NEWTON, MA | August 17, 2005
Three counties in West Virginia have been selected for a new language and literacy research program that will involve 110 pre-school teachers and more than 1,000 four-year olds. The program, to be conducted in pre-school classrooms in Mercer, Cabell, and Kanawha counties, is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the Department of Education, and will be carried out by the Massachusetts-based Education Development Center (EDC).
Researchers plan to test the effectiveness of two EDC-produced professional development approaches, the Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (LEEP), which features traditional face-to-face classes, and the Technology-Enhanced Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (T-LEEP), which offers interactive television and Web-based instruction in addition to face-to-face classes.
“West Virginia is proud to have been selected for this program,” said State Superintendent, Dr. Steven L. Paine. “Giving teachers the knowledge and tools to effectively support language and literacy skill acquisition for our youngest students is vital to improving student learning and achievement,” Paine said.
As part of the research, the children’s progress will be measured by a variety of standardized tests, and teachers will be assessed through classroom observations. Specific instructional practices of teachers in 12 classrooms will be detailed in individual case studies.
“We are so pleased to be working in West Virginia,” said Nancy Clark-Chiarelli, EdD, of EDC’s Center for Children & Families, and an expert in young children’s language and literacy development. “The data we gather from teachers and students in these classrooms will be used to improve the quality of teaching and training for early childhood educators across the country,” she said.


Curricular & Instructional Studies
The mission of the Department of Curricular and Instructional Studies is to prepare professional educators to work effectively in diverse settings such as urban, suburban, and rural learning environments.
Scope and Purpose:
A library collection in support of the Department of Curricular and Instructional Studies needs to cover theories, methods and techniques of teaching in various subject areas at the early childhood, elementary, middle school, and secondary education level. It should also include materials in the areas of computer/educational technology, reading/literacy education, technical education, and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). The collection should also include materials on the characteristics of learners, as well as the varieties of instructional resources and their uses. Works in the areas of elementary, secondary and technical education, as well as literacy education, should be collected at the research level, while other subjects may be collected at the advanced study level. Material related to the instructional use of educational technologies is collected at the advanced study level and includes works focusing on traditional audiovisual media/DVDs, instructional software and the Internet.
The Department of Curricular and Instructional Studies offers a Bachelor of Science degree in the areas of early childhood, middle childhood, secondary education, and technical education. It also offers endorsements in the area of computer science/technology, reading, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. At the graduate level, the department offers a Ph.D. in education; a master of science degree in elementary education, secondary education, and technical education; and a Master of Arts degree in secondary education (with teaching licensure) and literacy education.
Coverage of early childhood education, primary and elementary education, secondary education, ESL, and literacy education should focus on the United States, with additional coverage of English-speaking societies (notably Great Britain, Australia and Canada) and western Europe as being most culturally relevant to our educational system and traditions. In addition, there should be some inclusion of descriptions of major education systems around the world. Coverage in the area of technical education should focus on the U.S., but may also include works discussing technical education in Great Britain, Australia and Canada.
With rare exceptions, this collection is in English.
Historical treatment of elementary and secondary education from ancient times to the present will be included. However, emphasis in coverage is on the current educational practices in the United States, with additional samples of current theory and practices from throughout the world.
The collection includes historical research, empirical research reports, case studies, policy reviews, research methodologies, theoretical studies, educational technology handbooks, research journals, and theoretical and applied discussions of techniques and materials used for instruction. Curriculum guides or sample school teaching materials (e.g., textbooks, nonfiction books, teaching kits) are covered in a separate policy.
Monographs, journals and significant reference works may be collected in print, microfiche, and electronic formats. Increasingly, print journals may be replaced by their electronic equivalents, which are available through either electronic journal collections or education-related article databases. Videos/DVDs are acquired each year to support the instruction of the department.
Some historical study may be supported by the Center for Research Libraries collections. Empirical studies or courses in techniques of research may draw upon the resources of the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). OhioLINK provides ready access to other Ohio libraries' print and video collections.
Textbooks are not collected unless they are of unique importance historically or conceptually.
Policy Revised: 14 Nov 2002


Keeping On Course With ‘A’ Level CourseworkMonday, September 7th, 2009
The transitional step for the pupil doing GCSE coursework to the student embarking on ‘A’ level coursework has to be fluid to maximise success in coursework and examinations. This fluidity is about the student emerging from the more limited challenges of G.C.S.E and vaulting forth, in understanding, application and rigour, onto the higher expectations of the ‘A’ level. After all, the student doing ‘A’ level work is progressing towards a degree and the ‘A’ level is a preparation for that.
‘A’ level coursework can be very demanding. The student, fresh from GCSE coursework, has to adapt very quickly to the increased demands that the higher level of learning offers. Of course, a high achieving GCSE student will be able to adapt much more easily than one who only just made the required grades, but they are designed to sort the wheat from the chaff so one would expect that as a sifting exercise, the ‘A’ level should be effective.
By the time the student finishes their GCSE they (having passed, of course!) should be competent writers, able to complete extended work, producing essays that have a clear, coherent introduction, main discussion and conclusion. GCSEs should enable them to work to an essay outline, formulate essay plans and understand how to generate appropriate, effective essay structure. The G.C.S.E should lay down the foundations for competence in the basics of essay writing but on top of that, start to develop the critical, analytical and discursive elements that will go into having an essay content that delivers what it aims to.
GCSE Success Only A Small Indicator Of ‘A’ level Success
The first year of an ‘A’ level is going to feel overwhelming for new ‘A’ level students as the step up from GCSE is so pronounced. The expectation is that the student will develop a more in-depth method of study that will build on the foundational skills learned at GCSE. The Literature student may well have breezed through their Shakespeare, having few problems with their Romeo and Juliet coursework and coasting through their Macbeth essays without so much as spilled bloodshed, but an ‘A’ level in Literature will feel altogether a more challenging proposition. As so will Geography expect more from the student’s global warming essay than was expected at the lower level of learning and understanding. All subjects will feel like their chosen course is a different proposition altogether.
Although ‘A’ levels are a two year venture, the student cannot afford to fall behind during the first year. The volume of work, with numerous essays and other preparatory work to complement the coursework, means that if the student does not hit the ground running, with serious dedication and commitment to their studies, they can find themselves barely treading water and it is no wonder that many erstwhile students found themselves giving up their studies before the end of their first year.
‘A’ level work is about acquiring greater knowledge. The background reading that has to be done needs to become second nature to the serious student in order to propel them onto degree level. If the student learns to apply themselves to their ‘A’ level coursework, doing the degree will be that much easier.


- About Us
Rebirth of the Renaissance
Alan Simcoe is building time-travel machines. The island musician and teacher is crafting a
lute and a viola da gamba in his workshop two Renaissance instruments that, Simcoe says, are guaranteed to transport audiences to the Europe of Michelangelo and the Medicis.
As instruments for producing music, they are different from modern relatives and not merely mechanically primitive precursors, Simcoe said. They are fully functioning time machines...allowing performer and audience to take part in a first-person historic experience.
Simcoe and Nancy Bergman co-founded the islands first early music program two years ago to expose islanders to 15th to 17th century European music. Their efforts are under the umbrella of the Island Music Teachers Guild, the three-year-old non-profit supporting music education on Bainbridge.
Simcoe, one of the performers at Sundays IMTG fund-raiser for early instruments, received a $2,500 grant from the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council to craft the two Renaissance instruments.
Simcoe has made instruments since the ninth grade. A long-time member of the Guild of American Luthiers, he studied with Jose Romanillos, Jeff Elliot and other experts. He also learned from the late Bob Lundberg of Portland, Ore., a luthier who, Simcoe says, rediscovered processes lost since the 17th century.
They were lost because no ones played these things for a while since about 1750, when Bach died.
Simcoe prepared for his current project by researching related instruments and documents in museum collections in Berlin and Goslar, Germany.
The sound of the instruments is markedly different from their contemporary cousins, Simcoe says, because the Renaissance stringed instruments were constructed to emphasize complexity of sound rather than volume.
A sound thats complex has overtones, Simcoe said, but you trade loud for complex. Any instrument is confronted by the same two parameters complexity vs. volume.
In an era when musicians played in intimate settings for aristocratic audiences, loud was not the favored virtue.
Every step of the construction process of
the instruments is as painstaking today as in 1600.
To bevel the ribs of the lute, Simcoe had to hand-fashion special tools like the rabbit plane, a two-inch long, half-inch wide plane of cherry wood laminated with bone.
The cherry ribs, each two-and-a-half millimeters thick, are bent over pipe, using dry heat.
Simcoe knows from long experience making Torres/Hauser-style classical guitars when the feel of the wood indicates that it is heated enough to bend rather than splinter.
Once bent, the ribs for the lute are held in place over the form with large rubber bands until they set.
The lute and viola da gamba are the foundation for what Simcoe plans to develop into an extensive collection of period instruments available for use by the public through the Guilds early music program.
The Guild, which comprises 18 island music teachers, will store and care for the instruments, Simcoe says, but the public can rent them for a modest fee that will help pay for sheet music and instructional materials.
Simcoe says that periods polyphonic music, written to be played in small groups, works well for music instruction, because each student must be able to sustain an independent line.
Simcoe notes that his move to start a collection of Renaissance instruments is part of the recent revival of early music.
I sometimes wonder what would have been if I had begun to make period instruments when I was younger, Simcoe said. But 25 years ago, the Guild of American Luthiers didnt even exist.
* * * * *
Experience the Renaissance as local musicians play on period instruments 3 p.m. May 19 at Bainbridge Commons. This fund-raising event for the Island Music Teachers Guild early music collection features performances by Alan Simcoe and Nancy Bergman, with community musicians Susan Bray, Barbara Saur, Liam Graham, David Denz and IMTG students. Suggested donations are $15/adults, $5/seniors and students. Information: 842-4120 for more information.


