classrooms project.
For more information about this event, please click here.
THE ART OF LIONS AND HORSES
Jewish art has taken on vastly different forms throughout the many eras of history. Yet one particularly unusual method of Jewish art is almost never discussed: carving. Jewish carvings can be seen in many synagogues today, but they are also found in an unexpected source: carousels. Jewish Art Education's newest program will discuss this unique art form and how it was used by European Jewish artists.
S. Ansky, born Shlomo-Zanvil Rappaport in 1863 in Vitebsk, now Belarus. He was a political revolutionary and an ethnographer who came to the realization that a centuries-old Jewish life was about to disappear as his contemporaries adopted modern lifestyles.
After traveling abroad, he returned to St. Petersburg in 1905 and affiliated with the Jewish Historic-Ethnographic Society. By 1912, he had conceived and organized a two-year ethnographic expedition to survey Ukrainian Jewish life. Their aim was to collect Jewish art and material culture that would become the basis of a Jewish museum in St. Petersburg.
All images and text are from the catalog of an exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. It is titled: Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses, and was written in 2007 by Zimiles, M.


Use the timeless story of Green Eggs and Ham to excite learners of all ages and proficiency levels.
Finding interesting and fun ways to teach English Language Development can be difficult. Many of the systematic ELD programs I have used in my teaching, while effective in addressing important language functions and forms, fall short when it comes to engaging and exciting learners about the subject matter.
Integrating literature with ELD lessons is a way to capture interest while teaching the four language domains:
The domains of listening and speaking seem to be taught less frequently than reading and writing. In order to gain proficiency in a language, all domains should be practiced and explicitly taught.
Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham lends itself well to otherwise potentially uninspiring listening and speaking ELD lessons. A number of language functions can be taught and practiced using this story. These include, but are not limited to: describing actions and spatial relationships, retelling past events, comparing, and explaining.
Ideas For Teaching the Language Functions and Forms
The following activities require pupils to actively listen and respond, while also targeting the language forms.
Describing Actions, Retelling Past Events
- Forms: Past tense positive and negative statements
- Activity: Read Green Eggs and Ham aloud. Explicitly teach the concept of "past tense" and the verbs they will be using. Tell them they will be describing the characters' actions in the past tense.
- Use question and answer sentence frames to guide their responses.
- Example: Q: "What did Sam-I-Am/His Friend want?" A: " ______ wanted/did not want_________."
- Student responses could include: "Sam-I-Am wanted his friend to try green eggs and ham." or "His friend did not want green eggs and ham in a house."
Describing Spatial Relationships
- Forms: Prepositional Phrases
- Activity: This story is filled with prepositions! Introduce the concept of prepositions using pictures and text from the book. The class can take turns brainstorming different places Sam-I-Am wanted his friend to try the eggs. Use the pictures to show how the prepositional phrase describes where the friend is in relationship to the green eggs and ham.
- A way to incorporate writing into this activity is to have learners write a sentence from the story and then highlight the prepositional phrase. If time permits, they could add illustrations to their sentences.
Model and Practice
Language proficiency can be acquired through many different experiences. Lessons that capture interest and provide ample opportunities to learn and practice the forms and function are key.
Green Eggs and Ham, although wacky, offers creative options for ELD lessons. This classic story is fun to read and fun to listen to. Dr. Seuss' use of humor and rhyme is great for all ages and proficiency levels. Introduce each lesson by modeling proper usage of the language forms and functions. Then, divide the class to practice in small groups or in pairs. Sentence frames, visual aids, and vocabulary introduction will also support learning and are a vital part of making language development accessible for all learners. The visuals can also be student-generated, allowing for even more investment in the lesson.
Awesome Action Words
Introduce a plethora of precise action words with this simple yet engaging ELD lesson. Pupils will learn how to replace generic verbs with more precise, descriptive action words.
Sounds You See, Hear, and Feel
Integrate music education and ELD with ease! While exploring concepts relative to music, learners will practice describing, comparing and contrasting actions they see, feel and hear during the lesson.


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A piano teacher is a person who teaches others how to play the piano. This person may teach young children and teens or focus on adult students. Some piano teachers are willing to instruct people of any age.
Piano teachers often get started in their careers because they have a love of playing the piano. People who choose this career often do so after taking years of lessons themselves and developing their own talent. After learning a range of music styles, some pianists may decide to express their love of the piano by helping others learn to play it.
For some people, teaching students to play the piano may be harder than playing it themselves. A person who wants to teach piano must not only have above-average knowledge of the piano and good playing ability, but he must also have excellent communication skills in order to teach others. He typically needs lots of patience and the ability to encourage and motivate his students. Students may lose their motivation and desire to play the piano if a teacher is overbearing or insulting.
As far as credentials are concerned, a piano teacher may be anyone who knows how to play the piano and teaches others. For example, a person with no degree may teach at a music studio, recreational center, or at a private residence based purely on his talent and teaching ability. Some piano teachers do earn college degrees, however. In fact, those who want to teach in a public or private school may need a degree in music education to do so.
A piano teacher may choose to open his own studio and offer lessons without having an employer. Those who choose this route are even less likely to need college degrees, as potential students may be less concerned with degrees than employers may be. Piano teachers who open their own studios may even employ other music teachers, offering a variety of music lessons in addition to those for the piano.
Whether a person seeks a degree in music or not, he will need to develop solid teaching skills and strategies in order to be an effective piano teacher. He may do this by observing other piano teachers and asking them for advice concerning teaching strategies. He may also attend music teacher training programs, workshops, or seminars. Some aspiring piano teachers may even learn effective teaching strategies and methods from books and video lessons.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!


External Web sites
- Animal Planet - Frog
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Frog
- Defenders of Wildlife - Frog
- Exploratorium - Frogs Exhibition from the science museum in San Francisco, California. Includes feature articles on frog biology and the role of frogs in different cultures; a tour of Rayne, Louisiana, known as "Frog City USA"; and additional multimedia activities and exhibits on frog camouflage, sounds, and other topics. Provides a variety of photos and illustrations, a directory of related sites, and visitor information on the actual exhibit.
- Frogland - AllAboutFrogs.org
- Frogland - Life Cycle of a Frog
- India Parenting - All About Frogs
- Journey North - Facts About Frogs
- Kidipede Science for Kids - Frog
- National Geographic - Devil Frog
- Rainforest-Australia - Rainforest Frogs
- San Diego Zoo - Frog and Toad
- Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids - Frog
- The Canadian Encyclopedia - Frog
- Western Kentucky University - Frogs & Toads of Kentucky
- Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland - Queensland frogs
- Wildlife-Australia - Rainforest Frogs
- Wildscreen Arkive - Banana frog
Britannica Web sites
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- frog - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Frogs are small animals that can jump very well. Frogs are similar to toads. However, a frog has smooth skin and long legs. A toad has rough skin and shorter legs.
- frog - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Frogs are small, tailless amphibians that belong to the order Anura. Used strictly, the term means any member of the family Ranidae (true frogs). More broadly, however, the name frog is often used to distinguish the smooth-skinned, leaping anurans from squat, warty, hopping ones, which are called toads.


