All teachers face an educational opportunity at the end of the school year that is often perceived as a dilemma. We spend our school year diligently pacing our instruction to complete all of the required standards before mandatory state tests in the spring. What happens, though, when the laser focus on state testing disappears? What do you teach and how do you keep your students engaged when all of the tested standards have been taught and there are still 28 days before summer vacation?
Students must understand that the 7 hours of school each day following state tests are meaningful and valuable. Tell them and then engage them through thoughtful and carefully planned activities! There are so many untapped learning opportunities at the end of the school year plus the freedom to experiment with new teaching methods or topics. I used to love this time of the school year. My students knew that as long as we were in school, we were going to engage in educational opportunities. A bonus was that our day remained structured and predictable for the students.
- Explore a topic in more detail. There were always times during the year when I had to transition to new topics even when my students were still soaking in new information. The post-test school days allow teachers to revisit a topic or combine topics for deeper learning. This could be done through activities focused on a particular subject such as interest-based book clubs or through cross-curricular activities such as student-led performances.
- Extend a standard. At the end of the school year, I always taught elements of the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. The uses of medieval herbs was not an integral part of the curriculum but I always found that the students enjoyed learning about the culinary, medicinal and household uses of herbs, and connecting those uses to modern times. Thanks to help from our PTA, we even planted a Medieval herb garden a few years and then harvested herbs for our discussions.
- Enrich a subject. Let’s face it, as a teacher, we need to prioritize our teaching. Some topics are perceived as more “valuable” so there is greater emphasis on delivery of instruction. However, there are many foundational skills that are important to a well-rounded education that may not be tested or even required within your standards. Do your students know how to read and write cursive? Learning to write in cursive improves brain development in several areas including working memory. Do your students know the concept of a budget? Consider enriching the study of math through an economics simulation where students create a budget and manage a sum of money. Geography, once a “core” subject and required for all citizens, is another topic that is often short-changed during the academic year. The post-testing school days are an ideal time to focus on important foundational skills. (If you are interested in U.S. geography, LearningPlunge has a 10-day game-based unit using GeoPlunge that teaches geography for 45-60 minutes per day that will keep students engaged and active. Contact us for a FREE copy of this unit.)
- Explore a new model or curriculum. The end of the year is a time to think ahead. Will there be a new emphasis on a content area or delivery method next year? If you know that your Principal’s focus for the next year is on guided math, project based learning, or a push to integrate social-emotional learning into the school day, then get started now! The post-testing school days provide a laboratory to test new curricula and methods. Planning ahead also saves time in the fall.
- Expand your classroom. Spring is a great time for outdoor learning. Take your students outside to read, go on a nature scavenger hunt, or work on math skills using chalk. You can even learn poetry by jumping rope or geography by creating maps. The outdoor learning classroom provides a different perspective and opportunity for learning in all subject areas.
Those state tests will be done soon and there is time for valuable learning before the start of summer. Don’t miss out on the opportunities to try something new and to keep your students engaged through the end of the school year.
Barb Bailey is the Director of Learning at LearningPlunge, Inc. She has a Master of Education degree and 15 years of teaching experience. Barb is committed to providing high quality educational resources for all children. Reach out to her at Bailey@learningplunge.org.


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical.
Related to learning disabilities: dyslexia
learning disabilities,in education, any of various disorders involved in understanding or using spoken or written language, including difficulties in listening, thinking, talking, readingreading,
process of mentally interpreting written symbols. Facility in reading is an essential factor in educational progress, and instruction in this basic skill is a primary purpose of elementary education.
..... Click the link for more information. , writing, spelling, or arithmeticarithmetic,
branch of mathematics commonly considered a separate branch but in actuality a part of algebra. Conventionally the term has been most widely applied to simple teaching of the skills of dealing with numbers for practical purposes, e.g.
..... Click the link for more information. . They may affect people of average or above-average intelligence. Learning disabilities include conditions referred to as perceptual handicaps, minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), dyslexiadyslexia
, in psychology, a developmental disability in reading or spelling, generally becoming evident in early schooling. To a dyslexic, letters and words may appear reversed, e.g., d seen as b or was seen as saw.
..... Click the link for more information. , developmental aphasia, and attentional deficit disorder (ADD); they do not include learning problems due to physical handicaps (e.g., impaired sight or hearing, or orthopedic disabilities), mental retardationmental retardation,
below average level of intellectual functioning, usually defined by an IQ of below 70 to 75, combined with limitations in the skills necessary for daily living.
..... Click the link for more information. , emotional disturbance, or cultural or environmental disadvantage. Techniques for remediation are highly individualized, including the simultaneous use of several senses (sight, hearing, touch), slow-paced instruction, and repetitive exercises to help make perceptual distinctions. Students are also assisted in compensating for their disabilities; for example, one with a writing disability may use a tape recorder for taking notes or answering essay questions. Behavior often associated with learning disabilities includes hyperactivity (hyperkinesis), short attention span, and impulsiveness. School programs for learning-disabled students range from a modified or supplemental program in regular classes to placement in a special school, depending upon the severity of the disability. The field of learning disabilities is considered to have emerged as a separate discipline in 1947 with the publication of the book Psychopathology and Education of the Brain-Injured Child by neuropsychiatrist Alfred A. Strauss and Laura E. Lehtinen. The need to help students with these disabilities was first recognized on the federal level in 1958, when Congress appropriated $1 million to train teachers for the mentally retarded. Famous people considered to have had a learning disability include Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, and Nelson Rockefeller.


If we look life one hundred years in the past, and examine that with the right now’s life, we will discover that Science has dramatically changed human life. Motivating and fascinating college students to talk, ask questions, learn new vocabulary, and write down their thoughts comes simply when they are curious, exploring and engaged in science or science inquiry. To organize clear science and language outcomes, teachers ought to draw on a wide range of resources that embody requirements of knowledge and abilities in a science space, language proficiency standards, prior pupil performance assessments, and obtainable course supplies.
We invite all friends and supporters to have interaction with us and assist us to continue being Australia’s main scientific teaching and research hub. I think in case you ask a health care provider or a dentist, they are going to most definitely let you know that there is an artwork, to the science that they practice. The relationship only began to swing each methods, with science contributing to technological development as well as benefiting from it, in the nineteenth century as, for example, organic chemistry each emerged from and found application within the German dye-making business.
Let me finish this article with a name to academics and oldsters of our technology to make science for kids more than some phrases and photos in a textbook. We encourage you to hitch us in our analysis and research, or simply tap into our expertise and uncover more about Science at Sydney. Entertainment by way of cinema is one of the most remarkable invention of science in our day by day life.
This science project can even be an awesome demonstration at a science truthful where college students have to current their thought and information about why it works. Blogs are sometimes tough to outline; the ecosystem of online science social-media content is increasing, and platforms are mixing into one another,” she says. Publishing your article with us has many benefits, similar to accessing a personal dashboard: citation and utilization information on your publications in a single place.
We provide companies in bibliometrics, that is to say, quantitative analyses of the manufacturing and dissemination of science and technology. Integrated lecturers want to concentrate to the science to be discovered, the language skills required to learn it, and the reasoning abilities wanted to be manipulated. The Australian Curriculum: Science has three interrelated strands: science understanding, science as a human endeavour and science inquiry abilities.


