Part 2: Community Music Therapy and El Sistema: A Multiple Case Design Study Reflecting Music's Empowerment in Marginalized Communities
Music is an accessible tool that has been used to foster change within people and societies, even in those places facing socioeconomic marginalization due to poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to resources. Social capital has to do with the resources and networks available within a society, which may help confront issues faced by individuals and communities. Community Music Therapy (CoMT) and the music education movement known as El Sistema* both utilize musicâunderstood as social capitalâto address social justice. Part I of this article defines CoMT and examines the purpose and goals of CoMT and El Sistema comparatively, and the ways in which their programs may address the empowerment needs of individuals and communities facing socioeconomic marginalization. Part II reviews the findings of a study that leads toward a suggestion of how these two approaches may be able to work synergistically to achieve their shared goals. Findings reveal many parallels and divergences between El Sistema and CoMT which may be useful in advancing change. This article defines the role of the music, program structure, social justice goals, outcomes, music education practice, areas of intersection, existing scholarly research, and criticisms each has received, in an effort to further advance the understanding and possibilities musicâs influence may have on society.


We have structured our early childhood education curriculum around 4 keys elements of development to ensure the growth of child.
The child communicate with peer group and others verbally and non â verbally to engage the world around them .
The child make new friends and gain confidence, self esteem negotiating skills necessary for a life time of healthy relationship.
While the child enjoys a safe â Home away from Homeâ we want him/her to learn to express and understand his/ her unique identities.
The child is engaged in activities which help him to improve motor skill development , co- ordination , mobility and exercise to ensure a healthy growth.
Our unique educational program help the child to build brain power by supportive development of judgment, perception, memory, reasoning and language through a series of age appropriate activities. We believe it is important to learn reading, writing and math by experiencing the world around.


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* * All the Notes in this blog, are referred from Tamil Nadu State Board Books and Samacheer Kalvi Books. Kindly check with the original Tamil Nadu state board books and Ncert Books.
Fundamental rights for foreigners
- Equality before the law and equal protection of laws (article 14).
- Protection in respect of conviction for offenses (article20).
- Protection of life and personal liberty (article21).
- Right to elementary education (article 21A)
- Protection against arrest and detention in certain cases (article 22)
- Prohibition of traffic and human beings and forced labour (article 23).
- Prohibition of employment of children in factories etc (article 24).
- Freedom of conscience and free profession, practise, and propagation of religion (article 25).
- Freedom to manage religious affairs (Article 26).
- Freedom from payment of taxes for promotion of any religion (article 27).
- Freedom from attending religious instruction or worship in certain educational institutions (article 28).


Chiaraâs class works hard to provide opportunities for every child to learn and grow. A classroom community is developed through socializing with peers, encouraging individual creativity, and enhancing communication opportunities. Each child can communicate feelings in his/her own unique way in a safe, comfortable environment. Children are offered the opportunity to learn about themselves and how to get along with others with the support of patient and caring staff. Students are given the opportunity develop a love of books while enhancing early literacy development. Each child will get a chance to engage with books, learn through books on tape, acting out stories, and putting stories to song/music.
Children in Chiaraâs class also have the opportunity to get messy! Through sensory play experiences that focuses on body space awareness, physical activity, and how our senses teach us about our world. Chiara's class is always moving and grooving, using music and movement to support learning. The classroom environment and activities are thoughtfully created ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and participate capitalizing on their individual strengths.


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READ and EL
READ Plan Sample for EL Students
If an English Learner is determined to have a significant reading deficiency, a READ plan must be developed. Given the unique language and literacy needs of English Learners, the department has created an example plan specific to English Learners. The sample READ plan for English Learners contains the required components of a READ plan which includes components for an individual English Language Development Plan.
The sample READ plan for English Learners is an example, not a required template. Districts can determine the format and the name of their plans. The intent of the sample is to illustrate the areas of English language and literacy development a teacher should consider when planning instruction and intervention for English Learners.
Documents and Resources
Recognizing the unique language and literacy needs of English Learners to become proficient readers in English, the Colorado Department of Education has created guidance for implementation of the READ Act with English Learners. This guidance is designed to provide parameters for districts to use when developing local policies and practices to support the literacy development of English Learners. This includes READ Act and English Learners guidance for assessment and determination of a significant reading deficiency in grades K-3. Find READ Act requirements for assessing English learners, considerations for selecting the language of assessment, determining a significant reading deficiency, and program considerations.
- You may submit your questions about READ Act and English Learners Guidance for Assessment and Determination of a Significant Reading Deficiency in Grades K-3 to a Google form. We would like to create a FAQ webpage to align with the guidance document. We will not publish your personally identifiable information (PII), but we may post your question or reach out to you for clarification. The link to the document: READ Act and English Learners: Guidance for Assessment | CDE (state.co.us).
WIDA Can Do Descriptors
ELD Functions and ELD Scaffolds Charts
The ELD Functions revised 2013 and the ELD Scaffold revised 2013 lists functions and scaffolds by WIDA language levels from 1 to 5. These charts can be used to develop READ plan ELL objectives by adding the appropriate ELD language function and ELD scaffold to a minimal skill competency. Technical assistance is available on request to develop ELL objectives for READ Plans.


I hope youâll stop by to say âhiâ to Marisa and check out EdGeeks.com, it is a wonderful resource on very simple, practical ways to connect kids with learning and reading.
Iâve also pasted in a copy of the article here. Enjoy!
If I say the word âliteracy,â what do you see?
A book? a teacher? a notebook? a cereal box?
your kidsâ drawings? toys?
What would you say if I told you all of those things play a role in your childâs literacy development. It is true! Long before your child hears his first school bell, he has been building his literacy skills at home. While a book might seem obvious, some of the other things may not.
- Pretend play â whether it is racing dump trucks around the sandbox or playing dress up â is a daily opportunity for literacy development. The stories kids create and act out not only build communication and vocabulary skills, but expand their imagination.
- Sorting blocks by size or color and simple puzzles help kids think logically and begin to distinguish differences in objects. Later, when they are learning letters, that same skill will be used to distinguish a âbâ from a âdâ from a âp.â
- Those first artistic masterpieces are our kids way of learning to grasp, grip, and build the muscle strength they need for forming letters and numbers later.
But what about the teacher? Well, she is staring back at you from the mirror! Parents are our childrenâs first teachers. Remember that âoopsâ when your toddler repeated something you wish she hadnât? They learned that from us! We can teach them some good stuff, too! Literacy is the first building block of the âgood stuff.â
When you look at literacy in its entirety, it is VERY EASY to take everyday activities and turn them into literacy building blocks. As you walk through the store, ask your two-year-old to spot something red or round; or your four-year-old to find a yellow square. Youâve got them focused (instead of asking âcan Iâ) and doing something theyâll think is fun. Makes shopping faster and easier, too!
Last but not least, let your kids catch you reading! When the kids see us reading â cereal boxes, cookbooks, the newspaper, books â they absorb the message that reading is important. Modeling reading and spending time sharing books with our kids are two of the three linchpins to learning.
The last linchpin is having things to read at home! If your child can own a book thatâs all his, that is great, but donât discount the library. The goal is to surround your kids with different kinds of materials. Magazines, catalogs, books, junk mail â they all expose them to images and ideas that feed their desire to learn.
So now youâre asking but what if I donât like to read books? Literacy isnât a Norman Rockwell painting! It is a living, breathing part of our daily lives. Sorting and opening the mail, sending an email â¦ they are all pieces of literacy that our kids observe. If you feel strongly about books but are uncomfortable reading, the library has lots of childrenâs books on CD/tape that you can borrow. Enjoy a quiet moment to sit and listen together.
Literacy isnât something you need to âaddâ to your to-do list, it is integral to daily living. From conversations at the breakfast table to cuddling up with a bedtime story, each day offers countless opportunities to give our children a strong foundation for learning and ultimately, lifelong success.


