As an educator, it is our responsibility to care for the skills and abilities they need to be balanced and productive members of society. While mastery of basic subjects such as reading and writing is mathematics and science, of course, necessary to achieve this goal, many so-called extra-educated subjects - especially music - are also important in this work. For its many concrete benefits, music should be maintained and promoted as an essential part of elementary school.
For centuries music had been considered an irreplaceable part of proper education. Early Universities taught it as one of the quadrivium or four important pillars of education. Albert Einstein himself was a skilled musician and often attributed his discoveries in physics to the musical training he received.  Modern education policy, however, has often marginalized music education into a luxurious and expensive extras program that is often cut when negative budget issues are met. Educational administrators often think music education is a misguided effort to channel students into a career in music or at best an expensive playing time that does little for their education development.
If only those administrators could learn the incredible benefits of music education on students, they can change. Previous studies have shown that youth music education provides greater observable physical development in the brain  and an average of 27% higher maths,  57 points higher SAT scores  and a 46% increase in IQ scores.  In addition to these documented benefits of intelligence, music education has been shown to improve learning in all other subjects by improving their study ability, receptivity to education, social and emotional development. Students who attend school or orchestra also experience the lowest level of gang activity and addiction. Most importantly, the cognitive and behavioral benefits of music education prove to affect all students, regardless of their ethnicity, risk level or socioeconomic background.
These results alone should ensure that a robust music program is introduced in every elementary school, but the benefits do not end there. Youth music education has proved to be a reliable predictor of success in university and professional life. It has been reported that about 22% more musicians are employed in medical schools than any other majority  and that the very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry practically practice musicians.
My parents picked up six boys and one girl, who all participated heavily in music at their elementary schools and colleges. While I was the only one who became a professional musician and music teacher, all my siblings have gone on to successful careers, including three doctors, an architect and an engineer. I feel very guilty of the many music teachers who taught my family and me and are sad to hear that the opportunities we received were not always available to children. I have made it my personal challenge as a music teacher and director of driving to individually reach all my students and introduce them skills and appreciation of music that brings such joy to my own life. As a college teacher I find great follow-up and know that the skills I teach them in music classes and ensembles not only make it possible for a lifelong interest but also helps them in many other important areas of their lives and contributes to their success in life.
The great violin teacher said the purpose of [music] education is to train children, not to be professional musicians without being good musicians and showing high ability in any other field they come in.  My experience has taught that music education uniquely improves learning and prepares children for successful lives. Together with all the other subjects taught in elementary school and high school, I hope I can bring the music world into as many children's lives as I can. Then I know that I will make our society a little better by making a big difference in their lives.


2012 - 2016
Theme of the project: music and conflict. What is the role and impact of structured music (education and practice) on the development of skills of dialogue and pacification, resilience and/or rehabilitation of young people in regions in conflict or just coming out of conflict? The study is not about music as an instrument to obtain peace, but about what music can do for young people living in a violent surrounding, or to young people having lived through a past of violence. It is not a study about changing outer conditions, but about music as a potential instrument to construct and strenghten personal skills such as the capacity to listen, to dialogue, to make connections, to process complex realities, and to view reality as an interdependent whole. In general, it is a study about the question whether music can enhance the empowerment of young individuals. It is about the potential of music training and practice to make young people strong and non-violent, even if the world they are living in is a violent one. The study will be primarily concerned with longterm and structured music education and practice, in contrast with music being used in punctual short-term occupational or therapeutic interventions or workshops.


Working Hours for Staff:
7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
| School Hours for Students:
7:45 AM – 1:55 PM for (KG1 & KG2) |
7:45 AM – 2:40 PM for (Gr.1 – Gr.12)
The vision of the elementary English language arts (ELA) program at ADNOC schools is to provide our primary school students with the foundational skills and understandings needed to achieve college and career readiness and to be a “literate person of the 21st century.” According to the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy (2011), the source of ADNOC schools’ curriculum standards, the achievement of this vision is predicated upon academically rigorous ELA classrooms. To that end, students in the elementary ELA classrooms at ADNOC schools regularly undertake close and critical reading of both informational and literary grade-level texts. They are also encouraged to actively engage with these texts in a number of ways that not only foster and demonstrate their understandings of the texts but also develop the “skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that are the foundation for any creative and purposeful expression in language.” Consequently, the expectations placed on students in the elementary ELA classrooms are high, but these high expectations are grounded in the firm belief that students achieve their true potential only if they are truly challenged.
To maintain this challenging learning environment, instruction in the elementary ELA classrooms is standards-based. As was mentioned above, these standards are derived from the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy. Massachusetts is one of the leading states in American education, regularly performing at the top of all educational metrics in the U.S. The Massachusetts Framework is a combination of Massachusetts standards and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). All of the textbooks, supplementary resources, lesson plans, and assessments used in the elementary ELA classrooms are aligned to these standards. In fact, because of this alignment, an ADNOC student in the third grade, for example, could be placed in a Massachusetts third-grade ELA classroom on any given day and be completely prepared to succeed academically.
Along with utilizing a standards-based approach to learning, the elementary ELA teachers endeavor every day to use a variety of instructional methods that maintains active engagement, cooperative learning, and student-centeredness. These methods not only ensure that expectations remain high for all students but also that learning is appropriate and enjoyable for each child. Indeed, through these instructional methods, teachers are able to differentiate their instruction to the particular needs of each child. A few examples of these instructional methods are reading circles, classroom-learning centers, and learning clusters. Little classroom time is spent on lecturing content to the students. Instead, students devote the majority of their time to engaging in activities related to English language arts. These activities allow students to apply the skills they have learned and demonstrate the knowledge they have gained.
The content of the elementary ELA classes consists of reading, writing, speaking and listening. These four categories, however, are not taught separately but rather as complementary components of the daily ELA lessons. Foundational content, such as phonics, spelling, and grade-level vocabulary, are also incorporated into these lessons. In addition, because literacy is an emphasis of the Massachusetts Framework in all subjects, elementary school teachers are afforded opportunities for cross curricular activities in which reading content from other subjects, such as social studies, science, and IT, are used in ELA classes.


IT’s ALL ABOUT LANGUAGE- THE GREAT EQUALIZER!
December 27, 1989, my then 12yr. old son, sustained a traumatic brain injury. Riding his bike, he collided with a van in an intersection on a little traveled street in Dallas. The impact sent him reeling head first into the pavement. Scooped up by first responders and rushed to the local hospital, he remained on life support for days and in a coma for a month. He had lost all functionality, eating, speaking, moving, in essence the ability to live on his own or communicate. In time, he was moved to a specialized pediatric care hospital staffed by the most amazing team of pediatric neuro- physicians and therapists imaginable.
My son is bilingual. English is his first language and Spanish is his second. One day, in a follow-up therapy session with two therapeutic aides, who only spoke Spanish, my son, in a post amnesic state, heard them speaking and flickered his eyes. They caught the movement and began full interactive treatment in Spanish which led to his recovery in English. He is now a grown man, 95% fully rehabilitated, works full time and is happily married.
Additionally, my other four children are bilingual. However, Spanish is their first language and English which was acquired in school, their second, as Spanish was the only language spoken at home.
I share this personal story with you, advocates, educators, parents, researchers, students and anyone involved in trying to understand the profound cognitive benefits of teaching and learning multiple languages, because learning languages goes beyond economics or politics, job promotion or even securing a job; it changes lives forever.
Since that experience, I, with many others, have pounded the pavement, working with researchers, linguists, teachers, administrators, parents and finally education neuroscientists to unravel the neural complexities and challenges of learning in general and of acquiring multiple languages specifically. Searching for the answer to the question, how does the brain learn, acquire knowledge, process information, comprehend and think!
Here is what we have discovered.
EDUCATION NEUROSCIENCE BUILDING MINDS…. CHANGING LIVES!
Since 2005, there has been an explosion of scientific research specific to the teaching and learning of English and Dual Language Learners. We no longer have to guess which instructional approach provides a solid foundation for the academic success of ELs and DLLs, pre-birth to adults. Researchers worldwide responded to the call to provide evidence-based instruction that works for diverse language learners.
Joining, this effort, is a new team of experts, the education neuroscientists, who focused their research, using brain imaging or fMRI’s, to determine how the brain learns, processes information and thinks! In 2008, the new field of Education Neuroscience emerged, based on empirical findings related to how acquiring two or more languages increases reading achievement, expands cognitive capacity and enhances executive function. In fact, bilingual neuroscientists, reported, that individuals learning to read in more than one language attain higher academic success, than monolingual language learners. (1)
Recent ed-neuro discoveries are revealing, eye-opening and impactful. What we often thought helpful, useful and ‘best practice in language, dual language and literacy development has been cast aside and a new approach to educating language learners, as well as all students, is on the horizon.
Currently, the Education Neuroscience Foundation (ENF), working with neuroscientists, teachers, parents and students, is developing an instructional way forward that all educators can use in any educational setting. Empirical brain research informs our effort and provides a pathway for all learners to have equal access to equal educational opportunity and IT’s ALL ABOUT LANGUAGE-THE GREAT EQUALIZER!
Over the next several months, in a series of upcoming articles, ENF will embark on a journey, with you, to reimagine and reinvent education. Our goal is to share current education neuroscience findings and instructional strategies proven to work for all learners, pre-birth to adult, in any setting. The focus is on findings and strategies developed from the following seven ed-neuro categories: Brain Architecture, Language, Culture, Social/Emotional Learning, Environment and Experiences. We will not cover all the information available nor the plethora of strategies we have developed. However, we hope the information shared throughout the articles, stimulates discussion, challenges our thinking and motivates us to begin to
‘Teach the Way the Brain Learns’!
(1) Age of first bilingual language exposure as a new window into bilingual reading development.Kovelman I, Baker SA, Petitto LA Biling (Camb Engl). 2008 Jul 1; 11(2):203-223.
~HERE IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN~
Picture 1991- 2 years after the accident.
Picture 2019 THE FIVE
Marlowe and Me 2019


