Full School Day Kindergarten
A high quality, play-based Kindergarten program has long-term benefits for children's academic and social skills and helps them to succeed in school and in life.
StrongStart Centres In Powell River Schools
StrongStart Centres are an initiative that supports smooth and successful transitions for children and families into kindergarten, supports families as the primary educators of their children, and makes school facilities and resources available to the preschool population.
StrongStart Outreach Programs
Ready, Set, Learn
The Ready, Set Learn initiative provides opportunities for elementary schools to influence school readiness in children through school based community events. It is also intended to facilitate partnerships between schools and local community agencies and early childhood service providers, and is designed to encourage positive connections between families and the school system as well as the participating community agencies.
The Parent-Child Mother Goose Program
The Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is a group experience for parents of young children focusing on the pleasure and power of using oral rhymes, songs and stories. This program promotes the development of early literacy skills, but also empowers parent with tools to encourage positive social development in their children.
Ages And Stages
School District #47 contributes to "Ages and Stages"- an interactive preschool fun day that takes place at the Powell River Recreation Complex. It is a collaborative effort of the Building Blocks Committee 0-5; members are from agencies and services that serve the preschool population.
Young Parent Program
School District #47 offers a young parent program through Brooks Secondary School. This program is offered to young adults who have become parents before they have had the chance to complete their grade 12 education.
EDI stand for "Early Development Instrument" and is a questionnaire designed to measure children's school readiness. Kindergarten teachers participate by administering the EDI to current kindergarten students.
Roots Of Empathy (ROE)
ROE is a program offered in School District #47 classrooms. This evidence-based program has shown dramatic effect in reducing levels of aggression among children while raising social and emotional competence and increasing empathy.
Parents As Literacy Supporters (PALS)
PALS helps family members and caregivers support their preschool- or kindergarten-aged children’s early literacy development. Each PALS session focuses on learning through play, and includes time for parents and caregivers to talk with a facilitator, and time for adults and children to learn, play and have fun together.


Ardley, Neil. 101 Great Science Experiments. Dorling Kindersley, 1993.
Bosak, Susan. Science is...: A Sourcebook of Fascinating Facts, Projects and Activities. Firefly Books. Reprint ed. 2000.
Browning, Marie. Natural Soapmaking. Sterling Publications, 1999.
Day, John A., Shafer, Vincent J., Peterson, Roger Tory. Peterson First Guide to Clouds and Weather. Houghton Mifflin Co. (Pap), 1998.
Graf, Rudolph F. and Sheets, William. Build Your Own Low-Power Transmitters: Projects for the Electronics Experimenter. Newnes, 2001.
Greene, Alan. Primitive Photography: A Guide to Making Cameras, Lenses and Calotypes. Butterworth-Heinemann (Trd), 2001.
Harris, James G. and Harris, Melinda Woolf. Plant Identification Terminology: an Illustrated Glossary. Spring Lake Pub., 2001.
Hauser, Jill Frankel and Braren, Loretta Trezzo. Kids' Crazy Concoctions. Williamson Publishing, 1998.
Hodgson, Michael. Basic Essentials: Weather Forecasting. 2nd ed. Globe Pequot Press, 1999.
Home Made Best Made: Hundreds of Ways to Make All Kinds of Useful Things. Reader's Digest General Books. Reader's Digest Adult, 1998.
Kerrod, Robin and Holgate, Sharon Ann. The Way Science Works. DK Publishing, 2002.
Lawrence Hall of Science. Earth, Moon, and Stars. Regents of the University of California, 1986.
Lawrence Hall of Science. Electricity. Regents of the University of California, 1983.
Lawrence Hall of Science. Height -O- Meters. Regents of the University of California, 1988.
Lawrence Hall of Science. Hot Water and Warm Homes From Sunlight. Regents of the University of California, 1986.
Lawrence Hall of Science. Of Cabbages and Chemistry. Regents of the University of California, 1989.
Lawrence Hall of Science. Secret Formulas. Regents of the University of California, 1996.
Levabre, Marcel. Aromatherapy Workbook. Inner Traditions International Ltd., 1997.
Liles, J.N. The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing: Traditional Recipes for Modern Use. University of Tennessee Press, 1990.
Mayall, R. Newton and Mayall, Margaret W. Sundials: Their Construction and Use. Dover, 2000.
McGee, Harold. The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore. John Wiley & Sons, 1992.
Miller, Susan. The Soapmaker's Companion: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes, Techniques, and Know How. Storey Books, 1997.
Monihan, Kevin and Douglass, Don. GPS Instant Navigation: From Basic Techniques to Electronic Charting. Fine Edge Productions, 2000.
Murray, Michael T. and Pizzorno, Joseph. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. Prima Publishing, 1997.
Rogers, Kirsteen and Dowswell, Paul. The Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope. EDC Publications, 1997.
Science Snackbook: Teacher Created Versions of Exploratorium Exhibits. Edited by Paul Doherty and Don Rathjen. The Exploratorium, 1991.
Trionfante, Jeffrey V. Sunclocks: Sundials to Make and Use. Jvt Pub., 1999.
Wood, Robert. Science For Kids: 39 Easy Meteorology Experiments. TAB Books.
Discover More main page


Teachers, students, and amateur artists will all benefit from the advice of this esteemed educator and fine artist whose book, as described by a colleague, is "a cause célèbre
for art education, not only because it meets the urgent professional need, but also because it combines artistic, aesthetic, and instructional considerations in a way which is significantly different from any other text."
Encouraging teachers and students to use his suggestions in ways they feel most appropriate, the author (an expert guide and teacher) offers sound advice on methods and techniques for artists at all levels. Using the lessons and methods he employed over the years as an instructor, Kaupelis focuses on solving the problems common to many illustrators, among them successfully developing perspective, contour and modeled drawing, and drawing from memory and projected images. A splendid blend of instruction, analysis, and insights, this volume—one of the most widely read art instruction texts—deserves a place on the shelves of instructors and serious students of art.
Reprint of the Watson Guptill Publications, New York, 1966 edition.
|Availability||Usually ships in 24 to 48 hours|
|Dimensions||8 1/4 x 11|


ONCE UPON A TIME: THE REFERENCE OF STORY GRAMMAR UNITS DURING PARENT-CHILD STORY BOOK READING
Acquiring literacy skills is a complex process that requires social influences. One important social influence, according to Lev Vygotsky, is the caregiver. Within a child's Zone of Proximal Development, the caregiver can help the child learn new concepts and ideas. Caregivers are particularly important as a child develops literacy skills. By using a variety of techniques, caregivers can teach reading comprehension as well as critical thinking skills in order to promote literacy development. Sixteen children were read Bear Shadow within parent-child dyads. Transcripts of de-contextualized language from each session were analyzed for frequency, range and relation categories. The results showed that the story grammar elements referenced most frequently were Attempt and Consequence. Also, on average, most parents referenced 4.75 out of the eight total story grammar elements during story book reading. To do this, most parents related their comments to story book illustrations, followed by text.
School:University of Cincinnati
School Location:USA - Ohio
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:literacy story grammar units
Date of Publication:01/01/2007


How public education can work
Published 2:41 pm, Thursday, March 6, 2014
Public education can work. In fact, it worked in bringing the United States to the forefront in the 20th century. And it is working now in many districts in Connecticut which focus on celebrating excellence in learning as a component of their mission statements. Connecticut schools did have standards, core objectives, and a fair mastery test. Now, by definition, the goal of the Common Core standards and their testing is proficiency. Is proficiency -- the lowest of expectations -- what we want for our students? No, we want excellence, and excellence is missing in the superficial Common Core, where lessons have measurable but insignificant objectives, and testing is obsessive. The mandated blocked schedules have an unreasonable concentration on math and literacy, leaving little time in the classroom day for science, social studies, world languages, technology and the arts.
From 1986 into the 21st Century, Connecticut celebrated excellence by recognizing exemplary classroom curriculum projects linked to core standards that were high performing expectations for our schools. Celebration of Excellence, a program acknowledging high performing teachers in the core areas -- Understandings and Applications, Aspects of Character, Foundational Skills and Competencies -- was creative, and represented collaborative, proven areas of success for students. Making change for the sake of standardization across the country with newly written but untested Common Core national standards, limits our students and our educators. So, instead of dictating one size fits all and block scheduling every minute for teachers and children, how about renewing a commitment to high-quality, effective schooling, with flexibility in goals, expectations, and methodology. If one of the goals is to bring up national testing scores to make us more competitive on the world stage, and our children better prepared for careers and citizenship, wouldn't it serve Connecticut better to set up mentor district partnerships across the state where there is a sharing of successful best practices between the districts, and use the contributions of outstanding educators to mentor in areas needed?
Education is continuously changing, not static. Exemplary districts have always been open to new programs, and that is as it should be. Exciting new programs and ways of teaching them are happening all the time. But it has been customary for most school systems to pilot a new program to judge whether it fills their needs, and produces the desired results. Before adopting the Common Core standards in 45 states as we have now done, wouldn't it have been smarter to pilot the program in a few states with diverse districts that are both urban and suburban, with both challenging and failed schools? Let Connecticut again take the lead. Why waste education funding with an untested program that frustrates educators, stresses students, and doesn't really meet our needs?
Announcing a two-year delay of the controversial new teacher evaluations linked to high stakes Common Core test scores for Connecticut teachers and students, is a move in the right direction. We need to do more to stop this abuse of our school system and misuse of taxpayer dollars, and slow down. Give educators, districts, and boards back their autonomy to use funding in the most effective way. It is time to listen to the voices of parents, teachers, and students, who are stressed by the new standards which include impractical data collection and rigorous testing. Pullback is the only common sense action. There is still widespread concern about the adoption of the Common Core curriculum and standards. They are not the answer for our public schools in Connecticut. One program for all will not play for the diversity we encourage in our students.
Let's start making smart decisions. Instead of diminishing the value of exploration and American core values, how about making public school learning relevant to the choices, innovation, and challenges that our students will meet in the real world.
Jean Jaykus taught for the Ridgefield Public Schools for 36 years in grades 3-6. She was Ridgefield's Teacher of the Year, and won a Connecticut Celebration of Excellence Award for her curriculum project in Science and Technology. AnneMarie Surfaro-Boehme taught in the Ridgefield Public Schools for 34 years. Her teaching career includes the Early Childhood levels kindergarten, first, and second grades. She was Ridgefield's Teacher of the Year, and won a Connecticut Celebration of Excellence Award, for her curriculum project in The Arts: Creative and Performing.