Best Periodic Table Song Video for Kids
Periodic Table Facts
The Periodic Table can be defined as a way of listing the elements. There are total 118 confirmed elements in this table. 90 of them are found in nature and rest of them are completely man-made. Technetium was the first ever man-made element. The rows are called periods and columns are called groups. Hydrogen is the lightest element as it has atomic weight 1. It can be found in the top left corner. Uranium is the heaviest element with the atomic weight of 238. Most of the elements in the periodic table are metal. Francium is the rarest element on the earth.
Fast Facts: –
- The Periodic table was proposed by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869 for the first time. He was a professor at the University of St. Petersburg.
- Mendeleev’s table had some blank spaces but he predicted the weights and chemical behavior of missing elements correctly.
- There are total 18 groups. Group 1 has all the alkali metals.
- Helium was first discovered while observing the Sun.
- Mercury and Bromine are only two elements that remain in the liquid state at room temperature.
- Argon is very non-reactive and does not combine with other elements.
- Copernicium is one of the weirdest elements. It is a metal that forms as a gas at room temperature.
- The first ever periodic table published by Mendeleev contained 63 known elements.
- Different forms of pure elements are known as allotropes.
- The country Argentina is named after the element silver. It has the symbol ‘Ag’ that came from the Latin name of silver, Argentum.
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This past week, one of my clients asked me what the difference between Music Therapy and music class was. As a board certified music therapist AND certified music educator, this is one of my favorite questions to answer!
Last week I talked all about music therapy; where it came from, who it helps, the works! Though the concept of music therapy is becoming more understood, some people still have trouble discerning what makes a music therapist and a music teacher different.
The difference is clear when we take away the word music:
The treatment of disease or disorders, as by some remedial, rehabilitating, or curative process.
The act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellect.
What it boils down to is that music therapy is working on functional skills, while music education is working on musical skills. The reason this is sometimes indiscernible to the outside observer is because music therapy and music class can look very similar.
For example, a music therapist might use the ukulele in session with a client who has fine motor delays. The therapist may adapt the ukulele using colored stickers so the client has a visual target for where their fingers should go. The therapist could teach the client a favorite song or two and they will play and sing together.
On the surface, this looks a lot like a traditional or adapted music lesson, but the therapist is not concerned about the musical skill (learning the ukulele), the therapist is concerned about the functional skill (fine motor movement and isolation of the digits).
The confusion that arises from a session like this sometimes makes it difficult to explain music therapy and to advocate for the profession. But this is also the beauty of music therapy. Children don’t realize they are working on critical, functional skills; they are just enjoying making music!
Music Therapy can facilitate skill development in the cognitive, communication, social/emotional and motor/physical domains... to name a few. If there are skill areas your child can benefit from using music as the therapeutic medium, contact us and learn more about our unique programs!
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for even more autism tips and tricks


Special Collections in the Children’s Room
This collection contains books for families and caregivers of children and tweens about parenting issues such as sleep, physical and emotional health, siblings and more. It also has books including picture books on these subjects appropriate for children.
LEARNING COLLECTION INCLUDING THE SEPTO DONATIONSThis collection contains books on subjects such as learning disabilities, autism, aspergers, sensory issues, education law and more. Many of these books were given to the library by the North Salem schools Special Education Parent Teacher Organization.
These books about 9-11 were given to the library in honor of Vincent Halloran, a North Salem resident and NYC firefighter who lost his life in the September 11th terrorist attack. They were given by the Vincent Gerard Halloran Fund for Children.
SPANISH LANGUAGE BOOKS
The library has books in Spanish for children and tweens.
In addition to books, the library has a wide variety of toys for imaginative play, socialization and fine motor skill development. They include puzzles, toys, Lego, puppets, a kitchen and a giant dollhouse. Next time you come in with children, why not “stay and play”.


When a child is required to problem solve, they are developing and strengthening new neural pathways, which will allow their abilities in other areas to grow.
Hands-on, gender-neutral STEM-focused activities are ideal for helping your child to develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills—aspects essential in an emerging mathematician and bookworm alike. STEM activities also provide an opportunity for you to sit down with your child in a screen-free environment and support their maths and literacy development.
An example of this includes working on an activity item such as a coding set. Our Code and Go Mouse set, for example, requires a child to use their problem-solving abilities by building a maze and then use their critical thinking skills to read and use coding cards to create a path for the robot mouse. In order to complete each step of the activity, a child is required to thoroughly read and understand the instructions—a great opportunity for a family member to join-in and provide assistance and encouragement when needed. By analysing and following the instructions, a child is also strengthening their literacy skills.


There is still debate regarding the origins and implementation of treble guitar notation: pedagogical treatises indicate that such notation was normative already by the early nineteenth century. Guitarists' development throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially at the level of writing and playing contrapuntal music, was not accompanied by a substantial notational advancement that would emphasize counterpoint. With few exceptions, the appropriateness of single-stave treble guitar notation has remained unchallenged since the nineteenth century; no pedagogies have previously been written that would systematically instruct students how to read multiple staves, or clefs other than treble. As a result, a majority of Western-trained musicians up to the present day consider single-stave treble notation an inherent, immutable component of reading guitar music. Such a conception seems like a radical change from that of the nineteenth century: Fernando Sor and Ferdinando Carulli (notable nineteenth-century pedagogues) advocated guitarists' familiarization with both the double stave and orchestral scores.
The purpose of this treatise is two-fold: first, to revalorize counterpoint (one of the main features present in the "classical guitar" musical corpus), and to assert the guitar's viability as a contrapuntal, score-reading instrument. And second, to supply a clef and score reading pedagogy for guitarists, which could in turn promote and facilitate the recognition of counterpoint in both solo and ensemble playing. This treatise is divided into three parts: in the first part I affirm the necessity and feasibility of guitaristic-notational exploration beyond the single treble stave. I discuss nineteenth and twentieth-century pedagogies and their treatment of counterpoint and music reading, as well as possible ramifications of implementing score reading with the guitar. In this first part I also outline a pedagogical methodology, considering the music I edited for the present work; I include sample lessons, which an instructor could use to begin teaching students how to read clefs and scores of up to four parts.
The second part of this treatise consists of two sections: first, a clef-reading pedagogy for the treble, bass, soprano, alto and tenor clefs. This pedagogy is based on Georges Dandelot's clef-reading model, and is applied to positions I, III, V, VII and X on the fingerboard. Second, a collection of 138 score reading studies in different clef and stave combinations. I edited these pieces from solo works by Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, Matteo Carcassi and Dionisio Aguado, and provide critical commentary for my editorial work as part of this section. I chose the pieces that comprise these studies considering works that are relatively simple to play on the guitar: the pedagogy thus emphasizes reading rather than technique.
The treatise's third and final part consists of twenty-one beginning-level trios, which I arranged from solo guitar works by the aforementioned composers. This last section is designed to promote an appreciation and understanding of contrapuntal music at the early stages of learning, and is a contribution to the still-growing corpus of guitar ensemble music.
|Advisor:||Glahn, Denise Von|
|Commitee:||Holzman, Bruce, Shaftel, Matthew, Welch, Leo|
|School:||The Florida State University|
|School Location:||United States -- Florida|
|Source:||DAI-A 73/06, Dissertation Abstracts International|
|Subjects:||Music, Music education|
|Keywords:||Clefs, Guitar, Music, Music reading, Notation, Reading, Score|
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Don’t Overprepare Your Courses
As you may know, classes start in just a few days (and nights). Hopefully, you had a restful break and are getting ready for an amazing semester. Your course outlines are solid, your thorough expertise in your field knows no bounds, and you know what to expect from your students. But how about your material? Do you have what it takes to help students develop the required competencies?
If you’re like many a dedicated teacher, your first reflex is probably to say that, no, you don’t have enough to cover everything. Even if you have most of it in some form or another, you think about filling in the gaps or about improving upon what you already have. But what if this reflex were misleading? What if you could prepare less instead of more?
It’s also possible that, as a seasoned teacher, your eagerness to spend inordinate amounts of time preparing for class has faded considerably. Perhaps some might even think that you spend too little time working on your courses. Who’s to say they’re right?
To answer some of these questions, it might be useful to focus on your primary role as a teacher: to enable learning. If students learn, why would anyone care that you spent less time preparing for courses than somebody else? Isn’t it a sign of efficient (and effective) teaching when the fruits of your labour mature effortlessly?
The ratio between your efforts and learning outcomes can be skewed by many factors. In one case, you may get dismal results from students despite exerting yourself as though your life depended upon it. In another case, you observe deep learning happening in your class even though you put less energy in this context than in the previous one.
Though it may be difficult for some of us to think of our teaching in such an instrumental way, something can be said about striking a balance between dutifulness and the path of least resistance.
One approach to relieving the burden of “course prep” is through the use of existing material. As discussed previously, pedagogues the world over are sharing educational resources which can be reused, reworked, remixed, redistributed, and retained by anyone - learners and teachers alike. A large proportion of the content is already available in English for a North American audience. In addition, standards, online tools, and government programmes can help you adapt external resources to your needs. Creating a screencast takes a significant amount of time. Adding subtitles to an existing one, much less so.
Much of the potential for educational resources comes from the process of creating them. It’s one thing if you provide visual or reading material to your students. Another thing entirely is the learning opportunity from creating your own material with the help of learners’ help. Our colleagues in secondary and elementary education sure sound excited about helping their students create books, build robots, or write songs (although some of our university friends have neat projects making music with younger folks). In colleges, we could team up with our students to augment the set of resources available for sharing. A project could be as involved as making a supercomputer or as simple as formulating exam questions. Framed properly, the learning outcomes are sure to greatly outweigh the efforts involved.
Speaking of efforts, aren’t these initiatives a distraction from the task at hand? Should we spend class time writing glossary entries about a few concepts used through the semester when we barely have enough time to go through the textbook? The answer fully depends on your context. It’s possible that chapter revision or formative evaluations are more pressing than creative activities like collaborative annotations. On the other hand, there’s nothing as time-consuming as forcing people to learn something they can’t understand. After all, a reason the “flipped classroom” and other forms of peer instruction are so effective is that they allow teachers to understand counterintuitive parts of the learning process.
Upon encountering a new pedagogical practice that they find interesting, many teachers say that they wish they could adopt it but claim they are unable to do so because they have to “cover the material”. There’s a clear logic to this, but there are many ways to ensure that learners are covering the material, even if the teacher takes a step back.
In late Spring, VTE will host an event during which pedagogues and other experts will be encouraged to build course material together or in parallel. In preparation for this event, we’ll be looking for people interested in exploring tools and techniques to create educational resources such as interactive simulations, video demonstrations, timelines, and sociograms.
If you’re interested (or at least intrigued), please email us and we’ll keep you posted.


