Did you know that a child’s language skills are a strong predictor of later literacy skills? Children with strong language skills in the preschool and early elementary years tend to have stronger literacy skills later on. Literacy development is so much more than the ABC’s: Literacy starts with language! Today, I am over at I Can Teach My Child sharing 20 tips for creating a language rich environment for your toddler, which can help build that strong base he needs fore future literacy.
It is absolutely amazing watching children learn to talk. They start out with babbles that morph into single words that they soon learn to string together to form sentences. By age three, we can actually have conversations with these little people! And the more amazing thing is that these children are learning language in the everyday moments of life! I’m talking about meal times, diaper changes, dressing in the mornings, and in their everyday play. These sometimes boring and mundane activities for us adults are actually the ones that matter most.
Head over to read the post at I Can Teach My Child where I share 20 tips for making these everyday moments count!


OMG!!! Under new government rules, primary pupils will only get credit for using exclamation marks in sentences beginning with ‘what’ or ‘how’, which sort of puts the brakes on their enthusiasm. I’m struggling with this because I use the exclamation mark freely when excited. For example, I have two new resources from Out of the Ark music and I want to say that I think they are fabulous!! But now, I’m only allowed to say that I think they are fabulous. But hopefully, even without an exclamation mark or two, you will still appreciate my enthusiasm.
Songs for EVERY Growing School is a brand new collection of 15 refreshing and exciting tunes. Schools are all about development, so it makes perfect sense to use singing to celebrate growth, whether that’s in mind, health, community, bricks and mortar, life, love, celebration or gratitude. If you are looking for fun, tried-and-tested songs to teach and inspire, you are in the right place.
You get an Activity Songbook and an interactive Words on Screen CD ROM, which is fabulous. The Songbook is your source of inspiration, with imaginative ideas and curriculum links, and the songs form the basis for a whole host of activities. The book also includes a handy song information chart, giving you a spreadsheet-like overview of what each one is about, the intended age, subject links and musical style – as well as the vocal range, key, musical elements covered, activity ideas and inter-related dimensions. And, of course, it comes with lyrics and music (piano music score, melody and chords).
As mentioned, there are plenty of activity suggestions. Each song has teaching tips, a spotlight on the musical genre being covered, and a ‘write your own verse’ pupil worksheet – not to mention a ‘bright idea’ and ‘what’s achievable’ suggestion.
The Words on Screen CD ROM is a must as it allows you to display lyrics on any whiteboard, computer screen, TV or interactive touchscreen. The lyrics synchronise with the music as it plays, which makes it so much easier to learn. And all this costs £42.95 – now that’s worth getting.
Another resource from Out of the Ark is the wonderfully entertaining Mystery At Magpie Manor, a 60-minute musical gem just begging to be used as an end-of-term production. It’s set in the roaring twenties at Magpie Manor, a large house in a crumbling state where Lord and Lady Pica have to take drastic action to save their home. A plan is hatched between the family and the bank manager to sell off the family silver via auction. But at the auction things go pearshaped when the family heirloom disappears. Inspector Spectre is on the case with none other than Agatha Christie, who between them have to work out who is to blame, as everyone seems to have a motive. This is a lively production with eight fantastic songs, a very witty script and brilliant twist in the tale. There are 48 parts in total, so enough for a couple of classes, with 32 speaking parts and 16 non-speaking parts.
Mystery At Magpie Manor comes with a Teacher’s Book containing the music score and lyrics, a character list, ideas for costumes (such as flapper fashion) and props, and the full script with act-by-act stage directions. There are also choreography suggestions for a couple of the songs/dances. If you are looking to entertain with plenty of razzmatazz and humour then this show is the one to get, and you can do just that by buying the book, audio CD, Words on Screen CD ROM and instant performance licence, all for £59.75.
What I like about the Out of the Ark resources is that all the songs are teachable by anyone and everyone. So if you have zero prior knowledge of music education (which is 99 per cent of all primary teachers) you’re in safe hands. All the materials are here to give you confidence and inspire children. The vocal tracks in both resources are beautifully sung by children to an extremely high standard, and with professional backing tracks, so what you are getting is a high-quality production. Out of the Ark is one of primary education’s favourite creators of musical resources and with two new releases that deliver plenty of exclamation marks for their energy, creativity, high standards and fun, it is easy to see why.


Kindergarten-Design a Cast
The diagnosis from the doctor is in and Angelina has broken her arm. The students worked together through the engineering process to design a cast for a member of their group. The students learned about criteria and constraints as they had to make sure the cast was strong, light, comfortable and water resistant. They had a limited amount of time and supplies to create the cast.
1st Grade-Take Cover 1
In this design problem, students designed a covering for a playground to protect students from UV exposure. They used UV-sensitive beads and a UV flashlight to determine the effectiveness of their design to protect students playing on the playground.
2nd Grade-Save the City
The students worked individually to read a map of a city and identify homes that may be in the path of a landslide. Working in small groups, the students designed and tested a solution to prevent erosion of the hill and save the homes.
3rd Grade-Seed Solutions 2
At the end of our last lesson, the students began growing pea plant seeds. Using 3 generations of seeds, the students identified the color of the stems and determined the dominant (purple) and recessive (green) stem colors. Using the Punnett Squares, students determined the parent plant genotypes and how these genotypes were passed on to the crossed plants creating the possibility of green and purple stems in the 3rd generation of plants. The students created an Educreations (iPad app) presentation with photographs, text, and a voice-recorded explanation.
4th Grade-Data Collection & Display (4)
Using the Tynker iPad App, the students are learning to code their first game by following step-by-step directions. The students coded the characters in the game to respond in an effort to gather data. Each time one of the characters touched another character, a count was displayed on the screen.
5th Grade-Disease Detectives
There is an illness spreading at our fictional school. Using the Patient Information Sheet, the students made correlations between the students in the class and the activities they participated in together. Using data from the sheet, we determined how long the fictional students had been sick and how they interacted with one another to pass along the illness. Using Educreations (an iPad app), the students created a diagram or flow chart to illustrate how the illness was spread and made conclusions about Patient Zero.
Welcome to the STEAM Studio Blog for Jamestown Upper & Lower Elementary Schools in Hudsonville, MI. Here you will find the latest projects and concepts we've been working on in class.
comes to Hudsonville with 17 years of teaching information and technology skills to elementary students. After earning a BA in Elementary Education at the University of Northern Iowa and a Master’s degree from the University of Iowa in 2000, she drew a circle on the map and chose Southwest Michigan.


What makes the Dr. Suzuki’s ideas about music education so valuable is that he believed that the youngest child had the potential to play music in the same way that they learned to speak, and he believed that talent is a learned ability.
Dr. Shinichi Suzuki was a Japanese educator and musician who believed that all children could learn things well, especially if they had the right type of environment.
When Dr. Suzuki wrote his first volume of violin music for children in 1945, he included six folk songs, five pieces that he wrote himself, and songs by Bach, Schumann and Gossoc. Each song taught a new skill, and each skill built on the next. Sometimes the skill learned was helping a child prepare in advance for a much more difficult piece in a later book. The use of folk songs gave the children the joy of being able to
The twelve page Music Pattern Song Book created by Up-a-do Unlimited to accompany their precision tuned eight-note glockenspiel xylophone contains ten folk songs made popular by Dr. Suzuki as well as a Bach Minuet and a harmony piece.
Dr. Suzuki believed that talent could be developed in any child. He created a teaching method that has helped many students do just that. His ideas inspired the team at Up-a-do Unlimited to create an educational music pattern song book to assist a new generation of young music students.
Wishing you joy on your musical journey!
P.S. I am a “Suzuki Mom” who spent many hours helping both of my daughters become proficient violinists, and I attended all of the concerts shown above. (And many, many others!) Both of my daughters are now Suzuki Violin Teachers.