Drawing On Science For Kids
Plants and animals have developed many ways to use light energy for their survival. The EMS is composed of wavelengths of energy from low radio waves to high gamma waves. Light is a very small part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS). Light energy is visible to animals having photoreceptors (photo=light, receptor=receiver). Light is also used by specialized cells in green plants.
In unicellular (uni=one) organisms such as Euglena, special regions in the cell are able to detect light to which the organism responds. The organism will either move toward the light or away from the light depending on its preference. Green plants such as Maple trees have chloroplasts containing the light-sensitive chemical, chlorophyll, which uses the light energy for the production of food. Multicellular (multi=many) organisms have evolved two types of photoreceptors called eyes: compound eyes and camera eyes.
Insects have compound eyes consisting of many lenses and light-sensitive cells. Compound eyes can detect light and movement. That cute insect called a dragonfly has eyes which consist of some 30,000 lenses and light sensitive cells. Dragonflies can see 360o around them, they can distinguish color, and can spot a mosquito flying many feet away. You and your mammal friends, on the other hand, have camera type eyes. A camera basically has a lens, a diaphragm controlling an opening to allow light in, and film on which an image is captured (Digital cameras do not have film. Instead the image is captured by a charge coupled-device or CCD. A CCD is a light-sensitive thing that captures an image electronically.)
Your eye is globe-shaped with a protective outer covering called the sclera. The front part of the sclera, called the cornea, is transparent and is slightly bulged. Just inside the sclera is a dark-colored tissue, the choroid. This tissue supplies blood to the eye. The choroid has a thickened region called the ciliary body and a ring of tissue, the iris, in front of it. In the center of the iris is the pupil. Just behind the pupil and attached to the ciliary body is the lens.
The ciliary body and the lens divide the eye into two chambers. The forward chamber is filled with a watery substance called the aqueous humor. The rear chamber is filled with a jelly-like substance called the vitreous humor. Covering the inner surface of the choroid in the back of the eye is the retina. The retina is composed of two types of cells: rod cells and cone cells. Rods are found along the outer rim of the retina and are very sensitive to light, but not to color. They produce blurry images. Cones are found in the middle of the retina. Cones are sensitive to color and produce a clearer, sharper image than rods. Rods and cones combine to form the optic nerve, which leads into your brain's visual centers.
A camera's diaphragm controls the amount of light that enters the camera by controlling the size of the opening. When an image passes through its lens the image is turned upside down, so the film (or CCD) receives the upside down image as is. Your eye works the same way. Your eye's iris controls the pupil's size. Contracting the pupil lets in less light while dilating (opening) the pupil allows in more light. Your retina also receives an image upside down. So how come you see things right side up? Well, when the image is transported though the optic nerve to your brain, your brain turns the image right-side up.


Research at MICA is intended to explain how art and design have significant and measurable impact on society, policy, commerce, art education, and science.
The first art college to establish a vice provost position responsible for research, MICA develops arts and design-based solutions to complex problems using scientific discovery practices and methodical and documented art-making processes. MICA continues to support research that investigates pedagogy and questions that arise out of the intersection of studio and classroom practice.
MICA works with partners to develop longer-term negotiated contracts led by faculty, or shorter-term "sponsored studios" in which students work with faculty as part of coursework. Research is coordinated through the College's three research centers: Design Practice, Design Thinking, Race and Culture. Art Education research is an integral part of all art education masters degrees and a strong focus of the MA in Art Education. Other initiatives, such as the Community Arts Convening and Research Project, have similar national impact.
- Health- communication design, spatial and urban design, healthy lifestyles, prevention
- Community/Urban Engagement- community empowerment, urban revitalization, community planning, historic preservation, affordable and green housing, smart growth
- Intersections of Art, Design, and Technology- information visualization, usability/interface design, serious games, fabrication technologies/methods, smart materials/textiles
- Sustainability, Environment, and Energy- design, communication, education, food issues (urban farming and food systems)
- Intersections of Art, Design, and Science- integrated informal education for STEM (STEAM), scientific visualization and neuroesthetics/neuroeducation.
- Art Education - testing various strategies for teaching for their potential to deepen the engagement of students and other questions
Recent projects and partners:
- w/ MD Energy Administration- project to reduce state-wide energy consumption
- w/ Museum of Arts and Design (New York)-the Global Africa Project
- w/ Baltimore City Heath Department- projects to prevent HIV/AIDS and youth violence
- w/ Real Food Farms- project to improve access to healthy food in inner-city
- w/ Downtown Partnership- design ideas for the 1812 Bicentennial
- Greener Groceries project explores using vacant lots and big box stores as local farms, and other ways to reexamine packaging and delivery of food
- w/ National Art Education Association- Think Tank conference in 2010 to pursue new approaches to diversity in art education
Engages students in problem-solving research, experimentation, and collaboration to develop design-based solutions to societal challenges.
Publishes original research on graphic design. Its flagship graphic design textbook The New Basics has become a must-have text for designers and educators around the world, integrating formal design thinking with digital technology and contemporary media theory.
Brings artists and designers from all over the world together to explore how diverse artists and experiences impact the broader world of art and design. This year's Global Africa Project has garnered international acclaim.
Studies conduced by graduate students in classroom or instructional settings are submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Click here to find links to published articles and a list of investigations by theme. Nearly all students have presented their research at national conferences.
MICA-led national collaboration between community-based artists, students, scholars, civic leaders, and youth to share best practices, models, and ideas through conferences, research, and communication


An exhibition of more than 100 dolls in native dress from 60 different countries around the globe opens April 9th in the Temporary Exhibit Gallery of the Museum of Cultural and Natural History at Central Michigan University.
The exhibition is composed of a selection from over 300 dolls recently acquired from the estate of Barbara Bissot. Dr. Bissot taught at CMU from 1962 to 1992, first as a fourth grade at the university lab school and then in the elementary education department of the School of Education. Dr. Bissot took an overseas trip nearly every year between 1974 and 2006, seeking out hand-made dolls crafted by local artisans wherever she went. True to her values as an educator, Bissot purchased dolls, not as playthings, but to typify local traditions, be ethnically true and representative of the country.
The dolls' clothing provides evidence of local cultural traditions as well as textile technologies and style. Many of the dolls present everyday wear while others present the clothing worn for special events or holidays, both religious and secular. Many of the dolls are clothed in costumes representing national traditions, regional or social identity or local occupations. Some are "character dolls" illustrating traditional stories or folktales.>
Examining these dolls from around the world, museum visitors will learn first-hand of the variety of ways humans express their diverse values and common experiences through something we all understand, clothing.
In addition to the display of dolls, Beyond Barbie includes a children's educational activity room, a website and special tours.


