Flat River Academy differs from other schools – public, private and church related – through a series of guiding principles.
Flat River Academy offers a full educational program on these guiding principles.
Project-Based and Hands-on: Children attending our Academy should expect a rigorous curriculum and instruction that prepares students to be passionate about society and learning. Our hands-on and project-based focus means that we work to find ways to connect the real world with what students are learning in class. Students at Flat River Academy will spend more time engaged in hands-on experiences, activities and projects that inspire them to think outside of themselves and their classroom and helps students find their unique purpose.
High Quality Curriculum and Materials: Flat River Academy recently adopted new curriculum and materials for ELA, Math and Science for every grade level. Our ELA curriculum utilizes real books that you would find at a bookstore rather than textbooks to encourage and inspire authentic reading experiences. Math curriculum and materials from Eureka Math is one of the highest rated math programs in the nation. Our science curriculum includes regular hands-on activities, projects and experiments. All materials and curriculum are research-based and engaging.
Direct and Systematic Phonics Instruction: Research has proven that children learn how to read better and avoid reading issues when taught with direct and systematic phonics instruction. Early elementary classrooms utilize this method every day to provide a solid reading foundation. Grades 3-5 have access to phonics instruction if it is determined that they are missing skills in decoding words.
Differentiated Instruction: Accelerated curriculum and differentiated instructional practices ensure that every child is permitted and encouraged to advance as quickly as she or he can. Students below grade level are offered extra time and assistance to help ensure grade level performance. Advanced students are given high quality, grade level instruction along with enrichment during our differentiated instruction (DI) block. Our curriculum is immersed in Michigan's Standards and matched with our teachers who provide unique individual instruction based on needs of our students. We understand that your child is uniquely talented and we use instructional strategies that help them become the best version of themselves.
Culture of Respect and Discipline: Children receive their education in safe, secure surroundings. Discipline is provided through firm, fair and consistent practices. Parents are critical partners with our Academy when implementing our Code of Conduct. Social emotional learning is embedded in our daily routines and deeply rooted in our school's culture.
Character Education: Character education is one feature that sets Flat River Academy apart from other public schools. Character education is the foundation for traditional discipline practices and citizenship development. We actively teach the necessary character traits for a successful school experience and beyond through activities and monthly assemblies. We recognize students for achievements both in citizenship and academics.
Class Sizes: Students are taught in classes with no more than 20 students per class. We consider class size an important piece in empowering teachers to accelerate and differentiate instruction. Small class sizes also allows teachers to develop meaningful and respectful relationships with each child.
Families: Parents, guardians, grandparents, friends and extended family are all important to the character and culture of our Academy. Being welcomed, being involved, and being active partners give great strength to all components of our schools!
Communications: Continual positive interactions between parents and staff are critical to student success. Look for classroom and school newsletters, emails and special announcements! Don’t hesitate to make an appointment with your child’s teacher!
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Flat River Academy’s goal is to empower students with the academic knowledge and skills for success in education, work, and citizenship. Our educational program focuses on hands-on learning and comprehensive real-world activities and projects. We want to inspire each child to find their passion and give them the skills they need to pursue their life's purpose.
Flat River Academy uses a project-based learning and hands-on approach to connect learning with the real world and engage students.
Flat River Academy adopted new, high quality curriculum and materials in math, reading, writing and science for the 2019-20 school year.
Flat River Academy’s curriculum is based on the Michigan Core Curriculum Standards and is designed to maximize each child’s potential.
Flat River Academy utilizes technology without replacing face-to-face instruction. We understand and value the need for learning technical skills, but believe in the power of meaningful human connection for learning.
Flat River Academy recognizes every student’s individual needs and potential. Small class sizes give students the chance to work at their own pace, and teachers an opportunity to focus on each student's needs.
Flat River Academy emphasizes active citizenship and global perspectives within each area of the curriculum.
Flat River Academy works in partnership with students and parents to ensure that students have ample opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.


“Directing the Upcoming Generation’s Mind in the Right Direction”: Enslaved Children in the French Emancipation Project in Martinique, 1835-1848
Enslaved children were at the centre of France’s reform of colonial slavery from the mid-1830s to 1848. Youths, because of their malleability and supposed innocence, were deemed most deserving of moralizing efforts through religious and elementary education. When emancipation was conceivable by many on both sides of the Atlantic, enslaved children came to represent the future generation of French colonial citizens. Although slaveholders strongly opposed abolitionists’ efforts and despite the slow nature of metropolitan reforms, hundreds of enslaved children in Martinique benefitted from the rights they acquired in the last decade and a half of slavery, namely, partial access to religious and elementary education, family rights, and freedom.


Music Theory Comprehensive: Part 1 - How To Read Music
This is a class designed for the average person who is ready to dive in to music! Whether you are a beginning musician, an active musician, or an aspiring musician - this class is perfect for you.
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5-Star Certified Course!
This course has been independently reviewed and evaluated by the International Association of Online Music Educators and Institutions (IAOMEI.org), and has been found to meet or exceed their 5 criteria: Exceptional Pedagogy, Dynamic Delivery, Rich Media, Inviting Participation, and Affordability.
Punkademic is proud to be a member of IAOMEI.org and to have a number of 5-star Certified Courses.
Welcome to the COMPLETE Music Theory Fundamentals Guide!
This is a class designed for the average person who is ready to take their music career (or music interest) and turn it into a business. Whether you are an active musician, an aspiring musician, or an aspiring music manager or agent - this class is perfect for you.
For years I've been teaching Music Theory in the college classroom. These classes I'm making for Udemy use the same syllabus I've used in my college classes for years, at a fraction of the cost. I believe anyone can learn Music Theory - and cost shouldn't be a barrier.
My approach to music theory is to minimize the memorization. Most of these concepts you can learn by just understanding why chords behave in certain ways. Once you understand those concepts, you can find any scale, key, or chord that exists. Even invent your own. If you've tried to learn music theory before, or if you are just starting out - this series of courses is the perfect fit.
Throughout this class, If you get stuck, you can review the videos or post a question, and I'll back to it as fast as possible.
This class is Part 1. In it we will focus on how to read music, and the symbols we use to notate music.
In this class, we will cover:
My approach to Music Theory
Tools you will need to learn Music Theory quickly and efficiently
Chromatic and Diatonic scales
Ordered Pitch Class Collections
The pattern of a Major Scale
Writing melodies with major scales
What it means to be "in key"
How to identify key signatures
Popular song analysis
Building triads (chords)
Diatonic chord progressions
Roman numeral analysis
Finding chords by formula
The thirds inside of a chord
Finding fifths by finding thirds
Chords on the guitar
Full Analysis: Canon in D (Pachabel)
Full Analysis: Minuet in G (Bach)
Major 7th Chords
Minor 7th Chords
Dominant 7th Chords
...and much, much more!
And of course, once you sign up for this course you automatically get huge discounts to all the upcoming parts of this class.
You will not have another opportunity to learn Music Theory in a more comprehensive way than this.
All the tools you need to successfully learn Music Theory are included in this course and the entire course is based on real-life experiences - not just academic theory.
This course is also part of a bundle! Get the College Music Theory: First Semester Bundle and get all 7 parts of the course!
Dr. Allen is a professional musician, top-rated online instructor, and university professor. In 2017 the Star Tribune featured him as a "Mover and a Shaker," and he is recognized by the Grammy Foundation for his music education classes. He currently teaches at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN, and online.
Praise for Courses by Jason Allen:
"It seems like every little detail is being covered in an extremely simple fashion. The learning process becomes relaxed and allows the complex concepts to get obsorbed easily. My only regret is not taking this course earlier." - M. Shah
"Great for everyone without any knowledge so far. I bought all three parts... It's the best investment in leveling up my skills so far.." - Z. Palce
"Excellent explanations! No more or less than what is needed." - A. Tóth
"VERY COOL. I've waiting for years to see a good video course, now I don't have to wait anymore. Thank You!" - Jeffrey Koury


Healthy Choices in Motion was developed as part of the Shaping Healthy Choices Program. The Shaping Healthy Choices Program is a multi-component approach to improve children’s food choices.
Healthy Choices in Motion allows students to explore a comprehensive set of physical activity concepts, including the benefits of physical activity, recommendations across the lifespan, the five components of physical fitness, why doing a variety of physical activity is important, and what being physically active means to you. Concepts for this curriculum were identified from the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, CATCH, Centers for Disease Control, and California Department of Education.
All activities are structured around a five-step experiential learning cycle. In the Experience phase, students carry out the procedures of an activity. In the Share, Process, and Generalize phases, students participate in discussion about their observations and experiences, make inferences about them, and generalize these findings to real-world settings. In the Application phase, students use what they have learned and practice it in authentic settings. This is accomplished in Healthy Choices in Motion through a take-home journal that students can complete with their families and an optional technology-enhancement.
The curriculum is organized into five sequential modules that begin with foundational skills and build to more complex skills:
- Healthy Choices in Motion Module 1
- Healthy Choices in Motion Module 2
- Healthy Choices in Motion Module 3
- Healthy Choices in Motion Module 4
- Healthy Choices in Motion Module 5
Healthy Choices in Motion newsletters are designed to be sent home with the student and engage youth and adults with games and examples of physical activity that can be done with the entire family. Newsletters include content related to the benefits of physical activity, physical activity recommendations, the components of physical fitness, and the importance of engaging in a variety of physical activity.
- Healthy Choices in Motion Newsletter 1
- Healthy Choices in Motion Newsletter 2
- Healthy Choices in Motion Newsletter 3
- Healthy Choices in Motion Newsletter 4
- Healthy Choices in Motion Newsletter 5
The UC Davis Center for Nutrition in Schools has created an online training to help you get
started with Healthy Choices in Motion. This training provides an overview of the curriculum and demonstrations for each of the physical activities in which the students will engage.
To access the Online Training, complete the following steps:
- Request access to the Online Training by completing the online form.
- Once you’ve submitted the online form, you will receive an email from Canvas within the next one to two business days to let you know that you’ve been granted access to the course.
- Click on the link in the email to be taken to Canvas, where you can either log into your existing Canvas account or create a free account if you don’t currently have one.
Now you’re ready to get started with the Online Training! We recommend having the curriculum open as you go through the training modules. While the online course reviews the main points of each curriculum module, you will need to read the curriculum for the full, detailed activity procedures.