Grown ups, do you need even more ideas on what to do with your child? Check out some of these helpful links below.
Links to more interactive sources around the web, all together in one space from interactive sites. Resources are available for all topics and ages
Activities that promote science, creativity, collaboration, communication, flexibility and more!
Link to various educational sites around the web. From math to emotional well-being, find free learning activities from wide open school
This google doc links to various tools, blogs, videos, tutorials, etc. that contain information or tools that may be useful for teaching students online.
Penguin Classroom with starter activities, writing tips, contests, book suggestions and more. These ideas are perfect for teachers or parents who are homeschooling and would like some supplemental ideas or activities to get started.
PBS Wisconsin is committed to ensuring equitable access to free and trusted resources in a variety of formats to help meet the needs of all learners in any learning environment.
TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. Includes topics for kids and adults for all interests
A link about rethinking early childhood learning. What children learn in early childhood can have an impact on their learning for life.
Does your family love escape rooms? Check out this link to even more escape rooms for all ages and abilities


The Structure of Initial Teacher Preparation
There are currently 42 Institutions of Higher Education (IES) in the Dominican Republic. Twenty-two of them offer programs in Elementary Education and 15 offer the program in Secondary Education with an Emphasis in Mathematics and Physics.
According to the General Report on Higher Education Statistics 2006-2009 of MESCYT, the Education programs were the second most in demand in 2006, 2007 and 2008 with respectively 15, 14 and 12 % of the total enrollment. It slipped to fourth place in 2009 with 11 % of the total. The graduation rate for four-year Education programs is around 24 % (MESCYT 2011). Most of the students are enrolled in Elementary Education programs and less than 1 % are in the Mathematics and Physics program.
The Elementary Education enrollment is concentrated in eight of the 22 IES that offer them and have 92 % of the enrollment. For Mathematics and Physics four of the 15 have 82 % of the total enrollment for that Emphasis.
The Elementary Teacher Education Program
Institutions of Higher Education that offer Elementary Education Programs must base their program of studies on Ordinance 1-2004 that was established by the National Institute for the Preparation and Professional Development of Teachers (INAFOCAM). This ordinance sets the student entrance and graduation profiles, and the distribution of courses to be taught. It also establishes the curriculum for the program with lists of courses, the number of credits for each course, the distribution of practical and theoretical hours for each course, as well as the organization of courses into academic periods.
This ordinance also establishes two concentrations for the Elementary Education program: one for teachers in the First Cycle (preprimary to grade 4) and another for the Second Cycle (grades 5-8). The programs of study have the first year in common. Beginning with the second year, some courses are in common and some are specific to the particular Cycle.
There have been modifications to improve this ordinance, but there are still reforms in progress that are not yet reflected in the current preparation programs. The curriculum requires courses in four basic areas: Mathematics, Spanish, Natural Science and Social Sciences. The Mathematics courses are organized as Integrated Studies in Mathematics I, II, III and IV. The other areas are similarly organized. The term “Integrated Studies” refers to integrating the content with the teaching and learning methodology specific to the area. In practice, in the majority of cases, specialist report that such integration is often not achieved.
We can group the courses in six strands in which the contents for teacher preparation are organized. The strands are the following:
- 1. General Education: Regular courses from those offered by the IES.
- 2. Content Courses: Letters, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Languages, Technology, Arts, Electives.
- 3. Mathematics Content Courses.
- 4. Pedagogical Courses: Pedagogical Theories, General Teaching Methods, Guidance and Counseling, Psychopedagogy, Planning, Psychology.
- 5. Mathematics Teaching Methods.
- 6. Student Teaching.
For this document we have considered the programs at only the eight of 22 IES’s that prepare 92 % of future Elementary teachers. Of those eight, two are public and the rest private. However, it is important to mention that INAFOCAM does supervise the programs in the private institutions.
An analysis of the programs in those eight institutions shows that no more than 10 % of the credits are in Mathematics content courses. Pedagogical courses oscillate between 26 and 40 %, but less than 8 % of those are specific to Mathematics Education. In all of the programs, student teaching is distributed in different parts of the curriculum, but always has courses on teaching methods as prerequisites.


These Slime Science Experiments are certain to be a ton of fun. And while you might be a bit worried about the stickiness or the mess, just know that making these slimes is all for the good of Science. Plus Slime is so much fun!
Your child is going to love creating these homemade slime recipes and learning how to perfect the process.
How to Make Slime
Slime Science Experiments
Many people don’t look at slime from an educational point of view, but it absolutely is full of learning opportunities.
Creating the slime means that your child has to follow directions, add ingredients and follow a process from start to finish.
Not only does this teach them how to pay attention, but they’ll also learn how to start thinking and using their analytical skills as well.
Plus…let’s be honest. Slime is just actually really, really fun to make.
affiliate links can be found on this blog at no cost to you.
Click on the links below for more themed ideas.
- Erupting Dinosaur Volcano Slime Recipe from schoolingamonkey.com
- Butter Slime from thebestideasforkids.com
- Slime Bubbles Science And Sensory Fun from lemonlimeadventures.com
- Fall Slime Science Activity from raisinglifelonglearners.com
- Magnetic Slime Recipe from thriftynorthwestmom.com
- Kids Will Love This Galaxy Slime from lifeovercs.com
- Borax Slime Recipe Science Experiment from littlebinsforlittlehands.com
- Heat Sensitive Color Changing Slime from leftbraincraftbrain.com
- Rainbow Slime from thebestideasforkids.com
- Taffimatter Glitter Slime from funwithmama.com
- Disgusting Science For Kids Snot Slime Recipe from lemonlimeadventures.com
- Kinetic Slime DIY Recipe & Experiment from momdot.com
- Perfect Fluffy Slime Recipe from raisinglifelonglearners.com
- Glow In The Dark Slime from leftbraincraftbrain.com
- Magnetic Slime Science Activity from littlebinsforlittlehands.com
As you can see, there are so many slime recipes to choose from! But who says you have to pick? Schedule one every month and bring science and slime into your home or classroom.
Do them all and then compare!


A better education for children in Papua New Guinea
Children learn best when they have competent teachers, a supportive community and quality resources. Yet these basics are not often available to girls and boys in Papua New Guinea. We’re engaging parents and communities to create a culture of reading, and we’re working to ensure elementary schools meet the needs of girls and children with disabilities.
Why strengthening schools in Papua New Guinea is important
Many children in Papua New Guinea don’t have access to a quality education. Remoteness, gender inequity, exclusion and lack of teaching and learning resources are all factors that stop children reaching important milestones in their learning.
Girls in Papua New Guinea are more likely to drop out of school than boys. And children with disabilities often don’t get to go to school at all.
Yet with a strong education children can have more say in their future. Girls who are supported to stay in school have more skills and confidence to break down gender-based barriers, seek employment and support their communities. And giving children living with disabilities a chance to learn can significantly change their quality of life and the opportunities available to them.
Save the Children’s Rapidly Improving Standards in Elementary Education (RISE) program
We’re improving foundational learning in Papua New Guinea’s elementary schools by training teachers to develop literacy and numeracy among students, using the school-based curriculum for English, vernacular (local language) and mathematics. We’re supporting them to make their own resources using natural objects and we’re creating storybooks in 30 different languages.
We’re also training early childhood teachers to better prepare children for elementary school. The first few years of a child's life are critical for cognitive, social, language and physical development. Ultimately, this period will shape the rest of their childhood, adolescence and adult life.
Our RISE program engages parents and communities, as they are instrumental in encouraging children to stay in school. We’re establishing community reading clubs, and supporting parents to read to their children and play math games.
We’re also looking at effective ways we can ensure girls are supported to stay in school, and equipping teachers and schools with new accessible learning tools that will enable children with disabilities to have a place in their local classroom.
Local stories in local language
“I am so excited to help make these stories. You cannot be a leader in our community without knowing our language, now our children will learn to read in our language and our community will be stronger because of these books.” – Program participant
An astounding 820 languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea, making this tiny country the most linguistically diverse nation in the world. Yet most of these languages are not represented in the school curriculum.
Storytelling is one of the most natural ways children learn about culture, history and the world around them, which is why Save the Children and the Papua New Guinea Summer Institute of Linguistics have been working together to make story books in local languages.
We travelled to some incredibly remote locations – across Wewak, Buka and Ukarumpa – to develop the books and now have 64 stories in Tok Pisin and 30 other languages.
These books – known as vernacular stories – will be used in local classrooms to improve foundational literacy and build a culture of reading for girls and boys, as well as their communities.


Wisconsin Statute 118.016(1) requires an early literacy screener to be administered annually to all four-year old kindergarten through 2nd grade students enrolled in public school districts and charter schools beginning with the 2014-15 school year. Schools are required to use the data from this assessment to identify students at-risk for reading difficulties and intervene accordingly.
The Department has selected PALS from the University of Virginia as the required early literacy screener under this statute. PALS is an English language screener of basic literacy skills with a Spanish language version of this instrument now available for five year old kindergarten through 2nd grade. Some districts have inquired regarding the availability of this Spanish language version for their students.
The following sections outline the requirements and recommendations for districts to consider when determining which version of the screener should be used for their students in various situations. Included in these recommendations is the understanding that the final decision on which screener to be utilized in a given situation is left up to the individual school district.
Purpose of Screening
PALS español yields information about a student’s basic literacy skills in Spanish while the English language version of PALS provides information about a student’s basic literacy skills in English. Two primary purposes of screening students with PALS are to gather data that will inform instruction and identify students who need additional assistance. In order to effectively inform instruction and identify the types of intervention to provide, it is appropriate for teachers to administer PALS in the same language that instruction is provided.
For some students, it is likely that the administration of PALS may be stressful. Teachers should use their professional judgment when administering to ensure that students are not caused undue stress. For this reason, it is important to clarify that PALS is not designed as a high-stakes assessment and is not to be used as an accountability measure. Administrators and educators should use multiple measures when making instructional planning decisions. Using results from PALS along with other formal and informal assessments of student performance will allow educators to make sound decisions about instructional needs and supports for a given student.
All teachers administering PALS are to be trained in the use of PALS prior to administration. This includes viewing the online modules and completing an online quiz.
In order to administer PALS español, the teacher must be fluent in Spanish. Teachers who are not fluent in Spanish are advised against administering PALS español as language fluency is required to present information and interpret results.
All students in dual language education programs (literacy content instruction almost exclusively in Spanish with the goal of transitioning to English instruction at a later date) may be screened with PALS español for the duration of the time that their instruction is presented primarily in Spanish.
Students in an English language instructional setting should ideally be screened with the English language version of PALS. In addition, Spanish speaking students with limited-English proficiency may also be screened with PALS español. Since the time constraints of screening often preclude utilizing both versions at the same time, screening is recommended to be administered with PALS español by a qualified Spanish speaking teacher in the fall of kindergarten (or the first year of attendance in a Wisconsin school) and transitioning to the English language version of PALS for the spring.
PALS-PreK español (for 4-year old kindergarten) is currently in development. As a result, all 4K students will be screened in English, regardless of their language of instruction. Teachers are reminded that the goal of PALS is to collect any information possible about a student’s literacy development and use that information to immediately inform instruction.


