Guided reading is a method of teaching reading to children. The teacher provides support for small groups of readers as they learn to use various reading strategies. It is a preferred approach employed within primary schools.
Guided Reading Guide
Guided readings usually involves dividing the class into small groups based on academic ability, reading levels, or strategic/skill-based needs. The idea is that the teacher is not interrupted by the other children in the class whilst focusing on one group. The session would have a set of objectives to be taught. Whilst guided reading takes place with one group of children, the remaining children are engaged in independent or group literacy tasks. Although guided reading has been traditionally associated with primary grades it can be modified and used successfully in all grade levels
The key to the success of guided reading to the selection of reading materials. The reading must be purposeful and have the needs of the learners in mind. Texts should not be chosen to simply teach a specific strategy. Rather, the texts should be of such high quality that students can apply a wide range of reading comprehension strategies throughout the reading. When the proper books are selected, students are able to read without much difficulties. This enables the students to enjoy the story because there is not an overwhelming amount of "road blocks" that interfere with comprehension. Students focus on the meaning of the story and application of various reading strategies to problem solve when they do hit a road block in their knowledge or reading ability.
There are general process of guided readings. At beginning, A Teacher will introduce background knowledge and general information. then, The students will read independently within the group. As students read, the teacher will monitor student decoding and comprehension. The teacher may ask students if something makes sense, encourage students to try something again, or prompt them to use a strategy. After the students have finished up, the teacher will again check students' comprehension. The group will also discuss reading strategies they used during the reading.
Guided reading lesson plan template
A well designed guided reading lesson plan template will help your achieve your reading targets and save you time. There are no universal format for your template, however, it is important to include key elements in your lesson plan template: the reading goals and objectives, the reading material, the overall process and practices, the adaption and assessment part etc


Vincent Macrina, Director of Music Education, K-12
The Brockton Public Schools' Music Program, K-12 encompasses a sequential program of general classroom music instruction, instrumental and choral instruction and performance, and introduction to computer technology. The program is based upon sound current research and provides students with multiple strategies for becoming critical and creative musicians, listeners, and composers.
The Brockton Public Schools adopts the vision of the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework. Music should generate intellectual and emotional excitement that helps bring people and art together. Through an effective program, music will have a lasting positive influence throughout one's life.
• All students will have access to high quality music programs.
• Music instruction will encourage learners to make multicultural and interdisciplinary connections.
• Students will develop musical skills through interactive learning.
• Teachers will provide challenges and opportunities for students at all levels of musical ability.
• Material will be drawn from many genres, time periods and cultures.
• Music assessment will monitor students' performance, improve instruction, enhance learning, and encourage students' self-reflection.


Very well said. I couldn't agree more. Using technology has not changed our student's ability to make good art or to think critically. It is still the same ole thing--getting them to persist, engage themselves, and to think critically. There really is no subsitute for really hard work. Whether or not one uses traditional materials or technology, this reality has not changed.
From: Melissa Enderle <firstname.lastname@example.org>
Sent: Feb 20, 2005 12:42 AM
To: ArtsEdNet Talk <email@example.com>
Subject: Are today's kids really techno-saavy?
Indeed, today's children feel very comfortable with using a variety of
techno gadgets. They also are adept at customizing their desktops, searching
for music lyrics and online games. However, if you ask them which website
they would use for information - a website that is flashy-rich vs. a plainer
one but content-rich and accurate, most kids would choose the flashy one.
Observe a student doing internet searching, and you will see Google results
with over a million hits - all due to poor keyword searches. Then there's
PowerPoint presentations, which are equipped with animations and sound
effects, but are content-poor....
Today's kids need to be trained how to be a saavy technology user, able to
discern/evaluate information, synthesize it and use as a basis for personal
application and original ideas.
Integrative Technology Facilitator
International School of Belgrade
Director of Undergraduate & Graduate
Studies in Art Education
Department of Art


The 21st-Century Literacies (12-26 depending on entering student profile) refer to foundational skills and knowledge that all students need in order to achieve the student learning outcomes associated with the qualities of the liberally educated person.
The five areas covered under 21st-Century Literacies are Information Literacy, Cross-Cultural/Foreign Language Literacy, Quantitative Literacy, Religious Literacy, and Scientific Literacy.
There are a variety of courses by which students can fulfill the Literacies requirement. Students are expected to discuss their selection of Literacies courses with their advisors.
Fulfilled by the successful completion of IST 125
As a result of this course, students will:
The chair of the Romance Languages and Literatures Department determines placement into the appropriate level course by evaluation of some combination of high school/previous college transcripts and Cabrini-administered online placement tests.
Depending on their placement, students may demonstrate foreign language competency in four ways:
Upon completion of this requirement, students will:
The chair of the Mathematics Department determines placement into the appropriate level course by evaluation of some combination of SAT scores, high school/previous college transcripts and Cabrini-administered placement tests. All new students (including transfer students) must take the Cabrini math placement tests to ensure the most appropriate placement.
Depending on their placement, students may demonstrate mathematical competence in four ways:
Fulfilled by successful completing of one course through the College's Religious Studies Department
Fulfilled by successful completion of two science courses with integrated laboratories
*Science majors only will complete 8 credit hours to complete their Science requirement. Elementary Education majors will continue to have a 7-credit requirement as part of their "Super Science" course.


The term non-formal education has gained currency in India over last two decades in view of its importance in developing necessary knowledge, attitude and skills in the vast section of the population which could not make use of the formal system of education. It connotes a departure from existing pattern of full- time schooling in order to meet the needs of that section of the population which finds it difficult to take advantage of the existing facilities of education.
The need and significance of programmes of non-formal education this arise out of the inability of the formal set up of education to meet the large section of the society to take advantage of existing facilities. It is an alternating pattern of education. It has to cater to the needs of both adults and children. The programmes for the adults need a reorientation lo reflect the emerging needs.
Promotions of such programmes which have a quick pay-off have a receive precedence over literacy. Promotion of corporate living, improvement of health and hygiene, upgrading of skills in various production techniques and development of general awareness about the events and conditions affecting people in general will have to find a suitable place in such programmes. In fact the emphasis has to shift from mere literacy to functional education.
It would be seen that the needs of different groups even within the same age-range would vary from place to place. Programmes of functional education could, be common to a great extent for almost all the groups. It would therefore, the desirable to identify the specific target in each group in each locality for the organisation of specific programmes of non-formal education.
These target groups would generally consist of: (i) Children of the age group 11-14 years: (ii) Factory workers; (Hi) Agricultural labors; (iv) Girls and women: (v) Working personnel who want to raise their qualification for promotion.
Each locality has its own characteristic requirements of programmes for the different target groups and its own organisational resources for implementing the programmes. The National Policy on Education 1986 immense a large and systematic programme of non-formal education for school dropouts for children from habitations without schools, working children and girls who cannot attend whole day schools.
Non-formal education eaters to the needs of adults, farmers, women, drop-outs etc. who are not for various reasons, able to take advantage of formal education, either they have passed the age for it or they are employed.
Non-formal education is a very important mode through which India's goals of universal elementary education and literacy and being promoted. The Indira Gandhi National Open University and National Institute of Open Schooling both centrally operating from New Delhi and part-time non-formal education centres are typical examples of this system.
It is reachable to the unreachable. Now nearly about sixty-five universities and institutions are running their non-formal education programmes. Among them arc Kota Open University. Rajrishi Tandon Open University, Karnataka Open University, Andhra Open University, Madurai Kamraj University, Alagappa University. Annamalai University etc.