Created in 1961, Youth Art Month is an annual commemoration of the intrinsic and extrinsic value of art education for all learners. Art is medium of expression, creativity, and joy, allowing children the chance to delve into critical thinking and problem solving in less traditional ways. This month provides the opportunity to develop and share meaningful art adventures with people of all ages.
Inspiring Young Artists
Young artists are often eager to join in any art opportunity and share their process and products exuberantly. As time goes on, not everyone shares the same level of comfort. I have found that a number of inspiring books or lead-in activities help to kick start the creative energy of the class.
- Visualizations with watercolors: Have your class close their eyes and imagine a time they were happy. Give them time to hone in on the moment and hold it in their memory. Next, using only primary watercolors, have them paint the feeling. Their work may be abstract or representational.
- Selecting a muse or point of inspiration: During different class periods, I have offered the opportunity to select a piece of inspiration from photos, a school garden walk, music, poems, movies, etc.
- The Dot and Ish by Peter Reynolds, or The Art Lesson by Tomie De Paulo, share insight into claiming your own artistic power.
Drawing from personally relevant and intriguing points of inspiration gives young artists the chance to simultaneously build confidence and skill. This is important in allowing for freedom of expression while maintaining structure to foster development of foundational skills and techniques.
Spread the Word; Get Involved with Art Month Projects
Youth Art Month is a fantastic time to reflect on current arts integration and implementation in schools. It provides a time each year for school stakeholders (teachers, parents, students, and all learning community members) to support and advocate for the arts.
- Contributions to school: Classrooms can each take on a special project or school beautification effort. Some ideas include painting benches, designing murals, creating mosaic stones for the school garden, or designing decorative signs for areas of the school.
- Classroom decoration and design: My classes have always delighted in actively participating in decorating their environment. Some of our favorite projects include window clings, interactive bulletin boards using elements of design, and repurposed crayon activities.
- Art projects: These are a wonderful way to build home-to-school connections. It allows for connection to the curriculum while feeding the left-brains of the whole family.
- Community involvement: This can be fostered through a number of possible outreach events and activities. This includes, but is not limited to art contests, student art display in local libraries and museums, sponsored assemblies or forums on art, sidewalk chalk displays, and arts and crafts workshops for families.
More Art Month Lessons:
Creative art kits provide the chance to explore a featured artist and create memories with art. This step-by-step guide walks through the process for creating, organizing, introducing, and dispersing art kits in the classroom. Kits can be modified to meet specific needs and topical interests.
Using precise measurements of the provided grab bag materials, young artists design, record, and share a personalized art project. Through creative problem solving and critical thinking, each group is sure to each come to a unique end result.
After a brief history of stained glass, young artisans delve into the creation of their own piece of stained glass using acetate. The directions make this project easy to set up, direct, and complete with all ages.


Early Learning Tools: Cognitive Concepts
Earobics Literacy Launch is a research-based supplemental early literacy system designed to ensure that all students have the foundational skills they need to be strong readers. The software covers phonemic awareness, language enrichment, letters and sounds, decoding and spelling, as well as beginning reading and writing. By incorporating the latest research findings, the software enables teachers to provide the most effective strategies for literacy instruction and significantly improves student reading.
Earobics comes with customized professional development and continual support through in-class coaching, modeling and mentoring. Teachers can keep track of their students’ progress with screening tools and detailed printable data reports. The software also supports other languages, including Spanish and Arabic. Cognitive Concepts, Evanston, IL, (888) 328-8199, www.earobics.com.
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2002 issue of THE Journal.


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American children are the most tested in the world, and the poor and the less competent are the most tested of all. We keep trying to improve literacy learning by developing new tests with better technical characteristics. But, as we shall see, all of this testing has had, if anything, the opposite effect. Our error has been in approaching the matter as if it were merely a technical problem as if it were possible, even desirable, to exclude human judgment and values from the assessment process, and as if it were reasonable to treat children as psychological objects. Assessment is a profoundly human, social phenomenon, thoroughly value-laden, and it cannot be otherwise. And in order to draw valid conclusions about a child's learning, a teacher must understand how learning takes place. The very complexity of this is in knowing the available assessment options and understanding their consequences.
In Knowing LiteracyPeter Johnston sets forth the theoretical basis for today's assessment practices in the context of contemporary literacy learning theory. This comprehensive text will equip teachers with the knowledge and techniques to assess in ways that help their students develop a more thoughtful literacy.
Part One describes the social and educational basis of literacy assessment, and develops an understanding of the knowledge required for accurate assessment, including the connections between a teacher's assessment practices and students' self-assessments.
Part Two explores the personal, social, and intellectual nature of literacy and its development-what characteristics to notice and document and what they mean.
Part Three illustrates methods of documenting that development in ways that will contribute to the growth of a democratic literacy. These chapters offer examples of checklists, report cards, portfolios, and observation forms, and discuss their possibilities and implications. Two chapters, co-authored with Marie Clay, are accompanied by a CD of children reading. These chapters and the tape show you step-by-step how to make and interpret running records of children's oral reading.
Part Four is intended to change the ways we talk about children's literacy development. It provides ways to engage various members of the school community in productive conversations about literate teaching and learning.
The final chapter helps us understand how to keep track of literate development without losing our way and forgetting the point of literacy learning.
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WASHINGTON - Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should eat at least 12 ounces of fish and other seafood a week because the benefits for infant brain development outweigh any worries about mercury contamination, a group of US specialists said yesterday.
The recommendations contradict US government warnings that these women should consume no more than 12 ounces of fish and other seafood weekly due to concerns that mercury, which can harm the nervous system of fetuses, might exist in trace amounts in this food.
But the group of 14 obstetricians and nutritionists said the threat of mercury poisoning remains only theoretical, while the warnings have scared many pregnant women into not eating fish at all, robbing them and their babies of vital nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, known to help brain development.
The recommendations were issued in partnership with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, whose members include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agriculture Department, the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others.
The nutrients in fish and seafood are important for brain and motor skill development in children and can help prevent postpartum depression in mothers, the specialists said.
The coalition said it received $60,000 from a seafood industry trade group, but the specialists defended the independence of their work.
"There has been no case of fetal mercury toxicity due to fish consumption reported in the United States," said Dr. Ashley Roman, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University Medical Center, who is involved in the research.


Consultation on Primary school curriculum reform: IET comments to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).
The proposals for the new primary national curriculum are broadly welcomed, particularly as they include efforts to reduce prescription and increase cross-curricular activities. The inclusion of numeracy as part of the essentials for learning and life will help ensure all children have the chance to develop mathematical understanding and skills, which are required at a higher level in engineering. The curriculum for the ‘scientific and technological understanding’ area of learning should refer explicitly to engineering, and make clear how this area of learning will ensure that pupils begin to develop an understanding of engineering and the role it plays in their lives. It is important that the new curriculum makes clear that design and technology can be taught both in unison and discretely. There needs to be clarity between numeracy as part of the essentials for learning and life and the ‘mathematical understanding’ area of learning.
Submission Details Submitted on 17 July 2009 to Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)


Reading to infants and toddlers is important to literacy development. You can begin reading to your infant as soon as you begin talking to him or her. Reading aloud will help your child develop the language and listening skills necessary to begin a lifelong love of language and the printed word.
At three or four months, hold your infant and read books with rhythmic language and brightly colored, simple pictures.
- In a few months, add books that have pictures your infant will recognize.
- Read from cloth and board books that your infant can hold and touch.
- Be dramatic. Use different voices, make faces, and feel free to wiggle, bounce, and sing to engage your infant.
From the age of two to five, children can turn the pages in a book and follow the pictures, repeat the words they have heard you read, follow the story, and “read” on their own.
- Be dramatic and read often, varying the length to accommodate your child’s interest.
- Involve your child by talking about the book while reading.
- Sound out some words and play with sounds.
- Have conversations about the book that you read last or will read tomorrow.
Five- and six-year-olds can begin the ritual with books they can read or almost read. Extend the bedtime hour as children get older so that they believe the reading period is an extra gift of time.
- For more information and tips on how to start growing your child’s love of reading, visit Growing Readers Online.
- For a list of award-winning books and classic works for children compiled by Horn Book Inc., click here.
- Visit the American Library Association’s Web site for a list of Caldecott Medal Winning Books.
- Visit the American Library Association’s Web site for a list of Newbery Award Winning Books


