Finding the Beat Helps Students Learn Fractions, Study Says
An innovative, hands-on curriculum that combines music and math may help younger students learn how to do fractions, according to a new study.
The music-based program, Academic Music, uses rhythm to tackle fractions--a math concept that is fundamental to higher math, but one that students can find difficult to grasp. Co-designed by San Francisco State University researchers, the program includes 12 lessons designed to be taught by regular classroom teachers, according to the university's website.
California 3rd-graders who participated in the program learned how to do fractions through clapping, drumming, chanting and using music notation. They then scored "significantly higher" on math tests than peers who received regular instruction, researchers found.
"If students don't understand fractions early on, they often struggle with algebra and mathematical reasoning later in their schooling," Susan Courey, an assistant professor of special education, said in a website report. "We have designed a method that uses gestures and symbols to help children understand parts of a whole and learn the academic language of math."
The study, co-authored by Courey and music teacher Endre Balogh, examined 67 students at an elementary school in the San Francisco Bay area. According to the report, half of the students participated in the music-based program for six weeks and the others received the school's regular math instruction.
The kids who had the music-based lessons scored 50 percent higher on a fraction test at the end of the six weeks when compared with those who had the regular instruction, the report said.
Courey and Balogh developed the program, using "the Kodaly method, a Hungarian approach to music education that includes movement, songs and nicknames for musical notes, such as 'ta-ah' for a half note," according to the report.
Students were taught to connect the value of musical notes, such as half notes, to their equivalent fraction size, and then used the music skills to learn the time value of the notes. The kids learned "to add and subtract fractions by completing work sheets, in which they draw musical notes on sheet music, ensuring the notes add up to four beats in each bar or measure."
Courey is planning to publish the curriculum materials, which can be used by regular teachers without the help of music teachers.
"We're suggesting that teachers put music in their arsenal of tools for teaching math," Courey said. "It's fun, it doesn't cost a lot, and it keeps music in the classroom."
The study was published Thursday online in the journal Educational Studies in Mathematics.


Communication -- written and verbal -- serves as the foundation of any successful society. This is indisputable. What is also indisputable is that too many American children lack the type of parental communication and literacy-rich environments needed to put them on a path of academic and professional success. As a result, our children find themselves struggling to compete in a more literate global marketplace.
According to the most recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), students in nearly 40 percent of countries scored higher than their U.S. counterparts in reading. This is staggering given how fundamental reading is to all other facets of education. Not to mention that according to PISA research, literacy is a useful predictor of future economic success.
But why does the U.S. continue to trail other nations? We are lacking emphasis on early childhood literacy -- which we'll define as a young child's learning and development around listening, speaking, reading, and writing. There are certainly programs doing great work in this area. In June, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched a campaign called "Too Small to Fail" that, among other things, aims to enrich early childhood literacy. Yet even with these programs, we continue to lack consistency in early childhood literacy programming and implementation.
Considering that roughly one in three children arrives at kindergarten lacking the skills necessary for lifetime learning, we would be hard pressed to find anyone who insists that early childhood literacy is not a major issue.
If we are to solve this literacy issue, we must take a closer look at the problem. Studies have shown that there are inconsistencies in how parents in different socioeconomic classes prepare their children to learn to read.
In one piece of research, often referred to as the "Word Gap Study," Betty Hart and Todd Risley famously found that from birth to age 4, children in low-income homes are exposed to 35 million fewer words than those in the homes of "professionals." Let that sink in: 35 million words!
This Word Gap exists for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, the many stressors on underprivileged households. As such, children in lower-income homes are typically less exposed to language-rich conversations and higher levels of direction-based dialogue ("Go here." "Do this." "Sit down."). Further, in our technology and media-rich society, young children in all socioeconomic classes are exposed to fewer books and family/parental "discussions." All parents are missing an important opportunity to communicate with their children. This must change.
Schools, libraries and community organizations across the country need access to resources that help increase family engagement in critical areas of a child's learning and development. Turn-key materials that are both rich in modeling and simple in delivery are critical, especially for young children in low-income and English language learning homes where they are less likely to have opportunities to engage in these everyday parent-child interactions.
This is why Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) have partnered to launch "Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day," a new digital resource that provides tips, games and activities that parents, caregivers and volunteers can use to engage children to improve literacy through enhancing foundational skills like reading and writing. The program is a free, bi-lingual resource designed for Americans of all economic means.
The insurance industry, alongside Sesame, sees the importance of America's literacy problem and the impact it's having on our competitiveness around the world. As an industry focused quite literally on investing in the future, it should serve as no surprise that we have become so invested in the literacy future of our children.
Regardless of industry, it is our hope that today marks the start of a renewed focus by the business community as a whole to draw attention to an issue that is plaguing our country. As professionals, parents and most importantly, citizens, we have a responsibility to support and develop our youth. Just as the IICF and Sesame have invested in this program, we all must invest in our children and in early childhood education. It is the only way we can help America's children reach their full potential and help our country maintain its competitive edge in a global marketplace.
It is not an understatement to reiterate that each of us has the power to make a difference in the life of a child. Let us pledge to spend a few extra minutes each day speaking and reading with our children because, together, we can make every day a reading and writing day.
H. Melvin Ming is president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. Bill Ross is the CEO of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization funded by the insurance industry and focused on community development.


Teaching your children science doesn’t have to be complicated. Here is a simple experiment that toddlers and preschoolers will love.
Science for kids does not need to be complicated. The simplest of things can be fun & educational. I like doing experiments that require very little set up, clean up & are done with items that are easily accessible. This is about as simple as it gets.
All you will need is a jar, a sponge, water and food coloring.
I showed Mai the sponge and gave her a little explanation about how the sponge absorbs water. She learned a new word today. “Porous? What’s porous?” Rather than try to explain it, we showed her. We filled up the sponge and let her see how it absorbed the water and then we wrung it out.
After showing her the sponge, we started our experiment. We added a couple of inches of water to a jar and placed the sponge over it. We filled up a squeeze bottle with water and food coloring.
My daughter loves anything that requires squirting water. So she had fun with this one for a while. She put her squirt bottle right over the sponge and began squirting over the mouth of the jar. We watched the sponge fill up and the color spread as it filled. The sponge will hold water, but only so much before it starts dripping out. When the sponge was full, the colored water began to drip into the jar.
Mai was having so much fun, that she kept going until she filled up the jar. We had to refill our squeeze bottle a few times.
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The children in Kindergarten and Reception follow the English Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, a carefully structured, relevant and child-centred curriculum.
The Foundation Stage underpins all future learning by supporting, fostering and promoting children's development in seven areas of learning:
1. Communication and Language
2. Physical Development
3. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
6. Understanding the world
7. Expressive Arts and Design
The Early Years curriculum is about developing key learning skills such as speaking and listening, concentration, persistence and learning to work together and co-operatively with other children. It is also about developing early literacy and numeracy skills that will prepare young children for Key Stage One of the National Curriculum. We strongly believe that by making activities fun and exciting, we will inspire young children to learn.


• Why is creativity important in learning?
To answer this question, we need to start by defining what we mean by creativity. Creativity is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon, which evades narrow definition. It occurs in many domains, including school, work, the wider world, and home. It is comparable to intelligence in a number of ways: every individual has it to some degree (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996) it can be developed; it has levels, so that we can ask ‘how creative’ an individual is (Treffinger et al., 2002); it can be expressed in many ways; and it can be viewed as both a domain specific and a general ability.
Creativity has much in common with both ‘learning’ and ‘intelligence’ and once broken down into its component elements, it often ends up being included within the bundle of wider skills that policymakers throughout the developed world believe all individuals must acquire if they are going to experience both economic and social success and fulfilment in life.
To understand creativity better, CCE has commissioned a number of literature reviews over the last decade. The latest, completed in the summer of 2011, was produced by Guy Claxton, Ellen Spencer and Bill Lucas at the Centre for Real World Learning at Winchester University. This drew on other meta-analytical reviews of the creativity literature including that of Treffinger et al. (2002) which contains a systematic review of 120 definitions of creativity. This latter study located definitions of creativity in academic papers over many years exploring the traits, characteristics, and other personal attributes distinguishing highly creative individuals from their peers. Claxton et al narrowed these down to fourteen key definitions to represent the breadth of variety in emphasis, focus, and implications for assessment of the definitions.
 Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention, New York, HarperCollins
 Treffinger, D., Young, G., Selby, E. & Shepardson, C. (2002). Assessing Creativity: A guide for educators. Connecticut: The National Research Centre on the Gifted and Talented.
 Claxton, G and Lucas, W (2011) Literature Review: Progression in Creativity; developing new forms of assessment, Newcastle, CCE
Claxton et al also highlighted the work of Beattie (2000) whose review shows that, since 1950, creativity has been analysed from nine different perspectives, which are: cognitive; social-personality; psychometric; psychodynamic; mystical; pragmatic or commercial and, latterly, more postmodern approaches: biological or neuroscientific; computational; and context, systems or confluent approaches. Beattie also notes the extraordinary range of approaches to the study of creativity, picking up on different themes explored through research including women and creativity; politics and creativity; and levels and types of creativity, either generally, or within specific subjects such as art education.
Despite the multidimensional nature of creativity, and the complexity of the debate that surrounds it, Claxton and Lucas concluded that creativity comprises a number of observable attributes which could serve as indicators of the presence of creativity in individuals. They argue that these key observable attributes can be contained within 5 ‘habits of mind’ each possessing three ‘sub-habits’. These are:
Habit of Mind Sub-Habits of Mind
1. Inquisitive Wondering and Questioning
Exploring and Investigating
2. Persistent Tolerating uncertainty
Sticking with difficulty
Daring to be different
3. Imaginative Playing with possibilities
 Beattie, D. (2000). Creativity in Art: The feasibility of assessing current conceptions in the school context. Assessment in Education,
4. Disciplined Crafting and Improving
5. Collaborative Cooperating appropriately
Giving and receiving feedback
Sharing the ‘product’
It is also worth noting that the creative ‘habits of mind’ described above, correlate strongly with the core transversal competencies identified by the EU as underpinning successful learning as shown below:
These skills are also highly valued by employers, which can be seen clearly in a recent report by the international consultants McKinseys. Employers were asked which skills they were finding it hard to find in prospective employees and their views are summarised in the chart below:


to contents page for lists of links
Physics of sound and music links
Music Theory For Dummies
Joe Raciti presents a brief introductory online music theory course. He covers singing, piano, and general music theory. His style is amiable and he aims to be easy to read and understand.
Free Music Education Center
This site provides free music lessons, including piano, guitar and music theory for all levelsup to intermediate level.
Ricci Adams' Musictheory.net
This nice site includes several well-presented animated music theory lessons. There are also utilities for ear training and improving musicianship.
ilearnmusic dotcom's Music Theory 101
This site offers a variety of music theory lessons for the aspiring musician. It is frequently updated and more is being added all the time. The site also offers free instrumental lessons, videos, free sheet music and guitar tablature and more.
Biligual Spanish/English web site devoted to practical music theory.
Music Theory For Songwriters
Songwriters may have questions about chords and how they flow. This site tries to help unlock the mysteries of music theory.
This site is aimed both at undergraduates new to Schenkerian analysis and the student whose experience of an introductory course has left them bemused. It aims to explain both the practical basics and the rationale behind this influential and controversial theory. It is demanding but fascinating stuff.
Music Theory Online
Described as a Journal of Criticism, Commentary, Research, and Scholarship. MTO is the refereed, electronic journal of the Society for Music Theory, Inc.
Music Notes music theory
The theory section of a site about music in general. Here you can readily learn about note reading, intervals, scales, and stuff. You may be presented with some tedious disclaimers just click straight past this stuff.
This site is intended for teachers who are subscribers. However, as a visitor, you can test your music theory knowledge with a selection of drills using java applets.
The Tonal Centre
An interactive site for music composers and theorists. It explains and demonstrates some of the key concepts of tonality. Most of the musical examples are illustrated with midi files.
Online music reading lessons plus a bunch of computer games programs (for download) to enable children and adults to enjoy learning music theory. The computer software is shareware or freeware created by Pascal Riben, a French music and piano teacher.
ChordWizard Music Theory
Online music theory tutorial from ChordWizard - a powerful computer program for working with chords for guitars and other stringed instruments. The computer software is shareware from Australia.
Rhythm and Meter in Tonal Music
A Bibliography and Glossary of Terms by Jay Tomlin.
Piano Pedagogy Plus!
A wide range of information, forums, links and games of interest to the piano student and teacher alike.
Harmony in Tonal Music
Tom Sutcliffe's site aims to help students of music theory understand the role of chord progressions in tonal music. It is based on research into chord progressions which reveals structures similar to those in natural language.
This journal freely publishes user-contributed papers on topics concerning theory, analysis, and semiotics of music. As far as Eunomis is concerned, submitted works may be freely republished in any other context.
Music Notation Theory
Treblis Software's "Music Notation Reference Guide" provides info on many music notation symbols. Internal links are accessible via a graphical java applet.
What is Music?
This site advertises a book by Philip Dorrell which describes an insightful theory about music (not quite the same as "music theory"). The site includes a brief outline of the main ideas of the theory (the super-stimulus theory), and also links to an online preview, which contains a substantial portion of the book.
to contents page for lists of links
to Phil Rees Music Tech home page
page checked and updated: 13 November 2007


There are so many benefits to music education, and there are so many wonderful programs across the country creating safe havens for students of all backgrounds. However, many of these programs are underfunded and in danger of collapsing. On top of this, rumors have been circulating in the media since President Trump’s inauguration that he is considering cutting the small 0.003% of the federal budget that is dedicated to the National Endowment for the Arts and instead redirecting it towards military spending. It is of utmost importance to protect these programs, but the question is: how?
One of the best ways to support the arts is to do so directly. Check out the websites of your local schools and see if there are ways to get involved, whether it is through donating or volunteering to help out at the annual bake sale. Some schools have programs like Castillero’s Music Boosters that receive community donations to help financially support the ensembles. Other schools like Simonds Elementary School receive no funding whatsoever from the school district, and the music program is solely funded by the generous donations given to the Simonds Music and Technology Foundation. There are also organizations that operate on the national level, such as the VH1 Save The Music Foundation and the Hot Topic Foundation (which is partnered with the GRAMMY Foundation, Little Kids Rock, and Notes For Notes). Check out these options, and keep your eyes peeled for whatever you come across, as you never know when and how you just may change a child’s life for the better.


Before you consider a career as an elementary teacher, you should be aware of the responsibilities and certification requirements.
Elementary school professionals generally work with students from kindergarten through sixth grade (K-6).
Nationwide, elementary school teachers are responsible for instructing one class of children in multiple subjects while helping them with intellectual and emotional development in their early academic years.
While certification requirements may vary from state to state, all states mandate that public educators take a state or federal licensing exam.
Potential teachers must pass exams on pedagogy, general knowledge, and sometimes knowledge of a content area.
an English language learner (often abbreviated to ELL) is a person who is learning the English language in addition to their native language.
Do you love the idea of making a difference in the lives of young children?If so, then working in elementary education might be for you. However, before you consider a career as an elementary school teacher, you should be able to answer the following questions: What does an elementary school teacher do? What are the education and licensing requirements that need to be fulfilled before entering into the classroom? Answering these questions can help focus your energy and time as you begin your journey to becoming an elementary school teacher.
Elementary School Teachers
Elementary school has always been the main point of delivery for primary education; and high school has always been the focal point of secondary education. Primary education tends to focus on basic academic learning and socialization skills. Elementary school (or "primary school") introduces children to the broad range of knowledge, skills, and behavioral adjustment they need to succeed in life and, particularly, in secondary school. Elementary school professionals generally work with students from kindergarten through the sixth grade (K-6). However, it is important to note that the definition of elementary education may differ slightly from state to state. For example, many states define elementary education as ranging from grades K-6, while other states include grades K-8. Regardless of how the term "elementary" is defined, primary school teachers in all states are responsible for instructing one class of children in multiple subjects while helping them with intellectual and emotional development in their early academic years. Teachers are expected to be able to teach all of the core subject areas - reading and writing, mathematics, languages, science, social studies, and art.
All public school educators, including elementary public school teachers, are required to earn a bachelor's degree in education. However, unlike secondary school teachers, elementary educators take courses in multiple subject areas instead of just one. For example, if you are earning a degree to become a secondary education history teacher, your course work will include education class with a focus on history education courses. Coursework for elementary school teachers might include general education classes, along with classes in teaching mathematics, science, social studies, and other core subject classes. Elementary education majors are often required to complete a teaching practicum – a student-teaching internship at an elementary school that is supervised and evaluated by a veteran teacher. Teachers are also required to take courses in teaching methods, classroom management, and special education. It is important to note that some schools may require that you obtain a master's degree in education or a particular concentration in education to meet the needs of the school district.
After completing a teaching program, potential teaching candidates must become certified before becoming a full-time teacher. While some states may vary in certification requirement, all states mandate that public educators take the state or federal licensing exam. Potential teachers must pass exams on pedagogy, general knowledge, and sometimes knowledge of a content area. Depending on the needs of the school, candidates might also have to acquire a certification to teach in a special education classroom and/or a classroom for English Language Learners (ELL).
Elementary School Teacher Careers
Once candidates have completed their education and been certified, they can begin to change lives and inspire young students. Some teachers continue their education and specialize in a particular subject or area of education, like ELL. After gaining teaching experience, other elementary school teachers can choose to serve as mentors or supervising teachers. For example, they might work with college students in a teacher program. Experienced teachers can also transition out of the classroom and work in an administrative capacity. There are so many options for those considering a career in elementary education. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, elementary teachers are in demand all across the United States, especially in urban and rural communities. The need for teachers who have studied and specialized in mathematics, science, bilingual education, foreign languages, and special education are predicted to increase over the next five years.
To learn more about opportunities in elementary education, you should contact your school district and the department of education in your state. You also might try contacting the American Federation of Teachers, the National Council of Accreditation of Teachers, the National Center for Alternative Certification, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.