Music, Music Performance and Music Education
About Music, Music Education and Music Performance
Music is the art of combining vocal or instrumental sound to evoke emotion, produce beauty of form, or create harmony, melody or rhythm. Humans have been making music since the beginning of time, and music is present in some form in every culture and society around the world. The music department at Valdosta State University prepares students to have lifelong careers as musicians, music educators or professionals who work in the field of music.
Music, Music Education and Music Performance at Valdosta State University
The music department at Valdosta State has three programs of study for students interested it the discipline: music, music education and music performance. The department’s faculty members are active performers, conductors, scholars, clinicians and adjudicators throughout the region. The department offers a full range of instrumental and vocal performing ensembles, including the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Blazin’ Brigade Marching Band, Concert Choir, Jazz Ensemble and Trombone Choir. Ensemble participation is a vital part of the training of the professional musician, and students are required to perform in an assigned principal ensemble each semester.
- Bachelor of Art in Music (B.A.)
- Bachelor of Music in Music Education (B.M.)
- Bachelor of Music in Music Performance (B.M.)
- Master of Music Education (M.M.Ed.)
- Master Music Performance (M.M.P.)
About the Music, Music Education and Music Performance Curriculum
B.A. in Music
The music curriculum is designed to help students prepare for entrepreneurial careers in music or related fields or for graduate school. Students in the music program become well versed in music construction and learn about the literature and historical development of music in Western civilizations and other world cultures. The baccalaureate program is a good choice for students who want to pursue a degree in music but who do not necessarily plan to teach music or make their living as a musician.
B.M. in Music Education
The baccalaureate program in music education is a good choice for students who want to teach band, choir or orchestra in a school setting. Students in the program gain hands-on experience teaching music to different age groups in a variety of settings. Students learn about curriculum development, lesson planning, and daily classroom and performance activities and gain knowledge in the areas of conducting, rehearsing, and wind, string and percussion instruments or voice performance. Students in the program also sharpen their solo performance skills. Upon successful completion of the degree program, graduates are certified to teach in the school system.
B.M. in Music Performance
Students in the baccalaureate degree program in music performance select a track in piano, organ, voice, orchestral instruments, guitar or jazz. Throughout the course of their studies, students learn to apply appropriate theoretical skills, understand and use fundamental music pedagogy, display analytical and historical knowledge in the field, and become comfortable performing professional-level solo and ensemble literature. Upon graduation, students are prepared for a variety of music, music performance and music-related careers and may also choose further personal study in their specialty area or to attend graduate school.
The minor in music gives students interested in the discipline an opportunity to hone their skills and develop a further appreciation for music. Eighteen hours of coursework are required.
M.M.Ed. in Music Education
The Master of Music Education degree is offered for music educators who wish to further develop their competence in music teaching and to enhance their credentials in the music education profession. Students in the program explore the materials and methodology of musical instruction and develop the ability to understand and evaluate research in music and music education.
M.M.P. in Music Performance
The Master of Music in Performance is a non-thesis master’s degree program intended to further the musical and academic skills of accomplished musicians. Students in the program refine their performance skills to an advanced degree, deepen their knowledge of the academic and research aspects of music, and further develop their pedagogical skills. Graduates are prepared for careers in professional performing, conducting and studio teaching.
- Acoustical engineer
- Arts educator
- Band director
- Band leader
- Chamber musician
- Choir director
- Church music director
- Disc jockey
- Instrument designer
- Music critic
- Music director for film/TV
- Music editor
- Music editor for film/TV
- Music industry lawyer
- Music instructor
- Music journalist
- Music librarian
- Music promoter
- Music publisher
- Music software programmer
- Music store manager
- Music store owner
- Music therapist
- Recording engineer
- Recording mixer
- Recording technician
- Secondary school music teacher
- Sound engineer
- Sound technician
- Studio musician
- Voice coach
*Some career possibilities may require additional degrees or certifications.


|Math Concepts for elementary Education II|
|ELEM ED MATH 2|
|CLASS CODE:||MATH 306||CREDITS: 3|
|DIVISION:||PHYSICAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING|
|GENERAL EDUCATION:||This course fulfills a General Education - Math requirement.|
|DESCRIPTION:||(Meets GE requirements only for Elementary Education majors who have taken Math 305.) This course is for Elementary Education majors. Geometry, probability, statistics, and informal logic for elementary education teachers.|
|TAUGHT:||Winter, Summer, Fall|
|CONTENT AND TOPICS:||Geometry with translations, networks, and coordinate geometry; permutations and combinations; probability and statistics, including its misuse; geometry as shape, transformation and measurement; Geometer's Sketchpad; Logo|
|GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:||1. Gain an enthusiam for mathematics.
2. Learn and practice descriptive statistics as well as simple counting and probability concepts.
3. Understand and can use correctly the vocabulary of 1, 2, and 3 dimensional geometric figures.
4. Learn the measurement process and master perimeter, area, volume, and surface area problems.
5. Learn and practice rigid transformations as well as similarity transformations and symmetries.
6. Gain an understanding of construction techniques and apply those ideas to the notions of congruent and similar triangles.
7. Learn to use Geometer's Sketchpad and LOGO.
|REQUIREMENTS:||Attendance, a copy of the text and activities manual, and a calculator are required. Students will take examinations, complete a research paper, participate in in-class activities, complete all homework assignments and projects, and complete all other assignments the instructor may require.|
|PREREQUISITES:||Math 305 (Must have received at least a C- in Math 305.)|
|EFFECTIVE DATE:||August 2002|


Reading Textbook Selection
Commercial reading programs form the basis for reading instruction in many classrooms. Instructional manuals with detailed lesson plans, reading materials, and activities are generally included in these programs. Analysis of available commercial programs for early elementary grades was done in 1993. At that time very few programs included explicit teaching and application of the alphabetic principle, the very instructional components that are among those whose importance is most strongly supported by research. Many of the programs have since been revised to more clearly reflect the findings of the NICHD research. Noted below are the underlying instructional activities that serve to teach the skills identified in this document (Snow, 1998):
- Oral language activities for fostering growth in receptive and expressive language and verbal reasoning,
- Reading aloud with children to foster their appreciation and comprehension of text and literary language,
- Phonemic analysis activities that focus on words and their phonemic elements, oral segmenting and blending activities, oral syllabication, and rhyming activities,
- Decoding instruction. Sound symbol relationship activities that promote the relationship between letters and sounds,
- Text characteristics that include word lists, and connected text; text and activities designed to provide multiple examples of the phonics instruction in the program.,
- Activities to promote opportunities for students to build reading fluency,
- Writing activities for developing children's personal appreciation of the communicative dimensions of print and for exercising printing and spelling abilities,
- Activities to promote understanding of the text prior to reading. Comprehension skill strategy training,
- Print-directed activities for establishing children's ability to recognize and print the letters of the alphabet,
- Word-directed activities for helping children to acquire a basic sight vocabulary and to understand and appreciate the alphabetic principle.
Commercial programs that meet the above criteria and correlate to the Idaho Achievement Standards are identified in the annual Adoption Guide.


Scott Bigelow | 910.521.6351 | email@example.com
University Communications and Marketing
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Students, area teachers introduced to music education program
Twenty-eight public school teachers, music education students and faculty participated recently in a 10-hour introduction to the Orff-Schulwerk approach to music education at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
The Orff-Schulwerk method of teaching children involves song, instruments, rhythm and movement. Dr. Dan Johnson, a UNC Wilmington music professor and certified Orff-Schulwerk instructor, led the clinic.
“This is an introduction to the levels courses, which are intensive, 60-hour, two-week classes,” Johnson said. “It is an idea or approach that may be applied in the classroom.”
Dr. Johnson put the class through the routines and offered free samples of musical activities to the participants. A certified instructor since 2005, he said Orff-Schulwerk is becoming very popular.
“It is used by 10,000 teachers in the U.S. and has been translated into 18 languages,” Dr. Johnson said. “It’s what children do naturally with movement, rhythm and playing instruments.”
Orff-Schulwerk, or Orff-approach, is a developmental method of music education for children. It was developed by the late German composer Carl Orff and uses very simple activities for children to create music.
Johnson with students
“It is a way for all children to participate in musical activities that are fun for them,” he said. “Orff-Schulwerk engages kids in making music while teaching concepts and skills.”
Continuing education credits were available for music teachers, said Dr. Gary Wright, a UNCP music professor and clinic coordinator. Dr. Wright said UNCP plans additional introductory clinics.
“I could have filled this class three times,” Dr. Wright said. “For many reasons, Orff-Schulwerk works.”
Dr. Wright said the program enhances the National Standards of Music and fits into music programs because it is an approach to teaching music not a curriculum.
“There are any number of approaches to teaching music and all can be effective,” Dr. Wright said. “The Orff-approach is structured and easy to learn, and it can be integrated into any curriculum.”
Dr. Wright said he uses some of the Orff-Schulwerk methods in a church music program. Fun and great music are two key elements, he said.
“An ensemble of children playing this music builds a wall of enchanting sound,” he said. “Consisting of percussion, metallophone, marimba and glockenspiel, the instruments are gorgeous, easy to play and make beautiful music.”
To learn more, go to the American Orff-Schulwerk Association Web site at: www.aosa2.org.
Dr. Wright said additional clinics are planned. UNCP’s Music Department may be contacted at 910.521.6230 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.
© The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
PO Box 1510 Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 • 910.521.6000


Concepts of Reading and WritingMid-continent Research for Education and Learning (1998) describes the concepts of reading and writing that children learn to master in their literacy development:
"Reading research of the last 20 years has shown that children must develop an understanding of concepts that underlie the act of reading and writing before they learn to read and write. For example, they must learn that written speech represents one's thoughts. Reading and writing are used for the purpose of communicating something meaningful, and there is a difference between 'book language' and everyday colloquial speech. A printed message is constant and is read the same way each time. A book contains print and pictures, but the print is the major source of information. Children have to learn the major conventions of reading and writing (reading from left to right and top to bottom, treating spaces as dividers between words, and pausing at the punctuation marks). These are just some of the underlying concepts that must be mastered as children learn to read and write."


Joint Productive Activity
View the two Joint Productive Activity Videoclips: Goodwill Excursion and Pumpkin Soup
1. What product(s) did the teacher and children work to create in the video clip? What kind of assistance did the teacher provide to the students?
2. How, if at all, did the teacher encourage the children to collaborate?
Language and Literacy Development
1. What was the language-related goal of the activity?
2. How did the teacher assist the children in developing their language expression?
1. How was the lesson connected to what children already knew from prior home, community, culture, or school experiences?
2. How did the teacher help the children make the connection to their personal experiences?


Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
The main types of cello jobs include performance, repair and restoration, manufacturing, teaching, sales and demonstration. Each of these cello jobs requires a slightly different skill set and expertise, having very different settings and pay rates. No matter what position a person chooses, however, he must be able to play cello competently. Many individuals overlap jobs, such as both teaching and performing.
Cello performers typically have to have a formal degree in music performance, simply because this type of education allows the player to learn music in a more well-rounded, in-depth way. A degree also verifies a specific level of competence in music and performance ability, which employers consider. Some people do succeed through private study, however, so this rule is not absolute.
If a person goes into cello performance, they have many options for where and what to play. Some of the more common jobs are chamber music gigs, such as performing as part of a string quartet as a wedding. Other cellists are able to get work performing in jazz ensembles, such as at clubs. Individuals such as Ron Carter have gained fame for jazz cello work, but generally speaking, people prefer the double bass instead of the cello for jazz playing. A cellist also can play with an orchestra or appear as a soloist, but these positions are extremely competitive, with only the best cellists offered contracts.
Another option for cello jobs is cello repair. Individuals who have this career may do everything from string replacement to replacing bridges or refinishing. These workers often are employed in music shops, but some are experts employed by particular manufacturers who have provided training. Cello repairers must have a solid understanding not only of cello construction, but also of physics and how adjustments and materials impact the overall tone, responsiveness and projection of the instruments they fix. They typically work on fairly inexpensive instruments in the student range, but repairers who work on professional models may have instruments worth many thousands of dollars on their work bench at any given time, making quality work and precision critical.
Related to cello repair work is restoration. Workers who focus on this area of repair are concerned with getting older models of cellos back into working order. Often, the instruments they work on are of enormous value because of their rarity and antique status, with some cellos being hundreds of years old. Cello restorers must be familiar with the entire history of the cello and cello music, because their job is to restore the cellos in such a way that the instruments can produce an authentic sound while played in the originally-intended manner.
Cello jobs also include manufacturing. Some of these cello workers concentrate on creating new cello designs the manufacturer can produce. Others focus on moving the design into production, overseeing the mechanical aspects of mass production. Although it is rarer, a handful of people in cello manufacturing create cellos by hand, custom-making each instrument over a period of several weeks based on the specifications indicated by the client. This type of work takes considerable skill and is labor intensive.
Many people with an interest or talent in cello become teachers. Cello instructors fall into two broad categories: private and public. Private instructors give individual lessons, often out of their home, having up to 30 students per week. Public instructors work in schools, with some teachers being the general music director who teaches not only cello, but all instruments, ensembles, bands and choirs. Those at the university or college level usually have to have a doctorate in music education and operate more like private instructors, often performing while not teaching.
Some people looking for cello jobs have luck with sales or demonstration. Sales workers have the task of promoting different cello models, either in person or through other means such as digital marketing through the company website. They often work in music shops, showing customers different models and explaining the pros and cons of each. Demonstrators also are concerned with generating interest in the cello similar to sales workers, but their goal is to create more players, not necessarily to gain a sales profit. They typically target elementary-aged children, playing the cello to show its sound, size and technique and giving some basic historical and performance information.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!


Last week I went to a really interesting lecture at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum about the way art education helps kids learn critical thinking skills that can be translated into strengths in other areas of study (particularly standardized tests). Basically the museum brought in students from two schools in the Boston area who have little to no art program, sat them down in front of a painting, and asked them questions like "What is going on in this picture?"and "Why do you think so?" Sort of like a big ink blot test. The kids became pretty articulate about aesthetics, just through the practice of verbalizing the things that they saw, interpreting artwork and bringing it in to their world. The skills that were most dramatically improved through this program were observation and interpretation.
These are, specifically, the skills that improved:
The ability to identify:
-What something is or is not; naming or identifying something
-Action, what someone is doing; concrete and explicit actions
-How it looks; sensory & physical aspects
-Features; what it's made of & how it's made
And the ability to interpret:
-The use or function of objects
-Implicit conditions, features, characteristics, feelings and emotions, mental states, status
-Identity (who people are)
-Actions or intentions
This may sound kind of technical, but the reason I post it is it got me thinking about school visits, and how a lot of these concepts are tied into the way we authors and illustrators talk about our work when we go to schools. It was kind of a great affirmation that there are real concrete benefits for kids who are exposed to art and the creative process. Almost every time I visit a school lately I hear about how arts programs are being cut and there is just not enough time to incorporate art into the curriculum. It gives me an extra sense of responsability when I show kids my paintings, knowing that this may be one of the few times art and art making is given a serious amount of time and attention.
There is a lot more information about the program here. And lots of great ideas for concepts to integrate into your visits fellow author/illustrators.


A degree in Special Education enables the holder to teach students with special needs in the area(s) for which the teacher is qualified:
- cross categorical which can include learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, mild or moderate intellectual disabilities, autism
- sensory impairments (hearing and vision)
- low incidence disabilities (severe, profound, multiple disabilities; other health impairments; physical impairments; traumatic brain injury)
- early childhood special education
Why Special Education @EMCC?
EMCC offers courses for students to complete both degree programs. Education courses, and particularly Introduction to the Exceptional Learner (EDU222), provide a strong foundation for a career in teaching and include field experiences and practicums to give students real-world classroom experiences.
This program is part of the Teacher Education Institute at EMCC, which helps students succeed by offering educational networks and professional opportunities within their selected field(s) of study.
Special Education teaching certification is valid for grades K-12. Therefore, students can choose to pursue an Associate in Arts in Elementary Education (AAEE) Degree if they are more interested in teaching grades 1-8, or students can choose to pursue an Associate in Arts (AA) Degree if they are more interested in teaching grades 7-12. These degrees transfer as a block to any of Arizona’s state universities as well as private institutions.
|At EMCC, get a degree in...||And transfer to a university to get a degree in...|
|Associate in Arts, Elementary Education (AAEE)||Bachelor of Arts in Education|
|Associate in Arts (AA)||Bachelor of Arts in Education|


In the strict "teacher-tell" model of traditional educational approaches, teachers who sought to become friends with their students were outside the norm. In some cases, this kind of behavior was actually seen as a breach of ethics. Teachers were the experts and students were the novices and the gap between them was to be maintained to preserve both order in the class and the respect for authority needed for learning to occur.
Recent research on how the brain learns has turned that view upside down in many educational environments. Although there is still some disagreement about brain-based research, it does appear to indicate students learn best that which is relevant to their lives.
How can teachers structure their content and presentation methods to reflect relevance if they have little, if any, understanding of their individual students and the way contemporary students live their lives?
And what better way to learn than to make efforts to be on friendly terms with as many students as possible? Hours spent searching the Internet might provide insight as to the likes and dislikes of students in your educational environment, but they cannot give you an understanding of the needs and wants of the specific individuals for whom you are responsible.
For some teachers, befriending students is a simple matter of being available to them as often as possible and sharing experiences. Teachers arrive early and remain after class to chat with students as frequently as possible. Attendance at all school extracurricular activities and formal functions provides additional opportunities to engage in life-centered conversations with students.
There are many things to talk about that bridge the age gap. Students may be surprised to learn teachers were equally enthralled by the musical stars of their day. Tales of struggling with homework and final examinations humanizes a teacher, and makes students feel like he or she is "one of them." Anything that narrows the perception gap where students see teachers as out of touch with their world promotes friendship.
Befriending students is not a problem.
However, given the fact we are only human, it is possible to become friendlier with some students than others. Indeed, it is possible that attempts to befriend students may lead to the discovery that some are simply hard to like at all! And those positive and negative preferences can begin to influence classroom behavior on the part of both teacher and student.
Fairness is critical in teaching and if your behavior towards certain students with whom you are especially friendly even hints at favored treatment in any way, the other students will sense the favoritism and react accordingly.
The fairness principle applies to all educational environments - elementary education, graduate education, and industrial education. If the trainer is on a company sponsored athletic team with a few participants and appears partial to them in the class setting, that can cause problems.
This presents a real ethical dilemma for many modern teachers. Ethics is about principles of right and wrong. Certainly it is not wrong to befriend students and in fact can be beneficial. But how far can one go before friendship extends to favoritism in the class?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bryan_West_Ph.D.


