Can you identify students that need help with the Ontario Curriculum?
Are there grade 7 and 8 students in your school, struggling with reading, writing and math?
Do you want your students to improve?
Of course you do, we all do. And that’s why Community and Continuing Education is proud to be working with all Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board elementary and secondary schools by offering powerful after school programs.
Our unique after school curricula are 10 week modular programs that assist grade 7-12 students struggling with literacy and numeracy.
These specially designed programs offer strategies that enhance the skills and performance of HWDSB students who need extra support as they progress through the Ontario Curriculum.
Our CCE Student Improvement Programs have tremendous success with improving the academic skills of struggling students.
With after school remediation programs, students will improve in the following areas:
- French Literacy
- (Literacy en Francais for immersion students)
- OSSLT Preparation Program
- (Grade 10 Literacy Test Preparation)
- We help you – help students.
How does it work?
We have developed 4 programs to help improve students:
- After School Literacy – Improve reading and writing skills.
- After School Numeracy – Improve mathematics skills.
- OSSLT Preparation – Grade 10 Literacy Test preparation.
Each program consists of 10 sessions. Each class is an hour (to an hour and a half) in length and run outside of the regular school day. The programs are available all year from September through June – please talk with your Principal (in Elementary Schools) or Student Success (in Secondary Schools) for information about programs being offered at your child’s school.
How do we get started?
The principal, in consultation with teachers and parents, will identify students eligible for Literacy / Numeracy Programs.
Note: After School student improvement programs are dependent upon securing sufficient student enrolment in classes.
Together we can help struggling students become extraordinary students.
Barb Jepson, Remediation Programs Consultant
Hill Park Learning Centre
After School Programs are FREE
CCE Remediation Programs are ministry funded and support the day school program by offering after school or summer instruction that is explicit, focused and targeted where students can improve their literacy and numeracy skills in an innovative environment. Principals and Vice-Principals along with staff work closely with CCE to determine how to best take advantage of these valuable learning opportunities for our HWDSB students.
CCE offers thanks and appreciation to all HWDSB educators who access the numerous modules and wishes them continued success as we strive for improved student performance and positive relationships together.


Lesson 6 of 9
Objective: SWBAT match letters to their corresponding sounds and segment and blend words.
Why This Center?
Phonics center is the place where students are able to really practice their letter recognition and letter-sound correspondence skills. This is a foundational skill center where students enjoy repeated practice and really reinforce needed skills.
How Does This Center Work?
What I use:
A phonics game or sort
A response sheet
Letter sound or CVC puzzles
(I keep a couple of letter sound puzzles in the center bucket for this center. (These puzzles are where students match letters to pictures with that initial sound, build CVC words, etc.) When students are done with their phonics game or sort and their response sheet, they know they need to work on letter sounds. Students in my class actually know that “phonics” means letter and sound work. They love this center because it is familiar to them, it is fun and it also builds their confidence.)
What I do to set up the center:
- I prepare a game or sort that aligns with the phonics skill we are currently working on in whole group.
- I have a response sheet that matches with the phonics game or sort.
- I have letter sound puzzles for review if students get their work done early.
* For the first round of centers in the year, I let students use picture cards and sorting items. I do this because these materials are things we use in whole group, so students will be familiar with the materials. I have students draw their own response sheet at this time, just to get them used to using what is in front of them to complete their work.
* Until about the middle of the year, I have students work on initial sound sorts. They sort two piles of pictures and match them with the letter they begin with. Then, the students complete a response sheet (usually cut and paste) to match the piles they have made.
* Towards the middle of the year, I begin to have students create word families. They do this with letter tiles. Their response sheet for this is a “real word” and “nonsense word” sort. Students work together to sound out each word in a word family and decide if it is indeed a real word. When they are done, they use one word in a sentence and illustrate it.
* As the year goes on, I will have student work on vowel sorts, medial sound sorts and blend or digraph sorts as well. I typically try to align this center with our whole groups skills throughout the year.
*This center is really easy to mold to the needs of your students and it is great practice to reinforce foundational skills on a regular basis. If, for example, students are having problems differentiating between I and E sounds, I will make the sort, whether initial or medial sounds, revolve around I and E. This center is really easy to change out and students don’t need much direction since they are always pretty much doing the same types of activities.
- Take out the letter sound headers. Divide the pictures evenly between your partner and yourself.
- Work together to place the pictures under the proper heading.
- Once all of the pictures have been sorted, you should check the placement of all of the pictures and your partner should also. Discuss the pictures to check.
- Complete your response sheet using the headers and pictures you’ve sorted as a reference. Turn in your work.
- Work on letter sound or CVC puzzles.


Duration: 01/10/2004 – 30/09/2007
Coordinators: Ecsite (the European network of science centres and museums) and EUN (European School Net)
Funding: Sixth Framework Programme/Structuring the European Research Area
Pencil is the recipient of the European Commission’s single largest financial contribution in the area of “Science and Society” and combines field programmes and academic research with the aim of identifying the keys of success that transform informal science activities into innovative quality tools for science teaching.
14 science centres/museums had the task of creating mini-networks involving schools, pupils, teachers associations, research laboratories, educational authorities, and education and science communication specialists to run “pilot projects” on new science teaching methods.
At the same time, an academic “Resource Centre” was created in order to provide state-of-the-art education research, science communication, formal/informal learning, and best practices. Moreover, the Resource Centre assessed and monitored the pilot projects in order to disseminate the results and identify the criteria of innovation and quality that should become the standards for setting up future science teaching efforts.
The European Science Educational Portal (ESEP) is the tool for managing the project, setting up exchanges between partners and enabling diffusion of project results to the science teacher community.
The Institute and Museum of the History of Science was the leader of the pilot project “Online Access to History of Science Museum Objects” which anticipated the development of educational multimedia applications about objects preserved in the museum through the use of new technologies and with particular attention to e-learning. An innovative didactic laboratory was created: “Galileo and Experimental Science”. It was devoted to schools and focused on the evolution of Galileo’s experimental research as he came to master the elementary laws of motion.
Explore Galileo at the Museum of the History of Science With a Virtual Visit
This application was developed with the aim of offering, primarily for students, an exploration of various aspects of the life and work of Galileo Galilei.
The application was created with the technological support of the Laboratorio Percro of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa as part of the European project Pencil (Permanent European Network for Informal Learning).


Teaching pronunciation in high school spanish classes: a focus on vowels ellen look similarto their english equivalentsso the students will see that the english vowel three errors to address when teaching pronunciation in english,we learnthe alphabetwith the hard soundsa, e, i. A guide to english phonetics have you ever wondered when looking in a dictionary what the funny little symbols that appear next to the words mean. Find reviews, addresses, contact details, phone number for phonics classes and phonics providers according to locality and trainer type in bangalore at urbanprocom. Sounds of speech phonetics audio samples that describe the essential features of each of the consonants and vowels of american english sounds of speech is especially useful for students studying english as a second language and audio samples for each speech sound. Effective english learning unit 8: pronunciation you do not need native-like pronunciation of english sounds kim, was an international student in an english class at edinburgh, responding to a question from another student.
Resources caela network residence in a spanish-speaking country, amount of out-of-class contact with spanish, and focus on pronunciation in class focus for teaching american english pronunciation: 1 consonantal inventory: all consonant sounds except for /t/. English pronunciation and speaking help and exercises including international phonetic alphabet (ipa) guides, lesson plans, and conversational strategies for esl/efl classes and teachers. Teaching english phonemic chart submitted on 5 may i was redirected to an unrelated web pagei've written a phonetic/phonemic chart of my own that runs in moodle getting the whole class talking: phonemic chart: teaching grammar: teaching listening: teaching pronunciation. Definition of english class in the audioenglishorg dictionary meaning of english class what does english class mean proper usage and pronunciation (in phonetic transcription) of the word english class information about english class in the audioenglishorg dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. This is the official version of the syllabus course description: this course explores speech sounds as physical entities (phonetics) and as linguistic units (phonology.
Pronunciation and comprehension of oral english in the english as a foreign language class: key aspects, students' perceptions and proposals. Here you can find worksheets and activities for teaching phonetics to kids, teenagers or adults, beginner intermediate or advanced levels. English phonetics: the english alphabet rp is rather a social accent than regional, associated with the educated upper classes english pronunciation is also divided into two main accent groups, the rhotic and the non-rhotic, depending on when the phoneme /r/ is pronounced. English phonetics with sound and videos, with mouse-over technology. Little readers pre-school enrichment programme @ sengkang & jurong east in singapore provides phonics and reading classes for children aged 3 to 8 years. Ii english phonetics course this brings me to the whole philosophy underlying the present course and the way it de.
In contrast to phonetics, phonology is the study of how sounds and gestures pattern in and across languages, relating such concerns with other levels and aspects of language. The literacy teaching guide: phonics and the literacy teaching guide: sequencing phonics instruction 16 the nsw english k-6 syllabus and the four literacy resources model 20 teaching the class one letter-sound relationship per week. Instead of giving a whirlwind tour of the whole of phonetics and phonology a few aspects of the phonetics and phonology of english, and also a bit about the phonetic and phonology of mawukakan, a language we will go over in class a book chapter on some aspects of.
Jump to: past written papers | entry to the examination an examination in the phonetics of english is conducted by examiners appointed by the association the examinations secretary of the association is dr patricia ashby the examination consists of the following parts: written (total of 80. This video course has been prepared to give language students a powerful tool for speaking english well the videos aim to identify and help with the pronunciation of the 39 phonetic symbols of the english language. Learn english pronunciation with oxford online english learn english pronunciation in 1-to-1 online classes with professional english teachers. Received pronunciation (rp) is the accent of standard english in the united kingdom and is defined in the concise oxford english dictionary as the standard accent of english as spoken in the south of england, although it can be heard from native speakers throughout england and wales.