Up to 5,000 pupils will take a new “core maths” qualification from September, in a move designed to address the “rusty” numeracy skills of many school leavers.
Launched to encourage 16- to 18-year-olds to continue studying maths in sixth-form, the qualification has been created for those who may not wish to take a full A level in the subject.
It is set to included at least 180 “learning hours" and lessons on how to understand financial investments and analyse trends.
While it is being formally launched in 2015, the numbers taking the exam are expected to rise over the following years, from 5,000 to around 200,000 pupils.
Elizabeth Truss, speaking as Education Minister, said too many students “drop maths at 16, become rusty in the subject and limit their future career options”.
The new qualification will give pupils the chance to continue studying maths beyond GCSE, without having to take a full A level.
In 2013, only one-in-seven pupils who did GCSE maths went on to take it at A-level, compared with between 50 and 100 per cent of pupils in other countries, including Estonia, Korea and Finland.
Recently, the exam board, OCR, have submitted two draft core maths specifications to Ofqual – hoping to address the varying reasons pupils may choose to study the subject.
The qualification has been aimed at: learners who need support with mathematics for Level 3 or HE courses – for example, in business, biology, chemistry or computing: learners who need to continue with some mathematics because they intend at some stage to enter teacher training or a health profession, or learners who do not intend to continue their education and will be moving on to do apprenticeships or straight into employment.
As recent research shows a third of over-18s struggle to calculate change in shops and weigh and measure ingredients, it is hoped this new qualification could address fears that large numbers of school leavers enter university and the workplace with “rusty” numeracy skills.
But how is your maths? Above are some of the sample draft questions submitted to Ofqual by OCR.
The full paper can be found here. The questions above have been slightly modified to allow for multiple choice answers.
Check out our other education quizzes:


How is watering geraniums with soapy water, lake water or coffee going to affect the way the plants grow?
That’s the study question seventh-grade life science students at Anoka Middle School for the Arts will be asking themselves over the next two months.
Malmborg’s Garden Center & Greenhouses donated hundreds of geraniums for more than 600 seventh-graders, as the business has for the past two years.
Students each care for a geranium, watering it with either soapy water, lake water or coffee and tracking its evolution.
The project – dubbed GeraniuMania – will help students learn about the scientific method and hone their observational skills.
March 19 and 20, Mary Spivey and Ami Thompson, educators with the University of Minnesota’s Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, presented students with their study question.
Silly scenarios found students trapped in a car wash, ice house or coffee shop until May, tasked with keeping their geraniums alive. The only resources available are soapy water, lake water or coffee.
Students immediately began to speculate what the various liquids might do to their geraniums.
Adam Mishler, with one-third of his peers, will water his geranium with coffee.
“I think it’s going to die,” he said. “Coffee dehydrates you, and I’m guessing if it dehydrates humans, it’s going to dehydrate the plants.”
Other students speculated that soapy water, with a very basic pH level, might bring geraniums closer to their ideal growing environment and allow them to thrive.
As Spivey and Thompson were discussing the scientific process, science teacher John Jacobson and AMSA Curriculum Integration Coordinator Jolanda Dranchak stepped into other classrooms to encourage artistry in observation.
With advances in technology, many scientists have abandoned the once standard practice of sketching as a way to document studies, Jacobson said. Now, many scientists flash their cameras and call it a day. Anoka Middle School students will take photographs of their geraniums throughout the experiment, but perhaps more importantly, they will sketch, which allows details to pop on the page, Jacobson said.
He didn’t want students to try and sketch the entire plant in one go; that would be overwhelming. Start with one leaf, he said.
Art education can go a long way to supplement lessons in science because “real scientists are artists and critical thinkers,” Thompson said.
“Science is a creative process,” she said, emphasizing lessons of process over content. While facts about geraniums will find their way into the unit, the scientific process is the real takeaway. “That’s … going to serve [students] throughout their lives.”
Olivia Koester is at [email protected]


Animal-Assistance Reading Programs 'Buck' Illiteracy
Do you remember your first day of school? It was the beginning of a larger world, fraught with excitement and fear. And whether you easily made new friends or were good at schoolwork (or both), it was still an overwhelming experience.
In a couple of weeks, thousands of children throughout the United States will start their first day of elementary school. And they’ll restlessly await the new experience with a mixture of dread and zeal. What if, along with worrying about how they’ll be received by their new peers, and if the teacher will be mean, they have to also worry about learning disadvantages, such as low literacy?
The crucial time for children to develop strong literacy skills is kindergarten through the third grade. By the fourth grade, if a child has poor reading skills, their learning retention drops drastically, sometimes irrevocably through to adulthood. The National Institute for Literacy reports that, "Adults with low literacy levels are more likely to be homeless or unemployed, or hold very low paying jobs."
There are many ways to combat low literacy in children, and one of the most successful methods has been to set up reading programs that combine the love of learning and reading with animal interaction.
Horse Program Focuses on Early Literacy Development
One such program is The Black Stallion Literacy Foundation (BSLF), which was started in 1999 by Tim Farley, Black Stallion author Walter Farley’s son. One of many animal literacy programs, BSLF works by focusing on first and fourth grade children, mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds, and introducing them to horses. Cindy Carter, staff for the BSLF, says of the program, "The focus is at-risk and disadvantaged children. Some have never seen large animals before."
The BSLF curriculum and lesson plan was developed at the University of Florida. Books like The Black Stallion are used in the classroom, then the horse either comes to the class or the program’s young participants are taken to interact with a horse at the animal’s location.
If one wonders whether this kind of program is successful, well, it has expanded from Florida to other states such as Kentucky, Arizona, Louisiana, and Washington State. Kept afloat by volunteers, and private horse owners who volunteer their animals to interact with children, the program has expanded so much they’re on the cusp of including other horse-related reading material and movies, and changing their name to Horse Tails Project.
But, all of this pales in comparison to the success of having a child’s confidence grow, and their fears of reading aloud gone, and stir their imaginations. And get them to anticipate if they’ll meet "Little Black" at the end of the program.
According to the National Institute for Literacy, “Reading aloud to children has been called the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for success in reading. Reading aloud, with children participating actively, helps children learn new words, learn more about the world, learn about written language, and see the connection between words that are spoken and words that are written.”
Animal Literacy Programs for Older Children
Developing competent reading skills past the fourth grade may, in some cases, prove more difficult, but that doesn’t mean an older child can’t be inspired to pick up the good habit of the love of reading. One such reading program, the Animal-Assisted Therapy Program is offered through the American Humane Association (AHA).
At the Englewood library, the AHA’s animal therapy program couples "beginning and reluctant readers, typically ages 5 through 12, with one of American Humane’s Animal-Assisted Therapy teams." The therapy teams are comprised of one trained pet (such as a dog) and a human volunteer. The program has younger children reading at an accelerated level, as well as adolescent children who, through a longtime involvement with the program, have developed a consistent passion for the printed page. And all because these kids can read aloud without fear or reprisal or ridicule from an unconditionally loving animal companion.
There are quite a few animal literacy programs in operation throughout the country, so whether you know children who are either shy about reading aloud, or just want to spark their imagination into a lifelong habit of high literacy, nothing reinforces a positive habit more than a positive and nurturing environment.