Similarities and differences
In my eBook I look at a few different meanings for literacy and numeracy. One of the things that you need to do is see how these definitions are the same or different. This is so that you can see how they apply to your teaching or to your learners.
Knowing the similarities and differences is going to help you decide what aspects of each you want to absorb into your own approach. That’s one of the things that is going to help you teach better. So while it’s the application that counts, for starters you need to think about some of the differences.
Just like you need to figure out what’s relevant for your context, you need to figure out what you think the similarities and differences are.
Here are some questions to keep in mind as you work through this process.
- Is the focus just on literacy?
- People who have good literacy skills behave in certain ways. What does this behaviour look like?
- Is the focus just on numeracy?
- People who have good numeracy skills also behave differently to people who don’t. What does this behaviour look like?
Literacy and Numeracy considered together
- Is there a focus on both literacy and numeracy?
- We’re most interested in the definition for embedded literacy and numeracy. There are reasons for that. What do you think they are?
- Is there a more holistic approach? Where does this come from?
- How can a more holistic definition of literacy, such as from Māori and Pasifika help us in our teaching?
- Definitions that come from government funding agencies are likely to have economic drivers. This means that under the surface there are likely to be economic incentives behind the drive to encourage and strengthen literacy and numeracy in the population.
- Let’s assume that this is a good thing. What’s the motivation?
- Are there social consequences?
- In other words, if we adopt a particular focus to literacy and numeracy, how can this make our communities better or worse?
- When leaders talk about literacy and numeracy in a national context – even if they don’t say so – which definition(s) are they likely to be referring to?
- What kind of political action do you think is associated with this?
- Does it incorporate English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)?
- If this is not already relevant for you, how could it be important in the future?
Time to do some work
Let’s pause for a few moments. Here’s your task:
- Download the PDF worksheet, or use the chart below to make notes on how the six definitions we’ve discussed are similar or different.
- Make sure you think about the questions above.


Mark McKergow suggests ways of using music to stimulate creativity in your pupils
A few years ago, a study by Susan Hallam of Oxford Brookes Unviersity concluded that suitable music could aid creative writing in school. 54 pupils aged 9 to 11 were divided into three groups and were asked to write an exciting story. Each group did so with different musical accompaniment – exciting music, calming music and no music. The results were compared and the calming music produced better stories than either no music or exciting music. The improvement was in the quality of the excitement, suspense and attention-holding qualities of the stories, rather than in the grammatical correctness (which showed no significant difference between groups).
A different way of using music to engage creativity can be found in the art room, where lively music can definitely help in producing creative work. Painting a storm at sea might be accompanied by the ‘dialogue between the wind and the sea’ movement from Debussy’s ‘La Mer’. Here, matching the music with the topic is vitally important, with emotion and dynamics to the fore.
A more lively way of introducing creativity into the classroom is with brainstorming or other idea-generation techniques. In this instance, a lively and sparkly track can help things along. Jazz, with its improvisation and flair, can be fun. Why not find music from the bebop era, or perhaps opt for something funky and mdoern? Don Campbell, author of ‘The Mozart Effect’ describes using Brazilian music in a similar way, as Latin and merengue grooves can be huge fun and energising at the same time. A few suggestions for soundtracks for creativity:
- Tune Your Brain: Create with Debussy comes with an excellent booklet on creativity
- Mozart Effect Volume 3: Unlock the Creative Spirit is more fiery and emotional than you might think
- Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet includes the legendary ‘Take Five’ and other pieces with unexpected times and twists
- Home Cookin’ (Blue Note) is a compilation of funky jazz from the last 30 years. get down!
- Salsa Merengue Mambo (Hemisphere label) has lots of authentic jazz grooves.
This is an area where all kinds of music could work in the right setting. Please leave a comment if you have particular success with a certain piece of music that you have used to encourage creative writing or art.
1. Susan Hallam, The Effect of Background Music on Studying presented at the Society for Research in Psychology of Music and Music Education Conference, The Effects of Music, Leicester, 2000


Adding Music To Your Life
Whether it's in your car, as you exercise or while you fall asleep - chances are you listen to music at some point during your day. And while nearly everybody knows the benefits of listening to music, new research suggests that we may be just scratching the surface when it comes to understanding how music can actually make us stronger, healthier and more creative.
Playing an instrument, improving your singing voice and studying in-depth music theory can all boost your brain in significant ways, according to researchers at the University of Zurich.
"Learning to play a musical instrument has definite benefits and can increase IQ by seven points," Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the university, told the Telegraph.
With its ability to push your brain and new modes of thought, music can help your brain in some unexpected ways.
Often called the "universal language," music can actually help you learn foreign tongues as well. The process of learning French, for example, is closely related to the developing musical understanding.
Your own language
What's more, musical knowledge can even help you get better at your understanding the language you already speak. The ability to up on inflections and tones have been shown to be stronger in musicians.
Researchers have also shown that music education could be a powerful tool in combatting certain learning disorders, such as dyslexia. By helping children separate useful information from non-useful, music can help them learn to concentrate and improve their memory.
Due to music's gradual learning curve and gratifying sense of achievement, learning an instrument can also be a good way to improve patience and discipline. With gains parceled out slowly over time, music can help develop long-term learning skills that can be broadly applied.


Maytree Nursery and Infant School
CG5 Curriculum Policy
This policy describes current practice within the school and sets out guidance for best practice with regard to the whole school curriculum. It is intended to ensure consistency of delivery across the school and to inform the wider school community of current approaches.
Approaches in relation to values
The wider curriculum is taught through Cross-subject projects which have an exciting ‘hook’ to motivate and a clear ‘outcome’ to make the purpose of learning clear. Learning within a project-style approach means learning is context-embedded with many opportunities for over-learning – key strategies when teaching emergent bilingual children.
Relevance to the children's lives and varied cultural backgrounds is sustained by judicious choice of learning experiences.
Meaning is sustained by context-embedded and activity-based learning.
Purpose for learning is communicated via use of Learning objectives and working towards project outcomes.
Reflection and learning awareness are important features of the approach at Maytree and are encouraged from Nursery to Year 2.
All pupils have equal access to the whole curriculum. We cater for the needs of all pupils in mainstream classes. We recognise and plan for the needs of all pupils including these with special needs, and working at greater depth and we use available resources effectively to meet the individual needs of all pupils.
In particular, all pupils will have an education that enables them to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills identified in the National Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage framework.
They will have planned opportunities to develop their literacy and numeracy skills discretely and in a cross-curricular manner.
They will have opportunities to develop an understanding of the significance of Computing and how it will affect their lives.
They will experience a programme of personal, social and health education and citizenship and a programme of social, spiritual, moral and cultural development .
They will receive accurate and helpful feedback from teachers and how well they are doing at school and ways of improving their work and guidance in setting their own targets.
They have a record of curriculum achievements based on observation and discussion with them and their parents or carers and recorded in a way that is valuable for pupils, their families and their receiving schools, this may take the form of a Learning Journey in EYFS, or Literacy and Maths books, displays and parent assemblies in KS1, parents evenings and reports.
They will participate in a variety of planned and carefully chosen activities that enrich the curriculum for example visits, visitors, performances, sports and arts
The Foundation Stage follow The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework produced by the DfE which sets the standards for learning and development of children from birth to five.
In addition to the above, Reception children also follow a daily phonics programme according to the progression set out in Letters and Sounds.
Key Stage 1 delivers the National Curriculum (2014) through the cross curricular delivery of the wider curriculum and discrete Maths, Reading, Writing, Phonics, Handwriting, and PE lessons.
Coverage of the National Curriculum within this approach is ensured through year plans and termly topic plans.
Curriculum Management – roles and responsibilities
Governors, Senior Leadership Team
Curriculum Subject leaders:
As above, plus:-
Policy reviewed annually
Policy reviewed by Jan Goatley, Headteacher
Review Date: Spring 2020