What to do with this activity?
What happens next? If the story is a good one with great characters, you will want to know.
When you read a story with your child, stop along the way and talk about what might happen next. Maybe there is more than one way the story can go? By talking about what happens next you will be firing up your child's imagination. Then read on and see if you guessed correctly, or if you invented a better ending.
All this will help your child understand the content of the story and how stories are shaped. The Irish Primary School Curriculum for Infants calls this becoming an "active listener".
Encourage your child to listen and to re-tell stories. Ask them "what happened next?".
Reading aloud combines the benefits of talking, listening and storytelling within a single activity and helps to build the foundation for language development. From stories your child learns many things such as how to listen and concentrate, new words and understand why things happen. They also learn to put ideas in order, develop their memory skills, notice how spoken words relate to words on the page and learn how to predict. Reading gives your child a chance to develop their own opinions, build visual skills and learn how to handle books.
Your child might like to read a section of the newspaper or a magazine – the sports, fashion or cooking sections - depending on their interests. They might like to read a short piece from a newspaper and underline facts with a pen and opinion with a pencil. You can then talk about the difference between fact and opinion (there are good examples in sports writing). Encourage your child to read instructions for mending bikes, building models and playing new games.
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Lately I've been frustrated trying to find a photography course for my elementary-aged kids that doesn't underestimate their abilities or introduce concepts at a high-school or college level. So this summer I sat down and wrote the intro photography course I wish I could have taken as a kid when I got my first camera at age 7.
I'm thrilled to share this course with you now. It's called: "Documenting Your World Through Photography: An Introductory Course for Elementary and Middle Schoolers." You can purchase the 85-page downloadable PDF here. (Use code SNAP15 to get 15% off through 8/15/18.)
But first let me explain why this class should be an important feature of your curriculum.
HOW DOES PHOTOGRAPHY BENEFIT THE DEVELOPING MIND?
As a photographer and writer, I believe there is something profound in bearing witness to the joy and pain in others’ lives, to the beautiful and mundane in this world.
To quiet your body and mind, to observe what is in front of you, to learn how to find the thread of a story, to document it from a unique perspective, to transform it into something extraordinary—these are some of the most essential life skills we can teach our children.
Why? Because effective storytelling is what propels us through life. It doesn’t matter what particular careers we pursue; college essays, job applications, grant proposals, social media marketing—they all force us to weave engaging stories to convince our audience to feel a certain way.
Storytelling matters. While I hope your children grow to enjoy photography as an artistic expression, I’ll tell you right now: they don’t need to become professional photographers to benefit greatly from learning how to look closely, to document life, and to communicate more effectively. The basic photography skills your children will gain from working through this course are the building blocks of an artist, but they are also transferrable to other forms of storytelling the world will expect your children to master along the way.
Your children don’t have to wait to learn photography fundamentals until they can handle a high school or college photography course that requires thousands of dollars of equipment and the ability to understand the relationships between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Meet them at their level and help them get started with this course. They can start building their foundational skills now.
Now for some details about the course.
Students will first familiarize themselves with the camera they'll be using, then learn some basics about light, composition, and perspective before moving on to experiment with a few genres of photography. Next they'll learn about storytelling through photography. They'll wrap up the course by creating their own photo series.
You do NOT need a fancy DSLR camera to take this course; you just need a mobile phone camera or a basic point-and-shoot.
You do NOT need photography experience to teach this course. (And even if you are a professional photographer, the course will help you break down concepts into digestible bits for your kids in ways you may not have considered.)
Ready to get started? You can purchase the course here. (Use code SNAP15 to get 15% off through 8/15/18.)
Questions? Jot me an email.
I may receive a small commission from the Amazon affiliated link on this page at no additional cost to you.
I'm Julia Soplop, writer and photographer. I believe there is something profound in bearing witness to moments of joy and pain in others’ lives. My husband, three girls and I live outside of Chapel Hill, NC. You can read more about me here.


LAST UPDATED: 27th June 2019
Useful literacy links
This resource provides links to a range of useful websites, focus days and resources, all supporting literacy development.
LAST UPDATED: 17th January 2020
Interventions for Equity
This is an initial framework to support the Scottish Attainment Challenge - Pupil Equity Funding (PEF).
LAST UPDATED: 24th January 2018
How good is our school library?
Education Scotland has worked with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) to produce How good is our school library?, a companion document to How good is our school? (4th edition).
LAST UPDATED: 30th July 2019
Group discussion professional learning resource
The group discussion professional learning resource is designed to support improvement in literacy attainment by helping schools to build their capacity in teaching group discussion skills.


Budding adults who begin college in order to become teachers almost always major in education. A bachelor’s degree in education is fashioned to prepare individuals for teaching careers. Students must pass state exams in addition to earning a bachelor’s degree in most states. A majority of colleges and universities offer classes that provide the preparation for additional state certification requirements.
Since there is a teacher shortage across the country, a many states have created alternative requirements for individuals who would like to become teachers. Typically, this allows individuals with a bachelor’s degree in something other than education to take courses for the teaching credential. These individuals would not need to start at the beginning of the program in order to become a teacher.
Even though there is an alternate option, a bachelor’s degree in education will provide a solid underpinning that prepares students for the classroom. Bachelor’s degree programs that are designed to lead to certification may focus on early childhood education, elementary education, or special-education. There are minimal credential requirements associated with such programs that students must meet in order to become teachers.
There is a slightly different course of study for those who wish to teach on the secondary, high school, level. The area of focus would not be “secondary education” but simply the subject matter that they desire to teach. The area of focus might be English education, mathematics, science, or social science. Some of these programs are not geared for complete teacher certification, and other credentials are required post-graduation. Depending on the state, a master’s degree may be required to teach at the high school level.
Usually in states where a master’s degree is required for teaching on the secondary level, a bachelor’s degree is needed for teaching on the elementary level. This is why many teachers continue to pursue further education. These individuals start where they can, and attend school while working to move up to the teaching level that they want to be at. Sometimes they will take non-classroom roles like counseling.
A bachelor’s degree in education may include the following classes: introduction to teaching, teaching reading, teaching social studies, teaching science; teaching mathematics, and methods of foreign language instruction. It is more likely now that before that teachers will encounter bilingual and multicultural education.
If you desire to learn how to teach, get a bachelor’s degree in education. You will learn the art of imparting knowledge, not just providing knowledge.


Enjoy this Easy Science for Kids Finland and Scandinavia Quiz – you’ll get your quiz score after completing this FREE online interactive quiz on Finland and Scandinavia. You need to answer all the questions to be able to get your score. You can do this fun quiz about Finland and Scandinavia again, till you get the perfect score and become a quiz champion!
Tip: To get it right the first time, read the page with fun facts about Finland and Scandinavia.
Finland and Scandinavia Quiz – FREE Earth Science Quiz Questions
Our online kids quizzes are a free quiz for kids resource for teachers and educators of kids in elementary school, grammar school and preschool. This fun Finland and Scandinavia Geography quiz helps your kids learn fun facts about Finland and Scandinavia while enjoying this FREE online quiz for kids.
If your child is enjoying home-schooling, or is doing after-school education, then this is a easy science activity, with reading comprehension benefits for kids in 1st to 5th grades.
Kids will enjoy competing against their classmates and friends, to see who scores better, doing this fun kids quiz online on Finland and Scandinavia.
As a reading comprehension educational activity for kids, you can set a timer to encourage kids to do the reading comprehension faster and better, or you restrict the number of times the kids can read about the Finland and Scandinavia quiz topic, before they do the actual fun quizzes for kids we offer on our easy science for kids website.
Younger kids who cannot yet read or write, such as Pre-K kids, Kindergarten kids or Preschool kids, will benefit from doing this Finland and Scandinavia quiz and our other fun kids quizzes, as a listening comprehension activity; you read out to them about the topic and then read the kids quiz questions and answers.
You will select the Finland and Scandinavia quiz answer they think is correct, and at the end you get the quiz score.
Your child can try doing the Finland and Scandinavia quiz again, till gets the perfect score faster, as children learn to listen more carefully and develop a better memory and attention span!
Enjoyed doing this free online quiz about Finland and Scandinavia? Check out all our other fun Easy Science Quizzes for Kids and other EasyScienceForKids .com. Visit our Free Geography Kids online resources all about Finland and Scandinavia page. Get lengthy info here.