Planning: Advice on preparation of weekly notes,
monthly progress records and termly/ yearly schemes. Advice
on the teaching of all subjects on the primary school curriculum,
aims, methodologies, strands etc.
1 - Advice on how to deal with colleagues, parents,
2 - Advice on how to deal with a range of difficult
situations that can arise within a classroom.
3 - Classroom management, discipline and organization.
4 - Advice on how to deal with special needs
5 - Advice on how to work with a special needs
assistant or some other professional in your classroom.
6 - Advice on how to deal with multi- disciplinary
team including psychologists, inspectors, speech therapists
7 - Whole School Evaluation (WSE) and spot checks
8 - Drawing up of a school plan for a primary
school to include all curricular areas and policy areas.
1998 Education Act
2002 Education Welfare Act
2004 Epsen Act
10 - Help teacher create a template for producing
individual education plans
11 - Coping with Special needs children in a
mainstream school: precision teaching, discrete trial teaching,
differentiation, individual teaching.
Children First Guidelines
Stay Safe and Walk Tall programs
Advice on all aspects of a
child's Primary School Education.
Starting primary school.
How to deal with difficult situations that
may arise in school from time to time, e.g: bullying, discipline.
Educational Disadvantage and entitlements of
parents under the scheme, e.g: book grants, back to school
School Completion Programme.
Homework clubs, golf, horse-riding, swimming all provided
for under the scheme. Summer camps free available through
Advice and testing in all subject areas. Identifying
weakness especially in numeracy and literacy.
Grinds in all subject areas where children are
Advice in dealing with Board of Management, principal
and teachers when there are difficulties.
Advice on all areas of Special needs including
Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, Downs Syndrome, Hyperactivity,
Emotional and Behavioral Disturbance. Links with child's school
to tackle areas of difficulty.
Transition to secondary school: choice of school
and choice of subject areas to best meet the needs of the
Leisure time activities for children.
How to deal with parents own stress.
Preparation of trained teachers for interview
for teaching positions.
Preparation of teachers for interview for the
post of principal teacher.
Preparation of teachers for interview for post
of responsibility within a school. Interview techniques, questions
Preparation of students for interview for post
graduate course in teaching with a big emphasis on Irish.
Preparation of principal teacher for the task
of interviewing personnel within a school; teachers, special
needs assistants, secretaries, caretakers etc.
Preparation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs)
for interview for a post within a primary school.
I.e: Children with Specific
Learning difficulties as a result of autism, Downs Syndrome,
Behavioral Disturbance, Emotional Disturbance or other complex
Advice for parents and teachers with children
affected by profound learning difficulties, moderate learning
difficulties or mild learning difficulties.
Advice on school placement.
How the special educational curriculum guidelines
and the mainstream guidelines can be put together to achieve
deserved outcomes and produce a broad and balanced curriculum
to meet the Special Educational Needs of the Child.
Advice on Individual Educational Plans
(IEPs) for special needs children. IEP should include academic
objectives, self-care objectives, social objectives, communication
objectives, speech therapy objectives, occupational therapy
objectives, behavioral objectives and child protection objectives.
Advice on above for parents, teachers, and other interested
partners in the educational system.
ABA- Applied Behavioral Analysis
Discipline for Learning
Shaping complex behavior etc.
Low Incidence Hours
Special needs assistant support
Parent, teacher and child entitlements with regard to the
above under 1998 Education Act and 2004 Epsen Act.
When one is dealing as a teacher, as a parent
or as student with a range of different personalities daily
conflicts arise. As an educational provider with over 33 years
experience I give advice on how to handle conflict. I am a
trained professional mediator with a mediation qualification.
Different approaches to conflict and how
to resolve it:
The idea is to train people how best to handle conflict for
the good of the whole school community.
Preparation For Primary Schools:
John now provides interview preparation for primary
Read more about John Hand Principal on RateMyTeachers.com
For more information on any of the above