FonoCultura is an early Spanish reader series that uses author Olga Díaz’s personal stories to bring together authentic language and cultural elements for the benefit of
student learning. Like add.a.lingua, Olga recognizes that language and culture are inextricably linked, and that developing learners ready to engage new perspectives, ideas, and cultures means helping students make this connection. It’s why we’re so excited to partner with Olga to bring the FonoCultura series to educators and families across the nation.
[Check out our interview with Olga here.]
Whether you’re a kindergarten classroom teacher in a Spanish immersion program, a world language teacher working with students exploring foundational skills in reading, or an immersion parent who wants to provide additional texts for your beginning readers in Spanish, these books can make a difference in the lives of early readers.
Take it from a mom
We recently caught up with a mom from NorthPointe Christian School who was eager to share how Fonocultura has impacted her son.
As a parent, it was wonderful watching my child develop his reading skills through the Fonocultura books. He formed a connection with the family of characters and was always eager to get to the next book.
It was less of a challenge to remind him to read each night because he actually wanted to show me his book. The book series offers exposure to culture, practice with language skills, and comprehension questions to gauge understanding.
His reading experience with the Fonocultura books resulted in an enjoyment of reading that will hopefully last a lifetime. We look forward to the continuation of the series!
If you’re interested in viewing samples of books in the FonoCultura series or licensing them for your classroom, start by joining add.a.lingua’s community of immersion educators at my.addalingua.com/educator. Joining our community will provide you with access to license the texts and a host of other resources for your classroom and program.
For those interested, here are a few more details on the FonoCultura series:
FonoCultura, is the first series in the LectoCultura collection and is comprised of thirty texts arranged into three early stage reading levels, A-C.
Each level of ten books provides educators with an engaging narrative through which they are able to capture the interest of students during guided reading instruction by providing them with an authentic context for noticing, becoming aware of and practicing key word features (introduced in add.a.lingua kindergarten instructional frameworks). Written to encourage decoding at the syllabic rather than phonemic level, FonoCultura introduces young readers to a Colombian ranching family and sets the stage for future storylines in subsequent series.
Your license allows you to access:
black and white readers that can be printed, folded and stapled for use during in-class guided reading group instruction or at home individual student practice.
digital color and audio files of each text narrated by a native speaker for use in listening centers or in read-to-self instructional time
teacher’s guide (including syllable and picture cards with le.er and syllable dividers for each text)
If you have any questions about the series, please don’t hesitate to reach out using the form below.


ERIC Number: ED435064
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1999-Apr
Reference Count: N/A
Preventing Violence the Problem-Solving Way. Juvenile Justice Bulletin.
Shure, Myrna B.
This article examines interpersonal cognitive problem-solving (ICPS) skills. Based on more than 20 years of research on specific ICPS skills, intervention methods were developed to test the hypothesis that behavior can be modified by focusing on thinking processes rather than the behaviors themselves. The ICPS skills relate to high-risk behaviors that may develop into serious problems such as violence and substance abuse. This approach to childrearing deals with social cognition and social adjustment. Its central theme is that certain interpersonal cognitive thinking skills play a crucial role in the social adjustment of both parent and child; thus it has particular relevance for the primary prevention of later, more serious problems. This bulletin describes intervention methods, their importance, and their impact as evaluated through research studies. Implementation and policy issues relevant to training and information dissemination are explored. A list of resources for learning more about ICPS is provided. (Contains 51 references.) (MKA)
Descriptors: Attention Deficit Disorders, Behavior Problems, Child Rearing, Children, Elementary Education, High Risk Students, Hyperactivity, Intervention, Models, Parent Child Relationship, Parent Education, Policy, Prevention, Problem Solving, Program Evaluation, Research, Social Adjustment, Social Cognition, Substance Abuse, Thinking Skills, Violence
Publication Type: Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquent Prevention (Dept. of Justice), Washington, DC.


Established by the United Sons and Daughters Benevolent Society, the Bayou Paul Colored School provided elementary education for African-American children in the Bayou Paul community and served as a meeting hall for the Society. The Society built the School on land that they purchased on January 27, 1920 for twenty-five dollars. Heated by a coal-fired stove, the one room cypress school held thirty-five to forty-eight students, grades first to eighth. A general curriculum of reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history was taught by dedicated teachers such as Amanda Aletha Anderson Grace. Mrs. Grace a native of Bayou Goula, Louisiana and a graduate of the Iberville Parish Training School, New Orleans University and Southern University taught at the school for 19 years from 1936 until 1955 when the school was closed and students transferred to the new Sunshine High School. In 2006, the one room cypress building was moved to its current location, just one quarter-mile away from the original site.


It is never too early to teach good reading behaviors. Simple pre-reading skills such as knowing how to handle a book, turn the page, and explore the pictures are essential in early literacy development. If your child has a natural curiosity for reading take advantage of the opportunity to introduce letters and individual letter sounds (phonemes). For toddlers reluctant to sit with you, introduce reading as part of your bedtime routine or pique their interest by selecting books on their favorite topic.
How you interact with a book is just as important as how frequently you expose your toddler to literature. Here are some suggestions for reading aloud with your child:
Take a picture walk. Before you dive into the story take a few minutes to look at the cover and make predictions about what is going to happen in the story. Ask your toddler what evidence (clues) makes them suggest a particular thing might happen. You can further explore the story by browsing through the images inside the cover, looking for clues in the pictures about where the story might take you. Don't want to spoil the ending? Leave out the last page or two from your picture walk.
Make a personal connection to the text. Help your child think about how they can personally relate to the story, characters, setting, plot, etc. Children find the most meaning when they relate with a story and the ability to make connections is a comprehension skill that will help them as they eventually learn to read independently.
Activate background knowledge. Brainstorm with your toddler about what he/she might already know about the topic. Reading about an animal? Think about when/if you saw that particular animal on your last trip to the zoo. What did it look like? What other information do you already have on the topic or theme you are about the explore in this new book?
Make predictions along the way. As you read, encourage your child to think about and add to the predictions you have made. How does your prediction change with the story? Ask open-ended questions that will encourage your child to use clues from the story to consider what might happen next.
Most importantly share your own love of reading with your StrongTot. Children like to mimic behaviors of their parents; making time each day for reading as a family is a good way to model this important lifelong skill.
ABOUT CHRISSY K
I am mom to three boys (one with several life-threatening food allergies) who will never own too many picture books or create Pinterest-worthy snacks. Simply Chrissy K is a place to find helpful tips on parenting that stem from my work with families and design ideas based on our adventures building a home from the ground up.
Three Q's to Consider Before Redshirting
The Art of Storytelling
How to Foster a Healthy
Making Story Time Meaningful
Can You Teach Creativity?
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.strongtots.com