While there are needs in every grade level, elementary school students are especially vulnerable to learning loss in critical literacy skills. Students in grades K–2 who need explicit systematic instruction are likely missing out on mastering foundational skills, while interventions for older readers (grades 3–5) are not intense enough to meet student needs exacerbated by school closures. In addition, many students do not have access at home to the volume of reading or writing materials they need to be proficient readers and writers. Finally, as we talk to educators, we hear about the significant trauma that they, along with their students, are experiencing during this unprecedented time.
We at Pivot Learning, CORE, and Center for the Collaborative Classroom have taken this time to examine our own practices with a critical eye, looking for ways to better equip educators with the tools and support they need to connect with a diverse student population that has been adversely affected by school closures. When we look ahead, we understand school will likely look different in ways we cannot even imagine.
To support our educator partners, we offer guidance and resources that can be used over the summer and taken into the fall to support students both academically and socially. Here is what we believe is essential for making sure our students don’t fall behind.


Peer Mentoring: 3 Tips For Creating A Successful Student Program
Author: Carey Thomas
February 14, 2018
Mentoring programs have proven to be an important part of students lives, especially with at-risk youth. Mentored youth maintain a better attitude towards school and typically have better school attendance. With a better attitude and better attendance than non-mentored youth, mentored youth also have a higher chance of attending college or university (The Role of Risk, 2013). That’s why the need for peer mentoring systems in schools should be a priority for everyone.
The Need for Peer Mentoring Programs
Everyone has struggles or insecurities. That’s why everyone hopes to have a friend to talk with, hang out with, and share their secrets with, including children; they need a confidant just like anyone else. However, our youngest students sometimes need guidance and support from someone besides a parent or a teacher. An alternative solution to consider is a peer mentor. Yes, even as young as five, these kiddos need peer support. As educators, we can help bridge this space by creating systems in our schools with peer-mentoring programs. These programs also have the added benefit of promoting 21st-century skills. Here are three tips on establishing and creating a peer mentoring program in your school.
Creating Peer Mentoring Programs
Creating a peer-mentoring program provides opportunities for children to share their feelings, thoughts, and concerns with their fellow peers—it is a simple and strategic way to teach children how to build relationships with their peer mentor and with other people. Besides providing opportunities for children to build relationships, peer mentoring programs also teach soft skills, like compassion, listening, and kindness— skills that are now being included in 21st-century education and sought after in the economy. Creating a peer mentoring program in your school does not need to be difficult and can, in fact, be created in three simple steps.
1. Start with Simple Programs
Peer mentoring programs do not need to be elaborate to work. Start with a simple program like Book Buddies. The premise of Book Buddies is simple —older children meet with younger children to read a short book, create a seasonal craft, or just play a game together. This time can aid children in their reading skills while increasing their confidence in their abilities.
2. High Achievers as Mentors
What about using high achievers as peer mentors/tutors? People love to be asked to share their knowledge with others, so the idea of using high achievers as peer mentors is a wonderful idea! We want our children to feel valued and important. Giving younger children access to older children not only helps the younger ones but also provides older students with leadership opportunities as peer mentors. TIP: Set up a system where a peer-mentor student comes to school early and meets in the library with a younger student who needs help.
3. Create a Safe Space
Middle school can be an especially challenging time for children; the stress of developing new friendships while discovering more about themselves and their place in the world can be a confusing time. Creating safe places for students to meet and talk is essential for their comfort as they maneuver their way through these awkward years.
The key to successful children begins with the positive step of creating a foundation of security and confidence. Utilizing peer mentors can bridge the space parents and teachers may not always fill. As both a parent and an educator, I have seen how important it is for my girls to have mentors. Doesn’t every home and school need more of that?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A natural communicator, Carey studied the art of interpersonal and public communication in college and later earned a Master’s Degree in Education at Indiana University. Carey utilized her knowledge in higher education settings like the University of Florida, elementary education as a librarian, and in high school as booster president. She has facilitated several staff developments, leadership training, and diversity education for students and staff.
Carey traded her professional career for an equally fulfilling new one when her children were born, electing to stay home. She was engaged in her three daughters school district as a staff member, volunteer, and substitute teacher.
Currently, Carey holds down 3 part-time jobs, one as an educational consultant, a substitute teacher in grades 2-12, and at the local grocery store. She spends time working, reading, volunteering, and keeping up with 3 teenage girls. She tries to live her mission “leave everything better than how she found it”. She looks forward to hearing from you at [email protected]
Originally from upstate New York, Carey currently lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband and three daughters and her pup Masie. Her family enjoys all that Texas has to offer, Y’all.


Sir Isaac Newton, born in 1643, was one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians that ever lived. He was curious about the world and the universe and his discoveries paved the way for modern science and math. He developed the Three Laws of Motion, which explain how forces work to move...
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Two years ago, a music education major in his senior year spent two weeks observing me teach, and trial teaching my students. Over the course of those two weeks, he expressed his surprise at how well my first graders could hold pitch and sing in tune. According to what he had been taught, they shouldn’t be able to do that. Now I think I’m pretty good at what I do, but I’m not such a superstar music teacher that my students can do things no one else’s can. The only way first grade students would not be able to sing in tune is if their music training had just started, or started a year earlier, when they were in kindergarten. Perhaps that was the assumption upon which what this undergraduate was taught was based. My first graders are excellent singers because I have been formally teaching them music since they were three years old in the pre-kindergarten program. Those two earlier years of formal music instruction make a huge difference.
Very soon after birth, infants can tell the difference between sounds they hear in their environment, and sounds that they
make. When this distinction can be made, the infants begin to vocally play. They make a variety of sounds that soon have definite pitches within a small vocal range. These sounds which include cries and coos, are what Gordon called “musical babble.” When adults interact with children as they musically babble, they are helping them attach meaning to the sounds they make. Eventually, the child will move toward singing, first with rhythmic chanting, then with approximate imitations of songs that imitate the contour but not exact pitches. At this stage, it is important for the child to hear adults singing frequently, and for adults to teach rhymes and chants. Through listening and imitating, the child will learn a repertoire of tonal patterns and start to develop tonal memory. All of this happens before the age of two years. Is it any wonder that children who have not had music in their environment during the first year and a half of life are unable to sing well by age seven?
If the child has had an active musical environment, by three years of age, s/he will begin to sing accurately in a range that approximates the speaking voice, usually within the perfect fourth of d to g. It is important for children to begin exploring their upper voice at this age. Rhymes and stories that temporarily go into the high range are good for this. Examples are “The Three Bears” and John Feierabend’s “Big Pig.” Once discovered, children should sing in their upper range frequently, strengthening the inner portion of the vocal folds. No attempt should be made to connect the child’s upper voice to the lower voice. Once a child can sing in the upper range, they can easily move downward back to the lower range.
After receiving pre-kindergarten and kindergarten music experiences, children can begin to receive formal singing instruction at age six, when they are in first grade. Posture, breath management, vowel production, tone production, diction and expression are all possible with children at this age. This is also the age at which children will develop bad singing habits if they do not receive training, so it is vitally important to teach first graders how to sing. Of course, not all children will realize equal success, so training must be individualized. Abilities ranging from just chanting the words, to chanting with some variation of pitch, to approximating intervals, to tuning mistakes, to showing no pitch errors will be observed in any class of children. Developing good singing abilities is a complex and developmental process, and will take patience and careful attention. Giving struggling students plenty of opportunities to continue to hear good singing in their upper range, and to attempt to imitate it, are key. As a male, I must sing in my head voice when I want my students to imitate me. If they try to imitate my natural adult singing voice, they will slip down into their speaking voices, or even attempt to go lower. With enough imitation, nearly all students, guided by their ear, enjoy success singing well.
Phillips, K. H. (1996). Teaching Kids to Sing. New York: Schirmer


What we study
Izzi Science for Kids follows the Ministry of Education and Science’s requirements as well as the Cambridge Primary’s STEAM curriculum. The classes follow the children’s innate curiosity. In the ages 5 to 11 years old the students are exceptionally inquisitive about what happens in the world around us and why. Everything that has to do with nature, they find enticing, and the bigger, the louder and the more elusive it is, the more fascinated they are. It is of great importance to make use of this curiosity as an instrument in the study process and as a base that key competencies can be built upon.
Cambridge Primary’s STEAM Curriculum
Cambridge Primary combines a world-class curriculum for 5 to 11-year-old students with teacher support of great quality and integrated assessment. The curriculum is intended to facilitate the development of confident, responsible, thinking, innovative and engaged students. Cambridge Primary has curriculums in the following subjects: English (including English as a foreign language), mathematics and science, that invite the students to take action and to create.
We have chosen an appropriate STEAM curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) to enrich the kids’ knowledge and improve their self-awareness.
Requirements of MoE
In Izzi Science for Kids we are making an effort to build upon the obligatory curriculum by the Ministry of Education and Science by adding more classes in Bulgarian language and literature and mathematics. The school offers sufficient time to practice and deepen the knowledge in the topics covered. The goal is to build not only basic literacy but also functional literacy. Some of the time is particularly dedicated to studying and discussing additional books as well as solving problems that help the kids develop logical thinking.
We are making an effort to introduce new material in such a way that the students will actively look for new knowledge so that we can create and promote stable and lasting interdisciplinary connections. Creative writing and discussions with contemporary writers are key accents in the language development process. Applied mathematics and logical thinking are in the core of the mathematics curriculum.