What is a CHAT?
The Comprehensive Holistic Assessment Task (CHAT) is a model developed by the Florida Institute of art Education for assessing student performance in art that includes:
Interdisciplinary instruction with visual art as the focus. Holistic performance tasks. Use of portfolios and journals. Key assumptions of the model are:
Learning and assessment are inseparable. Works of art are content for learning. Teachers and students can direct their own learning and assessment.
The CHAT is a unit of study that:
Relates instruction and assessment in the visual arts.
Implements Discipline-Based Art Education, an approach that regards art as a way of thinking and knowing, essential to the learning of every child.
Emphasizes two major goals: To interpret and create.
Guides students to discover meaning by talking about art, writing about art and making art.
Connects to other works of art, literature, poetry, music, creative drama and movement, as well as language arts, social studies, science, geography and math.
Offers students active, hands-on learning based on real-life experience.
Assists in the development of critical and creative thinking skills.
Nine CHATs have been developed:
Mother's Helper by Diego Rivera, K-2
Study for painting with White Border by Wassily Kandinsky, K-2
Shalako Mana Kachina a Hopi Kachina, K-2
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold, 3-5
Great Wave Over Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai, 3-5
Still Life with Parrots by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, 3-5
Brooklyn Bridge by Joseph Stella, 6-8
Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright, 6-8
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, 7-12
The CHAT model has been developed by
- Teams of art and classroom teachers and experts in art education.
- Field testing in the classrooms of DBAE and non-DBAE teachers.
- Revision and consensus of art education and assessment experts.
- Writing and field-testing scoring procedures and criteria.
- Consultation with national experts in performance assessment from Harvard PACE (Performance Assessment Collaboratives for Education) Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf, Dr. Joan Baron, and Dr. Brent Wilson, Professor of Art Education at Penn State University.
“Assessment is an episode of learning... learners have minds to develop with experience and teaching; it underscores thinking rather than the possession of information and recognizes that minds function in concert with other minds and the tools their culture makes available.”|
Dennie Palmer Wolf
The Getty Education Institute for the Arts, an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, with additional support from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.
For more information contact:
The Florida Institute for Art Education
Florida State University
* 933 West Park Avenue Tallahassee, FL 32360-4210 * (850) 644-2322


NVDAILY.COM | Living Well - A Virginia Cooperative Extension Blog
Posted September 6, 2012 | Leave a comment
Sitting can become a bad habit
By Karen Ridings - email@example.com
Have you heard of "sedentarism"? In the August issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Matthew Fox discusses "sedentarism" and the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle. "Sedentarism" can be thought of as the opposite of being physically active.
How would you rate your lifestyle? In a 24-hour period, do you find yourself mostly engaged in low energy activities such as desk work, TV viewing, reading, sleeping and/or sitting in front of the computer? If you have answered "yes" to this question, then you have a sedentary lifestyle. Do you do some form of exercise at least 30 minutes each day? If you have answered "no" to this question, then you have a sedentary lifestyle. What does this mean for your overall health?
Significant amounts of research now indicate that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and premature death. One of the most important muscles in the body is the heart muscle. Like any muscle in your body, it needs to be exercised to stay healthy and strong. As the old saying goes..."use it or lose it."
Today, many people have sedentar- style jobs and engage in forms of entertainment that require little movement, such as TV viewing and computer games. People who have sedentary lifestyles typically complain of having "no energy" and easily gain weight. There are some easy ways to incorporate physical activity into the day regardless of the job you have. Here are some tips:
Increasing your daily movement each day in combination with a healthful diet will go a long way in keeping you healthy. Break the sitting habit today! Don't let "sedentarism" characterize your lifestyle.
Karen A. Ridings, M.S., R.D., is a family consumer sciences agent located in Frederick County. She joined the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Frederick County office, in January 2008. As a registered dietitian and elementary education teacher, families have always been the primary focus of her career.
Copyright © The Northern Virginia Daily | nvdaily.com | 152 N. Holliday St., Strasburg, Va. 22657 | (800) 296-5137


The article is in the Business section, but should also be in education section. Here the author explains the reason that schools kill creativity.
"Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the capacity to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, relationally (or collaboratively) and innovatively. At puberty, however, the brain shuts down half of that capacity, preserving only those modes of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.
The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us inherently use our innovative and collaborative modes of thought." Schools squelch them. I would say the emphasis on standards in art education is similar to the emphasis on standardized testing in other areas.
Do art classes counteract this educational problem, or are we part of it? Do we experiment with team projects or continue to stress only individual expertise? Do we give innovation top credit, or is correctness and following the assignment given the highest ranking in our rubrics? Do we employ open thinking questions to encourage unique thinking, or do we make suggestions, show demos, and show examples (things that standardize thinking). Do we sweat principles and standards, or do we go with the fun of experimentation, unexpected outcomes, and discovery? According to this article, we too can change and become more creative in our teaching if we take small, but regular steps. I know that some art teachers are doing this well. I think more of us could gradually cultivate innovative and creative art studio classroom culture. This article about changing our habits might provide the inspiration.


Parents are children's first and most important teachers. This simple idea is the foundation for the Even Start Family Literacy Program at Project Self-Sufficiency.
"Even Start is a Family Literacy program with five major components: Adult and Childhood Education, Parenting, Home Visits and Family Activities," comments Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency. "The Project Self-Sufficiency Even Start Family Literacy Program is unique, because although the parent is the one enrolled in the program, success comes when the entire family works toward literacy together."
The Even Start Family Literacy Programs exists primarily to assist parents with obtaining their GED or with passing the college placement exam. A certified instructor who is affiliated with the Sussex County Community College Learning Center is on-site to guide participants through the process.
While in the program, parents also engage in a variety of activities designed to promote literacy within the entire family. Participants are required to read to their children, and to keep a log of their reading time. A Book Club was initiated recently which requires parents to read a book at home and gather together as a group to discuss it as they progress through the story.
"Parent and Child Together Time" is a component that encourages parents to play games with their children and participate in field trips with other Project Self-Sufficiency families. Once a month, all of the participating families troop over to the Little Sprouts Early Learning Center to participate in the Celebrity Reader program, an event which features an invited guest reading a book aloud to the entire group. Past Celebrity Readers have included municipal officials, state and local lawmakers, members of the agency's Board of Directors and other friends of Project Self-Sufficiency.
Janet Allocca has participated in the Celebrity Reader program twice. A former pre-school teacher as well as a former actor in children's theater productions, Janet is an enthusiastic supporter of Project Self-Sufficiency and the Even Start program. "I really love to read to children and to see their reactions. When you are reading to children, if you put a little bit of drama into it, they get so much more out of it. Through this program, the children learn that they can trust other adults and that there are other people who care about them," noted Janet recently.
The Even Start Family Literacy Program is housed in the former Pettit House on Project Self-Sufficiency's new campus in Newton. The home has been converted into areas for study, reading and counseling. There is even a separate Children's Library on the premises, so that children can read to themselves while their parents work in an adjacent room.
"The facility gives the participants a sense of self-respect," noted Janet Allocca. "The facility is top-notch, so the clients feel good about themselves just being there. I admire the vision and perseverance that went into creating this beautiful place."
Project Self-Sufficiency counselors visit participating families at home twice a month, bringing along books that are developmentally appropriate for the age of the children in the household. If the children are old enough, parents and children create a craft project to accompany the story they read together. If infants are involved, the counselor plays games with the child and parent which encourage language development.
Patricia David, Coordinator of Project Self-Sufficiency's Even Start Family Literacy Program, remarks, "Parents are children's first and most important life-long teachers. Research has shown that the higher the educational level of the parent, particularly the mother, the better the children in the family will do in school. Research has also demonstrated that the earlier a child is exposed to language and early literacy development, the better that child will perform in school. With the Even Start program, we work with families to increase developmental activities in the home and help the parents understand the singular and powerful role they play in their children's education."
For information about participating in the Even Start Family Literacy Program, or to find out more about the other programs and services available at Project Self-Sufficiency, call the agency at (973) 940-3500.