|Okay! It's Spring! Time for cleaning! Along with painting the house, planting new flowers, and/or cleaning out the garage; get children involved in cleaning their rooms, closets, classrooms, or anything else that is pertinent to your situation. Here are some suggestions to try diminishing the groans and complaints that are sure to follow:|
1. Suggest a Spring Cleanup Day and ask where the classroom, house, or room needs to be cleaned the most. Write a list of these targeted areas, likely to be project areas, book or game shelves, sink areas, etc. Tell individual or groups of children that they are now responsible for keeping one of the areas clean. In order to help remind them, they will have an art project and make Litter Critters!
2. On both sides of brown-paper lunch bags, have children draw crazy critters. They may color or paint the features. If painted, let the bag dry.
3. In the meantime, rip newspapers into small pieces. Have children fill their dried bags until they are rounded and close the open end with a rubber band or string.
4. Create hair from crepe paper or yarn and glue on buttons, fabric scraps, ribbons, and so forth to 'dress' the critters.
5. Design feet and cut out two per critter from construction paper. Glue them to the bottoms of the bags so the litter critters will be able to stand up.
6. How about making signs to go with the critters? Use slogans such as "Beware of the Litter Critter!" or "Every litter bit hurts." Tape or glue them to craft or popsicle sticks or put them through a pencil point.
7. If your project is ongoing, graph how well it is proceeding by putting on a smiley or sad face, daily; you can either draw or use stickers. This will keep track of how clean or messy the designated area is. Perhaps the individual or group that cleans his/their area first can receive a reward.
8. Follow up by asking which areas in your school or community could use a good cleaning. Could you start, or get involved in, a School or Neighborhood Cleanup Day? This idea would certainly complement a unit on environment or pollution.
I hope these ideas are useful and ignite your own creativity!
About the Author
Freda J. Glatt, MS, retired from teaching after a 34-year career in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Her focus, now, is to reach out and help others reinforce reading comprehension and develop a love for reading. Visit her site at http://www.sandralreading.com. Reading is FUNdamental!
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The right to education is fundamental Human Right. Education is crucial for development of women. Rural women’s access to education and training can have a major impact on their potential to access and benefit from income-generating opportunities and improve their overall well-being.
Education without any doubt positively impacts the wellbeing of women in rural areas by enhancing their entrepreneurial skills and income.
Education among rural women also benefits the rural economy in form of increased agricultural productivity.
In developing countries, limited or no access to education for women is one of barriers that hinder overcoming hunger and providing healthy life for children.
Women education becomes a key determinant in their children’s survival and their maternal health. Lack of awareness is one of the causes of lack of education among rural women in developing countries.
Similarly, women education is very important for their welfare. Education has direct effect on income level.
Studies have shown that an extra year of primary school increases their wages by 10-20 percent.
Again education encourages girls to marry later, have fewer children, and educated girls are less likely to experience violence at home. This is even more relevant for rural women.
According to 2010 report by FAO, IFAD and ILO, women make up over two-thirds of the world’s 796 million people who are illiterate, and many of these live in rural areas.
Low literacy among rural women is a challenge for development in many parts of Africa.
Many rural women and girls in Africa do not know how to read and write as compared to male counterparts.
This gives rise to gender disparities and gender related violence.
“If you educate a man, you educate one person. If you educate a woman, you educate a nation”.
This development quote is quite applicable in relation to rural women’s education in developing .countries Educating women is widely felt and has strong spread effect in form of development to community.
An educated woman is able to educate her own children who, in turn, are more likely to receive school education themselves.
The family of an educated woman is likely to be healthier, with a lower prospect of infant mortality. Education also improves maternal nutrition during pregnancy and nursing.
Economically also education to rural women has effect in form of increase in savings and investment in rural areas. There will also be increase in agricultural productivity due to adoption of technology by women. Educated women can be asset as they are more innovative and also optimize on use of resources.
Education for All Global Monitoring Report in 2009 indicated that globally around 776 million adults comprising 16% of the world’s adult population were illiterate in 2006 of which almost two-thirds were women and the majority lived in South and West Asia, East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Female education in Rwanda
Strengthening education is one of Rwanda’s core objectives for rebuilding, reconciliation and development.
One of Rwanda’s greatest advantages is that multiple players including government, NGO’s, International organizations are committed to improving the education system.
The major breakthrough in terms of literacy rate among women came when in 2003 government abolished primary school fees leading to rise in primary school attendance by 94%. In Rwanda literacy rate rose both for males and females.
The 2012 Population and Housing Census in Rwanda observed that the percentage of persons with a secondary education level rose considerably from 6.1% in 2002 to 12.4% in 2012 among the entire population.
Still literacy remained high for males than females. In 2012, males were more literate (72%) than females (65%).
In 2012, the percentage of females who have never attended school was higher than the one of males who have never attended school (27.9% against 22.8% respectively) and the percentage of persons with primary education level is higher in rural areas than in urban ones (58.4% against 48.1% respectively).
This means women in rural areas have problems in attending secondary and higher education. More efforts are needed to educate and develop rural women.
In Africa, the majority of people live in rural areas. Development of Rural areas is essential for the development of the whole continent.
Women literacy in rural areas will help in development of the whole economy. In order to accelerate progress to achieve MDG 3 targets, development programmes must focus on women’s economic empowerment through education.
Educating rural women could include variety of approaches, including formal and non-formal education, technical and vocational training, financial literacy and numeracy skills etc.
In addition, information and communication technologies (including mobile and electronic communication, etc.), supported by the right policies and institutional frameworks can enhance awareness related to their rights.
Education will also help in reducing gender based violence and welfare at family level. It will also enhance savings, investment and productivity for the economy as whole.
The writer is a senior lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kigali Campus.


Building Language and Scientific Literacy in Young Children
Helping children expand their vocabulary is one of the best ways to ensure that they become successful readers and writers (Tabors, Snow, & Dickinson 2001). It is also an effective way to help children learn science concepts. To think through and explain why something might happen and why something might work, children need to have the words to express these thoughts.
Add science vocabulary words to a classroom word wall. Model the use of terms such as estimate, predict, atmosphere, and habitat in day-to-day conversation and encourage children to use the vocabulary themselves: "You're right, Casey. The vinegar bubbled up when you added the baking soda — just as you predicted it would. What other mixtures would you like to investigate?" As children build their literacy skills, provide forms for recording observations so they can also grow in their inquiry skills and practice using scientific vocabulary. Language modeling and concept development (Pianta, LaParo, & Hamre 2008) can make a real difference in children's learning.
- Model science-related vocabulary, using scientific terms as children interact with engaging materials and planned experiences.
- Encourage meaningful conversations and expand on what children say.
- Provide many opportunities for using science-related language and engaging in hands-on experiences that deepen children's understanding of the words.
- Ask open-ended questions that promote predicting skills and teach problem-solving skills: "Now that we've frozen water into all these interesting shapes, which of them do you think will melt most quickly? Let's write down our predictions. How can we find out if we're right?" Let children make their own predictions, try things out, and note what works and why.
- Use words to describe our actions and the children's actions: "I'll pour this water into the cup of cornstarch as you stir. Let's observe what happens as we try to pick up the interesting mixture we've just made. Is it more like a solid or a liquid?"
Click the "References" link above to hide these references.
Pianta, R., K. LaParo, & B. Hamre. 2008. The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) manual. Baltimore: Brookes.
Tabors, P., C. Snow, & D. Dickinson. 2001. Homes and schools together: Supporting language and literacy development. In Beginning literacy with language: Young children learning at home and School, eds. D.K. Dickinson & P.O. Tabors, 313-34. Baltimore: Brookes.
Copyright © 2009 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at www.naeyc.org/yc/permissions.


5 step writing process prewriting brainstorming clustering word maps two drafting prepare rough draft three editing check against a grammar list four revision five. Every writer follows his or her own writing process often the process is a routine that comes naturally and is not a step-by-step guide writers constantly refer to. Task in this webquest, you will learn about, practice, and use the five steps of the writing process those steps are prewriting, composing, revising, editing, and. Writing is one of the most common ways we communicate to be a successful writer, you should practice the five steps of the writing process. Incorporate writing instruction in your classroom as an essential element of literacy development while implementing best practices simplify the planning of writing.
Stages of the writing process: prewriting: 5 unity: the idea here is most students skip this step. Steps in the writing process all writing follows the same basic steps regardless of whether you are writing for the army or writing a step 5 proof. Writing - udemycom. 5 steps of the writing process chart - free download as word doc (doc), pdf file (pdf), text file (txt) or read online for free. The five steps of the writing process step 1: prewriting think decide on a topic to write about consider who will read or listen to your written work.
Update: check out our new infographic poster on the writing process let’s face facts: writing is hard work requiring extraordinary brain power. Being conscious of your own writing process is especially helpful when you find yourself struggling with a particularly tricky piece here are five steps towards.
5 quick writing process posters & downloads by teach junkie five steps in writing – a great one-page version of the writing process at a glance. Help your child use the writing process in every grade and learn how writing process steps can improve writing skills.
5 step writing process step 1 prewriting think decide on a topic to write about consider who will read or listen to your written work brainstorm ideas about the. Buy the 5 step essay writing process: english essay writing skills for esl students (academic writing skills book 3): read 6 kindle store reviews - amazoncom. The 5 step essay writing process has 5 ratings and 1 review the practical 5 step essay writing processenglish essay writing skills for esl studentsacade.
The writing process is a term used in research demonstrates that it is seldom accurate to describe these stages as fixed steps in a straightforward process. Use this five-step writing process to get started, cut the fluff, and finish writing a compelling piece of content that has a specific objective. Get your ideas organized and written down by using these five steps of the writing process for more educational activities visit our activity center. Pre-writing, or planning out what is going to be written, is an essential step in the writing process and should account for 70 percent of the writing time. The writing process is a series of steps to help you write a paper it is like using a map to get to an unfamiliar place give the learners the writing.
Lesson plan tool - educators can use the uen lesson plan tool to create their own lessonplans online lesson plans can be easily shared with others. Read this essay on the five steps to the writing process come browse our large digital warehouse of free sample essays get the knowledge you need in order to pass. 5 step writing process is a step process that models writing as a series of forward and backward steps as the writer thinks, reflects, revises, de. These owl resources will help you with the writing process: pre-writing (invention), developing research questions and outlines, composing thesis statements, and.