Numeracy for kids
Little Numeracy Lessons
Standfirst: Numeracy is a vital tool for children. It plays a crucial role in aiding children’s progress at school and is a valuable life-skill all children need. Educational consultant Sarah Pietrzak provides tips to enable parents to develop their child’s numeracy skills primarily from learning through play.
Be prepared to be creative. Every object you use during the day can be used as a potential counter.
The focus should be on learning through play. Toddlers have a limited attention span so be prepared for them to wander off mid exercise. It’s important to be flexible.
The steps outlined below are the very basic elements of developing numeracy skills. Once they have been established you can extend the complexity of the tasks suggested.
- It’s important to use repetition as often as you can. For instance, count out the bowls for breakfast time. Count out the spoons. Encourage your toddler to count with you.
- Start with familiarising them with hearing the numbers between 1-10. You can build on these numbers once your child has a consolidated understanding of them.
- It’s important not to limit your counting to a home setting. You can count cars while out driving or putting food in your trolley at the supermarket.
- Singing songs with numbers in them is an excellent way to promote number recognition. For instance when singing: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, once I caught a fish alive?” hold up your fingers in front of your child. This is an excellent way to promote an understanding of quantity recognition with your child.
- Once they can verbalise these numbers you can work on visual recognition. It’s best to start with the child’s own age. Encourage your child to draw this number. Start with getting them to trace over it. Repeat this exercise until they are able to draw the number independently.
- Once they have established familiarity with writing their age work through the rest of the numbers from 1-10.
- The Internet is a valuable source of worksheets with numbers that your child can trace over and decorate. Make sure to display their efforts prominently.
- Once you have established number recognition, you can work on developing your child’s ability to add or subtract objects. It is important to focus on learning through play rather than in a structured learning environment at this age.
- The key is modeling the practice of adding and subtracting. For instance, take out three bowls and model taking one away and getting your child to count how many are left. You can then carry this practice out in reverse.
- When your child has done a drawing, get them to count how many flowers or trucks they have drawn and get them to write the number down.
These simple steps will help establish an excellent basis for developing your child’s numeracy skills. They are however; a foundation and you can work with your child to further their learning. Remember each child learns at a different rate so flexibility and learning through play is the key to developing a numerate child at this stage of their development.
Try combining these techniques with our number learning activities.
For more information see Parents and children or Parenting.


The Word Menders Series, created by Liz Kriston, M.S., CCC-SLP, is designed to target specific phonological processes while fostering language and literacy development. These versatile books can be used in therapy or sent home to reinforce the targeted articulatory process or as a literacy-building activity.
Each book is written around a set of minimal pairs that highlight a specific phonological process so children are provided with numerous opportunities to hear and practice the contrasts in a natural context. Flashcards are included with each book that reinforce the contrasts (and store in a handy pocket in inside the back cover).
Word Menders stories are proving to be extremely popular with our fellow SLPs AND with parents.
We are developing new stories as quickly as we can!


Educating girls as well as boys may be the best investment developing countries can make in their futures, according to a new study by the World Bank.
Women with even an elementary education raise the living standard in a poor country, argues Elizabeth M. King, one of the study’s authors. They have fewer children, take better care of those they do have, work better at home and earn more when they take a job or market their own crops, she said.
“Education of girls may seem an odd subject for an economist to address,” said former World Bank official Lawrence H. Summers, who is undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs. “But enhancing women’s contribution to development is as much an economic as a social issue.”
Summers, former chief economist at the World Bank, wrote the foreword to the study, called “Women’s Education in Developing Countries: Barriers, Benefits and Policies.” The World Bank, owned by 176 countries, is the largest source of loans to the Third World. The United States is the biggest stockholder.
“Once all the benefits are recognized, investment in the education of girls may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world,” Summers wrote.
There are obstacles in many countries to a girl’s getting into school and staying there, King said in an interview.
She quoted the headmistress of a girl’s school in Pakistan:
“There’s no light, no fan. It is very depressing and dreary and suffocating. . . . There is no toilet. When they need a latrine, the girls have to go home during school hours, wasting a considerable amount of time.”
And a woman in the northwest African republic of Mali:
“School is considered by parents to encourage promiscuity among adolescents because they promote a Western-style liberal education, which encourages sexuality.”
Many parents feel they cannot afford the cost of sending a girl to school, King said. In some countries, the smallest girls--often as young as 5--are expected to help their mothers, much more so than boys.
The study takes a look at the education of 18-year-olds in some poor and some richer countries. It found that a boy in the West African republic of Benin, for example, could be expected to have spent seven years in school, but a girl only half that long.
The average income in Benin is about $380 a year and has been dropping all through the 1980s. One adult in four can read and write, but only one woman in six can.
In Portugal, 18-year-olds will have spent more than 10 years in school, the average girl a few months longer than the average boy.
Portuguese incomes have been growing, reaching an annual average of $5,620 in 1991. More than eight men out of 10 are literate, as are almost as many women.


Arrives in 3-7 Business Days
Age grade 6-36 months
Two magical modes -Push and Play and Think and Tinker
Teaches Shapes, Numbers, Colors and Music
4 original songs, 23 encouraging phrases and 15 fun sound effects
Color : Multi
This transforming turtle encourages tinkering. Push, switch and twist the knobs on his shell to watch his legs and arms pop out. Two magical modes feature gross motor and fine motor skill development settings that keep little ones engaged from tiny to toddler. In mode 1, the knobs on the turtle's back respond to a simple push, ideal for babies learning gross motor skills. Turn the dial on the top of his shell to switch to mode 2. In mode 2, toddlers can practice fine motor skills by turning, switching and twisting the knobs. Teaches about colors, numbers, shapes and music. Features 4 original songs, 23 encouraging phrases and 15 fun sounds effects.
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The ECE Program is based on the Creative Curriculum for Preschool model that focuses on understanding children’s development, meeting their individual needs, providing a supportive environment, facilitating developmentally appropriate experiences and partnering with families.
We strongly believe in supporting parents as their child’s first teacher. We actively involve them in different learning areas that support the child’s development in concert with the activity in the classroom. For example when the child is ready to be potty trained we create a plan for mom to practice in the home while the teacher reinforces the same techniques at school.
Our teachers provide appropriate content and encourage children’s development of curiosity, confidence, strength and coordination, self-direction, and values. This approach balances both teacher-directed and child-initiated learning, with an emphasis on responding to children’s learning styles and building on their strengths and interests. Our preschool classrooms are licensed and comply with all standards of the Community Care Licensing Division of the California Department of Social Services. Facility License number: 198014929
The Infants’ classroom is properly set for infants helping guide sensory and motor skill development in an environment full of love and encouragement. A variety of age-appropriate activities teach the children to control fine and gross motor skills and coordinate eye and hand movement. The infants are read to and talked to, rocked and played with in both indoor and outdoor environs.
Due to the specialized needs of children aged 2 and 3, this is a flexible classroom setting that shifts according to children’s needs. Activities are focused to complement preschoolers’ emerging verbal skills and literacy and to support development of early social skills. Teachers further work with the children to lay a foundation for academic learning that will be built upon and continue in the pre-kindergarten classroom. Children receive positive encouragement and direction from the staff and enjoy the outside playground area to encourage the development of fine and gross motor skills.
With the teachers’ guidance, the children increase their desire to learn, listen attentively, and acquire knowledge of colors, shapes, numbers and quantitative concepts, and an appreciation of reading and alphabet awareness that will help the children transition into elementary school. Part of the learning process is to understand how to work with and help others and use both English and Spanish as effective means of communication and self-expression. The pre-kindergarteners also learn good health habits, proper nutrition, body awareness, and health and safety skills.
This program provides a safe environment for children 5-12 years of age and includes enriching activities for school aged children such as homework support and promotes non-violent conflict resolution. This program is designed to facilitate attendance for adult participants who attend ESL and parenting classes, when their children are on vacation during the year-round school calendar. * Currently this program can only be provided with the assistance of volunteers. SC LAMP cannot guarantee that it will be available year round.