This blog post was written by guest contributor Juan Gonzalez, Jr.
Since becoming an educator, I have discovered that the next best thing to reading books is being able to share books with growing readers. For as long as I can remember, reading has been a hobby that allows me to escape and enlighten myself about our world. Once I began teaching, I thought that sharing and growing a readerly life would be one of the easiest tasks to begin implementing with students. What I soon realized is that the journey with literacy is not the same for everyone. For some of us, the love of reading is innate, but others need more guidance to become readers. Over the years, while working with students and continuing my learning with literacy instruction, the common thread in my work has been reading engagement. If we want growing learners to want to be readers, we have to show them the value of reading. Here are three reading strategies for elementary students that will help push your reading instruction past academics and into setting up your students to develop and sustain their love for reading.
The Books You Share Should Be Like a Rainbow: Inclusive, Colorful and Inspiring!
If you are familiar with shopping online or browsing your favorite movies with online streaming, you might have noticed how the programâs algorithm is really good at showing you items or movies that you might find interesting. It leaves you in a never-ending circle of browsing and watching all the things that you enjoy. When sharing books with readers, itâs important to stay away from your own personal algorithm. It is always easy to stick to the topics and genres you love, but stepping out of your personal bubble is how you create space for all types of readers.
An exciting element to developing reading strategies for elementary students is finding various books to enhance your teaching and build a community of readers. When looking for books for your classroom, find literature that represents the students in your classroom, culture, different communities and the content you teach. Sharing your personal favorites is important because readers will see authentic passion about a book, but also allow yourself to explore and build your own knowledge of books.
Empower Readers with Choice
Let growing readers read whatever they want. One of the biggest challenges when it comes to reading instruction in the classroom is that our school curriculum asks students to read texts that are not always something they choose. If the reading experience we create for our students is never about what they love to read, the students wonât grow as readers. In honoring the students by giving them the option to choose literature they find interesting, you build a trust with your students and they become more willing to try new texts you present in your classroom instruction. It is all about balance. Allow readers to read and reread whatever they want and this will build their confidence to step outside of their comfort zone and grow.
Talk the Talk with Book Talks
I love seeing movie trailers for upcoming movies. Itâs a perfect small glimpse into a movie that makes us say âI want to watch that!â Book Talks create the same experience for readers. A Book Talk consists of someone (a teacher or student) sharing a book theyâve read with the hopes of convincing a potential reader to pick up the book and read it too. These talks should go beyond saying, âI love this book,â by giving the class insight into what to expect from the plot or the characters. These talks are an engaging and simple way to build your classroom reading community. These book sale pitches create a buzz and expose students to various texts. A great Book Talk is best delivered with passion. Use a voice filled with excitement. Hold the book in your hand and always leave your listeners with a cliffhanger! After your students have seen their teacher share books, youâll see many will want to follow your lead and share books that they love.
To learn more about reading strategies for elementary students and how you can advance your education in the field, check out UWAâs online bachelorâs degree program for elementary education here. UWA offers a completely online educational experience that allows you to complete your degree while maintaining your professional responsibilities. Learn from experienced educators and discover how to make a bigger impact in your classroom.
Juan Gonzalez is an elementary teacher in Houston, Texas. You can follow him on Instagram.


The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a educator support firm to improve the training standards of mathematics and ensuring equitable access to quality mathematics teaching and learning, the organization is focused on analysis, professional creation, advocacy, equity and programs instruction and assessment. The council developed ten criteria based on the mathematical articles and procedures, according to Bassarear, (2007), those based on mathematical content include Amount and Functions, Algebra, Angles, Measurement, and Data Research and Likelihood, while the specifications based on operations are Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proof, Communication, Connections, and Representation.
The strands can be applied in different amounts of elementary education. The hair strands developed happen to be founded on the six principles of Curriculum, Equity, Learning, Assessment, Educating and Technology and state that Number and Operations which can be concerned with creating and increasing the size of understanding of whole numbers since this is elemental required in math concepts. Geometry is involved with spotting shapes and recounting space relationships that exist, it works with analyzing features and attributes of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes, angles also is worried about creating statistical opinions concerning geometric human relationships, such as locations, symmetry, changes, visualization and coordinate geometry.
Measurement is another standard which can be concerned with terms of finding assessable attributes and assessing objects by using these features. Data research and likelihood is concerned with application of info management and probability methods, such as info collection, corporation, data analyses, sorting and using inferences.
The additional standards are problem solving in which students should be able to derive solutions of concerns, Reasoning and Proof in which the answers to the problems may be verified simply by mathematical means, Communication in terms of conversing the answers extracted and method used, Cable connections in establishing relationship between different statistical techniques and representation exactly where students will be able to represent the problems and the alternatives. While the recommended standards have been completely faced with techniques, they have backed immensely the regulation of general schools math in Usa and Canada. References Bassarear, Tom. (2007).
Mathematics to get Elementary School Professors. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning.


This Blog Post is from Knowgenetics and was originally posted on April 3, 2013
By Ryan Sandsness
The study of genetics, just like any other science, is about curiosity, not the memorization of facts. When first learning a scientific concept, one must go through the process of reading, remembering, and understanding the ideas that have been presented. However once this basic requisite is met, science becomes so much more than that: an exploration, an investigation, a problem to be solved, an issue to be debated, NOT bullet points to be transferred from a textbook to a test. How do you think these concepts and facts were first discovered? Somebody took the initiative to approach a problem and search for a solution through a scientific process. They devised a method or a mechanism never tried before, or they expanded upon the work of another individual. They created something new; they did not simply puppet the ideas before them, but built upon them.
However a disturbing trend has emerged within the past decade, shifting the focus of education away from problem solving instead to standardization and monotony. The effects of this transformation are just beginning to be studied and understood. Recently they were brought to my attention, by a film quickly gaining popularity, called Race to Nowhere. In the film the director tries to shed light on the growing problems and results of an ineffective âteach to the testâ philosophy currently existing in the American school system. To understand how such emphasis was placed on standardized tests we must go back to the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001. In the legislation of the bill, the Statement of Purpose reads:
ensuring that high-quality academic assessments, accountability systems, teacher preparation and training, curriculum, and instructional materials are aligned with challenging State academic standards so that students, teachers, parents, and administrators can measure progress against common expectations for student academic achievement.
This means that educators are now, more than ever, held accountable for a childâs academic success. In theory this sounds great, but complications arise when it comes to the tools used to measure academic success, a.k.a. standardized tests.
Since reading and math are emphasized on standardized tests, science education has been marginalized. A 2011 study conducted by the University of California at Berkeley revealed that 40% of California elementary school teachers surveyed spent 60 minutes or less a week teaching science. The relentless standardized testing that begins in elementary school and continues to the SAT, ACT, and CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam), has also bred a culture in which material is learned in order to pass a test. This has robbed students of the joy of learning and created an atmosphere where information is acquired, regurgitated on a scantron, and jettisoned from memory. A five-year study released in 2007 by the University of Maryland showed âdeclines in teaching higher-order thinking, in the amount of time spent on complex assignments, and in the actual amount of high cognitive content in the curriculumâ. What does this mean for the field of genetics and the scientific community at large? The students that have been indoctrinated in this system of high-stakes testing for the past 10 years are now reaching college and graduate level education. Students have been programmed to think rigidly and only within the testable guidelines. But what happens in the real world when things begin to deviate from what is expected? As medical professionals how are these students going to approach novel diseases and diagnoses when they havenât been taught how to think outside the box? The ability to think creatively, passionately, and critically has generated scientific discovery for the past 400 years. If this process begins to fade away in favor of a uniform way of thinking, the United States might find itself stuck in the back of the pack in terms of global scientific relevance.
As stated before, the ramifications of this shift in the education system are just beginning to be taken into account; yet the effects may continue for years. If this trend of standardized testing to measure academic success continues, we might all be stripped of our scientific curiosity.
âScience does not know its debt to imaginationâ- Ralph Waldo Emerson
PL 107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Sec. 1001 107th Cong., U.S. G.P.O. (2001) (enacted). Print.
âHigh Hopes- Few Opportunities. The Status of Science Education in California.â 2011. Lawrence Hall of Science. University of California Berkeley.
Valli and Croniger. âHigh Quality Teaching of Foundational Skills in Mathematics and Readingâ. 2007. drdc.uchicago.edu


Questions to ask yourself when purchasing holiday toys
The holiday season provides the opportunity to unabashedly spoil the children in your life. But with so many options, which toys are the best for helping them learn and develop while having fun?
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) offers some tips for selecting toys that will make the most of play time. Playing is an essential activity that facilitates a childâs social, physical, and cognitive development, all while having a good time. It is often through play that children learn to make sense of the world around them.
âSelecting a toy can be overwhelming,â says Sandra Schefkind, MS, OTR/L, pediatric coordinator at the American Occupational Therapy Association. âThese guidelines help consumers to be more contemplative about play when selecting a toy and can help them to evaluate a toy rather than making a knee-jerk purchase based on packaging or where an item is placed on the shelf.â
Occupational therapy practitioners are experts in play as it relates to development and offer the following questions for consumers to consider as guidelines when gift-buying for children:
- Is the toy safe and age appropriate? If the suggested age range is too young for the child, he or she may get bored quickly. If the range is too old, the child may get frustrated and give up, or be exposed to small parts that could pose a safety risk. Be mindful of your own childâs development in terms of his or her strengths, interests, and abilities.
- Can the toy be played with in more than one way? Toys that offer unlimited possibilities can tap into the childâs creativity. Blocks can be stacked, knocked down, lined up, crashed into, and even substituted for play food in a pretend kitchen.
- Does the toy appeal to several senses? Childrenâs attention is captured by exciting colors, sounds, lights, and textures. Toys that encourage them to push buttons, move parts, open doors, or sort shapes will often lengthen play time.
- Can the toy be used in more than one place or position? Toys that are easy to carry or can be used while sitting, standing, or even lying down make play possible anywhere. Crayons, markers, sidewalk chalk, a baby gym, and plastic rings can be used in a variety of locations.
- Does the toy involve the use of both hands? Moving parts, buttons, and gears encourage activity and movement. Construction toys, craft kits, puzzles, balls, riding toys, and toss-and-catch sets all promote motor skill development at different ages.
- Does the toy encourage thinking or solving problems? Board games and science kits offer older kids the chance to use thinking skills in a new way, while shape sorters, puzzles, or a Jack-in-the box are great for babies and toddlers.
- Does the toy encourage communication and interaction? Dress-up clothes, costumes, playhouses, kitchen sets, and tools can all be used with more than one child to teach cooperation and negotiation and foster imagination.
- Is the toy worth the cost? Consider the appeal of the toy and its durability. Can you substitute the toy you are considering with something that you already have at home?
âOccupational therapy practitioners recognize play as an occupation [activity] because it is purposeful and meaningful to a childâs development. Play can involve cognitive demands like problem solving, social demands like sharing, and motor and coordination skills like manipulating or activating a toy,â Schefkind says. âThese tips promote the opportunity to engage the child, challenge the child, and support the child and his or her family in using play to foster growth and development.â
Founded in 1917, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) represents the professional interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants, and students nationwide. The Association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards including accreditations, and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., AOTAâs major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, go to www.aota.org


