A well-rounded education includes the arts (music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature, film). The arts encourage creativity, innovation, and self-confidence—essential skills for a 21st century workforce. The arts have been shown to reach students that don’t learn well through traditional methods, sparking an interest in learning and academic achievement. Increased school attendance, civic engagement, and decrease anti-social behaviors have all been linked to arts education. Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA ) can help schools include the arts in their curriculum in a variety of ways.
TCA offers a program to provide affordable ($150 on up) high-quality artists who are willing to travel to schools to do performances, workshops, residencies, and master classes. TCA maintains a searchable list of these artists called the Texas Touring Roster. Artists of all disciplines and genres compete for the chance to be part of the roster. Many of these artists offer programs specifically designed to work with the Texas curriculum on a variety of subjects. The roster has artists ready to work with students from pre-K through high school and beyond. Schools (public, private, homeschool) may apply to TCA for a portion of the cost of bringing these artists to their campus. It is a simple application process based on the dates of the performance. To apply, visit with TCA Program Staff.
This video demonstrates the program:
Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud is a national program created by the Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. TCA provides Texas schools with Poetry Out Loud lesson plans, resources, and the opportunity to work with Texas poets. Students choose poems to memorize and recite from the Poetry Out Loud website. Schools hold competitions to determine the student who will go on to the statewide competition each February. The state winner competes in the national finals in April. Visit the TCA Poetry Out Loud webpage for more information.
This program awards grants for summer study to the most talented and promising young artists in our state. This is a highly competitive program open to 8th to 11th graders of all artistic disciplines. The winners receive the title of Young Master and are awarded grants to help further their studies in their chosen arts discipline. Past Young Masters have used the grant to attend summer programs at Juilliard, Interlochen, Alvin Ailey, Joffrey School of Ballet, Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference, Digital Media Academy, School of the Arts Institute of Chicago, and Maryland Institute College of Art among others. Visit the Young Masters Program webpage for more information.
Our grants fund activities provided by arts organizations across the state. TCA can help connect you with arts organizations in your community that may be able to provide arts programming in your school. Contact TCA Program Staff or search our list of grantees by city online.
Our staff has the expertise to help you develop a plan for incorporating the arts into your curriculum. We can point you to best practices and working models across the state. We can connect you to resources and experts.
Free or low-cost resources:
Art and Media Communications is a TEA approved curriculum developed by the Texas Cultural Trust focused on teaching 9th grade students 21st century workforce skills in the creative media arts. Specific emphasis is placed on media literacy and cultural studies on top of rigorous explorations into the contemporary visual art and media design fields.
The Art-To-Go lending library of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston features materials that may easily be integrated across the K–12 curriculum. Resources include DVDs, music CDs, children’s books, study guides, poster sets, and more.
North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts (NTIEVA) has had more than fifteen years of experience in providing quality professional development experiences in comprehensive art education, museum education, technology training, arts advocacy, and leadership development for a wide variety of audiences. Their website offers a wide variety of curriculum materials, study prints, and other electronically-based materials.


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Spanish classes prepare early learners
The King County Library System and the King County Library System Foundation are celebrating a literacy fiesta.
The Fiestas de Alfabetización Temprana en Español, or Early Literacy Parties in Spanish, are an eight-week series of free weekly workshops for Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers with children ages newborn to five. Each fiesta helps parents learn about early literacy and how to prepare their children for kindergarten.
The goal, program coordinator Teresa Luengo Cid said, is to make parents aware of the importance of early literacy and to prepare children for school so they are not at a disadvantage.
The “fiestas” offer families the opportunity to understand their role as their child’s first and most important teacher, and encourage them to take a proactive approach in the education of their children.
In each of the fiestas families are provided with information about early literacy, free books in Spanish, craft materials, snacks, beverages and the opportunity to socialize with other Spanish- speaking families.
Early literacy is what children need to know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. The development of early literacy skills through early experiences with books, stories, dramatic plays, talking, singing, nursery rhymes and art projects is linked to a child’s literacy development and academic success.
Research in early brain development shows that children prepare to read as early as infancy. Reading to – and with – young children is one of the most effective ways parents can support brain development and early learning skills.
Cid said the children are also engaged in learning the alphabet, letters and sounds. Trained volunteers model for parents and caregivers.
The fall fiestas are offered through December in six locations. The closest is currently taking place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Muckleshoot Library on state Route 164 just outside Enumclaw. Classes continue Tuesday and Dec. 8. Registration is not required, and Cid said the classes are set up to stand individually, so parents can come in for the final two or three without a problem. For information about the series, contact Cid at 425-369-3443, through e-mail at email@example.com or visit the Web site at www.kcls.org/fiestas.
The next series begins in January at the Auburn library.


Even before they can read, children as young as 3 years of age are beginning to understand how a written word is different than a simple drawing -- a nuance that could provide an important early indicator for children who may need extra help with reading lessons, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.
"Our results show that children have some knowledge about the fundamental properties of writing from a surprisingly early age," said study co-author Rebecca Treiman, PhD, the Burke & Elizabeth High Baker Professor of Child Developmental Psychology in Arts & Sciences.
"Based on the results, it may be possible to determine at an early age which children are progressing well in the learning of emergent literacy skills and which children may need extra attention," Treiman said.
Forthcoming in the journal Child Development, the study is based on two experiments with 114 children ages 3-to-5 years who had not yet received any formal instruction in reading or writing.
The children were tested to see how well they understood that a written word, such as dog, has one specific pronunciation ("dog") as compared with a simple drawing of a dog, which could be correctly labeled as the image of a dog, a puppy or even a pet named Spot.
In the first test, researchers read the written word "dog" to the children.
Later, when a puppet employed in the experiment read the word "dog" as "puppy," many children picked up on the mistake. In a similar task with drawings, children were more likely to say that the puppet was correct in using the alternative label.
The different results in the writing and drawing conditions indicate that even young pre-readers have some understanding that a written word stands for one specific linguistic unit in a way that a drawing does not. While a written word should be read the same way each time, it is sometimes appropriate to use different labels for a drawing, the researchers explain.
Most children don't begin formal instruction in reading and writing until they turn 5 and enter kindergarten, but these findings suggest that children as young as 3 may be tested to see how well their understanding of basic language concepts is progressing.
"Our finding that preschool-age children who cannot yet read have some understanding that written words represent specific words in a way that drawings do not indicates that young children's knowledge about the inner structure of writing -- how it functions as a symbol -- is more sophisticated than previously thought," said study co-author Lori Markson, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences.
The results are surprising given that some literacy development theories have suggested that pre-readers treat written words as representing meanings directly, as pictures do.
More recent research, however, shows that parents often speak differently about pictures than they do about letters and words, helping even very small children begin to understand the writing something is in many ways similar to saying it.
"Such experiences may help children to learn, even before they can read, that writing conveys meaning in a different way than drawing does," Markson said.
While dozens of research studies have shown that reading to young children helps them build a stronger cognitive foundation for later reading and writing, this study is one of the first to offer a simple method for benchmarking how well children are progressing in their understanding of basic concepts about how writing works as a symbol.
This understanding may be crucial to later success in formal reading and writing instruction.
This research was supported by NICHD Grant HD051610 and NSF Grant BCS-1421279. Other co-authors include Lana Hompluem, Jessica Gordon and Kristina Decker. Hompluem and Gordon worked on the research while undergraduate psychology students at Washington University.


Claude Monet | Water Lily Pond
from the Lesson Zone Index
Students will be introduced to the art of French artist Claude Monet, by being introduced to his art, and then by creating their own masterpiece after his work. This free lesson plan is in fulfillment of Standard #4: K-4 and Standard #4: 5-8 of the National Standards for Art Education: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures.
Color Plate of Water Lily Pond (1897)
Cardstock or Medium Weight Paper
Oil or Tempra Paints
Paint pallet (cardboard or paper plate)
Tell students, "This is Claude Monet's Water Lily Pond. It is one of the most famous paintings by this impressionist artist. The painting of his garden in Giverny, France, represents his emphasis on light and a spontaneous painting style, evidenced by his visible brush strokes. The way in which the light danced on the bridge, water and trees was just as important and element in his scene as the elements themselves."
Tell students, "We will be learning about Monet's unique painting style, and then each of you will recreate his Water Lily Pond yourself. We will spend the next two art classes on this project, working on your painting in sections."
Ask students, "Who can tell me how Monet captured light in his painting?" and "How with you go about reproducing this effect?"
Tell students, "I will show you how to paint one of the trees, and then you will spend the rest of the class period on completing the upper portion of the painting. We will save the bridge for next time. Since Monet's style seeks to give the viewer the essence of a scene, rather than picture perfect view, you will be painting most of the work with a sponge."
Tell students, "Now it's your turn. Begin by taking a piece of paper from the center of the table. With a pencil, draw the contour of the lily pond. This line will define the bottom edge of the work you will complete today. When you have completed this step you may begin painting."
Tell students, "This is our second day working on our Water Lily Pond painting. Last time we observed that Claude Monet's art is characterized by an emphasis on light and visible brush strokes. Today will focus on completing the pond and foot bridge. Since the railings of the bridge are narrow, you will need to use a paint brush. You will find them in the middle of the table."
As the students paint you can quiz them with questions about Claude Monet, or about his painting style and how they are applying what they know to their recreation of Water Lily Pond.