The curriculum at Gingin District High School is based on the Western Australian Curriculum, which is established by the Western Australian Schools Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA). Literacy and numeracy are the major aspects of the curriculum in Early Childhood and Primary classrooms, and secondary programs focus largely on broadening the development of skills across the curriculum including specialised learning areas.
Kindergarten / Pre-primary curriculum
The Kindergarten and Pre-Primary programs assist students to develop in all of the foundational domains of social, intellectual, physical and emotional development. Learning through structured play, social skills and language development form the basis for our early childhood program. The development of literacy and numeracy skills is a fundamental aspect of the Kindergarten and Pre-Primary programs. Introduction to literacy blocks (blocks of time devoted to literacy) and numeracy blocks is a key aspect of the program.
Primary curriculum (Years 1 – 6)
The primary curriculum covers all eight learning areas, but particularly concentrates on literacy and numeracy development. The school incorporates Literacy Blocks (blocks of time during the day devoted just to literacy learning) and Numeracy Blocks as an important aspect of the curriculum in all Primary classes. Specialist programs are offered in Science, Art, LOTE and Physical Education for Years 1 – 6.
Lower secondary curriculum (Years 7 – 10)
Students study across all key subject areas, as well as life skill courses, thus ensuring a balanced education. A common course is provided for all Year 7 and 8 students. Choice is available in some learning areas as students’ progress into Years 9 and 10. The focus in Lower Secondary is to develop transferable skills, as well as increasingly specialised knowledge and skills as students develop.
Upper Secondary Curriculum Access
Students are required to remain in education or training until they reach 17 years of age. Gingin District High School students may attend either Yanchep Secondary College or Bullsbrook College for Year 11 and 12, depending on where the family resides. Further information can be obtained from the school. Gingin District High School works closely with both Yanchep Secondary College and Bullsbrook College to ensure that the transition for students is as smooth as possible.
High school students will study the following program:
School Policies and School Complaints
Most of the time, you will feel comfortable sending your child to school each day, and any issues will be resolved with a quick phone call to your child’s teacher or an administration member. However, if you do have a concern, the school would like to hear from you directly, and try to resolve the problem as soon as possible.
Your child’s teacher should be your first point of contact. If you have concerns about their class program, discipline strategies or other classroom issues, they may be able to provide a clear explanation that will resolve any concerns that you may have.
Alternatively, contact a member of the school administration team: Principal or a Deputy Principal who may be able to resolve any further issues, or mediate in the event of a conflict. Similarly, for any questions regarding school policies, please contact an administration team member.
Formal complaints should be made to the Principal, either verbally or in writing. The school conducts an investigation into all complaints; all complaints are acted on, and you will receive notification of the outcome.


WHY IS EARLY LEARNING CRITICAL?
When children are born, they all have the potential to succeed in school and in life. But at some point, their circumstances will affect the opportunities they have and, ultimately, their chances in life. While many children have the support they need to get started on the right foot, prepared for school and ready to succeed, not all children are as fortunate. Too many children live in an environment that isn’t preparing them for a bright future. Brought on by their circumstances, the barriers they face shadow their belief in themselves and what they are capable of.
Most Americans wrongly believe that it is OK for children to enter school without basic literacy skills because they assume they will catch up. The reality is, 88 percent of first graders who are reading below grade level will continue to read below grade level in fourth grade
Fourth graders who struggle to read are four times more likely to drop out of school as compared to proficient readers.
THE HIGH COST OF FALLING BEHIND
When students drop out of high school, it’s at great cost to themselves and our community. The student will likely not have the same career opportunities, and research shows that those without a high school diploma will earn 75 percent less than their peer that graduated. The social implications of a student dropping out are far-reaching, beyond any one student or any one family. Communities with higher dropout rates have more crime and poverty and less social and economic stability. The number of high school students who graduate impacts our entire community from our businesses, schools, and local government, to each of us as individuals.
UNITED WAY SUNCOAST WORKS TO BREAK THE CYCLE
United Way is committed to help change these conditions by leading a comprehensive approach to improving early learning in our region. Through partnerships and collaboration, United Way is uniquely positioned to lead an innovative, comprehensive approach to early learning and deliver at a regional level. With the objective of sharing and reinforcing proven literacy development techniques, our vision for a successful, regional early learning initiative requires a multi-prong approach. Our approach includes parent/family engagement, volunteer mobilization, caregiver support, strategic community partnerships and investments, and community awareness.
United Way Suncoast operates and invests in local programs serving more than 100,000 children and youth (ages 0 – 17) throughout DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties. We work with and through a network of some 50 partner agencies across the region to achieve our community educational objectives.
UNITED WAY EDUCATION PROGRAMS
In addition to investing in programs operated by our strategic investment partners, United Way Suncoast directly manages programs to assist caregivers, providers, and community supports to help children in the Suncoast region succeed.
Reading All-Stars is an academic support program designed to strategically and thoughtfully support elementary-age students’ literacy success. During a session, Reading Coaches will spend time with students supporting them through read alouds, educational activities, and enrichments which all serve to strengthen the child’s reading skills. Volunteers will receive program-specific training that will allow them to feel confident working with students virtually.
The Read on myON partnership provides all children from birth through grade five in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties with access to more than 8,000 e-books. The goal of the myON partnership is to provide each child in our community with equitable access to a large collection of enhanced digital books to encourage reading, increase literacy rates, and promote literacy throughout the region.
Faced with the high cost of child care, many low-income households must choose between quitting their paying job to stay home with their child(ren) over the summer or leaving them with family or unskilled child care. United Way’s Summer Care initiative ensures that low-income families have access to quality, education-enriched summer childcare while providing parents with financial literacy classes. In 2020, 477 children received scholarships, and parents received financial education classes in which they learned about budgeting, dollar stretching, and credit/debt management. In addition, 127 children received virtual (due to the pandemic) individual tutoring through United Way Suncoast. Of those, 100% had no summer learning loss and on average, participants increased reading ability by 6 months. In addition, we provided Summer Bridge Books to 2,026 children at the 22 Summer Campsites plus Seminole Elementary and four other programs in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Three-fourth of students who received the books and completed the pre and post-tests did not experience summer learning loss.
Talk With Me Baby
The Talk With Me Baby campaign aims to increase the amount of positive language interactions babies in our communities experience. This will help them develop the foundation for entering kindergarten ready to learn, which sets them up for success in school and life.


High school students who took at least one instrumental music course in their regular curriculum had a better academic track record than those who didn’t take any musical education. The findings suggest that skills learned in instrumental music may be transferred more broadly to other study activities at school.
“Learning to play a musical instrument and playing in an ensemble is very demanding,” said the study’s co-investigator Martin Guhn, an assistant professor at the University of British Colombia’s school of population and public health. “A student has to learn to read music notation, develop eye-hand-mind coordination, develop keen listening skills, develop team skills for playing in an ensemble and develop discipline to practice. All those learning experiences, and more, play a role in enhancing the learner’s cognitive capacities, executive functions, motivation to learn in school, and self-efficacy.”
When schools are on a tight budget, one of the first budget cuts is to music programs. The reasoning is that students who devote time to music are likely to underperform at math, science, English, and other more practical disciplines. But new research from the University of British Columbia (UBC) says otherwise.
In their new study, the team led by Peter Gouzouasis, an education professor at UBC, analyzed data on more than 112,000 high school students who finished their senior year between 2012 and 2015. The participants included in the study completed at least one standardized exam for math, science, and English. The researchers also had rich demographic information at their disposal, including gender, ethnicity, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and prior learning in numeracy and literacy skills.
According to the findings, those who took a music course or became involved in a school-related musical activity, such as a concert band, conservatory piano, orchestra, jazz band, concert choir, or vocal jazz, scored significantly better on math, science and English exams than their non-musical peers. As measured by their exam grades, the musical students were about one academic year ahead of their non-music peers.
“Our research proved this belief wrong and found the more the students engage with music, the better they do in those subjects,” said Gouzouasis. “The students who learned to play a musical instrument in elementary and continued playing in high school not only score significantly higher, but were about one academic year ahead of their non-music peers with regard to their English, mathematics and science skills, as measured by their exam grades, regardless of their socioeconomic background, ethnicity, prior learning in mathematics and English, and gender.”
The relationship between music education and academic achievement was mediated by whether or not a student took courses in instrumental music rather than vocal music. As an increasing amount of schools have emphasized numeracy and literacy in favor of music, the researchers hope that these findings serve as a wakeup call for school administrators.
“Often, resources for music education—including the hiring of trained, specialized music educators, and band and stringed instruments—are cut or not available in elementary and secondary schools so that they could focus on math, science and English,” said Gouzouasis. “The irony is that music education—multiple years of high-quality instrumental learning and playing in a band or orchestra or singing in a choir at an advanced level—can be the very thing that improves all-around academic achievement and an ideal way to have students learn more holistically in schools.”
The study appeared in the Journal of Educational Psychology.