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What are first language literacy and English Literacy Development (ELD) programs?
Literacy and ELD programs are for people who need to improve their basic reading and writing skills.
Learning a new language uses the skills you have from learning to read in your first language. If you cannot read or write in your first language, it may be difficult for you to learn to read in a second language.
In this case, you might take a literacy program in your first language before you start
learning English or French. Or, you might take ELD classes to learn basic reading and writing in English as a second language.
To find literacy programs:
For More Information
- ESL and FSL Search - Look for English as a Second Language (ESL) or French as a Second Language (FSL) classes in your area. From the Ontario Immigration website.
October 29, 2015


This paper describes how insights into performance strategies can arise from observations derived from measurements as well as visual inspection of graphs of expressive parameters. The widespread availability of tools for quantifying expressive parameters have made it possible to incorporate engineering approaches to the study of performance for both experts and novices. Scientific graphs map the evolution of these parameters over time, allowing investigations that reveal correspondence or a lack thereof between expressive gestures and musical structures. Three examples illustrate discoveries of principles of performance using a scientific approach. The first example compares three performances of Beethovenâs Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, commonly known as the Moonlight Sonata, highlighting Schnabelâs strategies for projecting long lines. The latter two examples are projects by engineering students with different degrees of musical training comparing guitar vs. piano performances of Granadosâ Danza EspaÃ±ola No. 5 and tracing the evolution of vibrato over a century in a small sample of notes from Bachâs Violin Sonata No. 1, respectively. These methodologies have the potential for transforming how musicians study and teach performance.
"About Time: Stratedgies of Performance Revealed in Graphs,"
Visions of Research in Music Education: Vol. 20, Article 11.
Available at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/vrme/vol20/iss1/11


Music and Staying in School
High absenteeism and low levels of engagement are often a significant issue in many schools lacking arts and music education. (1-3)
When integrated in the curriculum, musical study has the potential to reduce dropout rates by increasing student motivation and engagement through the infusion of creativity in the learning environment. (4-7)
Schools that foster music education boast significantly higher attendance and graduation rates, and taking a music elective course has been known to be a better indicator of college completion than a high grade point average. (4,8)
Most strikingly, arts-engaged students from challenged socio-economic backgrounds are more likely than their non-arts-engaged peers to have attended and done well in college. (9)
- Balfanz, R., Bridgeland, J.M., Moore, L.A., & Fox, J.H. (2010). Building a grad nation: Progress and challenge in ending the high school dropout epidemic. Washington, DC: Americaâs Promise Alliance
- Bridgeland, J.M., Dilulio, JJ. & Morison, K.B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high-school dropouts. Washington, DC: Civic Enterprises.
- Pytel, B. (2008). Predicting dropouts: Middle school data foretells who will drop out.
- Heath, S. B., Soep, E., & Roach, A. (1998). Living the arts through language learning: A report on community-based organizations. Washington, DC: Americans for the Arts 2(7)
- Eleanor Chute, âMusic and Art Lessons Do More Than Complement Three Râsâ, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 13, 1998
- N.H. Barry, J.A. Taylor, and K. Walls, âThe Role of the Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Preventionâ
- Barry, N., Taylor, J., & Walls, K. (1990). The Role of the Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention. Center for Music Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
- Dr. Denise C. Gardner, Effects of Music Courses on Retention, Georgia Tech, 2000.
- Catterall, James S. (2009). Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing Art: The Effects of Education in the Visual and Performing Arts on the Achievement and Values of Young Adults. Los Angeles/London: Imagination Group / I-Group Books.


In this video learn How to Draw Buildings: The United States Capitol Building. Enjoy this video and master the fundamentals of Perspective Drawing with regular practice. Use the Drawing and Sketching supplies given below.
Perspective Drawing and Sketching Supplies you may need:
- Mixed Media Sketchbook And Drawing Pads
- Sketching And Drawing Art Pencil Kit
- Mix Media Paper Pad For Drawing And Painting
- Graphite Charcoal Pencils With Sketch Pad
- Graphite Charcoal Pencils Set For Artists
- Faber Castell Graphite Set For Sketching
Details of How to Draw Buildings: The United States Capitol Building
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#Draw #Buildings #United #States #Capitol #Building
Learn How to Draw the US Capitol Building in Washington DC in this narrated art tutorial. SUBSCRIBE HERE: Watch Next: How to Draw Famous Buildings:
There are now over 170 of my How to Draw art tutorials, subscribe now to watch a new art tutorial each week!
For this drawing I used a 4B pencil and a Black 0.7 pen.
Learn how to draw The United States Capitol Building, the seat of the United States Congress in Washington DC. I hope you find this line drawing tutorial useful for your own drawings.
There are now over 170 of my How to Draw art videos at: plus a new How to Draw video every week!
Thank you for watching and see you next time!
Circle Line Art School
Hi, my name is Tom McPherson and I founded Circle Line Art School as an online art education resource for all. My aim is to inspire people to learn to draw and be more creative. I believe drawing is a wonderful way to appreciate the visual world and become more observant and creative.
Thank you for watching and have a great day!
Music used in this art tutorial:
Light Awash by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (
How to Draw Buildings
How to Draw the US Capitol Building
How to Draw Architecture
How to Draw Famous Buildings


The push to get young ones reading and writing is present from infancy to elementary school. But how can you tell if your child is truly ready for reading? What kinds of activities are best for encouraging literacy development? How can parents and caregivers cultivate strong language skills that fit with the developmental stages of young childhood?
This week, the Access Learning Blog takes a look at early reading development, providing strategies and resources for helping parents and caregivers identify what emerging literacy skills look like and how best to support them.
At Access Learning, one of our key philosophies is to focus on the well-being of the entire child. This means that our tutoring takes into account the social, emotional, and physical needs and abilities of every individual student. Parents and caregivers should aim to take a similar approach with the children in their care. As Howard Gardner and many others have proven, we all learn in different ways and at different speeds; the education we receive should reflect this understanding (click here for more information on Gardnerâs Theory of Multiple Intelligences).
When talking about emergent literacy, weâre referring to the development of reading, writing, and language comprehension, which includes listening and speaking. If you have a little one (or little ones) at home or in your care, you may wonder how to tell whether they are ready for reading or not.
But what does that look like?
Scholastic books has a great article outlining qualities your child may demonstrate that indicate reading readiness. Things like, do they hold books in the right direction (or adjust the book so that it is facing the right way)? Can they turn book pages and do they follow along from left to right? Do they enjoy âreadingâ (pretending to read) books and copy what they see you doing as you read to them (for example, using their finger to follow-along with the text, or turning their head from left to right as they move through each page)? Are they interested in re-telling favourite stories? Do they act them out? Do you have to read the same books over and over and over again because your child loves them so much?
Truly, the best way to encourage these kinds of skills and this level of interest is simply to read to your child. From infancy onward, engaging your children in reading is the number one way to build reading ability.
However, we tend to think of reading as something you do with a book. And absolutely, reading storybooks is a fun and engaging way of supporting literacy skill development, bonding with your child, and sharing morals and values. But reading goes far beyond the pages of books! There are many opportunities to read outside of those printed pages. Here are some fun ideas for how you can read with your child outside of using a storybook:
- Read street signs and storefront signage to your child as you walk or drive through your neighbourhood. Point out words and letters as you go.
- Play board games with your children that include words and phrases on the game board, playing cards, or game pieces. Take the time to point out what you are reading.
- Use reading apps on a tablet, phone, or computer. (However, itâs not ideal for any child, especially very young children, to have too much screen time. Talk to your family doctor or spend some time researching to better understand the implications of screen time on your childâs behaviour and development (for example: here, here, or here).
- Cook with you child and have them look at and follow along with a recipe.
- Purchase or make toys that incorporate words and letters. Building blocks and magnetic letters are great examples. Pinterest has an endless amount of ideas for how to incorporate more language into your childâs play.
- Offer your child alternative reading resources like magazines, comics, non-fiction texts, or newspapers.
- Go to a museum, art gallery, or science centre and read what you see on the walls, displays, and signage.
So is your child ready for reading? Are they pulling at your leg, asking you to read âMr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?â for the thousandth time? If they are not yet showing interest, keep an eye on the types of play your child enjoys and monitor the amount of words, sounds, and phrases your child has. If you are concerned, be sure to reach out to your family doctor or other care provider, but remember that every child develops at their own speed, in their own way, and that âmilestonesâ are simply guidelines that help us better understand how and when most people achieve certain levels of ability.
For tips on how to make reading more fun, check out our âMake Reading Fun!â info-graphic.
Join our blog next time for Part 2 of this series: Ready for Writing!