Education/Newsletter/June 2014/Wikipedia Primary School Project
Wikipedia Primary School Project
The Wikipedia Primary School project is an endeavor which seeks to understand whether or not Wikipedia articles meet the needs of primary school education.
This research aims to define and select relevant articles which address primary school curriculum, to facilitate the production of high quality new content which will be compatible with Wikipedia, and to assess existing articles linked to primary education, with a focus on Africa. The project will involve the Wikipedia community, partners, volunteers, scholars and experts in the field of education.
While numerous research projects have looked at Wikipedia contents and have consulted the Wikipedia community, this research utilizes methodology that involves a number of external people and entities.
The research is being conducted by two teams of researchers: one from SUPSI in Switzerland and one from the University of Cape Town. The programme partners are the Africa Centre and Wikimedia Switzerland (WMCH).
Various school systems were evaluated to understand how they work and to determine the differences between them, with the idea that what children study in African countries can be different than what children study in European countries. The point is understanding the main topics which primary schools teach in the countries that were observed.
The research team seeks to find out if content on Wikipedia answers questions that children, parents, and teachers ask in context of primary school learning. For example, Wikipedia has articles about continents and countries, but do those articles adequately cover climate, geography, biology, history such that there is sufficient information to support students in their studies?
The teams will compile a list of articles, both existing articles as well as articles that have not yet been created. Academic journals will peer review existing articles or issue calls for papers for experts to write articles in their fields and release them under a free license so that the information can later be made available for use on Wikipedia. The results of the peer review will be published in the project journal which will be linked to on the assessed articles' talk pages. The teams will not be publishing any information directly on Wikipedia, but they will notify the community of their availability, should they wish to refer to them. Documentation is available on Meta.


Beyond the Reading Wars
A Balanced Approach to Helping Children Learn to Read
Edited by Robyn Ewing
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Beyond the Reading Wars by Robyn Ewing
Book DescriptionUseful for teachers and parents of primary children struggling to undertand the often bitter debate related to teaching of reading. Specially the meris or disadvantages of using so-called whole language versus phonetics methods. Explores the history and latest research about reading process and pedagagy with practical tips and insights.
Buy Beyond the Reading Wars book by Robyn Ewing from Australia's Online Bookstore, Boomerang Books.
Book DetailsISBN: 9781875622665
(245mm x mm x mm)
Imprint: Primary English Teaching Association (PETA)
Publisher: Primary English Teaching Association (PETA)
Publish Date: 1-Jun-2006
Country of Publication: Australia
Books By Author Robyn Ewing
Language and Literacy Development in Early Childhood, Paperback (June 2016)
This book provides pre-service and practising teachers with an accessible, integrated approach to language and literacy learning in early childhood.
Curriculum and Assessment: Storylines, Paperback (September 2013)
The book covers issues about curricula and assessment and shows how to develop and plan lessons within a structured curriculum.
Transforming the Curriculum Through the Arts, Paperback (August 2011)» View all books by Robyn Ewing
There is much evidence to suggest that the Arts can make a unique contribution to the lives of young people, their learning and their ability to be creative and imaginative thinkers. Transforming the Curriculum through the Arts supports this idea by presenting the Arts as being central to children's development.
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UBC Mathematics for Elementary Education Teachers
|Resources for teaching Math230-335 course
CWSEI project resourses and Diagnostic Test
- For full package of Math 230 project materials please see Math Department Course Archive
- For partial package of Math 230 project materials please see the CWSEI Course Archive.
- BCcumps (The British Columbia Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics and Statistics) MFEE (Math for Elementary Education) Resources
- Important: Recommendations of BCcumps on structure and contents of mathematics course for pre-service elementary teachers.
Articles by mathematics educators
Articles by mathematicians
- Taking Place Value Seriously: Arithmetic, Estimation, and Algebra,
Roger Howe, Yale University and Susanna Epp, DePaul University
- Three Pillars of First Grade Mathematics, Roger Howe, Yale University
- The Mis-Education of Mathematics Teachers, Hung-Hsi Wu, University of California, Berkeley
- What's Sophisticated about Elementary Mathematics, Hung-Hsi Wu, University of California, Berkeley
- Hung-Hsi Wu's homepage at the UC, Berkeley with more articles on mathematics education. Resources for teaching the teachers and their future students are also available there.
UBC resources - past and present
Books on education of future K-7 teachers
Linkds to Elementary Ed courses at other universities
Assembled as part of CWSEI project by Katya Yurasovskaya


In addition to Tom Au's answer on the Meiji Restoration above, is the break down of the central coordinating mechanisms of the Tokugawa or Edo Era that preceded the Meiji Era. In ca 1600, Japan was unified under a military regime (bakufu or Shogunate) led by the supreme military leader, the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu who had his castle in Edo (now Tokyo). The system set up by the Tokugawa regime functioned for ca 260 years as a strict caste society. There were four castes (with the shogun and his top leaders above all four): samurai, peasant, craftsmen, merchants. There was one caste below, the untouchables or eta, who dealt with anything related to death including tanning.
Peasants comprised the vast majority of the population (ca 80%) and owned the land; the economy was based on rice production. Other commodities (barley, millet, soy, etc) were traded but rice was like gold today. Merchants were essential to moving goods around the country (including seeds and new technology for improving harvests) and developed skills in handling / storing commodities (including sake, silk, soy sauce, dried fish and items made by the skilled craftsmen). A money economy developed in the merchant caste and many of them became skilled in banking and a small futures market developed in Osaka. Over time, merchants accumulated wealth while many a high-class samurai went hungry. The Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa's 1956 film) depicts some aspects of the life at that time including the rigid caste system and masterless samurai (ronin).
By the mid-1800s the Edo system was increasingly strained: the top samurai caste (and those above them) owed massive debts to the bottom caste (merchants). In today's world, it is not unlike the power (that is money) that multinational corporations have/control vis-a-vis many national governments. In short, the Edo Period was ready to breakdown, and the arrival of Matthew Perry's Black Ships from the USA helped it along that path.
During the Tokugawa / Edo Period, high-ranking samurai became skilled at bureaucratic management of the complex rice economy. At the same time, many low-ranking samurai seized opportunities in the money (gold and silver) economy such as schemes to create more land through landfill so they then could become land owners and gained the option to become wealthy peasants. Some of the more impoverished samurai relinquished their samurai status altogether and became bankers and traders. Some of Japan's early zaibatsu (financial cliques organized as family-owned holding companies) were founded with a strict code of honor, such as the House of Mitsui, patterned on samurai society.
Skilled samurai and merchants became essential to the early organization of the Meiji Era. (In the mid-1800s, educated males were ca 50% of society, females ca 15%.) Many former samurai with bureaucratic knowledge created the new government and naturally the modern military. Many leading merchants helped create a modern financial system including a new central bank, the Bank of Japan. Edo Period Japan had been closed off to trade and influence from outside, and so to remedy that gap, various missions to learn about the world were initiated. The most famous of these was the Iwakura Mission lasting from Dec 23, 1871 until Sept 13, 1873. The main aims of the missions were to renegotiate the unequal treaties that Japan had been forced into with the US and many European countries and to learn about the technology, science, social and economic structures of those modern countries. The learning that was brought back to Japan influenced how the country was modernized over the coming decades. By 1900, for example, 90% of the population was enrolled in elementary education.