By Sharon Wynne
Read or Download ICTS English Language Arts 111 Teacher Certification, 2nd Edition (XAM ICTS) PDF
Best arts books
Translated from eastern as "the approach, via paperfolding," Origamido is a life-style and of layout. greater than colourful, folded paper cranes and easy, yet fascinating animals and toys, Origamido is lively creativity via paper folding. This e-book provides a fascinating choice of the world's Origamido, masterworks of origami by way of the various best designers and paper folders dwelling at the present time.
This ebook constitutes the completely refereed lawsuits of the 3rd overseas convention on Arts and expertise, ArtsIT 2013, held in Milano, Bicocca, Italy, in March. the nineteen revised complete papers offered have been conscientiously chosen and reviewed from 31 submissions and are equipped in topical sections on: artwork and know-how in motion, track and expertise in motion, reflecting on paintings and expertise, knowing the inventive perform, and on the barriers.
- Arts Therapies. A Research-Based Map of the Field
- The Art of Polymer Clay Creative Surface Effects Techniques and Projects Featuring Transfers, Stamps, Stencils, Inks, Paints, Mediums, and More
- Youth Practices in Digital Arts and New Media: Learning in Formal and Informal Settings
- Coraling Technique Step-By-Step Instructions for Making Ten Original Design Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings in the Most Popular Russian Beading Technique
Additional info for ICTS English Language Arts 111 Teacher Certification, 2nd Edition (XAM ICTS)
Discuss what the story is about, and then give an exam on the content of the story. When the focus of an assignment is on meaning, students tend to make greater gains in comprehension than when the focus is on word analysis and accurate reading. Sometimes watching a dramatization of a story played on a television set or a screen will encourage an interest in reading a particular story and provide variety as well as an opportunity to think about language in spoken as well as written form. Among the causes that make reading a struggle are auditory trauma and ear infections that affect the ability to hear speech.
A quick overview of the story before beginning to read can also be useful. Are there chapters with headings? If not, a quick survey of the sections, either chapters or paragraphs, will yield clues that will guide the reading and improve comprehension. If the assignment is an essay, a quick skimming for paragraph topic sentences and a look at the conclusion will provide useful information before beginning the actual reading. Students should be warned not to make premature judgments based on any of these pre-reading activities but to let the story or essay speak for itself.
Facilitate discussions by devising questions that lead students to make qualitative and evaluative judgments about the content they’ve read. 9 Recognize the home and school experiences that impact literacy development. Parents who are readers and a family that values books generally produce children who read early and well. This is enhanced if parents and others read to the child even before he/she is able to read alone. In a home where learning and books are treated with respect, children go off to school much better prepared than children from homes where the opposite is true.


Source: Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 11(4), 398-419, 2011.
(Reviewed by the Portal Team)
This qualitative research study is an exploration of the merit and shortcomings of using a combination of GarageBand™ and an electronic bulletin board to facilitate musical and peer learning in a 3-month elementary music methods curriculum and instruction course.
Specifically, this study was designed to examine whether the integration of digital learning technologies in teacher education programs enhances a larger educational mission to foster preservice teachers’ understanding of music and digital literacy.
The study addressed to the following research questions:
1. What are preservice teachers’ existing notions of music literacy teaching and learning?
2.How do preservice teachers experience digital literacy in the context of their music methods course?
This study was conducted within an elementary teacher-education cohort known as CITE: A Community of Inquiry in Teacher Education.
The participants were the music education instructor and 17 of the 36 preservice teachers enrolled in her class.
Data were collected through final interviews conducted with the instructor and the preservice teachers, and field notes of the preservice teacher and instructor comments during exit interviews.
The findings reveal that the majority of participating preservice teachers subscribed to an understanding of music literacy based upon traditional values of developing students’ notation skills and fostering their appreciation of “the classics” and “the masters.”
This perspective is devoid of a sociocultural understanding of music literacy that includes cultural and historical constructs of music.
It upholds a process of learning to play and read music by conventional means common in Western cultures, especially using musical instruments.
Although a framework for learning was in place, the process was designed as organic, developing with each exchange of musical selections and accompanying reviews and responses.
For those accustomed to teacher-centered instruction, this created a measure of initial anxiety.
For instance, two preservice teachers voiced concern over the lack of response to their posts.
Although all participants were required to respond to a minimum of three music selections, the postings of these two preservice teachers did not receive a response until nearly the end of the required time period.
These participants posting their selections for peer critique felt concern and anxiety.
Furthermore, sharing their playlists online (as well as their thoughts, feelings, and images about these musical selections) encouraged reflective practice and a process of peer learning, providing opportunities for students to learn about their peers and broaden their participation in a community of inquiry.
The majority of the preservice teachers viewed the process as a valuable experience and acknowledged the potential for GarageBand ™and electronic bulletin boards.
However, 13 of the 17 participants commented on the time required to learn the software and adjust to the notion of using digital learning technologies (DLT) within their music methods course, as well as for the independent learning process as a whole.
The authors argue that a necessary shift in perspective was a reevaluation of the purpose of music education, as well as subject-specific literacy practice.
The necessity to disrupt existing conceptions of music literacy becomes evident if the intent is to encourage preservice teachers to develop music literacy in all children rather than performance ability in a few.
However, this shift would require an improved understanding for how to develop critical listening and thinking about diverse musical samples and to participate in musical communities of inquiry to encourage a democratic, collaborative approach to music education.
Furthermore, few music educators and programs are up-to-date on the contemporary popular music from which their students are gaining a musical education outside school through MTV, VH1, radio, and CDs.
In that extra-school phase of their music education, children and young people are experiencing a variety of music, responding naturally to its expressive effect, thinking about it, talking about it, serving as critics of it, making choices about it, and using it to enrich their lives.
An awareness of the ways in which learners can now access, share and experience music from around the world is not enough.
Instead, teachers must develop an awareness of the affordances of the various DLT now used to compose music .
Developing critical awareness and engaging in reflective thinking about music requires time.
In order to foster communities of inquiry across curricula and to disrupt conventional notions of literacy, preservice teachers as well as their future students will require greater control over opportunities to express and develop ideas using multiple literacies, including musical and digital literacy.


TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) is a compulsory examination in all Indian states for recruitment of teachers at primary and middle-level classes in government schools. However, it is just one of the eligibility requirements. Candidates need to fulfil the other eligibility criteria laid down by the respective schools for selection. The exam is conducted at both central and state levels. The minimum eligibility for appearing in the exam is graduation and degree/diploma in Elementary Education. The exam is conducted yearly, twice a year, or once in two or three years on the basis of vacancies available for teaching posts in government schools. For details such as application process, eligibility, exam pattern, TET syllabus, admit card, result, and more, check out the complete article.
The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is conducted at two levels:
- Central level
- State level
The exam conducted at Central level is known as Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) and those conducted at the state level are known as Teacher Eligibility Test with state name as Prefix. For instance; Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UP TET), Punjab TET, Himachal Pradesh TET (HP TET), etc.
CTET 2020 - Central Teacher Eligibility Test
- CTET is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and is applicable to/valid for schools under Central Government (such as KVs, NVs, Tibetan schools, etc.) and schools under the administrative control of Union Territories of Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and NCT of Delhi.
- Unaided private schools have the option of considering CTET score for their recruitment process.
- Any state government may also consider the CTET score if it decides not to conduct the state level TET.
- The CTET score remains valid for seven years. However, there is no restriction on the number of attempts. Candidates can appear for the exam within seven years for improving their score.
If you are interested in becoming a government teacher; read on to know about the exam pattern, syllabus, important dates, etc. related to the Teacher Eligibility Test. The details provided here are as per the CTET exam as the pattern and other details of the state level exams are drafted in accordance with the Central level exam.