Anti-Thanksgiving event emphasizes popular holiday's roots
American Indian Student Union receives hateful messages but maintains potluck's focus was positive
President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Though it has since evolved to mean different things to different people, the first celebration supposedly went something like this: “In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought 90 of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food,” according to Linus van Pelt in “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.”
But the University chapter of the American Indian Student Union says popular culture such as Linus’ description of the first Thanksgiving perpetuates myths about the holiday. The organization’s members convened an “Anti-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving” potluck last Monday in Minor Hall to raise awareness about the true origins of Thanksgiving.
“Natives had been celebrating thanksgiving for hundreds, if not thousands, of years before the European colonists came,” said fourth-year College student Katelyn Krause, president of the University chapter of the American Indian Student Union.
Students gathered to discuss the ways Native Americans helped European colonists establish agriculture, Krause said.
“Many times the European colonists… arrived without any sort of agricultural knowledge…,” Krause said. “In many ways it was the native tribes that they encountered that enabled them to… survive the first winters and to be able to have food in the first place.”
The Anti-Thanksgiving organizers did not intend the gathering to be negative, Krause said. “We just wanted to celebrate and respect our native ancestors and the huge help that they were in [the success of] colonies,” she added.
Since the potluck, Krause has received hateful messages accusing her of being “anti-American” and the organization of being a “Feminazi,” as AISU’s board at the University is composed entirely of females.
Krause said she does not find Thanksgiving or the way in which modern Americans celebrate it to be offensive. What does offend organizations such as AISU is how elementary education misrepresents the native Americans’ roles in the first Thanksgiving, she said.
Krause said she hoped future celebrations would bring more of “an appreciation for the tribes and how much they actually did to help these European colonists even be able to have a first thanksgiving.”
Though groups such as AISU contend that Thanksgiving is tangled with historical misconceptions, the holiday remains a cherished American tradition, uniting family and friends across counties, states, and in some cases, oceans.
The University’s Lorna Sundberg International Center each year organizes a Thanksgiving Meal Match to place international students with local families during the holiday.
“This year, we matched 29 internationals and their families with 19 hosts who are [U.Va.] faculty/staff and Charlottesville community members,” Meal Match program coordinator Quynh Nguyen said in an email. “Past participants generally said it was a great experience for both groups and local hosts really enjoyed sharing Thanksgiving with internationals.”


Editor’s Note: Teaching Channel has partnered with Student Achievement Partners on a blog series about the new assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards. They have assembled a group of teachers who have either tried aligned sample assessment questions with their students or have participated in field testing of the new consortia (PARCC/Smarter Balanced) assessments this spring. Throughout the month of April, these teachers will share their thoughts, concerns, and optimism for what new assessments can mean for their classrooms. We hope this series will help ease fears and give teachers a platform for honest discussion.
Assessment season can bring on sweaty palms and racing hearts… for teachers. This year, there is an additional level of uncertainty as the Common Core State Standards are rolled out across the county and new assessments are being field tested or administered. This may feel like the moment of truth (how will my students do? how will that reflect on my teaching?), but it is just the beginning of the process of making sure our students are on track for success in college and beyond.
As teachers across the country are partaking in opportunities to understand, prepare for, and try new assessments in their classrooms, many are excited by what they’re seeing and how their students are responding. Like you, some have tried Common Core-aligned sample mini assessments and exercises from Achievethecore.org in their classrooms, as well as sample items and tasks released by both assessment consortia, PARCC and Smarter Balanced. Others are shifting their formative assessment practices in new and innovative ways to see how their students are doing with these new expectations. We’ve gathered a group of teachers from around the country to share honest reflections on how it’s going.
MEET THE TEACHERS
Tricia Ebner teaches gifted and talented middle school students in an ELA-based program in Hartville, Ohio. She is a member of Ohio’s PARCC Educator Leader Cadre, National Board Certified in early adolescent ELA, and a Student Achievement Partners Core Advocate.
Christina Suarez has been teaching high school social studies in Vermont for 11 years. As an advocate for the Common Core, she is also working with the Vermont Agency of Education’s Professional Learning Network to assist local development and implementation of performance-based assessments.
Cay Freeman is a 28-year veteran teacher in Windsor, Connecticut, who teaches intervention classes to 6th-8th grade students who struggle with math. In 2010, she was the district Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Connecticut Teacher of the Year.
Em LeBlanc is a third grade math, science, and social studies teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She works with teachers throughout her district and state while being an advisor for the Louisiana Teacher Leaders, conducting professional development such as being a State Trainer for Eureka Math, and holding other leadership roles in education. Em has certifications in elementary education, special education, and educational leadership.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Over the next few weeks, this “on the ground” teacher team will address new assessment topics. They’ll talk about their unique classroom experiences — from preparing to use new technology to reflecting on their practice. We invite you to join the conversation, engage in discussion, and with each blog we’ll ask you to respond to a specific question. Our goal is to start an honest conversation among teachers about these shifts in instruction and assessment. We hope you’ll share your own successes, struggles, and questions with us. Come back throughout April for a new entry each Thursday.
We’re kicking off the “Assessment Diaries” series with a video of teachers reflecting on how aligned assessments can support the hard work happening in their classrooms.
After you’ve watched, use the comment section below to tell us what you think about this statement:
A promise of the new Common Core-aligned assessments is the elimination of the dreaded “test prep” time. High quality, aligned assessments should reflect and reward instruction aligned to the learning goals of the Standards. No more surprises. Do you agree?
We’re really looking forward to this series and hope you are too. See you next week!
READ ALL ASSESSMENT DIARY ENTRIES
Student Achievement Partners (SAP) was founded by David Coleman, Susan Pimentel and Jason Zimba, lead writers of the Common Core State Standards. SAP is a non-profit organization working to support teachers across the country in their efforts to realize the promise of the Common Core State Standards for all students. SAP has one purpose: to help all students and teachers see their hard work lead to greater student achievement.


Sections / Articles
Web Resources: September/October 2013
Bright and Early – Sam Oertwig & Sharon Ritchie
- The PreK-3rd Grade National Work Group website provides information briefs and webinars regarding policies and practices from experts across the country.
- The May/June 2011 issue of Principal focused on Early Learning, with articles on the impact on the achievement gap, measurement and assessments, and principal preparation.
It’s Playtime! – Joan Almon
- The Literacy Guide, developed by Bank Street College, describes the stages of literacy development in preschool, kindergarten, and the early grades, and what to expect from children at each stage.
- Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School, a report by the Alliance for Childhood, examines new research on how much time kindergartens spend on cognitive instruction vs. play-based learning and some of the ill effects of current practices.
Building a Foundation for Literacy and Learning – Kathy Ward-Cameron
- Watch a short video in which David Dickinson discusses Vanderbilt University’s research on learning in preschool.
- Read the transcript of an interview with Robert Pianta on early literacy.
- Listen to the NAESP Radio podcast, “Early Moves That Create a Continuum of Learning Success,” where host Gail Connelly discusses the state of early learning with Deborah Leong.
Power of Pre-K – Rebecca Stephens
- Visit the FirstSchool Initiative website for an in-depth description of the program’s philosophy and framework.
- Explore NAESP’s Early Childhood Education webpage to find resources and policy statements on P-3 alignment, including recommendations from NAESP’s Task Force on Early Learning.
World-Class Collaboration: Q&A With Maureen Keithley
- Listen to Maureen Keithley’s entire interview about English-language learners on NAESP Radio.
- Visit the Principal magazine archive to access Nancy Protheroe’s Research Report, “Effective Instruction for English-language Learners.”
Going Green – Fred Barch
- The Department of Education’s Green Strides Webinar Series provides school communities with tools to reduce environmental impact, improve health and wellness, and teach effective environmental education.
- NAESP’s Green Schools page provides resources for school leaders to improve environmental literacy and foster 21st century skills.