The melodica, also known as 'blow-organ' is a free-reed instrument similar to the accordion and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole, allowing air to flow through a reed. The keyboard is usually two or three octaves long. Melodicas are small and light enough to be carried around. They have been very popular in music education, especially in Asia.
The instrument was invented by Hohner in the 1950s or 1960s, although it is also claimed that it was invented by the Brooklyn musician Joseph Lederfine in order to teach music fundamentals to children, ...
a solo melodica version of the nursery song "Pop Goes the Weasel" Suitable for scenes, ads involving toddlers, babies, young children. 3 versions: Full version has grace note on "pop". Variation A is in Bb (lower key), Variation C is slower tempo. Recorded dry. Free Reed, Melodica
A fairly straight rendition of Red River Valley played on solo Melodica. Sounds similar to harmonica. Paired with the "Jazzy" track, you could build a campfire/ outdoorsy mood with this track and deliver a musical punch line with the jazzy. Good pair for a comedy/sit-com, Free Reed, Melodica


Activities for Reading
In order for children to learn to read, it’s helpful to have a proverbial reservoir of activities for reading for them to do. Make that, a resevoir of enjoyable activities. Who wouldn’t rather engage in activities that are enjoyable to do? And what sounds like commonsense has the weight of good research backing it as well. Educators and researchers have found, not surprisingly, that a student’s enjoyment of learning directly relates to their desire and willingness to learn. The more enjoyable and interactive learning is, the more likely that a student will engage in that activity.
But the trick is to find activities that are both enjoyable and an effective means of instruction. There is, of course, no point engaging children in activities that are solely enjoyable, with no educational basis, and then expect them to learn something and make gains in their learning. And on the flip side, it is often very difficult to keep kids motivated in educational activities if they do not enjoy them. Researchers have found that kids need to engage in a diverse range of activities for reading, in order for them to gain the literacy skills they need and become fluent readers. But what are the most effective activities for reading?
Activities for reading need to have as their focus five key areas of instruction, which are:
• Phonemic awareness
• Phonics skills
• Fluency in reading
• Vocabulary building
• Text comprehension
Activities for reading which have these five areas of instruction as their focus have been found to be highly-effective in helping kids acquire the reading skills that they need.
The ABC Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress programs incorporate each of the five essential elements of reading instruction into the structure of every lesson. All of the ABC Reading Eggs activities for reading feature either four or five of the essential elements. Early in the Reading Eggs program, phonemic awareness is highlighted. Later, phonics instruction takes precedence, and so on, moving through emphasis on the other key areas of fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension in their turn.
Each lesson is comprised of a number of parts, featuring a variety of activities for reading, such as phonetic sounding out of letters, phonemic awareness skills of being able to hear the sound of letters as parts of spoken words, letter formation and writing, vocabulary development and reading with comprehension.
The lessons build on one another so that all of the activities for reading within the lesson are perfectly integrated and build upon one another, culminating in the reading of an e-book near the end of each lesson. Each e-book has a cover and pages that turn, mimicking the act of reading a real book, which helps students gain skills in handling physical books, not just e-books. One of the marvelous benefits of the ABC Reading Eggs program is that all of the activities for reading work to help students gain the skills needed to read fluently offline as well as online.
The ABC Reading Eggs program also features a thoroughly engaging, age-appropriate reward system that rewards students for their engagement with and completion of the program’s activities for reading. Children enjoy receiving the prize of Golden Eggs at the completion of the short activities for reading. The Golden Eggs are deposited in their Eggy Banks for them to ‘spend’ in a variety of ways within the ABC Reading Eggs program. They can spend them on games, on clothes for their Reading Eggs online character, or on furnishings for their character’s house.
Students can also collect critters as well as Golden Eggs, with the reward of a three-dimensional, animated critter that hatches out of an egg at the completion of each lesson. This is a rich reward system that encourages students to engage with the activities for reading in order to reap their rewards.
The wide variety of rewards within the ABC Reading Eggs program and the interactive nature of the activities for reading make Reading Eggs an enjoyable, compelling, and thoroughly educational learning experience for young students.
I am very impressed with your wonderful program. Each activity is clearly explained to the children. It is fun and fast moving and also provides a variety of follow-up activities. Andrea Reeson, Wingham Brush Public
Reading Eggs is incredible! My daughter can’t get enough of the activities, she enjoys them so much…In just THREE days she started reading the most basic of words. Thank you so much Reading Eggs. Arthur
Our students love this site. It is bright, entertaining, engaging and educationally sound. What a fun way to learn to read! They can’t get enough of it and ask regularly, ‘is it our turn on Reading Eggs today’? Katrina Kruger, Elliot Heads State School


Concentration in Psychology
A concentration in Psychology takes a student beyond the opportunities provided by the Psychology minor, providing foundational skills in both clinical and research psychology. The program, when combined with a complementary academic major, will help prepare students for graduate school or a career in which an understanding of human behavior is important. Students preparing for people-oriented careers in business, communication, education, government, church ministry or missions often choose a Psychology concentration. Having a concentration in Psychology is often the minimal entry-level standard for graduate studies in counseling.
The Behavioral Sciences offer rich opportunities to its student through coursework, interaction with faculty and students, and the challenge to integrate faith concepts. We also prepare our students for employment and continuing education in graduate school. Students are able to conduct and present research projects and develop professional skills by serving as volunteers and interns in our community. The Psychology concentration will give students exposure to these opportunities, providing a wonderful complement to the major of their choosing.
Program Plan (pdf)
|Want to see exactly what classes you will take? The Program Plan (sometimes called a degree sheet) includes all specific requirements - including University proficiencies, Frameworks courses and degree requirements.|
Each of Evangel's academic programs is made up of a set of core curriculum, program requirements and electives. The courses listed below are just a small sample of courses that might be taken as a part of this specific program.
|Introduction to Psychology||Introduction to basic procedures in the study of behavior and to elementary principles of conditioning, motivation, emotion, personality, sensation, perception, abnormal behavior, psychotherapy, and social dynamics.|
|Social Psychology||Introduction to social psychology (a study of social influences upon individual and group attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors--how people influence one another and are influenced by others). Includes attitude formation, persuasion, propaganda, crowd and mob behavior, fads and fashions, and interpersonal attraction. Examines methods and examples of research, along with theories and the relation of theoretical principles and concepts to existing situations.|
|Abnormal Psychology||The basis for labeling people as "abnormal." Investigation of the theoretical approaches to psychopathology, the assessment of mental disorders, and a sampling of the current classification system of disorders with respect to symptomatology and treatment.|
|Group Dynamics||Introduction to the psychological dynamics of groups according to various theoretical approaches. Emphasis on both the knowledge content and personal awareness derived from group participation. Applications of group skills in both secular and Christian settings.|
|Psychology of Personality||Introduction to the major approaches, methods, and findings in the field of personality. Overview of basic theories, strategies, issues, and conclusions in the psychology of personality.|
Evangel University's world-class faculty is made up of caring, Christian professionals who are distinguished in their fields and dedicated to the development of tomorrow's Christian leaders.
Is there any such thing as a chance meeting? Ask Dr. Heather Kelly. After teaching eight years on the California coast, and seven more in sunny Florida, she moved to Springfield last summer to teach psychology at Evangel University. Kelly first visited the EU campus several years ago for a professional conference, but it was […] read more
- Children and Family Services
- Crisis Pregnancy Counselor
- Drug and Alcohol Counselor
- Foreign Services
- Government Worker
- Juvenile Justice Worker
- Law Enforcement Officer
- Probation/Parole Officer
- Social Worker
- Youth Services Specialist
No special requirements for this program.
General Undergraduate Requirements
The following are general requirements for all students beginning an undergraduate program at Evangel. For more information visit Undergraduate Admissions Requirements.
|Faith||As a boldly Christian university, all of our students have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.|
|Diploma||Graduation from high school, or having the equivalent of a high school diploma such as the General Education Development (GED) examination.|
|Core Subjects||A minimum of a 2.0 GPA in core college prep classes (English, math, social sciences and science with a lab)|
|Grade Average||A "C" average. However, in some cases, a student with a weak academic record may be considered. To remain at Evangel, however, the student must meet scholastic requirements.|
|Standardized Tests||>Entering freshmen should take the ACT or SAT test. The codes for Evangel are as follows: SAT: 6198. ACT: 2296.|
When it comes to life at Evangel, there's always something happening on campus and there are always new lessons to learn, even outside of the classroom...Learn More


Professor Sandra Levey (Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, SLHS) explores the complexity of speech and language development in young children in her new textbook, Introduction to Language Development (Plural Publishing, 2013). The book is designed to help undergraduate and graduate students better understand the process of language acquisition.
“Many of the students who study language tend to become speech language pathologists,” explains Professor Levey. “Students take these separate classes in understanding how hearing plays a role in learning language, in language acquisition, and in bilingualism. Language develops because of all of these factors. This book integrates all of the classes students may take into one book so that they are introduced to a cohesive view of how language develops.”
Professor Levey incorporated aspects of her research on bilingualism and multicultural studies in her textbook, introducing the important role that anatomy, articulation, hearing, and literacy development play in children’s acquisition of language.
A graduate of Stanford University, Professor Levey earned her Ph.D. in speech- language-hearing sciences at the CUNY Graduate Center. As a trained linguist, she received research grants to study at Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria. On another research grant, she served as a consultant in Bratislava, Slovakia.