"We are the musik makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams"
- Willy Wonka-
For a Child's Brain, Body, Heart, and Soul
Music is a wonderful conduit for learning, especially in young children. When paired with movement and instrument play, it creates neurological magic, lighting up a child’s brain and positively impacting all areas of development. The benefits of music education are truly transformational.
In Kindermusik’s music-and-movement classes, children experience music of varying styles, genres, and cultures. They interact with other children and engage in movement, rhythm, and vocal activities that develop far more than just music skills. Our approach to early childhood education and award-winning, research-based, and developmentally appropriate curricula prime children for success in school and in life.
Benefits of Music for Whole-Child Development
Kindermusik’s engaging, developmentally appropriate music classes offer thoughtfully integrated sequences of activities that set the stage for optimal, multi-sensory learning. Each lesson is designed to boost school readiness, nurture multiple areas of a child’s development, and tap into a variety of individual learning styles.


New York State Standards in the Arts
WHAT ARE THE NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS IN THE ARTS?
WHAT IS REQUIRED IN K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL ART EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK?
Instruction is driven by curriculum which is guided by the state standards that art educators teach in public schools.
The four state standards that are required in K-12 art curriculum are stated below.
NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS (N.Y.S.) IN THE ARTS
How do New York City public schools measure the importance of the arts?
New York City is an international hub of the arts. Schools within the city showcase the arts within a framework called the Blueprint.
Check out the New York City Department of Education Blueprint for the Arts below.
New York City Blueprint for the Visual Arts


“Curious Minds” is a series of booklets with lessons for primary school teachers created by professional Visual Artists.
This free digital resource offers more than 16 projects, with 43 lessons in total, divided into five books: one with the foundation; and four with projects for every season (most projects or lessons can be used any time of the year). It also includes various “warm-up” and awareness exercises (including “gymnastics for the brain”).
The content focuses on four main themes: belonging, identity, consumerism, and the environment. It is organised in such a way that allows for flexibility. Most lessons are suitable for a diverse range of ages, from 1st to 6th classes. There are projects of short, medium and long duration (from 1 to 8 lessons). The design of the books will allow anyone to print each project by lesson or in its entirety.
“Curious Minds” is the brainchild of Karla Sánchez and Els Dietvorst, who met through the “Living Arts Project”, an innovative art education program run by Wexford Arts Centre and the Art Department of Wexford County Council.
Karla and Els share an interest in multi-disciplinary and holistic education, and invited a group of creatives to collaborate in this endeavor: Clare Breen (who also did the illustrations), Laura Ní Fhlaibhín, Orla Bates, David Begley and Colm O’Neill (graphic designer).
For further details please see: livingartsproject.ie/book-1-introduction-and-fundamentals/
“Curious Minds” is supported by the Creative Ireland Programme.
The Ark Date: 7 November Saturday This half-day visual art CPD workshop for teachers with The Ark…
The Portal Team are delighted to announce the guest speakers for the fifth annual National Arts in…


NATIONAL ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH
In October, National Arts & Humanities Month encourages us to explore the beauty and culture around us. It’s the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the United States, and there are festivities from coast to coast to honor NAHM. During October, we encourage you to reflect on the many ways arts and humanities contribute to our society. Can you imagine a world without music? A world without beautiful art, statues, literature, or culture? A world without the arts and humanities is a world lacking all of those things, and frankly, a world I wouldn’t want to live in.
HOW TO OBSERVE #ArtsAndHumanitiesMonth
Explore the arts and humanities that have made an impact in your life and use #NationalArts&HumanitiesMonth to post on social media. If you are an artist, promote yourself on social media and show people all the beautiful work you do. During an Arts & Humanities speech in 2016, then-President Barack Obama said,
“In seeking to break down barriers and challenge our assumptions, we must continue promoting and prioritizing the arts and humanities, especially for our young people. In many ways, the arts and humanities reflect our national soul. They are central to who we are as Americans – as dreamers and storytellers, creators, and visionaries. By investing in the arts, we can chart a course for the future in which the threads of our common humanity are bound together with creative empathy and openness.”
You heard the man! Invest in the arts, especially local art, and you will begin going down a lovely path. Chances are, those around you will follow and join you in your support for the arts & humanities. Here are some other ways to celebrate this month.
- Host an event, like an open studio, to allow the public to come in and check out the work you do.
- Meet up with some friends to attend a local concert or art show.
- Write a special post about NAHM and share it on social media with the hashtag listed above.
- Write to your member of Congress to let them know about the importance of arts and humanities in our communities. Discuss art education funding.
NATIONAL ARTS & HUMANITY MONTH HISTORY
National Arts & Humanities Month has encouraged others to explore the arts and humanities in their lives since 1993.
There are over 1,500 national days. Don’t miss a single one. Celebrate Every Day® with National Day Calendar®!


Resources › For Educators IEP Math Goals for Common Core State Standards Goals Aligned With the Common Core State Standards Share Flipboard Email Print Sydney Bourne/Getty Images For Educators Special Education Individual Education Plans Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Management Lesson Plans Math Strategies Reading & Writing Social Skills Inclusion Strategies Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Teaching Homeschooling By Jerry Webster Special Education Expert M.Ed., Special Education, West Chester University B.A., Elementary Education, University of Pittsburgh Jerry Webster, M.Ed., has over twenty years of experience teaching in special education classrooms. He holds a post-baccalaureate certificate from Penn State's Educating Individuals with Autism program. our editorial process Jerry Webster Updated January 07, 2019 The IEP math goals below are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, and are designed in a progressive manner: once the top numeration goals are met, your students should be moving on through these goals and onto the intermediate grade goals. The goals that are printed come directly from the site created by the Council of Chief State School Officers, and adopted by 42 states, the American Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. Feel free to copy and paste these suggested goals into your IEP documents. "Johnny Student" is listed where your student's name belongs. Counting and Cardinality Students need to be able to count to 100 by ones. IEP goals in this area include examples such as: When given numbers representing numerals between one and 10, Johnny Student will order and name the numbers in the correct order, for eight out of 10 numbers with 80 percent accuracy in three of four consecutive trials.When given a hundred chart with 20 of the number blocks blank, Johnny Student will write the correct numbers in the blanks for 16 of 20 blanks (demonstrating 80 percent accuracy) in three of four consecutive trials. Counting Forward Students need to be able to count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at one). Some possible goals in this area include: When given a card with a number between one and 20, Johnny Student will count up five numbers from the number on the card, with 80 percent accuracy in three out of four consecutive trials.When given written sequences of numbers (such as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) with five blanks, Johnny Student will correctly write the numbers in the five blanks, with 80 percent accuracy in three out of four consecutive trials. Writing Numbers to 20 Students should be able to write numbers from zero to 20 and also represent a number of objects with a written numeral (0 to 20). This skill is often referred to as one-to-one correspondence where a student demonstrates an understanding that a set or array of objects is represented by a particular number. Some possible goals in this area might read: When given 10 picture arrays representing numbers between one and 10, Johnny Student will correctly write the corresponding number in the accompanying box (on the accompanying line) for eight of 10 numbers (showing 80 percent) in three of four consecutive trials.When given an array of counters and a set of number cards from one to 10, Johnny Student will find the corresponding number and lay it next to the array with 80 percent accuracy in three out of four consecutive trials. Understanding Relationships Between Numbers Students need to understand the relationship between numbers and quantities. Goals in this area might include: When given a template with 10 squares, and presented with counters in varied arrays from one to 10, Johnny Student will count aloud, naming each counter as it is placed in a square with 80 percent accuracy in three out of four consecutive trials.When given an array of counters from one to 20, Johnny Student will count the counters and answer the question, "How many did you count?" with 80 percent accuracy in three out of four consecutive trials.