I had many obstacles to overcome when I was in school. My attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) made sure of that. Still, the condition didn’t stop me from realizing my dreams. I have a B.S. in elementary education from Appalachian State University, and I’m on track to get my master’s this summer. I am a fourth-grade teacher at St. Stephens public school, in Claremont, North Carolina. I love to be around children, and every day is different in the classroom, so I am never bored at work.
I know how I learned best, so I’m always looking for ideas to help my students with ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, and other learning differences do the same. Ideas come to me in the shower or when I’m driving to work. So parents and teachers take notes, here are several teaching techniques that have helped my kids succeed:
Give slow, clear, and simple directions. Children with ADD/ADHD get confused when teachers run through instructions in a hurry. I give directions one at a time. I tell students to take out their reading book. When everyone has their book out, I tell them what page to turn to. When everyone has found their page, the lesson begins. The reward is that the students pay attention to the material instead of scrambling to keep up with directions.
Be a drama queen. Teachers who present material in an exciting, dramatic way keep ADD/ADHD students focused on it. I don’t mind acting silly in the classroom to keep their attention. The other day I was talking about the Cherokee Trail of Tears. So I pretended I was a Cherokee girl who was going to be taken away from her house by soldiers. I acted scared, I cried for my mother and father to help me. If I had read them a book, they would have tuned out.
Use technology. Computers and other electronic devices focus children with ADD/ADHD on the material being taught. I use GPS units when we visit the zoo or when learning about the Iditarod. Students use the device to answer questions in the classroom and on quizzes. They also learn how to use technology.
Get students out of their seats. When a teacher makes a child part of a history lesson or a math problem, he pays attention -- and learns. I recently taught a lesson on division by asking the class to come to the center of the room. One student was asked to place kids into groups of four. Eventually, there were only two students left. They were the remainders. Movement helps children retain more.
Let them know they’re loved. Children with ADD/ADHD want to focus and sit still, but often they can’t. They need to know that they are loved, and are as important to the teacher, as everyone else in the class.
This article appears in the Spring 2010 issue of ADDitude.
To read this issue of ADDitude in full, buy the back issue.


Did you know that you can succeed at anything in a short amount of time if you can copy the strategies of any person who is successful at what you want to achieve.
What do we mean by strategies? Basically, a strategy is any internal and external set of experiences which consistently produces a specific outcome. For example, when I go somewhere, I need to make a picture of where I'm going and how to get there in my mind. And I gather information verbally until I have a clear picture of the entire route that I'm going to travel. When I have enough information, I then forget it and trust my unconscious mind.
It has been found that successful spellers use visualization strategies to spell any word, long or short, correctly. In other words they make pictures of the words in their minds.
Generally the expert speller uses the following strayegies:
1. looks at a word, then
2. looks up and to his or her left to 'see' the word in their mind's eye.
3. he then looks back at the word to check if it matches the image in his mind.
4. If it is correct, he can go to learn another word.
5. If the there is no match, he goes back to step 1.
Try this with your child and your family members. You will be surprised how dramatically your kid's spelling and your own will improve. I have used these spelling with my elementary and secondary school students who I teach, and they can now spell up to 11 letter word forwards, and wait for it, backwards as well. It's truly amazing to witness!
Using these simple spelling strategies your child will become an expert speller overnight. Imagine what that would do to boost your child's self-belief and confidence. My students have told me that they feel like spelling champions, and that was after only one session of practice.
Khaled Mansoor is an Education Success Consultant and owner at Khaled Mansoor & Associates. He has worked with schools to assist children to reach their true potential in a range of literacy and numeracy skills. He has been an elementary and secondary teacher for 15 and a half years. If you wish to find out more about the spelling or other learning strategies to enable to assist your child excel at school, then contact him on email@example.com


Actively teaching reading comprehension strategies is a not an easy task. These five activities take students deeper into Bloom's Taxonomy as part of a balanced literacy program.
These activities also support teaching fluency in reading. Fluency isn't just about being able to sound out the words: it is about prosody and comprehension too.
The lessons can be taught at any grade level, although you will have to differentiate them to meet your standards. The key is to repeat the lessons multiple times in a variety of ways, as we know it can take up to 28 exposures to new material before students internalize it and develop meta-cognition.
Here are five more activities to add to your toolbox . If you missed the first page, go back to Reading Comprehension Activities Part 1 then come back for more!
Allowing children to generate authentic, meaningful responses to literature is one of the most powerful reading comprehension activities. You must first teach them how to respond to literature through oral responses, guided writing and modeled responses.
The worksheets that go with these activities can be found at the Primary Teaching Resources page.
The power of punctuation is an underused method for reading comprehension exercises as well as reading fluency activities. Punctuation is there for a reason: to increase understanding of a text.
It aids the fluency with which a text is read, and thereby helps the reader make meaning.
By understanding how to use punctuation marks in oral reading of a text, children will begin to use those same strategies when they are reading to themselves. A period can signal a student to pause and if the student is aware that he or she did not understand what was just read, now is the time to go back and reread to make meaning.
To demonstrate how we naturally pause at punctuation marks, you will need to scoop the text with them and re-read passages many times to ensure students solidify this strategy.
These amazing little books contain no words, and they are a wonderful tool to use for reading comprehension activities. The story is told completely in sequential pictures. Wordless books are "read" by inferencing what is happening in the pictures and using imagination to craft a story. Not only good for emergent readers - these books open a new avenue of comprehension for all students.
I use wordless books as read alouds, to teach story elements and how to write a story. As I "read" the book to the class, I use the pictures to develop the plot through guided writing.
Frog Goes to Dinner by Mercer Mayer
This was the first wordless book I used to write a story with for my class. We had a ball.
The humor in the illustrations is evident, and we gave a voice to the characters, developed a problem and solution. After writing it, I typed it and placed it in our Author's Box for the children to re-read.
Their comprehension of the story elements soared, and was most evident when I placed more wordless books out for them to "read" with a buddy.
Book Treasures is a way to connect families to their child's reading. You will love this. It also works on the critical reading skills of summarizing and retelling.
This reading strategy is simple, yet powerful. For pre-determined read alouds, a "treasure" is sent home with each student as a visual and kinesthetic reminder of the story. The students have to use the treasure to tell a parent or guardian about the book.
Their thoughts are recorded on a half-sheet of paper and brought back to school while the treasure stays at home (I always have my students make a Treasure Box to kick off these reading activities and to keep their treasures in).
At the end of the year, I put all of their responses together into a booklet for each student, we bring our treasure boxes in, and spend an afternoon retelling our stories we listened to throughout the year.
Sign up for my newsletter to get your free mini-guide to using Book Treasures!
Motivation to Read
It's the classic Matthew Effect: students who read more have better fluency and comprehension.
Children learning to read must be immersed into many types of books on a daily basis, and we cannot expect all of that to be done at home.
But even if we make the time available in the classroom, what can we do about our students who simply don't enjoy reading?
Make it fun! I came up with a super simple solution to this problem in my classroom, and I was amazed by how well it works. It cost me nothing but a bit of time, but the benefits are outstanding.
Other teachers have also reported it as being super effective at motivating their students to read!
Click on the image to find out more - if you don't motivate them, who will?