Why is story time important?
With an early introduction to skills such as holding a book or listening to stories, children have a better chance at succeeding in school, which translates into positive outcomes later in life. Our Start Smart initiative focuses on providing the information and tools that parents, caregivers, and educators need to facilitate early literacy development. Early Literacy is the knowledge a child develops about reading and writing before actually learning to read or write.
What is the role of a parent or caregiver during story time?
A parent or caregiver must be present in the Library throughout the duration of the program. It is encouraged that the parent or caregiver remain in the story time area because it is the perfect time to gain awareness of age-appropriate books, music, songs and activities suited for your child.
How can a parent or caregiver make the most of story time?
- By attending story time regularly.
- By arriving a few minutes early.
- By participating when encouraged to do so.
- By not bringing food or toys.
- By taking an upset child out of the area until he or she calms down.
- By talking with your child about the stories afterward.
- By repeating the story time rhymes and songs at home with your child.


Eleanora Fagan (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), professionally known as Billie Holiday, was an American jazz musician and singer-songwriter with a career spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday was known for her vocal delivery and improvisation skills, which made up for her limited range and lack of formal music education.
After a turbulent childhood, Holiday began singing in nightclubs around Harlem. After being heard by producer John Hammond, who commended her voice, Holiday was signed to Brunswick Records in 1935. Collaborations with Teddy Wilson yielded the hit "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", which would later become a jazz standard. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Holiday booked mainstream success with labels such as Columbia Records and Decca Records. By the late 1940s, however, Holiday was beset with legal troubles and drug abuse. After a short prison sentence, Holiday performed a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. However, due to her drug and alcohol problems, her reputation deteriorated.
Billie Holiday ( MG C-161) is the third 10 inch LP album of original material by jazz singer Billie Holiday, released on Clef Records in 1954 (her final album would also be given the same title, prior to being changed to Last Recording instead). The recordings took place in 1952 and 1954. Holiday never entered the recording studio in 1953.
In a 1954 review, Down Beat magazine praises the album, saying:
In 1956, when the 10inch format was phased out, Clef reissued the contents of this album on two different newly released 12inch compilation LPs. Five songs (tracks A1-B1) were added to A Recital By Billie Holiday (MG C-686), and the other three (tracks B2-4) were added to Solitude (MG C-690 ).


Learning, Literacy & Numeracy
You are asked to complete a Learning, Literacy and Numeracy assessment. The assessment will take you about 50 - 60 minutes or so and you should have a pen, paper and calculator with you to complete this task. Be aware that if you have any hearing problems we recommend you use a headset to help you hear all instructions and the audio in the questions.
Please use Google Chrome and go to https://dtw.lln.training/ to complete this task. The information below provides an overview of the reason for the implementation of the system.
ASQA Implementation Information
In response to the following sections of the standards, we have implemented the LLN Robot system to manage our assessments and support of learners regarding their language, literacy and numeracy needs.
1.2 Determine the amount of training to provide to a learner based on: a) Existing skills, knowledge and experience.
1.7 The RTO determines the support needs of individual learners and provides access to the educational and support services necessary for the individual learner to meet the requirements of the training product as specified in training packages or VET accredited courses.
The LLN Robot System consists of two main parts:
1.Online LLN testing.
2.Generating training profiles and training support programs.
The LLN Robot Online LLN Assessment has been designed to give an indication of a learner’s abilities across the 5 core skills of the ACSF. These are Learning, Reading, Writing, Oral Communication and Numeracy. The outcome of the online assessment is the first step in considering the support needs of the learner.
The online assessment reacts dynamically to the answers of the learner and gets progressively easier or more difficult based on how the person is doing. This prevents learners from being asked questions that are either too easy or too difficult to save on assessment time and reduce negative assessment experiences.
There are two online assessments to choose from based on the requirements of the course of study. One assessment tests up to ACSF level 3 while the other tests up to ACSF level 4. The former is significantly shorter and is useful for learners who are engaging in low certificate level or short courses that do not utilise higher ACSF core skills.
Both assessments are based on the community domain of communication, using examples from everyday life to avoid bias relating to specific training or working environments and experience. This approach keeps the assessments fair, valid and accessible to all learners.
At the end of the assessment a profile is generated based on the learner’s responses. This profile scores each of the 5 core skills from levels 0-4. These results are stored in a secure database and accessed by the trainer/assessor or LLN representative of the training organisation. Spoken oral communication can be evaluated separately by speaking with the learner. The profile can then be reviewed and adjusted based on further evidence (e.g. completing enrolment forms and questionnaires or interviews), or any other issues that are identified that may create a learning barrier for the student based on their current language, literacy or numeracy skills.
This profile can then be compared to the profile of the course of study, generating a support program designed for each individual learner to meet their specific needs.
LLN Robot uses a purpose built a diagnostic tool to determine the required ACSF/core skill levels of a unit of competency. The system uses a series of language analysis algorithms to scan the content of a unit of competency to identify trigger words and phrases and their associated values based on the training package, ACSF performance indicators and the AQF (certificate) level of the unit. This data is used to generate a training profile that reflects the core skills required to understand and perform the criteria outlined in the unit.
As learner profiles and training profiles are compared by the system, a detailed report and training support program are generated to outline the mechanisms that can be used to support the learner’s development, as well as a series of self-paced activities in the form of training supplements to be completed in conjunction with, or prior to the formal training program.


6 Habits of a Responsible Traveller
Article by Mary Picard
Chances are, if you’re reading this website it is because you travel, you’re passionate about animals and nature and you realize that our last wild places are under threat from pollution and overuse. By adopting a few simple habits, you can help protect the places we love the most.
1. Carbon offset your journey.
Many airlines devote time and resources into carefully vetting environmental projects that you can support when you fly. When you buy your plane ticket you are oftentimes asked if you want to opt into their carbon offset scheme. It only adds a few dollars to your journey and goes to a carefully managed project designed to help stabilise climate change. For more information, check out our article on Carbon Offsetting.
2. Don’t support animal cruelty.
Once you are on the ground, stay away from businesses, often advertised as parks, sanctuaries or orphanages that take animals out of their natural environment. They often brutally separate babies from their mothers and keep animals caged or chained in inhumane conditionals. Examples of this include roadside zoos, elephant orphanages, tiger sanctuaries and aquarium pens where you can swim with dolphins.
If you really want to visit animal “sanctuaries” investigate them online first and look for official recognition from known conservation organizations; but as a rule of thumb stay away from these places. If you want to see wild animals go to national parks and pay the park fees. Your money will legitimately go towards protecting the wild animals you love in the habitat where they live. If you come across businesses that abuse animals let other people know via social media and website reviews.
An elephant's art education is a cruel one. They suffer through months of abuse, a sharp metal bull hook or nail dug into their ear to teach them to hold a paint brush and draw lines. There is pain behind their pretty pictures.
3. Don't eat bush meat. Ever.
It puts stress on wild environments and encourages poaching networks. Entire species are being wiped out because of this practice. Be mindful too of endangered marine life – our appetites for wild food are doing great damage to the places we love. WWF has the most comprehensive list of sustainable seafood guides for different countries. Click the link below to find out you should be eating on your next trip and even at home.
4. Choose your souvenirs and gifts carefully.
According to conservation organizations like the WWF, avoid any gifts, souvenirs, food or medicines that are made from plants, sea life or animals regardless if you buy or find them yourself. The reason for this is two-fold: products taken from the wild put stress on, or even endanger, natural ecosystems and encourage poaching networks. Even bringing back seeds, foods or plants can introduce pests and diseases into the areas where you live, damaging threatening local foods and nature around your home. A better idea is to buy locally made art, crafts, clothing and toys in the place you are visiting– you’ll be supporting the local artisans and an economy that values tourist dollars. The WWF has an awesome webspace devoted to local sustainable laws and practices by country. Its totally worth checking out before you go, just click the link below.
5. Leave no trace
Never litter and always leave the place you are visiting as if you had never been there. Carry your trash out with you – even fruit peels and used tissue. If you have enjoyed a pristine environment, leave it that way for the next person. It’s a simple gift we all benefit from. Even better, if you have or find an empty carrier bag, take a few minutes to collect plastic bottles and other waste on your way back and dispose of it properly.
Every beach should be this pristine.
6. Remember your green basics.
Bring your own reusable water bottle
Walk or ride a bike whenever you can.
Avoid single-use plastic, like water bottles, carrier bags and drinking straws!
When leaving your room, turn off the lights and minimize the AC or heat settings
Leave a note on your pillow and sheets reminding hotel staff not to change them (unless the truly need it)
Eat less meat – animal agriculture is a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions. By eating less meat from time to time we collectively make a big impact on CO2 pollution.
There you have it. 6 steps you can take to help the planet. Its simple stuff: Be nice to animals (and people), don’t litter, do some online research about local conservation concerns and try to insure that your holiday spending goes towards safeguarding national parks and the animals that live in them.
Walk quietly and leave a small footprint.


