"You're doing WHAT with your kindergarteners!?" Usually this is the reaction I get when I tell people I use Twitter with my students. (New to Twitter? Watch this video, set up an account, thank me later!) Maybe they're picturing a bunch of five-year-olds sending each other messages about their favorite T.V. show. Twitter is a tool for social connections, but it can be so much more!
Prior to this, I had been using Twitter as a professional learning network. One day I started thinking.... if I'm getting excited about connecting with the world in this way...wouldn't my STUDENTS enjoy it too?
Student account made, kid-friendly picture uploaded, parent email sent... we're in business!
We began simple—a few "tickets to exit" at the end of the day and we were rereading our own tweets. Then we graphed the number of our followers and watched it increase. Sometimes students would take turns rereading our tweets and typing their own: "What I learned today..." is one simple example.
Next, we started using Twitter to gather information. For kindergartners, that means asking things like, "What 'h-brother' words do you know?" One student got excited about writing story problems, so she and her math group started tweeting people math stories. Yeah!!
Then along came my super student. You know, the one that always understands the lesson before you teach it? This same student made a poster in March, warning others to watch out for the naughty leprechaun who makes messes in our classroom during recess. He asked, "Is there a way to put this poster on Twitter?" Umm... yeah!!! After getting his parent's consent, I got out my cellphone and point, click, click... this 5 year old was a published author. We had just stepped into the world of online publishing!
We've started to publish things that we already do in class. I just take pictures of their work and tweet it. Story problems, writing, math work, etc... just take a picture and tweet! We've also published videos of them reading, giving book previews, giving a book retell, and having a math conversation.
It's amazing, but when the iPad pops out, the oral reading is expressive, the previews have more details, the retells get longer, and the conversations more in-depth. All this as a result of spending one minute figuring out how to post videos on Twitter.
I love using Twitter in my classroom! My students are engaged in their learning. They want to learn so they can share their insightful sentence on Twitter at the end of the day. Also, they have an authentic audience.... THE WHOLE WORLD...., so they want to have quality work. Often they will ask to redo something over... and over... and over to get it just right.
One thing that I love is that my students are going home and Tweeting the class back with their parents. They are thinking about what we learned in class, watching other students read, and rereading our old posts.... AT HOME!!! Amazing!! I absolutely love using Twitter in my classroom, and I hope you try it too!!
Follow us! @wkinders2013
Marie Westman is a three-year Kindergarten teacher at Morrish Elementary School, Swartz Creek Community Schools. She received her B.A. from Northern Michigan University (Elementary Education, Language Arts) and is pursuing her Master in the Art of Teaching degree from Marygrove College. Currently, she lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where she enjoys spending time outdoors and kayaking. When she’s not teaching or “tweeting” with her students, she can be found spending time with her wonderful extended family.
Class Twitter- @wkinders2013
Class Website- www.openningthecrayonbox.weebly.com


There are several kinds of schools in Britain to choose from. Parents can either send their children to state schools, which are cheaper but they do not offer as high level of education as private sector or spend little fortunes on their little scholars sending them to some private, boarding schools, looking like more of mansions than school buildings. But no matter where the children educate, they follow the same pattern of schools they have to go through: preparatory school, senior school, 6th form or college, and finally polytechnics or university.
All children in England start their education at 4 or 5, some even at 3 and go to preparatory school, to attend their lessons with year 1 group. In prep schools lessons start at 8:30 and last till 3:15 or 3:30, depending on a school. Children spend long days learning the alphabet and then developing their literacy and numeracy skills, as well as learning science. Some children attend LD lessons (Learning Development) as well, learning the programme for special educational needs, which in England is highly developed.
The next kind of place where children are taught is senior school. Students go there when they are 11 years old. There, they are in year 7 group and their teenage education starts. Unlike preparatory school, there are variety of subjects preparing students for their GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams, like: Mathematics, English, Science, RE (Religious Education), ICT (Information and Communication Technology), Business Studies, Geography, PE (Physical Education), Music, Drama, Modern Languages, Latin and LD (Learning Development). LD classes help less able students to develop their literacy and numeracy to keep up with the rest of their class. Then, when doing year 11 they choose 3 or more subjects and they take GCSE exams. This level enables them to finish off education at this stage.
However, those, who are more ambitious, go to 6th form or college. This is a 2-year course preparing students to take their A-level examination. This is a qualification that consists of 2 subjects and, whereas some subjects are compulsory during GCSE (like English), during A-levels they are optional. In 6th form there is a wide variety of subjects to choose from for their A-levels. Classes start at 8:30 in the morning, like in secondary school, and finish at 4:00 every day. There are also some extra-curricular activities for senior school students like horse-riding, swimming, playing rugby or performing drama, and they take place after school from 4:00 till 6:00.
Finally, university or polytechnics education starts. Students do bachelor’s studies first and then, if they wish to continue, they choose to do master’s qualification (Master of Art or Master of Science), which takes 2 or 3 years. However, most of the people who choose higher education usually do only Bachelor’s studies and it is very rare that they go as far as to do their MA. The most famous universities in the UK are in: Cambridge and Oxford.
Although compulsory schooling in England starts when children are 4 and lasts for 8 hours every day, unlike in Poland, for example, where children go to school when they are 7 and stay in for about 4 or 5 hours a day, the level of education is incomparable in those two countries. We can easily notice that in Poland, education level is much better. All in all, despite the fact that in England there are: a variety of schools and different ways of learning, people are not very well educated. As we can easily notice, the path through preparatory school, senior school, 6th form or college, and finally polytechnics or university is not the best way we can choose. Polish education system is probably the better one.


Details about The McGraw-Hill Big Book of Science Activities:
From making an earthworm farm to launching a plastic bottle rocket, here's hours of fun for curious kids ages 8 to 12. Plus, kids learn a lot of science with the 250 simple-to-perform activities in this book. In half an hour or less, using only readily available materials like bottle caps and liquid detergent , kids can try experiments that demonstrate real laws of chemistry and physics, principles of animal and plant biology, geology, meteorology (the study of weather), and astronomy. This well-illustrated, best of the best collection from McGraw-Hill's popular "Science for Kids" series also gives kids help putting together a science fair project.
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Rent The McGraw-Hill Big Book of Science Activities 1st edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Robert Wood. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by McGraw-Hill Education.


Contact: Science Press Package
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Egg-citing fossil discovery
Reconstruction of a precocial avian embryo from the lower Cretaceous of China.
Image courtesy of Zongda Zhang.
Click here for a high resolution photograph.
A 121-million-year-old fossil bird frozen in time in a scrunched up position tells the story of a bird that grew feathers but never had the chance to fly. The bird became a fossil before it hatched from its shell, according to scientists reporting new research in the 22 October 2004 issue of the journal Science.
This fossil from northeast China is probably the oldest known unborn bird ever discovered. It had a large skull, feathers and a hardened skeleton. These are all signs of a bird that was pretty mature even though it never hatched from its shell. Baby birds (like this one) that are developed enough by the time they hatch to move and feed on their own are called "precocious."
The fact that this unborn bird is so well developed, or precocious, supports the idea that the young of Earth's first birds were already well developed by hatching time. If this is true, then baby birds that were born naked and helpless arose later in bird history, say Zhonghe Zhou and Fucheng Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China.
The preserved bird is enclosed in an egg-shaped space approximately 35 millimeters by 20 millimeters -- bigger than a robin's egg but smaller than most chicken eggs. The scientists did not find any fossilized shell pieces, however. The nails on the bird's feet are large and curved – good for grasping tree branches.
Looking closer at the fossil, the scientists say that this bird's bill did not have an "egg tooth." An egg tooth is a top-of-the-bill tooth that some unborn birds use to break their egg from the inside. The lack of an egg tooth on this bird suggests that the egg tooth innovation arose later in bird history.
Back to Science for kids
Science is published by AAAS, the non-profit science society.