There are almost 1 million different kinds of insects, but have you ever wondered where they go during the winter? Most of them become dormant, but a few die in the fall.
- Adult flies and mosquitoes live through the winter in attics and unused rooms in a house. Often, they are dormant and look like they’re dead. Outdoors, they take shelter in caves or tree trunks.
- As the weather warms in the spring, these insects lay their eggs. Female mosquitoes usually die after they lay their eggs. Flies can live for several more months, laying several batches of eggs.
- Beetles dig down into the ground or work their way into holes in the bark of trees. They stay there until spring, barely alive.
- Ladybugs gather together by the thousands and pile under rocks or in tree stumps. They might come out or move around on warm days. During cold weather, they are very still.
- Female grasshoppers dig holes in the ground in the fall where they lay up to 100 eggs. All adult grasshoppers die in the fall, but the eggs will hatch in the spring and new grasshoppers will emerge.
- Like grasshoppers, female (and male) crickets also die in the fall after burying their eggs in the ground.
- Katydids also die in the fall. Before they go, female katydids lay their eggs on the edges of leaves or in cracks in branches.
- The female praying mantis squeezes a liquid out of her body that looks like soap bubbles. She lays her eggs in this liquid, which hardens and forms a tough outer coating. In the spring, tiny praying mantises emerge.
- Ants dig deeper into their underground homes. They huddle together to stay warm.
- Honeybees push together into the middle of the hive to stay warm. The bees on the outside where it’s cold push to get into the center. The bees in the center move outward. The bees are constantly moving all winter long.
- Some butterflies rest in tree hollows, but others, such as monarch and painted lady butterflies, migrate to warmer places. Moths usually spend the winter inside their cocoons.
Watch a video of the butterfly migration.
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Declan, Tobin. " Where Do Insects Go in Winter? ." Easy Science for Kids, May 2018. Web. 24 May 2018. < http://easyscienceforkids.com/insects/ >.
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Tobin, Declan. (2018). Where Do Insects Go in Winter?. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from http://easyscienceforkids.com/insects/
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Climate Change Quiz – Fun FREE Online Interactive Earth Science Quiz
Enjoy this Easy Science for Kids Climate Change Quiz – you’ll get your quiz score after completing this FREE online interactive quiz on climate change. You need to answer all the questions to be able to get your score. You can do this fun quiz about climate change again, till you get the perfect score and become a quiz champion!
Tip: To get it right the first time, read the page with fun facts about the climate change.
The Climate Change Quiz & FREE Science Quizzes
Our general knowledge quizzes for kids are a free online quiz resource for teachers and educators of kids in elementary school, grammar school and preschool. This fun Climate Change Geography quiz helps your kids learn fun facts about climate change while enjoying this FREE online interactive geography quiz.
If your child is home-schooled by you, or is in a science enrichment class, then this is a fun science activity, with reading comprehension benefits for kids in first to fifth grade.
Kids will enjoy competing against their classmates and friends, to see who gets the best score, doing this fun Geography quiz for kids on climate change.
As a reading comprehension training activity for kids, you can set a timer to encourage kids to do the reading comprehension activity faster, or you can simply limit the number of times your kids can read about the quiz topic, before they do the actual fun interactive quiz.
Younger kids who cannot yet read or write, such as Pre-K kids, Kindergarten kids or Preschool kids, will benefit from doing this Climate Change quiz and our other fun kids quizzes, as a listening comprehension activity; you read out to them about the topic and then read the quiz question and answers.
You will select the Climate Change quiz answer they think is correct, and at the end you get the Climate Change quiz score.
Your child can try many times, till gets the perfect score faster, as he or she learns to listen more carefully and develop a better memory and attention span!
Enjoyed doing this free online earth science quiz about Climate Change? Check out all our other fun easy quiz questions for kids and other earth science for kids. Visit our Natural Science for Kids all about Climate Change page. Get lengthy info here.
Cite This Page
You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:
MLA Style Citation
Declan, Tobin. " Climate Change Quiz – Fun FREE Online Interactive Earth Science Quiz - ." Easy Science for Kids, May 2018. Web. 24 May 2018. < http://easyscienceforkids.com/climate-change-quiz-fun-free-online-interactive-earth-science-quiz/ >.
APA Style Citation
Tobin, Declan. (2018). Climate Change Quiz – Fun FREE Online Interactive Earth Science Quiz -. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from http://easyscienceforkids.com/climate-change-quiz-fun-free-online-interactive-earth-science-quiz/
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Featured College Readiness Standard
Cross-Disciplinary Standard II - Foundational Skills
II. Foundational Skills
A. Reading across the curriculum
- Use effective prereading strategies.
- Use a variety of strategies to understand the meanings of new words.
- Identify the intended purpose and audience of the text.
- Identify the key information and supporting details.
- Analyze textual information critically.
- Annotate, summarize, paraphrase, and outline texts when appropriate.
- Adapt reading strategies according to the structure of texts.
- Connect reading to historical and current events and personal interest.
B. Writing across the curriculum
- Write clearly and coherently using standard writing conventions.
- Write in a variety of forms for various audiences and purposes.
- Compose and revise drafts.
C. Research across the curriculum
- Understand which topics or questions are to be investigated.
- Explore a research topic.
- Refine research topic based on preliminary research and devise a timeline for completing work.
- Evaluate the validity and reliability of sources.
- Synthesize and organize information effectively.
- Design and present an effective product.
- Integrate source material.
- Present final product.
D. Use of data
- Identify patterns or departures from patterns among data.
- Use statistical and probabilistic skills necessary for planning an investigation and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data.
- Present analyzed data and communicate findings in a variety of formats.
- Use technology to gather information.
- Use technology to organize, manage, and analyze information.
- Use technology to communicate and display findings in a clear and coherent manner.
- Use technology appropriately.
More CCRS Resources


Sent to the Los Angeles Times, December 31, 2017
Re: If you want your kids to be fully literate, start reading to them when they are babies.
Professors Allen and Adele Gottfried inform us that their studies show that reading aloud to children early in their lives correlates with educational success later on (letters, Dec. 30).
Read-alouds help because they provide exposure to the vocabulary and grammar used in books, making independent reading more comprehensible, and also because they get children interested in reading on their own. Those who become avid readers read better, write better, have larger vocabularies, better grammar, and spell better.
Having a reading habit only happens if children have access to books. A number of studies, including our own, have shown that access to libraries correlates with reading proficiency, and our recent work suggests that availability of libraries can balance the negative effect of poverty on literacy development.
California has consistently invested little in libraries, often the only source of books for children of poverty, and little in librarians, who help children find the right books for them.
Original letter to the Times: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-reading-literacy-schools-20171230-story.html
Access to books:
McQuillan, J. (1998). The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions. Heinemann.
Krashen, S. (2004). The Power of Reading. Libraries Unlimited.
Our recent studies:
Krashen, S., Lee, S.Y. and McQuillan, J. 2012. Is the library important? Multivariate studies at the national and international level. Journal of Language and Literacy Education, 8(1): 26-36.
Krashen, S. Lee, SY, and Lao, C. 2017. Comprehensible and Compelling: The Causes and Effects of Free Voluntary Reading. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited. ABC-CLIO, LLC.