Goodman, J. R. (1990). A naturalistic study of the relationship between literacy development and dramatic play in five-year-old children. Unpublished Ed.D. Dissertation, George Peabody College for Teachers, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.1
This study investigates the relationship between dramatic play and literacy and explores some of the critical factors that influence that relationship. The study was carried out in a preschool classroom and included the use of dramatic play. The researcher focused on functional uses of literacy; the ability of children to translate familiar stories into play texts; use of play to establish physical setting and to present stories; the use of personal themes; and modes and degrees of social interaction. The study provided evidence that dramatic play is an important vehicle whereby children can both practice and learn about literacy skills and knowledge.
The study found that children’s favorite stories often become the basis for many play scripts. Children also used literacy skills in composing their play scripts. Both teacher-to-student and student-to-student interactions influenced the children’s choices about the importance and use of literacy within their plays. The settings of literary texts appeared in varying degrees in their dramatizations. Through play, the children exhibited their ability to read texts and materials related to their play, their use of written artifacts within their play, and their efforts at composing scenes and plays. Within the “risk-free” atmosphere of dramatic play, children are also able to expand their use of literacy skills. The researcher notes a positive relationship between creating stories and translating stories into play texts. Such translation includes establishing settings, characters, character relationships, and plots.
Significance of the Findings:
The use of literacy by children in drama suggests a significant “opportunity benefit” for supplanting non-learning, self-directed time with the literacy-rich activities of drama. The dramatic play examined in this study also seemed to motivate children to gain literacy skills. Moreover, literacy in the form of detailed understanding of texts appeared to give power to playwrights, and the ability to direct play also reflected the children’s “storying” skills and appeared to elevate their social status within the classroom. Because five-year-olds are at fairly early stages of literacy development, dramatic play may be all the more important for these children if the dramatic form provides a motivating context for learning about literacy, using literacy skills, and exploring new and abstract concepts. In the findings of this study, drama provides that context.
This study was carried out in an intact preschool classroom with 17 children between five and six years of age. The class used dramatic play on a nearly daily basis over five months. Themes within dramatic play ranged from the very common (house, family, school, stories) to the occasional unique subject (farm, fishing, concert). The researcher used traditional ethnographic methods to categorize themes of the children’s drama and to explore the literacy activities of children during dramatic enactment. Data collection included participant observation, informal interviews, and document analysis. The researcher used tape recording and videotaping to support analyses. The researcher focused on a variety of literacy-related phenomena: functional uses of literacy; the ability of children to translate familiar stories into play texts; use of play to establish physical setting and to present stories; the use of personal themes; and modes and degrees of social interaction.
Limitations of the Research:
The primary limitation of this study is the lack of generalizability to other settings. To what degree are the findings only applicable to the middle-class students in the study? In addition, the sample included a preponderance of examples from female students.
Questions to Guide New Research:
What are the relationships between creating play texts and writing abilities?
1The text of this summary is adapted from the Arts Education Partnership’s 2002 research compendium: Deasy, R. J. (Ed.). (2002). Critical links: Learning in the arts and student academic and social development. Washington, DC: Arts Education Partnership.


A reading specialist is an educational professional who focuses on improving student success in reading. Reading specialists can work in many different settings and with a wide variety of students. This article will provide you with information about specific tasks of reading specialists, the steps to take to become a reading specialist, and potential employment opportunities in the field.
Reading specialists can work with students from pre-Kindergarten through adult. Many reading specialists directly instruct students in reading development tasks. This might include phonics and letter recognition at the early stages of reading, sight-reading, and vocabulary building. Reading specialists who work with students at later stages of reading also teach speed reading and specialized skills for reading non-fiction texts. Some reading specialists work with special populations of students who require extra reading assistance due to learning disabilities and being new to the English language.
Some reading specialists also coach teachers in reading instruction and professional development. They bridge the gap between educational research on reading development and classroom implementation. Others work with education administrators to help them develop efficient reading programs.
Many reading specialists work in school classrooms. Some work with one school or teacher, while others work for a district reading program in a variety of classrooms. Some work for independent reading programs that students attend outside of regular school. Others fulfill an administrative role with school districts and reading programs, helping them build reading curriculum. Still others are self-employed, providing private reading development lessons, according to the International Reading Association.
How to Become a Reading Specialist
The best place to start your journey is to peruse the employment opportunities websites for specific districts and programs. This provides an idea of what you need to be eligible for positions you want.
1. Earn a Bachelor’s degree
If you know you would like to work with younger children, an early education degree is most preferable. Language and literacy degrees are other great options.
2. Complete a State Teaching Certification Program
To work in elementary schools, complete an elementary education credential. To work in middle and high schools, complete a secondary education credential in language arts.
3. Gain Teaching Experience Wherever You Can
Become a tutor, a teacher’s assistant, volunteer at a local library reading program, or take an introductory position with a reading development program. Many positions require experience in addition to the degree and credential, so the sooner you start gaining experience, the better!
4. Complete a Master’s Degree in Education
If you would like to work at a more administrative role, a master’s degree is a must. Some states require that all reading specialists have a Master’s in Education. Visit your state’s department of education to find out specific requirements. Many individuals prefer to earn this degree online while working.
5. Earn a Reading Specialist License
This opens additional opportunities. In addition to a Master’s in Education, the reading specialist license will allow you to stand out in the job pool and show that your interests truly lies in reading support.
Related Resource: What is Behavioral Support Teacher?
Reading is one of our most essential and enjoyable human skills, so the role of a reading specialist is important and rewarding. It is also an excellent career for those who seek workplace diversity.


When you’re thinking about science activities that you can do with your children don’t overlook a simple building project! Structures are definitely a scientific topic, and you can make the most basic structures with even the youngest kids.
Now, you might be thinking “WHAT? A toddler and a glue gun??” You bet! Have a look at this glue gun project for kids that I shared a wile back. In it, I share my advice on teaching kids how to use low temp glue guns. You’ll see that our older toddlers and preschoolers use them well. With a little guidance and supervision (and a bowl of cold water near-by, just in case), you can teach your child how to use a low heat glue gun too!
Using styrofoam meat trays for crafting:
Styrofoam trays are super in the craft room. We use ours to make make ornaments, and to hold craft supplies. We even use them as paint pallets. For safety reasons, always sterilize your meat trays in the dishwasher before crafting with them.
Today, the hooligans are making styrofoam structures . Building a structure is a simple way for young children to explore the basics of design and physics. It’s also great for fine motor skill development and critical and creative thinking.
Supplies for making Mosaic Meat Tray Structures:
- styrofoam meat tray
- acrylic craft paints
- low temp glue gun
- paint brushes
- safety scissors
- bowl of cold water
Painting your Meat Trays:
Cut the curved edges off your trays so you’re left with a flat tile.
Give each tile two coats of acrylic paint. You can speed up the drying process with a hair dryer. We’ve used tempera paints in the past, but they tend to flake and chip. If you’re going to use temperas, I’d advise giving your tiles a coat of craft sealer/varnish to prevent chipping.
Cutting up the tiles: The hooligans love this part. Cutting styrofoam is one of my favourite scissor skill exercises for kids. It’s easy for little hands to cut through styrofoam, and it makes such a satisfying sound when they do.
*tip for preventing burned fingers when using a glue gun:
Keep a bowl of water near-by. The low temp glue is not hot enough to actually burn but it’s comforting for little ones to know they can dip a finger or thumb if need be. I use this trick all the time myself when I’m using my high heat glue gun.
Building the structures with a low-temp glue gun:
Have your little one gently squeeze puddles of glue out onto their mosaic pieces, and lightly press them in place.
These are the beautiful structures that the 3 and 4 year old created.
For more creative activities for kids, check out our:
Get the 3-5 Playful Preschool e-Book!
25+preschool activities by 25 bloggers, 10 printables, plus links to 50 additional crafts and activities all for $8.99!
Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.