A new scientific study revealed that test tube babies subjected to trance music are more likely to reach the embryo stage of development.
Researchers at the Altravita In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Clinic in Moscow discovered that exposure to trance superstar Armin van Buurenâs compilations from his podcast, âA State of Tranceâ, resulted in a fifth more viable embryos in test tubes, according to The Telegraph. The eggs were exposed to trance for 24 hours per day at 80 decibels (the approximate volume of a telephoneâs dial tone).
Although the link found between van Buurenâs beats and the development of the eggs may seem coincidental or illogical, lead scientist Alex Biryukov and his team believe that the rhythmic vibrations from the music may simulate an environment similar to a womb for the conceived cells.
According to Healthy Moms Healthy Babies, it has been scientifically proven that playing music whilst pregnant can improve your babyâs hearing and motion capabilities as well as their brain functions and subsequent reaction times.
As Wilfried Gruhn, Professor of Music Education at the University of Music in Freiburg reported;
âMusic stimulates the growth of brain structures and connects many activated brain areas. Learning is based on the plasticity of the brain, which is the most powerful in the early years; however, it keeps going over the entire lifespan.â
An associate professor at the University of Oxford, Dagan Wells, also stated that:
âIt is possible that vibrations could simulate some of these effects by agitating the medium, helping to mix the fluid in which the embryo is immersed, diluting potentially harmful chemicals excreted by the embryo and increasing exposure to important nutrients.â


Students in lower school have two periods of language each day. All lower school students have one period of Language Skills and a period of Language Arts.
There are usually 2 to 3 students in a Language Skills class, and the content follows a scope and sequence of language mastery carefully developed by Jemicyâs language directors. Students work to improve their decoding, spelling, vocabulary, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and handwriting skills.
The scope and sequence are based on the fundamentals of Orton-Gillingham instruction and research-based literacy development. Students are grouped according to their level of mastery in this scope and sequence, as well as by their learning style.
The content is taught in a sequential, structured, and cumulative fashion.
Teachers draw from a number of multisensory reading programs, including those developed by Project Read, Wilson, Lindamood-Bell, Neuhaus, and Sounds and Syllables.
Progress is formally assessed two times during the school year using a pre/post curriculum-based benchmark, as well as a fluency assessment. In addition, standardized testing is administered in the spring of each year. The standardized testing battery includes portions of the Woodcock Johnson Reading Mastery battery, The Test of Written Spelling, and the GRADE (Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation).
Students in JE â M Groups have language arts class one period per day. Because our students all have language-based learning differences, having an additional language class each day helps to further advance the students in the area of language. The Language Arts curriculum covers other language topics/skills that are not addressed specifically in skills class. In I Group, writing skills are taught in a similar fashion as reading, in that the âwholeâ is broken into its âpieces.â The parts of speech are presented in a multisensory way, focusing on the function of the word, rather than the abstract label.
Students study grammar and sentence structure, oral and written language, handwriting, story-mapping/literature, and vocabulary. Through these pursuits, they practice and improve analytical thinking skills. (JE-M Group)
Research-based language programs are utilized, such as Framing Your Thoughts, Story Form, and Handwriting without Tears. (JE-M Group)
Students are introduced to Paragraphologyâ¢, a color-coded system used to structure paragraphs logically and systematically. (I Group)
The Framing Your Thoughts program from Project Read is used to teach grammar and sentence structure. (I Group)


GLSENâs work in secondary schools, like the distribution of the GLSEN Safe Space Kit to every middle and high school in the country, has shifted the needle towards respect for all. But at a time when several states are attempting to roll back the rights of LGBTQ students, especially transgender students, thereâs still so much progress to be made. Our work in elementary schools may hold the greatest potential. Itâs during elementary school that students develop a sense of a self, family and community, while learning how to value differences and think critically about the world.
Thatâs why GLSEN, with the generous support of Wells Fargo, is distributing 5,000 copies of Ready, Set, Respect!, GLSENâs flagship resource for elementary educators. Ready, Set, Respect! provides kindergarten through fifth-grade educators with lesson plans on name-calling, bullying and bias; family diversity; and gender diversity. Through the fall, GLSEN and Wells Fargo will distribute 5,000 copies to elementary schools across the country, reaching 2.2 million K-5 students with the essential message of respect and kindness for all.
In June, GLSEN began this distribution in the Napa Valley Unified School District in Napa, Calif. In a workshop facilitated by Jenny Betz, GLSENâs Director of Education and Youth Programs, nearly a dozen elementary school principals, vice principals and other educators from across the district learned about the toolkit and discussed how they can incorporate Ready, Set, Respect! into their schoolsâ existing strategies for diversity and inclusion.
Jenny Betz trains elementary educators from Napa Valley Unified School District
âIt was an incredible opportunity to have a district-wide conversation with elementary administrators about how to make respect for all a reality for all students and families,â said Betz. âReady, Set, Respect! helps create young people who are respectful, accepting and self-aware and who will contribute productively to society as they grow older.â
The group of educators also met with John Lake, Vice President and LGBT Segment Manager at Wells Fargo, who was able to hear about some of the issues they are facing in their schools, from accommodating young transgender students to helping their staff understand the importance of LGBTQ inclusion. Following the workshop, he presented the first of the 5,000 copies of Ready, Set, Respect! to Maren Rocca Hunt, the Executive Director of Elementary Education at the school district.
John Lake and Maren Rocca Hunt, who received the first Ready, Set, Respect! of the distribution campaign
âWells Fargo is proud to continue supporting GLSEN in a way that will impact millions, helping instill in students the values of respect and diversity â values that we share closely with GLSEN,â said Lake.
As part of the distribution of the toolkits, GLSEN will also launch a new professional development training for elementary educators with a number of GLSEN Chapters, whose volunteers will distribute the toolkits to educators in their local communities.
Together, GLSEN, Wells Fargo and elementary educators across the country can help make the world a place in which every child learns to respect and accept all people.
Want to make your local school a place where students learn to value diversity and kindness? Share Ready, Set, Respect! with elementary educators in your community.


This course features specially recorded version of our favourite folk songs for Primary Schools with lyrics, song history and extra listening material.
- Skip to my Lou
- Sweepy Sweepy Sweepy
- Who Fed The Chickens?
- The Illy Ally O
- Lil' Liza Jane
- The Green Grass Grows all Around
- Hill and Gully Rider
- Fugley Isle
- Lord Franklyn
- DilÃn O Deamhas
- Trasna Na dTonnta
About The Author
Shane Mc Kenna is a musician and music teacher from Monaghan, based in Dublin. He studied Music Education and Music Technology in Trinity College Dublin where he became a leading researcher and developer in the area of new musical notation for education and collaborative music making. He has guest lectured in Ireland and abroad based on his work developing new systems of teaching and learning about music, inside and outside the classroom.
Shane is an experienced musician having performed in orchestras, choirs and bands on a range of instruments and is currently attempting to master the fiddle!
Shane hosts CPD courses across Ireland each a year and leads the development of the DabbledooMusic curriculum content.
If you have any questions or feedback about the curriculum content please get in touch!


A recent study in the Netherlands has found that music lessons improve childrenâs cognitive skills and academic performance.
Structured music lessons increase childrenâs cognitive abilities â including language-based reasoning, short-term memory and planning â which lead to greater academic performance. The research, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, is the first large-scale study adapted into a school curriculum. Studying the arts was also found to significantly improve childrenâs visual and spatial memory.
Learning a music instrument can be viewed as a luxury pastime rather than a necessary part of education. This is reflected across the globe as music education continues to suffer from a lack of funding. Indeed, a separate study has reported that attending a concert increases our feeling of wellness.
Researches in the Netherlands found that children who received music lessons had significant cognitive improvements compared to other children in the study. Furthermore, children attending visual arts classes were found to have significantly improved short-term memory compared to students who had not received supplementary arts lessons.
I have long been a fan of Sir Ken Robinson who advocates the importance of learning the arts.
The researches hope their work will highlight the importance of the arts in human culture and cognitive development.