Causes & Cures in the Classroom:
Getting to the Root of academic and Behavior Problems
by Margaret Searle (being read by Bobbi)
What I love about this book is the quick flow charts to get at identifying the root cause of a problem. One flow chart dissects possible root causes of reading comprehension difficulties. I have used the flow charts to begin collaborative discussions during a team coaching session.
Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better
by Doug Lemov (being read by Bobbi)
This book was given to me by a recent acquaintance I made at a CCSS meeting - an amazing literacy coordinator from Appleton, WI.
The Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain
by Maryanne Wolf (being read by Jaimie)
This book offers some wonderful insight into the reading brain and has given me many things to ponder, wonder, and think about. A great professional book that is written almost in the form of a novel.
by Adrienne Gear (being read by Jaimie)
This book promotes the use of effective strategies for teaching reading comprehension, specifically focusing on what students do while they are reading.
by Leah Mermelstein (being read by Julie)
This book gives teachers strategies on how to have a successful writing workshop by creating writers who are self-directed. Her explicit strategies include:
- creating an appropriate physical environment
- scaffolding instruction with shared and interactive writing
- planning units, focus lessons, conferences, and shares that are aimed at helping students become self-directed
Close Reading and Writing From Sources
by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey (being read by Andrea)
Interventions that Work
by Linda Dorn and Carla Soffos (being read by Heather)
Dorn and Soffos offer literacy-based interventions that fit into a RtI model.
"Developing Phonemic Awareness in Young Children"
by Hallie Kay Yopp (being read by Heather)
An article that provides a variety of activities for young readers.
"Fluency: Bridge Between Decoding and Reading Comprehension"
by John J. Pikulski and David J. Chard (being read by Heather)
An article that highlights components for an effective program that includes fluency.
"Saving the 'P' Word: Nine Guidelines for Exemplary Phonics Instruction"
by Steven A. Stahl (being read by Heather)
An article that provides an overview of phonics, why it is important, and effective strategies.
Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners - the SIOP Model
by Jana Echevarria, MaryEllen Vogt, and Deborah J. Short (being read by Heather)
A book that provides information on effective lesson plan models for English Language Learners.
Educational Leadership (EL)
from Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (being read by Carrie)
I continue to love by professional subscription to Educational Leadership. The articles provide a quick read for the months when getting through a full book seems impossible, and the topics are current and timely. For example, the March issue on assessment provides great opportunities for staff development and learning, with a text that was accessible and relevant.


Venn Diagram lesson to use with Reading Comprehension
Children that have difficulty with reading comprehension can greatly benefit from programs and curriculum that provide visual support. Kidspiration is a software application program designed for K-5 learners and develops "thinking, literacy and numeracy skills using proven visual learning principles. In reading and writing, Kidspiration strengthens word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension and written expression." It is a researched based program and research has shown that "visual learning" is one of the best methods to teach thinking skills. To learn more about Kidspiration and Inspiration, please refer to the links below.
The example above is a Venn diagram lesson that can be used to help improve reading comprehension skills. Venn diagrams are used to compare and contrast subjects, characters, or stories that students have just read about. This Venn diagram template in Kidspiration allows you to incorporate both picture symbols and text to further help students remember and associate pictures with what they learned. This visual learning technique allows students to "strengthen their reading and writing skills as they express their ideas, compare stories, and communicate their understanding of concepts and vocabulary visually." A great way to use this Venn diagram tool would be not only after reading, but before reading to increase reading comprehension. Students can come up with ideas and pictures about what they already know about the topic and share with a partner to increase their background knowledge. During the reading, the teacher can pause a few times so that students can add to their Venn diagram. After the reading is complete, the students can make any corrections or additions.


Kindergarten teacher, Clara, and Pre-K teacher, Evelyn, led an interactive workshop on supporting our youngest students as readers and writers.
During this 90 minute workshops, parents were invited to:
- Look at writing samples from Pre-K through 1st grade
- Look at samples of "just right" reading books for kindertarten
- Talk to Evelyn (PreK) and Clara (K) about literacy development and how to support young children's literacy development at home
- Listen to the book The Snowy Day read aloud and see how teachers interact with kids as they read
- Participate in interactive literacy centers based on the books
- Winter Cafe - write a menu for Peter and his friends. Make things for the cafe, then label them with names and prices
- Write in the snow - use salt trays for writing words, letters, and names
- Story extension - write your own snowy story
- Rhyming bingo - find words on your bingo card that rhyme with each word
- Reading center - enjoy books from classrooms, including other books by Ezra Jack Keats
Handouts and materials will be posted soon!


John Ruskin (1819-1900) and William Morris (1834-1896) were among the most influential public figures of their time. Their lives and work span much of the nineteenth century and express the period’s intellectual, social, and spiritual ferment. Believing that Britain had sacrificed human fellowship and social responsibility to self-interest, they maintained that the solution lay not in the reformation of existing institutions and practices, but in the transformation of individuals and society. Ruskin established the Guild of St. George, a society dedicated to cultivating art education, craft work, self-sufficiency and the rural economy, in response to modern materialism and social injustice. Insisting that “There is something to be done,” not merely discussed, he aimed to make “some small piece of English ground, beautiful, peaceful, and fruitful.”
Morris, too, envisioned a peaceful, communal society that would value beauty, practice useful and stimulating work, and achieve equality of condition. Although Morris’s Socialist principles differed from Ruskin’s more idiosyncratic methods, both men believed in the possibility of creating “a better world than this” by rejecting the institutions and ideologies that promoted selfish individualism and division.
Ruskin and Morris anticipated many of our current debates about education, the environment, economics, politics, and labor. We continue to face many of the problems with which they wrestled and to seek answers to the questions they asked. Their ideas are more timely than ever today, in light of the ongoing erosion of civility, social justice and democracy. George Monbiot recently observed that “those who tell the stories run the world.” The key task now is to construct an alternative narrative to the troubling story that is taking shape—to tell a new story that describes a better way forward. The aim of our symposium is to consider how Ruskin’s and Morris’s ideas might help us to do so.
Clive Wilmer (Master of the Guild of St. George, Emeritus Fellow, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge)
Amy Woodson-Boulton (Loyola Marymount University)
Sara Atwood (Portland State University)
James Spates (Emeritus Professor, Hobart and William Smith Colleges)
Nicholas Friend (Inscape Cultural Study Society)


According to the US Department of Labor, 65% of today’s students will have careers that don’t exist yet. So how can educators play their part in ensuring students are future-ready? By teaching foundational skills that set them up for success in a broad range of fields.
21st-century skills should pair with 21st-century ways of thinking, speaking, and writing. Coding is the language of the future, and will soon be considered the next “blue collar job” in the sense that it’s highly automatable. What normally would have been tasked to human hands will soon fall to machines that are programmed to do the programming for us — regardless of whether this is in the interest of safety, cost, or convenience.
But what about those of us that have never coded before, much less taught code? Start with an hour. Every year, Code.org organizes the Hour of Code during Computer Science Week (December 4th – 10th). The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify coding, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts.
littleBits’ Hour of Code’s activities range from beginner to comfortable,can be self-guided or teacher-led, and are meant to be paired with the littleBits Code Kit. Here are the littleBits activities featured in Hour of Code’s robotics activities section:
The best part? In partnership with Code.org, educators who register for any Hour of Code activity are entered into a drawing for a chance to receive littleBits Code Kits (plus other cool robotics tools!) for their classroom.
We look forward to empowering everyone to create inventions large and small, and to joining Hour of Code in their mission to remove the perceived barriers to coding.
Tag #HourOfCode and #littleBits to be part of the movement, and inspire others to join in. We can’t wait to see what you create!
Education Marketing Coordinator
P.S – Interested in taking code into the real world year-round? Contact our team of dedicated education specialists to learn more by requesting a quote, or calling 917 464 4577 opt. 2.


Learning Strategies (GLS 1O0)
All Grade 9 students who attend Stephen Lewis Secondary School are enrolled in the Learning Strategies program. This class is designed to help students with the transition to secondary school. The course focuses on:
- helping students develop and maintain the learning skills necessary for success in high school. These skills include time management and use of the student agenda.
- working with students on ways that they can be effective listeners and communicators.
- teaching students strategies that they can use to help them feel more confident preparing for and taking tests. This includes looking at the language and types of questions that students will be exposed to when they write the Grade 10 Literacy Test.
- working with students on discovering their personal learning styles and understanding how they can use their strengths to help them be successful at school.
- helping students understand the different ways that they can deal with stress, anger and conflict.
- looking at the student's role as a positive, contributing citizen in the school and in the community.
- developing literacy and numeracy skills
A recurring theme that students will learn about and will be expected to put into practrice is The Seven Norms of Collaboration. These norms outline ways in which all people should communicate with each other. Practicing these norms helps people develop greater empathy for others and makes communication more effective.
seven norms of collaborative work.pdf
Special Education Support
Students who attend Stephen Lewis Secondary School who have been identified through the In-School Support Program and Review Committee (IPRC) as having specific learning needs will receive support from Special Education staff. The type of support that a student can receive varies based on individual needs. Inquiries about Special Education support services at Stephen Lewis Secondary School can be directed to Mrs. L. Sawicki, Curriculum Head.