Salman Khan teaches math and science via YouTube video lessons. It’s called Khan Academy. He teaches a wide variety of subjects including algebra, calculus, biology, physics, chemistry and statistics. He thinks everyone should be able to get an education for free and he does not think universities are doing it properly. The education model needs to be rethought and rebuilt. Many people think so and that’s why Kahn Academy has so many students and is attracting venture capital money. He’s getting more viewers than most university web sites. Here’s a PBS NewsHour piece about him:
Here’s a lesson on adding and subtracting fractions:
The Philosophers’ Magazine has an interesting article about teaching philosophy to children. There is research that suggests teaching philosophy extends benefits across the primary school curriculum.
Philosophical intelligence is the capacity of the mind to solve the recurrent problems of human existence. Some of those problems stem from the activity of the mind contemplating its own existence, others stem from the challenges humans face living in the world. Philosophical intelligence is our ability to organise our ideas and concepts into mental maps and models of the world. It involves processing information and trying to find meaning at a conceptual level, for example, by asking questions such as What is love? What is truth? What is beauty? But can children engage in this kind of questioning?
I think it’s a natural fit for kids to think philosophically. They love asking big important questions that seemingly have no answer. It’s the best of all games to play with a kid. Big questions and even bigger answers!
Read the article: Can Children Philosophize: The Case For


ERIC Number: ED429306
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1997
You Can Help Your Child with Homework! Ten Fun and Easy Tips [and] Usted puede ayudar a sus hijos con la tarea! Diez sugerencias faciles y divertidas.
This booklet presents parents with 10 "easy and fun" tips for making homework as beneficial as possible for their children and to develop in their children a good attitude about homework. The 10 tips are: make your expectations clear; find the right spot; make time; monitor your child's progress; encourage good habits; support and be available; look for help; offer encouragement; keep organized; and communicate with your child's teacher(s). It concludes that parents' support and encouragement can make a tremendous impact on children's success with homework and school. (RS)
Descriptors: Elementary Education, Homework, Parent Student Relationship, Parent Teacher Cooperation, Parents as Teachers, Study Habits, Time Management
EDINFO Press, P.O. Box 5247, Bloomington, IN 47407; Tel: 800-925-7853 (Toll Free); Web site: www.indiana.edu/~eric.rec
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Note: A separately published version in Spanish has been appended.


India on Friday in an interactive discussion with Special Rapporteur over the subject of Right to Education amid the 47th session of UN Human Rights Council stated that it promotes the values of equality, social justice, and democracy via inclusive education.
The Indian statement under Agenda item 3 said, “India is a diverse civilisation, which we celebrate. As the world’s largest democracy, our laws and policies are anchored in promoting the values of equality, social justice, and democracy through inclusive education.”
Agenda Item 3 comprises the promoting and protecting all human rights which covers civil, political, economic, cultural, and social rights, and also the right to development.
The Permanent Representative of India to UN, TS Tirumurti said, “Our constitution has guaranteed cultural and educational rights to its linguistic and religious minorities, including the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. It directs State authorities to facilitate instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups.”
Tirumurti added, “Since 2002, free and compulsory elementary education to all children, between six to fourteen years, has been made a fundamental right. Schools are required to admit at least 25 percent children from socio-economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups and the cost of the elementary education is reimbursed by the State.”
The UN envoy revealed, “Equitable quality education is being ensured for children belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, minority and transgender communities as well as those affected by periodic migration and living in remote habitations.”
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body, a part of the United Nations System, comprising 47 states working towards strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights globally.
- Bengaluru metro to function on weekdays, closed on weekends from July 1
- India provides reciprocal exemption of EU Digital COVID Certificate to include Covishield, Covaxin
- PM Modi will address the Digital India beneficiaries at 11 am tomorrow
- Pvt hospitals will obtain Covid vaccine doses via CoWIN starting from July 1
- DGCA further extends the ban on international flights till July 31 due to Covid-19


Guided Reading Level L
Nate the Great Lesson Plans: Retell
Our Nate the Great Lesson Plans definitely are a pre-made resource to educate pupils to Retell. Nate the Great is a great story for pupils that happen to be trying to retell longer more advanced texts. This story boasts a larger cast of characters and is filled with details. Therefore pupils have to decide which events are most important as a way to retell. Print and use our Nate the Great Lesson Plan for Retelling to make showing literacy more well balanced and purposeful
Nate the Great Lesson Plans: Make Predictions
Our Nate the Great Lesson Plans are clearly written for quick implementation in the classroom. Nate the Great is a mystery, which will support students who’re beginning to help with making predictions while reading. This book is helpful because pupils could well be able to take into consideration all of the facts and clues that are revealed to Nate the Great. This allows the reader to generate predictions and solve the case as they read. Print and utilize our Nate the Great Lesson Plan for Making Predictions to make coaching literacy more balanced and purposeful
Nate the Great Lesson Plans: Make Inferences
Our Nate the Great Lesson Plans will give you with strategies that work well. Nate the Great offers many opportunities for students in order to make inferences while reading. While solving the mystery, Nate frequently makes conclusions based on information that has been shared on previous pages. As a result, pupils must also make these same conclusions through making an inference. Print and apply our Nate the Great Lesson Plan for Making Inferences to build teaching literacy more balanced and purposeful
Nate the Great Lesson Plans: Determine Importance
Our Nate the Great Lesson Plans will allow you to integrate comprehension skills within the classroom with consistency. Nate the Great is a great story for pupils whom are wanting to determine importance to reinforce reading comprehension. This story works well mainly because the nature of a mystery is to lead the reader through facts and clues until the mystery is solved. Therefore, the reader need to determine which information is most important to the case and to the overall story. Print and use our Nate the Great Lesson Plan for Determining Importance to make coaching literacy more well balanced and purposeful
Nate the Great Lesson Plans: Understand Text Structure
Our Nate the Great Lesson Plans will allow you to plan effectively, and still have time for other important tasks. Nate the Great is a great story to use when introducing readers to the mystery genre. This story is very effective since the mystery is absolutely certainly identified. The story unravels in a predictable way, allowing students to comprehend the standard text structure of a mystery. Print and employ our Nate the Great Lesson Plan for Understanding Text Structure in making showing literacy more sensible and purposeful
Fantastic Phonics Lesson Plan: Nate the Great
Our Phonics Lesson Plans are particularly detailed and definately will incorporate sensible literacy components in your instruction.
Phonics instruction builds a solid foundation for readers. When you provide students with explicit phonics instruction, you build phonemic awareness, which actually strengthens decoding skills, oral reading fluency and confidence. Print and employ our A Chair for My Mother Phonics Lesson Plan to help make teaching literacy more well balanced and purposeful
Vocabulary Word Search: Nate the Great
Vocabulary is a vital building block of reading comprehension. Research shows that student vocabularies increase as a consequence of the direct instruction of selected words. All of our word searches contain 15 new and important words for students to discover and understand as a way to fully comprehend text. After using our word searches, challenge students by inviting them to try to look for the phrase inside text and produce definitions for the text in line with the contextual meaning of the word throughout the text.
Running Record: Nate the Great
The first step towards quality instruction is almost always to commence with quality assessments. Running records present you with a quick glimpse at what students can do and what they need to have assistance with.Through using our running records, you can start to ascertain a child’s reading level, which in turn, will guide you in selecting books which can be well matched to your students.


Back in 2015, I developed a new course for my RCS students, as an opportunity for them to learn about the technologies used by the organisation and ways to integrate these into their musical practice, whilst developing new material for the instruments, then encouraging interaction with DMS musicians and participants. One of the principle aims was to build skills and confidence in devising and leading workshops/performances with musicians with disabilities; this was identified as an area for enhancement within the RCS, which may contribute to music education more widely in Scotland and the UK, and distinct from Music Therapy as a separate discipline (which is not currently offered as a course of study within the RCS).
The Composing and Creative Music Making module takes place in our Intensive Learning Week (the last week of our second term), where students experience an immersive learning environment for 5 days, working with staff and peers; towards the end of the week, students work directly with musicians regularly involved with Drake Music Scotland, and share their work in an informal setting amongst fellow students and staff members.
Within this course, we explore the following areas:
Notation – We encourage students to explore a number of methods, not relying entirely upon standard Western Classical Music notation, and introducing a degree of flexibility in scores and performances. A number of examples of composing and performing with different forms of graphic notation (such as Figurenotes) are presented to students, who are encouraged to create their own methods of capturing and recording aspects of musical work as they develop (as much for their own future reflection as to aid with any immediate recreation of a new piece).
Additional Support Needs – through discussions, we ask students to consider their personal definitions of Additional Support Needs (the term used in Scotland to help recognise a range of educational needs), and how this might affect our practice as musicians, or alter our approaches and methods when working with particular individuals.
Composition/Improvisation – we use improvisation as a tool to create and develop musical material within the group, discussing a range of methods for setting up musical environments in which others can more easily participate. This includes: initial exercises in musical memory, expanding on simple material (e.g. a well-known melody) and then harmonising within an agreed chord sequence; layering of simple, improvised, repetitive rhythmic cells, which are vocalised initially, then introducing instruments to build a broader range of pitches and expand the tessitura of a texture; free improvisation, using simple themes created from 3 or 4 pitches which may be separated by a certain pattern of intervals.
Technologies – through the module we introduce all of the technologies DMS regularly utilise in workshops and performances (including those listed within my own projects), encouraging practical engagement and consideration for integration with acoustic instruments.
Throughout, there is an emphasis on practical composition and methods for creating new musical material for people with Additional Support Needs. We assess students through observing their work with each other, the application of their musical skills, and how they implement collaborative methodologies within small groups to create new work with musicians from DMS.
A short, informal performance ends the intensive week of activities, and students have previously gained the opportunity to perform new work with DMS musicians as part of the RCS lunchtime concert series; some were also involved in demonstration workshops at the International Society of Music Educators (ISME) conference in Glasgow in 2016, or in the RCS new music festival, PLUG in which a new work by one of our student composers, (also participating in the module), was developed in collaboration with several RCS Woodwind Department students.
Oh, and it is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding weeks of the year for me...