Exploring Color Theory - Science for Kids
A couple weeks ago I shared how to make colored ice for sensory play. I saved six cubes in each primary color for an experiment in color theory that I first saw on Red Ted Art. JZ (6) and I have been enjoying a variety of water science experiments lately, so I knew he'd be fascinated watching color mixing with ice. This simple science experiment for kids is perfect for exploring color theory.
How to Explore Color Theory with Ice
I set out the colored ice in separate containers and asked JZ to think about what possible color combinations he could make with red, yellow, and blue. After thinking it over he started with red and blue, predicting that they would make purple.
He combined blue and yellow in the second jar and yellow and orange in the third.
What he wanted to do most of all was to see what would happen with all three colors, so he mixed the remaining ice cubes in one of the plastic containers and left it out in the sun with the jars.
The great thing about this experiment in color theory is that it requires patience. Each time we checked on the jars of ice we noticed little changes, but it took several hours to really see the results. With younger children I recommend doing this water experiment on a hot day for quicker results.
One interesting thing we noticed is that since JZ layered some of the colored ice cubes in alternating colors, the tint of the water was different each time we checked on it.
I think JZ secretly enjoyed his murky brown combination the most. Look how cool the different shades and combinations are as they melt.
We love simple science experiments, and this was the perfect project for a stay at home day.
Tank and Peanut (36 months) exercised great self control by not touching the glass jars while we waited for the ice to melt. Once the ice had fully melted and the colors mixed, I poured the colored water into plastic containers and let them play.
More color mixing experiments for kids:


“Herrera’s biography-driven approach offers ample opportunities for teachers to bring children’s lived experiences, their social, cultural, and language histories, into the thick of the pedagogical action as important resources for learning and development.”
—Luis C. Moll, College of Education, University of Arizona
“This is a wonderful, fresh, application-focused model that integrates the best of teaching and learning in preparing future educators and inservice teachers. Reading this book should result in more schools teaching CLD learners in a more responsible and developmentally appropriate way.”
—Pedro R. Portes, College of Education, The University of Georgia
“This work takes readers on a journey from the unknown of teaching CLD learners to the known of academic success for all students. I think the most valuable contribution of this book is the ease with which teachers will come to understand and to apply the foundations of biography-driven instruction.”
—Diane Rodriguez, East Carolina University
“Biography-driven instruction is one powerful way to find common ground among all students in the classroom. Everyone has a biography that is distinct and unique. The author uses concrete examples and ‘how to’ approaches when describing theory and its application. The book is very much needed!”
—Diana Gonzales Worthen, University of Arkansas
Nationally known literacy expert Socorro Herrera provides a practical guide for teachers serving culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. Teachers will learn how to plan and implement more successful culturally responsive instruction using student biographies as the point of departure. The author provides tools for tapping into the strengths students bring from their sociocultural, linguistic, cognitive, and academic histories. She shows how to both draw on these assets as a teacher and guide students to better access their own strengths and existing funds of knowledge and prior knowledge to accelerate academic learning. Herrera’s research-based strategies incorporate easily into any program being used by a school or district for improved results. Perfect for professional development, this book takes the reader on a personal journey of reflection on multiple aspects of teaching and learning in the context of their own diverse classroom communities.
- Tools for understanding families and students in ways that value culture and language.
- CLD teaching strategies based on the most current knowledge in the field.
- Concrete examples of differentiated instruction from diverse classrooms.
- Support for Level 1 Response to Intervention (RTI ) implementation and reduction of the need for Levels 2 and 3.
- Teacher voices and samples of student work.
Socorro Herrera is a Professor in the Department of Elementary Education and Executive Director of the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA) at the College of Education, Kansas State University. As a keynote speaker, district consultant, and trainer of trainers, she has helped teachers across the country find new paths to academic success for CLD learners.
Download selected instructional aids from the book here.


How does musical training influence the child's brain and the development of skills like language and attention? The Neurosciences Institute, UC San Diego, and the San Diego Youth Symphony have formed a new partnership to address these questions. We are recruiting children between 5 to 8 years of age who receive or plan to receive instrumental/vocal music instruction to participate in the SIMPHONY study. To understand how music affects the structure of the brain, participants will be asked to lie still in an MRI scanner for up to one hour while watching a video. To understand how music affects cognition, participants will do simple computerized tasks. These sessions will occur at different points in their music education and will be conducted in association with CHD's PLING Study.
To learn more about the SIMPHONY study or to find out if your child is eligible to participate, please contact us at email@example.com or (858) 822-2148.
For more information about other Center for Human Development studies, please contact Melanie Maddox at firstname.lastname@example.org or (858) 822-2148.
This project is supported by:


Why I Write: Arvind Gupta Plays with the Words of Science
Date: October 7, 2011
Summary: Arvind Gupta, an Indian toy inventor and popularizer of science for kids, is known for turning trash into seriously entertaining, well-designed toys that kids can build themselves—while learning basic principles of science and design. He brings a similar spirit of exploratory playfulness to writing about science.
I primarily write because there are readers. In 1986, I wrote my first book—Matchstick Models & Other Science Experiments. It was translated in 12 Indian languages and sold close to a million copies. I was flooded with letters from children, teachers, and parents who liked the science activities. This inspired me to write more.
I also write because I have something to say. In India, rare is a school which has a science lab. All science is learned by rote. Children mug up definitions and formulas and spit them out in exams. The government hasn't the money to put science labs in schools. Labs with burettes, pipettes, and kids in white coats are expensive. So the science equipment is permanently locked in cupboards to gather dust. People forget that the most precious and sacred piece of apparatus in the whole lab is the child's mind!
People forget that the most precious and sacred piece of apparatus in the whole lab is the child's mind!
Unlike disciplines like literature and civics, science lends itself to learning through experiments. Children are born experimenters and they learn a great deal without being taught. And this they do by using the humblest materials. In India it's amazing to see the number of toys children make using leaves, broom sticks, crown caps, match boxes, old pens, and cycle tubes. Our consumerist society produces mountains of junk—plastic bottles, ice-cream sticks, cardboard boxes, straws, tetrapaks—an endless list. Being a tinkerer I share my own passion of making toys from trash through my books with children.
Writing to Flying Fish
Science becomes alive only when children do things. They make a flying fish by making two opposite cuts on the ends of a paper strip and interlocking them. When chucked in the air it tumbles down in circles to their utter delight. This makes it fun. Next they draw little sequential pictures of the fish and write short how-to-make-it instructions. And because children wrote them, they can read them too.
Frank Smith in his seminal book Reading gave a profound slogan: "Reading is learned by reading." I suspect the same to be true of writing. The more the children write, the better they get at it.
Isaac Asimov remains my favorite science writer. Before introducing a technical term he first teaches you to pronounce it. He then explains its genesis so that you understand it better. And soon you become good friends with it. Asimov confessed that he was in the business of rewriting, and only after reading ten boring books could he churn out a lucid masterpiece!
Soap Bubbles by C. V. Boys remains my favorite science book. It is much more than science. It is poetry in words. We have gotten this book translated in several Indian languages. Sometimes I write poems because I feel they convey more intensely and passionately than prose. I wrote a poem on Vitiglio (PDF) for a support group, which gave me deep inner satisfaction.
After the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan, I was depressed and swore to do something positive. I think my best book is the Story of Solar Energy (PDF)—a non-technical picture book which brings about the possibilities of this amazing, non-polluting perpetual source of energy.
Lastly, I translate a lot of books in my language—Hindi. There is terrible dearth of good material in Hindi, which is spoken by 400 million Indians. I endeavor to bring the best world literature in Hindi. Over the years I have translated over 140 books on education, peace, anti-war, environment, science, mathematics, and also great children's books from all over the world. Sometimes I find a publisher but most times I don't. But that doesn't deter me. I make a pdf document of my translation and upload it on my website: Arvind Gupta Toys .
Everyone is a writer—and everyone can also be a publisher and find readers to hear why you have to say.


Recent data shows that over the past two decades the reading competency of American students has lagged. These findings demand immediate action. With all the many programs our teachers adopt and school districts purchase, and with all the debate over different approaches to teaching reading, it is urgently time to reinvent the teaching of reading, acknowledging that it is the key to improving students' overall success in school, impacting every single subject area and our children's future success in the workplace.
This, the 21st century, is the century of the critical reader. The 21st century reader is absorbing the world on a screen, on a mobile phone, on an ereader. More than ever before, every child needs not only to decode words and not to simply answer an adult's questions such as "Who is the character in this story?" but more, much more: to navigate the cacophony of words in a universe of information, opinion and stories. They need to be able to input their own questions in that Google bar, and marshal information that matters to them, and that can change their lives.
The way we've taught reading until now does not match what the 21st century child needs to know, and to know what to do when navigating this complex and varied universe of information and opinion.
Imagine if you enrolled your child in a soccer tutorial and for three quarters of the hour long practice the coach described soccer using words instead of action. In place of drills or scrimmages, players were lectured on the precise angle to hold their foot when kicking the ball, or the theory behind a good offensive play. This is how reading has been taught for years in our schools. Teachers lecture about "reading comprehension strategies" and "decoding skills" instead of giving children the real and authentic opportunities to actually read from varied and meaningful resources in school. They are reading less than seven minutes every day, if that, independently, by the middle school grades.
With this in mind, the simplest solution and the key to stronger reading is to treat reading as practice. Teachers need to reduce the amount of time spent talking about the benefits of reading and allow students to sit down and read. It really is this simple. It is widely accepted that math aptitude comes from working through problems and exercises. It shouldn't be hard to see then that the muscles for reading well are cultivated by absorbing words and practicing how to synthesize new ideas and new information for a new world.
Raising voracious, passionate readers means allowing children to take charge of their reading lives. A highly popular method for teaching reading is the "whole class novel" approach; it has never been proven effective by any measurable data but it is the single most common method for teaching reading anywhere in this country. Researchers (I have a particular affinity for the tireless work of Richard Allington on this subject) have been campaigning for years to say that reading at one's own independent reading level is a dynamic and effective way to build students' reading stamina, confidence and capacity for reading at higher levels.
What I am proposing is exquisitely simple, and therefore not costly. Children building capacity to read at and beyond their levels means they have to read from a deep variety of texts and for a wide variety of purposes, from a video game manual to a graphic novel to a blog on a subject of interest to the back of a cereal box to a classic canonic text. My idea is the converse idea to what has arisen from the ratcheting up of anxiety in our schools' decision makers by poor data outcomes, who resort to the purchase of snake oil remedies when instead they could solve a very simple problem with a very simple solution. It's as simple as this: children learn to read by reading. People get really good at what they do by doing it. Let's bring reading back to the classroom.
Let's let our children read.