Early, Mary Frances
Early received her post-secondary education at Clark College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education in 1957, again graduating as Valedictorian. She continued her post-graduate studies at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan and later transferred her studies to the University of Michigan to pursue a Masters Degree in Music Education during the summers, beginning in 1957. She decided that she would "join the struggle to help these two young people and do what I could to help end the segregation that was so prevalent in the South," subsequently pursuing her transfer to the University of Georgia. After an FBI-styled background check and interrogation by University of Georgia officials, the university admitted her to its graduate school for the summer quarter of 1961. Early completed her graduate degree in Music Education in 1962. She was the first black student to graduate from the University of Georgia.
Archival Collections and Reference Resources
- Goin' back : remembering UGA (University of Georgia Office of Public Affairs)
- Southern school news (University of Georgia Libraries)


New Sesame Street App, Big Bird’s Words, Uses Augmented Reality to Help Children Build Vocabulary
NEW YORK, NY, November 21, 2013—Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, has launched Big Bird’s Words, a new app where children are guided to search for and find new words in their environment, making vocabulary building a fun and interactive experience. Big Bird’s ‘Word-o-Scope’ enables children to use a smartphone as a digital eye into their real-world environments to find, identify, and learn about words, bringing a deeper understanding of what these words mean by exposing children to them in familiar contexts.
Children will be thrilled not only to hear the voice of their favorite feathered friend in Big Bird’s Words, but they’ll also be exploring healthy food words such as “milk” and “orange” with the furry blue Cookie Monster. The app recognizes 1,500 words, and verbally recognizes 500 of those by name.
Sesame Workshop researched the impact of the app on measurable learning outcomes and among the findings was that preschoolers who were exposed to Big Bird’s Words had a 40% increase in their ability to identify the target words.1
“Big Bird’s Words helps children develop a deeper understanding and context for the words in their environment,” said Scott Chambers, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Media Distribution at Sesame Workshop. “Innovative digital experiences, like augmented reality, can help support and enhance learning for children.”
Big Bird’s Words is the first Sesame Street app built using Qualcomm® Vuforia™’s real-time text recognition capability using a smartphone’s camera. The app will be available on iOS and Android for 99¢. Qualcomm Vuforia is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and the Vuforia SDK is a product of Qualcomm Austria Research Center GmbH, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the landmark television program that reaches millions of children every day in more than 150 countries. The Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential. Delivered through a variety of platforms, Sesame Workshop develops research-based content – including television programs, books, games, mobile apps and community engagement initiatives – that supports early childhood learning, helps prepare children for school, and addresses developmental needs. The Workshop’s programs are tailored to the needs of specific regions and focus on topics that help young children and families develop critical skills for lifelong learning. For more information, visit us at sesameworkshop.org.
Qualcomm is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Vuforia is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All Qualcomm Incorporated trademarks are used with permission. Other products or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
1Brooks, M.K & Moon, M. (2013). Children’s learning from mobile devices. The case of Big Birds Words. Unpublished presentation, Sesame Workshop.


Wole Soyinka Biography: Profile & Life History
Updated in 2012 – Wole Soyinka Biography: Profile & Life History
Professor Wole Soyinka was the first and only Nigerian to win a Nobel Prize and the second African to achieve the same feat. This article looks at the life history of the Wole Soyinka, as well as other little known facts about him – such as his books, literary works, and quotable quotes.
Wole Soyinka Biography
Prof. Wole Soyinka, named Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka, was born on the 13th day of July, 1934 in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria (therefore Wole Soyinka age as of present is 78 and Wole Soyinka nationality, without doubt, is Nigerian).
He hails from Isara Remo in Ogun state.
He was the second of the six children born to his family. His father, Samuel Ayodele Soyinka was an Anglican minister, and his mother, Grace Eniola Soyinka, was a trader.
Wole Soyinka’s mother is a descendant of the popular Ransome-Kuti family in Abeokuta. Thus, he was a cousin to the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Wole Soyinka had his elementary education at the St. Peters primary school in Abeokuta, from where he proceeded to Abeokuta Grammar School, for his secondary education. He gained admission into Federal Government College, Ibadan in 1946.
In 1952, he proceeded to the University College Ibadan, now University of Ibadan, where he studied, Western History, English literature, and Greek.
In 1954, Soyinka began work on a short radio play, “Keffi’s birthday threat”, which was broadcast by the Nigerian Broadcasting Service.
Wole Soyinka went to England in 1954 to continue his studies in literature. There, he worked with and learned from top-notch British writers. Before he defended his Bachelor of Arts degree, Soyinka worked as an editor for a satirical magazine, the Eagle.
Wole Soyinka’s early career
Wole Soyinka wrote his first major play, The Swamp Dwellers in 1958. His second, The Lion and the Jewel, came in 1959. After the publication of these two Wole Soyinka books, he was invited to the Royal Court Theatre, London, where he worked as a play reader.
Soyinka wrote his first play to be produced at the Royal Court Theatre, The Invention, in 1957.
As at 1957, some Wole Soyinka poems, such as “The immigrant” and “My Next Door Neighbour” were already published in the Nigerian magazine, The Black Orpheus.
After receiving the Rockefeller Research Fellowship grant for research on African Theatre, he returned to Nigeria. With the grant, he bought a Land Rover, with which he travelled all over the country during his research works.
It was around this time that he wrote the popular satire, The Trials of Brother Jero.
Though he had won many international awards earlier, Wole Soyinka shot to global fame when he won the Nobel Prize for peace in 1986. His acceptance speech, titled, “This Past Must Address Its Present” was dedicated to Nelson Mandela.
Later in the same year, Wole Soyinka received the Agip Prize for literature.
Wole Soyinka, in 2009, bagged the Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award.
In all, he won over twenty national and international awards and honours.
Note: as is the case with every famous individual, the autobiography of Wole Soyinka is so extensive that it could fill a whole book of several pages.


No system of education is above the level of its teachers. Teachers play a crucial role in the system of education. It is important that these teachers are equipped with proper knowledge, skills and attitudes in carrying out the goals of education and fulfilling their obligations.
Teachers training have certain levels which correspond with the general education ability of the teachers. There are three levels of teachers training.
Teachers for the primary schools are trained, and must have passed Secondary School examination. They are provided one year training. After completion of this training they are awarded a certificate called Primary Teacher’s certificate (PTC). Those who possess FA/F.Sc certificate are given one year training and awarded a certificate called Certificate in Education (CT).
PTC and CT training is provided by the Government Colleges of Elementary Education (GCEE). There are separate elementary Colleges of Education for girls and boys who have been established at all the district headquarters within the country.
Those who possess BA/.Sc degrees are provided one year training called “Bachelor of Education” (B.Ed) at the Government Colleges of Education. These colleges are at a few selected places in each province of the country. Those who further want to specialize in the subject of education undergo one year course called Master in Education (M.Ed). This course is conducted by the Colleges of Education and in the Institutes of Education in the Universities. Teachers also do M.Phil and Ph.D in Education from the universities. Those who possess M.Ed or M.Phil teach in the Colleges of Education. At the University level Ph.Ds are employed to train teachers.
Allama Iqbal Open University has started teacher training courses through its distance education system for those students who cannot afford to attend formal regular courses in the teacher training institutions. National Education policy (1998-2011) provides for modernizing the courses in teachers training. Accordingly, the duration and period of training at all levels of training is being increased, including better salaries for the teachers.
There are few problems in the teacher-training programme which include non -availability of qualified teaching faculty for the Colleges of Education, quality training programmes, financial problems of the Training Institutions, lack of quality material for training and lack of effective system of management and supervision. But the most serious problem is that the teachers do not use those teaching skills and methods in their classes which were taught to them in the training institutions.


Beyond Visual Culture: Seven Statements of Support for Material Culture Studies in Art Education
Bolin, Paul E., Blandy, Doug, Studies in Art Education
This article explores and promotes the expanding field of material culture studies as a viable theoretical foundation and practical direction for art education. Challenging the current shifting stance of art education toward accepting a position of visual culture, the authors argue that rather than adopt a visual culture perspective, art education would be more readily served by embracing far-reaching holistic forms and practices that can be critically examined through the interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary methods associated with material culture studies. The persuasiveness of the authors' case is based on seven statements supporting a material culture studies orientation within art education.
Writing in the early 19th century, de Tocqueville (1988) predicted the plethora of cultural forms and practices that people in the United States now engage with and experience. He believed that in contrast to nondemocratic societies, culture in a democracy would be less firmly defined and more responsive to wide variances in people's values, attitudes, and beliefs.
For this reason a healthy, vital, and sustainable democracy requires a citizenry educated around cultural issues of individual and collective concern as well as having the capability to consider such issues from a critical perspective. Art educators can uniquely contribute to this preparation of citizens by promoting the investigation and appreciation of the broadest possible range of objects, artifacts, spaces, expressions, and experiences.
A number of art educators are proposing that the field of art education should transition to a visual culture studies orientation. Such a move would continue to confirm the importance of teaching to the full breadth of visual images available to us. The writings of Duncum (1999, 2001), Freedman (2000), and Freedman and Wood (1999) have been particularly persuasive in this regard.
Theoreticians associated with the study of visual culture argue that its usage is increasing in response to the proliferation of images challenging the hegemony of text and spoken word (Mirzoeff, 1998). Visual culture also assumes that the processes and products of culture are studied in relation to multiple contexts such as politics, economics, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and power relations among others. Visual culture studies is described by its proponents as being "fluid and subject to debate" and "resolutely interdisciplinary" (Mirzoeff, 1998). Because of its association with critical theoretical perspectives, visual culture studies links easily with critical pedagogy and social reconstruction, both of which have been researched and implemented within art education.
Reconceptualizing art education as visual culture education would be a relatively comfortable transition for the field to make. Many art educators are already including a broad range of visual images in their teaching and research. The sociological, political, cultural, economic, sexual, and generational concerns inherent to the study of visual culture are long established in our literature. Much of the rhetoric surrounding visual culture proposes a world in which the visual has become dominant. Art educators are thus advantaged over other educators in preparing people to live and learn in a visual environment.
We, however, question the desirability of visual dominance and in this article will argue our reluctance to embrace a position that favors the visual sense over other sensory receptors. It is critical to recognize that our current multimedia world is expanding rapidly towards multi-sensory experience. It may be that if art educators continue to privilege visual objects and/or visual experiences, which is characteristic of visual culture studies, our students and the field will be susceptible to manipulation through our other sensory modalities. In this, our field will continue to perpetuate the disciplinary and sensory boundaries that fail to encourage a holistic and systemic understanding of experience. …