"ICT impacts on education in many ways. Access to satisfactory ICT infrastructure is of course a pre-requisite. PISA 2009, the Programme for International Student Assessment which evaluates education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-olds, found that at least 50% of students in Europe were in schools where one computer is available for every two students – a significant improvement in comparison to 2000, when there were between 25 and 90 students per computer. Having said that, infrastructure needs a suitable framework and new curricula need to be developed to ensure successful use of the technological means."
"The Flipped Classroom, as most know, has become quite the buzz in education. Its use in higher education has been given a lot of press recently. The purpose of this post is to:
Provide background for this model of learning with a focus on its use in higher education. Identify some problems with its use and implementation that if not addressed, could become just a fading fad. Propose a model for implementation based on an experiential cycle of learning model."
"Sure, there are plenty of apps you can use in education. There are even apps created specifically for use in education. Apple has a whole category dedicated to education in the App store. But how do you really know which ones are worth downloading, or possibly even paying for?
TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) to the rescue! TCEA regularly tests available apps and recommends apps that teachers should be using.
TCEA maintains a list of recommended apps in a shared document via Google Docs. The list is organized by subject area and free apps are color coded in white.
Click Here To View The Mega Google Doc (H/T Apps In Education):
At the end of 2011, Microsoft quietly launched a social network - http://www.so.cl
"So.cl has been designed for students studying social media to extend their educational experience and rethink how they learn and communicate. They can build posts with many elements—photos, video, text, and more—and share them with colleagues. They also can find students with similar interests and build communities around specific educational goals. So.cl might even give students the ability to create their own social tool, customized for their own community."
It is possible that whilst Google and Facebook destroy themselves fighting to control the whole of the social net, Microsoft has an opportunity to develop strength in a social niche.
Elementary education online degrees prepare you for jobs in education and administration in elementary or primary schools. This page provides information on what is studied and where you can study these programs.
An online newspaper that collects together the week's news relating to teaching and learning - particularly for those interested in finding resources and inspirational stories about education. We'd like to hear your stories. Share them via Adam ...
Serious games, expected to be a US$1.5 billion global market in 2008, are being described by some analysts as the next wave of technology-mediated learning. As organizations intensify their efforts to engage with members of today’s workforce, serious games offer a powerful, effective approach to learning and skills development.
This is part 3 in a 3 part series discussing the concept of 'presence' in online learning communities. I've been writing about online presence in this series and though complex, it is best understood by the Community of Inquiry ...
"Teaching and Learning Weekly" - An online newspaper that collects together the week's news relating to teaching and learning - particularly for those interested in finding resources and inspirational stories about education.


News: News Archives
Kinetic City's After-School Program
Fills in Gaps in Science Education
Kinetic Citythe web-based science education game produced by AAAS and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)is a finalist for the 2003 Codie Awards in the category of Best Elementary Education Instructional Solution.
The Codie Awards are given annually by the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) to honor the industry's finest products and services.
"To make the cut as a finalist is a terrific achievement," SIIA President Ken Wasch says. "Simply put, each finalist is a leader in its field."
Geared toward students in grades 3 through 5, Kinetic City is a fun and interactive way to learn about basic scientific principles.
Once logged on to Kinetic City, a short animation explains which strain of a computer virus named "Deep Delete" is the latest to attack planet Vearth, the virtual Earth. A series of learning activities then helps prepare kids for their Mission To Vearth, where they fight the virus by answering questions and racking up power points.
The game was developed mainly for team play in after-school clubs, and most of the activities can be done away from the computer. Kids can also participate in live online chats with scientists.
"Kinetic City is effective because it's hands-on," says Stella Pla, director for Project Learn at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. "The fantasy aspect engages kids' imaginations so they learn content while they're having fun."
The principles taught are based on the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, the national standards developed by AAAS's Project 2061 that describe what all students should know and be able to do in science, mathematics and technology.
Kim Trudden, education director for the Eastern Branch Boys and Girls Club, credits Kinetic City with picking up where schools leave off.
"In most of the local schools, science has not been a major priority due to the requirements of standardized tests," Trudden says. "Kids are able to learn about science here at the club to make up for what they're not learning in school, and are getting an edge over their peers. Kinetic city is effective because it makes kids think outside the box. They can be creative but are still learning valuable information."
Participating clubs receive training for adult leaders and the written information and materials needed to carry out the activities. Each club also gets its own website where kids can report what they've learned.
Kinetic City began as a weekly radio show featuring the adventures of the Kinetic City Super Crew, a team of young people who travel around the world using science to solve mysteries.
The show won a 1996 Peabody Award, one of broadcast's highest honors, for its "ability to bring science to a new level of imagination." Episodes now air on XM Satellite Radio and other stations.
The Super Crew, also featured in a children's book series published by McGraw-Hill, plays an important role in the storyline of the Internet game as well.
13 January 2003


For tapping out a beat may help children learn difficult fraction concepts, according to new findings due to be published in the journal Educational Studies in Mathematics.
An innovative curriculum uses rhythm to teach fractions at a California school where students in a music-based programme scored significantly higher on math tests than their peers who received regular instruction.
"Academic Music" is a hands-on curriculum that uses music notation, clapping, drumming and chanting to introduce third-grade students to fractions.
The programme, co-designed by San Francisco State University researchers, addresses one of the most difficult - and important - topics in the elementary mathematics curriculum.
"If students don't understand fractions early on, they often struggle with algebra and mathematical reasoning later in their schooling," said Susan Courey, assistant professor of special education at San Francisco State University.
"We have designed a method that uses gestures and symbols to help children understand parts of a whole and learn the academic language of math."
The programme has shown tangible results at Hoover Elementary School in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Courey's study included 67 students.
Half the group participated in a six-week Academic Music curriculum and the rest received the school's regular math instruction.
Students in the music-based programme scored 50 percent higher on a fraction test, taken at the end of the study, compared to students in the regular math class.
Significant gains were made by students who struggle with academics.
The researchers compared the test scores of lower-performing students in both groups and found that those who were taught the experimental music curriculum scored 40 percent higher on the final fractions test compared to their lower performing peers in the regular math class.
"Students who started out with less fraction knowledge achieved final test scores similar to their higher-achieving peers," Courey said.
"Lower-performing students might find it hard to grasp the idea of fractions from a diagram or textbook, but when you add music and multiple ways of learning, fractions become second nature to them."
Courey devised Academic Music with music teacher Endre Balogh. They borrowed aspects from the Kodaly method, a Hungarian approach to music education that incudes movement, songs and nicknames for musical notes, such as "ta-ah" for a half note.
The curriculum helps children connect the value of musical notes, such as half notes and eighth notes, to their equivalent fraction size.
By clapping and drumming rhythms and chanting each note's Kodaly names, students learn the time value of musical notes.
Students learn to add and subtract fractions by completing work sheets, in which they draw musical notes on sheet music, ensuring the notes add up to four beats in each bar or measure.
The programme has also proved itself at Allen Elementary School, a San Bruno public school - not included in the study - that has been using the Academic Music programme since 2007.
"Academic Music brings music into the classroom and gets children to learn math in a different way that's symbolic and not dependent on language," said Kit Cosgriff, principal at Allen Elementary School.
"In every lesson I've observed, the children have been excited and enthusiastic about learning fractions," Cosgriff said.


The following post is from a colleague who is special education advocate, a trained mediator, and past President of the Illinois Chapter of the International Dyslexia Association. She has a great deal of expertise and experience in the area of reading methodologies and knowledge of needed remediations for reading-based disabilities. She has written this post on the subject of guided reading, at my request, since many schools [mis]represent that Guided Reading is appropriate to teach students struggling with a reading disability. I will post a second part tomorrow relating to research-based methods that are appropriate to address the issues that students with reading disabilities face in the classroom.
If you were an observer in a classroom using Guided Reading strategies, you would see small groups of students reading similar books that are "leveled" for the child's reading ability. The teacher would initiate a pre-reading discussion focused on establishing the purpose for reading. She might discuss predicting (talking about what might happen next in the story), or pre-teach some vocabulary the child might encounter. Perhaps she'll talk about something in the book that the children have no knowledge of or experience with.
During the reading process, the teacher observes the readers in their small group and when necessary, may intervene with a strategy that encourages a reader to use the context of the passage to help decode a word. After reading, she leads a post-reading activity to ensure that the children comprehend the passage.
This works relatively well (though not terrifically) for the 80% of the population that are traditional learners. But what of the 20% that have difficulty decoding, making sense of the printed word, or flat out can't read? Their needs are not being met. What is not occurring during Guided Reading, yet is essential, is instruction in decoding: the ability to read words automatically the way good readers do.
For a child with a language-based learning disability, like dyslexia, decoding strategies in guided reading encourage a guessing habit which is difficult to overcome. When a child encounters an unfamiliar word, he or she is encouraged to look at the first letter, and/or look at the picture, and consider what word "might make sense" in the sentence. Another strategy is called "chunking" and it encourages children to find smaller words within the larger word. The words "moth" and "the" can be seen in the word "mother," but will not facilitate proper pronunciation of the word. Providing decoding strategies when an unfamiliar word is encountered in a passage is considered implicit phonics instruction - these strategies are inefficient at best.
Evidence-based research shows that by teaching language patterns explicitly, students become better decoders, which leads to more automaticity, which in turn fosters comprehension. If a child's eyes pause to recognize each word, reading for meaning is difficult, and fluency will be painfully slow. Comprehension will be poor because the brain receives information in small bits. With explicit phonics instruction the rewards are cumulative: language makes sense, the reading process is no longer so frustrating and exhausting, and children choose to read, expanding their world through books.