Music is core to academic growth and central to the education of every student.
Music Education is an essential, vibrant part of life. Learning, performing, creating, and appreciating music brings meaning and richness to our heritage and culture. Music Education is a positive influence in the lives and education of students and society as a whole. Music Education facilitates learning in other subjects and enhances skills that children inevitably use in all areas of life.
Through Music Education, students learn the meaning and value of creativity and innovation by:
Through Music Education, students obtain critical thinking skills that shape their efforts and affect their personal value choices by:
Through Music Education, students learn to communicate through sound by articulating thoughts and ideas clearly through more than written and spoken word.
Music Education prepares students for success in school, work, and life:
Fine Arts Quick Links Menu:
Fine Arts Home
Dance and Creative Movement
Education Program Consultant
Division of Learning Services
Career, Standards and Assessment
Career and Technical Education
The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at firstname.lastname@example.org or by 785-296-3201.


Dr. Bill Phillips is a physicist with an extensive background in the field that spans decades. As a 1997 Nobel prize winner, Phillips has been at the helm of groundbreaking scientific discoveries. His affiliations with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as the American Physical Society, reflect his continued dedication to both the discovery and dissemination of physics knowledge.
Phillips participated in one of Wiki Education’s Wiki Scientists courses sponsored by the American Physical Society. Encouraged by colleagues at APS, and intrigued by the scope of Wikipedia, Phillips decided to enroll in the course to learn more about the platform.
“When you make a proposal to the National Science Foundation to study something, there’s generally requirements that you do some outreach – that you have broader impacts in the scientific or more general community,” Phillips says. “I thought that learning something about writing, or editing quantum articles for Wikipedia would be one way of reaching the public.”
Phillips considered several aspects of the Wiki Scientists course to be useful, first noting the foundational skills he learned about how to effectively navigate Wikipedia.
“The course gave me the toolbox or at the very least, the references to the toolbox. It’s not like I’m going to remember everything I learned, but now I know where to go to look certain things up – I know that this knowledge exists, and I know where to find it,” Phillips says.
Phillips also spoke about the ways in which the course informed his understanding of referencing on Wikipedia. He considered this to be an aspect of “Wikipedia Culture,” one in which he had not understood prior to taking the course.
Phillips tied his knowledge about referencing to the issue of representation on Wikipedia, noting that Donna Strickland, a 2018 recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics, did not have a Wikipedia article until winning the prize. This issue, Phillips discovered, came down to referencing.
“Understanding the difference between original research as opposed to properly referenced articles is one of the things that I learned that I would classify as being part of Wikipedia culture.” Phillips says.
Phillips also spoke candidly about bias and conflict-of-interest on Wikipedia, as someone with a personal Wikipedia page.
“Another thing that’s part of Wikipedia culture, I would say would be the kinds of articles that you yourself, should or should not edit,” Phillips says. “You have to ask yourself: am I in a position to edit an article in a way that is free of bias? And obviously, editing an article about yourself is not the right thing to do under those circumstances, and so one should ask yourself equivalent questions about other kinds of articles.”
Adding his expertise onto the platform in a way that was accessible was a significant component of Phillips’s Wikipedia experience.
“I’m an expert on some rather small areas of physics. But for those areas of physics, I can bring clarity and in some cases, either correct mistakes or bring a more complete discussion to a subject,” Phillips says.
Furthermore, Phillips encourages other professional physicists to contribute to Wikipedia in a similar way.
“On Wikipedia you have the opportunity to bring an expert’s perspective to something that might not have been treated expertly. Everyone who finds Wikipedia to be a good resource ought to contribute in one way or another, to the ongoing value of Wikipedia. One way of doing that, of course, is to act as an editor,” Phillips says.
The work of professionals like Dr. Phillips reinforce Wiki Education’s core values, establishing a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge.
To take a course like the one Bill took, visit learn.wikiedu.org.


Whether it’s about drawing, sketching or painting, art has acquired the status of a business. Few adult artists today, who attended painting classes as children, would have dreamed that one day their love of art would repay them regarding a profession. But if you ask any prominent art professional about the secret to making a success in the arts, there’s one thing that they will say: Start out early!
Turning Vocation into Profit
It’s a well known fact that many kids get grounding for their future professions at a very tender age. If parents and guardians wish their youngsters to establish a firm sense of making art their future profession, then enrolling them in children’s art classes at a tender age is a smart move.
But in any case, art is always a good choice for children according to well documented research studies. Check out the publication "Champions of Change", indicating a clear improvement in subject other than art, after attending art lesson for one to four years. The brain becomes more flexible as it is using both sides of the brain more frequently.
It is at the age of around ten that kids tend to lose their fascination with art. Experts, therefore, recommend that drawing classes and other art lessons should commence as early as age 7. It is at that age that children will pick up invaluable skills that they can use later on in life, as they establish themselves as professional artists, including:
Motor skills – develop as they hold brushes and scribble with crayons. It is precisely these skills that they will leverage later on in life to produce works of art for their own businesses
Decision making and problem solving skills – Studies by Americans For The Arts suggest that art can be a crucial enabler for developing problem solving and decision making skills. Attending our kids art classes can build this foundation early on in life, which they can tap into when making complex business decisions later
Creative skills – Attending art classes can light a creative spark in a child, enabling them to fully exploit their love for the arts into innovative business ideas. By stimulating the minds of children early on, art education helps get their creative juices flowing to ensure they have a strong creative foundation upon which to launch their future profession
Social success – Turning a vocation into a successful business becomes easier to those who have enjoyed social success. Kids who interact with one another at drawing classes or painting classes, tend to have better social interactions – a skill that will come in great stead when running their own business
Exposing children to these skills earlier on in life, ideally through enrollment into kids art classes, can give them a competitive edge over some of their peers, who may think of embracing art as their business later on in life.


Spelling Games for 5th Grades To play games . Spelling bee word list. In the game screen, tap start button first to listen the word. Spelling Bee Grade 5 Word List 66 limousine \ˈli-mə-ˌzēn\ noun : a large luxurious often chauffeur-driven sedan that usually has a glass partition separating the driver's seat from the passenger compartment The movie star rode in a limousine. 5th grade spelling bee words 2nd Grade Spelling Words. 3rd Grade Spelling Words. Pair your fifth grade spelling word lists with over 40 learning games and activities, or choose from the available fifth grade vocabulary printable worksheets. Spelling List 1); Click on the link that would allow you play the game … Sight Words. From homophones such as "soar" and "sore" to words with doubled letters like "parallel" and "committee," the English language is as unpredictable as it is colorful. VOCABULARY SPELLING ADAPTIVE SBO WORDS QUIZZES. Select 5th Grade Spelling from the left menu; Click on the list you want to play with under Fifth Grade Spelling Lists (i.e. 1st Grade Spelling Words. Each level contains 20-40 spelling bee words for 5th grade based on the difficulty. Spelling Bee Games. 5th grade spelling bee words free download - Spelling Bee Words Practice for 5th Grade FREE, Spelling Bee Practice Software, Spelling Bee Words Practice for 8th Grade FREE, and many more programs You will be provided with 14 random letters and you need to spell the word by typing the letter in the correct order. We’ve gathered 100+ spelling bee words and included their syllables, graphemes, phonemes, part of speech and etymology, so you make any student feel like a spelling champion! Spelling Words are organized in lists from Grade 1 to 12 and separately for Sight Words. Reinforce foundational skills, like phonics and word recognition, challenge your students with word meaning, and improve reading comprehension. WORD Grade Level SYLLABLES PHONEMES GRAPHEMES part of speech Definiton Sentence ETYMOLOGY; pitch: 3: pitch: p, i, ch: p, i, tch: singluar noun: the level or tune of a sound : She was … You can pass to the next level after finishing at least 15-25 words. You can print them and quiz your child on paper or use Spelling Test sections of SpellQuiz to verify the knowledge of words in spelling lists. LOGIN . To find common words that are deceptively hard to spell, Insider searched for 5th-grade spelling lists. Saved from caf05bd6-a-6d8514cb-s-sites.googlegroups.com. Follow these 3 easy steps.