Ed-venture Kids Camp will be held from 8:45am – 11:45am.
Age Requirement: Campers must be 3 – 5 years old (must be completely potty trained).
Why is Physical Education Important to the Preschool Child?
“Play is the foundation for children’s healthy development.”
At Ed-Venture Kids Camp our goal is to address the physical education needs of the preschool age child. Studies have shown that children with a structured P.E. and interactive play time are more prepared mentally and physically. Gymnastics and other physical games and activities help promote motor skill development while our interactive group activities re-enforce social skills.
When children participate in a variety of movements, they have a foundation of motor skills that they can build and refine throughout their school years. Children who have not developed their physical skills tend to become adults who don’t participate regularly in physical activities. Without regular activity, children may not be active enough to maintain healthy hearts, lungs and muscles.
“Individuals responsible for the well-being of toddlers and preschoolers should be aware of the importance of physical activity and facilitate the child’s movement skills.” National Association for Sports and Physical Education.
During the preschool years, children should be encouraged to practice movement skills in a variety of activities and settings. Instruction and positive reinforcement is critical during this time in order to ensure that children develop most of these skills before entering school.
Week 1: June 8 – 12
Week 2: June 15 – 19
Week 3: June 22 – 26
Week 4: June 29 – Jul 31
Week 5: July 6 – 10
Week 6: July 13 – 17
Week 7: July 20 – 24
Week 8: July 27 – 31
Week 9: August 3 – 7
Week 10: August 10 – 14
Week 11: August 17 – 21
Under the Sea
At the Zoo
NO CAMP OFFERED
On the Farm
USA Olympic Gold
Going on a Bug Hunt
Kids in the Kitchen
NO CAMP OFFERED
The *THEME is different each week and is the basis for the arts and crafts and the weekly awards ceremony.
The +FOCUS is the key skill group for the campers that week and will appear on the activity schedule more frequently than the other goals. However, all the skill groups will be a part of each week, including horseback riding.
|1Walk-in rates are applied to campers who register the day of camp without prior notice.
2Siblings receive 1/2 price discount off of camp care fees.
|Registration Fee||$10.00 per camper|
|Daily Rate||$25.00 per day (no sibling discount)|
|One Week of Camp||$93.00
$88.00 additional family members
|Walk-in Rate1||$99.00 (no sibling discount)|
|Before Camp Care2||$3.00 per day
$15.00 per week
|After Camp Care2||$6.00 per day
$35.00 per week
|Before and After Camp Care2||$35.00 for the week|


Based in France, Rococo was a decorative style most often used in interior design, oil painting, architecture, and sculpture. Normally associated with the reign of King Louis XV, the movement actually began in the 17th century. With the rise of the middle class, the death of Louis XIV at this time, the high society in Paris became the pinnacle of fashion. Louis XIV was succeed by the Duke of Orleans in 1715, who was know for enjoying the privileges of his office, moving social life away from the formal courts and into salons. This attitude was continued with the following reign of Louis XV. Rococo was manifested out of this new era of thought where society abandoned the formality of the earlier years and began pursuing personal amusement and happiness. One of the first Rococo painters was Jean-Antoine Watteau, whose work began to epitomize the movement with its idyllic and charming approach. Another artist that represented the Rococo period was Francois Boucher, who created oil paintings and designed tapestries for the French royalty and nobility.
The term Rococo was derived from the French word, rocaille, meaning rock and shell garden ornamentation. The style appealed to the senses rather than intellect, stressing beauty over depth. The movement portrayed the life of the aristocracy, preferring themes of romance, mythology, fantasy, every day life to historical or religious subject matter. Rococo was a light, ornamental, and elaborate style of art, identified by elegant and detailed ornamentation and the use of curved, asymmetrical forms. Other elements of the style included graceful movement, playful use of line, and delicate coloring. Dominated by feminine taste and influence, the lively colors and playful subject matter made it suitable for interior decoration. The Rococo style was also used in portraiture and furniture and tapestry design
The Rococo style is sometimes considered to be the end of the Baroque period and was eventually replaced by Neoclassicism during the American and French Revolutions at the end of the eighteenth century.
Jacopo Amigoni (1685 - 1752)
Although the exact details of his early life are unknown, Jacopo Amigoni was probably born and trained in Venice. His international career began in 1715, working in countries such as England, France, Bavaria, and Spain. Known for his Rococo style of oil painting, Amigoni made his living as a portrait painter while also working on large-scale decorative oil paintings. He died in Spain in 1752.
Francois Boucher (1703 - 1770)
Son of an artist, Francois Boucher learned many techniques as a child before receiving his formal art education from Francois Lemoyne. His initial job was as an engraver, producing replicas of Watteau drawings. However, he also was a successful painter and one the Prix de Rome in 1723. He then studied throughout Italy and began receiving royal commissions and a position as court artist. Boucher also worked for high profile, Madame de Pompadour, creating portraits and decorating her palace. Because Boucher was primarily oil painting for others, his work was consistently focused on pleasant, mythological subject matters and scenic landscapes.
Charles Cressent (1685 - 1768)
Charles Cressent became a master sculptor in 1719 and worked in the early Rococo period. He worked as the sculptor and ebeniste to the Regent, Philippe II, duc drleans. Cressent was the most famous for adding decorative bronze additions to his furniture. Although this was a his signature mark and a popular style, the means of production violated the rules of the French guild system.


Volume 1, Number 1, Winter 2009
Editorial Board | pdf
Editors’ Note | pdf
A study of optimism among Latinos in a successful urban school
Kathleen A. J. Mohr, Ron W. Wilhelm, and Patsy J. Robles-Goodwin
pp. 1-14 | pdf
This quantitative study investigated the levels of optimism and self-concepts of 76, fourth-sixth graders who attend an academically successful, English-immersion, private school serving a majority Latino and urban population. Two instruments measured the students’ self-perceptions with expected and unexpected results. Although academically successful and functioning as the majority, these Latinos were not particularly optimistic. Gender, language proficiency, and grade level were all factors related to the significant findings. The related discussion challenges educators to explore the various aspects contributing to positive self-concepts and to better understand how to develop and sustain optimism among students often considered academically at-risk.
Vocabulary Development in the Science Classroom: Using Hypermedia Authoring to Support English Learners
Susan O’Hara and Robert Pritchard
pp. 15-29 | pdf
This study investigated the impact of authoring hypermedia projects on the academic vocabulary development of middle school, ESL students. Vocabulary definitions, in-process verbalizations, observations and semi-structured interviews were the primary means of collecting data and assessing vocabulary growth. The results of this study indicate that hypermedia authoring had a positive impact on students’ understanding of grade level, science concepts as well as on student engagement in and attitudes toward vocabulary building activities. Thus, the procedures implemented in this study provide a potential model for teachers to follow as they attempt to facilitate their students’ vocabulary and concept development.
Home to school transitions: A Guatemalan family portrait
Karen S. Vocke and Amanda Stearns-Pfeiffer
pp. 30-39 | pdf
Cultural and linguistic differences within the migrant population, coupled with the transient nature of these families, often present challenges that can inhibit the education of migrant students in our schools. How can schools and communities come together to provide resources and services for this vulnerable population? Through the theoretical lens of Paulo Freire, we identify the need to work against the current educational trend toward increased standardization and work towards a model of education that is both individualized and democratic. For migrant students, individualizing educational experiences often means reaching out to the families for linguistic support. We have found the current services and resources available to students and families in Michigan to be fragmentary at best, and absent at worst. Our vision is to create a resource center for migrant families at Western Michigan University that focuses on literacy outreach initiatives for all ages, thus potentially filling a desperate need.
Building a community for migrant education services through family literacy and farm worker outreach
pp. 40-49 | pdf
This study applies a sociocultural perspective to examine the home to school transitions in literacy achievement of three low-income children from Guatemala. Through participant observation and informal conversations with the family during home visits, two factors appeared to influence the literacy development of the family's young children: bilingualism and cultural assimilation. Investigating the home literacy environment of an immigrant family provides an insider's perspective of the life experiences of children from non-mainstream homes. Understanding their home reading and writing experiences, and their transition to school literacy, is valuable for reading teachers facing increasingly diverse students from multicultural backgrounds.