Math education in the United States remains resistant to systemic change, and our country pays the price. Stemhagen's article "Democracy and School Math" further confirms this trend. Despite repeated calls for reform, decades of research on how people learn, millions of dollars invested in teacher professional development, and years of politicized debate, the math wars rage on—between those who believe students have the capacity to construct their own mathematical ideas and others who insist mastery of the traditional canon must come first. Meanwhile, algebra failure among secondary students remains rampant and elementary education majors report the greatest rates of math anxiety of any college major. Adults and children alike joke about being terrible at math, seemingly unaware of the extent to which this innumeracy serves as a barrier to full participation in democracy as well as to the realization of their individual goals, hopes, and dreams. In the math education community itself, there is little discussion of the unique role mathematics can play in preparing students for democracy. In this short paper, I offer a more detailed conceptualization of democratic mathematics education and discuss the role of constructivism in bringing these ideas to fruition. I suggest that a shift in the power dynamic that characterizes most mathematics classrooms will be a key component in moving beyond the gridlock.
Response to Article
Allen, K. C.
Mathematics as Thinking. A Response to “Democracy and School Math”.
Democracy and Education,
(2), Article 10.
Available at: http://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol19/iss2/10


Here is Reading Horizons Teacher Trainer, Shantell Berrett, explaining what systematic and explicit phonics-based instruction entails, and how it is different from implicit phonics:
Phonics instruction in and of itself isn’t necessary effective. If phonics instruction simply includes an alphabet soup of sounds, a piecemeal approach, unorganized… it won’t help struggling students.
The way that working memory issues effect the way struggling students interpret sounds and their visual representations requires that they receive instruction that logically builds from the smallest concept to more complex concepts. That’s what explicit phonics means—that we start with the simplest sound in a word and then build out from there - from patterns to syllables and then the whole word.
Implicit phonics, which research has shown is not as effective as explicit phonics, implies that students are taught to look at a word and try to use context to figure it out. If they can’t figure it out from context, then they come back and go from whole to part, whereas, explicit phonics teaches students to read words from part to whole.
Research has found that students that struggle with reading have working memory issues—thus, the ability to filter, categorize, and prioritize information is very difficult for struggling students. Thus, instruction needs to filter, categorize, and prioritize information for them. They need systematic instruction that guides them through each phonetic and decoding skill using a step-by-step, logical sequence.
Learn Reading Horizons systematic and explicit phonics-based method with 30 days of free access to our Online Workshop. Sign up now! ›


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Word Families 2, 3, 4 Letter Words Big Book (Enhanced eBook) (Resource Book O eBookGrade 1|Grade 2|Grade 3
Please Note: This ebook is a digital download, NOT a physical product. After purchase, you will be provided a one time link to download ebooks to your computer. Orders paid by PayPal require up to 8 business hours to verify payment and release electronic media. For immediate downloads, payment with credit card is required.
Forty - eight word families are covered in this resource featuring 2, 3 and 4 letter word families for each of the 5 vowels. For each family, three parallel activities are included. Lessons start with a simple printing exercise, followed by an exercise for the use of words in context to draw out meanings. Picture matching is used to enhance the connections. The third activity focuses on deeper understanding and use of the words in context, spelling, and grammar skills. Games like picture bingo, riddles, and silly poems and stories make this a resource that is both practical as well as enjoyable for students. A teacher guide with suggestions for extension activities is included. Supports Common Core Standards for Reading, Foundational Skills, Phonological Awareness.
This enhanced eBook gives you the freedom to copy and paste the content of each page into the format that fits your needs. You can post lessons on your class website, make student copies, and more. For more information on enhanced eBooks, Click Here.
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About Interdisciplinary Studies Elementary Teaching Emphasis
The Interdisciplinary Studies Elementary Teaching (ISET) major is required for all students pursuing licensure in elementary education as it provides the broad academic background that is essential for an elementary teacher. This plan of study equips students to address the full range of the Colorado Academic Standards in their teaching. Students can also pursue English as a Second Language (ESL) in the ISET major. To complete the elementary licensure program students take the Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) courses. Early field experience, a literacy practicum, and a full semester of student teaching puts classroom theory into practice.
The coursework in this cross-college major is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Courses in the Liberal Arts Core (LAC) provide the broad foundation, with courses from eight general categories required. The required ISET Core courses narrow the focus to four disciplines or clusters of disciplines: math, science, history and the social sciences, and language and literature. These courses examine ways of thinking within and across broadly related disciplines. An Area of Concentration provides students with more in-depth study of an academic discipline.


SAS Curriculum Pathways tackles need for vital maths skills
Success in algebra critical to future science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) careers
06 September 2012 - SAS Curriculum Pathways has launched a free Algebra 1 course, to supplement what it has already been providing for 11 to 19-year-old students since its launch in March, giving them the opportunity to build on key STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills. These skills are in short supply in the UK at present; in particular the shortage of people with maths skills integral to many industries.
A recent study conducted by KPMG revealed that around 15 million adults in the UK have numeracy skills equivalent or below those of an 11-year-old school child. This failure to master basic numeracy skills is costing the UK economy up to £2.4 billion each year. This study comes as the current National Curriculum learning systems for maths lessons in schools have been criticised for not providing a sufficiently well rounded programme to develop key skills, in particular within mathematical reasoning.
Algebra 1, the latest release from SAS Curriculum Pathways, aims to tackle some of the issues surrounding maths in the current National Curriculum by offering an interactive learning platform designed to help students in this area. Offering explanations of mathematical concepts using familiar terms, it uses a wide range of learning media, such as video and audio, to prompt students to engage with the programmes and develop the skills so desired within industry.
Relevant to secondary level maths, key stages 3 to 5, Algebra 1 is presented as a process logically guiding students through the use of algebraic functions and offering problem solving opportunities in 50 separate activities. These take students though basic equation solving, exploring functions, systems of linear equations and solving and graphing quadratic functions, all of which have been specifically designed to enhance the learning experience.
Geoffrey Taylor, Academic Programme Manager at SAS UK & Ireland, comments: "These new figures surrounding the lack of maths skills in the UK are concerning. With the growing amount of Big Data being generated a strong numerical understanding is vital for providing the basis for many careers within the growing business analytics sector, an area where SAS is a market leader. Algebra 1 is providing students with the building blocks to develop a key understanding of maths which may help to produce the analysts of the future for SAS and our clients."
Algebra 1 is designed to be integrated into lesson plans in schools throughout the UK, supporting the current learning requirements of the National Curriculum and offering a wide range of activities which address the learning needs of students.
SAS Curriculum Pathways is a free online resource for secondary school teachers and students, focused on core STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. Specifically designed for 11 to 19-year-olds, including GCSE and A Level students, it comprises interactive tools, web lessons, enquiries and audio tutorials in an easy to use learner-centric format. More than 150 UK schools have already signed up for the resource.
SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions, SAS helps customers at more than 60,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world
The Power to Know®


If you have to write an essay on music, you can focus on various subjects, such as the works of a certain composer, the historical development of music, ethnomusicology, or music theory. In case you are looking for great musical essay topics, you should read this article.
Music Essay Topics: Focusing on History and Culture
Students studying the history of music and its role in the cultural development of society can use the following questions and prompts as essay topics:
- Cultural origins of jazz and its development in the nineteenth century.
- What are the major musical innovations introduced during the Baroque period?
- The main stylistic peculiarities of Romantic music. Refer to the works of composers who worked during this period.
- Modern musicologists draw distinctions between “high culture” and “low culture”. How can these terms be applied to the music of the twenty-first century?
- What is the definition of popular music? When did this term emerge and how has its meaning changed in time?
- How can the term “folk music” be defined? Has the meaning of this concept changed in the course of the twentieth century?
- Can music be used as a means of propaganda? If yes, what are some examples of such usage?
Music Essay Topics: Evolution of Genres and Forms
The development of a musical genre or form can be a good subject of an academic paper. People needing great musical essay topics may choose one of these questions:
- What are the distinctive features of a fugue? What are the differences between fugues created by Baroque composers such as Bach, and fugues composed in the twentieth century? How has this musical form evolved in time?
- What are the origins of opera? How did this art form come into prominence?
- What are the key characteristics of space rock? Who helped to crystallize this genre?
- How does hip hop music of the seventies differ from modern-day hip-hop?
- Symphonic music and its evolution in the course of the nineteenth century.
- Sonata during Classical and Romantic periods.
- Richard Wagner’s revolution of opera.
- How did Niccolo Paganini change violin-playing techniques?
Music Essay Topics: Theory and Education
People looking for an excellent musical essay topic should pay attention to disciplines such as music theory. Moreover, music education can also be an interesting subject for your paper. Here are some examples that you may consider:
- What is harmony? What kind of harmonic structures emerged in the twentieth century?
- What is the use of set theory by musicologists? Does musical set theory resemble mathematical set theory?
- What is Schenkerian analysis? What are its major objectives?
- How can elementary group theory be used by musicologists?
- The importance of music theory for composers and performers.
- At what age should music education start?
- What is rote learning? How can this method be applied in music education?
- What are the therapeutic effects of music? How can educators use music in the classroom?
- What are the main principles of the Kodaly method? What are the main duties of a teacher who uses this approach?
How should a student prepare for the performance of a musical piece?
Hopefully, you will be able to use one of these topics for musical essay. Each of them can be really thought-provoking and interesting.