Here’s how to give your kids a head start in school
Reading to your infant or toddler may be giving them a social, as well as academic, boost once they go to school, according to a pair of recent studies.
Research has established a bevy of benefits from parent-child book reading, particularly in the areas of language and literacy development. But now, results from separate studies from New York University School of Medicine (NYUSM) and Hong Kong University show that kids whose parents read regularly to them in their earlier years had better social skills and exhibited less disruptive behavior in school.
The NYUSM researchers split 675 families, with children from 0-3 years old, into two groups. One group took part in an ongoing program that promoted parent-to-child reading and provided coaching to maintain a regular reading habit. The other group served as the compare group and did not take part in the program.
After following up with the children 18 months after the end of the program, results showed the kids maintained the behavior (less hyperactivity and aggression than the comparison group) and attention skills they gained during the program.
The researchers from Hong Kong analyzed data from 18 previous studies that included 3,264 families from varied backgrounds. Results showed that kids who participated in reading programs had better social and emotional skills, behavior and literacy than children who didn’t.
“These studies add to the body of evidence that clearly underscores the value of reading by parents – and time spent together reading – to the development of children,” says Dr. William Seng Tan, a family medicine physician on staff at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Ill. “The social benefits confirmed by these new results just further reinforce the considerable power of reading time.”
Parents benefit, as well, from reading to their small children, shows the Hong Kong study results. The adults in the reading programs had less stress and anxiety and more confidence in their parenting skills than parents not involved in the programs.
“The shared experience of reading together is quality bonding time for parents and kids,” says Dr. Tan. “Sitting with a child in a quiet, controlled reading environment often can be a very beneficial de-stressor for many busy adults.”
About the Author
Nate Llewellyn, health enews contributor, is a manager of public affairs at Advocate Medical Group. Nate began his career as a journalist and builds daily on his nearly 20 years of writing experience. He spends most of his free time following his wife to their two sons’ various activities.


At St David’s our aim is to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so to increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.
We follow the core National Curriculum values of Listening, Performing, Singing and understanding Music. In increasing depth, children learn about rhythm, pulse, timbre, dynamics, pitch and structure, through songs and musical activities. Children follow a structured programme of musical appreciation, listening to music from the Baroque period to the present day. Singing plays a key part for all children in their music education at St David’s, both in the classroom and in assemblies.
Pupils at St David’s enjoy Music lessons from a specialist teacher as well as the opportunity to participate in a number of clubs and extra-curricular activities.
Form 6 Musical
One of the highlights of the School year is always the annual musical performed by our Form 6 pupils and recent performances have included The Pirates of Penzance, Pepys Show and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Form 5 at the O2 Arena
As part of their Music curriculum, Form 5 sing in the Young Voices concert at the 02 Arena where they join around 5000 other children performing a whole variety of songs to a packed audience.
Form 4 Recorder Curriculum
In Form 4 all children learn to play the recorder during their class Music lessons. This leads to a performance to parents in the Summer Term. Several children then go on to take individual Music lessons or small group recorder lessons when they are in Form 5.
In Reception and Nursery, children learn traditional Nursery rhymes and action songs as well as being introduced to some musical appreciation.
In all the year groups, time is spent preparing for Christmas Celebrations, class assemblies and school concerts.


Music education is a necessity, not a luxury
At this time of year, many of us gather to hear the sweet voices of children raised in holiday song. And yet, some of these voices are in danger of being stilled, at least in our public elementary schools. More and more public elementary schools statewide are giving up their music programs in answer to the pressures put upon them by No Child Left Behind. Music is not a tested subject, so it is not considered to be a priority.
It seems to many people that having an elementary school music program, taught by a specialist, is just a "pie in the sky" ideal -- not realistic. Most schools are so worried about raising test scores that a great deal of their money winds up invested in reading and math programs, consultants or anything else that can be seen as having a direct effect on those scores. It would be "nice" to have a music program, but it is not "necessary."
Why is it, then, that most public elementary school districts in the rest of the country have retained their elementary music programs, despite being under similar NCLB constraints? Why do our top private schools still maintain rigorous elementary music programs?
Music is not a luxury; it is an important part of a well-rounded education. Countless studies have proven how music education helps to improve IQ and even improves test scores and skills in reading and math. The introduction to music can be a life-changing event for some children, who might develop talents they never would have known they had otherwise. There are public schools in Hawaii that still believe enough in music and the fine arts to make them an important part of each child's education, but they are becoming rarer each year.
That is the crux of the problem -- the decision lies mostly with the school. While Act 51 has done many good things by giving back the power of decision making to the school, it also comes with the weight of having to decide what is important. One can hardly blame a school for being scared and putting most of its money toward resources proven to directly improve test scores. The consequences of not passing Adequate Yearly Progress under NCLB cause anything seen as a luxury to be dismissed.
Although not tested, music and the arts are still considered core subjects under NCLB. The integration of music and the arts into other subjects is being encouraged right now as a partial solution. But while integration is a part of the picture, it does not really address music and the arts deeply enough in their own right. Elementary teachers without music backgrounds do the best they can, but many feel intimidated when required to teach music. While May Day and holiday programs give the students a chance to perform and interact with the community, they do not stand alone as a substitute for a complete music program that addresses the state and national standards.
It should not be an unrealistic goal for every elementary school to have access to a qualified music teacher. Music is an integral part of culture. Every child, no matter their socioeconomic background, deserves to know who Beethoven and Bach are, and to be able to read, sing and play music. They need to have a concept of music that is broader than what they hear on the radio.
Our job as elementary school educators goes beyond the basics, or at least it should. We need to educate the whole child, not just potential test scores, to give our keiki the opportunities that each of them deserves.
Jenifer Tsuji is an elementary school teacher in Hilo, Hawaii.


The Presidential election is coming up in just a few short months. Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, if you’re reading Halftime Magazine, then you care about music education. Now that we’re down to the final candidates, let’s see where they stand on the arts and education in general.
In his 1987 book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” Republican nominee Donald Trump recounts a childhood story in which he punched his music teacher in the face “because I didn’t think he knew anything about music.”
He cites the story as “evidence that even early on I had a tendency to stand up and make my opinions known in a very forceful way. The difference now is that I use my brain instead of my fists.”
Trump spent his high school years at the New York Military Academy, where he marched each year on Fifth Avenue during the Columbus Day Parade though without instruments.
For education, in general, Trumps believes in cutting the U.S. Department of Education and the Common Core in favor of localization as well as business-like competition among educational institutions and overall school choice for citizens.
For Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, music has played a role in her campaign though not as notably as for her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who was often seen performing on his saxophone in photos and television.
Many articles have analyzed Clinton’s choice of campaign music, which includes Katy Perry’s “Roar,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger,” and Sara Bareilles’ “Brave.”
In the Dec. 12, 2015 issue of Billboard, Hillary Clinton wrote an essay introducing the magazine’s Women in Music issue, which honored both performers and music industry executives. “My hope is that women and girls around the world will hear these artists’ songs, learn their stories, and feel a greater sense of ¬possibility for their own lives,” Clinton wrote.
Clinton’s stance on general education includes being supportive of Common Core standards though not as a method for teacher evaluation as well as a universal pre-K plan.
In an April 2016 speech for the New York State United Teachers, she stated her intention to raise the status of teachers through “TLC—teaching, learning, and community.”
“One of my main goals as president will be to launch a national campaign to modernize and elevate the profession of teaching” by raising teachers’ pay, developing training and support programs, and improving the social well-being of all children, Clinton said.
Between now and Election Day, perhaps more information will be shed on the candidates’ stance on education and music instruction in particular.
Keep on Marching,
Christine Ngeo Katzman
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief


How to foster inclusivity in the theory classroom: three opportunities for change
With the primacy of the Western canon, creating an inclusive theory classroom can seem like an intimidating task. Here are three “opportunities” for change, which we can pursue both inside the classroom and out.
Why and how do we choose our theory examples and materials for assessments? Kira Thurman and Kristen Turner urge us to “consider the concept vs. the composer” in the music history classroom. The same goes for music theory! What makes a piece an exemplar? Could the same educational goals be achieved with a piece by a composer who is a woman or minority? As instructors, we frequently fall into the habit of reusing material from semester to semester. Revitalizing the curriculum with different, more inclusive examples would not only benefit the students, but would also energize us over the course of the semester. At the same time, we must be careful to avoid tokenism and/or othering. One or two examples by black or female composers may be seen as tokenism, while a continual emphasis on inclusivity (in various ways and forms) throughout the semester would help avoid this impression.
Substantive changes may also involve the structure and scope of the course itself. Inclusivity can be achieved not only through course content, but in the types of activities expected of students. Open discussion, blog posts, collaborative work, and peer teaching can foster an atmosphere of transparency, where students can naturally engage with issues of representation and the shortcomings of the canon. Similarly, the model of analyzing old works may not be the best way to prepare students for their careers; instead, more performance, improvisation, and composition-based assessments would have more practical use. Assessments like this often embrace stylistic diversity, which is another way to foster an inclusive atmosphere.
This approach can be achieved both inside of the classroom and out. In this vein, we as faculty should serve as role models for their students. We should demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity in our nonacademic ventures, in the works we choose to perform or the concerts we curate; the classroom culture we perpetuate; the ways we interact with our colleagues and peers; the language we use to describe them and ourselves; in mentorship with students or in advisory positions for student groups or ensembles; the concerts we encourage our students to attend and the language we use to talk about different genres and styles of music; and in countless other ways, large and small. A commitment to transparency in the theory classroom — openly acknowledging the limitations and problematic nature of the Western canon, as expressed in textbooks, assessments, publications, and course requirements — is a simple and effective way of encouraging students to think critically about representation and inclusivity. We should lead by example as well, and prioritize inclusivity outside the classroom in our own endeavors, and by supporting and promoting the efforts of our students and colleagues.
Multilateral efforts with colleagues can have a profound impact on fellow faculty, students, and the community. Collaboration between people in positions of power have the potential for profound impact. At a basic level, open discussion of issues of diversity and representation in the curriculum can spark fruitful and thought-provoking discussions and ideas. Collaboration can also take the form of committees, concert series’ dedicated to performing the work of underrepresented composers, publications, conferences, and many other efforts. Aside from being worthwhile causes, participation in these types of events is evidence of a paradigmatic shift at work, and convey to students, faculty, administrators, and the greater community a serious commitment to inclusivity and diversity in undergraduate music education. By committing ourselves to diversity in various aspects of our professional lives, we are embodying the type of change that would greatly benefit our field.