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Teaching and learning fractions have been a focus of research in mathematics education for decades. Current practices of teaching fractions emphasize the partitioning perspective, or part-whole, to conceptualize fractions. Another approach to teaching fractions is measurement. The part-whole approach limits students’ conceptualization of fractions and impedes learning improper fractions, whereas the measurement approach has the potential to overcome these difficulties and supports learning improper fractions. In this study, 55 preservice teachers engaged in an intervention to reexamine fractions using a measurement perspective. Before and after the intervention, the preservice teachers were asked to interpret proper and improper fractions using discrete and continuous representational models. We used conventional content analysis to examine the changes in preservice teachers’ strategies for interpreting fractions. In this paper, we report on these qualitative changes from before and after the intervention and highlight how preservice teachers’ interpretations of fractions influenced by the measurement perspective.
Mathematics, Education, Pedagogy, Preservice Teachers, Transformations, Fractions
Elementary Education | Elementary Education and Teaching | Science and Mathematics Education


For over sixty years, Liberty Hall Historic Site was home to many enslaved people whose work made the Brown family’s elegant lifestyle possible. Margaretta Brown wrote in 1804 that she and John did not own slaves. But some records indicate that they may have borrowed or rented workers enslaved by others.
1806 tax records show two black men among John’s property, and the 1810 census listed nine slaves in Senator Brown’s household. By 1830, the number of enslaved people had increased to thirteen.
References in Brown family letters provide glimpses of the daily lives of the enslaved but often omit surnames. One that is known is Stepney, in part because John filed deeds of manumission for eight members of this family. Miles Stepney, born in North Carolina or Virginia around 1770, was first mentioned in the letters in 1811. His wife Hannah’s name first appeared in an 1819 letter, but between 1808 and 1826, she gave birth to at least eight children: Rose, Joseph, Selim, George, Mary, James, Mourning, and Edwin.
Other enslaved people mentioned in John’s and Margaretta’s letters include Henry, Franky, Harriet, and two women named Fanny. They cooked, did household chores, and labored in the garden, stable, and laundry. At least two Stepney sons--worked away from home—Joseph in another Frankfort household and Selim on a steamboat—and Henry was sent to Alabama with Orlando. Mary Stepney and one of the women name Fanny accompanied Margaretta on trips to the northeast.
When John’s sons Mason and Orlando became adults, they too became slaveholders. In 1833—two years before his home was built—Orlando was taxed for seven slaves. Mason was taxed for one. After their parents’ deaths in 1837 and 1838, both sons continued to add slaves to their households. Like many Kentuckians, Mason and Orlando supported the Union during the Civil war but continued to hold people in bondage.
Other enslaved people mentioned in family letters include Ashtin, Emma, Jim, Judy, Julia, Lewis, Malinda, Rachel, Rose, Sampson, Sarah, Simon, and Westin. With continued research, we hope to learn more about them and others enslaved by the Brown family.
Brown Family Attitudes about Slavery
“We have no slaves ourselves, but hire all our servants; and have found great advantage of being esteemed the friends of emancipation,” wrote Margaretta Brown in 1804. Two years later, John paid tax on two men. Margaretta continued to decry “the monster slavery” but confessed to her son that she and John owned “as many slaves as were necessary for our personal accommodation.”
Margaretta’s letters suggest that she knew slavery was wrong; John’s letters are less direct. An account book of Margaretta’s expenses shows donations to the American Colonization Society in 1828 and 1829, but her motivations are unknown.
Brown family records document that they provided clothing and medical care for the people they enslaved. But they also separated at least three Stepney children from their mother for personal and financial reasons. A letter from Orlando suggests that John considered selling some of his slaves to pay college costs, although there is no evidence that John did so.
In 1834 John chaired a committee of ten that prepared a pamphlet supporting gradual emancipation. The resulting Address to the Presbyterians of Kentucky Proposing a Plan for the Instruction and Emancipation of their Slaves condemned slavery and recommended that owners provide an elementary education for the people they enslaved and file deeds for their emancipation at age twenty-five.
Although John did not write the pamphlet, he heeded its advice. In 1836, he filed deeds of manumission for four of the people he had enslaved--Miles and Hannah Stepney and their oldest children Rose and Joseph—along with deeds that directed for the manumission of four other Stepney children on their twenty-fifth birthdays. The last scheduled manumission was in 1851, suggesting that John was considering his own children’s futures as much as those of his slaves.
Little evidence has been found about Mason Brown’s attitudes toward slavery, but his actions illustrate a proslavery stance. The Slave Inhabitants listing in 1860 census shows that he enslaved twenty-two people. Orlando Brown was more frank about his support of slavery and as far as is known, most of the people he enslaved were not emancipated until the passage of the 13th Amendment. One documented exception was Alexander Sanders, who escaped bondage by enlisting in the Union Army at Camp Nelson.


Her gün sizlere, piyasa değeri onlarca dolar olan bir programı tamamen ücretsiz olarak sunuyoruz!
Bu programın süresi doldu. Jazzy 123 - Count with Music artık firmadan temin edilebilir.
Does your child know what a harp looks like or what a clarinet sounds like? Are they learning to count and recognize numbers?
We want to teach kids from all over the world about numbers using music, and now they can learn how to count in multiple languages!
This top educational app offers your kids a new music education learning experience, as they are introduced to basic numbers and musical instruments. You can build up your child's knowledge with our fun games.
Jazzy 123 comes with a fully dubbed translation in over ten languages (for a full list, scroll down).
• Very easy and simple to use - especially designed for little fingers.
• Audio recordings of real acoustic instruments played by professional musicians.
• Take a picture with the musical kittens and share your photo.
• This app will teach your children and inspire them to start playing a music instrument.
• It’s easy to toggle back and forth and change languages.
• Educational Games : "How many instruments do you see?" and "Move instruments to the stage" .
Full list of languages included:
Thanks to all of our supporters! We are honored by the fantastic reviews:
• "Another lovely The Melody Book production. Get this one, get all of them!" Apps 4 Kids
• "If you are a music lover, make sure to check out this app!" iHeart This App
• "Buy this app, then sit back and watch your child simultaneously learn to count, learn a new language and learn about a new instrument." iPad App Reviews
Contact us at firstname.lastname@example.org
The Melody Book
Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
iPhone, iPad, iPod touch


This study investigated the effect of using predictable stories as reading materials on the oral and emergent literacy development of EFL beginners in a kindergarten setting. A childcentered and literaturebased curriculum integrating whole language philosophy was developed for a group of kindergarten students at a typical public school in Taipei. Daily instruction was given by the researcher for one school year. Five students aged 6 to 7 were chosen based on a consideration of their family background and ability levels. Using the mode of ethnographic research, the study involved multiple data sources obtained trom observation during daily instruction and parental interviews in order to examine children's oral performance
and emergent literacy development. Data collection was obtained by the use of videotape, audiotape, teaching logs, students' portfolios, and miscue analysis. The findings of the study showed that predictable storybooks enable EFL children to develop some aspects of reading behaviors such as book awareness, the direction of print and print awareness. The parents' attitudes toward emergent literacy observed in the study are correlated with the children's L2 reading behaviors. The story instruction provides a great source to expand the children's oral language use in the reallife situation. The findings provide EFL teachers and curriculum planners with new information about how EFL children develop their second language
reading and how they expand their overall L2 proficiency when immersing in predictable stories at the beginning level.
Selected Papers from the the Ninth International Symposium on English Teaching=第九屆中華民國英語文教學國際研討會論文集, pp.264-273


Bestselling Childhood Education & Reference in 2020
GACE Early Childhood Education 001 002 Study Guide: Test Prep & Practice Test Questions
The Color of Water
Rethinking Early Childhood Education
- Used Book in Good Condition
Crush the Praxis: Learn the Content and Skills to Pass the Early Childhood Education (5025) Test and Get Your License: Praxis: Early Childhood Education (5025)
Praxis II Early Childhood Education (5025) Exam Secrets Study Guide: Praxis II Test Review for the Praxis II: Subject Assessments
GACE Early Childhood Education: Study Guide for the GACE ECE Exam
The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
Exploring Mathematics Through Play in the Early Childhood Classroom (Early Childhood Education (Teacher's College Pr))
Theories of Childhood, Second Edition: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget & Vygotsky (NONE)
- Redleaf Press
NES Early Childhood Education Practice Questions: NES Practice Tests & Review for the National Evaluation Series Tests
Early Childhood Development Degree: Career Options
Children now a days can be a hand full. Going into a field that has to do with children is very commendable. Having an Early Childhood Education Degree can certainly help boost your career.
Obtaining an Early Childhood Education Degree can also open up the way for you to be a child advocate or apart of an education policy. If you are just starting out in the education field, having this degree can help further your career. It can help prepare you to be a teacher, and if you are already a teacher, an advanced early childhood education degree can increase your salary. It may even be possible to change the grade that you teach or switch over to school administration. Even if you choose not to stay in the education field working with young children, this still opens up the doors of opportunity to change over to another related education career path. Daycares are in great need of education teachers. The first few years of a childs life is the most crucial. If there are ones who can be a positive role model and influence in these young one life, it can make a world of difference.
All around the country there is a need for early childhood educators. The importance of early childhood learning is vital when it comes to later educational success. Having someone who can be a mentor to young children, and help them learn the fundamental of life is highly needed. More than every before.