English, Portuguese, Spanish
In this "Understanding a Tune" masterclass, renowned pianist and educator Dan Haerle shows you how to get deep inside a song in order to get the most out of your improvisations. Dan breaks down his method of using a tune's melody and chords in order to analyze the overall harmony, so that you can solo melodically through the changes while staying true to the song's identity. If you're looking to become more fluent with your jazz soloing, this jazz improvisation lesson is for you. NOTE: There is a PDF bundled with the "purchase" version (not the $8.99 "rental" version) which includes the embedded notation from the video.
Topics Covered: Jazz, Piano, Improvisation, Knowing the Melody, Harmonic Analysis, Motifs, Diatonic Modes, Harmonic Minor Modes, Melodic Minor Modes, Symmetric Scales, Developing a Solo, Interpreting, Finding Key Centers in Standards, Chord Symbols, Chord Function, Harmonic Context, Soloing, Etc.
Dan was inducted into the International Association of Jazz Education âHall of Fameâ at the annual conference in Toronto on January 9, 2003. The IAJE Hall of Fame Award honors individuals whose musical contributions and dedication to jazz education over the past 25 years have created new directions and curricular innovations for jazz education worldwide.
In 2007, Dan completed his modified service at UNT and became a member of the adjunct teaching faculty. In the fall of 2007, he was named Professor Emeritus.
In 2008, Dan joined the faculty of the Dallas School of Music where he taught for seven years.
On January 6, 2012, the Jazz Education Network (JEN) awarded Dan (along with Jamey Aebersold, David Baker and Jerry Coker) the distinction of âLeJENd of Jazz Educationâ at its 3rd annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
In April of 2014, Dan received the DJAM (Dallas Jazz Apreciation Month) award of Jazz Educator of the year.
In October of 2015, Dan was awarded the 2015 Sammons Jazz Artist of the Year.
Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Coe College (1961)
Master of Music in Composition from North Texas State University (1966)


CULTURE AND ARTS IN DEVIANT BEHAVIOR CORRECTION
The project idea is reaching full potential of means of art and culture for purposes of efficiently solving tasks of teenagersâ deviant behavior correction and rehabilitation.
As part of the research, in-depth studies of domestic and foreign experience have been conducted, which have demonstrated that variety of types and forms of art education and cultural studies can significantly improve quality of the educational environment, increase efficiency of solving tasks of correcting teenagersâ deviant behavior correction and socialization.
Best practices have been generalized and systematized, resulting in methodological recommendations and tools necessary for SUVU specialists for introducing into the educational process, which requires special educational events, to scale successful practices. The methods of artistic education and culture studies will be of increasing importance, since they have universal application, and can be integrated into almost all the processes of education and upbringing, enhancing the effects of educational activities due to the improvisational nature of the synthesis of arts. The most priority areas of education, necessary for introduction of socio-pedagogical innovations into the practice of SUVU, include issues of systematic implementation of arts education, aesthetic education, psychology of education and development, cultural studies approaches in the education system.
In relation with the above-mentioned necessities, in 2021, this project was implemented as a socially significant event: all-Russian educational courses and online seminars were held for teachers of SUVU, for the purpose of improving their skills in a number of innovative competencies: Introduction of the variable model of deviant behavior correction; Designing learning and educational programs with application of the expanded range of methods of artistic education and cultural studies; Application of the Navigator of the best practices of deviant behavior correction in the methodological work of the SUVU specialists; Designing socio-pedagogical technologies and projects using Arts Pedagogy for implementation in the activities of SUVU.


NCASE Resource Library
This webinar provides an overview of literacy development and instructional practices for literacy and writing. It showcases 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) programs in CO, MO, and TN that focus on literacy. The National Writing Project shares their strategies and resources for successfully fostering children's literacy development.
Early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) is an increasingly popular strategy for improving early childhood classroom climates and reducing suspensions and expulsions. This webinar explores findings from a recent research report from Yale Child Study Center on Ohio's Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation system.
You for Youth (Y4Y) is a virtual hub for Out-of-School Time (OST) providers. This website offers free professional development courses, tips on training staff, resources and tools for designing high-quality programs, and answers to questions.
This article outlines the dual importance of building the capacity of educators and of families who have successful family engagement. There are links to other valuable resources.


Holistic Learning Through Singing and Poem Recitation
Singing and Poems Recitations are not subjects that are included in the curriculum of most schools in Malaysia. Why is that? Could it be because there are no formal examinations for these activities? Could this also be the reason why our young learners find it difficult to express themselves?
Across the globe, and throughout history, music, poem and recitations have been important aspects of peoplesâ lives. In this article we will discuss the importance of singing to the holistic language development of a child. In the next article, we will take a closer look at the benefits of recitation and poems.
Singing and Articulation
âChildren frequently sing meaningful phrases to themselves over and over again before they learn to make a distinction between singing and saying.â says David Antin, author, poet and professor.
In other words, singing is a natural expression of a childâs early development of speech and articulation.
What Benefits Are We Missing By Not Having Singing In The Curriculum?
Studies done by music researchers found correlations between singing and increased language development, as well as math ability, improved school grades, better-adjusted social behaviour, and a higher level thinking.
How is that possible? Letâs break this down and see the various ways in which music and singing shape the development of our young children.
I â Music as an Emotional and Social Tool
On a practical level, music and singing provide a great emotional and social platform for the children. It is used regularly to help young learners get comfortable with their teachers and provides a group bonding experience for the whole class. Music relaxes the children and sets the environment for better learning.
II â Music and Literacy
Music and singing support literacy development, especially for young children.
Daniel Dwase, editor of the online Child Development Guide maintains that music assists in the development of a childâs speech. He said. âSinging nursery rhymes and simple songs teaches children how language is constructed and assists with the acquisition of language.
III â Music and Thinking
A study conducted by the University of California showed that music and singing train the brain for higher-level forms of thinking.
Another study done by the by Frances Rauscher, psychologist from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and Gordon Shaw, physicist at the University of California at Irvine, linked the study of music with brain development.
They concluded that preschoolers who were exposed to âcomplex multi-sensory stimulationâ, like singing, tend to get better marks on test measuring problem solving skills and spatial reasoning, an important skill used in math, science, and engineering.
Isnât this a good enough reason to include singing in the childrenâs core learning even for those who are concerned with examinations?
IV -Music and Building Connections
Singing songs teaches children about tone, beat and rhythm.â And when children listen to familiar lyrics, they are building connections to the sounds they are hearing and the words that are being sung.
As the children begin to learn the lyrics of the song and learn how to sing them correctly with the pattern of sentences and proper parts of speech, they will gradually begin to understand them more thoroughly, thus developing their literacy.
V â Music and Creative Learning
Singing activity transforms a formal teaching-learning environment into one that radiates more positive vibes for the children to pick up on, making them feel more relaxed and ready to have fun while learning.
Judi Bosco, a board certified music therapist, said, âThrough music, children take an inner experience and move it into a shared creative experience. Group music-making releases energy which can be channelled in creative, productive directions.â
VI -Music and Motor Skills Development
Singing is also enhanced with body movements of self-expression â dancing. Music and movement go together. Children respond to the music and singing by moving and jumping and simply being active. Dancing teaches children rhythm and is a tool to teach them motor coordination.
Are these good enough reasons to include music in a young childâs journey of learning?
Scholar Base Includes Music In Its Learning Activities
Recognising that children aged three to six years are at the psychological peak of their listening skills which distinctly linked to audible expressions, Scholar Base provides ample music and recitation learning activities in their curriculum. The children enjoy expressing as they sharpen their listening skills and focus which are essential in their learning and development.


Todays music is truly making the transition to the digital realm. Musicians and performing artists now use the internet to interact with fans in ways never before possible. Pianist David Sides, for example, puts together custom arrangements of popular songs based on requests and donations by his fans on the internet. He made his fame on the YouTube platform, where his uniquely expressive adaptations have earned him nearly 200 million views. He has also helped to produce some of the best instructional material available on the internet for people who want to learn to play the piano. Mr. Sides now shares his talents by teaching others to play through Playground Sessions, an innovative piano learning software that was co-created by music legend Quincy Jones.
The Many Life Benefits of Playing Piano
The obvious benefit is having the ability to play music for yourself and others. Playing a beautiful piece at a special occasion, or a fast and exciting piece at a party, is one of the greatest experiences a person can have. The attention and appreciation that come with making the music everyone is enjoying is an incredible spiritual reward. The listening to and creation of music has been shown to significantly reduce tension and stress.
You will also experience other physical and mental benefits when you learn to play piano. Reading sheet music is one of the most effective known ways to build hand eye coordination. Playing, in and of itself, develops fine motor skills, which improves physical performance in sports and any other physical activity. Also, playing trains and strengthens a personâs mental focus and concentration considerably.
The Effectiveness of Music Education Software
Music education software has made tremendous advances in recent years. Using the latest understanding of how people learn best, and digital music technologies, the best software platforms are considered more effective than most personal instruction. Todayâs innovative piano learning software teaches students not only to read music, but also to play what they love â by ear â and understand the theory behind it. The freedom of use and constant availability allows budding musicians to explore areas of music that interest them most, while still giving them a well rounded basis of development. The cost of internet instruction is vastly less than personal teachers, and the effectiveness has been shown to be as good or better.
Whether you are a beginner who has never played an instrument, or already have some level of experience, online piano lessons are the best way to meet your goals as a musician. The tools available today make it possible for anybody, anywhere to learn to play piano online.