Rhyme Words : Rhyme Words By: Mary Larkin
ED 205 Section 11 Rhyming with Dr. Seuss : Rhyming with Dr. Seuss Reading Dr. Seuss Books help us to learn rhyming words!
*What makes a rhyme?
*“Hop on Pop” By Dr. Seuss
*What was the story about?
*The Rhyme Words we heard in the story “Hop on Pop”
*My Poem Example
*Your turn to make a poem!
*Fill in the blank rhyming
*Practice with rhyme words
*About the Author
*Resources Quit What Makes a Rhyme? : What Makes a Rhyme? As a class lets think of a group of words that rhyme…..
Start with Cat: ALL THESE WORDS RHYME!!
Bat All we did here was change
Fat the “c” in cat to a different
Mat letter to make new words.
Sat We can do this with all types
Pat of words… So we see that
Rat the ending sound of a word is what makes them rhyme Quit “Hop on Pop” : “Hop on Pop” Click on the Book to hear the story “Hop on Pop” By Dr. Seuss.
*Listen for rhyming words Quit What was the Story About? : What was the Story About? Who were some of the characters?
What words stuck out to you from the story?
Did you hear a lot of words that rhyme? Quit What are some words we heard in the story that rhymed? : What are some words we heard in the story that rhymed? Up, Pup, Cup
All, Tall, Small, Ball, Wall, Fall
Day, Lay, Play
See, Bee, Three, Tree
Sad, Had, Bad, Dad
Pat, Sat, Hat, Cat, Bat Dr. Seuss and our Class came up with the same rhyme words and he used those words to make a story!! Imagine what you can do when you write using rhyme words! Quit Make our own class poem! : Make our own class poem! Lets pick one of the words we heard in the story “Hop on Pop” By Dr. Seuss and create a poem. It doesn’t have to be long just a few sentences using rhyming words. FUN FUN Quit My Poem Example: : My Poem Example: I’m going to choose the word Day:
Sun come out today
I really want to play
I’ll be out all day
If only you will stay It’s fun! And now it’s YOUR turn!!! Quit Your Poem : Your Poem Here is the space where you are able to write your own poem! Refer back to the previous slides if you need help or ideas!
_________________________________ Quit Fill in the blank rhyming! : Fill in the blank rhyming! Fill in the space with a word that rhymes with the given word
Cup _________ 2) Hat __________
3) House________ 4)Dad __________
5) Tall __________ 6) Sun___________ Great Job! Quit Rhyme Practice : Rhyme Practice On this worksheet you are going to circle matching sets of rhyming words using a different color for each group that matches. Lets use our green marker to circle rhyming words that end in “at”, blue for words that end in “all”, and red for words that end in “ouse” Quit About the Author : About the Author My name is Mary Larkin, a college sophomore at Grand Valley State University. I am majoring in English with a minor in Elementary Education. I love working with children and I am excited to begin in my own classroom.
Send me an e-mail! Quit Resources : Resources Hop on Pop Image
Hop on Pop Video
Website with Rhyming Ideas
Another Website for help with ideas Quit


Pupils will be required to complete sums using pen and paper amid fears under-11s in England are already more reliant on electronic devices than peers in most other countries.
The change – being introduced from 2014 – coincides with the publication of a draft primary school curriculum that recommends delaying the use of calculators as part of maths lessons.
Currently, children are expected to use them at the age of seven, but this is likely to be put back to nine or 10 under the Coalition’s reforms.
Elizabeth Truss, the Education Minister, said that an over-reliance on calculators meant pupils were failed to get the rigorous grounding in mental and written arithmetic that they needed to progress onto secondary education.
Pupils should not use the devices until they know their times tables off by heart and understand the methods used to add, subtract, multiply and divide, she said.
The comments follow the publication of research showing that 98 per cent of pupils in England are given access to calculators during the final year of primary education compared with an international average of just 46 per cent.
A separate report by King’s College London has shown that the number of 11- to 14-year-olds with a poor grasp of basic calculation had more than doubled over the last 30 years.
Mrs Truss said maths was a vital part of daily life but it had become increasingly acceptable to be considered “bad with numbers”.
“The habit of simply reaching for the calculator to work things out only serves to worsen that problem,” she said.
“All young children should be confident with methods of addition, subtraction, times tables and division before they pick up the calculator to work out more complex sums.
“By banning calculators in the maths test, we will reduce the dependency on them in the classroom for the most basic sums. Children will have a solid grounding in the basics so they can grow up to be comfortable with the maths they will need in their adult lives.”
All 11-year-olds in England currently sit three maths papers as part of end-of-year Sats tests. Pupils are allowed to use a calculator in one of tests – a 45-minute paper considered the toughest of the three.
Questions currently involving a calculator include: “Tickets for a school play cost £2.75 each. Dev sold 23 tickets. How much ticket money did Dev collect?”
In another question, pupils are presented with three sums – 863 ÷ 2, 911 – 447 and 149 + 137 + 158 – and asked which answers are greater than 450.
The Government said calculators would be banned from maths exams sat in the summer of 2014. The Standards and Testing Agency, which is responsible for drawing up Sats tests, will work with the exams regulator Ofqual to draw up the new assessments, it was announced.


In this category you can find music instruction software that helps to learn music theory and improve the musicality by ear training practice.
Related categories 1
ByEars' Ear Trainer
Interactive software contains lessons and realistic play-along exercises. For guitar and bass.
[Mac] Practice and be quizzed on the various intervals of the 12 tone western music octave division.
[Win] Musical eartraining software: aural training of scales, chords, intervals, melody, rhythm, inversions and progressions.
[Win] Card game that teaches music theory: notes, scales and chords. Order form included.
Dolce Ear Training
Allows the advancing music student to gain skill in identifying rhythms, intervals, and chords.
[Win,Mac] Games for ages 6 to adult teach ear training and reading by identifying notes, rhythms, key sigs, intervals and chords.
[Mac] Open source software for musical ear training.
[Win,Mac] Interactive software suite for ear training and practical music theory at home or at the music school.
[Win] Can be used as a daily routine, helps anyone from the "tone-deaf" person to the professional musician.
Fine Software's Metronome
[Win] A shareware metronome with any musical meter allowed, customizable sound, and ergonomic interface.
Flat 5 Software
Ear training software that covers intervals through altered dominant chords. PC, Mac.
Free ear training software, runs on Windows and most Linux/UNIX distributions. [Open Source, GPL]
Greg Jalbert's Listen
[Mac] Ear training program for students and individuals to strengthen perception of melodies and harmonies.
[Win] Computer game allows people to learn how to read music while playing.
Free, open source music education software helps musicians, especially pianists, improve sight-reading.
Lars Peters' Eartraining
[Mac] Practice intervals, chords, scales and perfect pitch. Shareware.
Magic Ear Trainer
[Win] Improve your musical ear.
[Win] Study music theory, discover classical composers, test your musical culture, recognize instruments, with this game. Also in French.
Trace the tempo of the music you are listening to.
[Win,Mac] Ear training and music theory instruction software, by Dr. Gilbert Trythall.
MusicGoals Music Software
A practice aid for ear training, sight reading, instrument study, music theory, and rhythm. Courses for piano, guitar, and string instruments. Also offers information on music theory with questions and answers.
Offers Auralia, an ear training program for Win and Mac and Musition, a theory training program for Win.
Open-source ear-training software. Recognise the relationships between notes of different pitches. Play and be tested on intervals, chords, and scales.
Treblis Software Corp
Music theory and appreciation software for intermediate, high school, and college level students and their instructors.
Last update:March 8, 2015 at 8:13:35 UTC