About Suzuki Music S.A.
The Suzuki Method is a music education approach developed by the great Japanese humanitarian and educator Dr Shinichi Suzuki.
The Suzuki Method is a way of learning music that is based on the way all children learn to speak. Children learn to speak by listening, repeating, imitating, practising and remembering words.
Just as all children learn to speak in a language-rich environment, Suzuki believes that a music-rich environment develops musical enjoyment and ability in all children.
Suzuki Music SA is a non-profit organisation dedicated to following the principles and philosophies of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki.
Dr Suzuki’s unique method of music education has been a positive influence in the lives of children and families the world over for more than 60 years.
Founded in 1978, Suzuki Music SA has educated thousands of young South Australians in musical excellence.
Today, the Association provides training and support for Suzuki teachers and a vibrant and active musical community where our Suzuki families can learn and grow.
The Suzuki Method is renowned for producing students of the highest ability and many of today’s young professional musicians began learning music with this system.
Using the principles of the “Mother Tongue” approach, Suzuki students learn to master their instrument in the same way they learned to speak their native language.
This natural approach to teaching music is based on the belief that musical talent is not inborn but instead exists in every human being. This talent can be nurtured up to the highest level in every student with persistence and love.
Suzuki is about
- Recognising that every child has musical ability, therefore every child experiences success
- Developing concentration, memory, self discipline and many other important life skills
- Learning in a way that is natural, fun and nurtures a love of music
- Child and parent experiencing the rewards together


As the The Boston Globe article, “Munsell, the man who colored America,”* by Dushko Petrovich (March 17, 2013) suggests, perhaps it’s time for a Munsell revival. Although Albert H. Munsell was an award-winning artist, he was the consummate educator, who developed many of his color education tools during his 25-year tenure at Massachusetts Normal Art School (today’s Massachusetts College of Art and Design or “MassArt in Boston).
Munsell’s focus was on teaching a systematic approach to classify color that, when understood, would eliminate color anarchy, yet allow for unlimited color possibilities. That’s why Munsell used music education as an example of how to teach color. He likened the pitch, intensity and duration attributes of sound to his three dimensions of color—hue, value and chroma. Hue is the color itself such as red, yellow, green, etc.; value is the lightness or darkness; and chroma is the saturation or brilliance of a color.
Munsell’s color order system is extensible. It was designed to allow for infinite color possibilities, all of which can be classified within the Munsell system of color. How these colors are deployed… well, that’s a “horse of a different color.” A tool is only as good as the person using it. Yes, perhaps it is time for a Munsell revival, beginning with the basics.
Let the Color Wheel be Your Guide
Munsell based his color order system on the color wheel, a tool Sir Isaac Newton developed in the 1600’s, and is still used today by artists, designers and creative teams for palette development.
The color wheel was rooted in Sir Isaac Newton’s scientific experiments with prisms which revealed the visible spectrum of light or the popular, “ROY G BIV” (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). When arranged in a circle, the visible spectrum is similar to Munsell’s hue circle. Orange, indigo and violet are replaced by Munsell’s secondary hues: yellow-red, purple-blue and red-purple because the former are actually mixtures of the colors in the latter and not colors unto themselves according to Munsell Color Theory.
The Munsell hue circle divides the visible spectrum into equal visually stepped colors. In doing so, Munsell not only displayed color naturally—the way the eye perceives color—but also, in a logical and orderly classification. Today, designers can apply the Munsell color order system to develop color harmonies and palettes. Gone are the days of keeping two or three wonky Munsell color atlases on your desk. Now you can obtain each page of color chips in a pocket-sized color chip kit to easily harmonize colors. [link to the kits when URL available]
Munsell Color Order System: Still Relevant
Mr. Petrovich brings out an important point about the Munsell color order system, that it is as relevant today as is was in the early 1900’s. It is not only a color education and classification system, but also a color communications system. To this day, the Munsell System of Color continues to ensure color consistency of component parts and apparel manufactured throughout supply chains. It is also the system of choice for color standards relative to food, agriculture, and the scientific community.
We think A. H. Munsell would have been intrigued by the “extraordinary rainbow of hues” to which Mr. Petrovich refers in his article because they can all be classified within his color order system. Whether or not these colors are tastefully deployed is a topic for another article.
Learn more about color communication using the Munsell Color Order System.
*”Munsell, the man who colored America,” was based on the book The Color Revolution by Regina Lee Blaszczyk (MIT Press, 2012).


6 years – 12 years
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
– W.B. Yeats
The lower elementary classroom is designed to encourage resourcefulness, initiative, and increased curiosity. As students expand their reading, writing, and math skills, they also nourish their imaginations through a hands-on, integrated curriculum. Our students actively participate in the educational process and work hard for the sheer joy of it.
In the upper elementary classroom, students learn to challenge themselves beyond what is traditionally taught at a certain age. Students continue their journeys through the study of history, complex algebra and geometry, science, and geography. The focus is on developing the foundation for lifetime learning while emphasizing independent research.
Want to learn more about our particular programs? Give us a call (256) 881-3790 or e-mail email@example.com to schedule a tour.
Let’s face it. We do a lot of our research online. So if you’ve toured our classrooms, but aren’t quite ready to commit to our program, or you want to learn a little more before scheduling your tour, this section is for you. We believe a Montessori program is the best elementary program a child can have. Ultimately, you have to decide that for yourself. We’re here to answer your questions anytime, but here are a few free resources to help you evaluate whether a Montessori elementary education is right for your child.
Elementary Montessori Education 101
The infographic below developed by visualistan.com for Starwood Montessori in Texas provides a quick overview of why Montessori elementary is superior to traditional elementary.
Still with us? That’s great! MontessoriGuide.org created a page for Montessori provides to educate them on what a great program looks like. It’s therefore is also an amazing resource for parents to see what a great elementary program should look like.


Kids love marching to music, and this Soldiers lesson plan gives them plenty of opportunity for some lively movement with lots of learning too. It’s a great lesson to practice contrasting pitches and tempos tapping rhythms and banging drums. This lesson plan is suitable for children from 2 – 6 years and is 11 pages long, including 6 printables.
The Soldiers digital lesson plan focuses on the following activities:
- Chime bars practice with resonator bells – Do-Re-Mi
- Tapping rhythms, recognising notation, and contrasting dynamics
- Playing a variety of percussion instruments, listening skills, recognising steady beat and the rhythm.
- Singing together, actions and motor skills
- Counting practice and building confidence
These plans are not intended to read as a script, as everyone will have their own teaching style. More, I hope that they will provide you with in-depth guidance for a number of related activities that I have found in my years of teaching to be particularly effective and engaging combinations.
The Soldiers lesson is also available as part of our seasonal bundle of lesson plans for the Autumn/Fall term 12 weeks of music lessons in suggested weekly order to help save time and keep things simple at the discounted price of $49
I have purchased every lesson you have available and LOVE them all!! I lead music classes for toddlers and preschoolers and I love how each of your lessons builds on each other. They are easy to adapt for the different ages. The parents of my students love that their kids are learning early music education while having a blast and that the kids go home and sing and stomp out rhythms. I would highly recommend your plans to everyone. And I look forward to seeing the other lessons.


Art class, the other physical education
As a digital native, I've often disregarded the importance of physical media. It's easy to laugh at old people talking about actually holding books and albums, as if it made the content any better. But there might be more to it than that.
At a recent casual discussion at my school between faculty and students of the Art Education major, we were addressing a possible new focus of the school. An emphasis on actually making art, rather than mainly discussing it. Because that is where art defines itself as a school subject, and as a anthropological subject. Art is humans observing their environment and self, and reflecting on them through constructing a new image or object. It is the basis of science and culture. Mankind taking matter(s) into their own hands. Physical matter, that is.
But that doesn't mean there's no place for digital in art. I am convinced that digital matter, or maybe electronic matter will soon be near indistinguishable from real matter. It is an artificial distinction that will fade as everyone alive will be a digital native.
|Digital has emulated 2D material, and in some cases improved it.|
It's only a matter of time until it sufficiently emulates 3D material.
But for now, physical matter does something else with human psychology, it grounds oneself in reality. It gives people the ability to feel and form, to manipulate and to play. Play is a very important need that humans have. To freely explore ideas and material is what art gives us. No, art is an exploration. Not only in the theoretical meaning of the artwork, but also in the more practical meaning of making it.
Some people this freedom in math, in programming, in games and sports, if they don't find it in art. But it's always about making, creating something that wasn't there before. Art is at the basis of all these subjects.
Creating new experiences and objects is what keeps a civilisation going.
Creating is what humans do. It's a vital part of a life's education.