Our good friend Rebecca Dunn is back on the Library as Incubator Project with another great post in her popular Pages to Projects series! She shares how to incorporate elements of art education and appreciation into storytime; if you’ve been inspired by Rebecca’s projects or have used her storytime plans at your library, we’d love to hear about it! Share your experience in the comments or on social media. ~Erinn
by Rebecca Dunn
Love is in the air, and hearts are everywhere! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, providing the perfect opportunity to talk with youngsters about shape; specifically the heart! So, whether you’re hosting a special Valentine’s Day storytime next week, a future shape-themed storytime, or just looking for an engaging, process-based craft– look no further.
My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall is a versatile story on how the emotions of the heart can feel like a few favorite well-known animals. The illustrations reveal a curious surprise: each animal depicted is playfully constructed entirely of heart shapes. Before reading this book I like to talk about what a heart looks like with my audience. I hold up a paper heart and explain that a heart shape has two bumps on the top, a point on the bottom, and we sing “This is a Heart” together. I ask them to pay extra close attention to see if they can identify any hearts in My Heart Is Like a Zoo (which of course they do!). Something else to love about this book is its ability to act as a gateway read for talking with children about feelings. Prompt kids to mimic “silly as a seal” or “angry as a bear”.
After learning and reading about hearts, it’s time for art! This Suncatcher Heart Collage promotes expression and play with our featured shape.
- Wax paper
- Tissue paper
How to make a Suncatcher Heart Collage:
- Many libraries have large windows that are at a level for storytimers to peer out of, so why not tape sheets of wax paper to them for makeshift easels? The mess will be nothing a few spritzes of Windex can’t handle when it’s time to clean up. If windows aren’t an option, tape the sheets of wax paper to a craft table.
- Precut a bunch of hearts out of various colors of tissue paper in various sizes. Hint: Stack multiple sheets together to cut out hearts. Less work and more hearts!
- Add a couple tablespoons of school glue to cups, small enough for kids to hold while painting.
- Using school glue and paintbrushes, have the kids paint glue onto the sheets of wax paper, and place the tissue paper hearts onto the wet glue. They can also use the glue to paint over the hearts so that the hearts lay flat on the wax paper.
- Remove tape once finished.
I like to remind children and caregivers that there is no right or wrong when making these suncatchers. You can cover the wax paper with hearts or only paint one on. Something else to mention is that overlapping the hearts plays with shape like the illustrations in My Heart Is Like a Zoo. It also lends for an opportunity to dabble in color theory. What happens if you place a yellow heart over a blue? A blue over a red? Or a red over a yellow?
What books or projects do you hold close to your heart?
Check out similar books about hearts and shapes:
- The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond
- Whoo? Whoo? by David A. Carter
- Valentine Surprise by Corinne Demas, illustrated by R.W. Alley
- Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert
- Perfect Square by Micahel Hall
- The Shape of My Heart by Mark Sperring
- Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh
- Don’t miss Rebecca’s previous Pages to Projects blog posts.
- For more book recommendations and crafts that introduce fine art to children, be sure to check out Rebecca’s Pages to Projects Pinterest Board!
Rebecca Zarazan Dunn is a Youth Services Librarian Assistant for the Lawrence Public Library, and was recently named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker for 2013. When she’s not at the library or running after her 3-year old daughter, she is most often found at her blog home, Sturdy for Common Things, where she writes about books, library programs, and living the simple life in Lawrence, Kansas.Pin It


Three students in ETE 271 (Structures and Mechanisms) built an automaton based off the movie Lion King. This project was completed by Heather Petersack, Emilie Taylor, and Amanda Turton, all of which are Math/Science/Technology — Elementary Education majors. The goal of this project was for students to go through the design process to design and build an automaton, or mechanical sculpture. In these automata, the students envision and bring to life a scene, animated by mechanisms. Through this project, students apply their knowledge about machine elements. At the same time, students also gain valuable experience and confidence working with their hands to transform an idea into a physical reality, through the safe and proper use of tools, machinery, and materials.


Essential Learning Outcomes for the 21st Century
The challenges of the new global century call for college graduates with essential critical and intellectual skills, a broad base of knowledge of the world, an active sense of personal and social responsibility, and the ability to integrate and apply knowledge to real-world problems. These are time-honored outcomes of progressive education that are more critical than ever for meeting projected workforce demands, and for contributing effectively to your local community and our globally interconnected, diverse, and complex world of constant change and innovation.
The BA in Liberal Studies curriculum and courses cultivate these values, with academics that focus on the following program learning objectives:
- Critical and analytical thinking ability
- The ability to understand issues from multiple perspectives
- The ability to connect learning to lived experience
- Social awareness, community engagement, and global citizenship
- Core competency in foundational skills, including writing, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, technological literacy, oral communication, and research


From Our 2012 Archives
Parents' Poor Math Skills May = Medication Errors
Latest Healthy Kids News
The study included 289 parents of children younger than 8 years who were prescribed a short course of liquid medication after being seen in a pediatric emergency department. The parents were given three tests to assess their math and reading skills, and researchers also watched the parents as they measured out a dose of the medication prescribed for their child.
Nearly one-third of the parents had low reading skills and 83 percent had poor math skills. Twenty-seven percent had math skills at the third-grade level or below.
Overall, 41 percent of the parents made a medication-dosing error. Parents with math skills at or below the third-grade level were nearly five times more likely to make a medication-dosing error than those with math skills at the sixth-grade level or higher.
The study was scheduled for presentation Saturday at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Boston.
"Parents face many challenges as they seek to administer medications to their children in a safe and effective manner," study co-author Dr. H. Shonna Yin, an assistant professor of pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital Center, said in an American Academy of Pediatrics news release.
"Dosing liquid medications correctly can be especially confusing, as parents may need to understand numerical concepts such as how to convert between different units of measurement, like milliliters, teaspoons and tablespoons. Parents also must accurately use dosing cups, droppers and syringes, many of which vary in their measurement markings and the volume they hold," Yin noted.
These study findings "point to a need to examine whether strategies that specifically address parent math skills can help reduce medication errors in children," Yin added. "In addition, recognition of the importance of addressing numeracy skills may be helpful for health care providers as they seek to improve their communication of medication instructions."
The authors said having health care providers review and give parents pictures of dosing instruments filled to the correct amount for that prescription may be beneficial.
Data and conclusions presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
SOURCE: American Academy of Pediatrics, news release, April 28, 2012
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education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Arts in Education/brewer.htm
This research supports what we know from personal experience: Music greatly
affects and enhances our learning and living! Research continues to be ...
Jul 17, 2014 ... Research has found music instruction has beneficial effects on young .... learning
to play an instrument and improved executive functioning, like ...
Dec 16, 2014 ... Actively learning to play an instrument can help a child's academic ... There's little
doubt that learning to play a musical instrument is great for ...
The possible effects of exposure to music and music instruction on nonmusical
learning have received some previous attention from the music education ...
The effects of listening to music while studying are mixed, however, and depend
upon the type of music you listen to as well as ... Context-Dependent Learning.
Find out how music can help your child retain information and enhance the
Aug 23, 2013 ... This post was written by Gordon Kaye and first appeared on the Epic blog on
23rd August 2013. As a learning designer, I was recently ...
Aug 9, 2014 ... Learning to sing or play a musical instrument can help ... raised in impoverished
environments that affect their ability to learn," he explained.
Jan 14, 2016 ... Beneficial effects of music - how music affects our health and brain, ... to all
cultures and has surprising benefits not only for learning language, ...
Music corresponds to and affects our physiological conditions. ... The Baroque
and Mozart music pieces on the Mozart Effect learning tapes and compact disks ...


There has been a lot of talk about 21st-century skills in education. While it is a term that educators exchange somewhat easily, it is not fully understood by everyone else. Indeed, a grandparent at our school recently commented, "I'm tired of hearing about 21st-century skills. It is the 21st century. Get on with it." That prompted us to offer this summary and explanation of what we teachers mean by 21st-century skills.
The essence of the skills includes collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation and critical thinking coined the 4Cs by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (a group of corporations who partnered with the U.S. Department of Education in 2002). As you can see, 21st-century skills mean much more than using and applying technology, as some are want to imagine.
Many other researchers and authors created lists similar to the 4Cs. For example, Tony Wagner from the Harvard Graduate School of Education interviewed more than 600 chief executive officers, and asked them the same essential question: "Which qualities will our graduates need in the 21st-century for success in college, careers and citizenship?" Wagner's subsequent Seven Survival Skills correspond to the 4Cs but also include agility and adaptability, accessing and analyzing information, as well as curiosity and imagination.
There is agreement among all researchers that these skills of collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking are necessary and must be integrated into our classrooms. Indeed, states are adopting new standards to ensure these skills are met. It is important to note that West Virginia was one of the first states to accept the challenge of being a leader in fusing content (the three Rs) with the 4Cs.
What should parents (or grandparents for that matter) expect to see in the classroom with a focus on 21st-century skills? The classroom set up might not be the same - rather than students sitting in rows, you might see clusters of desks, a group area or no students in the room at all as their community and the world become the classroom. No longer fragmented, you might find a curriculum that is more integrated where information is not dispensed, but children are asked to generate knowledge. Perhaps teachers will be using alternative assessments. Instead of a pencil-and-paper quiz, students might be asked to participate in a mock trial of a British loyalist or a fictional character. Rather than write a book report, students might be found role-playing the part of famous people or literary characters, as they would interact at a dinner party. Their writing and their thinking may be judged over a long period of time through an e-portfolio.
Some of those that have researched this question offer additional descriptions of 21st-century learning. Daniel Pink offers a few practical examples in his book, "In A Whole New Mind." For example, he urges us to ask students to write a caption for a cartoon. With a cartoon caption, one has to be creative. There is "no set path to the answer - that makes it challenging."
Patrick Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools, offers some practical examples of students who were asked to create "complex real-world problem-solving via team-structured, project-based learning." He points to a pair of third-grade students who were asked to invent something new. This entrepreneurial duo invented wedgie-proof underwear, and was ultimately interviewed by the national media because of their creativity.
In another classroom example, young students were asked to form a research team to determine an important question, conduct original research and interview experts in order to reach a conclusion. Bassett recounted that one team of boys hit the nail on the head by researching a very important question: "Why are girls so mean to boys?"
So you see, 21st-century skills are far more than technology skills put to use in the classroom. This is real world learning that will equip children with the skills to survive in the 21st century in jobs or careers that we cannot even imagine right now. It won't be enough to do business as usual in schools, so we must "get on with it." I guess that grandfather had it right after all.
- Linda Krulock graduated from West Liberty State College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education and early childhood. She teaches senior kindergarten at Wheeling Country Day School. Elizabeth Hofreuter-Landini is head of school at Wheeling Country Day. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard University Graduate School of Education.