Over the past several months, I have been facilitating workshops in school districts in New Jersey to teachers in grades 3-12 on reading comprehension strategies and developing text dependent questions around complex text. Many teachers will ask, “What makes complex text complex?” “Great question,” I tell them.
When the Common Core rolled out the standards, the Text Complexity Triangle was provided as visual resource supported by definitions of the three legs of complex text for teachers. The three legs identify the complexity of text quantitatively, qualitatively, as well as by reader and tasks.
From consistent dialogue with teachers, they certainly understand the importance of wanting their students to fall deeply in love with reading and stretch themselves in reading rich and thought-provoking texts that will keep kids coming back for more…just like falling in love with someone or something special.
One of the three ways to evaluate text complexity is through a quantitative measure. This means measuring the text based on sentence length and word length/frequency and text cohesion. By using the free software, Lexile Analyzer, teachers can conduct an easy five step process in identifying and measuring texts quantitatively on the two variables.
However, teachers are facing challenges insofar as certain texts which are evaluated on the same Lexile level are markedly different. How is it possible that Charlotte’s Web and Grapes of Wrath are on the same quantitative Lexile level of 680? Well, I believe the authors of the Common Core recognize this is not an error. It’s only one leg of the text evaluation. And like a three-legged stool, all three legs need to hold up the stool so it’s steady and secure.
Another way for teachers to ensure that the Lexile level is an accurate evaluation of the text, is to watch this video from Achieve the Core. This YouTube video will answer teachers’ questions and wonderments about text complexity.
Join us for the next installment of Understanding Text Complexity where we will discuss evaluation of the other two categories of the Text Complexity Triangle. Until next time, happy learning and teaching!


These junior coders are way ahead of Bill Shorten, Christopher Pyne and Australia's chief scientist Ian Chubb.
Last week the Labor leader announced that if elected, his government would make coding a mandatory part of the national curriculum. Education Minister Christopher Pyne followed on Tuesday, pledging to strengthen Australia's fledgling science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) skills base along with bolstering investment in coding.
At the same time Amanda Hogan and her class of eight were making Professor Chubb proud, coding their way into the stratosphere.
Mrs Hogan sees coding as the future, particularly for her tech-savvy girls who huddle around laptops at lunch time each week telling computers what to do and how to do it.
"Breaking down problems into a solution is just a life skill, coding helps them understand those structures. Women are so under-represented in these tech fields, it is just never presented as an option and by the time they are old enough they may have already found their niche".
The reality is that it is not just women who are under-represented, Australia is as a whole.
We are not producing enough science and technology graduates to meet soaring demand.
According to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Australia stands to gain a $57.4 billion increase in GDP by shifting 1 per cent of the workforce into STEM-focused roles.
"The imperative for introducing these foundational skills into the primary and pre-primary curricula should be unassailable," Ms Livingstone said.
"As it stands in Australia the gap between the digital literacy of our young people and that of our competitor nations is increasing. If we want increased productivity and participation, we need urgently to embark on a 10-year plan to close that gap."
Academics have backed the calls from big-business for radical reform starting at the primary school level, where countries like Estonia and the United Kingdom lead the way.
"Many, many more people need to be exposed to coding at a young age," said Leon Sterling, the pro-vice chancellor of digital frontiers at Swinburne University. "Not everyone is going to become a coder, but they need to be exposed to the conceptual part so they understand how computers work at a basic level. This could help encourage future teachers to learn the fundamentals which they can take through life with them".
At the Balgowlah Boys Campus of Northern Beaches Secondary College, Ethan Low is one of those students who would have loved to have been taught to code at the same time as being taught to read.
"Coding is like writing a story, without the flow, essence and emotion it has no meaning, they are all just separate actions, but when you code it all together the program knows a beginning middle and an end".
The 14-year-old is busy programming lego robots to run riot around a classroom - a skill Australia hopes will take him and the country further, "My dream job is to be a robotic engineer," he said.
Want to learn how to code in HTML? Try this basic tutorial


Many people encounter music from a very young age, be it thanks to music-making parents, relatives who take them to concerts and play them their old record collections, or preschool and school teachers who lead them in singing and making music as a group. Some people, however, aren’t so lucky, with all this remaining inaccessible to them—sometimes an entire life long. But in no case should having the opportunity to take a playful (and above all joyful!) approach to music be left to chance or depend on the musical interest of parents and teachers.
And in this spirit, we’ve devoted the following pages to the significance of music education in its infinitely many facets—from initial contact at an early age to music class in school and on to music-making as a social factor all the way up to an advanced age. After all, music plays an important role in one’s personal development. You can also read about how it’s not always about actually learning to play an instrument, as well as about steps that are essential if one seeks to awaken an individual’s enthusiasm for music during the earliest stages of childhood.
Articles from this special


Related to Science for Kids
With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), you need a resource to help you answer pressing questions about how the standards fit with your curriculum, instruction, and assessments. Rodger W. Bybee has written Translating the NGSS for Classroom Instruction to provide essential guidance for everyone from teachers to school administrators to district and state science coordinators. As practical as it is timely, this book includes an introduction to NGSS; examples of the standards translated to classroom instruction in elementary, middle, and high school; and assistance in adapting current units of instruction to align with the standards. Bybee notes that the success of the new standards depends greatly on teachers ability to give students opportunities to learn the science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas of the NGSS. Reading this book is an important first step toward addressing educators questions and concerns about how to provide those opportunities and implement the standards.


Preschool Phonics and Learning to Read
A common stumbling block for children learning to read is difficulty understanding phonics, that is, letters and their corresponding sounds. One of the best ways to overcome this problem and prepare young children for reading is to engage them in pre-literacy activities, such as preschool phonics instruction.
Good phonics instruction helps kids learn, understand and make use of letters and their corresponding sounds in their reading and writing. Preschool phonics activities can start at home. Singing, playing, reading and talking with your child are all ways to help them build great pre-literacy skills. When speaking with your child, ask them to name the letter that certain conversational words begin with.
A wide range of preschool phonics games can be found online. Researchers have found that online phonics games can be successful in teaching children to read provided they form part of a larger systematic program of instruction that teaches five key literacy areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension.
ABC Reading Eggs offers a systematic suite of instructional lessons that comprehensively cover all five key literacy areas. ABC Reading Eggs lessons target phonics instruction by introducing individual letters and their corresponding sound to the child with highly interactive activities. These activities, which feature colourful visuals and animations, provide step by step instruction that reinforce letter-sound relationships. The ultimate goal is for beginner readers to understand the alphabetic principle – that every letter and letter combination has its own particular sound. With fun activities that are as enjoyable as they are educational, ABC Reading Eggs provides preschool phonics instruction that keeps children motivated to learn more.
I believe that Reading Eggs is an exciting, on-line reading program that engages students fully and ensures that they have fun while they are learning to read. It is simple to use, caters to all students and makes learning to read FUN. Well Done! Ann Forbes, Glenmore State School
I am amazed and how much my 3-year-old is learning with Reading Eggs! He can identify all of his letters and knows their sounds. At the rate he’s learning, he’ll be reading by Kindergarten. He LOVES to “play” it and views it as fun, not work. He had never used a computer before trying Reading Eggs, but it’s presented in a way that is intuitive for him, as he can work his way through it on his own. He was even using the mouse like a pro after the first day!” R. Martz