The CIRCLE Pre-K Foundations Training provides a comprehensive look at prekindergarten instruction to support kindergarten readiness. This 7-module training was developed to target key areas of prekindergarten learning and instruction. During training, teachers will experience multiple demonstration lessons and will have numerous opportunities to practice lessons and activities which can be immediately implemented in the classroom.
Training may be offered over 2 full days, or by individual module. Best Practices should be provided first, but sequence is flexible after Best Practices has been completed. A total of 13 CPE Hours will be awarded if all modules are provided at one time.
- Best Practices (approximately 140 minutes): Reinforces the importance of using research-based instructional approaches as a critical component of childrenâs emotional development and learning while engaging teachers in meaningful discussions, self-reflection, and planning.
- Mathematics (approximately 90 minutes): Supports teachers in delivering playful lessons and activities that offer students opportunities to explore a wide variety of math concepts which are thoughtfully planned around learning guidelines.
- Phonological Awareness (approximately 90 minutes): Clarifies the skills associated with phonological awareness and their importance. Teachers learn how these skills develop across a continuum and practice ways to teach phonological awareness throughout the day.
- Alphabet Knowledge (approximately 90 minutes): Provides a deeper understanding of how letter knowledge contributes to literacy development and prepares teachers to provide meaningful experiences through targeted lessons using books, the letter wall, environmental print, and more.
- Language Development (approximately 115 minutes): Discusses the importance of intentional language development by engaging students in meaningful conversations. Teachers will explore and practice ways in which language can be woven throughout all parts of the school day.
- Book Reading (approximately 100 minutes): Prepares teachers to provide effective read-alouds that actively engage students through targeted before, during, and after reading activities that foster a love for books while also building comprehension and vocabulary.
- Written Expression (approximately 100 minutes): Discusses the emergent stages of writing to help teachers establish reasonable expectations for writing in the prekindergarten classroom. Teachers will experience four approaches to writing instruction and learn the teacherâs role in scaffolding writing.
Training content is based on literacy development, curriculum implementation, math, mentoring, progress monitoring, and professional development research conducted at the Childrenâs Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Contact us to learn more or to schedule a training.


This is the second year that third grade has made these beautiful painted paper leaves inspired by the secondary colors! I love displaying the leaves at the county fair and at our school's fall festival.
This lesson was inspired by a beautiful lesson from www.paintedpaperart.com/2013/09/fall-leaves-at-lake-george/Painted Paper Art. My version takes about three to four class periods. it takes one class to paint the entire paper a secondary color and another to add the texture. I like having two painting days so that students who miss one class can still complete a leaf. I have students mix directly on the paper and give them only the primary colors, black, and white. On the day we add texture, I do have them work with other students who used the same secondary color and give them a little of that color straight out of the bottle, as well. The other two days of the lesson are used to draw the leaf, cut out the leaf, and paint the black lines. Usually just a few have to finish on the last day.
This year, I did better with making sure students created a shape that would work well after being cut out (not too skinny in the middle). I demo drawing two leaf shapes to help students get started. We look at a few handouts about leaves draw the leaves on the back of the colored paper. The first step is to draw the center vein from the top to bottom of the paper. Once our laminator is fixed, I will laminate the leaves to make them even stronger.
I am an ninth year art teacher with degrees in Art Education from Flagler College and the University of Florida, living and working in northern Florida. Each week, I teach over six hundred students in grades kindergarten through fifth. Here you will find what we are learning virtually and in the art classroom!


Master of Arts
Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) in India states that private schools are required to allocate 25% of seats for free to children aged 6-14 from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups until they complete elementary education. Scheduled Castes, who are amongst the most marginalized in India, are designated in the category of disadvantaged groups. There is a lack of research from the perspectives of Scheduled Castes households on education access and inclusion and on the RTE Act.
This study aims to understand the experiences of households from Scheduled Caste backgrounds. It examines issues of free seats provision awareness, schooling access patterns, and schooling experiences. This mixed methods study analyses survey and interview data from the larger, Insights into Education, research project. The survey data were gathered from 851 households in one catchment area in Delhi in 2015. The semi-structured interview data were collected in 2017 from 43 Scheduled Caste households who were successful in securing at least one private school under the free seats provision in 2015. The interview sample was drawn from the larger survey sample.
The study applies the Sen-Bourdieu analytical framework (Hart, 2019), which furthers the understanding of the developmental process of individual capabilities and the relevant role of education system. There was a significant relationship between caste and school management type, and income and school management type. There was also a significant relationship between income and freeship awareness, as well as between caste and freeship admission success of the households. There was not a significant relationship between income and freeship admission success of the households. Households reported financial strains, academic related challenges, and perceived social differences in interactions.
Summary for Lay Audience
India implemented the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act), of which Section 12 (1) (c) states that private schools are required to reserve 25% of free seats for children of six to 14 years of age from weaker sections and disadvantaged backgrounds. There are many social groups under the disadvantage group category and one of which are the Schedule Castes, the most marginalized in Indian society. There is a gap in the literature as studies around the experiences of Scheduled Caste groups and free seats provision under the RTE Act are lacking.
This study aims to under Scheduled Caste experiences about the 25% reservation provision. The aim of the study is to examine issues related to freeship awareness, schooling access patterns, and schooling experiences. The study adopted a mixed methods approach, using survey and interview data from the larger Insights into Education research project. Survey data were gathered from 851 households in 2015 in one catchment area in Delhi. Interview data were gathered from 43 households from Schedule Caste groups in 2017. They were a sub-sample of the surveyed households successful in securing a freeship seat in 2015.
The analysis found that there was an association between income of the households and school management type as well as caste and school management type. It was also found that the reported household income and awareness about the free seats provision were related to each other. Also, caste and if the households were able to secure a freeship seat were related to each other. Households from Scheduled Caste backgrounds who were accessing private schools via freeships reported financial struggles, issues in helping their child with the academics, and perceived social differences in their interactions with parents and schools.
Khanna, Anushka, "The Right to Education Act and Private Schools in Delhi, India: Experiences of Households from Scheduled Caste Groups" (2022). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 8791.
Available for download on Thursday, August 29, 2024


Supporting Young Childrenâs Understanding of Science
Kappa Delta Pi Record
To bolster science instruction in early childhood and elementary classrooms, teachers can implement practices that focus on big ideas, engage students in science processes, and differentiate instruction.
early childhood education, elementary education, science education
Jung, Myoungwhon; Conderman, Greg; and Jackson, Christine, "Supporting Young Childrenâs Understanding of Science" (2022). NIU Bibliography. 24.
Department of Special and Early Education


An introduction to Google Earth as a fun resource to support literacy and numeracy skills development.
Google Earth aims to combine satellite imagery, maps and the Google Search to âput the worldâs geographic information at your fingertips.â You can view a satellite picture of your chosen location by typing in an address. You can search for schools, parks, restaurants, hotels and get driving directions. You can also tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings.
Google Earth offers some fun opportunities for supporting literacy and numeracy skills development! Here are just a few ideas:
Measure Shape and Space
The 3D mapping tools could help bring the concept of 3D alive. There`s also a measure distance facility that allows you to measure the distance between, say, your home and the train station, or between the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe! The facility to change the units of measurement could support work on metric/imperial measures.
Reading and Writing
The Places Directory allows you to save your favourites and type in descriptions of them. Your learners could read and print out driving directions, and email them to a friend along with a brief message.
To visit the site, go to earth.google.com.