Background/Purpose The development of fundamental movement skills (FMS) is associated with positive health-related outcomes. However, children do not develop FMS naturally through maturational processes. These skills need to be learned, practiced, and reinforced. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of motor skill interventions in children.
Method The following databases (Academic Search Premier, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, SportDiscus, and ERIC) were searched for relevant articles and appropriate key terms were used for the search process. Pertinent journals and article reference lists were also manually searched. Inclusion Criteria for the meta-analysis were: (1) implementation of any type of motor skill intervention, (2) pre- and post- qualitative assessment of FMS, and (3) availability of means and standard deviations of motor performance.
Analysis/Results A significant positive effect of motor skill interventions on the improvement of FMS in children was found (d = .39, p < .001). Results indicate that object control (d = .41, p < .001) and locomotor skills (d = .45, p < .001) improved similarly from pre- to post- intervention. The overall effect size for control groups (i.e. free play) was not significant (d = .06; p = .33). A Pearson correlation indicated a non-significant (p = .296), negative correlation (r = -.18) between effect size of pre- to post-improvement of FMS and the duration of the intervention (in minutes).
Conclusions Motor skill interventions are effective in improving FMS in children. Early childhood education centers should implement “planned” movement programs as a strategy to promote motor skill development in children.
See more of: Research Consortium


Both Hippolytus’s Apostolic Tradition 16.13 and Tertullian’s On Idolatry 10 also indicated that teaching grade school was not an acceptable livelihood for Christians, which brings to the fore three aspects in which second- and third-century conditions differ from today’s. The objection was that the curriculum for much primary and elementary education heavily emphasized myths about Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Schoolteachers, noted Tertullian, must inculcate pagan knowledge into their pupils, and praise and commend some deities of the old religion. Like on Christian holidays in recent times, ancient schoolmasters were obliged to decorate schools on the occasion of the gods’ festivals, and to participate in and promote the events. In short, “If a believer teach literature, while he is teaching doubtless he commends, while he delivers he affirms, while he recalls he bears testimony to, the praises of idols interspersed therein.” (On Idolatry10)
Hippolytus’s tradition was more lenient, allowing new Christians to continue teaching school if they possessed no other abilities for earning a living.
If no allowance is made for changes over the centuries, schoolteachers are under a double condemnation. First, quite simply, they are teachers—a banned occupation. Secondly, most teachers since the nineteenth century have been paid by municipalities or provinces, and thus are government employees. Remember that the early Christians did not distinguish, as to sinfulness, between the offices of elected politicians and state functionaries who remain employed no matter which political party is in power. On the other hand, today there is no paganism in the curriculum, except for practice readings of myths in textbooks that teach the Latin language, and certainly no suggestion in our schools that these myths’ characters are still alive, let alone possess supernatural powers. Moreover, even the celebration or religious nature of Christmas and Easter are being phased out of public institutions of learning, and from public life in general.


Eight students fidgeted on the classroom floor, taking their time copying a Louis Armstrong quote on their sheets of notebook paper.
“I don’t let my mouth say nothin’ my head can’t stand.”
Joy Harrell-Goff, a music teacher at Estes Hills Elementary School in Chapel Hill, projected a photo of Armstrong onto the big screen, presenting a larger-than-life grin and bowtie, and asked the elementary-aged children what they thought his words meant.
“Don’t say bad things that will hurt someone.” “Don’t say anything bad about yourself.” “Think before you speak.”
“Then you gotta speak on purpose, right?” Harrell-Goff asked.
The students were participating in the first Durham “BUMP: The Triangle” class Saturday. The new nonprofit music education organization teaches children the history and importance of African Diaspora music, using sound clips, dancing and African drum circles to do it.
On Saturday in the little classroom at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, Harrell-Goff pulled out a talking drum, smoothing her hands over its cords and animal skin, and showed students how to gently clutch the instrument under their arms.
Without texting and phone calls, she asked the class how a Durham tribe would communicate with a Chapel Hill tribe 1,000 years ago. The children had different ideas, ranging from radios (didn’t exist) to a Pegasus (active imagination) to riding horses to the next town over.
Georgiary Bledsoe, who earned her musicology Ph.D. from Duke in 2002, is the founder of BUMP and began the program in Boston almost 9 years ago. She said the “voice” of the talking drums has been carried into blues music and spirituals, and she said the BUMP program is about teaching students the complex structure of African music, its layers, dance and spectacle.
“Music of the African Diaspora is a particularly powerful tool, not only in the lives of African-American students, but in all students,” Bledsoe said.
She said the goal of the new nonprofit is to bring the 6-week program to schools and community centers.
Marta Sánchez, a research scientist with the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, and a UNC student took notes throughout the class, details that would be used to evaluate the workshops.
“Through this direct experience, they’re going to discover the history, the geography, the personal relationships made through these instruments,” Sánchez said.
Durham resident Teli Shabu sat with his 3-year-old daughter, Adefunmilayo, on Saturday, watching as his 8-year-old son, DeLacey, tried his hand at the talking drum.
Shabu teaches African drums on a weekly basis. When asked how long he has played, he pointed to his young daughter and said since he was Adefunmilayo’s age.
He said his son started tagging along to his African drum classes.
“I would like for him to play music for his enjoyment, not necessarily for a career,” Shabu said. “… I believe that music is math, and I believe it’s going to help with academic stuff as well.”
The young students learned about tonal language and inflection, or how they use the pitch and volume of their voices to tell a story or share their mood. The drums also are used for such storytelling. Over the speakers, Harrell-Goff played an African work song, in which drums were used to converse with men working in the fields.
When you hear the drums in the song, stand up, she said.
“If you’re really bold, you can stand up and dance.”
To learn more about the “BUMP: The Triangle” program, visit www.bumpthetriangle.org.