A shared book reading intervention to help language and literacy skills in preschoolers on the autism spectrum has been successfully delivered by Griffith University and Autism CRC.
The news comes in time for Autistic Pride Day on June 18, which is a celebration of the neurodiversity of people on the autism spectrum. Autistic pride recognises the innate strengths and abilities of all people, including those on the autism spectrum.
This eight week intervention pilot study took place in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, and sought to develop early spoken language and emergent literacy skills.
It investigated whether a home-based shared book reading intervention would help facilitate these skills in children under six who had not yet started school and was led by Autism CRC project leader and Griffith senior lecturer Dr Marleen Westerveld from the university’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland.
“Children who are not on the autism spectrum often learn these early literacy skills through experiences with books. Children on the spectrum do not seem to be reaping the rewards of such experiences to the same extent as their peers, so we initiated the shared book reading intervention to see if we could help address this”, she says.
Those participating in the study had to be able to focus on a book for five minutes, regularly share in book reading with parents and not currently attending any other shared book reading programs.
“The intervention resulted in significant changes in parent-child book reading behaviours with our most prominent finding being that parents and children engaged with the books for significantly longer periods following intervention,” says Dr Westerveld.
“Moreover, parents increased their use of book-specific language and showed more explicit use of meaning-related language, such as discussing the characters of the story.
“In turn, the children became more talkative and used a wider variety of words. All improvements were maintained eight weeks following the intervention – in fact, children continued to improve their word variety and vocabulary.”
Comments from parents involved in the study included:
“We now don’t just read the story we explore it. We talk about what the words are telling us and also what is in the pictures and the story behind the story.”
“Taking part of this reading intervention study has been a great way for me to learn new ways to read stories to the kids and make them interesting. It has also helped to develop habits like talking about what words mean, characters, setting, problem, how this makes the characters feel and what they plan to do about it then how they feel at the end.”
“Our reading session has been more fun and my son is learning to interact better. So I am very happy with the little steps we’re making.”
A speech pathologist provided the shared book reading intervention to parents over eight weeks with one training session and four fortnightly follow-up visits, and phone calls on alternative weeks.
Parents recorded videos of shared book reading sessions each week with individualised feedback provided at follow-up visits.
“To investigate changes in parent and child behaviours, the team asked parents to video themselves sharing a book with their child prior to, immediately, and 8 weeks following intervention.
“Following intervention, we found that there was a significant increase in time spent sharing the book for the intervention group only – from 4.5 minutes to 7.5 minutes post-intervention,” says Dr Westerveld.
“We also found post intervention that parents showed a significant increase in book-related language compared to the control group. Parents also increased their use of story-related language.
“Children whose parents participated in the intervention became more talkative, and used a wider variety of words when sharing books with their parents.
“All parents were satisfied or extremely satisfied with all aspects of the intervention and reported it changed the way they shared books with their children.”
“The shared book reading intervention is one of many projects being delivered by Autism CRC in collaboration with its Participants and Partners to promote the wellbeing of people on the spectrum across the lifespan,” says Andrew Davis, CEO of Autism CRC.
“Autism CRC’s vision is to see autistic people empowered to discover and use their diverse strengths and interests. Shared-book reading plays a vital role in children’s emergent literacy development and contributes to reading success down the track – the importance of which should not be overlooked,” Mr Davis says.


Our Grade R programme focuses on Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills, incorporating continuous assessment, as we prepare your child in a supportive yet challenging environment for formal schooling. Our diverse curriculum, using Montessori and WCED principles aims to develop school readiness through discovery, play and observation.
Unique to the Constantia Pre-school we offer “Memory Blocks” – a brilliant game where leaners use little blocks to recreate patterns, supporting the development of various foundational skills, including concentration, perception, spatial, visual and auditory discrimination and memory.
Since the establishment of our Grade R class, our learners have all been offered a Grade 1 position at schools throughout the Western Cape.
|Age Group :||5-6|
|Class Ratio :||15:1|


Determined to increase reading proficiency across all grade levels, nearly 75 schools and districts across the state of Mississippi have implemented the Lexia Reading® program, designed to advance reading skills development for all students pre-K through fourth grade, and accelerate learning for at-risk students in grades 4–12.
In a recent national sample, 87% of K–3 at-risk students using Lexia Reading advanced one or more grade levels to finish the year working on grade-level material.
In addition to supporting foundational skills development, the program also reduces schools’ dependence on traditional testing methods, while helping improve each student’s performance on grade-level assessments. Lexia Reading’s Assessment Without Testing™ technology automatically gathers student performance data without administering a test, allowing schools to spend less time testing.
Hinds County Schools, Pearl City Schools and St. Vincent De Paul in the Diocese of Long Beach are three of the Mississippi schools and districts that have implemented Lexia Reading as an essential component of their reading curriculum, joining Pascagoula Independent School District (ISD), Harrison County School District and Madison County School District, all of whom began using the system in recent years.
Pascagoula ISD implemented Lexia Reading in 2010. Curriculum Support and Instructional Technology Specialist Erin Ayala noted that Lexia allows both administrators and teachers to “work smarter, not harder.”
“Having access to students’ real-time data is paramount to addressing student achievement, developing school improvement plans, and in sharing student progress with parents and stakeholders,” said Ayala. “This live data is so instrumental when formulating instructional decisions, made simpler with the easy access that it affords; as opposed to the more cumbersome, traditional methods of collecting student work, or reviewing teacher grade books to examine student progress. With Lexia, we have accessible data connected to specific reading skills and core standards. It’s simply invaluable.”
Educators at Madison Elementary School in Madison County began using Lexia Reading in 2007, and after seeing exceptional gains in Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) performance, Lexia Reading has become the foundational learning software for all students, as well as a primary intervention tool for all struggling readers.
“Our teachers and students love Lexia Reading because it profoundly impacts learning through individualized instruction while providing an engaging, kid-friendly platform for students to succeed,” said Barbara Martinez, computer lab teacher, Madison Elementary School. “We have seen our students average a 12-point improvement in MAP scores in less than three months.”
As students work independently on Lexia Reading, they receive systematic and structured practice on foundational reading skills. Each of the age-appropriate, skill-specific activities conforms to federal guidelines and is aligned to Common Core State Standards. The software delivers scaffolded practice, advancing students to higher levels as they demonstrate proficiency.
Lexia Reading’s Assessment Without Testing technology provides real-time data on students’ skill gaps, as well as norm-referenced predictions of each student’s percent chance of reaching the end-of-year benchmark. The program then identifies and prioritizes students for small group or individual instruction, providing educators with targeted instructional strategies and structured lesson plans to help each student improve performance on grade-level assessments.
“I use Lexia in my kindergarten classroom everyday,” said Kate Danzey, kindergarten teacher at Saucier Elementary, in Harrison County School District. “I began using it as a center activity for specific students, but now all my students use the program. The Lexia skills reports have helped me pinpoint certain skills I need to work on with my students. As a result, my students have progressed and I have seen a great level of achievement.”


What is iSEE?
Informal Science Education Enhancement (iSEE) is a collaboration among nonprofit informal science education organizations in Utah. These groups receive funding from the Utah State Legislature to provide science experiences to students and teachers across Utah who would otherwise not be available to them.
How long has it existed?
iSEE began when the science organizations separated from the art education-focused Professional Outreach Program in the Schools (POPS) group to better specialize in providing informal science experiences.
Which organizations participate in iSEE?
Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum, HawkWatch International, The Leonardo, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Natural History Museum of Utah, Ogden Nature Center, Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, Thanksgiving Point, and Utah’s Hogle Zoo
What are the objectives iSEE groups are working to meet?
iSEE programs serve K-12 teachers and students and are designed to spark students’ natural curiosity and sense of wonder by providing exciting opportunities to experience science, practice science skills, and gain a deeper understanding of science.
Free, statewide, hands-on, inquiry-based outreach programs in schools
Models of best practices in science education based on Utah science standards
Free statewide professional development for teachers in our various areas of content expertise, including teaching resources and materials aligned to the state science standards
Lesson plans and pre- and post-visit activities
Pre- and post-lesson assessments
Accurate and up-to-date science information
When will iSEE come visit my school?
Partners will visit schools determined by district, grade level and academic year; some will visit every year, some on a district rotating basis.
How do I get support from iSEE in the years when they are not required to visit my district?
There are a large variety of resources available including various digital media, kits that can be used in the classroom, on-site field trips, distance learning, and teacher professional development.
What is the role of the Utah State Board of Education in administering the iSEE program?
The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) has been designated as the fiscal agent responsible for administering the iSEE program based on Legislative funding. Any changes to iSEE funding are based on Legislative request. Every year the USBE reviews and approves the iSEE budgets for outreach and programming. A USBE specialist (generally the science specialist) works as administrator for iSEE and meets with organizations monthly to facilitate their collaboration towards meeting common goals.
How do Utah Tax dollars help to support the iSEE organizations?
iSEE is funded by the Utah State Legislature, with monies administered through USBE.
iSEE exposes students to state standards with hands-on learning. For every tax dollar spent, iSEE partners provide 1:1 matching contributions.
What are requirements for the iSEE organizations to receive annual state funding?
iSEE organizations are required to provide outreach aligned to specific Utah science standards to every Local Educational Agency (LEA), including all district and charter schools in the state, in a three-year period.
All received state funding must be matched 1 to 1 with institutional funding.
How can the work of iSEE organizations help support the implementation of new science standards?
iSEE organizations meet monthly under the facilitation of the Utah State Board of Education K-12 Science Education Specialist, and we collaborate with the STEM Action Center. This keeps all iSEE organizations up to date with current and future changes to science standards and priorities. Each organization is constantly striving to update K-12 resources to make sure they are best aligned with new practices. We provide exemplary lesson plans, teacher professional development workshops, outreach programs, and field trip offerings. In addition, representatives from each of the iSEE organizations attend USBE conferences and workshops to learn more about 3D Science instruction and stay up to date with new practices. The Utah State Board of Education Science Specialists continually attend programs offered by iSEE to provide feedback and ensure we are best implementing the new science standards. We provide workshop sessions at various Utah education conferences and meetings, including USTA and at the SSECC meetings.
How can an organization join the iSEE program?
New organizations interested in joining iSEE begin by applying for provisional funding, when available, through the legislative process. This provides a three-year pilot period after which the organization may join with iSEE members in a legislative request for ongoing funding. Organizations must have a history of providing organized educational programming, have capacity for the 1 to 1 fiscal match, and capacity to provide services to the entire state.
Suggestions for those interested:


⚠ COVID 19 SAFETY
Lessons during school time are carried out in small groups within the dedicated bubbles outlined by each individual school. Equipment is thoroughly cleaned prior to and at the end of each lesson. Hand sanitiser is provided by Rockley Music and PPE equipment is warn at our tutors discretion. If you have any questions, queries or concerns regarding our music lessons in relation to the Covid 19 virus please contact us.
Rockley Music Education is a family run business established in 2010 with a clear goal. Setting out to encourage as many young people as possible to get involved in making music. We pride our selves with a professional, flexible and committed service to all our pupils, parents and schools alike, giving children as young as 4 years of age the opportunity to learn an instrument whilst having lots of fun getting into the groove, reading, writing and performing music.
The drums are a fantastic instrument to learn and play. They are engaging, fun, physical and wonderful for building confidence in people. Drumming demands concentration, coordination, energy and enthusiasm and for these reasons young people in particular find playing the drums very stimulating, inspiring and a great form of physical and mental stimulation. Playing the drum kit for 20 minutes can really get your heart pumping! Furthermore we have also discovered drumming stimulates fine motor skills and core stability leading to an improvement in handwriting, physical and social skills.
Free Drumless Tracks
We have a fantastic range of fun backing tracks to play along to and learn called ‘drumless’ tracks. These tracks have lots of layers of instruments excluding the drum parts. The idea is that you, the student become the drum part. Try learning the songs be ear, mimic the rhythms in the music and learn the structure/form. No sight reading or sheet music, they are designed as a tool to help you learn new styles of music and improve your timing and groove. So go ahead express yourself!


In partnership with
To teach in the state-maintained sector in England and Wales, you'll need to gain qualified teacher status (QTS) in addition to your first degree, unless you have completed a Bachelor of Education (BEd) or a BSc/BA with QTS.
There are a number of different training routes available which provide QTS, with the opportunity to train in different settings. Many of them offer the chance to gain a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). To attain QTS you will also need to satisfy a range of criteria, outlined below.
What are the entry requirements for a career in teaching?
To qualify as a teacher in England you must meet the following requirements:
- GCSE grade C (4) or above in mathematics and English: for primary teaching you also need GCSE science grade C (4) or above.
- A degree: for primary teaching some ITT providers prefer you to have a degree in a national curriculum subject. If you don't, you should talk directly to the training provider to see if they will accept your degree. For secondary teaching you'll need a degree in, or closely related to, the subject you would like to teach.
- Literacy and numeracy skills: ITT providers are responsible for ensuring that prospective teachers meet the required standards of literacy and numeracy in order to teach. Each provider will assess whether applicants have adequate skills either during the selection process or once they’re on the training programme. You will be benchmarked against a defined set of literacy and numeracy skills you’ll be expected to have by the end of your training and will receive help to develop your skills throughout the course, if needed. However, trainees who remain unable to meet the required level of literacy and numeracy skills will not reach QTS. For more details, contact the training provider directly.
- Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses: if you want to teach a shortage subject and your degree is not closely linked to it, your training provider may decide that you need to take an SKE course to boost your subject knowledge. These courses vary in length according to your need and may be done full-time or through part-time study or distance learning, either before or alongside your initial teacher training course.
- Declaration of health questionnaire: you may be asked to complete a declaration of health questionnaire before starting the ITT course. Any information you provide about disability is protected by the Equality Act 2010. If you have a disability it is advisable to make early contact with the training provider.
- Declaration of criminal convictions: the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which allow convictions for criminal offences to be regarded as 'spent' after a period of time, don't apply to the teaching profession. You're required to declare any previous convictions. All trainee teachers undergo a criminal record check before starting school-based training.


Learn how to play piano using just your iPhone and a crisp one dollar bill.
Instant Musician, previously only being available as a Microsoft HoloLens app, has now made its way to iOS, offering users a way to learn proper piano skills using their smart phones.
Using a dollar bill on your piano mantle as a marker for your cell phone camera, the app registers the AR components and visualizes the song in long bars above each key.
The app was designed by Music Everywhere, an AR music studio based in both Pittsburgh and New York dedicated to developing music education applications for Microsoft Hololens and mobile AR. In little over a year, the project has quickly grown from a simple idea by students at Carnegie Mellon, into an app for both the Microsoft HoloLens, as well as Apple iOS.
Founder Seth Glickman was initially inspired to develop the app as a way to teach wanna-be pianists who didn’t have the time for formal piano lessons or would benefit from having solo lessons.
“We would like to find a way to involve people [who don’t enjoy piano lessons] without necessarily competing with mentored learning, which we strongly believe in,” said Glickman, “but to give an alternative path and to give a tool.”
The HoloLens app works similar to how a professional teacher would instruct their student, blending both conventional, structured lessons with improvisation and classical theory.
Currently, the iPhone app lacks a majority of the components featured in its headset counterpart. Instead, Instant Musician operates more like a game of Rock Band or Guitar Hero, displaying easy-to-follow visualizations of what keys to play and for how long using your iPhone’s camera. This allows for a portable learning solution in which users can play piano without the need of physical sheet music. The app is available now via the App Store. Users can also purchase additional songbooks to learn even more tunes.
Glickman has also expressed interest in expanding their software to include more instruments in the near future, bringing AR education to even more aspiring musicians.
While it might be a bit cumbersome performing a piece while simultaneously holding an iPhone, the app could still prove an excellent resource for performers of any skill level looking to master a basic melody or pattern. Instant Musician expands the accessibility of learning how to play piano by delivering easy-to-navigate instructional software right from your smart phone device.
Image Credit: Music Everywhere, Inc.


Zoltan Kodály was a prominent Hungarian composer, educator, ethnomusicologist, linguist, author and philosopher. Along with Bartók and Ligeti, he is one of the three major figures in Hungarian music this century.
Kodály’s many compositions show a strong affinity with the folk traditions of his country and include ballad operas, orchestral works, chamber music, choral works, songs, folk song arrangements and music for children. Kodály was born on December 16, 1882 in Kecskemét, a small town in central Hungary. Much of his childhood was spent in the Hungarian villages. It was here that Kodály developed a great love for the Hungarian countryside and for the folk traditions of his culture.
From a young age Kodály showed great aptitude and interest in music. His father, an amateur musician, encouraged this interest, particularly the young boy’s interest in composition. By the time Kodály reached secondary school he was composing his own music. After completing his school education, Kodály studied at The Franz Liszt Academy (Hungary’s most prestigious music institution) and the University of Hungary where he earned a degree in Hungarian, German and then, later, a Doctor of Philosophy in linguistics.
As a composer, Kodály did much to bridge the gap between Hungarian folk music and the European art music tradition. The political climate of Hungary during the 1900’s was such that it had strong economic ties with Austria. The music of the Hungarian upper class was Viennese Classical music and the language spoken by educated Hungarians was German. The peasant population, on the other hand, spoke Hungarian and had a thriving folk music tradition of its own. Yet this distinctly Hungarian music was not regarded highly by both professional musicians and the upper class that made up the concert audiences.
In the early 1900’s, Kodály and his colleague, Béla Bartók turned their backs on the European music culture of Hungary and focused their attention on their own native folk music traditions. In 1905 they set off on the first of many expeditions to collect and gather traditional Hungarian folk music. Within a year they had arranged and published a collection of twenty folk songs.
Kodaly’s work was not immediately accepted by ” the establishment” who regarded this folk music to be uncultured, and unrefined. Yet, undeterred, Kodaly went on many more expeditions to collect and transcribe folk music. In a number of his compositions he began to incorporate actual folk melodies that he had gathered. In 1921 and 1937, Kodály and Bartók published two significant books on the subject of Hungarian folk music. The quality and scholarship of these works caused them to receive worldwide recognition in the field of ethnomusicology.
In later years Kodály was president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, president of The International Folk Music Council, and honorary president of the International Society for Music Education. In addition to his more than busy schedule, Kodály spent a lot of time visiting schools and talking to music educators. He was actively involved in the development and refinement of music textbooks and other materials for use in the classroom. On the day he died, March 6, 1967 he was to carry out one of his many school visits.
The Kodály Concept
Today was a landmark occasion in the history of Kodály Australia. This year for the first time we postponed the national conference and brought our community together online – and what a success it was! Nearly three hundred music educators …
Join fellow educators throughout the world for a day of inspiring online presentations, practical workshops and engaging discussions led by internationally renowned leaders. The Summit will be recorded and all registered will receive access to the recording. So if you can’t make it on the day, still …
Kodály Australia stands against racism and discrimination in all forms. The Black Lives Matter movement has energised important conversations and learning in the global music education community concerning systemic racism and oppression, cultural appropriation, decolonisation, and censorship of indigenous cultures. …
I am pleased to announce that Kodály Australia has recently partnered with the South Australia Government Department for Education Music Education Strategy and the International Society for Music Education. The Music Education Strategy (MES) aspires to increase access to valued …
After close consultation with stakeholders and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Kodály Australia Conference until September/October 2022 to be held in Canberra, ACT. Having spent the best part of 2 years preparing for …


In the age of high stakes testing, the Music from the Inside Out curriculum is a perfect way to bring music back into the classrooms. Piloted in classrooms around the country, the curriculum blends the "Reading and Writing Workshop" approach to literacy with music education. It lets kids inside the world of music, by helping them construct their own understandings about what proficient listeners think and feel as they listen to music, and what musicians think and feel as they play music. Based in part on the highly acclaimed documentary, the curriculum includes material shot for the film and re-edited for classroom use. Lessons are not only intended for music educators. Teachers of other subjects who may not have a music background will find plenty of support for teaching children how to listen proficiently, and to participate and engage in music and music-making.