June 12, 2012 | 7:00 pm | Print
Above: students at Haiti’s National Institute of Music
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Can classical music help Haiti’s development?
Haiti’s government thinks so, and has launched a new project to use classical music to help mentor the country’s youth, together with the National Institute for Music.
The plan will involve the creation of several youth orchestras, beginning with children who are not yet in kindergarten.
At first a pilot project in the area of Dopalais, the plan could eventually extend to all departments of Haiti.
The idea came in part from Haiti President Michel Martelly, after he watched the world-renowned Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra on a visit to Venezuela last year.
It was officially launched Monday in a ceremony at the Karibe Convention Center in Petionville.
Raoul Denis and his sister, Pascale Denis de Moquete, the project’s leaders, said they were confident that it could have a positive impact on Haiti’s youth.
Culture Minister Mario Dupuy said that with Haiti’s rich culture of music, encouraging children, particularly those who are underprivileged and vulnerable, to thrive by practicing music is one of the “surest ways to give them confidence.”
Martelly, in a statement from the National Palace, emphasized the importance of music education for young people.
The ceremony was attended by Andres Gonzalez, a delegate of Venezuela’s El Sistema programme, which was founded in 1975 by Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu.
El Sistema (short for the National System of Youth Orchestras) is a state foundation in Venezuela that oversees 125 youth orchestras in the country.
Gonzalez said the initiative could help children learn to express themselves and become “true creators,” pledging that Venezuela’s government would help provide support to the project.
The success of Venezuela’s project led the Organization of American States to launch the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, which debuted in 2000.
A number of countries in the region, including Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic, have set up similar programmes.
1 of 1


UNESCO's IFAP to measure information literacy
UNESCO's Information for All Programme (IFAP) releases a paper providing a basic conceptual framework for measuring information literacy. Entitled Towards information literacy indicators, the publication includes a definition of information literacy; a model that links information literacy with other adult competences, such as ICT skills; and a description of information literacy standards in education.
While recognising the considerable effort being invested by many international organizations in "measuring the information society", UNESCO's IFAP aims to identify additional indicators to measure the development of knowledge societies. Measurements of knowledge societies focus more on people and government priorities than on the information itself or the information technologies. They focus more on the impact of information on societies than on access to information, for example.
Information literacy is part of an integrated set of skills which adults need to be effective in all aspects of their lives. As derived from the Alexandria Proclamation of 2005, information literacy is the capacity of people to:
- recognise their information needs;
- locate and evaluate the quality of information;
- store and retrieve information;
- make effective and ethical use of information, and
- apply information to create and communicate knowledge.
The development of indicators of information literacy is a priority at both national and international levels. Information literacy underpins many of the Millennium Development Goals, for instance, combating diseases and enhancing employment opportunities. Indicators of information literacy can help countries to identify the effect of policies to foster information literacy development and to know the extent to which their citizens are able to participate in a knowledge society.
This is why UNESCO, through its Information for All Programme, decided to engage in the development of an international framework for measuring information literacy through which achievements at both international and national levels can be demonstrated and future efforts can be better focused.
The publication is available online in PDF: click here.
<- Back to: News articles


How phonics helps children learn to read and write
As adults, we've learned to read over our lifetime thousands of words by sight. We know the words without thinking. Even on the rare occasions we come across new words, we can normally work out how to say them. Often though we've forgotten how we manage to do this.
Young children learning to read don't know thousands of words by sight and don't know how to sound out words they don’t recognise.
A child who can read well early progresses faster with the rest of their education. Obviously, parents are keen to help their children, but sometimes our best efforts can be counter-productive.
Letter names and sounds
It may seem a good idea to teach the alphabet as your first step in home schooling. The problem though is letter names (what we call the letters) are not the same as the letter sounds (how we say the letter when we use it in a word). For instance, "a' in "cat" . Our video also illustrates this key point.
A child who knows their letter names won't actually find that this helps them to read even simple words like "mat".
How Phonics works
“In the largest, most comprehensive evidenced-based review ever conducted of research on how children learn reading, a Congressionally mandated independent panel has concluded that the most effective way to teach children to read is through instruction that includes a combination of methods.The panel determined that effective reading instruction includes teaching children to break apart and manipulate the sounds in words (phonemic awareness), teaching them that these sounds are represented by letters of the alphabet which can then be blended together to form words (phonics), having them practice what they've learned by reading aloud with guidance and feedback (guided oral reading), and applying reading comprehension strategies to guide and improve reading comprehension.” US National Reading Panel, press release, 13 April 2000
"In the most famous experiment, in Clackmannanshire, children taught using synthetic phonics were years ahead of their contemporaries by the time they moved on to secondary school." bbc.co.uk 20 March 2006
Phonics maps the sounds we use to say words to the letters we use to write them.
Once a child does know just a few sounds, they are able to start sounding out simple words. They can actually start to read. And that's a huge incentive for them to learn even more sounds and be able to read more words.
PocketPhonics uses the new magic of the iPhone to teach the old magic of phonics.


New York and Las Vegas, January 9, 2009 – Mobile device use is exploding among children worldwide, cell phones and iPods are this generation’s preferred form of social communication. More than half of the world’s population now owns a cell phone and experts project that people will use cell phones as their primary means of accessing the Internet by the year 2020.
However, most educators and parents have been skeptical, until now, about mobile devices’ value in learning. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop issued a new study today documenting the untapped potential of mobile learning. The report, drawing on market trends and model programs, outlines the first-ever national mobile learning strategy, urging the Obama administration to make new investments in digital learning technologies and teacher training.
The findings and recommendations of Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning, were unveiled by Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop at the Kids@Play Summit at the 2009 International CES® in Las Vegas.
The study found that just as Sesame Street transformed television into a revolutionary learning tool for preschoolers, mobile learning technology may represent the next frontier. Pockets of Potential includes an inventory of over 25 notable examples of mobile’s power to transform learning ... . The report, by Center Industry Fellow Carly Shuler offers a review of scientific literature and a blueprint for national action. Major recommendations include:
- New Investment in R&D - New government and philanthropic investment is needed to assess the impact mobile technologies have on children’s learning and development, including brain and behavioral functioning. New industry designs and educational applications must be created rather than “shrinking” existing tools to fit mobile devices.
- Establish a Digital Teachers Corps - Most teachers and after school staff have little training in the uses of mobile technologies for educational benefit. The report recommends the establishment of a digital teacher corps which would prepare educators to use digital media to promote 21st century literacy.
- Create a White House Initiative on Digital Learning - The report calls for a White House Summit and a digital investment fund to accelerate and promote mobile innovation to help benefit the economy.
- Modify Classroom Access - Most school districts limit cell phone use in classrooms and some have banned their use altogether. The report recommends steps to gradually introduce mobile devices in schools, beginning with an experimentation phase in which teachers are trained for integrating interactive mobile media and students learn skills and appropriate behaviors.
“Mobile devices are part of the fabric of children’s lives today: they are here to stay,” said Dr. Michael Levine, Executive Director of The Joan Ganz Cooney Center. “It is no longer a question of whether we should use these devices to support learning, but how and when to use them. Sesame Street introduced children to the educational potential of television. A new generation of mobile media content can become a force for learning and discovery in the next decade.”
Pockets of Potential outlines key challenges that must be overcome for mobile learning to take hold, including the lack of large-scale evaluation evidence, public concerns about their disruptive nature, widely varying technologies, the need for consistent design standards and privacy issues.
Pockets of Potential was supported by the Pearson Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS Kids’ Raising Readers.
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop is an independent, non-profit research center that examines the role of new technologies in learning and literacy development both in and out of school. [snip] The center is named for Sesame Workshop's visionary founder, who revolutionized television with the creation of Sesame Street. [snip]
Full Text Available At
Mobile Devices Seen as Key to 21st-Century Learning