In Reading Readiness, participants learn:
1) the foundational skills that are necessary to become fluent readers and accurate spellers;
2) hands-on, multisensory activities to teach and reinforce these skills;
3) strategies for building instant recognition of words with reliable and unexpected pronunciations; and
4) the importance of explicit and systematic handwriting instruction to spelling and writing.
Grade K Teachers
Focused instruction on specific needs; Structured Literacy instruction
Reading Readiness; Story Retelling with deck; plastic alphabet letters; alphabet mat and arc; alphabet strip; mirrors; sound cards


A Brief History of the Jewish People part 1
While each nation has its own distinctive characteristics which set it apart from others, the Jewish People is unique in many ways which are unlike those of all others, and Jewish History has features which are so distinctive that, in the words of the biblical poet, "Here is a people which dwells apart and cannot be numbered among the nations. "
One of these features is the fact that, for most of our historical experience we have been a diaspora nation. Beginning with the destruction of the city of Samaria, the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel, by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.E., and the expulsion of its inhabitants, a part of the Israelite nation was deported from the Land of Israel and forced into exile. Another community of Israelites, the Judeans, was exiled from Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 597 B.C.E., and a much larger number was driven into Babylonian captivity with the destruction of Jerusalem by the same Babylonian conqueror in 586 B.C.E. We know, therefore, that since the sixth pre-Christian century sizeable numbers of Jews and other Israelites have lived in foreign lands; that is, beyond the boundaries of the Land of Israel; at times by compulsion, and at times of their own free will.
For more than two-and-a-half millenia Jews have inhabited lands the world over, from the most distant regions of South and East Asia to the western shores of the American continents. During the span of their history the Jewish People have undergone acculturation to many different civilizations, in the course of which process they encountered languages which were, at first, foreign to them. But after a brief interval they adopted the languages of the people among whom they lived and absorbed, transformed, and in many cases "converted" them. Over the course of the centuries many "Jewish Languages" arose which served the Jewish People as their vernacular for centuries. These Jewish languages were similar to but in many respects different from the languages of the non-Jewish population among whom they lived.
The Place of Hebrew in Jewish Life
Hebrew is the eternal language of the Jewish People. Regardless of changing linguistic and cultural contexts, throughout their migrations from Israel to Babylonia. from Persia to the Far East, from Alexandria, Egypt to Rome and Northern Europe, from Eastern Europe to the shores of the American continents, the Hebrew language has always been an integral part of Jewish life. It is the language of the Sacred Scriptures of our people, and is called Leshon Ha-Kodesh, "The Language of the Sacred."
Since reading and writing the Hebrew language and translating and understanding the text of the Torah was the standard of elementary education in the Jewish world, Hebrew was always a living part of Jewish life. The Hebrew alphabet was the first system of writing learned by Jewish children; it was the alphabet Jews always used to write every language they encountered, and all Jewish languages were written in the Hebrew alphabet. Hebrew was so integrated into Jewish life, that every language spoken by the Jews acquired a significant vocabulary of Hebrew words.


A child's motor skill development is linked to his or her cognitive development and future learning abilities. That is why, exercise and sports are important from young. The Sports Medicine Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital shares more.
Parents who encourage their pre-school children to favour sport over sedentary play involving video games or mobile device games may be enhancing their cognitive development and future learning abilities.
âThe extent to which a child develops literacy and language skills is related to the development of fundamental movement skills. Early motor skills development helps lay the foundation for early learning and language development,â says Mr Micheal Lim, Head and Senior Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Sports Medicine Service,
KK Womenâs and Childrenâs Hospital (KKH), a member of the
A child develops basic walking and running skills naturally, but for more complex movement skills such as leaping, jumping, throwing and catching, children need facilitated play and structured activities, and usually, need to be taught in a sequential manner.
âDevelopment of fundamental movement skills is especially important for children aged 3 to 10,â adds Mr Lim.
Types of fundamental movement skills
Locomotive movement skills
Involve moving the body from one place to another (e.g. leaping, jumping, hopping, walking, running).
Manipulative movement skills
Involve the ability to control objects using hands and feet (e.g. throwing, catching, striking).
These help to stabilise the body when it is stationary (e.g. standing on one leg â an example of static balance) or in motion (e.g. walking across a beam â an example of dynamic balance).
How fundamental movement skills impact learning
Fundamental movement skills are essential because they stimulate a childâs brain development. When children engage in movement play, they are constantly interacting with the surrounding social and physical environment. This forces their body and mind to interact, and in the process, they form neural connections, which helps develop sensory motor pathways.
Continuous sensory integration arising from movement helps provide a foundation for more complex sensory integration required for learning tasks such as reading, writing and numeracy, as well as psychomotor skills like riding a bike.
Psychomotor skills require balance and complex hand-eye coordination. Once learnt, they become automatic.
Developing fundamental motor skills
Here are some activities that parents can facilitate to help their children develop various fundamental motor skills:
- Long jump (into a sandpit)
- Ball games
- Throwing balloons in the air and catching them
- Kite flying
- Kicking and dribbling (e.g. soccer)
- Walking in line (e.g., pretending to walk on a tightrope)
- Mini obstacle course


The Department for Education is asking musicians, teachers, students and parents for their views in a âCall for Evidenceâ
The UK governmentâs Department for Education is inviting musicians, specialist teachers, young people and their parents to share their views and experiences and what they want to see in the new ânational plan for music educationâ.
The current national plan for music education policy paper, which was published in 2011 and extends until 2020, established the music education hubs â a network designed to give children the opportunity to sing and learn instruments. The refreshed national plan will be published in autumn 2020 and will build on the current plan.
A press release issued by the Department of Education states: The Call for Evidence includes specific questions on areas experts have told us are particularly important, including SEND and inclusivity, music technology and the music education hubs. The responses and experiences put forward will help inform changes to the plan which will then be fully consulted on.
The initiative is designed to help reflect advances in technology in the way music is created, recorded and produced, and to reassess the music education young people benefit from at school, the news release states. It continues: The plan will help level up opportunities for children from all backgrounds to take part in musical education, including the chance to learn how to play an instrument, perform in a choir or band, and develop a lifelong love of music.
School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: âAll children, regardless of their background, should get the opportunity to play musical instruments, learn to sing and learn how to read and write music in the classroom. I want to continue to level up opportunities so all young people can get the best out of their music education. We can only achieve this if we reflect on the latest advances in music and work together with experts in the music industry, specialist teachers, as well as reflecting on young peopleâs experiences.â
Chief Executive of the Arts Council, Dr Darren Henley said: âLearning to perform and compose music is a life changing experience, unlocking decades of discovery, enjoyment and creativity. The Governmentâs commitment to a new National Plan for Music Education is an exciting step in nurturing the next generation of creative talent across England. These young people will go on to become the music industry professionals and the audiences of the future. Itâs important that everyone who cares about music takes part in this consultation so that all young people get the chance to fulfil their musical potential.
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber said: âEvery child should have the right to free music education as a vital part of the school curriculum. Music is an empowering force for good. I am very pleased that the Department For Education has taken on board the proven achievements of the Music In Secondary Schools Trust. Under its aegis, 8,000 children now have full access to music whereas before there was none. Parents report that their children now have pride in their accomplishments and that their self-esteem, confidence and self-worth have grown. It has been proven to be the common denominator in schools where often over sixty languages are spoken. I passionately hope this is the beginning of seeing music back where it belongs as a central part of our schoolsâ curriculum.â
The government recently announced Â£80 million for a further year of its current music and arts programmes, including music hubs.


These CVC word task cards will make a great addition to your Kindergarten phonics lessons. You can build phonemic awareness skills and use these missing sound CVC cards to practise identifying:
These phonemic awareness task cards will help students to build blending/segmenting skills PLUS build their phoneme isolation and phonemic awareness skills. They will allow you to embed phonemic awareness skills into your phonics instruction. This will enable you to cover multiple phonics skills at the same time!
Students can write the words with the missing sounds, or use any alphabet manipulative to fill in the missing sounds on the task cards.
Over 150 CVC words are included, with three different versions for each word: missing beginning sound, missing middle sound, and missing end sound.
You may also like the consonant digraph version!