Music is a unique way of communicating that can inspire and motivate children. It is a vehicle for personal expression and it can play an important part in the personal development of people.
Music education should engage and inspire children to develop their love of music and talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. To be able to perform and compose music, listen critically and have some knowledge of musical history and traditions.
As well as “class lessons” linking elements of music to their topics, all the children are given the opportunity to learn to play the recorder in Year 3 and experience of playing percussion instruments throughout the school. Ukulele is taught to Year 3 and 4 through the Inspire Music Service. Caterpillar Music is a bought in service for the Reception class to be encouraged to talk about their interpretation of music as well as responding to music appropriately.
In Key Stage 2 children are able to take up either woodwind or brass lessons and join the school band.


This map shows high school musical theater productions in area schools during March. It also highlights those school districts in our region receiving a 2019 Best Communities for Music Education award.
According to theNational Association for Music Education, participating in music in childhood leads to a myriad of health benefits: development of language and reasoning, memorization, coordination, emotional development, auditory skills, creative thinking, spatial intelligence, self-confidence—the list goes on!
Researchers at Northwestern University compare the impact of music on the brain to that of physical activity on the body. Musicians have more grey matter volume in areas of the brain related to speech, language, emotion and auditory processing. These benefits transfer to non-musical situations as well, improving learning and memory in general.
Celebrate Music in our Schools Month by attending a show. Visit the RocHealthData map room to see details about area performances in March, as well as how these award-winning school districts vary by on-time graduation rates and chronic absenteeism.


Can Art Classes for Kids Really Benefit Your Child?
The research has been in for some time. It has been determined that the kind of art education that can occur during art classes for kids can lay the groundwork for future career or academic success. Creative children have a more well-rounded view of the world, they are not afraid to be expressive, and their self-esteem is strengthened through their artistic endeavors.
Valuable learning does not solely happen with the left brain – the side of the brain that steers us towards accuracy, and rational thinking. Additionally, artistic learning or right-brained learning should not be pigeon-holed into being seen as largely unnecessary or optional in that it does not provide real benefit for us from childhood into adulthood.
Learning or developing skills in art or poetry is not simply beneficial because your child will learn a novel skill. Art classes for kids balance your child’s learning and helps to build their thinking skills.
People are often captured by art or poetry on an aesthetic level. They comment that art or poetry captures or exudes beauty. They remark on how enriched that they feel as a result of these artistic creations.
But what about the creators of such beauty?
During art classes for kids, the creators of this beauty are not just enriching others but they are enriching themselves through the very process of creating. These young creators are creating pathways for how they will experience and understand the world. The unseen benefits lie in the process of creating during art classes for kids.
Instructors who teach art classes for kids use the lessons as a way to expand a child’s cognitive skills and give children a way to stretch their thinking in order to solve problems. The creation of both art and poetry can push children to solve old problems in new ways – an extremely valuable skill to master.
Another part of the process that is beneficial during art classes for kids is the reflection process. After a child has been enriched through the creation process they can begin to open up their minds to self discovery as they reflect on their artistic or poetic creations. It is during this process that a child will learn a lot about themselves and discover new ways of seeing the world and experience life-affirming behaviours.
We teach our children from a very early age to value learning. Of course the information that one learns is valuable but the process for learning is also extremely relevant for a child’s mental and emotional growth. Art classes for kids focus on both. These classes focus on developing creativity works of art and poetry that a child can be proud of while reaffirming their ability to create beauty with their own hands and imaginations.
Quality education is not simply found in the subjects that focus on logical reasoning but it also comes to life by finding ways to encourage creative and alternative thinking.
Register your child for an art class at Poetic Art Studio today. The Studio’s focus on each child’s learning and creative process will give your child a unique and memorable experience.


Applied Science For Kids Program
With the arrival of 35 kindergarteners and their teachers from Adlai Stevenson Elementary School, the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes launched the new Applied Science for Kids (ASK!) program.
Through ASK!, all preschool, kindergarten and first grade students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will connect to nature while improving their academic performance.This initiative, led by the Nature Center's environmental educators, is part of CMSD's new Place-Based Learning Collaborative.
Throughout the course of the school year, the ASK! program will reach more than 5,600 students from approximately 300 classrooms in over 60 schools. The children will receive hands-on field experiences and classroom activities to supplement the on-site learning.
To ensure academic rigor, the program conforms with all Ohio Academic Content Standards. CMSD considers the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes a key partner in their five year science strategic plan for preschool through grade 12.
"The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes is providing a key component of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's effort to ensure that all of our students have hands-on experiences in science and nature education," said CMSD CEO Eric Gordon. "The Applied Science for Kids (ASK!) program serving all of our preschool, kindergarten and first grade students provides the foundational pieces of the vision of the District's Place-based Learning Collaborative."
Our environmental educators created preschool classroom activity kits and provided professional development for all preschool through first grade teachers. "We want to ensure that every child gets the most out of these experiences," said Nature Center at Shaker Lakes Executive Director Kay Carlson. "As their connection to nature grows, so will their understanding of science. This is a landmark educational program that has far reaching benefits for Cleveland," she continued.
The ASK! program is supported by many donors including The Cleveland Foundation, PNC Foundation, Abington Foundation, Thomas H. White Foundation and Dominion Foundation.
For more information or to make a donation to support the ASK! Program, please contact Robert Sikora at email@example.com or 216-321-5935, ext. 223.


It’s story time, it’s story time,
stop, shhh, listen!
Back in the Autumn term we embarked on our latest Westgate Project: Story Telling! We had noticed that some of our children did not find traditional story time particularly engaging, so we looked for alternatives.
This year we will be trialing Story Telling sessions across all age ranges in the nursery. Our Story Telling sessions are based on the work of Mary Medlicot, who advises that children need to be involved with the telling of stories. Rather than simply sharing a picture book with the children (although we recognise that this is beneficial for literacy development too!), a story telling session involves one practitioner telling a traditional tale to a smaller group of children, using props instead of pictures.
Hands on laps and lips tight shut!
There is a wealth of research that indicates that the more stories a child knows and can tell, the better their future outcomes are. Traditional tales help children to explore their culture, and those of others. They support children to develop problem solving skills (as they may find solutions based on these stories); empathy (as they imagine themselves in the character’s situation); and of course, listening, understanding, communication and literacy. Following the Story Telling session we always offer a quick activity to support early literacy – whether this is climbing pretend (and sometimes real) trees and beanstalks (to support gross motor movements and story recall); laying and following pebble trail (supporting fine motor skills, balance and coordination); or simply being bears (gross motor and imaginative skills)!
So far we have noticed that the children’s engagement, concentration and attention during Story Telling sessions have increased hugely. As soon as we begin our Story Time chants (see italics), the children’s attention is rapt as they wait to be transported to another world.
Now that we have a wealth of experiences; we’re excited to learn more in the rest of the year! We hope that by the end of the academic year, our children will be able to retell stories independently, or even make up their own versions of stories based on the traditional tales we share.
The forest is deep, the forest is wide,
I wonder who we’ll find inside?