Article posted by PBS Parents - Experts Speak Out - "Clicking with Children"
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an organization that sets standards of excellence for programs for children from birth through age eight. Their research shows that computers can have important benefits for even very young children, including language development, literacy development, social development, and the development of important problem-solving skills. However, computers are most beneficial when parents and teachers provide appropriate guidance, when computer use is related to other kinds of learning, when high-quality software is used, and when children work on the computer with peers or adults.
The following specific recommendations from NAEYC about the use of computers with young children are based on both current research in child development and the professional opinions of early childhood educators.
- Computers should supplement--and not replace--activities and materials such as art, sand, water, books, music, outdoor exploration, experimenting with writing materials, dramatic play, and socializing with other children.
- Parents should guide children's use of computers. Be on hand to help your child, answer questions, and interact with your child as she works on the computer.
- Take the time to observe and participate in computer activities to gain an understanding about how your child thinks and learns. Observing children at the computer can reveal much about the way children are thinking and solving problems.
- Work with your child on the computer, and encourage him to work with a sibling or friend whenever possible. Using computers with others encourages important social skills, such as turn-taking and cooperation, and helps build your child's ability to speak and listen.
- Learn more about software for young children, and carefully preview the software your child uses. While there are many high-quality products available, some software is not appropriate for young children because it is difficult to use, highlights violent themes, or does not foster language or learning.
Posted by Aparna Datta: (www.aparnadatta.com)


Education/Newsletter/June 2014/Wikipedia Primary School Project
Wikipedia Primary School Project
The Wikipedia Primary School project is an endeavor which seeks to understand whether or not Wikipedia articles meet the needs of primary school education.
This research aims to define and select relevant articles which address primary school curriculum, to facilitate the production of high quality new content which will be compatible with Wikipedia, and to assess existing articles linked to primary education, with a focus on Africa. The project will involve the Wikipedia community, partners, volunteers, scholars and experts in the field of education.
While numerous research projects have looked at Wikipedia contents and have consulted the Wikipedia community, this research utilizes methodology that involves a number of external people and entities.
The research is being conducted by two teams of researchers: one from SUPSI in Switzerland and one from the University of Cape Town. The programme partners are the Africa Centre and Wikimedia Switzerland (WMCH).
Various school systems were evaluated to understand how they work and to determine the differences between them, with the idea that what children study in African countries can be different than what children study in European countries. The point is understanding the main topics which primary schools teach in the countries that were observed.
The research team seeks to find out if content on Wikipedia answers questions that children, parents, and teachers ask in context of primary school learning. For example, Wikipedia has articles about continents and countries, but do those articles adequately cover climate, geography, biology, history such that there is sufficient information to support students in their studies?
The teams will compile a list of articles, both existing articles as well as articles that have not yet been created. Academic journals will peer review existing articles or issue calls for papers for experts to write articles in their fields and release them under a free license so that the information can later be made available for use on Wikipedia. The results of the peer review will be published in the project journal which will be linked to on the assessed articles' talk pages. The teams will not be publishing any information directly on Wikipedia, but they will notify the community of their availability, should they wish to refer to them. Documentation is available on Meta.


The Music Education program integrates courses and field experiences that will prepare you to teach music in kindergarten through 12th grade in a variety of urban and suburban education settings, including public and private schools.
You will learn educational theories and effective teaching techniques, observe professional music educators at DePaul and in the Chicago community, and student teach.
As a Music Education major, you will acquire:
- An understanding of educational theories
- The ability to use rehearsal techniques, principles and strategies for teaching voice, instruments and ensembles
- A familiarity with appropriate literature for various levels of orchestra, band, chorus and music classes
- The ability to create effective lesson plans
The Music Education program curriculum includes courses in:
Clinical experiences with children and youth
Human growth and development
Instrumental methods and lab
Music methods and lab
Vocal methods and lab
Prior to graduation, the School of Music's Office of Career Planning and Placement will work closely with you to prepare a file that will be used in your job application process. Upon graduation, you will receive the Illinois K-12 Music Teacher Certification.


Instrumental Differences: Juniata Music Professor Talks Tuning
(Posted September 9, 2009)
HUNTINGDON, Pa. --- Does Mozart's "Requiem" sound the same today as it did when the composer was writing it? The short answer is no, and James Latten, associate professor of music at Juniata College, will explain why this is so in his lecture "Equal Temperament: Tuning and Its Predecessors" at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16 in Room 101, Swigart Hall on the Juniata campus.
The lecture is free and open to the public. The Bookend Seminar series features afternoon lectures each month by Juniata College faculty.
For the past 100 years or so, musicians (or at least musicians in westernized cultures) have tuned their instruments using a system called Equal Temperament. Before that, orchestras and musicians used several different tuning systems that do not sound the same as the system used today.
"When our modern tuning is done to compositions of the 19th century and earlier, it represents a form of historical revisionism and compromises our understanding of how such composers as Bach, Chopin, Vivaldi, and Beethoven intended their music to be heard," Latten says. "Music of an earlier time should be heard as it was intended, using the tuning systems in vogue at that period of time."
Latten will play examples of Baroque and classical music recorded using historical tunings and also briefly discuss the science behind tuning trends before and after the 20th century.
"When our modern tuning is done to compositions of the 19th century and earlier, it represents a form of historical revisionism and compromises our understanding of how such composers as Bach, Chopin, Vivaldi, and Beethoven intended their music to be heard."
Jim Latten, associate professor of music
James Latten joined the Juniata faculty in 1997 as adjunct instructor of percussion and became director of instrumental music, as well as director of the college Wind Symphony in 2002.
In 2003, Latten formed the Juniata Jazz Ensemble. He conducts the percussion ensemble, teaches studio percussion, and instructs academic music courses. From 2000-2002 Mr. Latten served as assistant professor of music at The University of Dayton. He was promoted to associate professor in 2007.
Latten earned a master's degree in music education from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree in music education from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.
He went on to earn a doctoral degree from Penn State University, where he also served as graduate assistant with the band program, including the 280-member Penn State Blue Band, for three years.
He is currently a member of Music Educators National Conference, College Music Society, Percussive Arts Society, Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, The Conductors Guild, and the College Band Directors National Association.
Contact John Wall at firstname.lastname@example.org or (814) 641-3132 for more information.