A research project investigating the impact of the art education on artistic production from the 1960s to the present day and its relationship to the wider themes of education, culture and society.
Tate’s research on the interrelated histories of art education, artists’ relationships with society, and the impact of art pedagogy on artistic production supports the museum’s strategic aim of working with a wide community of artists. ‘Art School Educated’ reflects the fact that, despite their long history, distinguished national record and recent transformation, a comprehensive history of UK art schools has never been written.
This three-year project represents a first stage in this work and will identify the decisive reforms in the curriculum of the major London art schools from the 1960s to the present day, and ask how the curricula that were adopted relate to the output of the artists whose work is represented in Tate’s collection.
The project aims
The researchers will explore the impact of art pedagogy on artistic production and advance our understanding of the role that art schools have played in relation to broader educational, cultural and social realms. The project team will include social and education historians working alongside Tate art historians and curators.
They will identify the paradigm institutions and historic periods, which will form the starting points for a set of case studies, and seek to explain how pedagogic goals have changed and what now are the values placed on the liberal tradition of fine art and the (applied) arts of design?
Original, primary research on designated art schools will form the basis of new institutional histories and accounts of curriculum development.
Tate as a national centre for the study of the history of art education
The project seeks to confirm Tate as a recognised national centre for the study of the history of art education, encourage new interpretations of works in the museum’s collection, allow the museum to capture, archive and preserve an aspect of UK history that is largely undocumented and with every passing year more vulnerable to loss, and become an important source for future discussions about tertiary-level art education and its impact on the creative industries and the knowledge economy. These are topics that show no signs of lessening in their national significance.
The project team will produce a range of traditional scholarly publications, develop ideas for exhibitions and displays, and will have a dedicated microsite on the Tate website.
Updated April 2010.
Supported by The Leverhulme Trust 2009–13


Where has all the physical education gone? Results of a generalist primary schools teachers' survey on teaching physical education
Concerns about low levels of children’s physical activity and motor skill development, prompted the Ministry of Education to trial a physical activity pilot project (PAPP) in 16 New Zealand primary schools. The project comprised professional development and training in physical education for lead teachers and introduced four physical activity coordinators to liaise with and increase physical activity opportunities in the pilot schools. A survey of generalist teachers (128 baseline, 155 post-intervention) from these schools looked at timetabled physical activity sessions and issues related to teaching physical education. The authors calculated means and standard deviations of data relating to timetabled PE sessions and used a one-way analysis of variance to determine significant differences. Results indicated time devoted to physical activity related subjects significantly increased over the course of the intervention. Teacher’s reported improved confidence and competence, which resulted in an improvement in quality physical education delivered more often.


A teacher-librarian (TL), school librarian, or school library media specialist (SLMS), is a certified librarian who also has training in teaching. According to the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), the official title for a certified librarian who works in a school in the United States is school librarian.
The school librarian performs four main leadership roles: teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator. In the teacher role, the school librarian develops and implements curricula relating to information literacy and inquiry. School librarians may read to children, assist them in selecting books, and assist with schoolwork. Some school librarians see classes on a "flexible schedule". A flexible schedule means that rather than having students come to the library for instruction at a fixed time every week, the classroom teacher schedules library time when the expertise of the school librarian, library and information skills, or materials are needed as part of a learning experience.
In the instructional partner role, school librarians collaborate with classroom teachers to create independent learners by fostering students' research, information literacy, technology, communication, and critical thinking skills.
As information specialists, school librarians develop a resource base for the school by using the curriculum and student interests to identify and obtain library materials, organize and maintain the library collection in order to promote independent reading and lifelong learning. Materials in the library collection can be located using an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
This role also encompasses many activities relating to technology including the integration of resources in a variety of formats: periodical databases; Web sites; digital video segments; podcasts; blog and wiki content; digital images; virtual classrooms, etc. School librarians are often responsible for audio-visual equipment and are sometimes in charge of school computers and computer networks.
As program administrators, school librarians define, lead, and manage school library media programs by establishing library policies; overseeing the library budget; planning the physical and virtual library space; and maintaining a welcoming, positive, and innovative learning atmosphere.
In the United States, a teacher-librarian must have a baccalaureate degree and a certificate in secondary or elementary education, and must also complete a school library media program and gain a state certification. Programs in library science vary between institutions; however, state requirements must be met before a library media specialist is allowed to teach. Some school library media specialists hold the full Masters of Library Science (MLS) or Masters of Library Information Science (MLIS) degree, while others do not. In many instances, school librarians who have an MLS but do not have the requisite teaching credentials must obtain these teaching credentials and classroom teaching experience first before they are permitted to work as teacher-librarians, and often additional library science graduate coursework is required, focused specifically on issues pertaining to school librarianship.
Teacher-librarians rely on the support of local, state, national, and international professional organizations for career and professional development, employment opportunities, and awards/grants/funding. Groups like the International Association of School Librarianship; the American Association of School Librarians; the School Library Association in the United Kingdom and the Australian School Library Association host websites, publish journals, and sponsor conferences, workshops, and other events which showcase current research and practices in the field.
In the United States, teacher-librarians are also supported by state organizations which advocate for teachers at the district and school level. A comprehensive list is available from the ALA.


HLH 199 - Critical School Health Issues
This course examines selected critical health issues of students and the role of schools and teachers in addressing such issues and promoting student health.
Included in the course is an exploration of student health status; impact of such factors as culture, heritage and socioeconomic level on health and learning; youth risk behaviors; personal health issues related to such areas as nutrition, fitness and emotional health; safety education, including such areas as fire and arson prevention, child abduction, abusive or dangerous environments and violence prevention/intervention; alcohol, tobacco and other drugs prevention/intervention; and skills needed to protect and promote health as related to each of the course content areas.
Course meets all health-related SED teacher certification requirements for non-elementary education majors other than the child abuse recognition and reporting requirements. Not open to students with credit for HLH 110.(2 cr. hr.)
Frequency code A = offered every semester
Additional frequency code descriptions can be found in the Terminology Guide.


“These scrappy little books are to historians among the most interesting productions of the sixteenth-century printing press. But they were no immediately thought of as worthy of a place in a respectable collection; often we owe their survival to the interest of collectors who in their own day would have been thought of as distinctly eccentric. Now these small books are very precious, but four centuries of hard living has dispersed them throughout the thousands of libraries around the world. This fact – that much of the output of the first age of print was seen at the time as being of no consequence – has meant that it has until now been very difficult to write the whole history of the first age of print. The books we now know best are those that were collected into libraries. On the whole these were the largest, most scholarly and most valuable, the sort cherished by scholars and rich collectors, then and now. Scholars who have written of the print revolution of the sixteenth century have likewise tended to concentrate on the most eye-catching achievements of the new art: the great multilingual bibles, notable achievements of scientific publishing, milestones of scholarship, the most richly and lavishly illustrated texts.
The more mundane productions of the press inevitably attracted less attention and admiration. But such books – almanacs and calendars, prayer books and pamphlets – were the bedrock of the new industry. They also offer the most eloquent window into the thought world of the sixteenth century’s new generation of readers.
How can one access the full extent of this trade, when so many of these publications have been almost completely lost? Happily this is one respect in which the new technological revolution of the twenty-first century has come to our aid. Tracing the sole surviving copy of these little books has been an almost impossible task. Now through, the sudden proliferation of online resources, catalogues and search engines allows us to gather together a vast amount of data that will permit us to match and compare information on almost all the books known to have been published in the first age of print – wherever they may be. This book presents a first attempt to take advantage of these global searches. The results are profound. We can for the first time chart a coherent narrative of print, from the first experiments of the 1450s to the dawn of a mass information society. For all the twist and turns, reverses, disappointments and misunderstandings, it is an arresting story.”
Andrew Pettegree, Prelude, The Book in the Renaissance, 2010.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Comics, Creativity, and Culture: Interdisciplinary and International Perspectives
October 6-8 Fall 2011
Partners: The Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, International Programs at the University of Iowa, and the University of Iowa Museum of Art.
Comics, Creativity and Culture: Interdisciplinary and International Perspectives, will take place on the University of Iowa campus October 6-8, 2011. This event, which has already received generous support, seeks to explore the historical, cultural, and artistic role of comics by bringing prominent creators together in dialog with teachers and students. In addition to the planned symposium, a series of linked events will offer participants a diverse range of activities that together seek to emphasize the significance of this always popular but once critically dismissed or ignored area of international cultural production and consumption.
June 22, 2011- One day training opportunity for k-12 teachers about using comics in the classroom hosted by Belin-Blank and the UI Art Education Department
September 24-December 11, 2011
Graphic Language: Comics, Creativity and Culture an Interdisciplinary and International Perspectives
Exhibition at the IMU Black Box Theatre
Featuring the private collections of Adam Mix, Corey Creekmur, Ana Merino and Felix de la Concha
October 6-8 2011-Symposium at various locations in Iowa City and around the UI campus
October 5, 2011 Mini conference for high school and middle school students hosted by the University of Iowa Museum of Art
Who: Phoebe Glockener, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Joe Sacco, Jessica Abel, and James Sturm as well as comic scholars such as Jeet Heer and Charles Hatfield.
Neda Barrett at the UI Obermann Center for Advanced Studies (Nedafirstname.lastname@example.org)
Heidi Vekemans at International Programs (Heidiemail@example.com)
Professor Corey-Creekmur -Coreyfirstname.lastname@example.org
Professor Ana Merino- Anaemail@example.com
Professor Rachel Wiliams- Rachelfirstname.lastname@example.org
Posted by The Teacher at 1:24 PM