These are a few of the things that I have found helpful in teaching the different areas of preschool curriculum. Some of these ideas are borrowed from my elementary education classes and some are from experience with my own children. The one other thing that I would like to stress here at the beginning is that, if the child is getting bored, frustrated or distracted, go on to something else or out to the sandbox. Don't make these activities seem like work, because if it isn't fun, it won't be learning.
In each activity make sure to mention the word that begins with the letter of the week. Say "we are going to catch some w-w-w-worms. Can you hear that "w" sound at the beginning of worms? What letter makes that sound?" Emphasize it a little with each word throughout the whole week.
You can come up with tons of activities for each letter. Keep a file for each letter and type of activity. Become a pack rat of sorts. Collect anything you can find to go along with each letter. As another resource, I have collected the activities and ideas that we have found over the last seven years. I have compiled them into a book.
Sometimes it is all we can do just to get everyone dressed and fed, let alone scraping the peanut butter off of the front doorknob and finding time to play school. But when we have time, these ideas are a place to begin and a way to give our playing a purpose. No matter what, remember that the most important part is to spend time and have fun with your kids.
Even if it is in the sandbox.


Obesity in children and teens has reached epidemic proportions, putting kids at risk for health issues now and serious or even fatal conditions later. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that more than 300,000 deaths each year are attributed to poor diet and lack of exercise. Public health campaigns and school programs are teaching kids from an early age the dangers of eating super-sized, fat-laden, takeout junk food, plus the benefits of regular exercise and how it contributes to a healthy lifestyle. Physical education teachers are laying the foundation for a healthy future.
Teachers must be skilled in their subject areas, advises the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. As such, the physical education teacher must be a good athlete and an excellent role model for the students. She must reflect good health, physical coordination and vitality. She will be confident and strong, physically fit and able to demonstrate the techniques needed for competitive sports and exercise routines. She will eat healthy foods and be knowledgeable about the nutritional value of the different food groups so she can explain it to her students.
The physical education teacher should have excellent interpersonal skills. As educators Solomon Abebe and Wanda Davis suggest in an article published in the Journal of College and Character, the teacher should have high moral standards and be able to transmit these to his students. He must demonstrate the value of good sportsmanlike behavior and teamwork. Educators Chunlei Lu and Amanda De Lisio, writing in the International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, recommend that he be a good coach, supportive and able to encourage and motivate even the less physically adept students to put forth their best effort. He will never lose his temper or humiliate students. He treats all of them and his colleagues with respect at all times. He appreciates and rewards effort and individual progress.
Physical education teachers need to have very strong organizational skills and be able to attend to details. Their duties include the collection of parental permission forms and additional fees necessary for field trips and sporting events involving other schools. They need to keep accurate attendance records and be trained in first aid, and be prepared to handle accidents and emergencies in a calm and efficient manner. They should be punctual and reliable, organizing their personal lives so they have additional time to devote to the many extracurricular sporting events that most schools offer.
First and foremost, a physical education teacher needs to be a skilled educator. She needs to be able to break down complex concepts and instructions into smaller, more manageable steps. She must be able to recognize which students need encouragement and deliver it when needed. She recognizes the importance of providing extra time and patience with special-needs students. As stated in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guide for P.E. teachers, she needs to understand and follow the curriculum documents, teaching content that is appropriate for the specific grade level.
- Alberta Education: Activity
- P.E. Central: Becoming a Physical Education Teacher
- Human Kinetics: The Role and Responsibilities of the Physical Education Teacher in the School Physical Activity Program
- University College Capital: Evaluation of Competencies and Skills in Physical Education
- International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education: Specifics for Generalists: Teaching Elementary Physical Education
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Obesity In Children And Teens
- Redeemer University College: Physical Education Department
- Department of Kinesiology: Physical Education Teacher Education
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: A Guide for Physical Education Teacher Preparation Programs in Institutions of Higher Education
- Journal of College and Character: Transcendence in the Public Schools: The Teacher as Moral Model; Solomon Abebe and Wanda Davis
- The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: The Five Core Propositions
- Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images


Supporting the Literacy Needs of Children in the Early Years
ĎAll books by Dorothy Smith are eminently sensible, practical and a boon to the busy teacher. In less than 100 pages Dorothy succintly describes the attributes necessary to encourage the development of literacy i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Although not intended as a manual to support those who need to be informed on methods to support those who need to be informed on methods to support pupils with SEN, it does nevertheless, highlight and identify skills important to literacy development. This guides readers towards strategies necessary to support the development of these skills, by identifying assessment and activities to promote acquisition of the stages preceding fluent literacy.
This book would be useful to parents' support groups, early years settings and KS1 schools, as well as providing a good base for learning for those intending to become literacy teachers.
Written in a very accessible style, it encourages all practitioners to focus carefully on the specific needs of those who might otherwise struggle to acquire competent levels of speaking and listening, reading and writing. Extremely good value at £8.
Reviewed in (Special Needs Information Press) SNIP (2001)


Science for kids
Science games and revision
Helping students to enjoy learning
NSW School Certificate & HSC Chemistry
Win an Albert Einstein action figure! Great motivational study aid.
Albert Einstein was born at 11.30 am on Friday 14th March in 1879 in Germany. He emigrated to the in US 1933 and lectured at the Princeton University. He died on Monday 18th April 1955 at the age of 76 years in hospital in Princeton, New Jersey America. Some of the great achievements in his life was developing the theory of General Relativity and deriving the famous equation E = mc2. It has been 62 years since his death. Since then he has been named by Time magazine's issue of Decemember 1999 as 'The Person of the Century' and is one of the greatest scientists of all time.
Play Hangaroo. It's a great way to improve your Science vocabulary and general knowledge skills. See the Games menu for other educational and learning activities.
Numerous sets of flash cards have also been developed to help students learn the key facts for their School Certificate in Science and for the HSC Chemistry course. The cards are arranged in arranged by sub-topic and are in order of increasing difficulty.
Various learning activities have been selected to stimulate and motivate students to learn by engaging and challenging them.
This site is developing over time and aims to provide a variety of educational games and online tutoring activities to help students excel in Science. The site also aims to prepare students for the GCSE Science and NSW School Certificate exams in Science and for the HSC exams in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.


Our generation Essay
Throughout the past couple of centuries, our world has changed over a period of time. Everything has changed; generations, the way we live, nature and so much more. History is created every day, and at every moment without even realizing it. Our culture is a huge part of our everyday environment that we do not realize how incredibly significant they influence our lives. There are many important elements that have changed American society; for example the television. Television can be used as a tool to motivate learning and to increase awareness of public issues. Social Interaction, education, culture, and criminal exposure are some of the key reasons to why the television has played a significant role in our lives.
In today’s modern culture, television has played a big role throughout people’s every day lives. We depend on TV for entertainment, news, education, culture, weather, sports, and so much more. Without the TV, our social interaction percentage would be low; because of the lack of topics. People these days, talk about TV shows, movies, and more, and without it, a lot of people would be anti social. While television is often criticized for isolating people, it can also bring them together. For example, Super Bowl parties and other events in which people congregate around the TV. During the month-long telecast of March Madness, fans gather at work, in bars and other places to compare brackets, view college basketball games, and discuss the results. In addition, some TV shows invite viewers to share their opinions by calling in or posting comments.
Televisions have influenced education and teaching practices. Educators have had to adapt and provide lessons that not only educate but entertain the learner. It has been shown that attention spans have decreased since the prominence of television. Reading is not seen in the same esteem as in previous generations. Studies have shown that public television programs emphasize literacy development. Using engaging characters and interesting stories, shows like “Sesame Street,” and “Sid the Science Kid,” motivate children to learn, while other specialty channels, such as “Animal Planet” and “Discovery Channel”, also provide educational content in an entertaining way.
Television also provides cultural experiences, which can help broaden viewers’ perspectives and increase tolerance and appreciation for different lifestyles.TV has the ability to create powerful capabilities, TV allows people especially adolescents to share cultural experience with one another. Shows like “National Geographic,” “House Hunters International,” and “The Amazing Race,” focus on life in parts of the world that may be unfamiliar to most Americans. Even shows that concentrate their efforts in the U.S., such as “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” and “House Hunters,” can improve cultural awareness by highlighting the foods, housing trends and customs in different regions of the country.
Lastly, the impact of television also serves to expose criminal activity. According to a 2011 article in ”Time” magazine, the television show “America’s Most Wanted,” was “an unprecedented collaboration between law enforcement and television,” and led to the capture of 1,154 fugitives as a result of phone tips from TV viewers. Kevin Perkins, an assistant director of the FBI’s criminal investigation division told “Time,” the agency captured 17 of its most highly-ranked fugitives and also solved over 550 cases as a result of TV viewer tips. Perkins also says that they’ve captured suspects within minutes of an episode airing on TV. Also the news; today these days, there are many news channels to inform us on what is happening around the world.
Without the news, we would often wonder what is happening, despite the advantage of also having social media,it is often not reliable nor true. References: Time.com: The End of American’s Most Wanted: Good News for Criminals, Bad News for the FBI.
To conclude., throughout the past hundred of years, our world has changed over a period of time; generations, the way we live, nature, and more. History is created ever day, and at every moment without even realizing it. Our culture is a huge part of our every day environment that we do not realize how incredibly significant they influence our lives. One important element; the television has changed American society. Social Interaction, education, culture, and criminal exposure are some of the key reasons to why the television has played a significant role in our lives. Without the television, our generation would be a lot different.