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The National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) has created a comprehensive online database to enhance performance monitoring of primary and upper primary schools across 640 districts of the country under the project known as District Information System for Education (DISE). The project, known as School Report Cards, presents quantitative and qualitative information on 1.3 million schools from 2005 onwards till date at the village, block, district, state and national level; and can be viewed at www.schoolreportscard.in.
Extensive data is collected at the village level, and then through the help of automated software, is aggregated at the state and national level. Data is collected in a uniform Data Capture Format (DCFs) and entered into the DISE for analysis, monitoring and implementing universalising of elementary education at the policy level.
Data validation of all reports is conducted to ensure credibility, and finally it is published on the 30th September of every year by the NUEPA and can be viewed online. These reports have been utilised to identify the gaps existing in the current education system and also used for monitoring Sarva Shikshya Abhayan (SSA)-programme facilitating universalisation of elementary education in all districts. Data on enrolment of students, teachers’ attendance and examination results of both boys and girls in both rural and urban regions is helpful in tracking the progress of educational development without delaying it further. It is also utilised in formulation of policies.


Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.
Re: photography at the elementary level
[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]The Cheevers
Fri, 26 Mar 1999 21:45:02 -0500
I would get that light sensitive paper that develops in water as an
introduction to how chemicals can change with exposure and liquids. It would
also be good to make compositions with different textures. Have them set up
a composition first and then rearrange it later. Have feathers, keys, cut
outs, things that have interesting negative space.
Also Polaroids are fun to mess with. The emulsion can be pushed if they work
on it right away. Take simple objects, still lifes close up or peoples
faces. See the work of Lucas Samaras. Have fun.
From: Jackie Settle <photot
Date: Friday, March 26, 1999 4:56 PM
Subject: photography at the elementary level
> I will soon be working with elementary students teaching photographic
>composition. Does anyone have ideas on how best to approach this subject at
>the elementary level, grades 1-6?
> I've taught photography at the secondary level with a complete darkroom in
>80 minute blocks. I'd appreciate any suggestions, since I haven't worked
>with the younger students since practice teaching for my art education
> Jackie Settle


The Health and Physical Education Department focuses on curriculum and instruction in the areas of wellness, motor skill development, fitness, nutrition, personal growth, disease prevention, drug awareness, human sexuality and driver’s education. Students in kindergarten through grade 12 participate in activities that are related to this content area. Students in kindergarten through grade six participate in activities that develop and refine gross motor movements, in addition to creating an awareness of healthy habits. Grades 7 and 8 participate in activities that assess and apply health and fitness data to enhance personal wellness. Students in grades 9 through 12 participate in activities that provide an opportunity to evaluate factors that impact health and analyze the role of personal responsibility in maintaining and enhancing wellness.
The Health and Physical Education Department is committed to providing a high quality instructional program that is relevant to all students. Each teacher’s goal is to provide students with a variety of activities that will prepare them for a lifetime of fitness and well-being. Instructional practices take into consideration changing developmental and movement abilities and also seek to develop self-confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills. In terms of Health Education, it is the goal of the teachers to deliver instruction that will have a strong impact on promoting healthy young adults. Instructional practices will focus on developing critical thinking skills to enable students to make informed decisions that encourage healthy lifestyles.
As health and physical educators, our goal is to provide a safe, supportive, and caring environment where students will achieve success. Staff members in this department are experienced, bringing forth a wealth of subject area knowledge and a strong pedagogy allowing the best educational experiences for our students. During the 2015-2016 school year, our department members will work collaboratively to develop common assessments and effective instructional strategies.
Parents and community members play an integral role in the education of our students. Staff members are diligent in disseminating information about content-specific activities through class requirements, teacher web sites, and email contact. Parents are encouraged to communicate regularly with the health and physical education department regarding concerns and student achievement.
Nutley High School
Robyn Powell - Department Coordinator
John H. Walker Middle School
Lincoln: Thomas Garguilo
Radcliffe: Sam Aramando
Spring Garden: Tom Grant
Washington: Dara Moscaritola
Yantacaw: Marita Dow


December 23, 2013
PORTLAND, Maine – A group of local high-school students will mix art and electronics for two weeks in January and April in a unique collaborative project titled “ARTronics,” designed to show how art and technology can be integrated.
Thirty-two students at Casco Bay High School, working with SidexSide, a Portland educational non-profit, professors from the University of Southern Maine’s (USM) computer science and visual arts departments, and SidexSide’s engineering expert, will create interactive sculptures that respond to cues from the surrounding environment.
The project will require the students to conduct fieldwork at USM’s CI2 (Creative Intelligence, Innovation, Collaboration) Lab and to work with computer-integrated electronic platforms. The students will learn how to program and build interactive sculptures.
“USM's art education program works to reinforce the fact that the arts not only intersect with content areas such as science and technology, but also are a necessary component in creating K-12 [kindergarten-grade 12] curricula that is relevant, critical, and comprehensive for today's students,” said Kelly Hrenko, USM assistant professor of art education overseeing interns involved in the project. “This project – ARTronics – does just that!”
“SidexSide’s ARTronics project and our collaboration with USM encapsulates the essence of our mission and is a fantastic way to kick off our pilot year,” said Beth Wilbur Van Mierlo, one of SidexSide’s creators.
“Casco Bay High School is thrilled to be able to partner with SidexSide and USM on this innovative new course,” said Derek Pierce, Casco Bay High School principal. “It will provide a rich and distinct opportunity for our students to think and act as both scientists and artists while working alongside talented local experts.”
“The University of Southern Maine is one of the major art centers for the region and the state, with a strong mission of public outreach,” said Dean Lynn Kuzma of USM’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHS). “This wonderful project embodies two specific goals of our college: to integrate the arts and humanities with science and technology in creative and innovative ways, and to share these efforts and results with local communities.”
As another example of the college’s efforts, a CAHS academic team, led by Raphael DiLuzio, USM associate professor of digital art and design and CI2 Lab director, and including Hrenko, recently received a $192,000 National Science Foundation grant to teach creative-thinking processes to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) educators.
ARTronics is the first of six programs for the 2014 academic year piloted by SidexSide creators Van Mierlo and Annette Kraus in conjunction with Hrenko. The mission of the project, Hrenko said, is to integrate new technological mediums and tools into the processes of creative thinking, visual art content and educational curricula.
Describing the process of the project, Hrenko said that the students first think as artists solving spatial, sculptural and three-dimensional challenges by using aesthetic awareness and arts-based practices. They then work to create objects that function as expressive and responsive sculptures.
Van Mierlo and Kraus said that the Artronics project embodied their vision of using an arts platform, with a collaborative approach, to engage students in inquiry-based methods of learning.
The project represents cross-curricular art integration at its best, they both emphasized. In addition, the project will increase student awareness of careers that merge arts and science disciplines, the SidexSide creators said.
The project will specifically include two one-week-long workshops for the high-school students starting Jan. 6 and taking place again in April. In addition to working at the CI2 Lab, the students will have studio time at Oak Street Studios in Portland.
The students’ sculptures will be on display later next year as part of a First Friday Art Walk in Portland.
For more information about the CI2 Lab, go to: http://usm.maine.edu/ci2
For more information about the USM Art Department, go to: http://usm.maine.edu/artdepartment


Over the past 20 years, the Internet has fundamentally changed the way we work, live, and communicate. It has become such an integral part of daily life that nearly 80 percent of people in 26 countries, according to a recent BBC poll, believe access to the World Wide Web should be considered a basic human right. Finland and Estonia have enacted laws guaranteeing their citizens connections to the Internet, and the United Nations is pushing for universal web access. But is Internet access truly a human right — or simply a useful convenience? (Watch a Fox report about a survey on internet access)
Internet access is fundamental to 21st Century life: "The right to communicate cannot be ignored," says International Telecommunication Union secretary-general Dr Hamadoun Toure in an interview with BBC News. Governments guarantee access to "basic infrastructure" — such as "roads, waste [disposal], and water" — and they should add Internet access to the list. "We have entered the knowledge society and everyone must have access to participate."
"Internet access is a 'fundamental right'"
We're obviously becoming spoiled: Access to the Internet isn't a right — it's "a privilege," says Luke Appleby in New Zealand's Stuff. To understand the difference, "consider the truly impoverished and what is most important to them" — things like "the right to vote, the right to liberty and freedom from slavery or the right to elementary education." Those are rights.
"The internet is not a right"
A right? No. A valuable tool? Absolutely: Elevating Internet access to the status of a right does seem to "diminish" true necessities, such as access to health care, says Brian Osborne in Geek.com. "If we do that we might as well say that access to television is a fundamental right." But there's no denying that "the Internet is a vital tool" to help people obtain true rights, so in that sense it really can be useful in the pursuit of happiness.
"Is internet access a fundamental right?"