Updated on 03 Feb, 2014
The Distance Education Programme (DEP) is a major intervention under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, created, by the MHRD, Government of India, on 1st July 2003, to implement the distance education activities under SSA in the country. Indira Gandhi National Open University is the nodal agency responsible for implementing the distance education component throughout the country. This national level project aims at providing need-based and local specific training to teachers and other elementary education functionaries associated with SSA and RTE, by employing the open distance learning mode.
The DEP-SSA focuses on the quality dimension of teacher training which is crucial for achieving quality education in the country. reinforce knowledge, motivation, commitment and professionalism amongst the teachers at the elementary education level. Through DEP-SSA, teacher training is imparted without dislocating the functionaries from their place of work and is paced as per their convenience.
DEP-SSA strives continuously and in a sustained manner to help states to achieve the goals of SSA. It is functioning effectively in the states to achieve the gigantic task of sensitizing the local functionaries such as, master trainers, coordinators of block resource centres and cluster resource centres, faculty of DIETs and SCERT. efforts of capacity building at elementary education level, through multimedia inputs which include print, audio, video, multimedia and teleconferencing, thereby facilitating work place and multiple media based training and content generation. It is a State-driven initiative, thereby plan and organize activities in close coordination with grassroot level functionaries, like Panchayati Raj institutions, school management committees, village and urban slum level, education committees, PTAs and MTAs, for effective management of elementary schools.
Open distance learning system has tremendous potential to reach out to large numbers in a short span of time and the interventions have impacted the SSA activities significantly in the country.
This is evident from the achievements of DEP-SSA in terms of professional development of teachers, classroom transactions, community mobilization, girls’ education, etc. The DEP-SSA operates in a mission mode and has thus far trained millions of teachers, teacher educators, para teachers and other functionaries.
For further information, kindly visit our website : www.depssa.org


||Rainbows Within Reach
||In addition to offering Arts Enrichment within
the classroom, Debbie also
and workshops designed
for the professional
development of Teachers,
Staff, Parents etc…
Or you can brighten your conference with
a keynote address that
is uplifting, informative,
and inspirational, as well
Debbie's personal commitment
to the significance
of the arts in early childhood
addressing an audience
of 50 or 500.
"Lyrics to Literacy: Read a Song &
Sing a Book""
Educator, Teacher-of-Teachers, Song Writer/Singer,
Author & Illustrator, Lover of Children
Spring from the Arts into the 'Land of Literacy.'
Examine the use of print material in the
music environment/circle-storytime. Enrich
and expand your repertoire of children's
songs with the utilization of printed song
charts, props, costumes, puppets, flannel
boards, movement, sign language and dramatization.
Through song, rhythm, rhyme, and chant enhance
self esteem, ease transitions, strengthen
readiness skills, and enjoy the wonder of
your children-as you further develop a sense
of community. Cultivate your music and storytelling,
bringing it alive to all the senses through
the addition of visual & printed images....
appealing to all aspects of the child. Engage
early and slow readers through the motivating
powers of music.R
TEN KEY BENEFITS OF ATTENDING
- Use of Songs as Storytellers: Connect the dots between song and story,
language and literature. The significance
of teacher-made, and student made books for
use in music. Creating a print-rich environment.
Receive Current Documentation & Research
on Significance of the Arts (Specifically
Music) on Childhood Development: Explore the connections between music &
test results in such areas as reading
math...deveop a love & disposition
- Motivation for the "Teacher/Performer": Help in jump-starting your classroom to
be an inviting atmosphere
for literacy development.
Rejuvenate your energies
with a focus on
motivating students for
- Songs thru the Seasons/Crossing Curriculum
& Culture: Dozens of ideas to spark interest throughout
the year thru song... brought to
props, puppets, costumes etc. Ideas
of simple instruments.
- Movement as a MUST within Music: Techniques to add movement into new and
familiar songs. The role of movement
development, retention, and brain
Patterns. Sequences. Repetition and
the link.Crossing the mid-line & reading. Choreography
& bi-lateral movement.
- Using Music to Establish Classroom Ritual: Realize the significance of ritual in the
lives of children. Suggestions
closing, and transition
songs to be incorporated
as markers & milestones
through the day.
- Songs that Lend themselves to Dramatization: Using Music as the springboard, breaking
boundaries between the Arts. Benefits
providing opportunities for classroom
Children's literature and music.
- Zipper songs, Piggyback songs, & Song
Writing: Methods and procedures to jump start the
creative process to tailor
your songs to
your specific classroom
experience becomes shared
- Hand Crafted Resources (Visuals and Instruments): Specifics and how-to's to create your own
visual props, instruments, literacy
and costumes from recycled, inexpensive,
and available materials.
- Zip, Zest, & Zowie: Sure-fire tricks, treats, gimmicks and gimmies
for the grins and gains that growth
Stretch. Sing. Celebrate!! You're
to be delighted!!!
Copyright © 2006. All rights reserved.


This popular resource distinguishes itself by placing literacy assessment within the context of mainstream classroom reading instruction. Using developmental reading stages as a framework, LITERACY ASSESSMENT puts teachers' instructional needs at its core and considers assessment as a natural part of the instructional cycle. The authors' mission is to show that, with appropriate instruction, success in literacy development is achievable for every student. By presenting the right balance of concept and demonstration, along with a dynamic, positive outlook on learning in both children and teachers, this book equips teachers to help children reach their potential.
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Rent Literacy Assessment 4th edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by J. David Cooper. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by CENGAGE Learning.
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- Kalimikeraki, Katerina, et al.
Computers as thinking tools for the acquisition of second language
Ingår i: Educator as researcher. - 2nd Bureau of Elementary Education of East Attica, Koropi GR. - 960-631-215-1 ; s. 139-149
Bokkapitel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Many different approaches have taken place recently to facilitate second language learning in elementary schools throughout the world. Research in this area shows that teachers have to use the suitable motivators to stimulate pupils' thinking in order to achieve their educational goals. Children live in a world dominated by information technology therefore computer games may be used for educational purposes and to create a successful and pleasant learning environment. Our main hypothesis is that learning and use of Greek language demand real activities in a Greek language environment, and that systems of information technology have the ability to create such an environment that supports learning.


EarthDesk presents this image by Charles Henry Alston to honor our veterans, more than 100,000 of whom are homeless this Christmas Day (EarthDesk, December 24). Alston was a painter, muralist, illustrator and sculptor. A central figure in the Harlem Renaissance Movement, he was also companion to some of the towering musical figures of the day: “I knew Ella Fitzgerald when she was a kid. I went with Billie Holiday to her first recording, and I used to sit in Bessie Smith’s rumble seat when she was going to record . . . I was sitting on [Duke] Ellington’s piano when he finished ‘Sophisticated Lady.'” He created this image while staff artist for the Office of War Information in 1940. More on Charles Henry Alston below.
Charles Henry “Spinky” Alston was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 28th, 1907. Early artistic influences included illustrated courtship letters by his father, Reverend Primus Priss, to Charles’ mother, Anna Miller. Alston also recalled his older brother’s drawings of cars and trying to copy them. After the death of his father, Alston’s mother married Henry Pierce Bearden (Romare Bearden’s uncle) in 1913 and the family moved to New York City.
Alston earned a Masters degree in art education from Columbia’s Teachers College. While still a student, he illustrated album covers for jazz musician Duke Ellington and book covers for poet Langston Hughes. Alston played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance Movement of the period. During the Great Depression, he and sculptor Henry Bannarn directed the Harlem Art Workshop which was funded by the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project.
Alston painted murals throughout Harlem, including depression-era murals as part of the WPA. One of his best-known murals was created by Alston and other Harlem artists for the Harlem Hospital Center. He later taught at the Art Students League and the City College of New York (CUNY).
This biographical information and more can be found at The Art of Charles Alston website.
A 1965 oral history interview with Alston is here.
Wikimedia Commons has an extensive collection of Alston’s works here.