Manualidades para el fin de semana! Macetero infantil
Educación Preescolar: EXPERIMENTO - EL COLOR DE LAS PLANTAS
Color changing flowers - amazingly fun Science for kids! (preschool or kindergarten)
Step right up and go on an adventure into the wacky world of absorption. If you spill water and clean it up with paper towel you can see the water disappearing into the paper. This is called absorption – the paper is absorbing the water. Well, here is a really cool absorption experiment that you can do at home!
Egg + Vinegar = Fun little science project. LOVE doing this.
Leak proof plastic bag
Fun with frozen: making ice grow
Watch water turn to ice before your eyes! So cool! Such a fun science experiment
10 Easy Science Projects for Kids
Prev Page2 of 11Next Page Rainbow Jar This rainbow jar is sure to excite and entertain your kids for a while. Playdough to Plato has all the details on how to make this colorful jar. Make sure you have enough supplies for…Read more →
Raar maar waar - proefjes voor kinderen
Proefjes voor kinderen I Kan water lopen I gevonden op creatief lifestyle blog Badschuim
Fun Classroom Activities and Experiments to Interest Kids in Growing Plants
how plant grow illustration they can see
science lesson on weather
If you’re searching for unique, festive lessons for St. Patrick’s Day, here are a few activities to consider!


This is a fun craftivity of the moon phases in the form of the ipad/iphone for students to practice identifying the phases of the moon. Please see the complete description for more specific details.
Who is it for?
3rd Graders (8 to 9-year-olds)
2nd Graders, (7 to 8-year-olds)
4th Graders (9 to 10-year-olds)
5th Graders (10 to 11-year-olds)
Your little scientist
This craftivity was created to put a little fun into your lessons on the moon. Depending on your preference, you can print on color paper or print on regular paper and have the students color it. I have provided two different pages of apps for you to choose from or mix and match. This will depend on your curriculum and classroom needs. Simply copy, and then have them cut out the “apps.”
These terms are used as "apps:" *moon *New Moon *Full Moon *Waning Crescent *Waxing Crescent *Waning Gibbous *Waxing Gibbous *First Quarter *Last Quarter *Revolution *29 days *Phases *Satellite *Telescope *Lunar *Lunar Eclipse *Solar Eclipse *Crater
Then have students glue down just the top portion where it folds on the dotted line. Under the flap have students write facts about that particular app. Students can then color the iPhone and/or cut it out. Finally, if desired, provide students with the practice sheets to practice identifying the phases of the moon.
It is my hope that your students will not only benefit from this activity that reinforces these concepts, but will also enjoy it.
Follow my blog for tips and freebies. http://theowlteacher.blogspot.com
Copyright The Owl Teacher 2015. All rights reserved by author. Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only. Not for public display.
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About the Seller
The Owl Teacher
I graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors in Science degree and an elementary education certificate. I am certified to teach K-8 Self-Contained and Middle School Science. I have taught ever since graduation,with most of my experience in 5th grade. I'm currently completing my Masters program in Differentiation. I utilize a lot of differentiated strategies along with the workshop model in reading, writing, math, and sometimes science. I love more hands-on activities that are related to real life for students to explore. I'm not a huge fan of worksheets, but do use them occasionally.


Art at Prince Rock Primary School
At Prince Rock School art forms an important part of the curriculum. We believe art education stimulates creativity and imagination whilst giving the child unique opportunities to develop intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially. Therefore, we believe that it should be taught as an individual subject as well as incorporated other curriculum lessons. Below you will find an overview of what your child will be expected to learn in each of the Key Stages.
In Key Stage 1 the children will learn to use a range of different materials creatively to design and make products. They will draw, paint and sculpture materials such as clay to develop techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space. Children will use technology to produce images. They will also learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers. All children will use a sketchbook to record ideas and observations.
In Key Stage 2 the children will learn to improve their mastery of art and design techniques by learning specific drawing, painting and sculpture techniques. They will experience using a wider range of materials. Children will use technology to produce images, patterns and decorative pieces of work. They will record their observations and ideas and use them to review and evaluate improvements. They will also learn about great artists, architects and designers in history.
Progression in art will be assessed through the pupils’ sketch books, which pass with the child to the next year group, displays and photographic evidence. A level of ability and attitude to D/T is recorded on the child’s annual report to parents.


Read Beyond Zambia
READ BEYOND ZAMBIA
According to the Ministry of Education, only six per cent of pupils have desirable levels of performance in literacy, and about 10 per cent have desirable levels in numeracy (MOE, 2010). This one of the reasons why an average Zambian pupil fails to read or write.
The situation is worse in peri urban high density areas like Kalingalinga and Chibolya compounds of Lusaka. The compounds are not spared from the high numbers of school dropouts, poor school attendance in addition to the generally lack a literate environment. This is partly why the children who were once literate risk losing even the initial literacy they had. For those who can read, like most of today’s population, read for specific, short term ends especially for examinations. This has led to underdeveloped literacy abilities among children and youths.
Illiteracy disadvantages children thus making them vulnerable; such children cannot maximise future learning opportunities, and they perpetuate the poverty cycle. They grow up into illiterate adults who are greatly disadvantaged and disempowered. On the other hand, children who read widely excel at school, and generally in life. They are pro-active in seeking solutions.
The introduction of 24 hours television and rental movies have contributed to the mushrooming of illegal 'movie' houses where even young children are exposed to uncensored films. In most homes, parents are absent most of the times, leaving children to spend all their free time watching movies and cartoons that do little to improve their interest in books and stimulate their minds. There is limited, if any, parental involvement to enable children practice reading at home.
Read Beyond Zambia (RBZ) responded with the "Buku Club", a strategy to increase children’s access to variety reading materials and farther the use and development of their reading, writing and numeracy skills.
Since 2009, the Buku Clubs have provided children a rare opportunity to practice and improve their reading, writing and storytelling skills. Participants are children from the community with neither the luxury of nursery and pre-schooling nor the support of parents and reading space at home.
At Buku Club, apart from practising to read and write, children participate in spelling and speed reading exercises. The awards and prizes given to deserving winners positively reinforce the learning, emphasise the tangible benefits of reading and motivates others to read even wider.
Once children develop the love for reading, it would contribute to improved learning outcomes in formal school.
To facilitate increased use of the Buku Club and other RBZ activities services in Kalingalinga.
To increase community awareness on the importance of stimulating an early love for reading among vulnerable children in Kalingalinga.
To demonstrate how children can practice, maintain, improve and develop the acquired reading and writing competences.
To demonstrate and present reading as a fun, enjoyable and beneficial activity essential for lifelong learning.
To mobilise and strengthen local community involvement in Buku Club activities.
Kalingalinga residents increase their knowledge of Buku Clubs as a child friendly service where children practice, develop & maintain their reading and writing competences.
More community engagement in promoting Buku Club activities
Children and the community in general participate in reading, writing and story-telling activities that stimulate their creative and critical thinking skills.
Parents and guardians support children’s reading activities.
Mini children’s spelling,
Mini speed reading and
Tour of the reading room
Dance / performance
Tour of Reading Room, RBZ office
Activities punctuated with dance and other performances
Guest of Honour