Teaching Clarinet Students To Bust Through The Break!
In the eyes of many beginning musicians clarinetists often seem to have the easiest time learning to play their instrument during the first few weeks or months of lessons. Then, when all seems well with the world, they finally reach the very bottom range of their instrument, using all ten fingers at the same time. At this point their teacher decides to take them to the next level and suddenly asks them to "Cross The Break!" Depending on many factors this may be the beginning of a long, happy musical adventure or the beginning of the end for the student as a clarinetist.
In clarinet terms, crossing the break refers to the act of going from having very few fingers down (to play open G or first finger A for example) and then going up one more note to the B, C, or D above. This requires a clarinetist to go from having one finger down to having all of their fingers down. While many beginning clarinetists will try to avoid these notes at first, it is not something that can be avoided as moving from A to B is one of the most common sequences that any clarinetist will encounter due to its place in the B-Flat Concert Scale.
Common High Range Problems and Pitfalls:
For those that have been properly prepared and have paid very close attention to details such as embouchure and finger position crossing the break can be quite easy. For others, crossing the break may signal the beginning of many months of frustration and perhaps even lead to considering giving up on the instrument entirely. For teachers, especially those that are not native clarinetists, teaching a student to cross the break can be just as frustrating to them as it is to the student. The vast majority of collegiate music education programs focus on clarinet for a few short months at most and then the teacher is thrown out in the cold to care for his or her young wards without truly being comfortable with the best methods and tricks to use when teaching beginning clarinet students.
Learning to play the clarinet, including the high notes is no more or less difficult than learning to play any of the other musical instruments in the school band or orchestra. In fact, learning to play any instrument can be quite easy if the basic fundamentals and techniques are followed as closely as possible during the early weeks of learning the instrument. The good (or bad) habits that a student learns and instills in their mind and muscles will have more to do with how easily they progress than will any other variable. One student can practice for hours each week and not seem to get any better while another student can get by on an hour of practice each week and finish their first lesson book in five months or less.
To play the clarinet well and to cross the break easily all begins with learning and focusing on the basics of finger position, embouchure, and properly maintained and assembled equipment.
- Next >>


Latest Blog Posts
20 Important Benefits of Music In Our Schools
March 10th, 2011
Nearly everyone enjoys music, whether by listening to it, singing, or playing an instrument. But despite this almost universal interest, many schools are having to do away with their music education programs. This is a mistake, with schools losing not only an enjoyable subject, but a subject that can enrich students' lives and education. Read on to learn why music education is so important, and how it offers benefits even beyond itself.
- Musical training helps develop language and reasoning: Students who have early musical training will develop the areas of the brain related to language and reasoning. The left side of the brain is better developed with music, and songs can help imprint information on young minds.
- A mastery of memorization: Even when performing with sheet music, student musicians are constantly using their memory to perform. The skill of memorization can serve students well in education and beyond.
- Students learn to improve their work: Learning music promotes craftsmanship, and students learn to want to create good work instead of mediocre work. This desire can be applied to all subjects of study.
- Increased coordination: Students who practice with musical instruments can improve their hand-eye coordination. Just like playing sports, children can develop motor skills when playing music.
- A sense of achievement: Learning to play pieces of music on a new instrument can be a challenging, but achievable goal. Students who master even the smallest goal in music will be able to feel proud of their achievement.
- Kids stay engaged in school: An enjoyable subject like music can keep kids interested and engaged in school. Student musicians are likely to stay in school to achieve in other subjects.
- Success in society: Music is the fabric of our society, and music can shape abilities and character. Students in band or orchestra are less likely to abuse substances over their lifetime. Musical education can greatly contribute to children's intellectual development as well.
- Emotional development: Students of music can be more emotionally developed, with empathy towards other cultures They also tend to have higher self esteem and are better at coping with anxiety.
- Students learn pattern recognition: Children can develop their math and pattern-recognition skills with the help of musical education. Playing music offers repetition in a fun format.
- Better SAT scores: Students who have experience with music performance or appreciation score higher on the SAT. One report indicates 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math for students in music appreciation courses.
- Fine-tuned auditory skills: Musicians can better detect meaningful, information-bearing elements in sounds, like the emotional meaning in a baby's cry. Students who practice music can have better auditory attention, and pick out predictable patterns from surrounding noise.
- Music builds imagination and intellectual curiosity: Introducing music in the early childhood years can help foster a positive attitude toward learning and curiosity. Artistic education develops the whole brain and develops a child's imagination.
- Music can be relaxing: Students can fight stress by learning to play music. Soothing music is especially helpful in helping kids relax.
- Musical instruments can teach discipline: Kids who learn to play an instrument can learn a valuable lesson in discipline. They will have to set time aside to practice and rise to the challenge of learning with discipline to master playing their instrument.
- Preparation for the creative economy: Investing in creative education can prepare students for the 21st century workforce. The new economy has created more artistic careers, and these jobs may grow faster than others in the future.
- Development in creative thinking: Kids who study the arts can learn to think creatively. This kind of education can help them solve problems by thinking outside the box and realizing that there may be more than one right answer.
- Music can develop spatial intelligence: Students who study music can improve the development of spatial intelligence, which allows them to perceive the world accurately and form mental pictures. Spatial intelligence is helpful for advanced mathematics and more.
- Kids can learn teamwork: Many musical education programs require teamwork as part of a band or orchestra. In these groups, students will learn how to work together and build camaraderie.
- Responsible risk-taking: Performing a musical piece can bring fear and anxiety. Doing so teaches kids how to take risks and deal with fear, which will help them become successful and reach their potential.
- Better self-confidence: With encouragement from teachers and parents, students playing a musical instrument can build pride and confidence. Musical education is also likely to develop better communication for students.


Environments that Promote Learning
There is no one way to arrange a classroom. Room arrangement will differ according to the ages and previous experiences of the students, the background knowledge of the teachers, and their willingness to experiment with new ideas. The goal is to create an environment for students that will nurture their explorations, language, and ideas. In planning their room environment, teachers should act on what they know about children and their development.
Messages in the Environment
The types of materials in a classroom and the way in which they are organized convey important messages to students. A room that is attractive, cheerful, orderly, and filled with interesting objects conveys the message: “This is a comfortable place where you can explore, feel safe, and learn.” Teachers who are aware of the power of the environment are able to arrange indoor and outdoor spaces to convey the messages they want students to receive. Listed below are specific suggestions for conveying positive messages through your environment.
This Is a Good Place to Be:
· Neutral colors (gray, off-white, beige) are used on walls, and bright colors are used selectively to highlight interest areas or mark storage areas on shelves.
· Furniture is clean and well maintained
· Wall decorations are largely made up of students’ work and are displayed attractively at their eye level and with large spaces of blank wall so that children are not overwhelmed.
Keep in mind that:
- The classroom layout needs to work for both the teacher and the learners.
- Overcrowded centers can result in behavior issues.
- Pre-planning on the part of the teacher can alleviate overcrowded centers.
We need to plan for various types of spaces for groups, such as rugs and tables, that:
- Provide space for work
- Promote student-to-student interaction in small groups
- Create small well-defined, student-friendly/cozy spaces that encourage interactions.
These small, well-defined spaces will assist with learning that:
- is more creative and encourage behaviors that are productive;
- highlights individual concepts such as Science or Writing; and
- incorporates language and literacy development within each space.
The domino effect on behavior will demonstrate:
- more cooperation between students;
- more on-task behavior; and
- fewer behavior problems
Other Considerations When Planning the Preschool Environment
- Traffic patterns (from one center to another) facilitate easy movement for the students.
- The centers are visually appealing.
- Similar centers are located near each other. For example, the library center is next to the listening center.
- The spaces of the classroom may be used flexibly to allow additional staff members to work with students as needed.
- Classroom supports, for example, electricity for the listening center, and a sink near the Art center, are accessible.
- Consider having a teacher pair up with you to observe the structures set up in your classroom. Meet and reflect on the results. Plan any changes accordingly.
- The entrance to the facility where parents drop off students should be parent friendly. It is the area where both home and school intersect for a brief moment each day.
Note: This tool was developed as a part of the Pre-K Team Literacy grant (University of Kansas and Kansas City Kansas Public Schools partnership) funded by the Early Childhood Professional Development Grant Program of the U.S. Department of Education.


Explorers Education Programme Overview
The Explorers Education Programme provides fun lesson plans, resources and activities for primary school teachers to inspire their student’s interest and knowledge in our ocean, marine environment, species and seashores.
The Explorers Education officer and other Explorer participants provide regular updates about our oceans, as well as some fun lessons, activities and exciting experiments that can be used in class.
If you’re not already part of the Explorers Education Programme, find out how to register. Join us in showing your pupils how important the marine is to everyday life! A range of activities are offered including having an Explorers saltwater aquarium in the classroom; completing and presenting a marine project in class; attending a seashore safari; or taking part in marine workshops.
The Explorer lesson plans and activities aim to integrate marine themes into strands taught in primary schools. The lessons plans are based on the Irish NCCA Primary School Curriculum including Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE) which are presented through Science, Geography and History. Additional subjects include Mathematics, Language, Physical Education and Arts Education which are carried out through Visual Arts, Music and Drama.
The Explorers team have compiled a selection of teachers resources including class presentations, information books and illustrations that can be used with the Explorer lesson plans. These include background information about the seashore and Ireland s marine territory.
The Explorers team have found a number of marine related resources and websites that can be used to support teaching students about our oceans and the seas around Ireland’s coastline.
“Ask an Explorers Marine Scientist” is dedicated to answering questions relating to marine education. Check the Question & Answer Archive for all kinds of interesting information and answers to questions about the ocean and the species that live there.
The Marine Institute and the Explorer partners have designed a number of training courses and workshops available for teachers and students to learn about our oceans.
If you have any queries relating to the Explorers Education Programme, see the following contacts.