Especially for informal or formal educators.
To view the previously archived session, click here. Need help with the recording, please contact firstname.lastname@example.org.
Presenters: Jessica Fries-Gaither
Date Aired: February 13, 2013
This webinar helps you take your strategies for integrating science and literacy to the next level! Join Jessica Fries-Gaither, teacher and author of the NSTA bestseller Inquiring Scientists, Inquiring Readers: Using Nonfiction to Promote Science Literacy, Grades 3–5 as we learn inquiry teaching approaches through the use of nonfiction text (such as textbooks, field guides, and narrative expository texts). Get tips on recommended children’s books about science and specific literacy strategies as a way of authentically promoting your students’ literacy development through science inquiry.
Funding for this webinar generously provided by JP Morgan Chase.
To contact Jessica Fries-Gaither, please e-mail email@example.com.
To learn more about her book, click here.


Stick to a routine
Preschoolers learn that toys are picked up after playtime or that mats must be stored away after naps. At home, you can do the same: "Before I start dinner, we'll put your books back on the shelf" or "After you get into pajamas, you put your clothes in the hamper."
Give advance warning
Jane Lannak, Ph.D., who directs Boston University's Early Childhood Learning Lab, gives a two-minute warning to help students make the mental transition from playtime to pickup. Or tell them what they have time to do—"Three more puzzle pieces before cleanup!"
Think small chunks
Leeds says a room full of toys is very interesting and distracting, and preschoolers are not good picker-uppers. Let children pick up for five minutes, take a break then come back to the task. Or just focus on one thing: the stuffed animals, the crayons, etc.
Work some magic
Say "I heard about a family who had some wonderful cleanup magic in their house," advises Connie Gillies, a former preschool teacher in Nissequogue, NY. "You can walk by and say 'I wish our house had some of that.' Later, when a few toys are put away, say "Oh, we are so lucky. The magic is in our house!'" The classic motivator for the preschool set, she says, is reverse psychology.
Show them how it's done
Younger toddlers can get confused with commands like "Clean up your toys." That's a concept that doesn't come naturally. Hall advises parents to show young children what they mean: "Now it's time to put the blocks in their container" or "Watch how I'm placing the cars on the shelf. Would you please help me?"


Followers of the Center’s blog and research initiatives will know, we have been closely following the evolving, but not yet precisely documented transition from print to digital information that is impacting just about everyone these days. Our perspective on this phenomenon is to identify the ways in which digital books, games and other content is shaping household interactions, as well as the types of opportunities children have to learn outside the home—in schools, museums, libraries and the like. Our work is grounded in what we refer to as the “ecology of human development,” a research theory originally advanced some three decades ago by Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner of Cornell, and now being updated by scholars such as Brigid Barron of Stanford University and our own Director of Research at the Center, Lori Takeuchi. Our interest in the types of interactions and preferences that families are sharing when it comes to the integration of new technologies into their relationships, and in promoting young children’s learning, has led the Center to focus on how media are influencing “learning together.” One key line of work is our focus on early reading development, because parents and caregivers dramatically shape early literacy habits through their own actions, and, of course, what results often sets the foundation that children have in a basic competency that is central to their long-term success.
We are pleased to share the results today of a large-scale parent survey on “co-reading” that was conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center over the course of four months this spring. To follow up on insights revealed in our Print vs. E-books QuickStudy, Cooney Center Research Fellow Dr. Sarah Vaala and Director of Research Lori Takeuchi conducted a survey among 1,200 parents to ask them about their attitudes and practices toward reading books with their 2-to-6-year-old children. Because the Apple iPad has demonstrated a quick rise to dominance in the tablet marketplace, this report delves into iPad owners’ (approximately 500 of the participants) practices and their perceptions surrounding the use of e-books in their kids’ literacy development. While iPad owners are not representative of parents across the nation as a whole, we did found noteworthy patterns of perceptions and use of e-books among the families in this sample that we believe warrants broader conversations. Given the speed with which many lower-income families are now adopting iPads and other tablets, we believe that this study poses emerging, and more generalizable questions for researchers and designers. Our study was designed as a quick exploration of parents’ perceptions and practices of young children (6 and under) during a time of rapid growth in the e-book industry. With this survey, we were primarily interested in how parents today are reading books with their children, and how their perceptions of e-books compare to print books for learning and engagement, as well as what factors contribute to a parent’s decision to read or to not read e-books with their kids. The main findings are set out below. To read a copy of the full report, go to http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/Reports-36.html.
iPad owners who read e-books with their children see certain features as helpful for early readers, and others as distracting.
Parents reported that audio features were most helpful for their young readers, including the option to click on a word to hear it read out loud. Conversely, embedded games and videos were found to be distracting, contributing to a perception among some parents that co-reading e-books with their children was “difficult”.
Parents with iPads vary in their perceptions and expectations of the experience of reading e-books with their children.
We found that just because a parent owns an iPad and enjoys reading on it herself does not mean that she will prefer reading with her child on the device. But those parents who do read e-books with their kids tend to feel positively about features in e-books that can help children learn to read on their own.
Perhaps most interestingly, reading e-books has not replaced reading print books together in families with iPads.
Even among parents who enjoy reading e-books with their children, the majority still prefers to read print books over e-books with their kids.
As innovation in the e-reading space and parent-child interactions naturally evolve, we are confident that experiences with co-reading will similarly be reshaped. Above all else, the research-based principle of spending a dedicated amount of time together (about a half hour for preschoolers) exploring print–whether it is in a physical book, or on screen–should remain a staple of effective practices for the foreseeable future. It is up to all of us to remember that the new technologies can be delightful allies in doing what generations of parents and caregivers have taken to quite naturally. When it comes to reading we need to effectively blend “something old with something new.”
Illustration by Baiba Baiba


I am not aware of any neurolinguist who holds this view. I doubt any have held it in decades. The consensus among scientists is closer to what the well-known cognitive neuroscientist Steven Pinker has written: "Language is a human instinct, but written language is not. Language is found in all societies, present and past. . . . All healthy children master their own language without lessons or corrections. When children are thrown together without a usable language, they invent one of their own. Compare all this with writing. Writing systems have been invented a small number of times in history. . . . Until recently, most children never learned to read or write; even with today's universal education, many children struggle and fail. A group of children is no more likely to invent an alphabet than it is to invent the internal combustion engine. Children are wired for sound, but print is an optional accessory that must be painstakingly bolted on. This basic fact about human nature should be the starting point for any discussion of how to teach our children to read and write."
One wonders what the report would have said had it been written not by a mixed group of educators, teachers, administrators, parents and scientists but instead by a group of neurolinguists. Would it have caviled quite so much on the question of whether phonics or whole language is the correct approach, or whether phonics instruction should be systematic and explicit?
It does seem likely, however, that a pedagogy based on hard science would begin from assumptions far different than those of whole language. It has no doubt been disconcerting for the advocates of whole language instruction to find that over the last decade, the better part of expert and scientific opinion has moved against them.
Partisans of whole language pedagogy, dedicated educators to be sure, have been fighting a rear-guard battle, based upon the view that children are not developmentally equipped for the discipline required by phonics instruction in the first grade and that the far greater risk to children's ultimate ability to read is--in a world in which reading must compete with television, video games and a thousand other entertainments--boredom and the inability to see the point of phonics drills. Typically there is resistance to the mandates to teach phonics issued by state legislatures and state boards of education. Though California is a leader among states in the revival of phonics, the effective consolidation of phonics is still a long way off and requires overcoming both the genuine difficulties in promulgating a new and demanding curriculum and the passive resistance of many educators. The easiest path is to teach whole language and call it phonics. Meanwhile some voices have emerged to defend whole language pedagogy publicly and unapologetically; one of the most well-known is the educational psychologist Gerald Coles.
"Defender of whole language pedagogy" is not a characterization Coles would always have accepted. In a 1998 book, "Reading Lessons," Coles rejected as inadequate the battle between phonics and whole language. Instead, he argued, the real issues in teaching reading transcend the mere pedagogy used in the classroom and are best understood in terms of race, equality and inequality of income and political economy and political power. As a consequence, "Reading Lessons" gives brief histories of the phonics and whole language pedagogy only to dismiss them both in favor of a broad discussion about poverty and money in education. As "Reading Lessons" says, drawing on the work of Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky and his followers:
"[The] conception of 'interactivity' emphasizes the importance of societal organization and power for classroom teaching and learning, even when the influences of that organization and power are not readily apparent. This does not mean that societal influences determine smaller units of teaching and learning literacy. Rather, they contribute mightily to, and therefore are inseparable from, the interactivity that comprises literacy teaching and learning."