Every school’s goal is for all children to grow and learn. Just as we use a tape measure to mark a person’s physical growth, in schools we use a variety of assessments to measure learning. Teachers use these results to help plan instruction and provide appropriate support.
AIMsweb allows for quick assessment of basic skills: letter naming, letter sounds, sounding out letter combinations, as well as reading fluency and math computation. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are assessed using AIMSweb in the fall, winter, and spring.
NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
The MAP assessment measures each student’s reading and mathematical achievement level and growth throughout the year and from one year to the next. It also compares student performance to students in the same grade in District 205 and across the nation. The computer individualizes the test for each student; a question’s difficulty is based on how well the student has answered all previous questions.
The MAP assessment is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The assessment of reading measures skills in understanding and using both literary texts and informational texts. It also includes foundational skills such as vocabulary. The math assessment measures skills such as algebraic thinking, mathematical operations, measurement, geometry, statistics and probability.
The tests are administered on-line three times a year in fall, winter, and spring. All 2nd - 8th grade students are assessed in reading and math in both the fall and the winter. Some students may also be assessed in the spring.
For more information:
The CogAT test measures general and specific reasoning abilities in three domains: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. Because these abilities are closely related to an individual’s success in school in virtually all subjects, CogAT results are helpful in planning effective instructional programs and adapting instruction to enhance the student’s chances of success in learning.
The tests are administered in the fall to all students in 2nd and 5th grades. Other groups of students may be assessed to help guide placement.
For more information:
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
PARCC is a State mandated achievement test that measures a student’s learning in relation to the New Illinois Learning Standards . This assessments of English language arts and mathematics is administered in grades three through eight and once in high school..
Explore, the first in three measures used in combination to focus on meeting academic standards across the entire secondary school core program of studies, measures achievement in English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. The high school uses the results as one measure in determining course placement and as a baseline in monitoring student achievement. Students take the assessment in October of eighth grade.
PLAN, a “pre-ACT” test, helps ninth graders measure their current academic development, explore career/training options, and make plans for the remaining years of high school and post-graduation years. Students take the test during the fall of their freshman year.
ACT The ACT assessment is the final test in the series of Explore-Plan-ACT. It measures the skills necessary for college coursework in reading, mathematics, science, and writing. Students take the tests in the spring of junior year.


Wolfram Demonstrations Project
The Wolfram Demonstrations Project is a web collection of freely available, interactive demonstrations in math, science, and many other areas.
Ranging in level from elementary education to front-line research, this collection of open-code "mini-applications" -- all created in Mathematica 6 -- grows every day, with contributions by users from around the world.
At its launch, the project featured nearly 1,300 Demonstrations, making it larger, and more diverse, than any similar collection of educational Java or Flash applets available on the web.
For website visitors who do not have Mathematica 6, the free Mathematica Player can be downloaded here:
More information about the dynamic capabilities in Mathematica 6 is available at:
TeacherTube provides teachers, schools, and home learners an
educationally focused, safe venue to upload, tag and share
The site lets you:
- attach support files such as assessments, lesson plans, and notes
- browse hundreds of videos uploaded by community members
- find, join and create video groups
- connect with people who have similar interests
- customize the experience by subscribing to member videos, saving favorites, and creating playlists
- integrate TeacherTube videos on websites using video embeds or APIs
- make videos public or private
In particular, visit TeacherTube's Math Channel.
Villany, Inc.: Thwarting World Supremacy through Mathematics
To thwart the evil Dr. Wick, ID, middle grade students take on the role of an advisor to his company, Villainy, Inc. -- while secretly using their math skills to make sure Wick never succeeds.
As undercover double agents for the Anti-Villainy Unit (the AVU), students complete missions such as "The Golf of Mexico" or "Drive Thru Deceit" by solving unique and complex activities that explore
- statistics and probability
- negative numbers
Short animated segments advance the story and show how the mathematical challenges influence its outcome. Finally, students see one of three different endings, based on how correctly they answer the last math challenge. Missions draw on the Maryland State Curriculum indicators and objectives
- For Teachers:
- For Families:


Over a 27-year teaching career, I’ve seen many instructional patterns, or theories of education, come and, in some cases, go.
Take for example the innovative program called ‘inventive spelling’ that achieved notoriety about 20 years ago under the umbrella of the whole language approach to literacy development. The proponents of this principle of pedagogy suggested if students of LA in the early grades came up with an approximate spelling of a word then that was okay.
Their key concern, from the way I saw it, was these aspiring writers would be able to write cogent sentences and paragraphs without being slowed down by fussing over the correct spelling of a word.
I can still remember seeing the joy on some of the students’ faces as they frolicked in the reverie of writing outside the constraints of exact word spelling. (I didn’t quite notice many of their teachers smiling though).
I can also still recall the consternation on the faces of some of those students and their parents a few years later when the short-lived thrill of inventive spelling had passed its due date – at least in their estimation.
At that time the demands of high school English teachers, who apparently had not gotten (or paid no attention to) the memo on this fledgling program, ran afoul of the teetering confidence of the subjects of this experiment in learning.
In the past 10-15 years there’s been a shift towards concepts called ‘differentiated instruction’ and ‘brain-based learning’ – to name just two. Based on the wealth of research and successful classroom practice that has gone into these ideas, it’s safe to say their merit as teaching philosophies is above reproach.
Both of these learning strategies are an attempt by teachers to better engage their students, while at the same time addressing their individual needs as learners.
"When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." – Tuli Kupferberg
Nowadays, with all the information available to educators about reaching students through a better understanding of their learning styles, combined with increased teacher and student access to technology, like Smart Boards and the Internet, the classroom experience has taken on new significance.
In the virtual learning environment, where I’ve been teaching for the past few years, it seems like on a weekly basis there is some new teaching tool clamouring for my attention. That’s exciting!
It’s a real thrill at this point in my career to take the foundation of over 20 years in the traditional classroom, and infuse that knowledge with cutting edge technologies, like Moodle, blogs and glogs, QuizStar, elive, and Wikis.
Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Twitter. What an amazing facet of social media that is!
By tapping into, or following, a number of key educators around the globe, I’ve been blessed with a constant flow of information to pick and choose from to improve my teaching practice.
When I consider what an interesting and exciting time it is to be a teacher, I’m reminded of the wise words of Abraham Lincoln. (With all due respect to the former U.S. President, I’ve qualified in brackets his use of the word ‘stormy’.)
“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy (innovative and inspiring) present.”


The objective of this study was to investigate the current situation, problems, perception, and the adoption of rice technology of farmers in Khon Kaen province of Thailand. Forty six rice farmers were selected from two villages: one representing the community in an irrigated area (Ban Dondu) while the other represented the community in a rainfed area (Ban Nong-gloy). Other than this difference in water resource input, the two villages are basically the same in socio-economic aspect, cultural and traditional background, and agroclimatic condition.
The results were divided into two parts : (1) the farmers situation, farm practices, and problems encountered, (2) adoption and related factors.
Most rice growers were between 41-60 years old, with a compulsory elementary education from primary school. All of then1 had over 10 years experience in rice farming. The average family size was six persons per household providing an average farm labour of 4 persons. Almost all of them had their own land for cultivation, averaging 2.4 hectares per household. The land was planted with two crops; rice-rice or rice-rice/other crops. Thus the other source of farm incon1e was mostly from cassava for farmers in rainfed village and from vegetable crops for farmers in irrigated village. The average farmers' income was 16,614 Baht per year. Irrigation Farmers mostly had more income than rainfed farmers.
Most farmers knew about credit agencies, credit procedure, and extension service (KT). They received credit mostly from cooperatives and used it to purchase inputs and hired labour. When they had problems in rice farming, farmers in irrigated village had gained recognition to KT while farmers in the rainfed village still believed the role and status of village leadership as their consultant in the first priority.
The farmers considered that TV was the most important source of rice farming information followed by radio, farm demonstration, and poster/leaflet.
In farming practice, farmers mostly adopted the recommended seed and fertiliser. However, the farmers need to improve their knowledge of how to apply fertiliser properly. Row planting was not adopted by farmers because it was difficult, time consuming, and had a high labour cost. Although farmers accepted pest/disease and weeds as their problems, some did not control them because they lacked knowledge. However, most controlled pest/disease and weeds with pesticide/herbicide or mechanical methods.
Several factors did not have a statistically significant influence on farmers' adoption of rice technology. They were age, family size, education, rice yield, income, credit, frequency of extension visit, farm demonstration, TV program and printed material.
Factors that were statistically significant in relation to farmers adoption of rice technology were farm size and radio program. Farmers with larger farm size were more likely to be high adopters. The farmers who listened to the agricultural radio program were high adopters than the farmers who listened to other programs.
Between, the two villages, yield, income, and the adoption level of farmers in rice technology were higher in the irrigated area than in the rainfed area. The farmers generally considered that irrigation was a necessary condition for the adoption of other related technologies.