You can help get your young child ready for kindergarten reading by practicing three simple skills this summer:
1. Recognizing and naming all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
2. Understanding that whole words are separated by spaces in texts.
3. Recognizing and producing rhyming words.
These 3 basic skills are important because they set a framework for your child to understand that spoken words can be represented in printed form.
Here are 3 easy activities to practice these skills:
1. Upper/Lowercase: When at the beach or at a playground sandbox, have her practice writing letters in the sand with her index finger or a stick. Working in the sand incorporates the sense of touch, as well as the sense of sight. Using more than one sense to practice gives her greater opportunity to remember the letters and their names. Practice the letters as “partners,” which means writing the capital and lowercase letters as a set (Aa, Bb, Cc, etc.) This makes for an easier transition to the printed word.
2. Spaces In Texts: When reading to your child, vertically move a Popsicle stick (or other pointer) after each word to emphasize the space. This visually separates the words, and makes his eyes recognize that spaces exist between the words in stories. It also reinforces the natural left-to-right flow of reading. As you reread stories he is familiar with, let him try moving the Popsicle stick between words.
3. Rhyming: Rhyme all the time! Recognizing and producing rhymes is an important part of learning sounds and decoding words. Easily blending the sight and sounds of letters and simple words will help her increase reading fluency. Good reading fluency is a key component in developing reading comprehension. Have fun creating silly rhymes together—“The fat cat sat on a mat wearing Mom’s hat.”
Mastering simple foundational skills like these forms a solid base to build higher-level thinking and reading skills, both necessary parts of kindergarten reading.


MIR Appraisal Services, Inc.: Fine Art Commentary
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
George Rickey blended many styles to create his kinetic sculpture. Like his predecessor, Alexander Calder, Rickey was interested in the possibility of movement in sculpture and like his contemporaries, such as Sol Lewitt or David Smith, Rickey created minimalist works which examined the beauty of individual shapes. Rickey’s combination of movement, and minimalism created dynamic sculptures that are able to totally change and rearrange the environment they inhabit and truly capture their audience.
Rickey was born in 1907 in Southbend, Indiana. He spent the first part of his life studying art at various art schools in the United States and in Paris. After receiving his art education, Rickey taught art at many Midwestern schools, including Know College, the University of Indiana and Olivet College. In this part of his career, Rickey was a painter. Inspired by artist in the Workers Progress Administration (WPA) Rickey’s early work was influenced by Social Realism. However, after his years in the army during WWII and after he studied at the Bauhaus Rickey’s art began to change.
In the late 1940’s Rickey began his work with moving geometry. He started to attach simple forms like rectangles and metal spears to podiums and stands. The shapes would be secured by an intricate system of bearings which would allow the shapes to shift or sway from movement. These works exemplified the beauty of possibility. The chance that the shapes might move creates a type of suspense for the sculptor’s viewer. The sculpture has the possibility to change each time it is looked upon and it is this dynamism which makes Rickey’s sculpture so unforgettable.
Rickey continued to make sculpture until he died in 2002. He created several public art works, installing his work in many places all over the globe, including his 57 foot sculpture at the Hyogo Museum in Japan. His work remains in museums, private collections and at the universities he taught at. Rickey’s work will be remembered for its ability to blend the styles from many periods to make unique sculpture which combined geometry with action.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
In an effort to improve our blog, we are in the process of making some changes:
- First of all, our blog is under new "management"!
- Secondly, we are transferring our blog platform from Blogger to Word Press. (You will be able to reach our new blog through this site for a limited amount of time.)
- When our new site is ready to launch I will post the new address, please be sure to visit & subscribe!
- We are also looking at some content & format changes.
Subscribe To: MIR Appraisal Services, Inc.- Fine Art Commentary
MIR Art Appraisers's Fan Box
- MIR Appraisal Services, Inc.
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Welcome to our blog site! MIR Appraisal Services, Inc. is a fine art and personal property appraisal company dedicated to serving clients throughout the United States and abroad since our incorporation in Chicago in 1994. We specialize in the multi-faceted field of appraising fine art, jewelry, antiques, and decorative items. We also provide professional fine art restoration and conservation treatment for various media, including but not limited to, artworks on canvas, board, masonite, and paper. We offer professional and precise appraisal services carried out by our team of accredited appraisers for the purposes of insurance coverage and claims, charitable donations, estate planning and probate, equitable distribution and fair-market value. We started our art commentary blog site as a venue for colleagues and fellow art enthusiasts to share their experiences within the art community.
- ▼ May (5)
- ► 2010 (75)
- ► 2009 (62)


Art Education is a field of study that explores art as an expression of culture, time and individual identity. Art educators design instructional strategies that help people of all ages understand the nature of making art, interpreting art, relating it to historical developments and exploring its uniqueness as a human endeavor. In the school setting, art education professionals develop instructional materials and curriculum that not only help youth interact with the art created by others, but provide opportunities for them to explore art as a means for better understanding themselves and the culture in which they exist.
As a successful participant of the Valley City State University Art Education program you will receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and an initial North Dakota teaching license in education, grades K-12. During coursework and field experiences, you will master basic skills of teaching and demonstrate professional character necessary for teaching. The Education curriculum is committed to learner-centered education and preparation of exemplary teachers.
The B.S in Art Education requires one full semester of student teaching. Each student is placed in two different settings, one at the elementary level and one at the middle or high school level. All students in the program by their junior year must apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program. To be accepted, a student must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 have satisfactory academic performance in the general education composition and communication requirements and successful completion of a speech screening test. They also must meet state and VCSU PPST standards. North Dakota's PPST standards are: Reading (173), Math (170), and Writing (173). Students must meet individual qualifying scores in Math, Reading or Writing, or meet qualifying scores on two of the tests and have a composite score of 516.


The piece is classically journalistic. "Never let facts stand in the way of a good story"
The article begins by telling us a 6 year old can build a [electric] motor and write [computer] programs to run it. Magic! The implication being that rest of the story wikll explain how such a miracle was accomplished. Journalism rarely delivers on these promises because so many journalists rarely have the time or the interest to understand the subjects of stories here today and gone tomorrow. Ms O'Brien won't disappoint us in this expectation.
What Ms O'Brein will accomplish in the rest of the article is to get the names right and REIFY the rest of the story. Let me explain reification by way of a Moliere play "The Imaginary Invalid" A doctoral candidate is asked to explain why opium puts people to sleep. He explains thAt opium contaijns a "dormative principle" which sounds useful except that all it says it that opium puts people to sleep because it contains something that puts people to sleep. It's a form of circular reasoning.
The dormative principle in this case includes constructivism and Seymour Papert. What or WHo they are remain a mystery. Papert is a renowned computer scientist. Logo is a computer language, first assembled with children in mind in 1967 by a tean led by Wallace Feurzeig NOT Papert.
The six-year-old is NOT building a motor. The article informs us that the motor is incorporated into a yellow block manufactured by Lego. The child is plugging other specialized high-tech Legos onto the yellow block to make a little car. The programming is fairly simple and the demonstration was amazing back in the early 70's when I first encountered it. I can't help but think the technology has become easier since then.
The article tells us very little that is useful or informative about constructivism but does give us the names to contact to get the real skinny. (but not the addresses)
NONE of this does anything to invalidate constructivism it only fails to inform us of much while whetting our appetite. What's not there? Pretty much everything important.
Constructivism IS a good theory. There is some good evidence for it and a few good arguments against it. And there are always flaws whether in the evidence or the arguments. We never know enough until well after the fact.
The point you make Teresa, that "interpreting it into school systems is the
problem." is the crucial one. The translation of the ideal and rational into the real and functioning is indeed the trick.
As you say the evidence has been around a long time BUT clearly we have yet to master constructivism or to harness it sufficiently to bring its benefits to the college of art education.
I believe in it. Honestly. I know it can work with specific types of students but this class of student would do pretty well no matter what given the support encouragement and resources. There are, unfortunately, all too many students for whom support encouragement and resources won't be quite enough.
What seems too be missing is motivation to participate and a driving need in the student to learn something. Constructivism makes the process flow and at times is, in itself, sufficient to kickstart a few kids.
I've been thinking that, as long as education looks like education its going to have problems.
This is where the issue of "authenticity" becomes paramount. Street-kids in third-world and war-torn countries learn the intracies of converting the currencys because they have an authentic survival level need to do so. To be truly effective we educators have to offer skills that will allow the student to affect important things in THEIR world; to solve REAL problems for themselves. Too often school looks too much like OUR world.
Problematizing issues for student consumption is inadequate. It is a form of manipulation and they can recognize it. Good for some students but not for enough of them. It's part of my problem with VCAE.
But that is another story
Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/


Ralph Vaughan Williams was born in Down Ampney, Gloucestershire on 12 October 1872. He was related to the Darwin and Wedgwood families and grew up in an atmosphere of Liberalism, where he was encouraged to pursue his musical interests.
He read History at Cambridge and went to the Royal College of Music where his teachers were Parry, Wood, and Stanford. He then went on to study with Bruch in Berlin, and Ravel in Paris.
Vaughan Williams's wide-ranging musical activities greatly enhanced English musical life but they have also contributed to the mistaken view that his compositional work was in some way parochial. He believed in the value of music education and wrote practical competition pieces, serviceable church music, and with the 49th Parallel (1940-41) he found a new outlet in writing for film. His profoundly disturbing Symphony No.6 (1948) received international acclaim with more than a hundred performances in a little over two years.
Although one of his first works to achieve success, Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 (1906), makes use of folksong, he rarely incorporated such material directly into his orchestral and instrumental compositions. However, his enthusiasm for folksong (he collected over 800 examples) undoubtedly influenced his compositional language, as did his interest in Elizabethan and Jacobean music.
His great sensitivity to the 20th-century human condition, his flexibility in writing for all levels of music making, and his unquestionably great imagination combine to make him one of the key figures in 20th century music.
Vaughan Williams died on 26 August 1958 and his ashes were interred at Westminster Abbey. In 2008 the fiftieth anniversary of his death is being commemorated by numerous performances and recordings worldwide, as well as the release of a film on his life, O thou Transcendent, by Tony Palmer.