English Language Learning
Structure of English Language in ELL
This course is designed for educators working with English Language Learners (ELL) in grades K-12. Participants in this course will examine the syntactical structure of the English language and its connections to other languages. Participants will gain knowledge of the ways in which ELL students acquire a syntactical understanding of the English Language in the domains of listening, speaking, reading and writing. An emphasis will be placed on the importance of adapting content area instruction and language for ELL students in order to promote academic language proficiency. This course will demonstrate practical strategies and techniques that educators can use to improve instruction for ELL students in academic content areas
Prerequisite(s): MRD 7801 and MRD 7802
Second Language Acquisition in ELL
This course will provide an overview of language learning processes and their applicability to second language acquisition. Students will become familiar with current research and theory in second language acquisition and develop an awareness of how theoretical implications apply to classroom instruction. Techniques for instruction will include the study of applied linguistics and how students acquire phonemic understanding, including strategies for teaching and testing reading, pronunciation, and vocabulary of American English. This course will emphasize process, sequence, and actual methods and stratagems teachers can use to design and develop effective lesson plans. This course requires placement in a K-12 setting.
Prerequisite(s): MRD 7801, 7802
Assessment of Second Language Learners
This course will examine the educational measurement strategies, instruments and processes that teachers use to assess student learning and English proficiency for Second Language Learners. The emphasis of the class will be on assessment skills and knowledge that can enhance professional practice and promote student learning. Informal and formal assessments, which are used to determine students’ English Proficiency skills, are analyzed in detail. An emphasis is placed on the selection, administration, and interpretation of test results. Accommodation techniques and strategies for second language learners will also be emphasized. Standardized and informal test results are evaluated and analyzed as they relate to student achievement, curriculum development, and instructional improvement. 30 hours of tutoring are required. As of Fall 2016, this course is only offered in a semester format.
Prerequisite(s): MLL 7406
Teaching Literacy for ELLs
The relationship of literacy skill (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) development and the second language acquisition process is examined. Social and cultural language differences, second language acquisition, developmental stages, metacognitive theory, research-based theory, instructional implications, and practical classroom applications will be emphasized. The process by which the aforementioned factors elucidate and strengthen ELLs’ second language literacy development is linked to instruction. Action research and study of an ELL’s language and literacy development is required in a K-12 setting.
Prerequisite(s): MLL 7402
Methods of Teaching Language Arts/English to Second Language Learners (Grades K-12)
During this course, current principles, practices, and methodologies for teaching limited English proficient students will be thoroughly introduced and analyzed. Students will determine which strategies are best for their particular teaching situations. As the course progresses, participants will reference the varying methodologies as well as the newly adopted English Language Proficiency Standards and the Delaware Content Standards to make their own instructional plans and units. Emphasis will be placed on incorporating a variety of teaching strategies and standards while stressing both content skills and language skills. Implications of the No Child Left Behind legislation as well as other federal and state laws governing the rights of English language learners will also be discussed. Six hours of classroom observation and subsequent analysis of the teaching of reading/writing in ELL are required in a K-12 or equivalent setting. Please note that this course is not offered in summer semesters.
Prerequisite(s): D 7803


What Are the Seven Reading Comprehension Strategies?
A "strategy" is a plan developed by a reader to assist in comprehending and thinking about texts, when reading the words alone does not give the reader a sense of the meaning of a text. In recent years, reading comprehension strategy instruction has come to the fore in reading instruction at all age and grade levels. By helping students understand how these flexible tools work, teachers enable readers to tackle challenging texts with greater independence.
Strategy instruction is rooted in the work of David Pearson and his colleagues, who studied the processes of proficient readers, and then sought ways to teach these processes to struggling readers. While there is debate about the relative importance of different strategies (or even if some should be deleted from or added to the list), most researchers and practitioners agree about a core set of seven strategies:
1. Activating background knowledge to make connections between new and known information. In many classrooms, this instruction is divided into three categories of connection as defined by Colleen Buddy -- text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world (Buddy quoted in Keene and Zimmerman, 2007).
2. Questioning the text. Proficient readers are always asking questions while they read. Sticky notes (post-its) have become ubiquitous in classrooms in part because they are such a useful tool for teaching students to stop, mark text, and note questions as they read.
3. Drawing inferences. Proficient readers use their prior knowledge about a topic and the information they have gleaned in the text thus far to make predictions about what might happen next. When teachers demonstrate or model their reading processes for students through think-alouds, they often stop and predict what will happen next to show how inferring is essential for comprehending text.
4. Determining importance. In the sea of words that is any text, readers must continually sort through and prioritize information. Teachers often assist readers in analyzing everything from text features in nonfiction text like bullets and headings, to verbal cues in novels like strong verbs. Looking for these clues can help readers sift through the relative value of different bits of information in texts.
5. Creating mental images. Readers are constantly creating mind pictures as they read, visualizing action, characters, or themes. Teachers are using picture books with students of all ages, not necessarily because they are easy to read, but because the lush and sophisticated art in these books can be a great bridge for helping students see how words and images connect in meaning-making.
6. Repairing understanding when meaning breaks down. Proficient readers don't just plow ahead through text when it doesn't make sense -- they stop and use "fix-up" strategies to restore their understanding. One of the most important fix-up tools is rereading, with teachers demonstrating to students a variety of ways to reread text in order to repair meaning.
7. Synthesizing information. Synthesis is the most sophisticated of the comprehension strategies, combining elements of connecting, questioning, and inferring. With this strategy, students move from making meaning of the text, to integrating their new understanding into their lives and world view.
Pearson, P. David, L.R. Roehler, J.A. Dole, and G.G. Duffy. 1992. "Developing Expertise in Reading Comprehension." In S. Jay Samuels and Alan Farstrup, eds. What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction, 2nd Edition. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Zimmerman, Susan and Ellin Keene. 2007. Mosaic of Thought. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.