Do you incorporate music theory, composition, and/or music production into your classroom? Ever thought about using a digital audio workstation? Used widely in the music industry for genres ranging from electronic to hip hop, jazz to your favorite Broadway musical, Ableton Live is a powerful digital audio workstation that can easily be used with all music students, regardless of previous musical experience.
This two-day workshop will focus on pedagogical approaches for using Ableton Live in your music classroom and the ways it can be used to teach theory concepts and composition. Workshop focus will center around beat duration, constructing scales and modes, and building triads and chords. Additionally, workshop attendees will get an in depth look into Ableton Live, how to navigate the recording interface, connect hardware devices like microphones and keyboard controllers, and how to design composition/producing projects for students of all ages.
Date: August 7-8, 2017 – 9:00 am to 4:30 pm each day
Location: Wisconsin Center for Music Education
Michael Hayden is the Director of Orchestras at Wauwatosa East High School. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Master of Music in Music Education from Northwestern University. Prior to joining the Wauwatosa School District, Michael taught orchestra, music production, rock band, and music theory most recently for the Whitnall (WI) and Whitefish Bay (WI) School Districts. As an educator, Michael is passionate about music and technology, especially the new and relevant ways students can create meaningful and unique music compositions using a variety of recording/sequencing hardware and software that are readily available. Additionally, Michael is a frequent presenter at various state and national education conferences in the areas of music technology, secondary general music, composition, technology integration, and personalized learning.
Michael currently is the north central division representative on the NAfME Council on Music Composition and serves as the state technology chair on the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA) Council, where a regular contributor to the organization’s publication, Wisconsin School Musician. He has also contributed articles and blog posts to Leading Notes, JamHub, Music in a Minuet (NAfME), and Music Educators’ Journal (NAfME).
Thomas Faulds is a sound designer and percussionist based in Chicago, Illinois. Inspired by new technologies and production, Thomas is an active participant in the dynamic music scene in Chicago. Aside from recording and releasing albums, he works as an independent music tech consultant, teaching the inner workings of music production tools to students and professionals alike. Thomas believes in universal creative potential and actively introduces students to the vast creative possibilities afforded by modern music instruments.
Teaching students the secrets of recording, producing, playing, and releasing music with today’s technology has become the single most important subject in his musical career. As an established private and group music teacher and active community organizer, Thomas’ objective is to prepare students for participation in this evolving and exciting musical world. With a heavy focus on beat making, editing, and multi-track recording, he has used Ableton Live for the majority of his work (live and in the studio) for the past four years, giving him extensive practical knowledge of the software.
In addition to making his own music, Thomas is the host of the Chicago Ableton User Group, has held electronic music workshops in several colleges, given one-on-one tutorials to various artists on Ableton Live, performs bi-weekly Guitar Center clinics.
Recording as Silences Sumire, Mercury Effect, and Spinach Prince, Thomas has released albums with Ropeadope, Xynthetic, and ears&eyes records.
- Pre-registration (register by 8/4/17)
- Member* $130
- Non-Member $145
- Undergraduate $25
Graduate Credit Information
Participants who attend this workshop have the opportunity to earn one graduate credit for an additional fee of $220 per credit. This is a separate registration and fee from the workshop registration. Please download a copy of the Viterbo registration form and mail it with a check (payable to Viterbo University) to:
Wisconsin Center for Music Education
1005 Quinn Drive
Waunakee, WI 53597
- View the course syllabus (pdf)
- Viterbo Registration Form (pdf)
- Visit the Graduate Credit Information page for more details and to sign-up for credit.
Contact Mary: Send a message
800-589-9762, 608-850-3566 (Madison area)


Saturday, 11 July 2015
Mini History Blogs English Chapels
In 1460, the tiny hamlet of Bedlam in the County of Sussex was the home of William Hibberden, member of parliament for Midhurst. By end of the eighteenth century, the land was purchased by one William Mitford of Pitshill, who in agreement with his tenants, created an enclosed woodland for use as a coppice.
In the late 1800's Bedlam was still held by the Mitford family. This family are descended from the Mitfords of Northumberland, whose origins date back to the Norman conquest, also from the same line are the famous twentieth century Mitford family, the sisters Nancy, Jessica, Diana and Unity.
The Bedlam Mitfords have been described as 'indefatigable travellers.' It was William Townley Mitford, whose journals of the long tours he made provide detailed descriptions of Europe in the middle of the nineteenth century, who built the tiny chapel you see below and dedicated it to Saint Michael and All Angels.
Mitford and the English church were interested in providing elementary education for children from the hamlet and surrounding area and the little chapel fitted the bill. The single room was divided by a curtain for infants and senior classes. At the end of the school week the chairs were turned to face the east and ink pots removed from the desks.
At its peak the school had sixty pupils and three teachers, but by the end of the First World War the building was falling into neglect and closed for the education of children in 1925. For a while the building still operated as a church, but in 1959 it was abandoned completely.


Digital Learning Day is always an exciting day in my classroom. It is a day where every child in my classroom is given the opportunity to learn in a robust digital environment. Even though we live in the digital age, it is often challenging to find ways to integrate technology into everyday life in the classroom. Lack of equipment, time, and knowledge are some speed bumps that get in the way of using technology effectively and efficiently in the classroom.
Here are a few examples of some of the activities I love to use in my Kindergarten classroom to promote digital learning:
1. Extended Lesson – How To Make 10 – Kindergarten – Operations and Algebraic Thinking – In this lesson, students will watch a video, play a memory game, manipulate images, and solve equations to help reinforce the concept of making 10.
2. Fruit or Vegetable L.K.5a – In this lesson, students will manipulate images in a graphic organizer to identify the differences between fruits and vegetables.
3. Skype – Using Skype, a software application that allows users to video call someone over the Internet, we contact a Kindergarten classroom in a neighborhood school. Students from my classroom take turns showing the other students the different types of shapes that are found in our environment. For instance, my classroom has square tables, a circular clock, and triangle shaped erasers. The other students will then show my students what types of shapes are found in their classroom.
4. Addition and Subtraction – Kindergarten – Operations and Algebraic Thinking – In this lesson, students will solve True and False questions, manipulate images to solve math sentences, and use their mouse to match number sentences.
The goal of digital learning in my classroom is to give every student the opportunity to have a multitude of technological experiences that will help him or her become successful in whatever career path or life choice he or she chooses. Effective use of technology in the classroom can improve the overall education each student receives. I would like to send digital kudos to Edcite, a remarkable company that is at the forefront of this effort.
Josie Fixler is an elementary school teacher who currently designs Common Core math content for Edcite. She received her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Education from York University and her master’s degree in Elementary Education from the Teachers College at Columbia University. After teaching at elementary schools in the greater New York area, Josie began working with curriculum developers to design elementary school content. We’re honored to have Josie’s expertise and contributions on Edcite!


Renee Hobbs is collaborating with Professor Igor Kanizaj to offer a week-long professional development program to teachers in Croatia in conjunction with the University of Zagreb. Learn more about the program here.
DAY 1 INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION
MONDAY HOMEWORK 1: Choose one or more of the questions we explored today and use your voice, video, or write a comment to answer. Check your email for the link to use or click here to view.
MONDAY HOMEWORK 2 (optional): Review examples of work developed by teachers in a school district in Rhode Island who are implementing digital and media literacy into their curriculum. Click here to access the document.
DAY 2: UNDERSTANDING, ANALYZING & CREATING PERSUASION, ADVERTISING & PROPAGANDA
DAYS 3 + 4. FOCUS ON MEDIA PRODUCTION IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
Click here to see an Overview of ML4T MEDIA PRODUCTION PROJECTS Assignment
We created different versions of 6-minute talk show (studio production) and a 6-shot narrative montage (field production), reflecting on the adaptations needed to engage students with media production in the Croatian elementary school context.
HOMEWORK 1 (optional): Learn more about the Digital Learning Motivations of Educators and Take the Digital Learning Motivation QUIZ to discover and reflect upon your motivations for bringing digital and media literacy into your work as an educator, librarian or specialist.
HOMEWORK 2 (optional): Explore the Powerful Voices for Kids website to see how educators worked with children in an urban elementary school summer program to introduce media literacy competencies.
DAY 5 SYNTHESIS AND NEXT STEPS
LOOK AT SOME EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK TOGETHER:
DAY 1 We discussed media literacy using an online tool called VoiceThread
DAY 3 + 4: INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA PRODUCTION. We created different versions of 6-minute talk show (studio production) and a 6-shot narrative montage (field production)..Here are some samples of our work together:


Gosh what cheeky little monkeys these are! I don't think I'd be teasing Mr Crocodile 'Can't catch me!' ... SNAP! Oh no! Now there are only four little monkeys! I had great fun designing and drawing this set. Look closely and you’ll find opportunities to use this resource in mutliple ways.
Although on first sight these cute little monkeys’s all look alike, each one is unique. Children can sort and classify them by tail length (height or poistion) or hand position.
Children will need to use their decision making skills to decide upon their classification method (rule). Sound complicated ? – Well as we know, children are very observant and any child who has recognised thany differences is probably ready to work towards developing a complex solution.
As you can see there are multiple way for these monkey’s to be classified. So children can engage with this resource on many occasions using different classification methods. There really are no right and wrong ways to use it - so long as the chld can tell what they method od classification was e.g. tail height. But I haven’t made it easy – children will develop their problem solving skills, emergent numeracy skills, concentration and perseverance engaging with this resource.
Rhyme Resource Includes:
Note: I have often heard this song being sung with an aliigator,instead of a crocodile. I found this intriguing as alligators and monkeys do not live anywhere near each other! It’s so easy for wording to change with each generation, but as teachers we should be aware of these inconsistencies as we all want children to have accurate information, no matter how subtly that knowledge is being developed


THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK
Friday, June 16, 2000
ENCOURAGING SUPPORT OF ARTS AND MUSIC EDUCATION
"Learning improves in school environments where there are comprehensive music and arts programs. They increase the ability of young people to do math. They increase the ability of young people to read. And most important of all, they're a lot of fun."
President Bill Clinton
Friday, June 16, 2000
Today, in East Harlem, NY, President Clinton visited a public elementary school to highlight the importance of music education as part of "VH1 Save The Music Today!" week. The President underscored his commitment to music and art education and their role in helping students achieve their full potential. In addition, the VH1 Save the Music Foundation announced a major donation to restore music education in New York City public schools.
STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC AND ARTS EDUCATION. President Clinton visited PS 96, a formerly low-performing school that has turned itself around with smaller class sizes, after-school programs, school uniforms, and more parental involvement, and is now greatly expanding its music education program. During his visit, the President highlighted that a comprehensive music education is a valuable tool in improving academic performance. Research has shown that involvement in music and arts programs:
- improves a child's early cognitive development;
- boosts basic math and reading abilities;
- raises self-esteem;
- encourages self-discipline, ability to work in teams, spatial reasoning skills, and school attendance;
- increases the likelihood of graduating from high school and attending college; and
- discourages involvement with gangs and substance abuse.
The President encouraged support for Save the Music, a non-profit initiative to restore music education programs in America's public schools and raise awareness of the positive impact music participation has on students. Since its inception in 1997, Save The Music has supported more than 120,000 children in music education programs, with the goal of restoring these programs for one million children over the next ten years.
A RECORD OF PROMOTING ARTS IN EDUCATION. Over the past 7 ½ years, the Clinton-Gore Administration has worked to give visibility to the importance of the arts in children's education, including the following:
- In 1994, fought for the inclusion of strong, supportive language about the importance of arts education in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;
- In 1995, created the Arts Education Partnership, a coalition of over 120 non-profit arts and education organizations to promote research and advocacy and give valuable information to parents and educators about the positive effects of arts education;
- As part of the new 21st Century Community Learning Program, encouraged after-school programs to involve students in arts activities - over the last four years, this program has increased from $1 million to $450 million;
- In 1998, reinstated the arts in the National Assessment of Educational Progress and found that instruction in the arts, including music, improved student performance; and
- Under the First Lady's leadership, released two important reports by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities highlighting successful in-school and out-of-school programs for students in the arts.
The White House Briefing Room
The White House at Work Archives


- slide 1 of 5
The Basics of Multiplication
Skip-counting, or counting in groups such as by twos, fives or tens is the foundation for learning multiplication as elementary education progresses. Instead of just rote memorization, a fun way to help younger kids understand the concept of skip-counting is to do so in storytelling. These skip-counting math lessons will also warm them up to the idea of using word problems a grade or two down the road.
- slide 2 of 5
First They Arrive Two By Two
In lower grades, it is easiest to tell the kids a story that involves them such as one in which they meet up with friends. I used to tell a story that the children dramatized, about the children playing in the park. First kids A and B played together, then kids C and D showed up, later children E and F arrived, etc. As the story is told the students must tell how many students were present during each part of the story. Kids who are part of the dramatization should line up in pairs as they arrive at the park, so that they are easy to count by twos. The setting of the story can be modified however the teacher sees fit or by the students, as they come up with new ways to add to the story. By the end of the story the children should have at least counted all the members of their class in pairs. This story can be modified to use to count by any other number depending on the number of students in the group that arrives at the park together: 3s, 4s, 7s etc.
- slide 3 of 5
Their Fingers Come Alive When They Count By Five
To tell a story about counting by 5s, children should have their hands ready and available. This story should tell the tale of freckles on a face. The teacher should prepare a large butcher paper face ahead of time. The story is about young Kelly who has a lot of freckles on her face. Students should grasp their fingers together as if to pinch someone. They will dip just their fingertips in paint or ink and then press them onto Kelly's face in a tight group of five. Each student who adds freckles should make sure their freckle cluster is spaced far enough from the one before it to be able to tell it is a separate group. Each day more freckle groups should be added so that Kelly's freckles can be counted by the students by fives.
- slide 4 of 5
They'll Be Ready When They Can County By Ten
The 10s story is about moose antlers. Each student should begin by tracing both their hands onto one sheet of paper clearly enough so that each finger is discernible. They can connect their hand tracings by drawing a moose face or just a face in the middle. Each moose will have ten total tips on their antlers. As the moose art pieces are posted on the wall, they should be labeled so that students know that each moose represents ten and can use them to count by 10s in a math center. The teacher can tell the whole class a story of moose migration for the winter. To make sure all the herd members are accounted for, students should count the tips of their antlers by tens. If the number adds up, all moose are present and can return to their native Canada for spring.
- slide 5 of 5
By keeping an eye out for how things are grouped, such as six packs of sodas, any story can be adapted to practice skip-counting. Teachers can demonstrate their storytelling skills in their skip-counting math lessons while students learn to truly enjoy skip-counting without even noticing they are learning something new!


Researchers at the University of Southern California have studied the effects of music training on brain activity. They were investigating the effects of musical training on the ability to detect deviations of rhythm in unfamiliar melodies.
Dr Assal Habibi, Vinthia Wirantana and Arnold Starr initially recorded the responses of 21 musicians and 21 nonmusicians to discrepancies of pitch between pairs of unfamiliar melodies. Musicians detected pitch deviations significantly better than nonmusicians, especially with the right but not the left ear, suggesting that left-sided brain activity differentiated musicians from nonmusicians. The right ear stimulation among musicians was positively linked to early music training.
Australian music education researcher Anita Collins comments on the research on her Bigger, Better Brains Facebook page:
Here is a really unexpected question that has arisen as I have talked to researchers at BCI. Which comes first – melody or rhythm? Dr Assal Habibi has found in both a study with adults and a longitudinal study starting with 6 year olds that participants developed the ability to differentiate melodies better than rhythms in the first two years of their learning, and they continued in the next two years to still be better at spotting changes in melodies rather than rhythms. (http://mp.ucpress.edu/content/3/5/463)
Now these children were learning stringed instruments and working in orchestras and it got me thinking about the differences in pedagogy between orchestral learning and band learning. In orchestras it is all about the melody while rhythm and pulse are quite fluid. In bands rhythm is king and queen and routinely bands integrate rhythm activities in their warm ups, vocalise rhythms and work very hard to internalise rhythm and pulse. So what would we see if we compared a group of orchestral and band students when it comes to their melodic and rhythm processing?
University of California Press: http://mp.ucpress.edu/content/3/5/463
Bigger Better Brains: https://en-gb.facebook.com/BiggerBetterBrainsProject/
National Center for Biotechnology Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264841/
|MUSIC TYPE:||MUSICAL TESTS|
|TYPE OF STUDY:||ACADEMIC RESEARCH|
|NOs INVOLVED:||42 (40 IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS)|
|PERIOD OF STUDY:||UNKNOWN|


Class Page: Year 1
In the Autumn Term Year 1 completed a range of activities based on Africa and The Arctic. The children researched and compared the type of homes and animals that you would find in both locations. The different types of weather and clothes that you would wear was also considered. We have looked at maps of the world and have compared the African and the Arctic environments to our homes in West Bromwich. This work was completed through practical exploration of large floor maps, using pictures, searching the internet and finding a range of information in picture books. We then applied this knowledge into our creative development through painting, printing and designing our own African clothing and creating images on the computer. Embedded within all of this was the development of phonic knowledge, writing skills, numeracy skills and spellings.
In the Spring Term Year 1 completed a range of work based on the theme of ‘Into the woods’. Literacy and cross curricular work was completed based on a number of books which included ‘Into the forest’ and ‘The Tunnel’ by Antony Browne, along with ‘Fox’ by Margaret Wild and ‘Where the Wild Thing Are’ by Maurice Sendak. Our cross curricular work included comparing urban and local localities, identifying objects and locations on a map and reading and plotting co-ordinates. A selection of art activities were completed including woodland scenes based on Monet’s painting and the creation of our own ‘Wild Things’ – these were very colourful and entertaining! In history we researched the character of Robin Hood and completed a very different and exciting play fencing lesson. Our educational visit to Cannock Chase Forest enabled us to extend our learning experiences into the wider outside environment and further work was completed based on plants and animals. Class 1 also planted beans, nurtured them and measured them as they grew. We also went to church and took part in a Baptism ceremony as part of the work in our Religious Education lessons.
The theme for the Summer Term is ‘At the seaside’. Work to be completed includes looking at the seaside experience now and in the past. How our seaside resorts have changed will include looking at different types of entertainment, for example, building sandcastles on the beach and enjoying a Punch and Judy show. We will also consider how people travelled to and from the seaside and how fashion and transport has changed over time. Activities on important historical people such as Grace Darling and the establishment and work of the Royal National Life Boat Institution will be undertaken. Our art and design work will include making moving puppets and creating seaside pictures inspired by the artist Lowery. Science work will be based on the different groupings and characteristics of animals including humans and on the seasons of Spring and Summer. We will also be making boats and completing tests to see which materials and shape of boats will float the best. The children and teachers will take part in an exciting ‘Pirate’ dressing up day and activities completed will support the work being undertaken in our Literacy sessions.
Our learning ten and our 40 days of kindness challenge will continue to be at the centre of all activities undertaken.