Ouazad, Amine (2008) Assessed by a teacher like me: race, gender and subjective evaluations. CEE discussion papers, CEEDP0098. Centre for the Economics of Education, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
Download (345Kb) | Preview
The underrepresentation of minority teachers and male teachers remains an issue in US elementary education, and there is evidence that racial interactions partly shape student performance. However there is little work on discrimination within the classroom. Do teachers give better grades to children of their own race, ethnicity or gender? A US nationally representative longitudinal dataset that includes both test scores and teacher assessments offers a unique opportunity to answer this question. I look at the effect of being assessed by a same race or same gender teacher conditionally on test scores, child effects and teacher effects. This strategy controls for three confounding effects: (i) children of different races and genders may react differently in the classroom and during examinations (ii) teachers may capture skills that are not captured by test scores and (iii) tough teachers may be matched with specific races or genders. Results indicate that teachers give higher assessments to children of their own race, but not significantly higher assessments to children of their own gender. Also, this effect comes from the differential assessments given to non-hispanic black and hispanic children. White teachers give significantly lower assessments to non-hispanic black children and to hispanic children. Results are robust to various checks on endogenous mobility, measurement error and reverse causality. Moreover children's behavior is not a significant determinant of same race or same gender matching. Finally relative grading does not explain the main results of this paper.
|Item Type:||Monograph (Discussion Paper)|
|Additional Information:||© 2008 The Authors|
|Library of Congress subject classification:||H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
L Education > LA History of education
|Sets:||Research centres and groups > Centre for the Economics of Education (CEE)
Collections > Economists Online
Research centres and groups > Centre for Economic Performance (CEP)
|Date Deposited:||11 Jun 2010 10:44|
Actions (login required)
|Record administration - authorised staff only|


Alignment of Middle School Core TEKS with Visual Arts TEKS : Alignment of Middle School Core TEKS with Visual Arts TEKS Jennifer Hartman
http://teksalignment.blogspot.com/ Curriculum Integration : Curriculum Integration What is Integrated Curriculum?
“integration refers to the linking of all types of knowledge and experiences contained within the curriculum plan” (Ornstein, 2003, p. 243).
What is Arts Integration?
Motivations for Integrated Curriculum
200+ studies as well or better than conventional curriculum (Vars, 2001)
Motivations for Arts Integration
Engaged, well rounded, creative, socially aware Where I’m coming From… : Where I’m coming From… Humanist /Dewey-ian Philosophy
Critiquing the fragmented school day
James Beane – Democratic Education
Fair, just, higher level thinking for all
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Practical implementation Research Questions : Research Questions What are the potential common learning activities, if any, between the visual art TEKS and the science TEKS, in grades 6, 7, and 8?
…English language arts and reading
…social studies Findings : Findings Science : Science Math : Math English Language Arts and Reading : English Language Arts and Reading Social Studies : Social Studies Summary of Data : Summary of Data What Can you do with it? : What Can you do with it? Make sure you are getting credit for the alignments you already have in your lessons
Add engaging content to existing lessons based on the TEKS
Use it to inspire new integrated lessons and units Example Lesson:What is Art? Designing a Personal Logo : Example Lesson:What is Art? Designing a Personal Logo “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” -Pablo Picasso Keith Haring : Keith Haring Born May 4, 1958
Grew up in Kutztown,Pennsylvania
After graduating art school he moved to New York where he was inspired by graffiti
He became famous from his chalk drawings in New York subways
Many of his works are on walls in public places.
He died in 1990 Are Logos Art? : Are Logos Art? Resources : Resources Beane, J. A. (1991). The middle school: The natural home of integrated curriculum. Educational Leadership, 49(2), 9-13.
Beane, J A. (1997). Curriculum integration: Designing the core of democratic education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Beane, J.A. (2005). A reason to teach: Creating classrooms of dignity and hope. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Dewey, J. (1932). Art as Experience. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Inc.
Dewey, J. (1902). The child and the curriculum. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago.
Taylor, P.G., Carpenter II, S. B., Ballengee-Morris, C., & Sessions, B. (2006). Interdisciplinary approaches to teaching art in high school. Reston: VA. The National Art Education Association.
Fogarty, R. (1991). The mindful school: How to integrate the curricula. Arlington Heights, IL: Skylight Publishing, Inc.
Glatterhorn, A., & Jailall, J. (2009). The principal as curriculum leader: Shaping what is taught and tested (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Jacobs, H.H. (1989). Interdisciplinary curriculum design & implementation. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Jacobs, H. H. (1997). Mapping the big picture: Integrating curriculum and assessment K-12. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Stewart, M., & Walker, S. (2007). Rethinking curriculum in art. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications.
Walker, S. (2001). Teaching meaning in art making. Worchester: MA. Davis Publications Inc. References : References Ornstein, A. C. (2003). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Vars, G. (2001). Can curriculum integration survive in an era of high-stakes testing? Middle School Journal. 43(2), 7-17. Retrieved from: http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/Middle


The EGUSD CCSS-Aligned Rubrics have been centrally located on one page. Click here to access grade-specific rubrics.
2nd Grade – Preservice PowerPoint – This PowerPoint was used by second grade presenters for the year-round, modified-traditional, and traditional preservice dates.
Selected Standards for Open Court – Units 1 – 3 – This resource identifies standards that could be taught with any of the unit 1, 2, and 3 selections. Additional comments regarding instructional connections are located in the third column.
Text-Dependent Question (TDQ) Bank – This TDQ bank includes multiple question frames organized by reading-literature and reading-informational text standard. Some standards do not have examples since it’s completely dependent on the texts being used as to what the question could be (e.g., standards asking students to compare texts).
Selection Assessments Notice:
Due to previous accessibility of the assessments to any individual who visits this webpage (including the potentional for students to view the answers for upcoming assessments), the Open Court selection assessments have been moved into Outlook’s Public Folders.
PATHWAY for EGUSD teachers only: Teachers!…EGMAP…___Grade…ELA
Narrative Writing Prompt – Unit 1 selections from Open Court could be used to model the writing expectations of this narrative prompt
Informational Writing Prompt – Information from Unit 3 selections from Open Court are referenced in this prompt.
Graphic Organizers for Reading and Writing Standards
2nd Grade – Standards at a Glance – This document contains the ELA standards for 2nd grade only.
Standards-Alignment Guide – This resource may be used for 3 primary functions: 1) the determination of standards to align to various texts by having the user ask him/herself a series of questions; 2) the creation of text-dependent questions through sample question frames; and 3) the identification of clear learning objectives tied to specific reading standards. The sample questions and deconstructed tasks found within the document in the second and third columns respectively were modified from work produced by the Delaware Department of Education.
Sample Reading Tasks – CCSS Appendix B Excerpts – In order to best connect reading to writing, the K-2 reading performance tasks described in Appendix B of the CCSS document was excerpted and organized by grade-level in order to help provide teachers with examples of reading tasks that could be turned into writing tasks.
Central Message – Graphic Organizer Version 1 – This graphic organizer is used to identify a central message, collect evidence, and then analyze how the evidence connects to the identified central message. There is a checklist of things to consider when identifying a central massage (the difference between graphic organizers).
Central Message – Graphic Organizer Version 2 – This graphic organizer is used to identify a central message, collect evidence, and then analyze how the evidence connects to the identified central message.
Three Little Pigs – script – This anonymous version of The Three Little Pigs was used as the text for sample evidence and the evidence sort activity as presented during pre-service.
Evidence Sort – “The Library” – This sort contains the evidence strips that were used when teaching central message for the selection “The Library” found in Open Court.
Pre-Service Training for ELA (July/August 2013)
PowerPoint for 2nd Grade Pre-Service – This was the PowerPoint used for the July 15-16 and August 12-13 pre-service workshops. Videos used during the training can be accessed by going to the specific ppt. slide, putting the ppt. in presentation mode, and then clicking on the hyperlinked icons.
CCSS Training for ELA – 2nd Grade (Summer 2013)
The following powerPoint and handouts were provided to the attendees at the Common Core second grade training held throughout the summer of 2013.
PowerPoint Used for Summer Training – Speaking & Listening, Reading-Literature, Informational Text, and Foundational Skills
Selected Standards Matrix for Open Court Selections – This teacher-created resource identifies Common Core standards that align to Open Court selections. It also makes some recommendations about the order that social studies and science might be instructed. This is an Excel document, and each O.C. unit is listed as a workbook sheet. Click on the worksheet titles at the bottom of the document to access each unit.