The law may be outdated, but it's not unsalvageable.
When President Obama addressed the nation in his State of the Union speech last year, he challenged Congress to put aside its political differences and work together to strengthen our education system. Over a year later, Congress has failed to rise to the president's challenge. As a result, our nation's educational performance continues to linger around the middle of the pack among industrialized countries. As American corporations continue to send quality jobs overseas, a mediocre education system will not solve our economic crisis. Fixing our schools must be a national priority. But to get there, we must overcome the gridlock in Washington and reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
It's no secret that better schools lead to a stronger America. Improving the quality of our classrooms provides students with the skills to compete globally, grow jobs, and turn around our economy. But America's students cannot meet today's challenges without moving NCLB into the 21st century. Enacted over 10 years ago, this law set out to hold states and schools more accountable by tying federal funding to student performance. As a result, the law has helped close the achievement gap between minority students and white students, decrease the high school dropout rate, and help many schools realize their true potential. But the law is outdated and fails to fully address our students' -- and our nation's -- educational needs.
Above all, we must fundamentally change the way we measure schools under NCLB, which is currently done through an assessment called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Here are some proposals to fix AYP that could gain bipartisan support and ensure that schools are getting their fair share of federal assistance:
Student evaluation should include standardized testing, but not only standardized testing. Instead of measuring academic success in the abstract by comparing test scores of separate groups, we should look at the individual progress of each student by tracking his or her growth from year to year. If the goal of NCLB is to measure actual student success, it makes better sense to look to each student's individual growth to get a better understanding of progress.
Every child with a disability should be afforded the best education possible; however, a school's AYP should not be based on standardized tests that fail to account for a child's cognitive capacity. Instead, when a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) is set in place at the start of the academic year, the personalized goals determined through collaboration between parents and teachers should set the benchmark for the student's growth, not a standardized test that-- in many cases-- is beyond the abilities of special education students. Since current education law requires an individualized curriculum for classified children, common sense says we ought to similarly have an individualized measure for their success.
Standardized testing cannot adequately measure student success for those who struggle to read and write English. It is unreasonable to expect children to succeed on standardized testing if they cannot understand the exam's instructions, let alone analyze its questions. With that in mind, we must develop a more subjective approach to evaluate English learners so that their schools are not unfairly denied federal assistance due to failing to meet AYP.
Reforming how we assess students under NCLB is pivotal to improving our education system. Not only does it provide a more accurate understanding of school performance, it ensures that federal funding is targeted in places that truly qualify under fair and reasonable measures. However, this is only half the formula: we must continue our efforts to make college more affordable so that those helped by NCLB can reach their full academic potential. Our urgent, and first, priority must be to reauthorize NCLB so that students are actually prepared for college and have the foundational skills needed to benefit from higher education.


EMU special education majors help students with cognitive impairments/disabilities transition to independence
YPSILANTI - Ordering lunch, making change at a local convenience store, using public transportation or even crossing the street are ordinary, everyday tasks for most people. But for some, these seemingly mundane functions are often a challenge.
Eastern Michigan University students in John Palladino's "Secondary Special Education and Transitions" course spent part of their summer helping young adult students with cognitive impairments/disabilities in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) succeed at such tasks and help them transition into adulthood and independent living.
"The most important thing I learned is that you have to allow the student to guide the process of transition," said Dean Kowalski, a student in Palladino's class. " You cannot force him to do something that he does not want to do. When you expect the student to say or do something, and that student surprises you with something different, you have to go with that and alter your plan."
Kowalski's comments related to his work with Zack, a 20-year-old autistic student. Zack enjoys walking outdoors, but, for his own safety, had to learn to obey stop signs before crossing the street, Kowalski said.
However, that task proved difficult because Zack did not respond to the females in Kowalski's student group, said Palladino, an EMU assistant professor of special education. So, rather than have the whole group walk across the street with Zack, the group changed its strategy.
"The (male) students walking with him had to stand close by him, so they couldn't reflect on what they were doing," Palladino said. "So, we had the female students observe and document, which provided feedback to the whole group."
John Rose, a teacher for transition services in the WISD, met Palladino at a convention at the end of this past school year. The two began discussing their individual programs and came up with the idea of having EMU's students help WISD's special education students work on real world skills during the summer.
"Our students show the skills they have, how they get from point A to point B," Rose said. "Their (EMU's) students see what our students do well, what we can work on and provide teachable moments. The college students relayed lesson plans to help our students transition into adulthood."
"My students get frustrated with coursework. They don't have a visual concept. They don't have that personal experience," Palladino explained. "By putting them into this setting, it gets them experience with these students. And the experiences they're learning aren't always what they're learning in the classroom. Sometimes, you have to negotiate the process."
Palladino's students, who worked with the WISD students each Wednesday this summer, culminated their work by scheduling outings with their students July 27.
One WISD student, Jeremy, acted as a deejay at Washtenaw Community College's radio station, picking out the records and doing the voiceovers and introductions for the show, which is broadcast over the college's Web site.
Jeremy has Louis Bar Syndrome and uses a wheelchair.
"He has been going over to WCC for some time now and doing his shows," said Corinne Mack, an EMU student who is a visually impaired elementary education major, who worked with Jeremy. "He did a great job of picking out songs that are in the top 40 right now."
"I never thought that I would consider working in secondary education, but I really enjoyed planning the transition field trips and assignments," Mack said. "The eye opener for me was that not all students with disabilities will have the same goals and, sometimes, the goal is quality of life."
"When you teach with this population, success with a student looks different than at other grade levels," he said.
Eastern Michigan University is a public, comprehensive university that offers programs in the arts, sciences and professions. EMU prepares students with the intellectual skills and practical experiences to succeed in their careers and lives, and to be better citizens.
Eastern Michigan University is a public, comprehensive university that offers programs in the arts, sciences and professions. EMU prepares students with the intellectual skills and practical experiences to succeed in their career and lives, and to be better citizens.
Editor's Note: Looking for an expert source for a story? Check out EMU's Eastern Experts online at www.emich.edu/univcomm/easternexperts.


Recently I have become really interested in early childhood music education. In the past I would always say that students definitely need to be at least five years old to take lessons. And if you're speaking in terms of traditional sit on the bench and learn piano lessons, I still believe that is true. But, as the mother of a bright little two-year-old who loves music, the wheels in my brain have really been turning about this subject. I am excited that we will be discussing this topic a lot this week!
My son loves music. He loves to dance around the room when we play the piano, and particularly when my husband plays fast, exciting pieces like the 3rd movement of Moonlight Sonata or Maple Leaf Rag. I have found that he absolutely loves to learn about music and to have "piano lessons" with me. I have also learned the importance of keeping it fun and exciting - I would never force him to play the piano, 95% of the time it is he who comes to me, wanting to play the piano. In fact, he has learned his first little piece and loves to play it! How cute is that.
I recently found out about a new website all about preschool music, and they have some really wonderful video interviews where they discuss preschool music - check it out! These are so informative, and I particularly enjoyed the video about research showing the benefits of music to preschoolers.
I really do feel that children who have exposure to music at an early age can really learn a lot, and that it will have far-reaching positive effects in their development. In the future I would love to teach preschool music classes. I know of many readers who have wonderful piano blogs who have mentioned "pre-piano camps" for young children - what a great thing!
I have actually started teaching "piano lessons" to a couple of preschool-aged students. I put piano lessons in quotations because it is so different than any piano lessons I have taught in the past! "Lessons" are super short - 15 minutes. We hardly even sit at the piano bench. We sit on the floor and play games, we tell stories, we listen to music, we play and improvise on the piano - and the students have such fun, while learning some great foundational concepts about music and the piano. I will probably be sharing some of the games I have been using, so stay tuned! In the meantime - for those of you readers who teach preschool music of some type, what are some things you have learned about teaching this age group? What are some ways you have found to teach music in a fun way?
Labels: Jenny Boster, Preschool Music


Can any adult become an artist? Can anyone learn how to draw?
If you are like most art teachers, these question have a very passionate answer…YES! YES! YES! I believe that every student has artistic potential and that art skills can undoubtedly be taught. They may come more naturally to some, but that is the case with any skill. Teaching these skills is the purpose behind our jobs, right? (I mean, along with creative thinking, artistic interpretation, cross-curricular connections, empathy, problem-solving, etc.) I bring up this very passionate and sometimes downright emotional subject for two reasons.
I want to discuss a pet peeve of mine. It has to do with non-art teachers. Have you ever heard other teachers say things to their students like, “I can’t draw a straight line,” or “I only draw stick people.,” or “I can’t draw that and I don’t think you can draw that either.” It is enough to make me want to pull out my hair! You would never hear a teacher say, “Math is hard.” (Didn’t Barbie get into pretty deep trouble for that one?) Or “I don’t like to read” or “I can’t understand science.” Why is this such a double standard? The answer is it shouldn’t be, but most likely the other teachers in your building are unaware of what they are doing to your program and your credibility as a teacher. Which leads me to my next item.
It is up to you to educate your colleagues. Several years ago I was asked to present at a faculty meeting about the art department, curriculum, etc. At first, I was kind of shocked and intimidated, but then I saw this opportunity for what is was. I was always asking students and teachers what they were working on in their classrooms, this was my opportunity to make teachers aware of what is happening in mine and how they can support me! Novel idea, right? I put together a short presentation that included images, statistics and short clips of students working in art. To set the mood, I included this short advocacy commercial from Americans For The Arts. Check it out below!
Not to brag, but you could hear a pin drop during my presentation. They were fascinated! I ended the program by listing what they could do to support me and included a bit about how important it is to discuss art skills in a positive and supporting light with students.
This is the essence of art advocacy. Spreading the word from the ground up! For more simple and practical ideas of how to advocate for a better and stronger art program, check out AOE’s Advocating for the Arts online class beginning February 1. Learn more right here.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Is every child really an artist?
Can you teach anyone how to draw?
How do you educate your colleagues about the importance of art education?