Renowned artist, critic, theorist and scholar, Fairfield Porter rose to become one of the most influential painters of the 20th century. Porter was born in Winnetka, Illinois. His father was a prominent architect and his mother was a poet. They gave him a childhood environment where art and literature were considered very important. Porter studied fine art at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA from 1924-1928 earning his Bachelor in Fine Arts and moved to New York City to continue his art education at the Arts Student League from 1928-1930. In both his writing and his painting, Porter’s work was felt more of the late 19th century classification than the 20th century.
Influenced by his favorite artist such as Willem de Kooning, Pierre Bonnard, and Edouard Vuillard, Porters work evolved into a realist and representational style vs. the Abstract Expressional which was gaining in popularity. As stated by Justin Wolf in the Art Story ‘In the role of art critic, Porter believed that the true purpose of art criticism was to accurately describe how something looked, which may lead to discovering some truth within the artwork.
Fairfield Porter’s writing, papers and records are now held at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, Washington, D.C. At the time of his death a large portion of his Estate was left to the Parrish Art Museum. His art also included in the collections at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Whitney Museum, New York; and numerous others. Fairfield Porter passed away at the age of 68 in Southampton, New York.


Agora Portals International School – Educational Excellence – Educational Stages – Secondary Education
In order to make the transition to Secondary Education easier for our pupils, the academic year 6th Primary is also part of the Secondary family. This means that the 6th year of Primary Education is taught using the specific content for that stage but with the teachers, work methodology and high standards from Secondary Education.
Once pupils fully begin the Secondary Education Cycle, there are changes to the curriculum: the importance of art education, which includes art as a compulsory subject throughout the 4 academic years of ESO and the incorporation of Drama as a curricular subject for pupils from 1st to 3rd of ESO. In addition, pupils will begin to study a second foreign language, choosing between French and German.
Secondary Education is the phase when specialisation begins: the different areas included in the subject of Science are now broken down into Biology, Chemistry, Technology and Physics, while Social Sciences becomes Geography and History.
These are years during which pupils consolidate the habits of:
◦ Hard work
The Psychopedagogy and Guidance Department, together with our tutors, is responsible for helping Secondary pupils and their families in this early decision-making process.
4th ESO is focused on the Baccalaureate, given that our pupils are now preparing to successfully face this new education stage. Students can opt to get started in the world of the International Baccalaureate by studying the syllabus of pre-IB 4th ESO.


There is a wide gap in the music education delivered to state primary school pupils, a new report has revealed.
Research by the Institute of Education and commissioned by EMI Music Sound Foundation has found that while some primary schools deliver a good music education to children, others have no access to music specialist teachers or even an upright piano.
Examining 132 primary schools, the survey showed that 45 per cent of primary staff could not read music.
Professor Sue Hallam, author of the report, commented: “The best lessons are delivered by the music co-ordinators who are either very experienced musicians or very confident. However, almost four in ten of the heads we interviewed said they did not have a music specialist.”
Primary school teachers did find training helped in delivering music education, however, with 96 per cent saying that after receiving training music education was improved.
The availability of instruments was hugely varied from school to school. More than a quarter of teachers said they had no access to tuned percussion instruments and one in nine of those surveyed said they did not have use of a piano.
Much of the reason for some school’s lack of music education was put down to the need to prepare children for national tests in literacy and numeracy. Indeed, some pupils were found to only receive 20 minutes of music classes a week.
The survey comes after Darren Henley, managing director of Classic FM, published a report recommending that all primary pupils must have access to a music specialist and that teachers should be given more music teaching in their initial training course.
Commissioned by the government, the report has led to a national plan for music education, which will be published later this year.
EMI Music Sound Foundation is an independent music education charity to improve young peoples’ access to music education.
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Did you know that a child’s language skills are a strong predictor of later literacy skills? Children with strong language skills in the preschool and early elementary years tend to have stronger literacy skills later on. Literacy development is so much more than the ABC’s: Literacy starts with language! Today, I am over at I Can Teach My Child sharing 20 tips for creating a language rich environment for your toddler, which can help build that strong base he needs fore future literacy.
It is absolutely amazing watching children learn to talk. They start out with babbles that morph into single words that they soon learn to string together to form sentences. By age three, we can actually have conversations with these little people! And the more amazing thing is that these children are learning language in the everyday moments of life! I’m talking about meal times, diaper changes, dressing in the mornings, and in their everyday play. These sometimes boring and mundane activities for us adults are actually the ones that matter most.
Head over to read the post at I Can Teach My Child where I share 20 tips for making these everyday moments count!


Welcome to Parent and baby classes, designed for babies and toddlers aged 3 to 36 months, with a parent or carer.
the Parent and baby program is a great chance for your child to gain water awareness and water safety skills, an understanding of the water environment, and of breathing, buoyancy and balance.
- Development of body awareness, confidence, and mobility in the aquatic environment
- An introduction to skills, physical activity and co-ordination, and motor skill development
- A bonding opportunity between child and carer, and a social environment for all participants
- An environment that facilitates fun, enjoyment, safety.
Carers play an important role in this class. Your participation in guiding your child through activities, songs and praising your child’s efforts are important. We will guide you in correct holds and skills.
Parent and baby classes aims to teach carers
- How to help infants become accustomed to water
- Holding positions and when to use them
- Rules for helping children learn
Parent and baby classes aims to teach young children
- Water awareness
- Safe water entry
- Blowing bubbles
- Water submersion
- Front and back kick
- Arm movement
- Exploring underwater
- Monkey grip
- Jumping into the water, kicking to the surface
- Pool exit
Health And Safety
To maintain a healthy and safe pool environment, please refrain from lessons if you (the parent/guardian), or your child, are suffering from any of the following communicable conditions:
- Viral infections, such as colds, sore throats or fever
- Cold sores
- Urinary Tract Infections
If unsure whether you should participate, please seek your doctor’s advice.
Unless toilet trained, your child must wear a Swimmer’s nappy at all times while in the water. Any disposable or non-disposable nappy with a seal around the leg area is fine. They are also available for purchase at reception.
Most young babies have a bowel motion immediately after feeding. Ensuring your child does not have a full feed within an hour of the class is a good precaution.


M.S. in Teaching
Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education
College of Education
Group work in education; Social interaction in children; Third grade (Education)
Elementary Education and Teaching
The purpose of this action research project was to determine whether social interactions would improve when utilizing cooperative learning techniques. The social interactions observed included listening and speaking, courtesy, peaceful conflict resolution, leadership, and cooperative behaviors such as keeping one's hands to themselves.
The targeted population for this study was a class of fifteen third grade students. The researcher submitted pre- and post-treatment surveys to the students which measured the students' sense of classroom responsibility and their sense of personal responsibility within the class. The researcher also utilized journals and cooperative behavior checklists in order to compare student surveys with observed behaviors.
The researcher used t tests and Levenne's Test for Equality of Variances in order to determine significance of the data gathered. The results of this study indicated that there were no significant difference social interactions of third grade students when using cooperative learning techniques. The students studied did not improve upon their social skills through this research.
Keller-Vicino, Robin A., "Cooperative learning and its effects on social interactions in the third grade" (2003). Theses and Dissertations. 1329.


5 Elaborate Developmental Psychology Research Paper Topics The importance of attachments in early childhood is broadly discussed and explored, but less.
A List Of 30 Developmental Psychology Research Paper Topics can guide adolescents; Emotional turmoil felt by children while dealing with challenges.
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Twenty-eight 3-step sequencing boards allow multiple practice opportunities for beginners!
Tips for setting up your classroom. A peek inside. #ThirdEdition
Teaching students to use their prior knowledge to make connections while reading is so important to aid in comprehension of a text. This Making Connections Poster (also available in color) & Graphic Organizers for Building Background Knowledge and Making Connections are a must have! Perfect for reading comprehension strategies instruction! Includes individual organizers for text to self, text to text, and text to world connections as well.
Supporting Students with ADHD: 32 specific strategies for working with students with ADHD in the classroom
Work Backwards - Different Activities, Strategies, and Resources to Help Your Students Become Masters at Problem-Solving in Math
Improving spelling for students with dyslexia.
In All About Reading and All About Spelling, we don’t use the term “schwa” with the student. Instead, we teach several strategies to help children deal with words that have muffled vowel sounds in the unaccented syllable
Kids with dyslexia can have extra difficulty learning sight words. Some of these words don't follow standard spelling rules, so they're not decodable. Others appear so often that kids have to recognize them quickly to be fluent readers. These tips can make learning sight words easier.
an awesome way to teach children how to use fingers to assist in simple addition
The make up of Neuro-diversity - Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, ADHD, Autism, Dyscalculia... how they all fit together (co-morbidity)


At Children’s Creative Learning Center, we feel that the most important aspect of our curriculum is our staff who positively impact your child each day. The following curriculum programs and methods are used in conjunction with staff experience, interests and skills to provide the most powerful early learning experience.
Creative Curriculum meets children’s continuous developmental needs from infancy through kindergarten. It’s a research based program that targets social/emotional, language, physical, cognitive development through purposeful and creative play. It also engages the children in active learning by using themes that appeal to their specific interests. Ongoing assessments are used to design each child’s day.
Zoo Phonics uses a multi-sensory approach to teach phonemic awareness and early reading and writing skills. It acts as a spring board for math, art, music, nutrition, social studies, science, physical education and drama. A strong early literacy foundation is established using this program.
HANDWRITING WITHOUT TEARS
HWT focuses on writing, language, literacy, numbers and math. Difficult concepts are broken down into simple tasks in a fun and friendly way. Fine motor skill development is promoted using a variety of exciting techniques.
Everyday Math builds on what children already know and how they naturally learn. In addition to basic skills and conceptual thinking, problem solving strategies are taught and reinforced using this hand on approach.
CHINESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Children over 2 ½ years old will learn about Chinese culture, cooking, crafts, history, traditions, music and art. They will also learn to listen, write and speak in Mandarin Chinese.