Tired of Illiteracy, States Prescribe Phonics
Although a panel of national experts on reading recently called for "an end to the reading wars," their plea for a cease-fire came too late for many lawmakers, who had already concluded that the battle was over, with phonics triumphant and whole language in retreat.
Impatient with the student illiteracy spawned by whole language reading instruction, state legislatures and school boards across the country are ignoring protests from educators and prescribing explicit phonics instruction to boost reading skills.
After California embraced whole language reading instruction in 1987, the state's reading scores plunged, tying Louisiana for the rank of worst in the nation by 1995. In response, the state legislature approved "ABC" laws that required instructional materials to include "systematic, explicit phonics, spelling, and basic computational skills."
Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin have passed similar laws in recent years, and the trend is continuing as lawmakers grow increasingly impatient with the continuing failure of educators to solve reading problems in public schools.
In Maryland's Anne Arundel County, for example, almost two-thirds of third- and fifth-graders, and almost three-quarters of eighth-graders, cannot read at the required state standard for their grade. State Delegates Janet Greenip and Nancy Jacobs cite these results as their reason for introducing a bill that would require elementary teachers in public schools to use phonics as the primary method of teaching reading.
Although many school district officials oppose the idea, Nebraska State Senator Kate Witek introduced in January a one-sentence bill requiring schools to use phonics to teach reading through second grade. Her bill reads: "School districts shall include the use of explicit systematic phonics instruction with decodable text as a part of the reading curriculum in kindergarten through grade two."
In Mississippi, State Representative Rita Martinson has sponsored legislation that would offer $5,000 federal grants to public schools that use a nationally recommended phonics instruction program, an idea supported by Governor Kirk Fordyce. Another bill would require the State Department of Education to include phonics programs in its revised strategy for teaching children how to read.
"If all children in Mississippi could be reading at their own grade level at the end of the third grade, our economic status would shoot high," said Martinson.
In February, the Washington state legislature sent Governor Gary Locke a bill that calls for a phonics grant program for schools with poor readers. In Arizona, the state legislature is considering a bill mandating that K-3 reading programs emphasize phonics instruction. The North Carolina legislature has appointed a committee to develop a more phonics-based curriculum.
In Georgia, Governor Zell Miller has asked the legislature for $19 million to fund the phonics-based Reading First program in the state's elementary schools, despite school officials’ claims that such decisions should be left up to local boards of education. Sixteen districts are already experimenting with the program, which is supported by the State Board of Education and State Schools Superintendent Linda Schrenko.
School boards are already returning to phonics. At a February retreat, administrators and school board members from Georgia's Effingham County agreed to institute the Saxon Phonics program as part of a renewed focus on teaching pupils how to read. Last fall, Milwaukee Public Schools board member Leon Todd introduced a resolution to re-establish comprehensive phonics literacy instruction in that city's schools, calling whole language reading instruction "a failed reform initiative."
Parent groups are also actively promoting phonics. In Tennessee, the Eagle Forum is pushing a bill to require phonics instruction in all classrooms. A group of churches in Jacksonville, Florida, in January petitioned public school officials to expand the use of the "direct instruction" phonics method. Two years ago, in what was called a "rebellion against 'whole language,'" hundreds of Chicago parents hired private tutors after finding their children read far below grade level.
"The swing toward whole language, the substitution of whole language for phonics, has done a lot of damage," Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas told the Chicago Sun-Times.
George A. Clowes is managing editor of School Reform News. His email address is firstname.lastname@example.org.


Using popular music and jazz in formal music education is controversial for music educators and to some extent, the greater popular music community. Many musical styles historically categorized as "popular," such as jazz, blues, country, musical theater, rhythm and blues, gospel, rock, and hip hop were created in the United States. But American educational institutions have been slow to accept these indigenous musical practices as worthy of study in the higher education music curriculum. Nonetheless, as the twentieth century progressed, a small number of college music programs began to add popular music to the curriculum. In this article, I will present preliminary research on how junior colleges included popular music and jazz in their curriculum during the Swing Era, spanning from 1935-1945.
American Popular Music in Higher Education
In an address to the MENC Society for Research in Music Education in 2000, Jere Humphreys observed, "We American music educators have been trying to bend the American public's musical knowledge, tastes, and practices to our collective will since before our nation became a nation. Beginning in colonial days and extending to the present day, music educators and others have been trying to tell Americans what kind of music they should perform, listen to, and even appreciate." (1) The "kind of music" that Humphreys mentions is Western European art music, as it is known in the academy, or classical music, as it is more commonly known by the general public.
Although the music curriculum began to diversify during the second half of the twentieth century, Western European art music still provides the foundation for academic musical studies in higher education. In his ethnographic study of Midwestern university schools of music, Heartland Excursions, ethnomusicologist Bruno Nettl concludes, "... the 'music' in schools of music always means, exclusively or overwhelmingly, Western classical music (also called 'art music,' 'canonic music,' 'cultivated music,' 'serious music,' and even--wryly--'real music' and 'normal music')." (2) Reviewing the course catalogs of college and university music programs in 1998, Sammie Ann Wicks arrives at a similar conclusion. She writes, "The rigid 'classical-music-only' orientation has dominated American universities' music department curricula for so long, in fact, that this cultural style is now considered universal and is assumed to be the model for all others. We do not have Theory of Music in the Elite Western-European Tradition in the curriculum, we have 'Music Theory;' not 'Appreciation ofMusic in the Elite Western-European Tradition, but 'Music Appreciation.'" (3)
In an address to his American colleagues at MENC, British musicologist Christopher Small comments on the lack of value placed on indigenous American musical styles in all areas of music education. He writes, "to this outsider it seems strange that in the very heartland of this powerful and endlessly varied musical culture he should find that those who are charged with developing the musicality of young people should place so little value on it, and should cling instead, with a tenacity that looks a little like desperation, to the great works of the European past." (4)
These scholars are informed by the contemporary concepts of multiculturalism, which arose during the Civil Rights Era of the 1950s and 1960s. Its apogee can be seen in the pronouncements of the Tanglewood Declaration in 1968, when a group of music educators agreed that "Music of all periods, styles, forms, and cultures belongs in the curriculum. The musical repertory should be expanded to involve music of our time in its rich variety, including currently popular teenage music and avant-garde music, American folk music, and the music of other cultures." (5)
It is unclear whether the authors of this statement were addressing the entire spectrum of formal music education including college and university music programs, but nevertheless these sentiments had a significant effect in the years following the declaration. …


As a body of knowledge, South African Visual Arts curricula are largely Eurocentric. My frustrations are less about what is included the curriculum, as what is excluded. There is a definite absence of black scholars and Black Art Movements in the academic texts. I use the term “black” to describe a people of indigenous African descent as well as Africans in the Diaspora.
We can argue the question of Blackness and what that may mean, but what remains is that there is a certain point of view that is sprung from a Black experience shared by people within that cluster. The continued thrust of a Eurocentric approach to Learning is what propels the necessity of the exploration of Visual communication devised for n non-European audience.
How Learners define and articulate theories is based on their cultural identities as well as the socio-political spaces they occupy. If their socio-political spaces centre on a largely peri-urban Black existence, how do we dare require that they communicate to this audience via a foreign Visual Language? If indeed the pulse of their societies is felt in their veins, it is only reasonable to expect that they express this “vibe” to a ready audience.
Visual Arts curricula do not adequately highlight their cultural presence, heritage and history. At present, there is an apparent devaluing of African histories and knowledge in the curriculum. The creative works of the indigenous peoples of the world are grouped under the title “Africa, Americas and Oceania”, where only Traditional Arts are presented, though not explored in any great depth.
Inclusively does not mean the inclusion of Black Art; but rather to take an Afrocentric approach. Afrocentricity# is the study of phenomena grounded in perspectives and epistemological constructs of peoples of African descent. I am not implying that we remove all the other views of the Visual Arts, but rather to consider an Afrocentric view in order to provide a complete understanding of what it is to live in a pluralistic society. What we need is a “multi-centric” approach. Centricity locates Learners within their own cultural frame of reference so that they can connect socially, politically, ideologically, spiritually and emotionally to the learning process.
While Afrocentricity may well be criticized as being largely historical in nature, there is little in the way of the study of Afrocentric Visual works that are created in Post-Modern and Contemporary times that helps form the basis for a student of the visual arts for what might be her point of view. Within the Afrocentric approach, there are many other cultures that are specific to particular contexts, e.g. an Afrocentric approach to Pedagogy in Botswana would be vastly different to one that is instituted in South Africa. The South African perspective is not as easily homogenous as that of Botswana, and therefore requires the integration of other cultural influences such as the consideration of the IsiZulu, the English, the Afrikaans, and the IsiSwati cultural contributions amongst others.
The mission of Visual Art Education as a Teaching and Learning relationship therefore would be to construct learning conditions leading to full and equitable social participation. The aim is for a visual literacy that accommodates aspects of a multiplicity of discourses. In this way, the pedagogy takes into account our ethnolinguistically diverse cultural make-up.