ERIC Number: ED527486
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jan
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 0
Mindful Education for ADHD Students: Differentiating Curriculum and Instruction Using Multiple Intelligences
Proulx-Schirduan, Victoria; Shearer, C. Branton; Case, Karen I.
Teachers College Press
This practical guide describes ways of working with learners diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by using Multiple Intelligences Theory. Written for all educators as well as parents, it examines curricular, instructional, school partnering, and leadership issues that may arise for these students in grades K-8. Supported by real-life examples, it presents constructive strategies to help teachers work with ADHD students in ways that honor their strengths and allow for meaningful inclusion in the general education classroom. As viewed through the lens of an MI curriculum, ADHD is not a disadvantage; it is an integral component of the way a student processes information and makes sense of the world. This thoroughly readable resource features: (1) An innovative application of MI Theory based on the authors' extensive research and their experience working with students, teachers, and administrators; (2) Practical, tested strategies and materials for teachers who work with one of today's most prevalent and challenging school populations; (3) Free online MIDAS assessments, one for the teacher and one for the student with ADHD; and (4) Hundreds of case studies and examples that illustrate how MI Theory can apply to all students in a general education classroom.
Descriptors: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Multiple Intelligences, Individualized Instruction, Inclusion, Elementary Secondary Education
Teachers College Press. 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 800-575-6566; Fax: 802-864-7626; e-mail: email@example.com; Web site: http://www.tcpress.com
Publication Type: Books; Guides - Classroom - Teacher; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Grade 1; Grade 2; Grade 3; Grade 4; Grade 5; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Intermediate Grades; Junior High Schools; Kindergarten; Middle Schools; Primary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: Parents; Teachers
Authoring Institution: N/A


General Science is a broad base of knowledge in the field of science, with preparation for teaching at the middle school level. Students study a range of introductory courses from different areas of science, including biology, chemistry, physics, and geology.
Western’s Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Program (SMATE) is a visionary and practical program designed to enrich the training and education of K-12 pre-service teachers and, through them, their students. From a collaboration of the disciplines, chemistry, geology, biology, physics/astronomy, mathematics, and Engineering, SMATE offers an opportunity for teachers and future teachers to gain specific skills within their chosen discipline.
This major satisfies the academic major requirement for teacher certification with an endorsement in elementary education and leads to a middle level science endorsement. It must be accompanied by the professional preparation program in elementary education. See the Elementary Education section of this catalog for program admission, completion, and teacher certification requirements.
Western’s Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education (SMATE) Program is part of the College of Science and Engineering. Western’s Elementary Education Department is part of Woodring College of Education.


Taking “moss graffiti” to it’s logically industrial application, several art education students at the University of Maribor in Slovenia challenged themselves to design a 3D printer and concluded with this machine whose results are pretty intriguing.
Designed around a modified CNC machine, the printer dispenses a mixture of soil, seeds, and water. The mixture holds its form quite well, and over time grass will grow from the print. You can see in the video below the unit dispenses around a cup’s worth of mixture to print the words “print green,” the name of the project in English (translated from “tiskaj zeleno” in Slovenian).
The device is also capable of printing along the z-axis, for creating bowls and other shapes from mud, while incorporating a top-layer of the grass seed mixture for results like this:


Putting Gratitude and Realism in the Mix
Arts education for the general public is always a challenging topic, in part because the arts are so rich in content and connections with everything else, and because the arts are extremely accessible without study. Even though we have the National Voluntary K-12 Standards of 1994, prior to their appearance and since, many kinds of content, many different connections, and many different priorities for experience and study have become the bases for formulating and institutionalizing different purposes and concepts. The overall result: serious agreement that arts education is important, but serious disagreement about what it specifically should be. These fissures have already appeared in this blog. They are the reality that informs any large scale policy discussion.
Here is a thought experiment that may illustrate and illuminate one aspect of the present situation: Given that math is not art, but is definitely a "basic" subject, read the blog and the RAND report substituting math for the arts disciplines. Many questions will pose themselves. For example, would it be credible to argue before a local school board that because there are many purposes and applications for math, any one of them should take precedence over learning to do math itself? For subjects considered basic in formal education, the subject learned on its own terms is considered the most authentic means for reaching all the other purposes, applications, and collateral benefits whether immediately, or later in life; there is no substitute for cumulative acquisition of basic knowledge and skills.
Here is a second thought experiment along the same line: Take your favorite art form, pretend you teach it full-time in an elementary school. You have sixth grade class that has never studied your art form before; you have an unusual and munificent gift of one hour a day for two 15 week periods. What do you want the students to know and be able to do in, through, and about that art form at the end of each of those periods? How would you organize your time to accomplish your goals in terms of specific content and knowledge and skill development? Even though there are many good answers, working this kind of problem individually for a particular setting gives a new perspective on generic justifications and yearnings for better arts education. It shows that such generics are not the "it" of arts learning. It includes the reality of time limits, and thus demands hard choices. For example, how much breadth, how much depth? How much emphasis on experiences that create good memories or serve other educational and social priorities, and how much on learning in the art form itself that provides the basis for going further individually in study, in understanding, in commitment, and hopefully in future informed participation? Remember, the question in this experiment is what would you do, not what everyone else should do.
Sam Hope, executive director, The National Office for Arts Accreditation (NOAA);
Jack Lew, Global University Relations Manager for Art Talent at EA;
Laura Zakaras, RAND;
James Cuno, Director, Art Institute of Chicago;
Richard Kessler, Executive Director, Center for Arts Education;
Eric Booth, Actor;
Bau Graves, Executive director, Old Town School of Folk Music;
Bennett Reimer, Founder of the Center for the Study of Education and the Musical Experience, author of A Philosophy of Music Education;
Edward Pauly, the director of research and evaluation at the Wallace Foundation;
Moy Eng, Program Director of the Performing Arts Program at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation;
John Rockwell, critic;
Susan Sclafani, Managing Director, Chartwell Education Group;
Jane Remer, Author, Educator, Researcher
Michael Hinojosa, General Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District
Peter Sellars, director
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Peter Sellars on Creativity & the Voice more


Motor Behavior Goals and
The purpose of this section is to provide examples of goals and objectives that can be used or adapted for your child's Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in the area of motor development.
A basic principle of human development would suggest that any child with a disability who demonstrates a higher level of physical skill development generally has more opportunities to socially interact and learn from their siblings and peers through physical activity. The child with adequate physical skills will have a much higher likelihood of being invited to play with their peers and siblings resulting in a more active, happier child. Given this principle, motor skill development should always be addressed in your child's IFSP/IEP process and monitored regularly for progress. A general criterion to employ for monitoring progress is to observe whether your child is displaying more physical skills at home, in your neighborhood, and at recess and is initiating physical play more frequently in an appropriate way in all locations.
Example motor behavior goals and objectives by developmental
For infants and toddlers with pediatric disabilities, motor development is typically addressed in the IFSP meeting by the pediatric PT or OT. In the IEP meeting, it can also be addressed by the PT or OT but input from the adapted physical education teacher is extremely valuable. The adapted physical education teacher is certified in physical education and receives additional training in motor development and special education. The adapted physical education teacher is responsible for teaching your child movement and sport skills they will use to play on the playground at recess and at home in your neighborhood with other children. They should also be able to give you information about resources in your community available for sport skills instruction (local summer camps, instructional programs or leagues, swimming programs, etc, that welcome children with disabilities). Take advantage of their expertise whenever you can.
Parents are encouraged to send us additional examples of IFSP and IEP goals and objectives they have successfully used with their child at different developmental levels.
Next Parent Information


The path to becoming an art teacher can have several entry points. Some begin by earning a bachelor's in education, while others choose to earn a degree focused on the arts. Whichever path you choose, you must earn a minimum of a bachelor's degree, and in some cases, a master's degree may be necessary.
All potential art teachers are required to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree. Teaching art at the elementary school level usually involves obtaining a bachelor's degree in elementary education, augmented by classes in the arts. At the high school level, many teachers opt for obtaining a bachelor's degree in the arts, augmented by classes in education. In both cases, the teaching and art classes can be taken simultaneously and incorporated into the degree program. Successfully completing an internship is also part of the degree requirements. Teaching art at a college or at a professional level requires further education, typically a master's degree.
To work as a teacher in the public school system, as well as many private institutions, a state teaching certificate is necessary. The basic requirements typically involve earning an approved bachelor's degree, logging in a specific number of hours in an internship, and passing a series of examinations on relevant subject matter. Prospective teachers are generally tested in areas such as classroom management, lesson planning and teaching methods.
Some public schools, as well as many colleges and universities, require art teachers to have a master's degree. Even if a master's degree isn't required, some teachers choose to further their education to enhance their chances of career advancement. Students with a bachelor's degree in education may choose to earn their master's degree in the arts, while students with a bachelor's degree in the arts may choose a master's in education.
Even though national certification isn't necessary, some art teachers decide to pursue art teaching certificates through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, or NBPTS. The NBPTS offers certificates focusing on early and middle childhood or early adolescence through young adulthood. Candidates must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, a valid teaching certificate or license, and at least three years of teaching experience. In addition, candidates must compile a four-part portfolio and pass a series of examinations.


"The KS2 MFL Pilot has had such a positive impact on all aspects of the children's learning, including the boys and those with special needs. Our parents are so supportive of the scheme that we are now considering extending it to our year 3 / 4 classes." Primary Headteacher
Enriching the primary curriculum
"Not only does it foster a love of languages, but there is also a positive effect on their language skills in Welsh and English. It gives the children a broader outlook and they become more aware of other peoples and cultures..."
Primary teacher of Welsh as a second language
Introducing a MFL into the primary school curriculum can greatly enhance and enrich children's educational experience. It can support pupils' literacy and oracy and build on and complement the skills acquired in Welsh and English. MFL lends itself to the development of the key skills such as thinking and communication and can enhance the development of ICT and number skills. It provides an enjoyable cultural experience for all pupils, bringing them into contact with other cultures and countries and helping them to develop a greater understanding of their own lives and communities, thus complementing the Curriculum Cymreig. It also enables children to have a positive early experience of learning a foreign language and move on to the statutory secondary phase of MFL learning with a clear head start. According to the independent evaluation of the National KS2 Pilot an important benefit of introducing a MFL in the primary school was "the general promotion of language skills and...raised confidence in language learning" (i). Pupils were also more confident when dealing with issues such as grammar and pronunciation. The aim of this section is "to provide teachers as well as curriculum managers with support and ideas for classroom activities in line with the KS2 non-statutory framework for MFL2" (ii) and to complement guidance which is already available.