Written By: Aubrey Breithaupt, OD
Have you ever tried balancing on one foot or standing heel-to-toe with your eyes closed? It is not as easy as one would think to maintain proper body positioning and balance without the use of our vision. Attempting this, you might start to sway, wobble, or tip over and eventually have to catch yourself by putting your other foot down or stepping to the side. What is it about our vision that helps keep us balanced and centered?
Most of us are aware that the light that enters our eyes is sent to our brain to be interpreted as what we call âvision,â but did you know that some of this information is NOT used for vision as we think of it? Most of the visual information captured by our eyes is sent to the posterior (back) part of our brain to be processed and interpreted as what we âsee.â This is called the âfocalâ visual system, and it provides us with conscious, detailed information about WHAT we are looking at â what colors we see, what objects we are looking at, how large the objects are, and all of the other detailed information that allows us to analyze and discriminate what we are viewing. That said, however, 20% of the visual information we receive through our eyes is actually sent to a different part of the brain that is not used to analyze WHAT we see, but to interpret WHERE we are in space in relation to other people and objects. This important part of our vision is called the âambientâ visual system, and it is responsible for helping us understand the space around us and how to move about efficiently within our environment.
Before we can interact effectively with our visual world, we first need to have a sense of âcenterâ for our bodies to understand the space around us and to control our balance and posture. This sense of center is called our âmidline,â and if our ambient vision and other sensory systems are integrated and functioning properly, our midline is centered between both the right and left halves of our body and the front and back halves of our body. The ambient visual system provides about 1/3 of the sensory information that contributes to our midline, but the other 2/3 of this information comes from both the vestibular system (interprets movement and acceleration) and the proprioceptive system (provides sense of limb/body positioning and movement). These three sensory systems must be integrated properly to provide accurate information about our midline and the space around us, otherwise we can experience dizziness, motion sickness, poor balance, poor depth perception, and poor spatial awareness.
Several of the symptoms listed above are common complaints of individuals who have suffered an acquired brain injury (ABI) such as a concussion or stroke, which are frequently attributed to poor organization and integration of the ambient vision, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems. Other individuals that may experience these types of symptoms and poor integration of their sensory systems are individuals with neurological conditions such as general developmental delays, autism, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, and Parkinsonâs disease to name a few. Often times these individuals will also experience difficulty understanding and interpreting movement as well because the same three sensory systems contribute to our ability to process motion. Other common deficits include poor eye movements/tracking, difficulty teaming the eyes together, and inaccurate focusing skills. Our eyes must first know WHERE to look (ambient visual system) before we can expect our visual system to understand WHAT we are looking at (focal visual system) and to move and adjust efficiently to the visual task at hand.
Though the effects and symptoms related to dysfunction of our ambient vision and related sensory systems can be frustrating for those who experience these difficulties, the good news is that vision therapy can help! Most individuals who pursue treatment through vision therapy have very successful outcomes with reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life. Therapy can also help improve other foundational skills of our visual system, such as how our eyes are teaming together, tracking, and focusing. Improving these functions to their fullest potential can help maximize performance for activities such as reading, working, and learning to improve productivity and efficiency throughout our daily lives.


The purpose of this study was to compare music education faculty (MEF) and music faculty (MF) beliefs regarding musical knowledge and skills needed by future music educators, to investigate whether music education curricula are adequately preparing students for current needs in the field, and to explore possibilities for curricular change. Through an online survey distributed to a nationwide sample of college and university MF and MEF, participants ranked what they believed to be the most important music-related courses in music education curricula, indicated courses they believed should receive more emphasis and those they believed should receive less emphasis, rated the importance of various musical skills and musical knowledge related to music teacher preparation, and described any curricular changes they believed would be beneficial in preparing future music educators. Results indicated both groups ranked ear training/aural skills courses as most important in music education preparation programs; however, differences of opinion emerged regarding applied lessons, conducting, elementary methods, performance ensembles, and secondary ensemble methods. Both MEF and MF agreed curricular change was necessary. Coding of qualitative responses revealed that consideration of âtraditionalâ elements was not exclusive to MF.
Wilson, Jill and McGinnis, Emily
"A Comparison of Music Faculty and Music Education Faculty Beliefs
Regarding Music Curricula for Pre-service Teachers,"
Visions of Research in Music Education: Vol. 32, Article 8.
Available at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/vrme/vol32/iss1/8


With April being a month all about celebrating our Earth, we are sharing a few fun family activities that will help you celebrate our planet!
Have a family movie night
Host a movie night for your kids and choose movies with environmental themes such as the animated adaptation of Dr. Seussâ The Lorax (2012), Disneyâs WALL-E (2008), and FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1993). Studio Ghibli, the legendary Japanese animation studio, has several films that explore the relationship between nature and humans, including Princess Mononoke (1997) and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984).
Create brand new sheets of paper
Collect newspapers, junk mail, old catalogs, printer paper, coloring sheets, and other paper materials to make recycled paper. This is a fun and easy activity that can be done with kids of all ages. Here is a quick step-by-step guide from Boston Childrenâs Museum.
Go on a nature scavenger hunt
This activity can get kids of all ages excited about exploring the world around them. Head out to your backyard or a nearby park and see how many different things you can find. Look for items by category, such as colors, and ask your children to find things that are green, yellow, and brown.
Plant a garden
Gardening allows you to connect with nature, improve air quality, and create a beautiful addition to your home. It is also a great way to teach kids about the process of growing plants and the importance of taking care of the environment.
Make a bird feeder
Helping to provide food for local birds shows your commitment to taking care of the planet. All you need is a few supplies (such as pine cones, soda bottles, milk cartons, or toilet paper rolls) and a bit of time, and you will be helping our feathered friends!
There is nothing quite like looking up at the stars on a clear night. Grab a blanket and some hot chocolate, and find a spot outdoors where the whole family can enjoy a few hours of stargazing.
Make recycled art
Recycled art is a great way for children to learn about recycling and to use their creativity. The possibilities are endless! Using materials like old magazines, CDs, or bottle caps, you can have kids make sculptures, puppets, mobiles, or even jewelry. You can also have them use recycled materials to make paintings or drawings.
Visit a nature preserve
Get up close and personal with nature by visiting your local nature preserve for a day filled with adventure. Children will be able to see all kinds of plants and animals in their natural habitat and learn more about our planet.
Make a compost bin
Composting is one of the easiest ways to reduce your familyâs carbon footprint and teach your children some valuable lessons about nature. Your kids will have the opportunity to learn which items are biodegradable and non-biodegradable, why worms and insects are important in the ecosystem, what the three environmental Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) are, and more! With just a little bit of effort, you can turn your food scraps into nutrient-rich soil for your garden.
Volunteer at a local park
If you want to do something more hands-on to help take care of the environment, consider volunteering as a family at your local park. Even young children can pick up trash and pull out weeds. Together, you can help with cleanup efforts, gardening, or even taking care of the animals! Moreover, volunteer activities such as this teach kids community involvement.
Earth Day is a wonderful chance to spend time with your children and teach them about the importance of taking care of our planet. Plus, meaningful family moments can also cultivate a lifelong love of learning in your children, which many early childhood learning centers like Celebree School advocate for. There are many ways you can participate, so be sure to have fun!


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Art educators have the unique ability to be teachers, artists, and basically superhuman. Teaching art isnât like all of the other subject areas; it takes people with special qualities to do what we do. Anniina Suominen writes, âThe purpose of art education is to help people become active citizens and critical thinkers with curious minds and the ability to express their thoughts in a variety of ways.â Thatâs a lot of weight to put on an art teacher, but we rise to the occasion; in fact, we exceed all expectations.
When our worlds get turned upside down, and we are asked to do the unexpected, we have the unique ability to adapt because art education has prepared us to do so. Problem-solving is a skill we try to foster within our students, so thereâs no question that art teachers are some of the best problem solvers in the school. So, when asked to teach a hands-on, high material subject area online, art teachers did it.
Art teachers are no strangers to adapting to adversity, which is what resilience is. In a matter of days, art teachers were asked to transform their studio classrooms into an at-home, remote style of learning. Sure, other teachers were asked to do the same, but art teachers had the extra challenge of trying to figure out how they would teach a class online that required materials without student access. Is this an ideal situation? Absolutely not, but nonetheless, art teachers have overcome the difficulties and made it happen.
Although art teachers are no strangers to working with a small budget, itâs easy to take for granted the materials readily available in our classrooms. Realizing that the supplies our students have access to at home will vary and be limited caused us to get even more creative. Art teachers are finding ways to make it work. They are showing students the power of creativity and problem-solving while being flexible and understanding with students. Even if many of our students have little to nothing at home, weâre finding ways to foster creativity and make art!
To sum it all up, art teachers are doing the impossible. Although we may long for the normalcy and routine of our traditional classroom setting, weâre doing our best to make it work. Art teachers are doing some truly magical things. Weâre still trying to give our students the best art experience possible. What would usually take ten minutes to demonstrate in class, now takes hours to record and develop. Even with this extra amount of work, art teachers will continue to do whatâs best for their students.
According to the 2020 State of Art Education survey, 70.89% of art teachers said that their biggest joy in teaching is building relationships and connecting with students. Teaching art online doesnât always allow for the same sort of connection, but showing up for our students in the ways that we can, matters. When art teachers and students are in the studio together, something amazing happens in the artistic process. Students learn a great deal from each other in the community environment, and although we canât be together, art teachers are doing their best to support their students.
Have you been on social media? Wow, are art teachers willing to share! Whether it be a PLN on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, the art teacher community has rallied together to support one another. Art teachers have always been great at sharing ideas and working together, but this amount of sharing has been taken to an entirely new level. In fact, there are sometimes so many ideas it can be overwhelming. Even though every art teacherâs situation and the role of teaching art online are different, itâs nice to know there is support every step of the way.
Although teaching art online isnât what you may have signed up for, itâs important to recognize the triumphs and successes during challenging times. At the end of the day, art teachers will continue to show up for their students to do what is best for them.
What have you learned about yourself during this time?
Whatâs one positive thing youâve taken from remote learning?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.