The quality of learning in primary schools was Tuesday questioned after a report showed that only one in every three pupils has basic literacy and numeracy skills.
And although Kenyan pupils emerged better performers than those from Uganda and Tanzania, the situation was described as "being the best of the worst".
According to the annual Are Our Children Learning ? report, less than one third of pupils in class three across East Africa passed basic tests in literacy and numeracy set at class two level.
By the time they are enrolled in class seven, the report said, two in every 10 pupils still did not have class two level competencies.
“Despite significant gains in expanding access to primary schooling, actual literacy and numeracy outcomes remain significantly deficient across the region,” Dr Sara Ruto, head of educational lobby group - Uwezo East Africa - said.
This is the third consecutive year that Uwezo has released an assessment of teaching and learning in schools in the region that have consistently indicated low levels of learning in the institutions.
Some 350,000 children in 150,000 families across the three countries (320 districts) were tested.
Like in other years, the report indicates that Kenyan children performed relatively better than their counterparts in Tanzania and Uganda on tests on basic writing, reading and computing numbers.
Ugandan children performed worst, but overtook Tanzanian pupils by the time they were enrolled in class seven.
“Those from lower socio-economic households perform worst in all in all three countries while those from the private schools do better than those in the in public schools, particularly in Tanzania,” it said.
In the numeracy test, children were asked to recognise numbers and count, as well as perform basic calculations.
The tests were set according to the class two level curriculum for each country meaning that one would expect pupils attending class three or above to correctly answer the entire test question.
A literacy question gauging reading and comprehension competencies in English language was also administered.
The language is taught as a subject in the three countries and is tested at the primary leaving exams in both Kenya and Uganda.
Additionally, in Tanzania and Kenya a further literacy test was administered in Kiswahili.
“Children were asked to recognise a letter of the alphabet, read a word, read a paragraph, and read and comprehend a short story,” the report said.
Head of the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association Joseph Karuga said teachers lacked adequate skills to transfer knowledge to the learners noting that teacher training colleges needed to do more.
“Today, most teachers are not addressing the question of how learners actually learn,” Mr Karuga said, adding that teachers were not addressing the actual needs of the learners.
The Uwezo report calls for testing out new ideas in teaching and learning.
“The basic mode of classroom pedagogy today in most schools has not changed much over the decades,” it said adding that focus should be placed on outcome of the learning and not input.
“… the ultimate measure of success that should be learners’ abilities - not how many desks are there but can Juma read?”


Phonic Boom Study Backs `Building Blocks' Reading Method
1996, Los Angeles Times, St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Adding new ammunition to the fight over how best to teach reading, a federally funded study has demonstrated in classrooms what had previously only been theorized - that intensive drills in phonics and the building blocks of words make young students better readers.
The study at the University of Houston, to be presented next week in Sacramento, Calif., at a legislative hearing on teaching methods, is expected by many reading researchers to become a turning point in the long-running debate between advocates of phonics and those who favor the "whole language" approach, which stresses stories and discussion and eschews drills.
The Houston study comes down solidly on the side of phonics instruction. Reading gains for students taught the phonics way averaged twice those notched by students taught using whole language.
Conducted among 374 first- and second-graders lagging behind in a suburban school district there, the study found that students exposed to intensive phonics drills performed at the 42nd percentile on a nationally administered standardized test, whereas those in whole-language classes were at the 23rd percentile.
Another group of students who were taught phonics, but mostly using only the words appearing in their reading, ranked just slightly better, at the 27th percentile.
"What we're doing here …
Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Phonic Boom Study Backs `Building Blocks' Reading Method. Contributors: 1996, Los Angeles Times - Author. Newspaper title: St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO). Publication date: May 5, 1996. Page number: 9A. © 2008 St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.


Most children begin learning phonics by sounding out letters and learning what items represent that sound and that letter, i.e. A is for apple; A sounds like “aaaaaaaaaaaaaa”. Children begin learning phonics from parents, siblings, videos, and music at a very early age (2-4 years old) even before entering school.
Phonics and phonemic awareness are comingled when teaching children in this manner. Phonics involves the relationship between sounds and written symbols, whereas phonemic awareness involves sounds in spoken words. Therefore, phonics instruction focuses on teaching sound-spelling relationships and is associated with print. Most phonemic awareness tasks are oral.
Even though parents are the initial teachers, it will take a professional to instill all of the rules of phonics and to teach students decoding skills as they begin to read. Hiring a tutor with experience teaching early learners will ensure a student’s success as they begin elementary school. A professional tutor can also reinforce phonics for those students that were taught the Whole Language approach to reading and are still struggling in 2nd and 3rd grades. Hiring an Advanced Learners tutor is a guarantee that you will receive a professional tutor that can make a difference in a child’s ability to read.
The basic learning blocks of every child's education are built in elementary school. It is here that a life long love for learning is fostered. The fundamental reading, writing, and math skills are introduced to your child for the first time in elementary school. In order to be successful, elementary students need to master basic listening and study skills. Elementary school should be a positive, nurturing environment where children are introduced to learning.
Known as “The World's Greatest City of the Arts and Outdoors,” Eugene, OR, was the original home of Nike, which is not surprising with all the lush greenery, river ways, hiking trails, bicycling, and other recreational activities. Also home of the University of Oregon, Eugene places a great importance on education. As such Eugene residents demand the very best in private tutoring. They appreciate the outstanding service they receive when working with our customer service team and our tutors. We provide highly qualified and experienced tutors available in all areas of Eugene from Pleasant Hill to Junction City, and best of all they come directly to you! Our reputation as a premium service in Eugene and surrounding areas is evident in the hundreds of testimonials we have received from parents, students, and schools throughout Oregon.
View Some Of Our Elementary Phonics Tutor Profiles
Our Tutoring Service
We offer our clients choice when searching for a tutor, and we work with you all the way through the selection process. When you choose to work with one of our tutors, expect quality, professionalism, and experience. We will never offer you a tutor that is not qualified in the specific subject area you request. We will provide you with the degrees, credentials, and certifications each selected tutor holds so that you have the same confidence in them that we do. And for your peace of mind, we conduct a nation-wide criminal background check, sexual predator check and social security verification on every single tutor we offer you. We will find you the right tutor so that you can find success!


Orff, Carl (ôrf) [key], 1895–1982, German composer and educator. After studying at the Academy of Music at Munich, he helped to found the Günter School there in 1924. As a composer Orff wished to simplify music, to return to its primitive components. He attempted to adapt old monodic forms to modern tastes, employing dissonant counterpoint and vigorous rhythms. His most famous work is the Carmina Burana (1937), a scenic oratorio derived from a group of medieval poems in German and Latin (see also Goliardic songs). This oratorio forms part of a trilogy that includes Catulli Carmina (1943), a scenic cantata based on the works of Catullus; and Trionfo di Afrodite (1953). Orff's other works include the operas Der Mond [the moon] (1939) and Die Kluge [the wise woman] (1943). From 1960 he was head of the Orff School for Music in Munich. His work in music education has attracted a considerable following in the United States.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
More on Carl Orff from Fact Monster:
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Music: History, Composers, and Performers: Biographies


The UCO Child Study Center is organized in learning areas which facilitate the curriculum.
There are certain things that our age needs. It needs, above all, courageous hope and the impulse to creativeness.
Many materials are available for the children to express in their own creative way. In the art center, children are learning. Our program sees "art" as spontaneous, creative, and fun. We do not focus on the finished product but rather the process of creating something new and enjoying the process.
See also: Children at Play.
Block play provides children opportunities for children to develop motor, social and cognitive skills. When we play in the block center, we are learning:
A variety of size and shape blocks are available to encourage both small and large motor development and to encourage children to utilize their imaginations. Children may work together or alone to plan and create their ideas.
The children are provided a variety of language and literacy experiences through small and large group times and during self-initiated play. In the language/literacy center children learn:
Children learn at a young age and have an interest in reading to being read to. Adults in the world model the importance of reading by giving children early exposure to books and other forms of print. The books area contains a variety of books and print related materials .The literature area provides children opportunities to practice reading, retell a story, and connect words with pictures. Language and literacy development is also being developed through experiences with letters, puppets, dramatic play and manipulative toys.
When children play in the science center, they are learning and using their imaginations. They are learning about the world around and investigating their ideas. Nature and the objects in a child's environment are of particular interest to them. Therefore, we take this natural process of curiosity and expand it in the classroom. Our children learn about animals, nature, and organisms in their environment. Children are given opportunities to observation, classification, documentation, experiment, measurement, predictions, and communication.
Through outdoor play children learn:
Our outside time is an extension of the classroom. Children learn to play together, follow rules, and most of all we work on our motor skills which are the building blocks of later development. Outside we are able to play in our large sandbox and investigate our natural surroundings and play on the large climbing/sliding equipment.
When we play in the sand and water tables, we are learning:
Children have a natural curiosity for sand and water. This curiosity helps to make this area a wonderful place for children to learn. By playing with friends to investigate what floats or sinks or how to build with sand. They learn important skills such as weighing, measuring and comparing quantities. By playing with friends, children are building important social skills for life.
Manipulative materials can enhance motor skills, eye-hand coordination, mental, language, and social skills. Our Manipulative includes puzzles, blocks, stringing objects, legos, pegboards, and games.
When children play in the manipulative center, they are working on:
Dramatic play can encourage children to try out social roles and real life dialogue. Dramatic play facilitates language, social and creative development. When we play in the dramatic play center, we are learning:
Children learn the ability to pretend at a very young age. This learning experience is the building block of future success. In the dramatic play center children learn to assign and take roles from the other children. They learn to pretend and imagine what their future might hold. Our dramatic play area is constantly changing to reflect the environment in which the children live. You may see it as a doctor's office, a fast food establishment, an airport, a grocery store, or many other places that children see in their world. This area very often becomes a favorite for many children.
Through music and movement activities children have opportunities to listen, sing, create dance and play musical instruments. The children are exposed to a variety of music and movement activities through group times and self selected play.


Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.
I did find something about Tona rituals in the book:
MASK ARTS OF MEXICO, Ruth D. Lechuga, ChloŽ Sayer, Chronicle Books, San
Francisco, 1995, pp. 48.
It begins Chapter 3, DOMINION OF THE ANIMALS with:
"In Mexico, according to popular belief, each man and woman shares a
common destiny with an animal counterpart. If someone is without food, the
animal will go hungry; if the animal suffers injury, the human being will
become ill; if the animal is killed, the human being will die. Tona (also
Tono) is the term for this animal guardian or soul companion.
Before the Conquest each deity also had a tona. Tezcatlipoca, the
'Smoking Mirror,' was a very important god in Aztec cosmogony. Nocturnal
and invisible, he was represented by an obsidian mirror. He could bestow
riches and good fortune or withhold them at whim. His tona was a jaguar,
popularly known throughout modern Mexico as the tigre (tiger). This may be
why the tigre is the most revered and feared of animals."
Then it went on to talk about numerous other tonas, and about the dance of
los tejorones where these tona masks were aparently worn. Perhaps los
tejorones is familiar? Thanks so much for your research!
At 9:39 AM 10/21/97, Lorena Nalin wrote:
>I am sorry to say that the guru of Hispanic culture here at the University
>of Arizona Southwest Cultural Center has not heard of this ritual/festival.
>Perhaps it comes from another geographical area, there a a couple of books
>he suggested that are here at the UofA library but I'm not hopeful they
>will be helpful. How quickly do you need the information?
>It might be something I can pass along to the UofA Art Education Listserve.
>The students are in the library more often than I am.
>Let me know.
>>Wow, Lorena, thanks so much! I look forward to hearing from you!
>>At 5:52 PM 10/12/97, Lorena Nalin wrote:
>>>This week is conference week, so I will have some time to contact the
>>>Unversity of Arizona's Southwest Heritage Center, they are part of the
>>>library system. If anyone knows about this ritual it will be them.


Raising A Reader
An Early Literacy Program
Need for Early Literacy Programming
Children from low-income households trail behind their higher-income counterparts in literacy at an astounding level. According to research, youth from low income families typically score at or above the average level in reading at half the rate of children from more privileged homes. Poverty negatively affects both material resources and learning resources, which youth need to achieve early literacy development. Research shows that there is a drastic difference between access to these material resources in impoverished communities as compared to wealthier communities: in low income communities, only one book title is available for every 300 children, as compared to 13 book titles available for every child in middle class communities.
Raising A Reader Programming
The Raising A Reader program currently serves over 350 children ages three to five at Children’s Home + Aid’s Early Childhood Care + Education Centers. The Raising A Reader program marries two of the Early Childhood Care + Education Centers’ goals: 1) to ensure that children are "kindergarten ready" when they leave the program at age five and 2) to work with parents and caregivers to support their involvement in the education of their children. The program supports early brain development, parent-child bonding and early literacy skills by encouraging parents to read with their children and engage their child in positive parent-child activities that support emergent language and literacy skills.
The Raising A Reader program allows staff to work with children and parents of various cultural backgrounds and literacy levels to teach them how to engage in language sharing and reading activities through the use of culturally sensitive books. Children receive “Red Book Bags” filled with books and materials to use at home. Parents are given training and support to engage in “Book Cuddling” activities at home. By involving the entire family in Raising A Reader activities, parents become positive role models for reading. In addition to building the relationship between parent and child, Raising A Reader programming also helps ignite a love for education in low-income children which, in turn, helps to put them on equal footing with their middle-to upper-class peers once they enter Kindergarten.
| Children Served
|Early Childhood Care + Education Center
||Children Participating in Raising A Reader
|Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child + Family Center
|Marletta Darnall Schaumburg Child + Family Center
|Tom Thumb Community Child Care Center
|Scott Early Learning Center of Bloomington
The Impact of Raising A Reader—A Success Story
There was a great enthusiasm for the Raising A Reader program when it was first introduced that continued throughout the year, with parents and teachers in the Freidheim Center’s other classrooms eagerly inquiring about when the program would be expanded to serve them as well. The “Red Book Bags” filled with parent-child books and literacy activity materials that the children went home with created a ‘buzz’ at the Freidheim Center, making the families involved in the program feel privileged to participate, enhancing their commitment. One parent commented on her experience with the program by saying, ‘For the first time ever my family finally has a routine, first the red bag, then showers, then bed.’ By involving the entire family in literacy and reading activities, the Raising A Reader program has helped parents become positive role models for reading. In addition to building the relationship between parent and child, the program also aims to ignite a love for education in the child.
– Angela Benton, Literacy Coach, Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child + Family Center
Raising A Reader—Program at a Glance (PDF)


Space Images Database
Space: the final frontier of images! This application gives you over 2900 high-resolution images taken by hundreds of different observatories all over the world, including many images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Many NASA and university images are included here.
This app includes some basic information about the photo, like what the subject matter is, and some interesting facts about the subject matter (available for most, but not all, images).
You do not need an internet connection to use this app. All images and information are viewable offline.
This is an excellent pocket reference for those who wish to learn more about space exploration and astronomy. It's a great way to stimulate interest in science for kids, and can be used by teachers as a learning springboard to advanced topics in space and physics.
A subset of the overall feature list for this application includes:
- Advanced search for all space iamges. The top 150 images are returned by the search engine. If you need a more finely-tuned search, simply add more terms into the search field. Category-based search is available.
- Add/edit/remove images, and access images you added using My Images. If you find space data that needs revision, you can edit it using your on-screen keypad, or add your own interesting facts.
- You can rate images on a 5-star system. Once rated, the entry is much easier to access later since you can just tap on the "Top Rated" button in the "More" section at the bottom of the screen.
- Mark your favorite images, and view them in the Favorites area. This is similar to the "Top Rated" feature, but with more direct access since the button is always-visible at the bottom of the screen.
- E-mail any image to a friend, and CC or BCC it, too.
- Rename categories and add/remove categories. We've given you a starting point to help you categorize and organize your images, but you can always add more, or change the default categorization. Also, you can put any image in up to 2 categories, if desired. For example, an image of Earth might belong in "Earth" but also "Planets".
- Shake your mobile device for a random image. This is just fun on every level. Your kids will like this one, too.
- "View All" images for access to every item in the database. This can take a few seconds to load since there are a LOT of photos in this app.
- Use a simple "finger swipe" gesture to move from one image to another, or use the previous/next buttons. Navigating the database has never been easier!
- Insert a textual comment about the image. Or, perhaps you would like to keep track of which observatory took which photo.
- The history feature keeps a log of what you've seen, so you can always go back to re-read about that interesting Hubble photo that you remembered from days ago.
- A Settings screen allows you to change the relative font sizes and the size of the history table.
This app requires at least OS version 3.0
**** UPGRADES ARE ALWAYS FREE for applications created by Darren Gates *****
If you liked this app, you'll probably also like things like "Animals Big and Small" and "Garden Plants DB" and many other knowledge-based applications by Darren Gates.
COPYRIGHT & LICENSE INFORMATION
The content contained in this application comes from a variety of public domain sources, including US government websites, Wikipedia Commons, public university websites, and public domain data archives. To the best of our knowledge, the images and content used in this app can be used in commercial products without license restriction.
If you have questions about our use of this content, or if you believe that some of this content may be copyrighted, please contact Darren Gates (the author) at email@example.com immediately. We take claims of copyright infringement very seriously, and will promptly remove any offending content.
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- Jan 14, 2010
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