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Presents a comprehensive collection of research on literacy development in both monolinguals and bilinguals
Fills a wide gap in the literature of different orthographies
Presents cutting edge, evidence-based research
Covers literacy development across cultures and languages
One key measure of a country’s status in the world is the literacy of its people; at the same time, global migration has led to increased interest in bilingualism and foreign language learning as topics of research. Literacy Development and Enhancement Across Orthographies and Cultures reviews international studies of the role of literacy in child development, particularly how children learn their first written language and acquire a second written and spoken one. Comparisons and contrasts are analyzed across eight countries and 11 languages, including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Hebrew, Dutch, and Catalan.
Using qualitative and quantitative, established and experimental methods, contributors trace toddlers’ development of print awareness, clear up common myths regarding parental involvement and non-involvement in their children’s literacy, and suggest how the spelling of words can aid in the gaining of vocabulary. For added relevance to educators, the book includes chapters on early intervention for reading problems and the impact of pedagogical science on teaching literacy.
Highlights of the coverage:
Letter name knowledge in early spelling development
Early informal literacy experiences
Environmental factors promoting literacy at home
Reading books to young children: what it does—and doesn’t do
The role of orthography in literacy acquisition among monolingual and bilingual children
Gaining literacy in a foreign language
Instructional influences on literacy growth
Literacy Development and Enhancement Across Orthographies and Cultures adds significant depth and interest to the knowledge base and should inspire contributions from additional languages and orthographies. It belongs in the libraries of researchers and educators involved in cognitive psychology, language education, early childhood education and linguistics.
Content Level »Research
Keywords »Attention to Print - Becoming Literate in a Foreign Language - Early Identification and Intervention - Early Literacy Development - Early Spelling Development - Environmental Factors - Inflectional Morphological Skills - Influences on Literacy Growth - Learning A


Written in a lively and appealing style, “Listening to Music” provides the foundation for acquiring a lifelong knowledge and appreciation of music. It concentrates on the effective listening skills needed to identify composers and to recognize their styles and some of their representative works. Readers are encouraged to become informed consumers of music and active supporters of the arts. This comprehensive book covers the musical process, the materials of music, the common style periods of concert music (from the Baroque period to the present), and adjunct music, including North American popular music, broadway musical theater, and music in the movies. A useful reference work for those in the music industry.
For Music Appreciation courses at the college and high-school levels. Listening to Music's step-by-step presentation, accessible and reader-friendly approach, and focus on the music and composers helps students gain the effective listening skills needed to identify composers, their styles, and their music. Listening to Music reflects the successful and innovative approach used in Dr. Jay Zorn's popular course in music appreciation. While teaching his course, he realized students needed a more accessible and reader-friendly text that would cover the genres interesting to them while still teaching the classical repertoire. It takes a listening-based approach, focusing on individual works where the student is guided with appropriate musical and social background in order to understand the relationship to other music.
Dr. Jay Zorn is the Chairman of the Music Education Department at the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music, and a past president of the California Music Educators Association. For 30 years, Dr. Zorn has focused on training music educators, teaching music appreciation to thousands of students, and developing new, courses .designed to appeal to the expanding cultural diversity of student populations. June August is a playwright whose works have been produced in New England, California, Florida, and off-Broadway. She has been the Editorial Director of the Education Division of Walt Disney Productions and Director of Public Information for the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music. In addition, June is a writing consultant and trainer for Fortune 500 companies throughout North America.


If you haven’t seen any of Linda’s work you need to take a look! For the past few years I’ve been using Interactive Read Alouds in my classroom. It’s a wonderful resource that has read alouds identified for different reading comprehension strategies, and lessons to accompany the read aloud. It’s fantastic! I’m not doing it justice, you should check it out!
I bought two new books. They’re my birthday present to myself. Isn’t that semi-sad? But I can’t help myself…all of my jeans have holes in them but I would rather buy teacher books than clothes. Sigh – I’m hopeless!
These are officially on my summer to-read list!
I originally wasn’t planning on buying anything but Linda Hoyt shared some truly inspiring ideas for reading and writing and I had to buy them. HAD TO!
*********Keep Reading! *********
**There are Common Core nuggets of knowledge from Linda Hoyt herself!!**
Did you know the common core has created a list of text exemplars?
This means that for the grade levels examples of excellent text have been identified in different areas – stories, poetry, read alouds, informational text, etc.
The Common Core emphasizes that our students need to read and be exposed to complex, rich text – especially informational text. And they’ve provided a list of examples – wasn’t that kind?!
Hoyt recommended that we familiarize ourselves with the text attributes that characterize these exemplars. What makes them examples of excellence? By identifying these attributes we can better identify other wonderful books, and we can teach these attributes to our students.
But we can’t stop with just reading these texts, because, according to the Common Core, writing is also of utmost importance. Our students need to be taught to write and write well. What better way than to study excellent works of writing!
For example, all writing has punctuation. BUT excellent writing includes rich internal punctuation. (I nearly jumped out of my seat with excitement at the term – she gave a name to a vague idea that I had floating around my head). Also, by writing in clusters of three the text becomes more lyrical. Vivid imagery is also a common characteristic of excellent writing.
See coded example:
Hoyt recommends that we study these texts with our students. That we identify these writing attributes that make the texts great together with our students. Then, with our students, work on creating writing with those attributes (i.e. internal punctuation, clusters of three, or vivid imagery and so many more).
This is just one example of many. Hoyt was able to make these attributes come alive. She was also able to present instructional strategies that were feasible for any grade level. Remember, I’m excited and I teach in a bilingual 1/2 classroom where nothing is easy! I can’t wait to start teaching writing!
Hoyt shared many more strategies and ideas on reading informational text and writing informational text. I will share them as I have a chance to reflect and read her books.
Click below for the common core list of exemplars:
This was ridiculously long and I commend you if you made it this far, you’re an awesome teacher!!! I hope at the very least the link is helpful so you can hunt for the text exemplars at your grade level.
Mrs. CastroPin It


More than 10,000 worksheets in Math & English Language Arts for 6th, 7th and 8th grades.
With more than 10,000 exercises, iTooch Middle School is, by far, the largest collection of educational activities based on the US National Common Core Standards on the App Store. It covers Math, Language Arts for 6th Grade, 7th Grade and 8th Grade and Health for 6th Grade only.
The application contains:
Loaded with thousands of questions, apps cover official educational curricula & comply with Common Core State Standards.
This app creates great game dynamics and incentives, so that the user always wants to progress further in the application.
Apps embed a blackboard and a calculator for students to write and calculate directly on the screen without having to leave the app.
A lesson summary is attached to each chapter, to underline the core concepts students should know to answer questions.
Move instantly from one screen to the next. Stop waiting for information to load from a server: bandwidth is no longer an issue.
Apps automatically sync in the background in order to load new activities whenever an Internet connection is available.
Ryan Miller, has a BS in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside and a MA in Elementary Education from Claremont University. He served 5 years as math tutor. 6th Grade Math, 7th Grade Math.
Nina Berler, has taught middle-school English and math and worked one-on-one with numerous middle and high school students. 6th Grade ELA, 6th Grade Math, 7th Grade ELA, 8th Grade Math, 8th Grade ELA.
Nikita Ganatra received her BA in Liberal Studies and MS in Education from California State University Fullerton. She holds a Clear Single Subject Teaching Credential in English for California. 6th Grade ELA, 7th Grade ELA, 8th Grade ELA.
Millicent B. Fauntleroy, earned a B.S.J. and a M.S.J. at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She is also an alumna of Duke University, where she earned a master of arts degree in liberal studies. 7th Grade ELA.
William Scott Stone, has a BS in computer science from Franciscan University of Steubenville and also has a bachelor’s degree in teacher education from Stockton College of Ponoma. 8th Grade Math.
Kymberli Barney, is an 8th grade English/Language Arts teacher in Georgia. With more than 12 years of experience, she has gained considerable experience in the areas of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction. 8th Grade ELA.
Naomi Hall, has a B.S. in composite science education and an M.Ed. in math and technology education. She has taught a variety of science, math, and technology courses over the past nine years. 7th Grade Math.
Eileen Heyes, has a BA in journalism from California State University, Long Beach. She wrote at newspapers for 30 years. She is the author of three nonfiction books for teens. 6th Grade ELA, 8th Grade Math, 8th Grade ELA.
iTooch Middle School is not eligible for the Apple Volume Purchase Program (VPP) since it only embeds in-app titles. However since our products are intended for schools and districts, you can take advantage of this program by buying one of the pre-paid apps below. All these apps have the same content as iTooch Middle School. We will offer you special pricing for purchases of 20 apps or more:


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


Declaring your major as music, whether it is in education, performance, or technology can be an exciting decision to make. People choose to major in music for many different reasons, but the primary motivation seems to be a passion for making music in some capacity. Inspiring people through performance and teaching can be a life-changing experience for all involved. The majority of students who choose to major in music are typically the ones that were heavily involved in their high school choir, orchestra, and band programs. These students were often found in the band or choir room before and after school and participated in many musical activities on and off campus. In short, they played and sang a lot! Choosing music as your major in college brings new challenges as you prepare for a professional career. One of the most shocking realizations for the college music major at any institution is the fact that they will be taking academic style music courses and not simply just singing or playing their instrument. As with any discipline studied, the student must take core classes that help them gain knowledge and skills they will need to develop a successful professional career after graduation. For the music major, these courses include music theory, music history, class piano, and other fundamental classes. In addition to these studies, the music major will also take general education classes such as college algebra and literature courses. The student will be expected to develop a practice routine and also juggle class assignments and ensemble requirements. Fundamental to the academic mission at West Liberty University, we we hope to produce professional musicians across a multitude of musical disciplines that are prepared to achieve success and happiness in their professional lives.
The following are recommendations from the National Association for Music Education for successful completion of a music major program. You can read more of their articles and information on their website at www.nafme.org.
1. Clarify your reasons for becoming a music major. What do you want to do with your music study? Do you want to teach or be an international recitalist? Do you want to go to graduate school or professional school?
2. Request the assignment of an adviser from the music faculty. This adviser can guide you through course selection and audition preparation. Ask about the proper sequence of courses and their content. If you need remedial work, it is best to discover this early on. At West Liberty, a music advisor will be provided for you.
3. Keep a portfolio of your progress throughout your undergraduate studies. Theory tests (with high marks), programs of ensemble work and student recitals, notes from master classes, and other professionally related experiences will confirm your determination to succeed.
4. Manage your time carefully. You must allow time for core courses, music major courses, studio practice time, ensemble rehearsal, and ensemble performance dates. From an organizational standpoint, this is often the true test of whether you can “make it.” This is also the true training ground for becoming a teacher. Time management and organization will always be critical.
5. Prepare for your proficiency tests with great care. Juries and recitals with your major instrument are the cornerstone for your musicianship. Work closely and diligently with your applied teacher. Plan appropriately for secondary instrumental requirements. This could mean lessons and performance opportunity in a less-threatening environment. Prepare for your piano proficiencies with the appropriate faculty member. While the approving faculty member may be responsible for testing, he or she may not always be the most suitable person for planning an instructional strategy to satisfy the test. You might consider asking the applied piano teacher for a referral.
6. Academic habits that are predictors of success in school-punctuality, reliability, preparedness, industriousness, and effort-are also indispensable for success in the music profession. Declaring a music major is more complicated than singing or playing for pleasure. With careful planning and dedication, however, the curriculum can be one of the most rewarding in the liberal arts.


Sent to the San Francisco Chronicle, Jan 3, 2012
According to the Chronicle, Ze’ev Wurman thinks that “access to books is not a problem” because of one finding in one report produced by the US Government (“Fewer California schools have trained librarians,” Jan 2, 2012). This is like dismissing global warming because yesterday was cold. And it is counter to the results of a multitude of studies.
Numerous scientific studies published in professional journals have confirmed that children of poverty have little access to reading material: They have fewer books in the home, live in neighborhoods with inferior public libraries and fewer bookstores, and attend schools with inferior classroom and school libraries.
Studies also show that increasing access to books increases the amount of reading they do, and increased reading leads to improved achievement in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary.
Confirming the importance of access are the numerous studies of the impact of libraries: Keith Curry Lance and others have shown in a number of carefully done studies that better libraries mean higher scores on reading tests.
The relationship of access to books to literacy development is one of the best-established results in all of educational research.
Original article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/01/BA671M76JU.DTL#ixzz1iTNz40FG


The infamous “red pen” markings on your school work. They either give you a sick feeling when you think of them or they remind you of your school days success! How do teachers know if you learned something? They give you a test and grade it with their red pens. How do YOU know you’ve learned something? You take a test and PASS!
In the last week, we’ve been doing some life changing things together.
- First, we spent some time dreaming. We contemplated what we really really wanted in life.
- Second, we turned our dreams into goals by giving them a deadline.
- Third, we shifted our priorities to match our goals. We listed them out so that when we make a decision or a choice, we could line them up with our priorities to make sure we make the right choices.
- Fourth, we created action plans. We took each of our priorities and wrote out some steps to put our plan into action.
Our action plan steps included 4 very important elements.
- 1. Each of them directly add value to my priorities and will help me reach my goals.
- 2. Each of them are smaller or short term so that I am not over committing or creating opportunities for failure.
- 3. I can schedule each of the action plans into my calendar.
- 4. They are measurable and I know exactly how I can keep track of whether or not I do them. There are days, times, and details used to make it quantifiable and specific.
“Grading” your Success: Success Markers
My bachelor’s degree is in elementary education so I am speaking on behalf of all teachers to clear the air. The red pen markings are not to show you how you’ve failed, they are to show you what is left to learn. Tests, grades, charts, scores, etc… It gives an idea of how much has been learned and what is left to tackle.
We should use this same principle in goal setting. Instead of thinking of your goals as something to achieve or to fail, think of them as a target where we keep aiming, practicing and shooting until we hit the target with ease.
Like the picture says above, your actions steps were made small and measurable for a reason. If the steps are not easy to accomplish or apply and are not helping you aim towards your target, then readjust them! Who said your action steps were written in stone? No one! It’s like getting your paper back for some final edits. Make them work for you, for your priorities, for your goals, for your dreams.
How do you know if you are “on target”? You need to keep some form of a “success marker”. I call them success markers because you use the tool to visually “mark your successes”. It could simply be a checklist where you write down the action step with details and dates. When the action step is completed, then you “mark” it as a success. You could use star stickers, we all seem to like star stickers whether you’re a kid or not. Or, try highlighting them in a bright colorful highlighter marker when you’ve completed something. It’s a visual tool to help you see what you’ve learned and accomplished. Learning to use a “success marker” frequently and consistently will be a key to turning your goals into accomplishments.
Here is a success marker form that you are free to use as an example or make it as your own goal setting checklist.
Celebrate your Successes
Every success or accomplishment, big or small, is worth celebrating. Those that focus on their successes will feed the motivation machine deep down inside. If you are constantly focusing on what you haven’t done, where you aren’t, what you are not then your goals will always seem out of reach and impossible. If you are able to celebrate every success, you build a confidence platform that allows you to jump higher, dream bigger and do great things with intention.


mural, painting, art education, African refugees, African art
African Languages and Societies | Art Practice | Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education
Schoenborn, Carrie and Eggers, Jill, "Mural, Painting and Art Education Project with African Refugees and the African Community Center of West Michigan" (2008). Student Summer Scholars. Paper 6.
In starting the project at the African Community Center, we spent time getting to know the center, the people who use it and how it is used. We began by simply being at the center and helping with whatever needed to be done. We answered phones, met people who came and cleaned the donation closet. Yaka, the director, brought us to visit many of the families that use the center and we talked to both the refugees and Yaka about the experiences these individuals had coming to the United States; the difficulties they faced in Africa, on their journey to the U.S. and continue to face today. We also did research about Africa and the refugee experience. Soon we began teaching ESL and art classes and got to know many of the families quite well. The next step was to use the knowledge we gained of the center to recreate the interior of the center. We hoped to make it more friendly, inviting and useful for all those who use it. We repainted the walls and created interactive maps of Africa and the United States to help individuals have a fun way to learn and talk about where they came from and where they are now. In addition, we rearranged the rooms to create a “kids’ room,” allowing the adults to focus on their classes. The kids’ room was then repainted with a sunset and the silhouette of an African landscape and animals. This allows the kids to talk about Africa and reminds them of where they came from. The silhouette is also painted in chalk paint, encouraging the children to interact with each other by drawing directly on the walls. We documented the entire process through photos and film with the hopes of using these materials to inform others of the center’s vital programs and their importance to the greater Grand Rapids community through the media and other contacts.