A primary school or elementary school is a school in which children receive primary or elementary education from the age of about five to twelve, coming before secondary school and after preschool. It is the first stage of compulsory education in most parts of the world, and is normally available without charge, but may be offered in a fee-paying independent school. The term grade school is sometimes used in the US though this term may refer to both primary education and secondary education.
The term primary school is derived from the French école primaire, which was first used in 1802.
- Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- Elementary school is preferred in some countries, especially in the United States and Canada.
In the United States, "primary school" may refer to a school with grades Kindergarten through second grade or third grade. (K-2 or 3). In these municipalities, the "elementary school" includes grade three through five or grades four to six.
In some places, primary schooling has historically further been divided between lower primary schools (LP schools), which were the elementary schools, and higher primary schools (HP schools), which were established to provide a more practical instruction to poorer classes than what was provided in the secondary schools.
- Blab school
- Early childhood education
- Elementary school
- Educational stage
- Secondary school
- "Online Etymology Dictionary".
- Primary school. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on 12 June 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9061377
- Bruce Ryburn Payne, Public Elementary School Curricula: A Comparative Study of Representative Cities of the United States, England, Germany and France (1905), p. 155.
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (United States)
- Elementary Schools with Education and Crime Statistics (United States)


By VERDEL BISHOP Monday, March 12 2012
click on pic to zoom in
Hop Along characters Hop and Bop....
Many would agree that good teaching is good teaching, whether in a real classroom or a virtual one. However, many are becoming appreciative of a new trend which is growing in popularity in this country. Online learning or e-learning is rapidly growing and many children are experiencing the benefits of visually appealing and interactive lessons which accommodates multiple learning styles.
The online classroom, hopalonglearning.com targets preschoolers and primary school children up to Standard Three. The online learning programme, according to its creator, Lorraine Powell-Cadette, is the first educational website, which follows the local primary school curriculum and has a membership of over 3,000 children. The programme is endorsed by the Ministry of Education.
Powell-Cadette, who has taught in the locally primary school system for 13 years, said the website offers concepts in maths, language, science, social studies, reading and creative writing . She described the programme as “primary school at your fingertips.”
“What is unique with ‘hopalong’ is that it is the only website of its kind locally which does not only give children online practise with quizzes but teaches them various concepts with over 400 videos in different subject areas,” Powell-Cadette said.
She continued, “We are currently working with the Ministry of Education on a project to assist various primary schools. The Ministry recognises that hopalong is a programme which is beneficial to students and have given the programme their approval.” She noted that eventually the programme will be implemented in other schools.
“Students and teachers have full membership with the programme. Before the website a lot of
people thought the internet was something that children will need only in secondary school so parents and teachers are beginning to see how beneficial the internet is at the primary school level,” Powell-Cadette said.
She said teachers have lauded the value of the website and are benefitting from various resources which are often times difficult to source. The website also offers a special section for teachers which guides them along in their professional development as well as a section for parents which facilitates resources they can use to further help in their children’s development.
“Very often teachers will tell you it’s hard to find material for our children within a local context.
Teachers now have an actual resource centre that they can turn to. Teachers know what resources they want and its easy for them to get the resources on the website; some teachers are also using the website in the class room, Powell-Cadette said.
She assured that, “We are constantly adding material so for example when you join hopalong today, within months you are going to see 20 more quizzes and other materials
and you don’t have to pay anything for all the new material; our members have the convenience of emailing us at anytime to make request for materials.”
Powell-Cadette said the programme is a great revision tool and is also perfect for the child who wants to learn more. She explained that more advanced children who often times become bored in the classroom, don’t have to wait for their teacher to start a new topic; instead they can log on to hopalong and learn according to their pace.
The Hopalong Readers Programme includes 24 short storybooks that cover the 200 most common words from the Dolch list of sight words and important phonics skills; flashcards for each book; musical CDs that introduce phonics through catchy songs for corresponding reading books; reading journal that allows for students to respond to what they read; teacher’s Assessment Book that allows for genuine assessment of each student by the use of unseen passages and a reading progress book to monitor each student’s progress.
There is an annual membership fee which subscribers can pay online with a credit card or at various payment centres including Charran’s Book Stores, The Next Generation Limited in Rio Claro and Nelson’s Book Store in Tobago.


> Small Basic Books >
Beginning Microsoft Small Basic
1. Introducing Small Basic
2. Small Basic Program Basics
3. Your First Small Basic Program
4. Small Basic Program Design, Input Methods
Excerpt © Copyright 2010-2015 By Kidware Software LLC All Rights Reserved. Computer Science For Kids, the Computer Science For Kids logo, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Kidware Software LLC. Philip Conrod & Lou Tylee have
co-authored dozens of books and tutorials for beginning Microsoft Basic, Small Basic, Visual Basic, and Visual C# developers of all ages for over 25 years.


- EdD, Curriculum and Instruction, Bob Jones University
- MEd, Elementary Education, Bob Jones University
- BS, Elementary Education, Bob Jones University
- Best Practices in Instructional Strategies (Ed 632)
- Instructional Practices of Reading for Elementary School Teachers (Ed 362)
- Practicum: Grades 2-6 (Ed 333)
- Teaching Science (2-6) (Ed 364)
Dr. Tammie Jacobs has more than 35 years in education experience. She has served as an elementary teacher in public schools and an elementary, middle school, and high school teacher in Christian schools. Before becoming a college professor, she was an author at BJU Press writing elementary textbooks for Christian schools and home educators. She has been a frequent presenter at Christian school conventions and has provided faculty in-service at several Christian schools. She graduated in 2009 with a doctorate in curriculum and instruction concentrating in elementary education.
A faculty member at BJU since 2005, Dr. Jacobs teaches elementary methods courses in literacy and science and an online graduate education course in instructional strategies. Her experience teaching in Title I schools is helpful as she supervises elementary education majors in practicum and clinical practice. Her experience writing elementary textbooks enables her to facilitate her students as they research and write quality lesson plans. She continues to provide consulting services and contributes to the writing of elementary textbooks published by BJU Press.
Dr. Jacobs appreciates the opportunity of ministering alongside her husband at BJU. She regularly serves as a nursery worker at Hampton Park Baptist Church in Greenville, SC. She loves spending time with her adult children and young grandsons. During vacation, she enjoys taking time out to read.


Print your own sight words flash cards. Create a set of Dolch or Fry sight words flash cards, or use your own custom set of words.
Follow the sight words teaching techniques. Learn research-validated and classroom-proven ways to introduce words, reinforce learning, and correct mistakes.
Learn what phonological and phonemic awareness are and why they are the foundations of child literacy. Learn how to teach phonemic awareness to your kids.
A sequenced curriculum of over 80 simple activities that take children from beginners to high-level phonemic awareness. Each activity includes everything you need to print and an instructional video.
Sightwords.com is a comprehensive sequence of teaching activities, techniques, and materials for one of the building blocks of early child literacy. This collection of resources is designed to help teachers, parents, and caregivers teach a child how to read. We combine the latest literacy research with decades of teaching experience to bring you the best methods of instruction to make teaching easier, more effective, and more fun.
Sight words build speed and fluency when reading. Accuracy, speed, and fluency in reading increase reading comprehension. The sight words are a collection of words that a child should learn to recognize without sounding out the letters. The sight words are both common, frequently used words and foundational words that a child can use to build a vocabulary. Combining sight words with phonics instruction increases a child’s speed and fluency in reading.
This website includes a detailed curriculum outline to give you an overview of how the individual lessons fit together. It provides detailed instructions and techniques to show you how to teach the material and how to help a child overcome common roadblocks. It also includes free teaching aids, games, and other materials that you can download and use with your lessons.
Many of the teaching techniques and games include variations for making the lesson more challenging for advanced students, easier for new or struggling students, and just different for a bit of variety. There are also plenty of opportunities, built into the lessons and games, to observe and assess the child’s retention of the sight words. We encourage you to use these opportunities to check up on the progress of your student and identify weaknesses before they become real problems.
Help us help you. We want this to be a resource that is constantly improving. So please provide us with your feedback, both the good and the bad. We want to know which lessons worked for your child, and which fell short. We encourage you to contribute your own ideas that have worked well in the home or classroom. You can communicate with us through email or simply post a response in the comments section of the relevant page.