Scott Foresman and the Smithsonian Institution Enrich Social Studies for
U.S. Elementary Schools
Primary Source Materials Provide Colorful, New Dimensions to Learning
Upper Saddle River, NJ – December 15, 2001 – Access to primary source materials is a key factor in sustaining students’ interest and ultimately improving their performance in social studies. The Smithsonian Institution, long dedicated to increasing access to its wealth of U.S. historical and cultural works of art, artifacts and documents, has partnered with publisher Scott Foresman (a Pearson Education business) to create unique teaching and learning materials for teachers and students across the country.
Scott Foresman editors worked with the Smithsonian Institution’s curatorial staff to create lessons that incorporate images culled from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, National Air & Space Museum, National Museum of American History, National Postal Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The materials cover a range of subjects including geography, culture, civics, government and economics. The goal of the collaboration is to help illuminate both America’s past and its present for millions of social studies students in grades one through six.
The collaborative program includes museum gallery pages with full-color images of artifacts, and captions based directly on Smithsonian research. Teacher editions include point-of-use information to help guide students' learning about America's heritage. The highlight of the collaboration is "Look Inside the Smithsonian," two-page features that appear throughout student editions. Special workbook activity pages encourage students to discover even more on their own.
“It’s critical that teachers and students have access to these primary sources, not only to meet rigorous new teaching standards, but to give students contextual knowledge of the periods they are studying. Artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution go a long way toward making the learning multidimensional and inspiring,” said Paul L. McFall, President of Scott Foresman. “Our collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution will help us bring our nation’s rich, vibrant history to life in classrooms across the country.”
“The Smithsonian Institution is committed to finding innovative ways of bringing our historical treasures into the lives of all our young people, not just the relative few that can travel to museums,” said Gary Beer, CEO of Smithsonian Business Ventures. “Providing documentary evidence in a colorful and exciting way will certainly help cultivate an early appreciation of our country’s rich history.”
About Scott Foresman
Scott Foresman is the world's leading elementary education publisher, offering complete programs in all disciplines, including reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and music. Scott Foresman programs include all media: print, video, digital, audio, CD-ROMS, and internet-delivered. Scott Foresman is a division of the Elementary and Supplemental Publishing Group of Pearson Education, the world's leading integrated education business. For more information, visit www.scottforesman.com.
About Pearson Education
With offices in 30 countries, Pearson Education is the world's largest education company. Its leading education businesses include Addison Wesley, Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings, Longman, Prentice Hall, Pearson Learning, Scott Foresman, Electronic Education, and NCS Pearson. Pearson Education is the global leader in online learning through its CourseCompass program, Learning Network, NCS Learn, InformIT portal for technology professionals and over 2,000 textbook companion Web sites. Pearson Education is the global education business of Pearson plc, the international media group. For more information, visit www.pearsoned.com.
About the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum and research complex,
16 museums and galleries and the National Zoological Park. The total number of objects, works of art, and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at more than 142 million, including 122 million specimens and artifacts at the National Museum of Natural History. The mission of the Smithsonian is “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” For more information, visit www.si.edu.


A useful summary article about the benefits of music education, particularly for babies, toddlers and younger children, outlining the following benefits and referencing the research:
- Musical development – Your child’s aptitude for learning music is at its strongest from birth to 18 months. Children learn more in this critical 18-month period than in any other 18-month period in their life. The second most important time for musical development in one’s entire life is from 18 months to 5 years old.
- Intellectual development – Music is the only activity or subject matter that actively engages both hemispheres of the brain at the same time. Those who begin studying music before the age of 7 and continue through the teenage years will have an average IQ score of 7.5 points higher than those who don’t study music.
- Language development – Music education advances the early development of the auditory processing network in the brain. This is the network used to make meaning of sounds and learn spoken language. Songs introduce new vocabulary words in rapid succession and in turn significantly boost a child’s working vocabulary.
- Literacy development – Literacy levels have been shown to improve by between one and three grade levels with consistent music education beginning from birth with activities as simple as singing, musical games, listening to music, repeating rhythmical or tonal patterns, and learning an instrument at age 5-7.
- Imagination – Life without music would be bleak. Music opens up an entirely new world to a child. It enables a child to gain insights into himself/herself, others and most importantly life itself. These insights help to develop and sustain a child’s imaginative creativity. Because a child hears and participates in some music every single day, it is to a child’s advantage to understand music as thoroughly as possible.
The writer Kathryn Brunner, has been a music educator for 17 years in the USA, and is also a parent and music business owner.
Truro Preschool and Kindergarten: http://truropreschool.org/2017/02/24/raising-your-childs-intellectual-capacity-with-early-music-education/


Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9781285160146 | 1285160142
- Cover: Spiral Bound
- Copyright: 12/27/2012
MUSIC IN CHILDHOOD: FROM PRESCHOOL THROUGH THE ELEMENTARY GRADES presents contemporary theories and practices of music education, including strategies for developing pitch, vocal, rhythmic, instrumental, listening, movement, and creative responses in children. The text uses practical strategies, imaginative scenarios, and comprehensive examples from worldwide musical resources, helping to inspire the best possible teaching methods. Numerous lesson plans and educational materials, review questions, critical-thinking questions, projects, and references are found throughout the text to prepare students for their teaching career. In addition, new video segments show students in actual classroom settings, providing them with real-life examples of how key concepts are utilized in class. The text combines research and practical knowledge to give students an effective overview of teaching music in a classroom setting.


Motivation. Motivation. Motivation. That is the key word for success these days in the Chicago public schools. Students must be motivated, parents must be motivated, teachers must be motivated, and yes, even principals must be motivated.The Reform Board of Trustees might call it accountability, but those of us in schools see it as motivation. Those of us whose schools are on probation are really motivated to get off, and those not on probation are motivated to stay off. The Office of Accountability’s designation of schools as “A,” “B,” and “C,” based on year-to-year changes in test scores, was so motivating that test scores rose to such an extent that almost all schools are now “A” schools.
The challenge for leaders in the local schools is to motivate all our constituencies.
Beavis and Butthead on TV. Nintendo. Gameboys. Rap Music. These are among the environmental stimuli that children live with from the first years of their lives. Then they come to school and are expected to sit relatively still for three to six hours. The challenge is to motivate these students by building on their natural curiosity. We must provide them with educational stimuli that capture their interest and imagination.
The expectation is that children enter school prepared to learn. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Our teachers spend most of the child’s first school year, whether in preschool, kindergarten or 1st grade, instilling socialization skills. It is very difficult teaching children their A,B,Cs and 1,2,3s when the teacher must first get and then keep their attention.
Teachers in the summer Bridge and early-intervention programs love the instructional materials that accompany the mandated daily lesson plans. Yet, the staff is hard pressed to adhere to the robust instructional timeline set for the summer because they must spend time keeping students on task.
The summer preschool with reduced class size is a step in the right direction in providing children the foundational skills they need. But more is needed. Children need at least an all-day kindergarten experience, if not an all-day preschool experience.
To reach urban, at-risk students, teachers need to utilize a “what works” approach to instruction in reading. Phonics instruction must be used to give students the word-attack skills they need to decipher unknown words. Students also need the opportunity to express themselves creatively. There must be increased, ongoing staff development that provides teachers and even principals with a variety of strategies to assist them in successfully teaching reading.
This year, the School Reform Board recognized the importance of the affective domain, in addition to stressing “back to basics.” It instituted a needed character education program.Character education builds student self-esteem, which is a building block of motivation.
However, teachers also need training in approaches that motivate students. As schools’ discretionary dollars grow tighter, we will be unable to continue awarding prizes as incentives. We need help in moving our constituencies from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation or, learning for the sake of learning.
Motivation is the key, staff development is the mechanism, and, with these two, increased academic achievement will be the result.
Phyllis Tate has been principal of Einstein Elementary School in the Oakland community for nine years.