Rather than focusing solely on what we learn, it also places importance on how and where we learn. These memorable experiences enable us to put our learning into context by understanding how it transfers to life beyond the classroom, and also appreciating how the skills acquired can be brought back to the classroom to support other areas of the curriculum. Learning in a variety of environments not only raises achievement, but also promotes independence, organisation, problem solving, communication and teamwork skills. We are giving children not only an education, but also the tools to become a well-rounded adult. In an age where global warming, environmental education and sustainability are becoming ever more critical, children must be able to learn from and understand their environment, as well as their responsibility to protect it. Ribbon also acknowledges and supports the fact that time spent in the outdoors and specifically playing in the outdoors, is a major factor in improving children’s well-being and mental health. Better play means happier children. Happier children mean a more positive attitude to school, more effective lessons, and core skills development.
The school grounds: Our innovative team are constantly striving to adapt and improve our school grounds. On each of the playgrounds we have two large loose parts sheds, a performance and role play area and wheeled carts. One of our artificial turfed areas houses an outdoor gym, while another provides a quiet space complete with games. Our MUGA and two large fields allow for team games, with climbing equipment around both. Ribbon Early Years have an outdoor space equipped with a wide range of apparatus and provocations, and our Key Stage 1 children have an outdoor classroom too. Forest Schools sessions take place in our wildlife garden, and the polytunnel houses a variety of fruit and vegetables. Other exciting developments are on their way, including sand boxes and digging areas.
The Early Years Curriculum makes great use of learning in the outdoors as a vehicle for learning. Much time is spent outdoors during “play to learn” time, during which the children have free flow access to a large outdoor space. They are given the opportunity to experience different seasons and weather conditions. All areas of the curriculum are taught to some extent in the outdoor classroom, and the children are encouraged to develop a sense of wonder and excitement about being outside. There are many opportunities to explore both the immediate locality, and further afield in the local area. During “Muddy Monday” and “Forest Friday” sessions in Reception and nursery respectively, the children are given time in the school’s wildlife garden, accessing forest schools activities and philosophies. Year 1 continue to have access to both the Early Years garden and Year 1 outdoor spaces during continuous provision. They also enjoy “Wild Wednesday” afternoons, where the classes take part in forest schools, sustainability and conservation lessons, largely based outside. In Years 2-6, outdoor lessons link specifically to the curriculum. However, much emphasis is also placed on personal growth by providing exciting experiences which promote teamwork, leadership, independence, communication and organisation.
At Ribbon we believe that play is essential for physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development. In a time where outdoor play environments and opportunities are on the decline, the school grounds provide a crucial place for children to experience self-initiated play. Ribbon is an OPAL school (Outdoor Play And Learning) and provides exciting play opportunities in accordance with The Charter for Children’s Play produced by Play England. These opportunities include loose parts, problem solving, gross and fine motor skill development, team games, risk taking, role play and performing.
Passports for Life
Giving young people the opportunity to try new things and develop new skills can be hugely beneficial. It can help children to grow in confidence, expand their understanding of the world around them, or introduce a hobby or passion that could last for years to come. This is why Ribbon have launched “Passports for Life” for our children in Reception to Year 6. Each child will be offered a menu of 15 exciting things they can complete each term, either at home or at school. These activities range from curriculum driven experiences, to fun life lessons.
Residential Experiences, Trips and Visits
All year groups take part in a minimum of two off site educational visits per term, all closely linked to curriculum topics and skills. This helps bring an element of “wow” to our curriculum, by giving children the opportunity to learn from experts in their field, learn in context, and see a rich array of places and meet a wider variety of people. In Reception children are encouraged to develop a sense of independence through extended school days and visits. A sleepover in the school hall takes place in Year 1, and an overnight stay in tents on the school field at the end of Year 2, which forms an important foundation for all future residential experiences throughout Key Stage 2. Residentials in Key Stage 2 take place further afield, and over a longer period, and with an increasingly demanding itinerary.


Picasso’s Weeping Woman winking? Why not. A new art education program at the National Gallery of the Victoria (NGV) will see primary school students using computer code to animate the gallery’s famous Picasso, bringing the melancholy subject to life.
Developed in partnership with Telstra – the NGV Digital Creatives program fuses art with tech.
NGV educators worked with our expert Telstra Foundation partner, Code Club Australia, to design a series of workshops in which students create computer-generated works of abstract art and build their own digital paint palette. The program is all about driving a greater focus on science, technologies, engineering, art and maths (STEAM) in education, by using visual arts as a platform to develop students’ digital literacy skills.
In the above slideshow, you can view a few pictures from the program’s launch with students from Melbourne’s Princes Hill Primary School.
Photographer credit: Wayne Taylor
Telstra and the NGV Partnership
Through digital and technology-based initiatives, Telstra’s ongoing partnership with the NGV aims to enhance the visitor experience and unlock the potential ways in which visitors can engage with art at the NGV. Focussing on education and digital literacy, the partnership has bolstered NGV Education with the tools, knowledge and capacity to develop and implement the current program of digital and code-based workshops.


The most accurate way of measuring the quality of a society is its concept of inalienable human rights and above all, respect the powers of those rights. (Not to be confused with Frank Ntilikina!). When more are guaranteed and respected in real life these rights, the more they advance in Liberty and Justice. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted on December 10, 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, states: "This Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations should strive to so that both individuals and society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms, and, by progressive measures, national and international recognition and universal and effective both among the peoples of member states and between the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. "In Article 1 provides:" All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. See more detailed opinions by reading what David Delrahim, Los Angeles CA offers on the topic.. "In Article 2 specifies:" 1.
Everyone has all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. " In Article 3 makes clear: "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person." In Article 26 states: "Everyone has the right to education. Education should be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. The Technical and professional education shall be made generally available to higher education will be equal for all on the basis of merit.


2 years & up. This kit includes an abundance of items perfect for learning all about our community helpers. Learn through active, dramatic play with the community helper hat collection. Use traffic signs, community buildings, and LEGO® Education characters and activity cards to learn about our helpers through pretend, hands-on play. Expose learners to these characters through the help of 9 books that teach readers all about our helpers.
3 years & up. This kit includes an abundance of items perfect for learning all about YOU! The tools touch many social emotional themes to help users show what their family looks like. Wooden elements allow for extended block play as well. Users will be able to experience building their own fantastic creations with help from LEGO® DUPLO® and activity cards that mimic the world around them. Includes 539 pieces.
4 years & up. Set your child up for kindergarten success! Promote early literacy development with fun, hands-on activities and a book that highlights emerging reading skills. Includes bilingual strategies to enhance learning.
Grade 4. The Grade 4 program will help you and your children understand the connections between math topics and the real world. It offers a full curriculum that is presented using the process standards. The problems presented help to strengthen conceptual understanding and to promote their applications. Special emphasis is given to carefully record information and to arrive at reasonable conjectures. Children will become adept at writing numbers in various forms. They will be exposed to "greater… More »
Grades K - 2. Start with questions and get Little Books of Answers! This comprehensive guided reading program uses the questions Who? What? When? Why? And How? along with balanced literacy and guided reading strategies to turn beginning readers into independent readers with literacy skills and content mastery.
4 years & up. Help children refine skills and prepare for school with this interactive transition kit! The materials, combined with a bilingual activity calendar, provide children with opportunities to enhance their understanding of beginning language, literacy, math, motor and social skills.
3 years & up. This kit includes an abundance of items perfect for experimenting STEM concepts. The tools touch many STEM themes, from building creations from LEGO® DUPLO® and following activity cards, to learning about amazing manmade structures. Users will be able to practice the scientific method and will be able to experience building their own fantastic creations with help from fun-shaped blocks to parts that mimic the world around us. Includes 328 pieces.


The development of fine motor skills are an important part of life for young children. Fine motor activities help them to develop the muscles in their hands and help coordinate these movements with their eyes.
These activities go a long way in setting your child up for good academic skills, independent self-care, and helps them develop their attention span.
The following fine motor activity is a ton of fun for toddlers- and probably preschoolers too! Because what’s more fun than smashing something with a hammer?!
Hammering Fruit Loops for Fine Motor Skill Development
My boys love to use real tools- especially hammers. And they love to destroy things with them. This fine motor activity is perfect for filling this need to destroy, all while helping build hand eye coordination and developing small hand muscles!
For this activity you will need:
Fruit Loops (or other cereal of your choosing)
A small hammer ( a real one!)
A Tray (for containing the mess, these get a lot of use in our house!)
This takes no time to set up- just throw a handful of cereal out on the tray and hand your toddler or preschooler the hammer.
If they’ve never used a real one before you might want to do a brief safety lesson on how to hold it and remind them to keep their fingers out of the way.
Then just let them whack! And smash! And create a big mess!
You’ll probably have to add more cereal a few times.
What’s great about this fine motor activity is that it really helps with coordination. They have to line up the hammer and the piece of cereal in their mind before swinging the hammer.
It also develops muscles in the hands from holding a somewhat heavy hammer and swinging it over and over.
This also doubles as a great sensory activity. Fruit loops engage sense of sight, touch, and smell.
Once my 2 year old was done smashing he recognized that his tray looked a little like a construction zone. The ran to get his dump truck, tractor and snow plow. and spent another long while ‘cleaning up’ the mess on the tray and making piles of ‘rocks and dust’.
All totaled, my toddler spent a good hour on this fine motor activity. He LOVED it.
And, it’s about the best $2 I’ve every spent on a box of cereal!
Check out my post on 13 Different Learning Activities Using Fruit Loops for all the other ways we’ve used cereal to learn and explore!