40 Years of Research on Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education
Series: Education Heritage
Primary education is one of the most important phases of learning but there remains a scarcity of in-depth research on this vital topic. However, as the focus on improving outcomes increases there is a growing interest internationally in research that helps us to understand the best ways to help...
Published October 2nd 2012 by Routledge
This book increases understanding of, and provides inspiration for, the conduct of research in primary/elementary education. It discusses and evaluates the selection and development of research methods used for their own innovatory projects. They explore the relationship between their choice of...
Published April 22nd 2012 by Routledge
Taking a Leadership Role
This text discusses the theory and practice of several important areas of cross-curricular work in primary schools. It uses the National Curriculum Council's categories of themes, skills and dimensions to examine what is involved in such practice and to consider its current status in schools and...
Published March 11th 1996 by Routledge


The folks at MIT Media Lab, NYU, and Peer 2 Peer University recently set out to teach the world how to manipulate music with a computer and a browser through interactive classes on PlayWithYourMusic.org. When 5,282 people registered for the course, their suspicion that people would be interested in this were confirmed. Then, they had a new problem: how to split all of these people into groups, so that the people in each group would be into the same kinds of music.
After all, one person’s beautiful bebop is another’s frantic nightmare, some people simply cannot abide reggae, and so on.
Before learning how to produce music together, these students first had to get along as music fans.
We wanted to put them in groups based on their musical taste hoping to improve group cohesion and collaboration," writes P2P U. “We decided to use The Echo Nest since they have an API that helps with doing just that! The Echo Nest provides Taste Profiles – a collection of songs or artists representing a user’s musical preference. The Echo Nest can then relate one taste profile to another – higher scores mean that taste profiles are more alike.”
Their full report is worth a read for a few reasons:
It shows the need for (and a new application of) Taste Profile Similarity, which segments music fans, so that people with similar taste can be introduced to each other, among other reasons.
P2P U, MIT Media Lab, and the NYU Steinhardt faculty members behind PlayWithYourMusic.org found that using grouping people by Taste Profile had a positive side effect: “The idea of being grouped this way appealed to many learners who signed up, and they awaited being assigned to a group with much anticipation. This in turn resulted in higher engagements by the learners around musical interest.”
We appreciate a good case study as much as the next people; it’s always interesting to see what happens when the stuff we build gets used in the real world. The problem of splitting thousands of people into hundred groups based on musical taste is an interesting one, and widely applicable beyond the realm of music education.
PlayWithYourMusic is currently accepting students for its next session.


research from the fields of literacy, learning, cognitive science, neuroscience, behavioral and social science, and education. The committee identifies factors that affect literacy development in adolescence and adulthood in general and examines their implications for the populations in adult education programs.
In keeping with its charge, the committee defined literacy as the ability to read, write, and communicate using a symbol system (in this case, English) and using appropriate tools and technologies to meet the goals and demands of individuals, their families, and U.S. society. Thus, literacy skill includes but encompasses a broader range of proficiency than basic skills. The focus of the committee is on improving the literacy of individuals ages 16 years and older who are not in K-12 education; this focus is consistent with eligibility for federally funded adult education programs. The report includes research with adolescents of all ages but discusses the implications of this research (as well as research with children and adults) for instruction to be used in adult literacy education.4
There is a surprising lack of rigorous research on effective approaches to adult literacy instruction. This lack of evidence is especially striking given the long history of both federal funding for adult education programs and reliance on the nation’s community colleges to develop and improve adults’ literacy skills. Sustained and systematic research is needed to (1) identify instructional approaches that show promise of maximizing adults’ literacy skill gains; (2) develop scalable instructional programs and rigorously test their effectiveness; and (3) conduct further testing to determine for whom and under what conditions those approaches work.
In the absence of research with adults whose literacy is not at high levels, the committee concluded that it is reasonable to apply findings from the large body of research on learning and literacy with other populations (mainly younger students and relatively well-educated adults) with some adaptations to account for the developmental level and unique challenges of adult learners. The available research provides guidance about principles of effective reading and writing instruction, principles of learning and motivation, and promising uses of technologies and other supports for learning.
Effective literacy instruction addresses the foundational components of reading—word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, background knowledge, strategies for deeper analysis, and understanding of texts—and the component skills of writing. It combines explicit teaching
4Given the sponsor’s primary interest in improving adult literacy education, we did not address the question of how to prevent low literacy in the United States. Although the report does not have an explicit focus on issues of prevention and how to improve literacy instruction in the K-12 system, many of the relevant findings were derived from research with younger populations and so they are likely to be relevant to the prevention of inadequate literacy.


"SEPARATE BUT UNEQUAL" by Sadie Lewis George
Separate But Unequal -- Black Education and Life During Jim Crow In Terrebonne Parish
by Sadie Lewis George
(Lynne M. George's Mom)
About the Book: Separate But UnEqual is a chronological account of the unfair treatment of Black citizens in the Terrebonne Parish system during a vast portion of the Jim Crow era. This extensive compilation of research materials includes many historical events that I vicariously experienced through my grandparents, parents and my very own personal journey--candid information that gave me a burning desire to reveal the unjust laws placed upon the Black citizens of Terrebonne Parish.
About the Author: Sadie Lewis George was born, reared, and resided in Houma, Louisiana, during a portion of the Jim Crow era. She personally experienced many of the injustices of that oppressive period.
Sadie received her elementary education from Houma Colored Elementary, then her high school education from Houma Colored High School (Naval Base) and Southtown High School (Church Street).
She received her B.A. degree from Dillard University and her M.Ed from Nicholls State University. She worked over 20 years in the Terrebonne Parish School system, and later became Master Teacher at the Terrebonne Parish Teen Parent Center.
Sadie is the mother of three authors: Lynne Marie George/Brandon's Window--A Grandmother's Documentary of Reversing Autism Naturally; Noel B. George Jr./God's Plan--The Woman You Gave Me; and Melody George (fka Melody George Peterson)/Life Is Worth Living--A Journal of Poetic Expressions and Reflections of Life. See links for additional information on respective books.
Sadie Lewis George
P.O. Box 1617
Gray, Louisiana 70359
To purchase Separate But Unequal:


In our country is by far the most serious problem. We all recognize that illiteracy is bed, that it prevents the cultural growth of a people. But illiteracy in our country continues to exist on an appalling scale. Even today among ten in India about five are illiterate. Nor is there any organized effort to do away with this deplorable state of backlog. We tinker at the problem instead of tackling it thoroughly. We made experiments. The States have ambitious programmes of setting up primary schools in every village, but these are yet in the cold shade of neglect.
But illiteracy can be removed and that quickly, if concerted efforts are made both by private organizations and the states. Within a decade, the Russians got rid of ignorance as colossal as ours; and now the Chinese have also achieved it. They took at once a total war against illiteracy for which the services of all educated men and women were conscripted. Gurudev Rabindranath also praised efforts of the Russians.
For this, education must be made free and compulsory at least upto the age of fourteen. That is the plain directive of our Constitution. Recently a bill was adopted in the Parliament of India to make primary education a fundamental right. But even where education is free in India, it is not compulsory; and it is free only at the lower primary stage here and there. The result is that most of those who give up learning after this stage, are the drop-outs, lapse back, into ignorance. Of course, making elementary education compulsory demands money. Children of workers and peasants have to think of earning before they can think of learning.
Mahatma Gandhi recognized this basic difficulty and he suggested a scheme by which children would begin to earn while they were learning. In that scheme, known as basic Education scheme, it is not only craft-centered, but the crafts are so chosen as to have a profit basis. The scheme however did not make much headway in free India. The function of education should be to direct the child’s creative instincts properly. This has been ignored in the basis pattern advocated by Gandhiji.
The problem can be solved only by recognition of the fact that education must be the primary responsibility of the State. It must be given a high priority. Voluntary efforts can only touch a fringe of the problem. However, in a District of Kerala recently hundred percent literacy was achieved through combined efforts of the public and the government.
A scheme of having a network of primary schools has been drawn up. Provisions for financing the scheme have also been made. If implemented, it will mean the first step towards a nation-wide programme of fight against the curse of illiteracy.
The problem of illiteracy in India will not be solved only by providing education for the children. Illiteracy is rampant among the older generation of people, particularly in the rural areas: and not a little of our social and culture backwardness is due to this. Campaign among the illiterate adults, therefore, is also a crying necessity. Adult education has so long been only a piecemeal, voluntary affair. However, it has now found a place in the different schemes and projects of the Government. But much ground has not yet been covered to step up primary education. The segment has to be given top priority.