In preparation for teaching my graduate class in the History of Teaching Art each year, I make a point of spending time digging into the past of art education to locate some new nuggets of information and interesting historical facts to share with my students in our survey of “Great Moments in Art Education History.”
This year I stumbled onto the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) that turned into a goldmine of useful resources for the study of the history of art education. One resource in particular that caught my attention was the very first issue of Art Education, A Journal Devoted to Manu-Mental Training, dated October 1, 1894.
Within the journal, I found an article titled “Two Hypotheses for the Acquisition of Thought Expression” by Francis W. Parker, a pioneer of the progressive school movement and a firm believer that education should teach students to think for themselves rather than simply cram more and more information into their heads.
Parker hints at the debate that was occurring at the time over the role of formal training vs creative self expression in the nurturing of young minds in the classroom. I imagine his comments will resonate with art teachers who practice choice-based art education today.
It seems to be a safe principle to follow, that nothing shall be demanded of a child in the way of expression that is not genuine, that is not the reflex or correspondence to his own conscious images; that any attempt to express that which is not genuine interferes with the normal action of the mind, deadens the interest, and worse than this, leads to dishonesty and hypocrisy.
Every child loves to draw. Give him paint, crayon or pencil and he will make crude and imperfect images with the greatest confidence and with perfect delight. This is proven in countless cases. This is the spontaneous beginning of art? But teachers of perfectly accurate drawing claim that this is a hindrance rather than a help, that the spontaneous activities and the loves of the child are to be ignored until he has had a certain definite and accurate training in line drawing.
On the other hand, students of concentration believe that these spontaneous activities are the true beginnings of all knowledge and skill; and that the more the child draws in early life the better, no matter how crude, according to any adequate standard, the external result may be. They assert that under the modern system of teaching drawing by flat copies no artists were ever made; that, indeed the art teachers themselves are not artists, although they have had the best raining that the so-called art school afford. They also assert that all true art feeling must spring from the spontaneous desire on the part of the child to draw, and to practice, and that out of this crudeness and imperfection will steadily grow, under proper criticism, better and better technique, that the only criticism worthy of the name is the criticism from the standpoint of the child’s concepts; that as these concepts become more and more developed the skill will be comfortably enhanced; that there is such a thing as organic growth.
Parker, F.W. (October 1, 1894). Two hypotheses for the acquisition of forms and thought expression. Art Education, a journal Devoted to Manu-Mental Training, 1(1) 6-7.


CREATE briefs provide a closer look at the topics of CREATE’s research. They address current issues that are relevant to practitioners and other education professionals.
Effective Practices for Increasing the Achievement of English Learners
This research brief highlights two schools’ efforts to improve the achievement of their students using the SIOP Model. These schools, one elementary and one secondary, have seen significant improvement in the performance of their English learners through the use of the SIOP Model of instruction, an approach that addresses both academic language development and access to content. The brief outlines how each school has implemented the model and supported teachers through job-embedded professional development.
CREATE: A Comprehensive Model for Instruction of Academic Language and Literacy in the Content Areas
This brief outlines a systematic school-wide intervention that consistently integrates content knowledge and language and literacy development in content area curricula. The brief first describes the elements of the intervention, including implementation, professional development and coaching support, in critical content areas. It then explains the instructional implications for teachers and administrators.
Using Literacy Coaching to Promote the Teaching and Learning of English Learners in Content Areas
This brief describes the literacy coaching that was provided as part of the CREATE research project aimed at improving the teaching and learning of English learners in seventh-grade content areas. Coaching was intended to extend professional development and increase teacher capacity through multiple layers of support that included lesson demonstrations, observations with feedback, and guided teacher reflection and goal setting.
The SIOP Model: A Professional Development Framework for a Comprehensive School-Wide Intervention
This brief first describes individual interventions that CREATE researchers tested in middle school science, social studies, and language arts classrooms with English language learners over the course of the 2005-2009 school years. The brief then explains how the SIOP Model was used as a professional development framework to unite the separate research studies into a school-wide, comprehensive intervention that was implemented in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years to support English language learners across the core content areas.
Improving Reading Across Subject Areas With Word Generation
This brief describes a quasi-experimental study of Word Generation, conducted in public middle schools in Boston. Word Generation is a robust vocabulary intervention that is implemented across key subject areas. The purpose of the program is to enhance students’ vocabulary in support of improved reading comprehension. The brief outlines the details of the intervention and explains how it increases the vocabulary development of all students, including English language learners.
Effective Social Studies Instruction to Promote the Knowledge Acquisition and Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners in the Middle Grades
This brief explains a CREATE intervention that incorporates literacy and language development activities into social studies instruction. It describes lessons designed to increase English language learners’ social studies knowledge while simultaneously improving their vocabulary acquisition and overall reading comprehension.
Improving Science and Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners
This brief reviews previous research related to the development of science knowledge and academic language in English language learners as well as the role of English language proficiency, learning in a second language, and first language knowledge in science learning. It also describes two successful CREATE interventions that build academic and discipline-specific vocabulary and science knowledge in English language learners.
Response to Intervention and English Learners
Response to Intervention (RTI) has emerged as a method for providing early academic assistance to students with difficulty learning. This brief outlines the tiered structure of RTI and how it can be implemented as an effective technique for teaching English learners who are having difficulty making academic progress. It touches on methods of assessment and instructional considerations, and it guides educators in tailoring this technique to fit the needs of English learners.
Using the SIOP Model to Improve Middle School Science Instruction
This brief provides an overview of the SIOP Model and highlights how teachers can develop content and language objectives, emphasize key vocabulary, promote interaction, and incorporate effective review and assessment techniques within the context of middle school science. It provides research-based examples and strategies in order to illustrate how teachers can plan for the successful integration of content and language in science lessons.


Training sessions seek to make church a place for everyone
Around 85% of people with and without disabilities state their faith is important, but only 47% of people with disabilities attend church at least once a month, most likely due to achitectural and invisible barriers.
Sometimes the quest for accessibility at church doesn’t end when the wheelchair ramp is installed.
Accessibility takes other forms, too. It is found in attitudes, in opportunities to serve, in social connections. At a recent Disability Specific Training for Faith Based Organizations session, presenters stressed that while many church buildings provide physical accommodations, attitudes sometimes still get in the way.
The training sessions are offered through the CPD, and they focus on dispelling both physical and attitudinal barriers. In addition to offering training, a website advises leaders of all faiths on ways to make sure all members are included.
Project director Marilyn Hammond said myths can also prevent people with disabilities from fully enjoying their faith experience. Sometimes church leaders and members assume wrongly that their congregation doesn’t have people with disabilities in it because some conditions—depression and diabetes, for example—are not obvious. They may assume that a person with a mental or an intellectual disability does not need religious instruction. They may not recognize that if one family member feels excluded, the rest of the family often stops coming to church, too.
But perhaps the biggest mistake that people without disabilities can make is to be so paralyzed by the fear of messing up that they don’t do anything. To learn more, see the full story on the CPD website.
CPD by the numbers
CPD projects disseminated 250,000 public awareness materials during the 2009 year, including pamphlets, brochures, information sheets and other communications.
"Tough Boris" and other outlines will help young English language learners build vocabulary
Dr. Gina Cook displays Mem Fox's Tough Boris.
A CPD research project focuses on helping young children from high-risk neighborhoods.
Now, even before the research results are in, children and their teachers nationwide will benefit from its efforts to engage teachers and students in reading. “Using Tough Boris to Promote Dialogic Reading Strategies” is the first of several training modules that will be produced through the project.
These outlines will help Head Start teachers build more vocabulary and promote language development. (Dialogic reading teaches the child to become the storyteller and to engage in conversation before, during and after the story.)
Researchers from the Early Intervention Research Institute at the CPD are working with a team at the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership Head Start to improve language, literacy and self-regulation among young children who may be learning a second language, facing developmental delays and living in a family situation where money is tight. The PEECSE project (Promoting Effective Engagement, Communication and Self-Regulation with English Language Learners) takes many approaches to encourage language development, but one specifically encourages teachers to engage children through stories.
Dr. Gina Cook developed the “Tough Boris” outline because dialogic reading doesn’t always come naturally to preschool teachers. “It takes more time,” she said. “It’s introducing new vocabulary in a way that children will understand. It’s promoting more language interactions between the children and the teachers. It’s asking questions instead of reading the book straight through.” In fact, teachers using this approach will end up reading the same story to children several times, until the children reach the point where they can tell the story themselves.
Cook developed the outline around Tough Boris, a story by Mem Fox. Her goal was to help teachers use the strategy in a way that keeps the story interesting to preschoolers as they repeat it. The payoff comes in an increased vocabulary and more language interaction—key goals in a project that focuses on children who face a lot of extra issues as they grow up.
Once the outline was finished, it was placed on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center’s website, which offers information to Head Start teachers nationwide. Several other dialogic outlines will follow.
The PEECSE project is funded through Head Start as an innovative project. Dr. Lisa Boyce is its principal investigator, Dr. Mark Innocenti is its co-principal investigator, and four other researchers from the Early Intervention Research Institute are on its staff. In addition, the project employs three graduate and two undergraduate students.
The EIRI research team is analyzing data from the project’s second year and will soon submit a continuation grant.