Five minute phonics test planned for Australian students
All Year 1 students across Australia would sit a five-minute reading test under a proposal to boost literacy standards by adopting a phonics assessment used overseas.
A report to be released today by conservative think-tank the Centre for Independent Studies said Australia should adapt a phonics screening test used in British primary schools to make sure six and seven-year-olds are being taught basic reading skills.
The nationwide assessment would be in addition to NAPLAN testing in Year 3 and oral language tests that WA students do in pre-primary.
The Federal Government proposed a phonics test for Year 1 students in this year’s Budget, prompting criticism that more formal testing would increase pressure on young children.
Report author, senior research fellow Jennifer Buckingham, said the phonics screening check was not an “exam” and should not be stressful for children or teachers.
Students would be asked to read aloud a list of 40 words, including 20 fake words, to test their knowledge of phonics — the relationships between speech sounds and written letter patterns.
She said the ability to decode words using phonics was a strong predictor of how well children would read later in life.
“It’s a really quick and simple way of identifying children who do need some extra support,” Dr Buckingham said.
“But also it would answer the question once and for all about whether schools across Australia are teaching phonics effectively.”
Education Minister Simon Birmingham said British students’ reading skills had improved since the phonics screening test started four years ago, with the proportion reaching the standard increasing from 58 per cent in 2012 to 81 per cent this year.
“It is important to identify if a child is not learning to read effectively, because then you can intervene,” he said. “We know that once a child reaches the age of eight there are enormous challenges to turning that around and the learning gap only blows out further.”
Dr Buckingham said many teachers did not know how to teach phonics effectively and resources such as the Education Department’s First Steps reading program did not reflect evidence on phonics instruction.
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Although an extensive literature exists on creativity and music, there is a lack of published research investigating possible links between musical creativity and Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow or optimal experience. This article examines a group composition task to study the relationships between creativity, flow and the quality of the compositions produced. First-year university students (n = 45) worked on a group composition task during three meetings. Each time the students met, they completed a detailed questionnaire that assessed aspects of each student's experience of the group compositional process using an ‘experience sampling form’ based on Csikszentmihalyi's previous work. Completed compositions were recorded and rated for quality and creativity by the participants and by a group of music education specialists (n= 24). Results indicated a number of ways in which the specialists’ assessments of quality related to the students’ assessments of creativity and flow. The study provides an example of a research method that can be used to further our understanding of the processes and outcomes of group music composition tasks. The discussion also considers a number of important ways that the concept of flow can be utilized within a music education context.
- musical composition
- music psychology


So your child has been referred to occupational therapy – but they don’t have a job! What is it and how can it help? Rest assured, it’s a very common question many people have.
What are Occupations?
“Occupation” doesn’t mean that your child is getting job training. Occupations are all the activities we do throughout the day that are meaningful to us. Whether it's getting dressed, driving, or participating in hobbies, we either need to, or want to do these things in our day to day lives. With children, their occupations are a little different. The activities they need or want to do are to reach developmental milestones, play, participate in school, and become more independent with their self-care activities like eating, dressing, and bathing.
Why was my child referred to Occupational Therapy?
Participation in play and other typical children’s activities are important because they help build foundational skills. When kids have a challenging time getting through what they should be doing day to day, or have delays in areas of their development, it might be a good idea to talk to an occupational therapist. Some examples may include:
· My child gets frustrated when trying to put on their shirt and pants
· My child seems distracted and has difficulties focusing on tasks
· My child cannot draw or write like other kids the same age
· My child throws a temper tantrum every time we want to move onto a new activity
· My child grabs at food, doesn’t use their spoon/fork, and makes a mess every time
· My child has a hard time dealing with certain touch or sound sensations
How can Occupational Therapy help?
No matter the age of your child, your occupational therapist can work alongside you and your child to maximize their success with participating in occupations! Your child’s occupational therapist will assess their current strengths, as well as the source of their challenges when completing tasks.
For example, difficulty putting on a shirt and pants may be caused by a combination of several factors:
· Difficulty understanding instructions
· Difficulty coordinating hands and with physical movements
· Difficulty differentiating front and back, up and down, left and right
· Not knowing how to start the task
· Feeling overwhelmed by all the different textures on the skin
By evaluating the person, environment, and occupation, your child’s occupational therapist can develop a targeted plan to work on the underlying area of need in order to build age appropriate skill development.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact our team!
Kramer, P., Hinojosa, J., Howe, T., & LWW Health Library - Occupational Therapy Collection. (2020). Frames of reference for pediatric occupational therapy (Fourth ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.
Andalusia Speech provides Occupational Therapy online to anywhere in the world or in person at our two clinics in Toronto.


PUBLISHERS AND DISTRIBUTORS OF PROFESSIONAL BOOKS AND JOURNALS
Eco-Literacy for Primary Schools
This book demystifies concepts relating to ecology and sustainable development at a time when these ideas are being introduced into the primary school curriculum. Written in non-academic language, it provides a wide range of illustrative examples reflecting the everyday experiences of teachers and children. But simply explaining eco-literacy would not be enough to make a difference to teachers' practice. So the book is organized around the questions that teachers are likely to need answered, arranged in three main sections:
* What is eco-literacy? Why teach it? How does it fit into what we do now?
* Connections, cycles in nature, renewable energy, ethical issues
* Convincing others -- using without using up, human need and human greed, money, the six Rs
By embracing important social, scientific, economic and political ideas from the rest of the curriculum, the book shows how eco-literacy can be promoted through the existing curriculum structure, linking science, citizenship, geography, health education, literacy and ICT (Information Communications Technology).
For their own future, children need to become capable as they mature of making informed, sustainable life choices. This book is the first step: it sets out to convince teachers of the importance of this and offers them guidance on conveying it to their pupils in the primary classroom.


J. H. Erkko
A poet must be the eyes of progress, the mouth of truth, the conscience of mankind.
- J. H. Erkko on 27 June 1893 when writing Kullervo
Juhana Heikki Erkko (or Johan Henrik in Swedish) was born on a farm in Orimattila on 16 Januray 1849 as the eldest of five children. Also his brothers Eero (1860-1927) and Elias (Ruuto) (1863-1888) became renowned authors and journalists.
At the age of 21, as a young student at the teachers' seminar in Jyväskylä, he published his first poems. His teacher A. E. Hagfors, the father of Finnish music education and choir singing, composed and arranged several of Erkko's poems.
Erkko was a popular and dedicated teacher. In his twenty years in the office, he carefully mentored his pupils and even followed their lives after school. In the 1880's and 1890's he traveled in Europe and in 1900 even to Egypt and Palestine. Erkko was one of the founding members of The Union of Finnish Writers in 1897 and its chairman 1902-1903.
Erkko's work and activities were characterized by the Fennoman movement. His time at the teachers' seminar in Jyväskylä was in an era when Finnishness was forged in the spirit of romanticism. This gave his work an optimistic undertone and the trust in the triumph of education.
The Fennoman movement evolved in the late 19th century especially among young cultural influencers into a pragmatic and comprehensive action plan. Erkko, a man of the older generation, was prepared to promote proven ideals not only in his writing, but also in practice.
For Erkko, language was the instrument of public education, and only education was the way to power. Erkko actively worked to improve the status of the Finnish language i.e. by supporting the building of Finnish-speaking schools. When living in Vyborg, he founded a public library and in Tuusula he donated an extensive book collection to the library. J. H. Erkko also promoted the work of youth associations, temperance societies and workers' associations, which all had strong educational endeavours in the late 19th century.
J. H. Erkko died in Helsinki 16 November 1906. His funeral on November 19th was a national celebration of mourning. His coffin was carried by his brother Eero Erkko as well as his friends author Juhani Aho, painter Pekka Halonen, poet Eino Leino, composer Oskari Merikanto, professor and politician E. N. Setälä, K. A. Castrén and patron of arts Juho Lallukka.


PREParing students for the future
Exploring what it means to play music, make art, and think outside the box.
Teaching students the value of respect for each other, themselves, and their community.
Encouraging students to engage with their communities to broaden their worldview.
Helping each student persevere and overcome obstacles to achieve their goals.
Preparing students for the future through music.
Upbeat Music provides free classical music education to low-income areas across Kentuckiana.
In music, the "upbeat" is the preparatory beat given by a conductor before starting a musical work. Upbeat is also use to describe something joyful or optimistic. Both of these definitions embody the spirit of Upbeat Music: a joyful, optimistic music program preparing students for the future.
As a member of El Sistema USA, Upbeat Music seeks to create social change through music. By encouraging students to see the value in themselves, each other, and their community, they can be catalysts to positive social change on a local, national, and global level.
About our Program
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Upbeat Music is founded on the idea that each child who wants to play an instrument should have the opportunity to do so—regardless of their socioeconomic situation.
Our students receive both their instrument and instruction at no cost to them, thereby eliminating any financial barriers standing in the way.
Each week students are taught by outstanding teaching artists who coach them on proper playing technique and musicality. Students also receive music theory instruction and participate in team-building activities to improve their mental and social skills.
At the end of each term, students give a public performance at a local venue to showcase their progress and engage with their community.


Students will use the Scratch Jr. app to create, compare and contrast characters. This introductory lesson will include the foundational skills students will need to begin using Scratch Jr., so it makes a great "first project" with students.Pre-requisites-Have a device available for each student (Note: instructions are written for iPad, but the app is available on Android and ChromeOS devices as well).-Ensure that the app "Scratch Jr." is installed on all of the devices. This is a free app in the iOS App Store, Google Play Store, or Chrome Web Store.-Read through this lesson plan. The teacher will be directing students through each step along the way, so familiarize yourself with the end product.
Material Type: Lesson Plan