Use this professional created Preschool Teacher job description example to gain some inspiration on how to best craft your job description.
Preschool teachers provide pre-kindergarten education to children ages five and under. They teach foundational skills, such as recognizing letters, colors, numbers and shapes, as well as social, language and motor skills. Preschool teachers stimulate the desire to learn by introducing students to questioning, experimenting and problem solving.
Candidates for preschool teacher positions should exhibit creativity and adaptability to effectively engage and keep the attention of their young students. The ability to communicate clearly with students and their parents is also a vital quality, along with patience and the energy necessary to keep up with small children on a daily basis.
When addressing education on your preschool teacher job description, make sure the requirements meet those of your particular state. In most situations, the minimum educational requirement is certification in early childhood education with some areas requiring a minimum of an associate degree and sometimes a bachelor’s degree.
Preschool Teacher Job Description Template
Preschool teachers are responsible for providing early childhood education to children up to approximately five years of age. If you have child care skills and know safety and first aid techniques, you would be a valuable addition to our team of dedicated preschool teachers. We need someone like you, who enjoys working in an environment where quickly adapting to changing conditions and rapidly assessing the needs of young students are important and necessary skills. Teaching in a preschool environment is great for people who love being around children and who have a passion for early childhood education. If you want to help children get a great start in life while informing their educational experience from an early age as one of our indispensable and hard-working preschool teachers, then apply today.
- Prepare lessons that meet educational requirements in an age-appropriate manner, and teach in a manner suitable for the ages of all participating students.
- Manage a busy classroom environment, and provide the structure and discipline required for successful learning for everyone in the classroom.
- Help children meet educational milestones through personalized instruction and other supplementary assistance.
- Collaborage with other teachers, instructors, and staff members to create an optimal learning and care environment.
- Provide helpful feedback to parents and guardians on a regular or as-needed basis.
- Work with diverse populations of children and adults from a wide variety of cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds.
- Prepare lesson plans for students according to the age, developmental maturity, and needs of the children being taught, while including fundamental vocabulary, simple shapes, basic colors, letters, and numbers into the curriculum.
- Address basic interpersonal skills, such as sharing, taking turns, and asking permission in the classroom.
Job Skills and Qualifications
- Teaching degree or certificate in early childhood education
- Ability to develop lesson plans that meet educational standards
- Familiarity with classroom management skills
- Submit to a criminal background check upon hire
- Ability to plan, lead, and participate in activities, and lift up to 50 pounds
- At least three years’ prior experience in preschool classroom


Resources › For Educators 8 Printout Activities for Martin Luther King Day Share Flipboard Email Print Stephen F. Somerstein / Getty Images For Educators Homeschooling Spelling Geography Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Special Education Teaching By Beverly Hernandez Homeschooling Expert Beverly Hernandez is a veteran homeschooler and the former administrator of a large independent study program. our editorial process Beverly Hernandez Updated November 07, 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister and prominent civil rights activist, was born on January 15, 1929. At birth, his parents named him Michael King, Jr. However, King's father, Michael King Sr. later changed his name to Martin Luther King in honor of the Protestant religious leader. His son, Martin Luther King, Jr. followed his father's lead and changed his name as well. In 1953, King married Coretta Scott and together they had four children. Martin Luther King, Jr. earned a doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University in 1955. In the late 1950's, King became a leader in the civil rights movement working to end segregation. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous, "I Have a Dream" speech to more than 200,000 people at the March on Washington. Dr. King advocated non-violent protests and shared his belief and hope that all people could be treated as equals regardless of their race. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Tragically, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated four years later on April 4, 1968. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill designating the third Monday in January as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday honoring Dr. King. Many people celebrate the holiday by volunteering in their communities as a way of honoring the civil rights leader by giving back. If you want to honor Dr. King on this holiday, try ideas such as: serve in your communityread a biography about Dr. Kingchoose one of his speeches or a quote and write about what it means to youcreate a timeline of the important events in his life If you are a teacher who wants to share Martin Luther King, Jr's legacy with your young students, the following printouts can be helpful. Martin Luther King, Jr. Vocabulary Print the pdf: Martin Luther King, Jr. Vocabulary Sheet Use this activity to introduce students to Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will use a dictionary or the Internet to define words related to Dr. King. They will write each word on the line next to its correct definition. Martin Luther King, Jr. Wordsearch Print the pdf: Martin Luther King, Jr. Word Search Students can use this activity to review the terms associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. Each word from the word bank can be found among the jumbled letters in the word search. Martin Luther King, Jr. Crossword Puzzle Print the pdf: Martin Luther King, Jr. Crossword Puzzle Students can review the terms related to Martin Luther King, Jr. as they complete this fun crossword puzzle. They will use the clues provided to fill in the puzzle with the correct terms from the word bank. Martin Luther King, Jr. Challenge Print the pdf: Martin Luther King, Jr. Challenge Challenge your students to see how many of the facts they've learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. they remember. For each clue, students will circle the correct word from the multiple choice options. Martin Luther King, Jr. Alphabet Activity Print the pdf: Martin Luther King, Jr. Alphabet Activity Use this activity to help your children practice alphabetizing words. Each word is associated with Martin Luther King, Jr., providing another review opportunity as students place each term in correct alphabetical order. Martin Luther King, Jr. Draw and Write Print the pdf: Martin Luther King, Jr. Draw and Write Page Use this Draw and Write printable to provide an opportunity for students to practice their handwriting, composition, and drawing skills. First, they will draw a picture relating to something they've learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Then, on the blank lines, they can write about their drawing. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Coloring Page Print the pdf: Coloring Page Print this page for your students to color while you brainstorm ways to honor Dr. King on the 3rd Monday of January. You can also use it as a quiet activity for students to complete as you read aloud a biography of the civil rights leader. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech Coloring Page Print the pdf: coloring Page Martin Luther King, Jr. was an eloquent, persuasive speaker whose words advocated non-violence and unity. Color this page after you read some of his speeches or while listening to a recording of them.


NCASE Resource Library
The National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) has developed a number of publications, webinars, and other resources on strategies for finding sup
Federal, state, and local agencies are increasing investments and building capacity in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.
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This issue brief is an interview with the evaluator of a STEM project with middle and high school tribal youth, working with tribal leaders and STEM professionals on a research project about salmon restoration. The evaluation shows how involving youth in an engaging and authentic research project built their STEM skills in a possible career path. There is a link to the full research report.
On September 14, 2017 the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) and the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (NCECDTL) facilitated a webinar where participants explored the unique attributes of school-age and summer workforces; identified ways to strengthen professional development systems and build internal capacity for continuous qualit
This document provides an overview of some general characteristics of state child care licensing regulations for summer programs and day camps.
This issue brief provides a summary of the increasingly robust research base on key characteristics of high quality programs and the resulting child outcomes. It also refers to the many valid and reliable measures that exist to examine program effectiveness, including the California Afterschool Outcome Measures Project.
This issue brief shares how to apply new research from neuroscience to build an out-of-school time (OST) program that will help recruit and retain underserved youth. The brief describes how LA's Best programs build on what is relevant and of interest to youth to build an engaging social setting, while embedding literacy and numeracy skills.
This issue brief is a compilation of a panel of business leaders involved in supporting afterschool. It underscores the importance of "soft skills" in preparing youth for today's workforce, including communication skills, teamwork, and critical thinking skills . It explores how business involvement greatly benefits programs.
This issue brief provides a review of the research on benefits of school-community partnerships for students and families. It identifies features of effective partnerships (complements academic efforts with enrichment, supports transitions across school years, helps programs to gain access to students, to staff, and to resources).
This issue brief identifies the practices associated with program quality in both formal and informal summer learning programs. It includes basic tips on summer reading and links to related research.
On December 1, 2016 the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) facilitated a 20-minute virtual tour of its Resource Library.
This paper provides information on state and territory efforts to use contracts and grants with providers, beginning with an overview of states and territories whose 2016–18 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Plans indicate that they are currently using contracts and grants.