I decided to do an experiment with my Introduction to Electronic Music classes. I created an entire unit that I would give very little “live” explanation about the assignments but provided students with detailed assignment sheets, complete with graphics, and corresponding video explaining and demonstrating how to do each assignment in the software. All the teaching and work would be done in class just as always except, this time, they would be listening and watching me explain and demonstrate via video screen-cast. The unit I chose was the Final Project. Suffice to say, things are much better than expected!
The 10 session course will be in the Standard Format and run for 11 consecutive weeks, skipping Thanksgiving week. In 10 sessions you’ll not only learn the basics of GarageBand but how to use it to teach basic music and composition skills to your students. You leave the course with all the materials you need to teach an introductory course using music technology including 17 lesson plans, student assignment sheets, handouts and worksheets for the lessons.
A frequent discussion thread in music education involves re-evaluating traditional school ensemble music programs – bands, orchestras, choirs – and the role of music education in reaching and teaching what Rick Dammers and David Williams refer to as “non-traditional” music students. At their website, Music Creativity Through Technology, Dammers and Williams make the case for the kinds of programs that … Read More
Teaching Music with GarageBand Three (3) Graduate Credits through Salem State University Here’s the course calendar for the course beginning June 16, 2012. The Accelerated Format delivers 10 Units over a 5-week period. The Course Weeks overlap Saturday through Wednesday and Tuesday through Saturday. One Unit is made available on Saturday morning by 8 AM. Participant’s assignments for this Unit … Read More
The newest course from MusicEdTech, Teaching Music with GarageBand is now being offered online. Course begins June 16, 2012 and runs in the Accelerated Format for five (5) weeks. Three (3) Graduate credits are available. For more information, click here. To register for this course, click here.
Handouts for 2012 conferences.
As of September 1, 2011, the organization formerly known as Music Educators National Conference ( MENC) changed its name to National Association of Music Educators or NAfME. NAfME traces it’s roots back to 1907 when it was first called the Music Supervisors National Conference according to today’s press release (http://www.menc.org/news/view/press-release-building-on-the-past-to-shape-the-future-of-music-education/). NAfME sports a great looking new logo and some changes … Read More
The January 2011 Music Education Carnival hosted by MusicEdTech.com This carnival hopes to provide a “sounding board” and venue for publication for the Music Education Related Bloggers. Anyone who is writing about topics that are directly related to musicians, music performance, music education, or music technology are welcome to be part of this carnival.
On December 3, 2010, I gave a session at the NY State School Music Association Winter Conference in Rochester, NY entitled Teach Music. The Technology Will Follow. The session was about how free or inexpensive entry-level software for Mac (GarageBand) or PC (Mixcraft) can be used to teach music concepts. I ran out of handouts so here’s a .pdf file … Read More


"The Star Spangled Banner" is a difficult song to sing because of the octave and a half range of the music. The Rim Country Middle School chorus has been practicing since the beginning of the school year to learn the words and sing them to the standards of the national anthem code.
Last Wednesday at 9 a.m. they joined students from all over our nation in song when they performed our national anthem from the basketball court at RCMS.
"This was an effort of the National Association for Music Education to solve the issue of people not knowing the national anthem," said RCMS music teacher Karen Phylow.
It is also an attempt to bring more attention to school music programs where it is first taught.
"Two out of three (adult) Americans do not know the words," she said.
Seventh-grade choral member Caleb Harrison and several others thought that they had learned the song at home.
"Whenever I go to baseball games, I usually sing along," he said.
Phylow estimated that 90 percent of her students did not know the lyrics at the beginning of the year.
While they were learning, some funny, yet common, mistakes occurred.
Ramparts was "rampharts."
"Who brought stripes and white stars," became correctly, "Whose broad stripes and bright stars."
One student thought the anthem opened with "Jose, can you see?" not "Oh say! can you see."
Another's "donserly light" was corrected to "dawn's early light."
Teaching all her students the correct lyrics was not Phylow's only goal. She included a history lesson.
Attorney Francis Scott Key's friend Dr. William Beanes was taken prisoner by the British during the war of 1812. Key successfully negotiated Beanes' release, however, the men were not allowed to return to Baltimore until the bombardment of Fort McHenry.
Key watched from eight miles away as bombing continued through the night. At dawn, the British gave up, and, seeing the American flag was still flying, he quickly penned the famous poem.
The actual flag that Key saw flying is on public display at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. It is undergoing preservation.
The flag measures 30-by-42-feet and was made by Mary Young Pickersgill.
"We learned it has 15 stars and 15 stripes," said seventh-grader Deedra Wayland. (These were for the original 13 colonies plus Kentucky and Vermont.)
The music is attributed to an old English tavern song, "To Anacreon in Heaven." John Stafford Smith is credited with scoring the music.
"My students thought it was funny that the music came from a drinking song," Phylow said.
There was a 20-year battle in Congress over the adoption of "The Star Spangled Banner" as our national anthem, Phylow said. It was adopted on March 3, 1931
The Code for the national anthem of the United States of America was adopted by the national anthem committee on April 2, 1942.
"The code states that it should never be just played," Phylow said. "It is not meant to be played as a solo because that would violate the spirit of the national anthem."
A-Flat is the key for mass singing of adults and band or instrumental performances. B-flat is used for treble voices.
The RCMS chorus learned the etiquette of folding and unfolding the 15-by-25-foot flag used in their performance.
Phylow is pleased that all of her students know the first verse of The Star Spangled Banner. Knowing 100 percent of the first verse was the requirement for a passing grade.
The RCMS chorus is comprised of more than 60 students. Chorus is a year-long exploration at RCMS. It is open to all grade levels. They are practicing for a winter concert, with the performance date to be determined.


Fine Arts Programs in Elementary Schools
For all Texas public school students, art learning begins in kindergarten. Elementary programs provide sequential art content and unique learning experiences at each grade level. Elementary students produce creative and imaginative pieces that:
- Develop perceptual skills
- Use a variety of media in multiple activities
- Reflect knowledge of art history
- Show art as an expression of cultural experience
- Foster skills of evaluation.
In the primary grades, art helps students become more aware of their physical environment, extend and develop the use of the senses, and utilize inventive thinking. Art programs support individual interpretation of ideas, thoughts, and feelings and provide opportunities to work in a variety of media. Teachers encouraging students to explore and express their responses to artwork.
In kindergarten through grade 2, students create two- and three-dimensional artworks, including drawings, paintings, prints, and constructions (e.g., puppets, masks). Art experiences utilize creative problem solving by encouraging children to be original and imaginative. Group projects allow students to exchange ideas and to work collaboratively. As students encounter art and produce their own art, they begin to understand that people often have different responses to similar experiences.
In grades 3-5, teachers build on students’ art knowledge and experiences, and the Art TEKS become more complex. At times, instruction must be individualized. Students who have had limited involvement with art begin with basic processes. As understanding grows, so does the ability to express ideas and respond to visual forms. Visits to museums and galleries are a good way to supplement sequenced class instruction, and they also foster interest in art and help students relate art to everyday life.
Students continue to develop visual literacy. Experiences that develop students’ awareness of line, color, texture, and form are fundamental to the grades 3-5 program. Examining the design, structure, and function of natural objects and of works of art enables students to appreciate art and make informed personal choices about art in their lives.
Third, fourth, and fifth graders continue making two- and three-dimensional art, including drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, fiber art, jewelry, photography, film projects, and electronic media projects. As students approach adolescence, they have an increased desire to apply art elements, design principles, and art techniques to their own creations. Their works reflect more deliberate decision making than earlier works, and they describe their thinking and artistic processes using more specific art vocabulary.
Developing sincere, informed art appreciation by interacting with contemporary and historic artwork is a key aspect of early art education. Furthermore, it can be a means for students to understand and value cultural diversity.
Significant learning in art is possible only when educators give careful attention to time and scheduling. Sufficient time must be available for teachers to teach and for students to learn the Art TEKS.
Districts make decisions about time allocations, meeting patterns, and class sizes. Time allotted to art includes instruction in art concepts and skills, completion of work, and distribution and cleanup of materials. Art education requires individualized instruction in a laboratory situation. Large numbers of students reduce the effectiveness of teaching and learning. A maximum of 25 students per class is suggested.
The specialist needs one duty-free planning and preparation period per day with scheduled intervals between classes. Classroom teachers may escort students to and from the classroom, providing security for the students and time for the art specialist to set up for the next class. The specialist may require additional assistance when the class contains students with special needs.
Specialists assigned to multiple campuses need an additional period for travel, record keeping, materials management, and preparation of multiple art laboratories. An additional benefit of having an art specialist as part of the faculty is flexibility in scheduling conference periods for elementary classroom teachers.
A quality art room is visually attractive and has the necessary equipment, supplies, and materials to teach the TEKS. Art spaces are flexible enough to be used for large group, small group, or individual activities. The art specialist has a well-stocked art room while another comparable room is also available for other teachers to use when teaching art. Outdoor workspace adjoining the art rooms allows for outdoor extension activities. Adequate storage space for supplies, materials, equipment, and works-in-progress is essential. Both open and closed storage is provided.