Numeracy and IT skills in today’s world is very significant. It’s imperative that a teacher of language facilitates their students to gain these skills through sub-skills and other learning objectives.
Numeracy can be easily incorporated in a languages lesson without having to focus on the skill itself. I observed a lesson where a teacher was explaining the use of singular and plural grammar by focusing on money. The teacher brought out lots of coins and asked the students whether it would be sensible to either point to the coins and say “some monies” or count exactly how many coins there where and say “some 98p” for example.
Numeracy skills can also be embedded by including various methods of calibrating measuring equipment, making actual measurements and calculations. In addition, accuracy, reliability, errors and by comparison to true values. Using time and calendars, which the students are also very familiar with, can allow easy embedding. Students can be shown and told to use calendars or time to illustrate tenses an also other grammatical structures.
I observed a lesson where a teacher used a scale and also a thermometer to illustrate vocabulary like “Freezing” or the degree of a word e.g. “awful”.I also observed another lesson where a teacher was illustrating speed by using km/p to show slow and fast.
According to the Dfes Juy03 it states that “In today’ society, we believe it is…important that everybody can use ICT. So we shall offer basic ICT skills as a third area of adult basics skills alongside literacy and numeracy” this shows a strong focus on also ICT. Not only can the use of ICT motivate learners and support the delivery of the curriculum but all ICT skills can be furthered. Embedding ICT can be achieved when using a computer to research and obtain material that is relevant which will give an indication to their ability to read and understand. The level of writing and ICT skills can be tested by getting them to produce a report using a word processor including all its inbuilt functions, such as Spell check, Grammar, Thesaurus, layout and Printing etc,. In addition, presenting data in a structured way using a spreadsheet and develop presentation skills by designing and powerpoint presentation.
Teachers role and responsibilities
The most fundamental role of the teacher is to impart knowledge, but to teach successfully, a teacher must be many things. As Einstein said, to inspire the student is in itself ‘a supreme art’. To achieve this, a teacher must be a facilitator, an instructor, a manager, a consultant, and a commentator. It is also intrinsic to the role to be knowledgeable, professional, enthusiastic, responsive, passionate, considerate, inspirational, patient, confident and humorous.
The role of the teacher is a multi-faceted one and therefore complex to define and review. The teacher’s role changes and adapts in accordance with new legislations and laws, however a teacher must identify the student’s needs, treating each learner as an individual, taking into account, age, ability (including any learning difficulties), prior knowledge and experience. After the needs are identified and assessed, a plan and design is initiated to organise how to implement and deliver the relevant knowledge. The next step is to assess and evaluate the success of the whole process. Subsequently, the cycle is repeated, refining and improving each aspect to achieve an improved result.
The key aspects of policies and procedures
Disability and the Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 aims to protect disabled people and prevent disability discrimination. It provides legal rights for disabled people in the areas of: * education * access to goods, services and facilities including larger private clubs and land based transport services * buying and renting land or property * functions of public bodies, for example the issuing of licences
The Protection of Children Act


Creating the 21st-Century Learners
Today’s world requires a new, highly developed set of skills to find success. In the Dubuque Community School District, students continuously develop competencies around critical thinking and problem solving; digital-age literacy; communication and collaboration; and creativity and innovation.
Collectively, these foundational skills will enable our students to be 21st century citizens who make positive contributions to their schools, workplaces and communities.
Following are examples of current initiatives designed to assist students in developing or complementing 21st century skills:
21st Century Learning Project
A pilot consisting of 72 middle-school and high-school teachers from across the district collaborate to learn and implement new classroom strategies for teaching 21st century skills. Teachers in the project participate in collaborative professional-learning sessions with other participants and acquire job-embedded professional development in their schools. Teachers in the project are armed with tablet technology both for their use and for their students as a vehicle for delivering class content.
Digital Literacy Curriculum and Labs
New digital literacy curriculum in Dubuque’s public middle schools is helping students learn how to use technology to communicate and collaborate while also getting a lesson in responsible use of technology. The courses are taught in four new Digital Literacy Labs across the district (one at Jefferson Middle School, two at Roosevelt Middle School and one at Washington Middle School) equipped with the latest computer technology as well as interactive projectors and other technology tools. Digital literacy is also reinforced in curriculum across the district.
Performance Character Assessment
In order to develop strong 21st century skills, we believe students must also be empowered to have strong personal, social and civic responsibility. In developing these supporting skills, the Dubuque Community School District has created a system to assess student progress in the area of performance character. Beginning at the middle school level, a new indicator assesses students’ appropriate, consistent use of intellectual habits, study habits, learning tactics and time management skills expected of them.
While on the surface, LEAD21 is a K-5 reading curriculum, its lesson content is highly aligned with 21st century skills. The program is designed to expand literacy in various ways that encourage students to engage verbally and through writing in both traditional and electronic formats. It is also designed to provide a structure to ensure equity among various levels of learning.


Tennessee Gov. understands education is a right. Why don’t we?
The stress of college begins for many students and their families long before the first semester. College prices (room, board, and tuition) have risen 42% for public, and 31% for private universities from 2000-2011, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. With the unbelievably high price of college tuition, students are expected to delve deep into their own (or their parent’s) bank accounts for a good education. For most, this means loans taken out and massive debts accrued, or the alternative — foregoing higher education completely. We at the Foghorn do not believe these are good options; thankfully, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam recently proposed a simple solution: make college free.
Education is a human right that should not be limited by a student’s financial situation. In order to make for a more progressive society, we must ensure free and easy access to a higher degree. As stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (UDHR) Article 26: “Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.” Haslam’s Tennessee Promise serves to fulfill this basic human right outlined by the UDHR, a right that has largely been ignored in this country.
The “Tennessee Promise” was proposed by Gov. Bill Haslam during his State of the State address on Monday, Feb. 3 2014. The promise was a big one — two free years of either community college or or technical school for high school graduates in the state of Tennessee. If Gov. Haslam’s promise is fulfilled, Tennessee would be the only state in the country with free college. The initiative is important for Tennessee especially, one of the least-educated states in the country where less than one third of residents have a two-year degree, according to NPR.
At first Haslam’s plan seems a grandiose dream, one that raises more questions than it answers. The biggest question of all — if the students are not paying for college then who is? The answer, according to Haslam, is the state’s lottery where an excess amount of cash is generated to the tune of $300 million. “Net cost to the state, zero. Net impact on our future? Priceless,” Haslam said at the address. Haslam’s plan is a breath of clean air in a polluted education environment — an environment that caters to the wealthy while indebting, or excluding, the less fortunate. Haslam has a feasible plan to offer free education in this country.
However it is shocking that we are so behind other countries in terms of free education. Countries like Germany, Sweden, and Ireland (just to name a few) all have free education for their people. Does our Government place lesser value on higher education? During his first joint address to Congress in 2009, Obama stated that the United States “should once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” How will this goal be achieved if many in this country can not afford it?
Attending college might not be right for every person, but having access to it should be a right for every person. The Foghorn hopes Gov. Haslam’s enthusiasm for free education proves contagious, and it spreads across the rest of our country.