Art education is the teaching of different arts and crafts for children and young people. Each art field is planned based on national curriculum basics that outline the objectives, contents and evaluation methods of education.
Art education is a goal-oriented, long-term activity with regular sessions that goes from year to year. Arts education for a child or young person can help develop self-expression and a lifelong hobby to enrich their lives or even offer a road to a professional career.
In Pälkäne, art education is organised in the fields of dance, visual arts and crafts, music and theatrical art. In the links below you will find more details on the lessons offered.
New students may apply to courses in Spring, usually in May. For more information on the dates and registration instructions, please visit the course pages.
Ballet School (in Finnish)
Theatre Studies (in Finnish)
EMIL Art and Handicrafts School (in Finnish)
Music Studies (in Finnish)
Further information can also be found on the TPO Arts Education website (in Finnish) and the following publication:
Introduction to the TPO Art Education Association - PDF Document (in Finnish)


As an Alternative Learning Pathway, we recognise that the students in our care require more support. Students accessing the ALP experience a range of barriers to learning, which can result, in time, in difficulty accessing a mainstream curriculum, disengagement, lack of confidence, reduced options in later years etc. With this in mind, the focus of the pathway is basic skills building (literacy and numeracy in particular) to ensure students make progress and can access the curriculum in a meaningful way, going on to achieve success in KS4 and later life.
It is important that all students are supported and challenged to make outstanding progress, despite any learning difficulty. A focus on supported, engaging and meaningful learning experiences, whilst encouraging independent learning. Again, these experiences will have a strong focus in both Mathematics and English.
The learning process looks at past academic achievements and then uses these as a springboard. Lessons are interactive, concentrate on the individual learner and have a focus on culture capital, enhancing the learning experiences of the most vulnerable learners in our school.
Students accessing the ALP Pathway experience a range of barriers to learning, which can result, in time, in difficulty accessing the mainstream curriculum, disengagement, lack of confidence, reduced options in later years etc. With this in mind, the focus of this pathway is basic skills building to ensure students make progress and can access the curriculum in a meaningful way, going on to achieve success in KS4 and later life.
In the ALP curriculum, students also have the opportunity to develop fundamental literacy and numeracy skills in a smaller, primary-like environment, with a primary trained classroom teacher, whilst exploring some of the knowledge and skills needed to progress on to KS4 Humanities and Languages. The curriculum model has been designed to ensure options are not narrowed when it comes to KS4 choices. More importantly, the curriculum should help develop understanding of and inspire students’ curiosity about the past and the world around them (locally and globally).
The ALP Pathway itself runs for two years, at which point, where appropriate, students continue in to the Entry Level Pathways, or transition in to mainstream pathways. In the ELP, students receive additional support for core subjects.
By the time students have completed the proposed two years (Y7 & Y8) as part of the ALP group, they will be more able to access the learning in Y9. An important aspect of learning is the preparation of the students to be more independent.
Enrichment opportunities will enable the students to gain ‘Culture Capital’ with external visits being an integral part of the curricular expectations within the ALP. As the most vulnerable learners, this ‘hands – on’ learning approach will bring the areas of study alive, provoking more interest in both learning experience and progress.
We want our ALP students to develop literacy and numeracy skills so that they are functionally literate, are confident readers and are able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Over the course of the two year programme, students will have frequently been given the opportunity to explore a wide range of good quality texts, in order to develop their literacy skills, but also to develop their emotional literacy, empathy and cultural capital through additional enrichment opportunities, using culturally rich topics, as well as through their broader curriculum (including humanities and languages, the Arts etc), and the additional opportunities to explicitly develop their social communication skills.
Literacy and Numeracy
To demonstrate progress against personalised literacy and numeracy targets relating to:
To demonstrate progress against personalised literacy targets relating to:


Our Guiding Principles
Our curriculum is guided by the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) as well as many other Early Childhood teaching theories and curriculum perspectives. All staff contribute to the program and factor our children’s interests wherever possible.
We have an inclusive multicultural approach to our learning programs and offer a Jewish Early Learning program interwoven into our curriculum. Topics include Shabbat, Chanukah, Passover, Purim, Tu Bish'vat, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkot.
Develop At Their Own Pace
We believe that children develop at their own pace and in their own time. This is why we offer daily programs that reflect a calm, relaxed and unrushed environment for growing and learning.
We help children reach their full potential by providing enriching, meaningful and real opportunities for learning and development through our educational program. We promote an environment of mutual respect and a love of learning.
We believe that children learn as they explore, discover, make, create and imagine. We value constructive play as a tool for learning through problem solving.
Transitioning to School
As your child moves through their early years, the transition to formal schooling is one of their most significant milestones.
Preparing your child for the transition to school and their future doesn’t just happen in the year before school, it happens from the day they are born.
At Apples & Honey Preschool, we offer a school readiness program that encompasses literacy, numeracy, science, art, music and language while also focusing on social and emotional development.
Through intentional learning and play, children are guided by their natural interests and curiosities, while being supported by educators and early childhood teachers who encourage children to make meaningful connections to the real world – not by learning through repetition and isolated recognition of numbers and letters. In this way, literacy and numeracy skills are integrated into daily experiences.
Literacy skills are encouraged at every opportunity, including alphabet yoga, playing with words and enjoying stories at preschool. Similarly, numeracy learning abounds in daily experiences by modelling mathematics as a meaningful and logical way to understand and relate to materials, for example counting and measuring in cooking.
Our daily program is structured around a combination of informal and formal (structured group time) experiences and interactions. Each day, the educators use both indoor and outdoor environments to provide opportunities for the children to play, learn and explore.
We offer a range of activities to enhance your child's fine motor skills, including scribbling in wet paint, writing, painting and stringing beads. These assist in developing the hand skills your child will need when starting school.
We also offer a range of activities to enhance your child's gross motor skills, including:
Yoga and meditation
Music and movement
Excursions and Incursions
Children's daily experiences can include: construction, reading books, drawing, painting, play dough making and playing, puzzles, pretend play, sand play, water play, climbing, balancing, ball games and gardening.
Regular opportunities to cook are a highlight of the preschool week, especially on Fridays in preparation for the Jewish festival of Shabbat. The smell of fresh bread baking in the preschool kitchen is a particular delight for both children and teachers.
Music experiences are another highlight of the preschool week, as the children come together to learn new songs and get their bodies moving.
Diversity is key
Throughout the year, we observe a range of cultural festivals. Jewish festivals take on a special significance at Apples & Honey Preschool and we link these celebrations to other cultures and values that can be shared by all. We love celebrating special events such as Chinese New Year, Harmony Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Families are also welcome to share and organise celebrations with the children, including birthdays, and other festivals and traditions.
Each Friday, the children have the opportunity to honour the Jewish festival of Shabbat. Rabbi Nicole from North Shore Temple Emanuel comes to visit, bringing songs and stories. This is a weekly highlight for many of the children.
Above all, we ensure the children are continually making steps forward with their learning about themselves, others, and the world, putting them in good stead for life within and beyond preschool.


3rd-5th graders have been creating scientific sketches in Drawing Lab. In the scientific sketches, students had to draw an object larger than life size, write notes, and draw a magnified section. Available objects were crystals, shells, gourds, pinecones, rocks, and cacti. The students learned 4 pen and ink techniques to add value to their drawing: hatching, cross hatching, stippling, and scribbling. They had to include all 4 techniques in their drawing, as well as 3 values. Here are some finished scientific sketches:
Anansi sightings November 19, 2012
The first graders just finished up a weaving project. Looking at the Kente cloth weavings from Ghana, students know their paper needed texture if it was going to look like woven fabric. With texture plates, crayons, and watercolors, they produced weaving strips that looked like cloth. Because Kente cloth is such an iconic symbol of African culture, we read tales of Anansi the spider, who is a hero in Ashanti culture. After weaving their own Kente- inspired paper, students created their own Anansi for the weaving.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom November 15, 2012
What 5 year old doesn’t love the book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom?! With the JK class, I read that, along with The Alphabet Tree. The students created multimedia trees of their own. First, they painted with watercolors for the background. Second, they used tempera paint to paint the trunk and branches. Third, they cut out leaves for the tree. And finally, they painted the alphabet onto the tree.
This project was a great way for the JK students to be introduced to the most common materials in the Art Studio, as well as routines of washing hands and cleaning up.
Here they are at work, painting the alphabet.
Leaf Choice Drawings November 14, 2012
In Drawing Lab, the 3rd-5th graders were given a choice of how they’d like to draw leaves. Choice #1: Write a description of the leaf and create a large, detailed drawing of it. Choice #2: Draw 6 small sketches with sharpie…no erasing. Choice #3: Draw 3 blind contour images of the leaf.
The students loved the freedom of having a choice of method, and as a result, the pride in their work was quite obvious.
Here are a couple drawings from a 5th grade class (sorry, I didn’t get any photos of #3):
BU Gallery Class November 13, 2012
Over the weekend, 5 Morse students attended a free art studio class, hosted by Boston University’s art education students. They invited several area schools to attend this workshop, held in three BU art galleries. Lucky for us, BU is right across the river from us!
In one group, students viewed the abstract paintings of Joe Geigan, and created mixed media collages.
In a second group, students viewed the installation art of Vlatka Horvat, and created found object ‘shelters’.
Here’s the work from our Morse attendees:
Greek sgraffito November 6, 2012
The second graders are learning about ancient Greece in their social studies class. In Art, they created stories about Olympians, Gods, and Goddesses on amphoras. Amphoras are 2 handled ceramic vases used by the Greeks. The ancient Greeks used a technique called sgraffito to draw the images on the vases. Sgraffito means to scratch…the top color is scratched off to reveal a different color clay underneath.
The 2nd graders practiced theirs sgraffito skills twice. First, they used scratch paper, revealing gold/silver underneath the black layer. Second, they used clay, scratching through a layer of red glaze to reveal the white clay underneath.
The Amazing World of Blue November 2, 2012
The 4th graders in Ms. Grilli’s class are almost done with their book, which they’ve titled The Amazing World of Blue. Each page has been written with one line descriptions of certain shades of blue. Then one line was chosen to be the illustration for the page. Inspired by the work of Eric Carle, the students are using homemade paper and collage as the medium for the images. Here are some of the finished pages (minus typed out words).