First-grade teachers in public schools must have at least a bachelor's degree in elementary education, with a few exceptions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Requirements for private-school teachers vary depending on the school, but a bachelor's degree is usually preferred.Continue Reading
Some states mandate that their public first-grade teachers also have a major in the content area they teach, explains the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public school teachers must be licensed or certified, although private-school teachers normally do not need to meet such a requirement. Depending on the state, a teacher may need to obtain a master's degree after becoming certified.
However, all states have programs for people who possess bachelor's degrees but who do not have a teaching background. Some programs let a person teach while he simultaneously takes the required teaching and child development classes.Learn more about Career Aspirations


Some children have a digital footprint before birth, pictures of scans pops up on social networking sites, photographs and video clips follow. Children should be aware of their online presence. Most importantly they should be creating a positive online presence.
What is a digital footprint?
Your digital footprint is all the digital communication you place on the internet. Children need to be aware that information shared, stays. Inappropriate pictures and comments remain and others can find them. Like wise, your greatness can be researched by others! Employers and universities regularly check people’s online presense. So digital footprint should be as positive as possible.
How can I monitor my digital footprint and that of my family?
It will not be possible to monitor every area of your child’s electronic life. We need to work together to help children understand and build a positive online presence. We talk about their rights and responsibilities when they are online. Your values as a family off line are the values you promote online. There is no difference.
KP, digital citizens.
The children are very aware, through comments and the cluster map, that the “whole world” is looking at their blog. This generally means when they ask for things to go on the blog they make a supreme effort to ensure high quality work. Tasha wrote an outstanding post about twitter and literacy development, please take time to read it.
Now we respond to other peoples blogs and send tweet messages we have been discussing the kind of messages we should sent. We started our conversation by discussing messages we like to receive. We decided these are the messages we should be sending to others.


Overview: In this lesson on categories of color in STEAM, students explore the qualities of color and categorize them organically.
Grade level: K-1
Content Areas: Math and Visual Art
If there’s one thing that gets visual art educators passionately talking, it’s color. Figuring out how to teach it to our youngest learners in Kindergarten and grade one is even more challenging. And when it comes to the general education math classroom, the measurement and data standards can take quite a bit of time with these same students. So why not connect both areas?
In this free STEAM lesson, kindergarten and 1st grade students explore colors without labels, and categorize them based on similarities of hue, saturation and value. Of course, at this age level, we’re not going into intense detail about these items. Instead, we allow students to investigate and experiment with color with limited direction. They can then discover the variants of color through their own lenses. This idea (and lesson) was deeply influenced by hearing Olivia Gude share a talk on the topic at the NAEA Conference in Chicago back in March, 2016.
And while we usually connect science and art when it comes to color study, this lesson offers a different perspective. Throughout this process, we can connect authentically the idea of categorization through similar attributes. Students can categorize not only the found objects in the lesson, but also in their own color choices through their final color-grid project. By intentionally using labels, categories, grids and charts, this lesson offers a great opportunity to utilize common vocabulary, skills and processes across math and art.
Susan Riley is the founder and President of EducationCloset.com. She focuses on teacher professional development in arts integration, Common Core State Standards, 21st century learning skills, and technology. She is also a published author and frequent presenter at national conferences on Arts Integration and Arts and the Common Core.
Susan holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ and a Master of Science in Education Administration from McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. She lives in Westminster, MD with her husband and daughter.


Facts About Plants Video for Kids
Enjoy viewing cool facts about Plants easy for kids video:
Facts about Plants
There are more than 200,000 identified species of plants and more new species are being discovered with time. Approximately 80,000 of them are edible species. 70,000 of them are used for medicinal purpose. More than 90% of the food that we eat comes from only 30 plants. The Coast redwood is the world’s tallest growing tree. It grows along the Pacific coast of United States. Nutrition is a not a factor in deciding which crops we mass produce. More than 80 percent of original forests of the earth have been destroyed.
Fast Facts: –
- Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world. In just one day, it can grow about 3.28 feet.
- Tomato juice is the official state beverage of Ohio.
- Cranberries have small pockets of air inside them that help them to float and bounce in water.
- An average strawberry has 200 seeds.
- Asparagus is a member of the lily family.
- The Poison Garden in England is dedicated to plants that kill.
- Marijuana and Hops belong to the same plant family, Cannabaceae.
- An average tree is made up of 99% dead cells. Leaves, root tips, and phloem are the only living parts.
- A pineapple is a berry and Peanuts are beans.
- ‘Fruit’ is a botanical term and ‘Vegetable’ is a culinary term.
- Some plants send chemical signals to parasitic wasps when they are being eaten by a caterpillar. These wasps attack caterpillars.
- A sunflower might look like a large flower but each head has hundreds of tiny flowers called florets.
- Gingko is one of the oldest living tree species that dates back about 150 million years.
Cite This Page
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By Teachers, For Teachers
The last time that you sat down to read a book, whether it was on your Kindle or you were holding a hardcover book in the palm of your hand, you had a purpose for reading it. You needed to unwind and wanted to get lost in a fantasy world, or you were inquiring for information about something. Whatever the case may be, you had a reason and a purpose for reading the book. Your students need a purpose as well. Maybe it’s to find an answer to a question or to practice reading for fluency. Whatever the case, they too need a purpose. Using classroom management to set a reading purpose helps students stay focused and engaged in what they are doing. This classroom management tactic helps motivate the students who to tend to rush through everything. With a clear and meaningful purpose, your students will gain more from the text. It can help them figure out what’s most important in the book, and help build their understanding so they can be successful readers. Here are a few classroom management ways how to teach your students how to set their own purpose for reading.
Before you ask students to read, make sure that you give them a purpose. You also must make sure that you are very specific. For example, you can say, “I would like you to read until paragraph three,” or “I would like you to read until you get to the part where Rosa Parks gets on the bus.” By being so specific, you are teaching students that they have a purpose for what they are doing. Here are a few more prompts to teach them purpose.
There are many ways that you can prompt students with a purpose for reading. The suggestions above were just a few examples to get you started. Once students have found their purpose, you can then help them build comprehension about what they are reading. To do this, you can use another prompt, such as, “Write down a problem that you discovered while reading the story,” or “Retell the story using your own words to the person next to you.” Here are a few more examples of comprehensions prompts to help set the purpose.
Now that you have introduced your students to the world of reading for a purpose, you can teach them how to set their own purpose for reading, all by themselves. To begin, discuss how the purpose they choose drives the choices they make while they are reading. They can either read for pure enjoyment (to just get lost in a good book), to find specific information (to learn about the stars), or to perform a task (read until you meet the main character in the story). Once students have decided upon their purpose, they can use before, during, and after reading strategies to help them gain more information, as well as help their comprehension about their main purpose for reading. Here are a few questions and statements students can ask themselves about their text.
Before Reading – What can I expect to learn from this book? What do I already know about this text? What should I be learning?
During Reading – Reflect upon what you just read. Place a sticky note next to any questions that you have. Ask yourself if you understand what you are reading.
After Reading – Go over any sticky notes that were placed in the book. Summarize in your head everything that you just read in your own words. Reread anything that may have confused you.
Asking your students, as well as teaching them to ask themselves essential questions, is the key to setting a meaningful purpose. This in turn helps the student connect the passage to a much larger context.
Do you have any classroom management tips for teaching students how to set a purpose for reading? Please share your expertise in the comment section below, we would love to hear the ideas that work well in your classroom.
Janelle Cox is an education writer who uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle holds a Master's of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is also the Elementary Education Expert for About.com, as well as a contributing writer to TeachHUB.com and TeachHUB Magazine. You can follow her at Twitter @Empoweringk6ed, or on Facebook at Empowering K6 Educators.