The Monroe Doctrine: President Monroe and the Independence Movement in South America
Students identify conditions in Europe that relate to the independence movements in South America and list reasons why President Monroe gave for recognizing the independence movement in South America.
60 Views 92 Downloads
- Folder Types
- Activities & Projects
- Graphics & Images
- Handouts & References
- Lab Resources
- Learning Games
- Lesson Plans
- Primary Sources
- Printables & Templates
- Professional Documents
- PD Courses
- Study Guides
- Performance Tasks
- Graphic Organizers
- Writing Prompts
- Constructed Response Items
- AP Test Preps
- Lesson Planet Articles
- Interactive Whiteboards
- Home Letters
- Unknown Types
- All Resource Types
- Show All
See similar resources:
The Tea Party Movement 2009Lesson Planet
What a fantastic resource! The foundational skills focused on are compare and contrast and understanding of the US Constitution in terms of political movements in history. Learners will work through a series of activities and...
10th - 12th Social Studies & History
Revolutions in Latin America (19c - Early 20c)Lesson Planet
The history of the Latin American revolutions - and the philosophies behind them - is the focus of this comprehensive presentation. From the theories of the European Enlightenment, to the Revolutionary Wars of America and France, Latin...
7th - 10th Social Studies & History
South Africa's ApartheidLesson Planet
Discuss South African apartheid, the anti-apartheid movement, and the literature and music it inspired. Slides contain images and facts about life in South Africa during apartheid, social uprisings such as Soweto, and the various...
10th - 12th Social Studies & History
War and Nation Building in Latin America: Crash Course World History 225Lesson Planet
Does war hinder the growth of nation-states, or does it facilitate development? A video from Crash Course World History examines this question in the context of Latin America, particularly how the lack of international war in Central and...
12 mins 9th - 12th Social Studies & History CCSS: Adaptable
WWII - America Builds MilitaryLesson Planet
A "sleeping giant" through the many German invasions in Europe, America slowly starts participating in the war. First, America sells aircraft to Britain, makes its naval presence known in the Caribbean, and builds its artillery. This...
4 mins 9th - 12th Social Studies & History
The Meaning of America: Freedom and ReligionLesson Planet
The United States of America was founded on firm ideals of both the pursuit of happiness and a spirit of reverence. Through a close reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The May-Pole of Merry Mount," you can examine what some consider was a...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History CCSS: Designed
On This Day: The Monroe DoctrineLesson Planet
The Monroe Doctrine is one of the longest-lasting presidential policies, and it still impacts foreign policy today. Using three clips from historians and archivists, scholars explore the world of James Monroe and his watershed statement....
2 mins 7th - Higher Ed Social Studies & History CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson 2: Religion and the Argument for American IndependenceLesson Planet
Young scholars examine how religion affected arguments justifying American independence. They read and analyze primary source documents, and write an essay analyzing how Americans used religious arguments to justify revolution against a...
9th - 12th English Language Arts CCSS: Designed
Spanish Colonies in South AmericaLesson Planet
How did the Spanish govern its South American colonies? This presentation provides a series of questions, images, and an informative outline for learners to ponder. They will review the colonial caste system, the encomienda system, and...
8th - 10th Social Studies & History


In August 2012, I entered a first-grade classroom as a teacher — my very own classroom. I had dreamed of this moment for so long, and it was finally here. Looking back, I realize my first year of teaching was a year of trial and error — like when you are trying to perfect a recipe and want to use only the best ingredients but also have to make sure those ingredients work together.
I had to figure out which classroom management techniques worked best for my students, create a structured classroom routine, learn how to communicate with parents, and determine how to implement the district’s literacy and math curricula. Being provided with curricula to use felt like a luxury. I had not encountered this through my Educator Prep Program (EPP) and student teaching experience. Having curricula was the ingredient I had been missing throughout my EPP.
Throughout my first year of teaching, I saw a need to supplement the curriculum materials I had — which weren’t comprehensive — to cover all of the standards that needed to be taught. I turned back to what I had learned from student teaching and educator prep courses — teaching “themes” and skills in isolation. The extra time and effort I put into finding additional resources seemed to be meeting the needs of most but not ALL of my students. At year’s end, not all of my students were reading on grade level, so I began to think that maybe curriculum wasn’t the ingredient missing in my EPP. After all, I was right back to creating and searching for resources.
It wasn’t until my fifth year of teaching that I discovered the missing ingredient. It did have to do with curriculum, but the key was to use an effective curriculum. That year I learned how to identify high-quality instructional materials and what effective reading instruction looked like. Through research, I came to understand the science of reading.
With training and support, I learned there were several missing ingredients in my classroom. Students need content that builds background knowledge and vocabulary around science and social studies topics. Students need explicit, systematic phonics instruction. They need to be able to write in response to a text or experience that they are all familiar with. And they need to know that I believe in them. Today, my classroom instruction looks very different from my first year of teaching.
If you bake a cake without baking soda, it will never rise. A new teacher needs support to be fully prepared as they begin teaching students to read, otherwise their students will not rise. So, what’s the missing ingredient from the recipe of an effective educator prep program? High-quality instructional materials.
Colleagues of mine who recently studied at the same university I attended did learn about the science of reading, but — just as I had — they still had to create their own curricula and resources. How could the university teach about the science of reading but not provide training on high-quality instructional materials and how to use them?
We have a literacy crisis. An important step to fixing this problem is to make sure that new teachers are more prepared to teach students to read. This should start with educator prep programs. EPPs should be more involved with local districts to know how to identify high-quality instructional materials and to put them in the hands of pre-service teachers.
We’ve all heard the saying “know better, do better” applied to literacy instruction. We must also apply this to how we’re preparing new educators. When I think back to my first year of teaching eight years ago, I wish I’d known then what I know now. It’s time for EPPs to perfect their recipe and give new teachers the ingredients they need to rise.
Lize Bailey is a first-grade teacher with Sullivan County Schools.


Document cameras have replaced the old overhead projectors. They are real-time image capture devices for displaying an object to a large audience. Use it to magnify and project the images of actual, three-dimensional objects, as well as transparencies directly through a video projector.
- Projects images directly to a video projector
- Large sized images
- Projects actual 3-D objects and transparencies
- Magnify or zoom in for high detailing
- Smaller energy consumption
- Captures images and video
- Reduces printing
Document camera purchase
Document cameras are expensive, so there must be justifiable reasons to purchase one.
They are mostly used for physics, mathematics, languages and music education, where the camera can display musical notes and tasks directly from a textbook to a video projector.
IT Services wants to help in the development of teaching experience, so contact us via purchases if you wish to include document camera for teaching purposes.
New document cameras consume less than 15W of energy, whereas an old overhead projector 300-400W!


Should I Have My Preschooler Take Music Lessons?
Can preschoolers do well in music lessons?
Having a great music education in important to many parents. So you wonder when can I start my child in music lessons? Music lessons are a wonderful opportunity to learn something and see amazing benefits for your child. Being able to play an instrument is also one of the more cultured educational experiences along with dance and art. Having an early start in music lessons give your child an extra edge above children that start their musical training later in life.
Is Preschool too early to start my child in music lessons?
Having your preschooler start music lessons is perfectly fine! They will not be able to pick out any instrument to play due to the fact of their size and learning ability. If you would like to start your preschooler in music lessons you will have to have them start piano lessons. Young children are better able to understand the piano and are physically able to play the instrument as well.
Piano teachers for preschoolers is not always easy to find. You still want a great piano education but with that you also want it to be at their level. Piano lessons for preschoolers is a great way to help your child on their journey to becoming a great musician. Music to them will be like their native language, they just understand it. By the time your child is part of music classes, band or wishes to be in their church's worship band they will already have all the skills and knowledge they need.
Benefits of starting your preschooler in piano lessons.
Piano lessons are extremely beneficial for children, and the younger that you start your child in piano lessons the sooner they will be enjoying those benefits. Some of the benefits of piano lessons include:
Increased attention span.
Exercising your memory.
Improving fine motor skills.
Learning Math skills.
Source of fun!
Many children who have taken piano lessons at an early age enjoy the benefit of starting school more equipped than children who have not. But why not? Piano lessons is a form of education. Giving your child the means to improve and learn will always have benefits.
Children who have taken piano lessons as preschoolers also enjoy the benefit of learning other instruments easier than if they had had no musical training. All music is built around music theory, and music theory for the most part was around piano music. So learning to play the piano your child can already read music and understand tempo, dynamics, key signatures and all the other musical terms and symbols. So if your child wants to learn to play the guitar when they are a little older, they will be able to learn it more easily and quickly than had they had no experience. Your child will also be very thankful for the music knowledge they have if they ever decide to be a part of their school band or orchestra.
Piano lessons for preschoolers.
Some parents worry that their child wouldn’t be able to learn as much if they started them young or that their child wouldn’t be able to do it. Piano lessons aimed for preschoolers are different than those for older children, and again different for adults taking piano lessons. Piano teachers help each young student and customize lessons so that they are playing music and learning music theory that is appropriate for their age and hand size. But young children are able to learn and play the piano just as easily. Lessons for young beginners also are more reinforced so that the children understand and it is just as easy as for them, maybe even easier, than if you wait until they are older.
It’s never too early to learn to play music!