Berdine Delaunay October 19, 2019 Kids Coloring Pages
The act of coloring can help to improve motor skills in young children. The actions, motions and precise grip involved in coloring can aid in the development of the muscles of the fingers, hands and wrist. Fine motor skill development can help children write more skillfully as well as manipulate small objects. They can then build on these skills to become better typists and more adept in sports and other activities.
Coloring pages can have a calming and therapeutic effect on kids. This is especially important for kids who have no other outlet for negative emotions. There are kids who find it hard to process their frustrations and negative emotions and coloring can help them vent.
In that brief moment, when your child is so focused on coloring, notice that his/her breathing is calmer and even. This is especially true for preschoolers. Coloring helps them cool down after an exhausting or exciting activity.
As your child grows older, he also learns the importance of boundaries in the coloring worksheets for kids. The exposure to boundaries will be a great help while learning to write.
The ability to complete a task successfully builds self esteem and confidence in young children. Coloring regularly and completing projects boosts a child’s sense of accomplishment and pride in themselves.
The sooner kids are exposed to the color wheel, the sooner they will learn to recognize different colors. By being exposed to coloring books on a daily basis, they will quickly and easily learn to tell the difference between various colors.
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Saturday, July 16th: 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Ken Olsen Science Center Chairman’s Room
Next Steps – Singing in Harmony Everyday was born out of a need to give children more singing time in class. Repurposing repertoire from the First Steps and Conversational Solfege curriculum books, Next Steps – Singing in Harmony builds confidence in young musicians using familiar songs to practice singing in harmony. Come sing in this session, and hear how in 8-10 minutes per class, students will not only exercise their vocal skills but also establish a unique community repertoire of songs to sing together in harmony.
This session will show another way to use the Feierabend books to create a pathway for children to learn to sing in harmony, in any setting.
John Crever is a driven educator with more than 25 years of music instructional, production, management and community organizing experience. His ability to connect with students and teachers of diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds has enabled him to successfully teach general music and choir in communities ranging from those ravaged by urban blight, to suburban private settings, to overseas students in the international school system in the Arabian Gulf. Throughout, he has carried his love of Kodaly education from Westminster Choir College (’93, ’96) to these diverse venues. Most recently, he has championed the need for quality vocal general music education in Portland, Oregon.


The plan will help level up opportunities for children from all backgrounds to take part in musical education, including the chance to learn how to play an instrument, perform in a choir or band, and develop a love of music.
The government also wants to keep up with advances in technology over how music is created, recorded and produced.
UK Music has in recent years highlighted a worrying divide between opportunities to do music in state schools – where 93 per cent of our children are educated – as opposed to private schools. A total of 17 per cent of music creators were educated at independent schools, compared to 7 per cent across the population. 50 per cent of children at independent schools received sustained music tuition, whilst the figure for state schools is only 15 per cent.
Tom Kiehl, acting chief executive officer, UK Music, said: ‘We have consistently warned of a growing crisis in our talent pipeline as a result of a decline in music in state education – a new National Plan for Music Education presents a once in a decade opportunity to fix music in schools.
‘Over the past five years, the number of people studying A-level music has declined by an alarming 30 per cent, while the total number of people studying A-levels dropped by only 4 per cent over the same period. We need to take advantage of a new Plan to invest in our future.
‘The UK music industry is worth £5.2 billion to the economy and employs over 190,000 but to sustain growth there are a number of steps the Government should take with a new National Plan.
‘Universal access to music within state education should be prioritised, alongside a broad-based music education within curriculum learning. “Music in schools should be incentivised through the OFSTED inspections framework. Greater provision for rehearsal spaces, such as the UK Music network, should be taken forward. The new Plan should also be informed by an independent analysis of Music Education Hubs.
‘UK Music welcomes this positive action from the Government and will engage constructively with the consultation.’
The refreshed National Plan will be published in autumn 2020 and will build on the current plan which was first published in 2011, which sets out our ambitious vision for music education for all children in England.


Numeracy is a key priority at Monmia, with students participating in a scheduled 7 hours of mathematics each week. This is inclusive of a minimum of 90 minutes weekly of WIN (What I Need) time which provides opportunities for students to practise and revise key concepts covered within their mathematics sessions. WIN time is specifically for reinforcement and application, rather than the teaching and learning of new concepts.
Mathematical concepts are taught explicitly in the classroom with students being clearly informed of the purpose of the lesson through shared Learning Intentions as well as being directly involved in developing success criteria that allow them to reflect on their progress and measure their achievement against the learning intentions. Students regularly complete pre-assessment tasks which demonstrate their current understandings. This knowledge is the used to inform the planning of units, based on their entry points. Lessons involve a variety of learning experiences for the students, ranging from explicit teaching of new concepts, opportunities to apply these independently and in groups situations as well as problem solving situations which encourage the students to determine how to appropriately use their skills and knowledge.
Numeracy sessions across the whole school follow a specific structure. Students are aware of the components of a numeracy session and how this applies to both teacher and students actions and involvement in each of the areas. A typical session involves:
Tuning In: prepares the students for learning. This may be in the form of a quick game which "switches on the brain" for the lesson to follow
Introduction: students are made aware of the learning intention for the session. Specific links to key vocabulary are made as well as identifying and modelling the mathematics to follow.
Purposeful Learning: opportunities for students to apply the mathematical concepts introduced as well as explicit teaching points for individuals and groups
Intentional Reflection: opportunities for students to consolidate their learning through sharing and summarising their learning. Students are guided to reflect as well as monitor their achievements according to the success criteria
At Monmia, we make a strong commitment to developing the numeracy skills and understanding of not only the students but all staff as well. Through ongoing profesisonal learning all staff are continuously improving their skills and knowledge. Our numeracy program is closely aligned to the Victorian Mathematics Curriculum, ensuring substantial opportunities are provided for students to achieve and extend their understandings, according to curriculum expectations.
All Monmia students are enrolled on Mathletics which is an online mathematics resource, allowing students to reinforce their mathematical skills and understandings. They have 24-hour access to Mathletics with personal login details. Student achievement is recognised through the presentation of silver and gold certificates at weekly assemblies.
We are extremely proud of the mathematics program that we implement and are committed to providing opportunities for all students to experience high levels of success - at Monmia you can COUNT on us!


Country, Date of election
Ferenc Orsos has developed a Roma-centric curriculum designed to instill a sense of pride and dignity in the Roma children of Central and Eastern Europe. Through his program, which operates both in the classroom and in the home, he is striving to ensure that Roma children succeed at school and that the Roma culture will survive well into the twenty-first century.
Ferenc Orsós confronted the problem that Roma culture does not receive the attention it deserves. Schools are lacking the financial resources and also the capability to offer children a proper education in Roma culture. Roma children are usually subjected to discrimination, which automatically results in the loss of their sense of identity and denial of their heritage. This leads to many negative consequences because if children do not recognize their roots they become rebellious and misfit students.
Ferenc and his colleagues have already organized 19 national and 6 international Roma festivals where students and ex-students of the Art School could present their talent and cultural heritage to a wider audience. During the ten years since the school was founded, thousands of students have taken part in the study of Roma culture. In 2007 the school earned the classification of ‘excellent elementary art education’. The young people studying here are acquiring accomplishments in the fields of music and dance, which has a good effect on their academic results generally.
He created the Roma Social and Cultural Methodological Centre with the mission to maintain, introduce and teach Roma cultural values and traditions. They hold cultural programs and Roma festivals regularly and also founded the Fund Roma Elementary Art School where students can attend music, dance and art classes. In Ferenc’s opinion this is essential if we want Roma children to acquire awareness, confidence and pride.
Ferenc’s dream is to expand and spread the system he created nationwide.
Ever since childhood, Ferenc always knew that he would dedicate his life to forwarding Roma culture. He comes from a family of eight children and grew up in a Roma encampment, where he learned about the importance of music and dancing. From time to time they would hold musical events, in which everybody took part. These were experiences that spurred him on to make Roma culture his career.