Run time: 59:09
What’s the difference between (a) students who start and end the school year as struggling readers, and (b) students who start out struggling but end up succeeding?
Research suggests one key factor is an increase in deliberate reading practice—in some cases, as little as six additional minutes per day.
This deliberate practice affects everything from the structure of students’ brains to vocabulary acquisition to future opportunities for job advancement. Or, as educator and author Mike Schmoker puts it, “reading changes everything.”
Watch this webinar for essential insights into how the right reading practice will lead to substantial gains in student growth. You’ll explore:
Jan Bryan, EdD, is Vice President and National Education Officer at Renaissance. A former classroom teacher, she presents regularly on literacy development, formative assessment, and cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of learning.
You’re all set to watch the recording: 6 Minutes and Reading Growth


Earlier this month, I was invited to be a keynote speaker on the theme of "Education for Economic Success" at the Education World Forum, which brought education ministers and leaders from over 75 countries together in London.
Education is fundamental to development and growth. The human mind makes possible all development achievements, from health advances and agricultural innovations to efficient public administration and private sector growth. For countries to reap these benefits fully, they need to unleash the potential of the human mind. And there is no better tool for doing so than education.
Twenty years ago, government officials and development partners met to affirm the importance of education in development—on economic development and broadly on improving people’s lives—and together declared Education for All as a goal. While enrolments have risen in promising fashion around the world, learning levels have remained disappointingly and many remain left behind. Because growth, development, and poverty reduction depend on the knowledge and skills that people acquire, not the number of years that they sit in a classroom, we must transform our call to action from Education for All to Learning for All.
The World Bank’s forthcoming Education Strategy will emphasize several core ideas: Invest early. Invest smartly. Invest in learning for all.
First, foundational skills acquired early in childhood make possible a lifetime of learning. The traditional view of education as starting in primary school takes up the challenge too late. The science of brain development shows that learning needs to be encouraged early and often, both inside and outside of the formal schooling system. Prenatal health and early childhood development programs that include education and health are consequently important to realize this potential. In the primary years, quality teaching is essential to give students the foundational literacy and numeracy on which lifelong learning depends. Adolescence is also a period of high potential for learning, but many teenagers leave school at this point, lured by the prospect of a job, the need to help their families, or turned away by the cost of schooling. For those who drop out too early, second-chance and nonformal learning opportunities are essential to ensure that all youth can acquire skills for the labor market.
Second, getting results requires smart investments—that is, investments that prioritize and monitor learning, beyond traditional metrics, such as the number of teachers trained or number of students enrolled. Quality needs to be the focus of education investments, with learning gains as the key metric of quality. Resources are too limited and the challenges too big to be designing policies and programs in the dark. We need evidence on what works in order to invest smartly.
Third, learning for all means ensuring that all students, and not just the most privileged or gifted, acquire the knowledge and skills that they need. Major challenges of access remain for disadvantaged populations at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. We must lower the barriers that keep girls, children with disabilities, and ethnolinguistic minorities from attaining as much education as other population groups. “Learning for All” promotes the equity goals that underlie Education for All and the MDGs. Without confronting equity issues, it will be impossible to achieve the objective of learning for all.
Achieving learning for all will be challenging, but it is the right agenda for the next decade. It is the knowledge and skills that children and youth acquire today—not simply their school attendance—that will drive their employability, productivity, health, and well-being in the decades to come, and that will help ensure that their communities and nations thrive.
Read the full text of my speech to the Education World Forum here.


Toddler/Preschool-Aged Music Education Classes at our Southlake Studio
75 MUSIC THEORY CONCEPTS – 280 SONGS
LEARN TO SPEAK MUSIC AS A LANGUAGE
Explore music making through a variety of songs and hands-on instrument play. Children are also introduced to basic music theory concepts so they can begin speaking the language of music at an early age! After thirteen years of providing music education for preschoolers and toddlers, we have tried-and-true methods that make us a specialist in the field of toddler/preschool-aged music education.
- Little MusicMaker classes provide every child with the opportunity to experience the joys and benefits from not just passively listening to music, but active music making.
- Children are encouraged to begin speaking the language of music as early as 18 months old through the introduction to music theory concepts such as quarter note, treble clef, crescendo, and many more.
- A new concept is introduced each week over the course of the three year program.
- Little MusicMaker has provided music education classes for infants to children age five for over 13 years.
- Years of experience in the classroom and field research have resulted in a method that will leave you amazed by the children’s knowledge of music after completion of the program.
- Children are introduced to over 280 songs and chants from around the world.
- Improvising lyrics and composing are a part of every class.
- Upon completion of the program, your child will be prepared to transition into piano lessons or another instrument study with ease.
- Students participating in the Little MusicMaker Toddler and Preschooler Program will receive automatic admission into the MusicMaker Conservatory of Southlake bypassing the waitlist and standard admission procedures.


1870 – Education Act, first allowed women to stand on school boards – had impact on children beyond their own. Pre 1870 education given by organisations and churches but was not compulsory, 34% aged 6-12 weren’t educated. Believed Britain would fall back in industry etc because of lack of education.
1870 liberal Forster set up compulsory elementary education, England in districts and each one with school board. Women voluntary managers – chance to make difference locally and regionally.
1902 – School boards abolished and women again illegible for election as seen too important for women to have input into.
By 1900 many working class men and all women didn’t have vote. All mean needed vote first , and ideologies had to change. Women needed public role.
Volunteers with churches and organisations, private schools. Became Poor Law Guardians and managed individual schools. Assisted in classes in reading and needlework etc, still had relevance to ideologies. Began to break into public sphere and voices were heard but ideologies still heavily impacted opportunities.
Poor Law Administration – no law against women being poor law guardians provided owned enough property, moved into this near end of 19th century. First elected in 1875, by 1901 over 1000 through 500 unions. Doing what they could to…


Lessons in mobile learning for women's and girls' empowerment
Description of Presentation
How should effective mobile learning initiatives for women and girls be designed? How can they be created in gender-sensitive and sustainable ways? What barriers need to be addressed and what pre-conditions need to be in place for successful implementation? This presentation will address these important questions as well as initial lessons learned as part of a UNESCO Education Sector's project on “Developing Literacy through Mobile Phones – Empowering Women and Girls”. The project’s purpose is to study initiatives from around the world aimed at empowering women and girls through education via innovative mobile technology-based learning and information programmes. It is also exploring what makes existing initiatives effective models of using mobile technologies to support literacy development and improve learning outcomes of women and girls, with the aim of providing a foundation for the future planning and implementation of scaling-up activities in this domain. In this context, UNESCO is producing a global report comprised of regional reviews and in-depth case-studies, and has organized three expert workshops focused on Africa, Asia & the Pacific, and Latin America & the Caribbean. Following the presentation of lessons learned based on these inputs, participants will be invited to join in a deeper discussion of the issues.
Diane Boulay is currently responsible for the day-to-day activities of UNESCO's project on "Developing Literacy through Mobile Phones - Empowering Women and Girls", within the ICT in Education team. Prior to UNESCO, Diane worked as project manager on higher education policy at the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Centre for Higher Education in Germany, on risk governance and science policy at the International Risk Governance Council in Switzerland, and as a world language teacher in the United States. Diane is a graduate from Stanford University in International Educational Administration and Policy Analysis.Back to top


I recently attended the Rural Education Project (REP) Conference. The theme: Towards quality learning and teaching. Between 2006 and 2009, REP aims to develop the literacy and numeracy skills of primary school learners in under-resourced rural schools.
The project, part-funded by the Claude Leon Foundation, is interesting in that it did not set out to look for the one magic bullet in education, but rather aimed to critically explore and measure differentiated approaches to improving education in 38 rural case schools.
Essentially, the project is based on an experimental programme approach: which approaches work in which schools under which conditions? Levels of engagement occurred at district, community, school and classroom levels.
Cally Kuhne, REP project manager, pointed out the benefits of this approach:
- Contribute to knowledge on rural development, in particular numeracy and literacy improvement, to inform practice and/or policy.
- Identify contextual challenges related improving quality of teaching and learning in rural schools.
- Study issues related to improving results.
- Examine unique features of each school/cluster.
- Enrich understanding of current practice, programmes, institutions and systems.
The final findings of REP will only be written up next year. For now the two-day conference was a taster — and an opportunity to network and share opportunities and challenges facing rural education. My conference notes provide details on the various presentations.