March is National Youth Art Month! Founded in 1961, Youth Art Month encourages art advocates and organizations to raise awareness about the important role that art education has in enriching and strengthening the minds of students.
In observance of this national celebration, we would like to offer you a bit of insight into inspiring the children in your life. Please enjoy this free article download from the premiere issue of Create With Me. We hope that it encourages you to share the gift of creativity by introducing similar projects into their daily routine.
Spread the word about National Youth Art Month! Here are some ideas:
- Volunteer to teach a curriculum-based art project to your child’s class
- Reach out to your blogging network and organize a blog hop advocating Youth Art Month
- Donate a basket of art supplies to an underprivileged school district
- Institute the Reflections program through the PTA at your child’s school
- Organize a school-wide bookmark decorating contest. Display them around the school so the kids can see their masterpieces!
Click here to download the article!
How can you raise awareness about the arts in your community? Tell us in the comments below!
Artwork from Create With Me Summer ’11 by Danika, Zoey, and Bethany Kartchner
Posted: Monday, March 12th, 2012 @ 9:01 am
Tags: Create With Me, Freebies, Magazine.
Subscribe to the comments feed if you like. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica
Print version ISSN 0102-7972
MEDEIROS, José Gonçalves and SILVA, Rosária Maria Fernandes da. The purposes of reading tests over generalization in teaching of reading to children. Psicol. Reflex. Crit. [online]. 2002, vol.15, n.3, pp. 587-602. ISSN 0102-7972. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722002000300013.
The present study aimed at investigating reading and writing acquisition, based on studies on stimulus equivalence. It was carried out with 7 children ranging from 7 to 16 years old, during literacy development, with the specific objective of investigating the effects of reading tests presented during the phases of a matching procedure. Two sets of reading tests were used during the phases of pre and post-tests and of learning. All participants involved in the research learned the taught words, although only 4 were able to generalize them. The reading tests did not produce differential generalization within the groups. Based on a functional and structural analysis of the words used, the successes are discussed taking into account the effects of the syllabic recombination and of the temporal contiguity with reinforced and non-reinforced attempts; the errors are attributed to the abstract nature of the generalization words, suggesting, for the tests, the use of words belonging to the participants' everyday vocabulary.
Keywords : Stimulus equivalence; matching to sample; school failure; reading tests.


Communities developing resources and competencies for using their languages
Foundational understanding for language development work of all kinds
Publications, fonts and computer tools for language development, translation and research
SIL offers training in disciplines relevant to sustainable language development.
7,105 languages are spoken or signed. CLICK for map of world languages & regional websites.
SIL's dedication to language development past and present
Students and staff of the 2012 Diplomado en Lingüística Aplicada at Mexico’s Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí.
Students came from across Mexico to attend the four-week Diplomado en Lingüística Aplicada, which introduced foundational skills for language and culture research and documentation. Training for language development and documentation is highly relevant in light of the increasing endangerment of languages around the world. In a recent study, researchers found that among world regions, the Americas region has experienced the most significant loss of language families.
(September 2012) A diverse group of thirty-seven students from Mexico recently completed a diploma course in applied linguistics at Mexico’s Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí). This annual course is held under the auspices of the university with instructors and program administration provided by SIL Mexico.*
The course concluded with a program to which the public was invited. Many students shared art forms from their communities, including songs, poems and a traditional dance. Some students will apply what they have learned in ongoing study programs at their own universities, others will apply the practical linguistics training to their work in language development projects with government institutions or non-governmental organizations.
Program coordinator Juanita Watters stated, "I am extremely proud of the quality of our Diplomado course this year. The professional manner in which classes were conducted by our experienced staff set the tone for serious academic inquiry. Our teachers were eager to teach and they worked extraordinarily long hours. They demonstrated a passion to see students better equipped for effective language development whether in their communities, or in someone else's language community."
This was the fifteenth session of the Diplomado en Lingüística Aplicada, which developed from a workshop in descriptive linguistics originally held in the city of Puebla.
* SIL is known as ILV in Latin America.


|Birth:||Nov. 2, 1734|
|Death:||Sep. 26, 1820|
Frontiersman. Born in Pennsylvania, the sixth of twelve children to Quaker parents, Squire Boone, a weaver and blacksmith and Sarah Jarman Morgan. As a boy, Boone received an elementary education. The Boone family left Pennsylvania around 1750 and eventually settled in North Carolina. In 1756 Boone married neighbor Rebecca Bryan. The couple would produce ten children. In 1769, he set out with five others to explore the border region of Kentucky territory. They passed Cumberland Gap and on June 7, and set up camp at Station Camp Ceek. They explored Kentucky as far west as the falls of the Ohio. In 1773 he returned home, sold his farm and set out with his family, two brothers, and five other families, to settle in Kentucky. They were intercepted by Shawnee in an attack that resulted in the death of Boone's oldest son, James. The party was forced to retreat to the Clinch River. Two years later, Boone succeeded in founding Boonesborough, Kentucky near present day Lexington. During the American Revolution Boonesborough became the site of several battles. It was besieged at least three times over a period of months. The Battle of Blue Licks on August 19, 1782, almost ten months after the surrender at Yorktown, was a decisive victory for a combined force of 1000 British regulars and tribes from the Ohio nations. It also cost the life of Boone's second son, Israel. After the war, in 1792, Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the 15th state. Litigation arose that questioned many settlers' title to their lands. Boone lost all his property due to lack of clear title. In 1795 he settled on the Femme Osage Creek, in St. Charles County, Missouri. He was appointed commander of the Femme Osage district, and received a large grant of land for his services, which he subsequently lost because he failed to make his title good. His claim to another tract of land was confirmed by Congress in 1812, in consideration of his services. Rebecca Boone died in 1813. The St. Louis Enquirer of October 14, 1820 ran an obituary notice that read: "DIED.- On the 26th ult. [Sep.] at Charette in the ninetieth year of his age, the celebrated Col. DANIEL BOONE, discoverer and first settler of the State of Kentucky."
In 1845 in a controversial move, the remains of Boone and his wife were relocated from Missouri to Kentucky. There is some controversy surrounding the final disposition of the Boones' remains. Some say Daniel and Rebecca's remains are still in Missouri, and that the wrong bodies were removed and re-buried. Others have demanded the return of the bodies to Missouri.
Frankfort Cemetery *
*Alleged or in dispute
The Missouri Marker
BORN IN PHILADELPHIA COUNTY
(LATER BERKS COUNTY)
OCTOBER 22, 1734
(MODERN NOVEMBER 2, 1734)
DIED IN ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO.
SEPTEMBER 26, 1820
BORN JANUARY 9, 1739
DIED MARCH 18, 1813
REMOVED TO FRANKFORT, KY 1845
ORIGINALLY DEDICATED 1915
REDEDICATED JULY 25, 2009
MISSOURI STATE SOCIETY
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
HARDIN CAMP CHAPTER, NSDAR
VALLEY OF THE MERRAMAC CHAPTER, NSDAR"
Kentucky Marker in the Frankfort Cemetery
DANIEL BOONE'S GRAVE
BORN 1734, DIED 1820. ENTEREDEASTERN
KENTUCKY, 1767, EXPLORED BLUEGRASS
REGION, 1769-71; GUIDED TRANSYLVANIA
COMPANY, BLAZED WILDERNESS TRAIL
BUILT FORT BOONESBOROUGH IN 1775.
DIRECTED DEFENSE OF THE FORT, 1778.
EMIGRATED TO MISSOURI 1799;
REINTERRED WITH WIFE REBECCA, IN
FRANKFORT CEMETERY, 1845"
Frankfort, Franklin, Kentucky


Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
An oil pastel is a crayon made of pure pigments bound with wax and oil that is available in scholastic, student and professional grades. Oil pastels can be used on a wide variety of surfaces, without the need for priming. They also are more convenient to use than oil paints and can be manipulated to create many of the same effects.
The first oil pastels were developed in the 1920s. They were designed to encourage Japanese children to express themselves with colors and shapes. This type of oil pastel was more deeply colored than a chalk pastel and behaved more like a crayon. Its use in art education became widespread.
In the late 1940s, Pablo Picasso and fellow artist Henri Goetz approached a French art supply manufacturer with their ideas for developing an artist-quality version of the oil pastel. Picasso was intrigued by the possibility that these pastels could be used on many types of surfaces, including unprimed canvas. Goetz wanted a medium that could be directly applied to a painting surface without the use of tools such as brushes or palette knives.
As demand grew for artist-quality oil pastels, a number of other art supply manufacturers began producing their own oil pastels. Artists can now choose oil pastels that are soft and creamy or more like a crayon in consistency. The harder ones can be warmed in the hand to be more pliable when desired. Artist-grade pastels are acid-free and contain pure pigments that are archival quality.
Oil pastels can be used on glass, metal, canvas, art boards and many grades of paper. They are applied directly to the surface in a variety of different techniques. Some artists apply the oil pastels and then use brushes for blending.
Many of the techniques used by oil painters can be transferred to their work with oil pastels. They can layer on color and mix oil pastels with turpentine, mineral oils or other solvents to create glazes. Oil pastels can be used over dried oil painting. They also can be used in mixed-media paintings with watercolors or acrylics.
These pigment crayons are very convenient for using outdoors. An artist needs only to bring his or her oil pastels, drawing surface and any pencils or tools that he or she uses. There is no need for brushes or solvents. The wax and oil binders produce a surface that is never totally dry, enabling the artist to continue working on the picture in his or her studio.
A finished oil pastel piece generally is covered in glass to protect the surface. Oil pastels never dry to the hardness of oils or acrylics. Some people use varnish as an alternative to glass framing.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!