Cross-curricular workshops at Oxford Castle & Prison offer a mix of activities including evidence handling, role play, literacy development and practical problem solving. Enrich your guided tour of the Castle and Prison with a hands-on workshop delivered in The Key Learning Centre which focuses on your learning objectives using the castle’s 1000 year history as a tool to further understanding in a range of topics.
Suitable for KS1 – KS5, sessions can be linked to national curriculum history, geography, citizenship, literacy, design technology, art and much more.
For more information about our workshops and to find out about the resources and opportunities for schools email us at email@example.com
To make a booking, please call us on 01904 261262, or email us at firstname.lastname@example.org,


Campano’s book offers a one-of-a-kind invitation for teachers to partake in action research as a fertile foundation for inquiry and for the development of new selves and new literacies. Through critical inquiry and interplay between reality and diversity in a “diaspora community” (p. 73). Campano’s work inspires the construction of flexible and collaborative new knowledge—new knowledge that is embedded in the experiences of teachers and students in and out of school, family histories, and students’ cultural identities. Campano’s fifth-grade immigrant students, all from in an urban California school, engage in a collaborative endeavor that provides a framework for new kinds of learning and literacy development and that reflects culturalhistorical approaches to learning. According to Pacheco & Gutierrez (2009), this approach “focuses on the relation between an individual’s development and the context of development of which the individual student has been a part” (p. 60). Campano’s own life-narrative of his Filipino heritage provides readers with a framework for considering inquiry and development in diverse communities and a rationale for new literacy practices in classrooms.
Venegas, Patricia Eugenia
"Immigrant Students and Literacy: Reading, Writing, and Remembering.,"
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research:
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Kate Liptak is our music teacher. At Berlin Elementary School the Kodaly method of music instruction is used in kindergarten, supplemented with Feierabend's "First Steps" approach both of which rely on using folksongs and nursery rhymes to develop pitch sense, beat and rhythm, movement and listening skills. The Orff Schulwerk approach focuses on exploration and creativity using improvisation and composition on instruments including xylophones, metallophones, recorders and a variety of rhythm instruments as well as voice. Movement is an important part of Orff Schulwerk, and this approach is used at all grade levels, with a focus on grades first through fourth. Students in third grade begin recorders, and in fourth grade may choose to be in Fourth Grade Band. All students in fifth and sixth grades participate in Chorus where students learn proper posture and breathing techniques for singing, expanding their knowledge of music theory and history while developing their understanding of performance etiquette. Fifth and sixth grade students may also choose to be in Fifth and Sixth Band, and for those who have the interest and need for extension in their music education, Fifth and Sixth Jazz Band. Students studying Band instruments will receive a thirty minute group lesson once a week. There is a Winter Concert and a Spring Concert every year. All students in fifth and sixth grades participate in a musical theater production which involves creating sets and props, developing characters and learning acting skills. Music Education at Berlin Elementary School strives to instill a love, appreciation, and understanding of music and the arts, meeting all children where they are. The program strives to inspire creativity through children’s innate curiosity, joy and a sense of play, moving toward responsibility, skill and accomplishment.


Ready to use out of the box
Based on the hugely popular Super Core grid sets, our communication book is a paper-based adaptation of the high tech vocabulary.
Who is it for?
The book is designed for children who use AAC to communicate, including those who are:
- Starting out with symbol communication
- Exploring more comprehensive vocabulary
- Pointing to symbols (direct access)
- Using Partner Assisted Scanning (PAS)
Easy to customise
The book is split into three clear sections (tabbed on the right hand side). This simplifies navigation and allows you to personalise the vocabulary.
These useful words make up 80% of what we say
Daily and Play activities encourage AAC to be used all day, every day!
Each topic is organised to help learners quickly find the words they need
The core vocabulary uses a modified Fitzgerald key layout and colour coding, to organise the different parts of speech and help learners find the words they need to build their sentences. Words are also grouped together semantically, to help children find the words they need by meaning. You can read more about this in our Getting Started guide.
Core vocabulary that is always available
A Mini Core page at the back of the book is always visible, with words arranged in horizontal blocks which match the vertical columns on the top page.
This makes it easier to use the Mini Core with Partner Assisted Scanning (PAS).
Super Core focuses on learning language through functional and motivating activities, with words repeated across grids to support learning in a range of contexts and scenarios. When the same word appears in more than one acitivity grid, it will always be found in the same location.
Grounded in research
The Super Core Communication Book was developed with a team of AAC users and professionals. This group used the book in real world environments and fed back useful insights to help us improve the design over the course of 18 months.
Super Core was developed by Smartbox Speech and Language Therapist Daisy Clay, and is based on robust research and experience in the field of AAC. It is designed to provide functional yet simple vocabulary that supports language, learning and literacy development.
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ech538 | Graduate
Methods Of Teaching In Early Childhood: Language/literacy
topic title goes here
- Explore different types of writing.
- Analyze the relationship between reading and writing.
- Identify the characteristics of each component of the writing process.
- Examine instructional strategies that develop each of the traits indicated in the Six+1 Trait ® Beginning Writer’s Continuum and the Six+1 ® Writing Traits.
- Score a piece of children’s writing using the Six+1 Trait ® Beginning Writer’s Continuum and the Six+1 ® Writing Traits.
- Examine activities and physical characteristics of well-designed literacy centers.
- Examine how different commercial instructional programs develop literacy.
Overview of Assessment
- Identify formal and informal literacy assessments.
- Describe developmentally effective uses of formal and informal literacy assessments in the learning environment.
- Explain how various literacy assessments can be adapted for diverse learners.
- Complete a running record.
- Examine research on family literacy.
- Provide examples of strategies that promote literacy at home.
School, Family and Community Literacy Partnerships
- Identify opportunities for effective, reciprocal school, family and community relationships.
- Explain the differences among stories, informational books, and poems, as well as the implications for early childhood literacy instruction.
- Describe strategies for using children’s literature to motivate interest in reading and writing.
- Describe the characteristics of different genres of children’s literature.
Emergent Print Strategies
- Explain uses of environmental print to develop print awareness.
- Examine concepts of print.
- Apply the language experience process.
Theories and Models
- Identify similarities and differences among theories of language development.
- Analyze bottom-up, top-down, and interactive reading models.
Speaking and Listening Development
- Identify the stages of oral language development.
- Describe specific strategies to encourage language development.
- Design activities that promote listening skills.
- Choose children’s literature that engages young children and enhances oral language and listening skills.
- List varied developmentally effective speaking and listening activities for diverse learners.
- Review features of narrative and expository text and their related issues for young readers.
Overview of Cueing Systems
- Analyze the relationships among the graphophonic, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic cueing systems.
- Examine the elements of a running record.
- Explain basic elements of the graphophonic, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic cueing systems.
Emergent Reading Strategies
- Describe the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics.
- Explain the significance of the alphabetic principle.
- Identify phonics elements.
- Demonstrate instructional strategies to introduce and to reinforce sight words.
- Apply varied approaches to phonics instruction.
- Identify types of morphemic analysis.
- Design developmentally effective morphemic analysis activities.
- Analyze the significance of spelling stages for emergent reading and writing instruction.
- Describe the developmental stages of spelling.
- Describe the characteristics of each stage of the reading process.
- Examine ways in which the reading process is applied in varied literacy activities.
- Analyze strategies for introducing and for reinforcing meaning vocabulary.
- Examine ways in which reading fluency can be developed.
- Describe the significance of fluency for comprehension.
- Define the term comprehension of text.
- Explain comprehension strategies readers use.
- Describe instructional strategies that develop comprehension.
Questioning Strategies and Techniques
- Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to generate multilevel questions.
- Compare and contrast convergent and divergent questioning strategies.
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Learn the parts and names of the Human Body.
In Lesson #1 learn the parts and names of the different human body parts.
Select a human body from the cards shown. Touch the speaker button to hear the correct pronunciation of the human body part.
In Lessons #2 & #3 assemble the human body.
In the first human body puzzle, look for the body part puzzle piece that is blinking on the diagram. Place the part on the diagram and the name of the part will be heard aloud.
In the second human body puzzle, look for the body part puzzle piece that corresponds to the name shown at the bottom. For children who cannot read, the body part name at the bottom can be touched to hear the name aloud, so they know which one to look for.
This Montessori application was co-developed and approved by an AMI certified, Montessori teacher with over forty years experience educating children! Thanks for your support of our Montessori apps.
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