Mobile learning from a posthumanist critical perspective is the co-figuration of learner with geolocative mobile devices that blurs boundaries of the networked body. In this study, four art education researchers explore geolocative co-figurative possibilities of mobile learning. The authors theorize co-figurative agency and heighten awareness of the importance of sociospatial relationships afforded by the current milieu of networked geolocative knowledge to arts pedagogy. Through analysis of case studies of art practice, a new theoretical concept called posthumanist movement art pedagogy is developed to investigate movement as a posthumanist art practice, enacting agency through mobile data co-figuration within spaces of geolocative awareness. Case studies concentrate on mobile new media art utilizing photography, gamification, Global Positioning System drawing, and data collection/broadcasting. Impacts on the field of art and education focus on movement as being co-figured with the body and geolocation data as sites for potential transformation, embodiment, play, and data-identity constructions.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Visual Arts and Performing Arts


Library Learning: Undergraduate Students' Informal, Self-directed, and Information Sharing Strategies
Murphy, Jo Ann
PublisherPartnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research
MetadataShow full item record
A focus group study of fourteen University of Saskatchewan second to fourth year humanities and social science undergraduate students was conducted in the fall of 2011. The purpose of the research was to determine how students learn about library resources and services. Findings indicate that the participants often use a variety of informal, self-directed and information sharing strategies. Seeking help from professors, peers, friends, and family members is a common practice. Convenience, familiarity, and perceived knowledge are key factors that determine who and how these students learn about the library. Formal instruction and seeking assistance from librarians did not resonate for participants as a typical approach for learning about the library. The author suggests that undergraduate students engage in informal learning and information sharing as many ‘adult learners’ do, similar to an employment setting. The library, within the formal educational structure, lends itself to a more informal learning context. The study concludes that libraries must continue to develop resources, services, and innovative programs that support students’ informal learning styles, while also providing formal instruction as part of the undergraduate curriculum ensuring students are exposed early on to core foundational skills that contribute to their success as informal and self-directed learners.
CitationMurphy, Jo Ann. "Library Learning: Undergraduate Students' Informal, Self-directed, and Information Sharing Strategies" Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research 9.1 (2014): 1 - 20.
informal learning; self-directed; information sharing; convenience; familiarity; adult learners


It is hard for me to see music education going by the wayside. Once an important part of a child’s education, music is now considered a frill to be sandwiched in between soccer and gymnastics. There seems to be a steady decline in children’s exposure to music lessons, yet music education in children has such unlimited and surprising benefits.
Music is one of the few activities that require both sides of the brain. It requires logic, it makes sense, it is analytical and is closely related to math. It is also spiritual and emotional. It allows the expression of feelings and passion. It inspires creativity and provides kids with an avenue for expression.
It is a place to go when you are happy or sad, when you need company or want to be alone. “It can satisfy the need to unwind from the worries of life, but unlike the other things people often use for this purpose such as TV or web browsing, it makes people more alive and connected with one another.” says Michael Jolkovski, a psychologist who specializes in musicians.
It is constant learning and teaches discipline. Exposing children to a musical instrument provides an opportunity to learn something new every day. There is an endless supply of genres and styles of music to explore. The avenue to learning this music is through practicing regularly. The devotion to weekly lessons and the discipline to practice every day teaches and hones qualities that children are not required to use in our fast paced, instant gratification, modern world. Music gives them the opportunity to master something that looks impossible.
Music builds confidence and fosters team building When playing in an ensemble class, students are working as a team. They learn to relate to each other, to listen to each other, they learn leadership skills and gain confidence. A shy child suddenly finds a place to lead her peers through a difficult piece, a child will assist a classmate through a music theory assignment, or a group of children will find a way to blend their talents and create a beautiful product.
It improves memory and increases brainpower. Participation in music can help memory by stimulating different patterns of brain development. This improves the capability of not only memorizing a new musical piece, but also memorizing algebra and dates important in American history class. The College-Bound Seniors National Report concluded that “Students taking courses in music performance and music appreciation scored higher in the SAT than students with no arts participation.” and Shaw, Rauscher, Levine, Wright, Dennies and Newcomb studied long term enhancement of spatial-temporal reasoning and concluded that “Research made between music and intelligence concluded that music training is far greater than computer instruction in improving children’s abstract reasoning skills.”
But, most importantly, it is a life skill. There will come a time when you won’t be able to run up and down the length of a soccer field or basketball court, but you will always be able to sit down at the piano, pick up your violin or guitar or sing a beautiful song.
By Tamriko Siprashvili
As a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory of Music, Tamriko Siprashvili has outstanding credentials with nearly 30 years teaching experience including advanced conservatory education in music pedagogy. In 1985 she took first place in the prestigious Robert Schumann International Piano Competition and has performed extensively throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union as an internationally acclaimed pianist.
Siprashvili and the Inspire Academy of Music and Arts faculty have a passionate desire to share their talent in the community. Classes include Piano, Violin, Viola, Guitar, Voice, AP Music Theory, “Little Mozart” piano program, Tots & Tykes, Audition instruction and the Royal Conservatory Performance Program . Private and Ensemble classes are both available. All music styles including classical, popular and jazz are incorporated into lessons or can be emphasized. To learn more about Inspire Academy of Music and Arts, 3240 Santa Rita Rd, Suite 7, Pleasanton, visit their website at inspiremusicacademy.com, or call 925-461-3266. All of the teachers are happy to meet with you to give you a tour of the academy and answer any questions about the curriculum.


The Art Education at Woodside equips all children with the knowledge and key skills to express their ideas creatively through works of art, craft and design. Throughout their time at Woodside, children’s artistic curiosity is nurtured with opportunities to explore and experiment with a wide variety of materials and techniques, which provides a solid foundation for their own creative expression in 2D, 3D and digital media. Our goal is to expose children to a range of influential local and global artists and craft makers from past and present to develop children’s historical, cultural and social awareness through Art. When exploring the work of other artists and presenting their own art, children use appropriate artistic vocabulary to appreciate and evaluate what they see. At Woodside, our aim is for children to become confident, independent artists in their own right, generating personal artistic outcomes of which they can be proud of.
The Music Education at Woodside nurtures and develops a passion for and commitment to a diverse range of musical activities. Children have the opportunity to appreciate and experience different types of musical traditions and their origins. During their music lessons children are immersed in different types of music to create original, imaginative, fluent and distinctive composing and performing work. throughout their musical journey, they gain a musical understanding underpinned by high levels of aural perception, internalisation and knowledge of music, including high or rapidly developing levels of technical expertise. The children have the ability to give precise written and verbal explanations, using musical terminology effectively, accurately and appropriately. The skills help our children to develop a passion for all types of musical compositions and culture, inspiring them to develop these skills out of school.


Education Excellence Translates Into Real Estate Value
When times are tough and home values are dropping, it may seem counterintuitive to increase property taxes to support schools. But 42 Minnesota school districts are doing exactly that on Nov. 4 - arguing they need more money to increase the quality of their schools.
The school districts say they will invest the money in smaller class sizes, better technology and teaching materials, and more activities - all proven to increase student achievement. They say the investment will pay off for every homeowner in the district.
But does it? Does research show that a quality school district alone can raise home values? Real estate experts have their doubts. They say it is impossible to factor out all variables in determining a school district's effect on home values.
Several studies have tried.
One is "Schools and Housing Values"1 by G. Donald Jud and James M. Watts. The researchers examined data from more than 3,000 home sales in Charlotte, N.C., and found that the quality of public schools is an important determinant of residential property values.
"We estimate that per homeowner, an increase of one-half grade in student achievement levels would be worth $675 (based on 1977 values)." In 1977, there were 72,177 parcels of residential property in Charlotte so that total property values in the city would be worth an additional $48 million for a one-half year improvement in school quality, they wrote.
To translate that to today, Robbinsdale Area Schools is asking voters to replace an $848 per pupil tax levy with a $1,360 per pupil levy, an increase of $512 per student or $180 per year for the owner of a $245,000 home. Using Jud and Watts' study, if Robbinsdale increased overall student performance by one-half grade level, the value of the average $245,000 home would increase by $2,309, or 9.4 percent. Robbinsdale schools serve 26,467 single family homes in Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, New Hope, Plymouth and Robbinsdale. Those homes have a current value of $6.5 billion. A half-grade jump in educational quality would increase property values by an additional $61 million, far less than the $7.6 million the levy requests.
In "How Much More is a Good School Worth?"2 William T. Bogart and Brian A. Cromwell examined if a school's value can be determined by home sale prices in the district. To this end, they looked at about 2,500 homes sold in Cleveland between 1976 and 1994 that were in the same neighborhood but in different school districts.
After controlling for outside factors, they not only found that homes in good districts sell for more money, they found "that high-quality school districts provide services valued in excess of the higher taxes that they levy."
Sandra E. Black's "Do Better Schools Matter? Parental Valuation of Elementary Education,"3 examined home sales between 1993 and 1995 in three Boston suburban counties. By looking at neighborhoods where homes sit on an elementary school attendance boundary, she was able to factor out socio-economic differences as well as differences in the physical makeup of the neighborhoods and the houses themselves.
"I find that higher elementary school test scores are associated with higher house prices; a 5 percent increase in test scores will lead to an increase in housing prices of approximately 2.1 percent, or $3,948 at a mean house price of $188,000," Black wrote.
Black's findings led her to surmise that even a small increase in Massachusetts' standardized test scores could lead to $70 million increase in the state's housing values.
These studies and others show that, while the stock market waxes and wanes, investing in public education is one of the soundest investments a community can make. Increasing student achievement is like putting money in the bank.
1 Jud, G. Donald, and James M. Watts. 1981. "Schools and Housing Values." Land Economics 57(3): 459-70.
2 Bogart, William T., and Brian A. Cromwell. 1997. "How Much More is a Good School Worth?" National Tax Journal 50(2): 215-32.
3 Black, Sandra E. 1999. "Do Better Schools Matter? Parental Valuation of Elementary Education." Quarterly Journal of Economics 114(2): 577-99.